Aftermathoftropicalstorm called worstinliving memory
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
SIMMESPORT Patrick Wright stood dismayed at the edge of floodwatersthat had just inundated hishomeinSimmesport along the AtchafalayaRiver
“We’ve never had anything like this here in our lives,” the at-large alderman said.“We don’tknow what we’re gonnado.”
It was asentiment echoed across Avoyelles Parish after sheets of rain triggered what many are calling the worst floodingin livingmemory.
The downpour began early Thursday morning, when remnantsofTropical Storm Arthur stalled over southeastern partsofthe parish.
“That band just kind of stayed there,” said Andy Tingler,aNational Weather Service meteorologist based in Lake Charles.
Betweenroughly4 a.m. and3 p.m.,the system dumped between 20 to 30 inches of rain in some areas, catching most residents off guard. According to Lafayette-basedmeteorologist Rob Perillo,the numbers point to a potential once-in-1,000-years rainfallevent that could break thestate’s 24-hourrainfall record.
“The amount ofrainfallwas simply historic,”said Gov.JeffLandry during anews conference in Mansura on Friday afternoon.
Despite sitting above sea level, low-lying delta communities —including Simmesport, Cottonport, Plaucheville,Moreauville and Lettsworth in northern Pointe CoupeeParish —were already saturatedfrom weeksof rain, and their largely bayou-based drainage systems were quickly overwhelmed
ä See FLOODING, page 7A
Jefferson, St.Tammany beginrecoveryefforts
National Weather Servicecompleting tornadoassessments
BY LARA NICHOLSON and WILLIE SWETT Staff writers
Most of theNew Orleansarea bounced back quickly Fridayafter Tropical Storm Arthur’stornadoes, heavy rains and strong winds sweptthrough the streets andbrought damage andflooding concentrated in Jeffersonand St Tammanyparishes
But lingering moistureand popup thunderstorms brought another suspected tornado to Arabi on Friday evening, which caused some structural damage but no injuries, theSt. Bernard Sheriff’s Office said at 6:30 p.m. on Facebook. Arthur brought widespread streetfloodingand stalled cars to St. Tammany andJefferson parishes early Thursdaymorning after heavy rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems and overtopped canals in Kenner. Severe winds and suspected tornadoes also destroyed several homes and businessesin
Debrisfrom atrailer destroys a neighboring structure after apossible tornado touched down in Avondale on Thursday.
STAFFPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Thetwo Democratsrunning to replace U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy have joined himin condemning President Donald Trump’sdeal with Iran, while the two Republican candidates have voiced support forthe president. Farmer Jamie Davis and business owner Gary Crockett are facing off in the Democratic runoff on June 27, while U.S. Rep. Julia Letlowand state Treasurer John Fleming go head-to-head in the Republican primary that day. The winners will meet in aNov.3general election.
Trump’sdeal calls forreopening the Strait of Hormuz, through whichpasses 20%of the petroleum liquids consumed worldwide. It also would provide $300 billion to rebuild Iran and at least temporarily lift restrictions on the country’soil exports that have devastated Iran’seconomy
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 himthe optiontoresumebombing
See DEAL, page 4A
SupremeCourt halted executionbynitrogengas
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
Advocates fordeath row inmates in Louisiana are praisingadecision thismonth by theU.S.Supreme CourtthatbarredAlabama fromcarrying outits latest scheduledexecution by nitrogen gas, while Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill panned the outcome as the workofa “rogue judge.”
The unsigned 6-3 decision in the case of Alabama double murderer JefferyLee denied Alabama’semergencyrequest to lift a lower court ban on killing him with nitrogen gas. For nowitplaces executionsbynitrogen gas on hold in Alabama, the first state to use the method on death row prisoners. Alabama has put seven prisoners to death using the method since 2024.
See RULING, page 8A
STAFF PHOTOSByLESLIEWESTBROOK
Residents walk through high water Thursdayfollowingheavy rain from Tropical StormArthur in Simmesport. Ahistoricrainfall event triggered severe flooding in Avoyelles Parish, displacing residents,damaging homes andprompting emergency rescue efforts.
ä See ARTHUR, page 6A
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
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 gathered 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, 2½ 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 2½ miles to symbolize the 2½ 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
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
Burrows, director of
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.”
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.
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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG
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
personnel work Friday on a train on the tracks outside Bedford, England, after a train from Corby
Officials: Israel,Hezbollah agreetohalt fighting
BY ERIN CUNNINGHAM, JON GAMBRELL and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
JERUSALEM Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant groupagreedFriday to halt the heavy fighting in southern Lebanonthat 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 aheavy exchange of firekilled 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.
Hezbollah and Israel went to warshortly after the outbreak of the wider conflict, with Hezbollah firingrockets 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 reopenedthe Strait of Hormuz, which Iran ef-
fectivelyclosed, cutting the global economy off from significantsupplies of oil and natural gas. Thedeal would also relaunch talks on Iran’snuclear program, the core issueover which Israel and the U.S.began thewar on Feb.28. But the accord already faces threats, chiefly from Lebanon, with the fighting there leading to adelay in the start of talksplanned for FridayinSwitzerland. The agreementcalls for ahalt to military operations in Lebanon and for its sovereignty to be respected. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is aparty to the deal.
IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to haltits attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon,whichIran says is also acondition of thedeal.
Hoursafterofficialstold
news organizations about the truce, Israeliartillery fire could still be heardfrom northern Israel alongthe Lebanese border, and alarge explosion was seen erupting inside Lebanon, according to an AP journalist in northern Israel.
Word of the attempt to halt the fighting camefrom two regional officials and a U.S. official. The effortwas mediated by Qatar,the U.S and Iran, the regional officials said. The threeofficials were not authorized to comment publicly andspoke to
The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Fighting between Israel andHezbollahwas supposed to endat4 p.m. local time, according to asecondU.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and also spoke on condition of
anonymity AHezbollah official said an agreementtostop fighting could be announced soon,but he stoppedshort of confirming it was in place. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnot authorized to discuss the matter publicly Netanyahu’s office did not immediately comment. However,Netanyahu posted Friday on Xthat, on his orders, the Israeli army had “struck powerfully” 150 Hezbollahtargets, killing dozens of militants.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin saidthe military hasnot received different instructions from the government. He said Israeli forces were operating in a“forward defense zone” andwould continue doing so
The Israeli ambassador to theU.S., Yechiel Leiter, posted on Xthat Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honors the agreementand ceases hostilities.
U.S. push to getIrantalks startedhitsanearly bump
Vancestays at home,for now
BY AAMER MADHANI, JAMEY KEATEN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
ZURICH TheAmerican push to quickly begin highstakes talks with Iran hita snag Friday,just daysafter the signing of an agreement that opens a two-month window for negotiations on Tehran’snuclear program and returning oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to prewar levels. Iranian officials did not travel as planned to Switzerland, insistingthat Israeli strikes on Iranianbacked Hezbollah militants in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place, according to three regional officials and aperson familiar withthe matter.They were not authorized to publicly
discuss theongoing mediationtotry to get the talks rescheduledand spokeon condition of anonymity
The situation was fluid as Israel and Hezbollah agreed on Friday torenew their ceasefire, according to aU.S. officialand regionalofficials. It remains to be seen whether that couldhelpput the U.S.-Iran talks back on track. In Washington,President Donald Trump lashed out once again in the midst of the intensifiedfighting in Lebanon and the stallednucleartalks.
“Wedidn’tmeet out of desperation, Iran did,” Trump wrote in asocial media post Friday.“They are FINISHED!We’ll play out the 60 days. Theyget no money,not ten cents!”
Trump’svice president, JD Vance,had been prepared to make anovernight flight to meet with hisIraniancounterparts ata mountainside
resort in the tiny Swiss village of Obbürgen and begin the technical talks
Vance’sstaff and asmall group of journalists had gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington in anticipation of thetrip. DozensofWhite House officials, advance staffers and more mediawere already in Switzerland.
Then the tripwas called off —abruptly and for the time being.
AWhiteHouse statement said Vance, tapped by Trump to lead the negotiations, decidedtopostponehis travel. It made no mention of theescalating violenceinLebanon
“The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the statement said.
But, according to officials, the Iranians made clear to theWhiteHouse that they hadbalkedatstarting the talks withVance becauseof the Israeli action in Lebanon.
While Iranian officials
Trumpunveils newAir ForceOne
By The 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 inside themassive Andrews AirForce Base hangar,asa couplehundred assembled AirForce personnel looked on.He spokeafter stepping off thenew planeina dramatic flourish, as hissignature tune “GodBlessthe 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 theold Air Force One, he said.
The gift from Qatar is serving as aso-called “bridge” aircraft to carrythe president until the newplanes ordered directly from Boeingarrive. That is currently slatedfor 2028.
The administration formally accepted aluxuryBoeing 747 jet from Qatar last year to be used as the presidential airplane, despite questions about the ethics and legality of accepting suchanexpensive gift from aforeign government. Trump has insisted in the past that he would not flyaround in the Qatari jet once he leaves office and said it would instead be donated to afuture presidential library
and Vance did not makeitto Switzerland Friday,amediator from theGulf country of Qatar found his way tothe resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, where theU.S.-Iran talks are to be held. Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister,Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met with the Swissforeign minister,Ignazio Cassis. Vance was initially expected to go to Switzerland to sign theagreement at a formal ceremony.Instead, Trump signedthe document Wednesday duringa glitzy dinneratthe Palace of Versailles with French President Emmanuel Macron. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, separately signed the agreement. It saysIran’sstockpileof highly enriched uranium,
which is believed to be buried under rubble leftbyU.S. military strikes last year targeting Tehran’skey nuclear sites, must at minimum be dilutedunderinternational supervision. It also says Iran shallnot 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 ameasure of confidenceafter effectively shutting down the strait, causing global economic reverberations, saidRosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities in Washington. She said the U.S. is now “essentially trying to negotiate ourway backtothe prewar status quo.”
Neil Quilliam, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House think tank, saidthe “buoyant” Iranian leadership feels it hasthe upperhand. Theendorsement of the talks by the Iranian supreme leader “sends avery strong signal domestically: ‘We’re now on an equal footing with the U.S.’” “‘Trump has gone from calling for regime change on Feb.28tothis: Nowthey’re going to sit down with us directly and talk about these big issues,’ ”Quilliam said of the Iranians’ thinking. “So it’sintended more for the domesticaudience, andtelling them:‘We arefirmly in control of this. There can be no protests, no revolution: We are anew regime and we’re staying put.’”
torms and poweroutages canhappen with little warning, makingpreparation an importantpart of staying safe.Fromassemblingemergency suppliesto understanding howtoproperly operate agenerator, taking the rightprecautionscan help protectyour familybefore, duringand aftersevereweather
In this Wake Up NOLA segment, learn important generatorsafetytipsand outagepreparedness recommendationsfromEntergy to helpyou stay safe throughoutstorm season.Presented by Entergy.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByHASSAN AMMAR
Barber Wissam Srour,41, holdshis daughter’sbicycle Friday after recovering it from his barbershop in Tyre, Lebanon, which wasdamaged in an Israeli strike.
Strong El Niño years have impacted Louisiana
Devastating hurricanes have still struck, despite low predictions
BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer
Blossoming El Niño conditions are expected to reach historic proportions this year, helping to limit hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean and altering weather conditions across the globe.
Federal scientists said last week that 2026 could “rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950,” with conditions expected to intensify through the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season and into the winter El Niño tends to increase vertical wind shear across the Atlantic, helping to break up storms and prevent hurricane formation and intensification. Those effects aren’t a given, but stronger events improve the odds for lower tropical activity across the Atlantic and Gulf.
The potential for what some are calling a “super” El Niño is what led forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to predict slightly below average activity this season, which ends on Nov 30. But here in Louisiana, where some of the most memorable hurricanes in history have hit during El Niño years, experts like state climatologist Jay Grymes are warning residents to stay vigilant and get prepared.
“So that’s my first point, is to tell people, wait a minute, we’re reducing the number of storms a small amount,” Grymes said. “We’re not taking storms out of the game.”
Here’s a look back at some of the El Niño years that made history and how they stack up.
Strongest recorded El Niño events
NOAA determines the strength of an El Niño event by measuring how far above average sea-surface temperatures are in a specific region of the Pacific Ocean relative to the rest of the tropics. NOAA forecasters sort El Niño events
DEAL
Continued from page 1A
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 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
Bruxelles and Broad streets are flooded in New Orleans after Hurricane Betsy on Sept 11, 1965
into four categories of intensity:
n Weak: Sea-surface temperatures are between 0.5 and 1 degrees Celsius above average
n Moderate: 1 to 1.5 degrees above average
n Strong: 1.5 to 2 degrees above average
n Very strong: 2 degrees or more above average.
Grymes said that while “very strong” is the official scientific terminology for the highest order category, some “media-driven scientists” have started using the term “super” El Niño.
“If we look back to 1950, there probably have been something like five or six events that would qualify for this super rating,” he said, adding that this year, “there seems to be very little question that we’re going to hit that super phase, that extra strong phase.”
According to NOAA’s Relative Oceanic Niño Index, the following years saw the strongest El Niño events going back to 1950.
n 1957-58: 2.0 degrees
n 1965-66: 2.0 degrees
n 1972-73: 2.3 degrees
n 1982-83: 2.5 degrees
n 1991-92: 2.3 degrees
n 1997-98: 2.4 degrees
n 2015-16: 2.4 degrees
The last robust El Niño
The last moderate to strong El Niño was in 2023, when the Pa-
Cassidy
“This was a complete disaster,” Crockett said. “What Trump has done is a complete surrender after lies and billions of dollars.”
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, RMandeville, offered cautious support for the deal.
“I hope it works out. I’ve got my doubts,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor “I hope our giving peace a chance makes peace possible.”
Letlow expressed support for the accord.
“President Trump has been
cific peaked at 1.5 degrees above normal from November through January, according to the Relative Oceanic Niño Index.
Still, 2023 was one of the Atlantic’s most active seasons in the last 70 years, with a total of 20 named storms, seven of which were hurricanes, three of them major An average season ends with 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
It was one of the most prolific El Niño seasons in modern history, partly because record-warm ocean temperatures helped to fuel storm formation and development, counteracting El Niño’s usual effects. Louisiana was left unscathed by named storms that year, but three hit the U.S., including two tropical storms and Hurricane Idalia.
Colorado State University hurricane forecasters said earlier this spring that temperatures in the Atlantic present mixed signals for the 2026 hurricane season, with warmer-than-normal waters in the western tropical Atlantic and slightly cooler-than-usual temperatures in the east.
Matthew Rosencrans, a meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said Gulf seasurface temperatures early this month were hovering around 82.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a little less than a degree above normal. In July 2023, the Gulf and
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.
“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 much less loss of life in the Middle East, and we’ll have a permanent good outcome. We cannot allow them to have nuclear weapons.”
Notice is hereby given pursuant to Article 7, Section 23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution and R.S. 47:1705(B) that apublic hearing of the Jefferson Parish Council, acting as the governing authority of Fire Protection District No. 4ofthe Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana will be held at the Town of Grand Isle Multiplex, located at 3101 Louisiana Highway 1, Grand Isle, LA 70358, on July 22, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. to consider levying additional or increased millage rates on property without further voter approval or adopting the adjusted millage rates after reassessment and rolling forward to rates not exceeding the prior year’smaximum. The amount of tax revenues for the current year are $660,201. The estimated amount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $841,696, and the amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase is $181,495.
the Caribbean Sea were about 1.8 to 5.4 degrees warmer than usual, and water temperatures surrounding Florida trumped records set in 1981.
The last below-average season
It’s been 11 years since the Atlantic saw below-average tropical activity, and 2015 was the last of three consecutive slower-thannormal seasons.
That year, one of the strongest El Niño events in recorded history took hold, leading to extreme weather pattern changes across the globe. The Caribbean and Ethiopia saw widespread drought, much of the world saw recordbreaking heat and scientists recorded a spike in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels due to overactive fire seasons.
The Pacific, where El Niño conversely promotes increased storm activity saw what NOAA called a “record-smashing hurricane season.”
But the Atlantic was quiet in 2015, with a total of 11 named storms, four of which became hurricanes, including two that reached major strength. Only two tropical storms made landfall in the U.S. that year
Grymes, the state climatologist, said such conditions also often lead to a wetter than normal winter and spring in south Louisiana, enhancing flood risk.
Hurricane Audrey Grymes said there are periods when the impacts of El Niño either shrink dramatically or disappear entirely, whether it’s for days or weeks.
It’s in those windows that storms have the most potential to strengthen into damaging hurricanes.
“To me, the best example of why we need to be ready during El Niño it’s been awhile, I’ll admit but it’s ’57’s Audrey,” Grymes said.
Despite a strong El Niño that year, Hurricane Audrey was still able to form over the western Gulf in June, exploding in intensity and reaching Category 4 strength within two days, catching many in southwest Louisiana off guard.
The hurricane hit Cameron as a Category 3 with winds of 125 mph,
sending 12 feet of storm surge over the area and taking an estimated 400 or more lives.
Overall, the season was quieter than usual for the time. Eight tropical storms developed in 1957, three of which reached hurricane force. The average season at that time ended with 10 storms and five hurricanes, according to NOAA. Hurricanes Betsy and Andrew A similar “it only takes one” lesson can be learned from 1965’s Hurricane Betsy, which initially formed as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa in August of that year
1965 was a strong to very strong El Niño year that produced just six tropical storms, including four hurricanes, making it one of the slowest seasons in a decade. Still, Betsy — the only storm to hit land that year — followed an erratic path across the Atlantic, eventually hitting Grand Isle as a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph. Several levees protecting New Orleans failed and the city suffered catastrophic flooding, leading the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assume responsibility of rebuilding and maintaining the city’s levee system. Roughly 80 people are estimated to have been killed in the storm.
While very strong El Niño conditions had been present in 1991 and early 1992, neutral conditions — the phase between El Niño and La Niña — had returned by the time Hurricane Andrew formed in August 1992.
Still, the National Hurricane Center that year tracked just six tropical storms and four hurricanes, well below the average at that time of 9.8 tropical storms and 5.7 hurricanes.
The only storm to hit the U.S. during the slower-than-usual season was Andrew, a devastating storm that slammed into Florida as a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 165 mph before hitting Morgan City at Category 3 strength. It remains one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. and at the time, NOAA called it the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history
Email Kasey Bubnash at kasey bubnash@theadvocate.com.
Davis Letlow Crockett Fleming
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
ARTHUR
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Avondale and Slidell, where officials were working with residents on recovery Friday, they said.
By Thursday night, Gov Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency for the first named storm of the season in Avoyelles, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes.
On Friday, there were still 2,000 customers without power statewide, according to Poweroutage. us. That included 1,061 Entergy customers, according to its outage site.
National Weather Service forecasters were still completing damage surveys and tornado assessments Friday but rainfall totals show the northshore likely saw the most flash flooding:
n Slidell: 9.4 inches
n Pearl River: 8 inches
n Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport: 7.7 inches
n Kenner: 6.29 inches
n Metairie: 4.69 inches
n New Orleans: 2.57 inches
More flash flooding was forecast Friday night from scattered storms that could bring hourly amounts of 3 inches of rain to an already saturated south Louisiana. Friday also saw one of the summer’s first extreme heat advisories, which are likely to ramp up for the city under what could be one of the biggest El Niños in history
St. Tammany Parish Slidell, especially Eden Isles and Avery Estates, saw the most damage in St. Tammany, authorities said. There was widespread street flooding, downed power lines and trees, and damage from a possible tornado, the St. Tammany Parish Fire District No. 1 said in a social media post.
The National Weather Service had not yet confirmed whether Thursday’s wind damage was due to a tornado.
As of Friday afternoon, the parish documented 124 damaged homes, businesses and other structures, 122 of which were in the Slidell area. That included 13 destroyed structures, 19 with major damage, 80 with minor damage and 12 considered “affected,” according to Clint Ory the director of the parish’s homeland security and emergency operations.
Most of the damage was to homes, but some businesses were affected, Ory said. Parish President Mike Cooper signed an emergency declaration on Thursday, according to parish spokesperson Michael Vinsanau.
The parish doesn’t anticipate federal aid to help with cleaning up the debris, as sometimes happens with more severe storms, Ory said, but the parish has posted information for residents to social media.
As rivers rise across the region, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on Friday closed Old Highway 11 after the Pearl River reached 16.5 feet. Vinsanau said Friday afternoon that water remained on many roads, and he urged drivers to remain cautious
A parish database showed 124 roads with “high water” and seven considered hazardous.
Jefferson Parish
In Jefferson Parish, an
Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” 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 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.”
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 demand-
ed 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” to ensure the boat was destroyed and in ac-
cordance 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 six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle and not on the legality of the strikes, the inspector general’s office said.
stalled as commuters attempted to traverse floodwaters on major roads and nearby neighborhoods. Initial damage assessments showed only a few homes that took on flooding, while a fallen tree destroyed one house on Roosevelt Boulevard.
Kenner spokesperson Valerie Brolin said there were other homes that reported water intrusion with video evidence that upon inspec-
tion did not actually have any water She said she suspects that some videos of flood damage may have been falsified using artificial intelligence.
Rainfall totals in Kenner during the peak three hours surpassed the intensity of Hurricane Francine during its peak hours in 2024, according to the parish’s public works department. A major difference be-
tween the two storms, though, is that Thursday’s heaviest rains were concentrated to Kenner rather than the whole east bank, allowing water to more easily drain to the east once rain let up. Francine also brought more rainfall over the entire day than the remnants of Arthur
Chalmette tornado
Social media was quickly filled with photos and video of a cyclone spinning over St Bernard Parish on Friday evening, after skies had darkened from a mostly sunny day Parish President Louis Pomes said about six or seven homes were damaged.
“There’s no way to prepare for this,” he said. Parts of Rowley Boulevard and Norton Avenue were closed for cleanup.
“Residents in the area are encouraged to use caution and watch for downed power lines, fallen trees, debris in roadways, traffic lights that may be out, and other storm-related hazards,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook. “If you encounter downed power lines, stay away and report them immediately to Entergy.”
Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate. com.
EF1 tornado in Avondale destroyed four homes and damaged at least 10 more
Two people were injured and taken to the hospital after a mobile home blew into a modular home next door, but both people have since been discharged.
Another EF1 tornado touched down shortly after and moved through the east bank into New Orleans, ripping walls off businesses and derailing empty railcars from their tracks. EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale of 0-5 means there was moderate damage.
As tornadoes struck the parish, more than half a foot of rain fell on parts of the east bank in a matter of hours. The Elmwood Pump Station got 9 inches of rain by 7 a.m. Thursday, and the Louis Armstrong International Airport saw more than 6 inches.
“We’re fortunate with this storm,” said Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng.
“We’re fortunate the rain stopped when it did, and we’re fortunate that even though we had two torna-
does, no one was severely injured or killed.”
Lee Sheng also said that the parish’s pump stations were all functional during the storm, which residents were anxious of after questions arose about the functionality of the pumps at the airport after Francine. The parish had also emptied all canals before the storm to maximize storage capacity, she said.
Jefferson Parish’s drainage system can usually handle about 1 inch of rainfall in the first hour and half an inch every hour after that. But ultimately, if enough rain falls in a short amount of time, no equipment can stop the canals from filling.
“Even knowing the hazards, you just don’t know how much rain and how quickly it’s going to move through or if it’s going to hover over us,” Lee Sheng said.
“If we had another day of rain like this today, we’d have a lot of trouble.”
Kenner
In Kenner, at least 50 cars
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Railcars sit derailed at the CPKC New Orleans yard in Metairie after winds from Tropical Storm Arthur moved through the area on Thursday.
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
The West Esplanade Avenue canal in Kenner slowly recedes after overtopping during Tropical Storm Arthur in New Orleans on Thursday.
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng left, surveys damage caused
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 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. Across the parish, Emergency Preparedness Director Joey Frank estimated more than 270 structures sustained major flood dam-
age, 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 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.
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STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Carl Mose sits outside his home surrounded by floodwater on Thursday following heavy rain from Tropical Storm Arthur in Simmesport.
A trio of goats stay dry on the porch of a home surrounded by floodwater on Thursday following heavy rain from Tropical Storm Arthur in Simmesport.
with meteorologist DamonSingleton
RULING
Continued from page1A
The courtdeclined to spell out its rationale for pausing the Alabama execution, leaving uncertain the impact on Louisiana, the only other state to complete an execution by nitrogen gas. Louisiana falls under adifferent federal circuit
AlabamaAttorney General Steve Marshall responded to the high court’sdecision by askingthe Alabama Supreme Court to let the state execute Lee by lethal injection instead. Marshall’soffice did not respond to questions about whether or how Alabama intends to defend its use of nitrogen hypoxia at this point.
But Murrill downplayed the impact on executions in Louisiana. The Republican attorney general, who has pressedtorestartLouisiana’sexecution chamber in earnest, did not respond when asked how the decisions could impactthe state’sfuture use of nitrogen gas.
“The United States Supreme Court has allowedit, and there are procedural explanations for the vote in the Alabama case,” Murrill said in astatement.
“Alabama, like Louisiana and otherstates, wants to carry out criminal sentences and deliver long-delayed justice thatwas promised to victims and their families in these heinous crimes,” she added. “So the pivot in this case to another method simply signals that Alabama does not intendtoallow anti-death-penalty activists to delay the execution.”
Advocates for inmates ondeath row hope the legal developments serve as more than aspeed bump for the handful of states that have authorized nitrogen gas executions.
Lee’scaseinvolved some ofthe same experts from achallenge last year to Louisiana’sfirst execution in 15 years, when the state used nitrogen gas in March 2025 to kill Jessie Hoffman for the 1996 rape and murder of Mary “Molly” Elliott. In Hoffman’scase, a5-4 majority of theU.S.Supreme Court denied an application to stay his execution. Arkansas,Mississippi and Oklahoma also have authorized executions by nitrogen gas but have not used it.
Capital attorney Cecelia Trenticosta Kappel,ofthe New Orleans-
based Promise of JusticeInitiative, said thelower courts’ reasoning in Lee’scaseapplies just as well here.
“Louisiana’sprotocol for nitrogengassing is acopycat of Alabama’s, so the factual findings of the districtcourt andthe 11th Circuitshould apply to Louisiana with full force,” Kappel said in astatement.
“Andunlike the federal Constitution,Louisiana’sConstitutiongoes further,explicitly banning torture andproviding stronger safeguards against cruel, unusual, orexcessive punishment.” Murrill haspressed local courts to clear more death row inmates for execution. No others have taken place since Hoffman, though the Legislaturehas set tight new deadlines to quicken the post-conviction review process for condemned prisoners. Louisiananow has about
56 prisoners on death row.
‘Needlesssuffering?’
In Alabama, Lee was convicted of ashotgun double killing during a1998 robbery of apawn shop. A jury settled on life in prison, but a judge overrode thedecision with a deathsentence, in apractice later outlawed.
U.S. District Judge Emily Marks, whowas nominated to thefederal benchbyPresident DonaldTrump, at first rejected Lee’schallengeto the nitrogen gas death underthe Eighth Amendment’s ban on “cruel and unusual” punishment. After atrial, Marks ruled that Alabama’snitrogengas protocol didn’tcause “needlesssuffering,” though she found it caused one to three minutes of “severe air hunger and corresponding emotional distress, anxiety,physiological stress, and physical discomfort.”
The11th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded differently,saying “the overall suffering described by the district court, which lasts for one to three minutes, presents asubstantial risk of serious harm over and above death itself.”
Theappeals courtsentthe case back to Marks, who thendecided that Lee’schosenalternative —a firing squad —while not approved by Alabama, was “feasible, readily implemented, and significantly reducesthe substantial risk of serious harm posed by the Protocol.”
Marks issued apermanent injunction that the appeals court upheld, reasoning that if it didn’t, the state could moot the case by killing Lee. Alabama then asked the Supreme Court to step in. Granting Lee’schallenge would be “unprecedented in American history,” the state claimed, expanding “the concept of cruelty well beyond the bounds of the Eighth Amendment.”
Justices ClarenceThomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissentedfrom the denial of the state’spetition.
Otherexecution methods
TheU.S.SupremeCourt has alonghistory of staying outof challenges over methodsofstate executions. Lee’swas the first involving nitrogen gas where the justices were asked to suspend a permanent injunction issued by a lowercourt long enoughfor Alabamatokill him
Before then, the highcourthad allowed eightexecutions by nitrogen hypoxiatogoforward.
One legalscholar arguedthat Louisiana “just may think it’snot worth it” to pursue more nitrogen gas executions after Alabama’sresponse to the recent court ruling.
“The litigationinAlabama has set aroad map for attorneys to followifitgoesall theway up to the Supreme Court. It’s apretty good yellow brickroad in terms of the cost, thecontroversy,the chaos that’sinvolved in dealing with such averychallenging and difficult methodofexecution,” said Fordham University law professor Deborah Denno.
In arecent paper,Denno argued that theU.S. has enteredanew era of “crueler,sloppier,and more reckless” executions, withsome states tapping oldertechniques like thefiring squad and others approving nitrogen gas, anew one. The last execution using nitro-
gen gas camelast October in Alabama, when condemned inmate Anthony Boyd appeared to take longer to diethan any others using the method. The Associated Press reported Boyd shaking and heaving formorethan 15 minutes before thecurtainclosed on the execution chamber Louisiana lawmakers approved nitrogen gasalong withthe electric chair as options in 2024 legislation after the state struggled for years with access to lethal injection drugs. The choice of methods under the law is left to the state corrections secretary SupremeCourt ‘shadowdocket’ Some legal observers cautioned that the court may have denied Alabama’splea forreasons not entirely related to Lee’sfate.
Stephen Vladeck, aGeorgetown University professor whohas studied the court’sgrowing use of its “shadowdocket” to settle legal issuesthrough emergencydecisions, arguedinanamicus brief that the court shouldn’tlet that docket be used to cleara pathfor Lee’sexecution.
JohnBlume,aCornellUniversity law professor,said the court’s actions on the shadow docket are notoriously hard to decipher
“So, it could mean that the refusaltolift the (injunction) stay means amajority thinks the DistrictCourt andthe Court of Appeals got it right.Itcouldalso mean that they might hear the case on the merits and vacating thestay would moot the case,” Blumesaid.
“Or it couldjustmeanthat they did not see what has (been) until this court came along the difficult standard fora staybeing satisfied.”
Blume said the court hasgranted the vast majority of emergencyrelief requests from orders staying executions.
“But mostofthose werepreliminary injunctions,” he added. “This was apermanent one.”
Lee’slegal team with the Arnold &Porter firm in Washington, D.C., praised the decision while noting thatitdidn’tclip Alabama’sright to kill him,only how
“Weare asking only that the execution be carriedout by aconstitutional method,” the firm said, adding that the high court ruling “ensures the opportunity forafull review of the trial and appellate record before anyexecution
ceeds.”
pro-
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIM CHANDLER Abraham Bonowitz, of the group Death Penalty Action, leadsa demonstrationoutside the CapitolinMontgomery, Ala., on Mondayto opposeanupcoming execution in Alabama.
PROVIDED PHOTO
The newexecution chamber at Louisiana State PenitentiaryatAngola and the mask for the nitrogen gas
S&WB names Tymrak operations chief
Career engineer picked as general superintendent
BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
The Sewerage & Water
Tymrak, who had served as interim superintendent since earlier this year, received her formal appointment from the utility’s governing board on Wednesday The position reports directly to the board and manages all of the S&WB’s drainage,
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’s 127-year history
sewerage and water operations. The board was unanimous in their vote of approval, with members jokingly trying to race each other to be the one to make the motion.
Tymrak replaces Steve Nelson, who left to join
Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration 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’s administrative functions and long-term planning — from 2004 to 2013. In an interview Tymrak said she
is “building on a real 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.”
Tymrak has a master’s of engineering in water resources planning and management from Colorado State University She moved
to New Orleans in 2008 to work for CH2M Hill an engineering firm that works on S&WB infrastructure. She joined the S&WB in 2020, eventually rising to be Nelson’s deputy four years later Her interest in switching over from the private sector grew as she “got to know the system and the incredibly important role that it plays in the city.”
‘WE WILL NOT BE ERASED’
Juneteenth celebration draws big crowds
BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer
Under a blistering sun on Friday, Congo Square pulsed with a mood of celebration and defiance.
New Orleans’ seventh annual Juneteenth Festival drew hundreds of people with rows of food and artisan vendors, a second-line parade and performances by local musicians.
As they gathered to celebrate the freeing of the last enslaved African Americans on June 19, 1865, organizers and festivalgoers alike described this year’s gathering as a call to action in the ongoing fight for Black civil rights
They pointed to recent moves by state lawmakers — a new congressional map
and the elimination of several elected positions that reduced Black political representation.
“We have to act to stay free,” said Malik Bartholomew, a board member of the event’s organizer, the Afro-Indigenous Society in a speech invoking the West African Yoruba people’s àse tradition to honor Black ancestors and civil rights leaders.
“Acting in freedom,” he added, means voting, showing up at civic meetings and finding ways “to invest in your community.”
The event, held on the spot used for Sunday gatherings generations ago by enslaved people, was one of a slew of
ä See JUNETEENTH, page 2B
U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on use of six-person juries
Fla. arguments lean on La. case
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
In crimes where Louisiana’s criminal code does not specify hard labor upon a conviction, sixperson juries can decide a defendant’s guilt. It’s been that way for well over a century But last week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a Florida case that “six-pack” juries like those in Louisiana and a handful of other states are half what the U.S Constitution requires, based on history
The petitioners in the Florida case lean heavily on the high court’s 2020 decision in Ramos v. Louisiana, banning nonunanimous
jury verdicts in criminal cases. In that case, the Supreme Court broke with a 50-year ruling to find by a 6-3 majority that American juries were always meant to be unanimous, scrapping long-standing laws in Louisiana and Oregon.
In the Florida case, defendant Hamed Kian argues that a 1970 Supreme Court decision that endorsed six-member juries, Williams v. Florida, “cannot be squared with” the Ramos decision claiming that a group of 12 was also what defined a jury trial when the Sixth Amendment came to pass.
“Ramos rejected the same kind of ‘cost-benefit analysis’ undertaken in Williams,” wrote Daniel Eisinger, public defender in West Palm Beach, Florida, in Kian’s petition
“When the People enshrined the jury trial right in the Consti-
tution, they did not attach a rider that future judges could adapt it based on latter-day social science views.” He argued that six-member juries and nonunanimous juries both developed under Jim Crowera efforts to suppress Black voices under the guise of judicial efficiency Florida has deployed six-member juries for trials in noncapital cases since 1877, the court record shows. Louisiana’s split jury law was born at a constitutional convention in 1898 explicitly to advance White supremacy in the state. The result was a split-jury law that discriminated against Black defendants and jurors into the modern era, according to an exhaustive 2018 analysis by The
Man admits helping fake father’s death
Drowning was staged to evade charges in N.C., authorities say
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
Three years ago, Seth Emde called 911 to report that his father had a heart attack and fell in the water on a fishing trip in St. Charles Parish. The U.S. Coast
authorities in Brunswick County, North Carolina, jailed Melvin Emde on suspicion of statutory rape and indecent liberties with a juvenile in 2022.
ä See TYMRAK, page 2B
M Emde
A second-line strolls down Rampart Street to Armstrong Park during the Juneteenth Festival in New Orleans on Friday.
STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK Harmoni and Jonte Cannon hold up a Juneteenth flag at Armstrong Park in New Orleans on Friday.
Tymrak
JUNETEENTH
Continued from page 1B
activities planned across the city throughout the weekend to honor Juneteenth, which was recognized as a federal and state holiday in 2021.
The Afro-Indigenous Society will continue its commemoration on Saturday with a “Blueprint to Freedom” summit featuring panel discussions about Black economic empowerment and community investment.
“We always wanted to be more than just a festival,” said Shaddai Livingston, the group’s director “We want to have a good time, but we want people to leave with something tangible.”
That goal was visible at the entryway to the festival, which was lined with organizers encouraging people to register to vote and sign a petition to recall Gov Jeff Landry
Shawon Robinson was posted up at a table representing her organization, the Lower 9th Ward Voter’s Coalition.
She wore a custom-made T-shirt that read: “38,681 voices cannot be silenced.” It referred to the number of votes won by Calvin Duncan, a Black lawyer who was elected as Orleans criminal district court clerk before the state Legislature eliminated his position with a bill that Landry signed last month. Lawmakers also cut seven New Orleans judgeships during the legislative session that ended on June 1.
“Even though we run across all these obstacles,” Robinson said, “it doesn’t mean we’re going to give up the vote.” Meanwhile, festivalgoers took cov-
TYMRAK
Continued from page 1B
“I really just fell in love with the people, I fell in love with the process, I fell in love with the whole system,” Tymrak said.
“The trust of the employees is something that is important to me It’s not something I take for granted. It’s something that I have to earn every single day.”
The S&WB is structured so that Tymrak works alongside Executive Director Randy Hayman, but not under his supervision. They both report directly to the board. Tymrak said she and Hayman work “very, very closely” together Tymrak’s promotion comes at a critical juncture for the S&WB. The New Orleans City Council, with new powers over
JURIES
Continued from page 1B
Advocate of six years of state trial and jury selection data.
That research also found more than 100 cases per year being tried before “six-pack” juries in Louisiana at the time. The state once allowed five of six jurors to convict in those trials until the U.S Supreme Court in 1979 insisted those smaller juries needed to be unanimous.
The conviction rate for six-pack juries was comparable gener-
DEATH
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He was released 30 days later on $150,000 bail and made to wear an ankle monitor
Instead of remaining in the Tar Heel State, Melvin Emde began plotting his faked death, according to the feds. He and Seth met up in Kenner and rented a hotel room on Aug 5, 2023. The next day, they bought twine, worms, bobbers, angling rods and other fishing gear from the Walmart in Boutte, prosecutors allege. They also purchased two prepaid “burner” phones and
er from the sweltering heat under the shade of the square’s large oak trees, sipping lemonade and enjoying sno-balls.
Joe Black, who leaned back in a camping chair listening to music, said his plan for the day was to “sit back and relax.”
“It’s really nice,” he said, “just the enjoyment that we all come together as one.”
Eshawna Bland, who came to New Orleans to celebrate Juneteenth with 13 family members from Houston, said that she was glad to see people of different races and backgrounds celebrating “Especially in the time we’re in right now we should still be supportive of each other and still honor and share differences,” said Bland. “I think people are forgetting what America truly is and what it stands for.”
Organizers and city officials also honored John Mosley, a New Orleans minister who pushed for recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday
In a brief appearance at the festival, Mayor Helena Moreno presented Mosley’s longtime collaborator, Dereck Alexander, and his brother, Edward Robinson, with a plaque in Mosley’s honor “He is the godfather of Juneteenth,” Moreno said, “not just in New Orleans but across the country.”
The two recalled the city’s first Juneteenth event in modern history, organized by Mosley in City Park in 1990.
Through an organization called the African American Male and Female Institute, Mosley and Alexander led a campaign to educate youth about Juneteenth in schools and hold festivals throughout the city
the agency granted by state lawmakers, will soon consider major changes to its governance, funding and operations, with the intent of making it work more closely with City Hall.
Moreno appointed Tymrak to an advisory committee tasked with recommending ordinances to guide those changes. Nelson, in an interview, said Tymrak is well-suited for her new leadership role.
“If an issue came up, she was first to be able to figure out how to (fix it),” Nelson said. “Not just by herself through brute force, but working with a team to motivate the people around her to get to an end goal.”
The S&WB is also facing huge infrastructure challenges, with critical upgrades needed to the drainage and drinking water systems that will cost billions
The two also formed the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, which pushed for it to become a national holiday Jamilah Yejide Peters-Muhammad, known as Mama Jamilah, recalled being one of just a handful of participants in those early Juneteenth event. She vowed to continue fighting to protect freedoms that people in the past died to secure.
“Juneteenth and the symbolism of Juneteenth has to be ever more a beacon for us,” she said. “We will not be erased, we cannot be erased.”
of dollars funding the S&WB doesn’t currently have.
Those issues became immediately apparent in Tymrak’s first few weeks as general superintendent, when a succession of major water mains burst and caused four neighborhood floods. More recently, brandnew equipment meant to stabilize power for drainage pumps failed when the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur lashed the area with heavy rainfall.
Tymrak said she is looking forward to working through all of the S&WB’s challenges.
“We need to be looking forward for the next 20 to 30 years of investment in a lot of different systems,” she said. “It’s water, sewer, drainage. All those systems need that.”
Email Ben Myers at bmyers@ theadvocate.com.
ally to national figures for guilty verdicts from 12-member juries that require unanimity the data showed.
More recent figures for six-pack juries in Louisiana were not available. A spokesperson for Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick’s office said prosecutors tried 13 defendants last year before sixmember juries. The 23rd Judicial District Court reported holding 68 total jury trials last year Convictions by those smaller juries can pack a punch; six-member juries render verdicts on felonies including simple robbery, which carries a maximum seven-year
calling cards to evade tracing. That night, they took two kayaks to the Mississippi River near Matis Road in Hahnville Melvin Emde cut off his ankle monitor and later tossed it in the water
In his 911 call on Aug. 7, Seth Emde falsely claimed his father fell overboard into the river He doubled down on the drowning story when St. Charles Parish deputies questioned him hours later
But court records indicate Melvin Emde fled back to Oklahoma that day and spent more than a month on the run under an assumed name, “Michael Smith.”
The elder Emde was using that alias when he and his son reunited in Martin County, Florida, to do
for
sentence, and simple burglary, with a top sentence of 12 years, among other second-tier felonies. Louisiana’s habitual-offender law can apply to convictions from either size jury The Advocate’s research in 2017 found 14 Louisiana defendants who were launched to life prison terms from habitual offender sentences based on convictions by six-member juries. In the Ramos decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch ripped the Supreme Court’s prior endorsement of nonunanimous juries, from 1972, saying the swing justice applied a “functional assessment” to remove an “ancient guarantee.”
hurricane relief together in early September 2023. St. Charles Sheriff Greg Champagne said then that detectives became suspicious after learning of Melvin Emde’s child rape case in Brunswick County, N.C., and began working with North Carolina officials. That month, a Georgia state trooper spotted Melvin Emde riding a motorcycle 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 a juvenile in April 2025, North Carolina court records show A judge sentenced him to serve be-
Loyola University law professor
Will Snowden, who runs a community education initiative called The Juror Project, said the “originalism-stacked court” that doomed split verdicts may also consider that “allowing sixperson juries to proceed just for functional purposes, for efficient purposes, that’s not consistent with the intentions of the framers of the Constitution.”
Snowden said larger juries increase the likelihood of representation from a broad cross-section of the community Should the court find six-member juries unconstitutional, Snowden
tween 32 and 58 months in prison. Melvin Emde’s federal trial over allegedly faking his death is scheduled to begin Aug. 4 in New Orleans. When it became clear he was alive, Coast Guard officials questioned Seth Emde, who told agents he hadn’t seen his father since the day he fell into the river Seth Emde faces up to 15 years in prison on his two federal charges. U.S. District Court Judge Greg Guidry set sentencing for Sept. 16.
said it will need to consider then, as it did with divided juries, whether to make the change retroactive. The high court declined to make its ban on divided juries retroactive, suggesting retroactivity was an issue left to the states. Oregon took the invitation granting new trials to hundreds of long-serving prisoners with final convictions by split juries, while Louisiana has refused to do the same.
Snowden said he wonders how the Supreme Court will treat retroactivity if it finds six-packs unconstitutional.
“It would be really interesting to see if the tone changes,” he said.
“Seth Emde deeply regrets his involvement in his father’s scheme and takes full responsibility for his actions,” Chief Federal Defender Claude Kelly said in a statement. Kelly added that his client has cooperated with the feds “and will continue to assist the government going forward.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment Wednesday
Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Kaitlin Tymrak, shown during a tour of Pump Station 7 in New Orleans on May 15, has been named general superintendent of the Sewerage & Water Board.
Dereck Alexander, right, receives a certificate of recognition for minister John Mosley from Mayor Helena Moreno, left, during the Juneteenth Festival at Armstrong Park in New Orleans on Friday.
Malik Bartholomew pours out a libation
Juneteenth at Armstrong Park on Friday.
STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK
A second-line strolls down Rampart Street to Armstrong Park during the Juneteenth Festival.
Hall,Eugene
Jackson, Beverly
Keller,George
Lewis, Gary
Lynch, James
NewOrleans
Boyd Family
Jackson, Beverly
DW Rhodes
Lewis, Gary River Parish
Hobson BrownFH
Keller,George Obituaries
Hall, Eugene Frank
Eugene "Frank" Hall, October 28, 1961 -June 11, 2026 Eugene "Frank" Hall, age64, entered eternal rest on June 11, 2026, at his home surrounded by loved ones. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 28, 1961, Frank was alifelong resident of the city he loved. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margie Hall; his parents, Dorothy Hall and Frank Nicholas; and his sisters, Clara Jean Detrion, Connie Hall, and Constance Hall. He leaves to cherish his memory his children, Cameron Hall and Cambray Hall; six grandchildren; his sisters, Carol AnnHall and Cynthia Price; and ahost of nieces, nephews,relatives, and friends.
ACelebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at Historic St. James AME Church, 222 N. Roman Street, New Orleans, LA. Arepast will follow at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1625 Annette Street, New Orleans, LA.
BeverlyAnn Jackson was born to thelateDaniel Jackson andEzell P. Jack‐son on October12, 1964, in Independence,Louisiana She peacefully departed thislifeonSunday, June 7, 2026, in NewOrleans, Louisiana,atthe ageof61. Beverly wasprecededin death by herparents, DanielJackson andEzell P. Jackson;her sister,Lori Jackson;and herhusband JohnLegard. Sheleavesto cherish hermemorytwo daughters,Sheba Jackson and Ashida Burke; two sons, Sabian andSemajon Burke,all of NewOrleans Louisiana;three beloved grandchildren,Kach, Kruze and Kali;and ahostof nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, friends, and lovedoneswho will forever treasure hermem‐ory.A CelebrationofLife Service will be held on Sat‐urday,June 20,2026. Visita‐tionwillbegin at 11:00 a.m., followed by thefu‐neral serviceat12:00 noon Location: Holy FaithTem‐ple BaptistChurch,1355 GovernorNichollsStreet New Orleans, Louisiana 70116. Officiating: Dr JosephDyson,Pastor. Well done,good andfaith‐ful servant."Matthew 25:23. Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors.Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditionbegins. com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors
Crystal "Cha-boo"Beraud Georgeleavestocherish his memories his children Da'Shone, Georgiana Wilson, Kaylaand Kyla Keller,Daevion(Jalaya) Horton, Darrian Dunbar and Keenan Randle aunts, uncle and ahost of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. Family and Friends were invitedtoattendthe funeral service on Saturday June 20, 2026, 11a.m.at NewZion ChristianCenter,216 W. Main St.Gramercy, La ElderEmileDeanMitchell Sr.,officiating.Visitation at 10 a.m. until servicetime As Georgewouldsay! Do notstaysad too long Keep moving Professional Services entrusted to Hobson Brown Funeral Home 134 Daisy St., Garyville, La 70051 (985) 535-2516.
Lewis, Gary
Gary Lewis, Sr., age79, entered eternal rest on June 10, 2026, at hishome in Harvey,Louisiana.Born November 18, 1946, in New Orleans to NearlyHollins and Lionel Lewis, Sr., he was lovinglyknown as "Daddy,""Gary Boo," and "Pawpaw."Asa proud NewOrleanian,Gary devoted30years of service to theHousing Authorityof NewOrleans, earning recognition forhis dedication. Outsideofwork, he livedlifefully,filling his days withmusic, activism, shopping,and conversations withfamily and friends. He stoodboldly for civiland voting rights, and found joy in record stores, classicsongs, and the dance floor. Always welldressed, he carried acool spirit and awarm presence wherever he went.He leavestocherish his memoryhis children, Garry
Lewis, Jr (Cassandra), Tanya Renee Wardsworth (Patrick), and Brian Keith Lewis; grandchildren, Brionne Jene Roberts, Garry LewisIII,Dominique JavonteLewis, Janasia Epiphany Lewis, Tyler Jordan Lewis,and Taylor Paige Wardsworth; greatgrandchildren, Malia Janae Lewisand Beautii Lewis; his brother, Carl Lewis; and ahost of lovedones. Our Daddy, Gary Boo, and Pawpaw will be deeply missed and forever loved. Relatives and friends of thefamily,also pastors, officers, members of Regular Baptist Church, and all neighboring churches are invitedtoattend the Celebration of Life at D. W. RhodesFuneralHome, 3933 WashingtonAve,New Orleans, LA 70125, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 10:30am, Rev. Dr. T. A. Hodge, officiating. Visitation willbegin at 9:30am until servicetime. Interment will be held at NewHopeBaptist Church Cemetery, Gretna, LA 70053. Arrangements by D. W. RhodesFuneral Home. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to signthe online guestbook.
MarionLynch spent 76 years perfecting theart of appreciating life's simple pleasures. He grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, acity that shaped much of his personality and love forall thingsweird and wonky. Jimspent his childhood fishing with hisfather,
ating stories with his sister, Janet Lynch,and collectingstray cats, much to hismother's chagrin. Music was always afavorite hobbyand in college,Jim was oneofthe only students on campus whocould rock anatural afroand abass guitar simultaneously. As afather to Sally and Maggie (Gray), Jimwas playful, gentle,and endlessly patient. He wasmaster of bedtime stories,chef of amillionbreakfasts, and singerofsilly songs. As a loving Popi,hedelighted in making hisgrandchildren (Evelyn,James, andAnnie) laugh—provided they kept thevolume at areasonable level. Joywas encouraged; excessive decibellevels were not. Jimalways lookedforward to avisit fromhis bonussons, Dr Jason Gray and Dr.Francis McCoy; he so enjoyed sharing alaugh anda qualitybourbon with them on thefront porch.
Jimwas an architect wholoved unique home designs. He appreciated a well-executed floor plan exceptwhenitcame to his ownhouse. Jim's home features an impressive collectionofunexpected steps, levelchanges, and tripping hazards. He created abeautifulhome that unintentionally doubles as an obstacle course. Oneof Jim's greatest talents was noticing details; as aphotographer, he couldspend tenminutes admiringa sunbeam caught in the corner of aroom. This talentcombinedwith his need for "the perfect shot" often extendedfamilyvacations. Editinghis photos wasa labor of love;itis believedthataperson couldgoona vacation around the worldinthe same amountoftimeit took Jimtocatalog the hundreds of photos he wouldtake on aweekend trip. Later in life, Jim'ssanctuaries includedhis office andthe walks he took with hisfour-legged bodyguard, Styles. He spent countless hoursstrollingthe streets
of Covington with hiscigar in onehandand hiswalkingstick in theother,always willing to share a friendlychatwith his neighbors. When he and hiswife,Annette Pucheu wouldjointheir friends for Friday nightdinners,Jim insisted on squeezing around crowdedtablesto tell everyonehello. No chair arrangement or tight corner wouldkeephim fromgreetingthe people whocelebratedlifewith him. Jimmoved through life at hisown paceand wonderedwhy therest of the worldwas in such ahurry. He wasrarelyearly, often late, andoccasionallyright on time,but nobody ever seemed to hold it against him- Jim's easy-goingnature made it nearly impossible to stay annoyedwith himfor long Jimleaves behind a familyand acommunity whoadored him; his family hasbeen deeply touched by theoutpouring of love andsympathies. Perhaps the most remarkable thing aboutJim washis kindness andgenerousspirit;he saw the goodinpeople appreciated the small moments in life, and askedfor very little beyonda wellmade cocktail, some jazz music, andthe companyof those he loved. If thereis alesson to be learnedfrom Jim's life, it's that you can leave alastingmark on the worldwithoutbeing the loudest person in the room, akind heart, agenuine sense of humor, and an open mind is all you need He wasprecededand welcomedindeathbyhis father (Marion Spurgeon Lynch), hismother (Bernadine Lynch), and many otherfamilymembers andfriends. Jim's body hasbeen donatedto theMedicalEducation and ResearchInstitute in hopes of improvingtreatment outcomesand saving thousands of lives aroundthe world. Aprivate service will be held followinghis cremation.
Lynch,JamesMarion
James
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
on FridayinSeattle. The U.S. won2-0 to advance to the
after
U.S. advances to WorldCup eliminationround despiteinjured Pulisic
BY ANDREWDESTIN 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
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 6C
Saints running backTravisEtienne AP PHOTO
Clarkbuilds4-shotleadatU.S.Open
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. WyndhamClark keeps leaving his mark on Shinnecock Hills.Hefinished off the lowest opening round in aU.S. Open on thisfearsome course Friday morning, and then he delivered two big birdie putts and set the 36-hole standard to build a four-shot lead going into the weekend With so much chaos and cringingaround him, Clark playedasteady hand— afar cry from where he was at the U.S.Open last year when he missed the cut and smashedupalocker at storied Oakmont. His last act was a35-foot birdie putt down the slope on the 18th green that dropped for a1-under 69. That put him at 7-under 133, one shot better than Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama at the halfway point in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills. And he thinks he could bebetter “I really felt like Icould beindouble digits (under par),” Clarksaid. “But you know, the great thingabout that isIdidn’tfeel like Ihad my best, and Istill am leading as of rightnow.Hopefully, Ican bring my A-game on the weekend.”
Xander Schauffele, with thebest U.S. Open record of anyone without aU.S. Open title over the last 10 years, had a66tofinish at 137 along with Matt Fitzpatrick, aformer U.S. Open champion whobirdied two of his last three holes to salvage a70. They were joined at 137 in the afternoon, when the course began to dry,bySam Stevens (69) and TomKim (67).
Former LSUgolfer Sam Burns is at 1under in atie for seventh place after he shot a2-under 68 on Friday
Scottie Scheffler still has the career Grand Slam in hissights. He missedonly two fairways and hit his last 10 greens for a68thatleft him in thegroup at 140, along with Rory McIlroy (71) who was closing in on Clark until starting theback nine with three straight bogeys.
Both feel they are right in the thick of it, though somuch depends on Clarkand what theUSGA has in mindfor aShinnecock course that only figures to get drier,faster andscarier over the next two days.
“Ifthere’sa coursewhere youfeellike you still have achanceifyou’re seven back
ä See OPEN, page 3C
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 PHOTOSByLINDSEy WASSON United States defender Alex Freeman scores theteam’ssecond goal during the WorldCup Group Dmatch against Australia
round of 32. Below: United States goalkeeper Matt Freese, left,and teammate Auston Trusty celebrate
winning the WorldCup Group Dmatch against Australia on Friday.
AP PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP Wyndham Clark hits his teeshot on the 17th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on Friday in Southampton, N.y
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
PRESS PHOTO By VERA NIEUWENHUIS Oklahoma pitcher Xander Mercurius throws during a College World Series game against Georgia on Monday in Omaha, Neb Oklahoma won 4-3. Fox
“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.”
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
Johnson advances despite blowup
BY DOUG FERGUSON
AP golf writer
SOUTHAMPTON N.Y Dustin John-
son was one shot out of the lead
Friday in the U.S. Open as he walked onto the tee on the par3 11th, looking like the major contender he once was instead of someone who had been MIA on golf’s biggest stages since leaving for LIV Golf.
And then it all changed in a New York minute.
Four holes later, he was 11 shots behind and scrambling just to make it to the weekend at Shinnecock Hills.
“Just rocks,” Johnson said. It was a little more than pebbles in the sand that caused this stunning meltdown in the second round, but it left him a little dazed and more than a little frustrated.
His mishaps started on the 11th when a gust knocked down his tee shot and it wound up in the right bunker The next shot came out soft, rolled back down the false front into another bunker, and he failed to get up-anddown, making double bogey
“Where I was standing it felt firm, but it came out soft,” he said of the first sand shot.
“These bunkers are very difficult or at least I’m having a hard time with it.”
Two soft bogeys followed, one of them on the 13th hole when he had a lob wedge from a 117 yards that went so far it landed on the slope at the back of the green. His pitch went past the pin and off the green and he had to scramble from there.
But the real damage came on the 15th from the right rough, and a shot that wound up in the right bunker guarding the green. He thought that would be fine, an easy place to make par, until it was anything but that.
His first shot took a hard turn to the left, went down the false front and into the left bunker
The next shot stayed in the bunker The third one was a rocket that sailed over the green and caused two volunteers sitting next to the grandstand to scramble for cover
“Three in a row with rocks,” Johnson said. “I hit a rock coming out and it shot it straight left. The next one hit a rock and it came out soft. And the third one hit rock and went into the ball.”
When he chipped cautiously to avoid going back into the bunker, he had a 25-foot putt that nervously ran 3½ by the hole. He made that for 8.
The upside is he made the weekend by one shot at 3 over, his third straight cut in the majors. But he couldn’t help but wonder where he could have been except for the rocks.
“It’s the ones you can’t see,” Johnson said. “Obviously, the big ones on top you can move them. I could see them but those in the sand, it’s one of those things whether you can move them. If I move them it would improve my lie.”
At least he bounced back by hammering a drive — his ball speed has measured as high as 194 mph this week — and a 7-wood to 25 feet on the 615-yard 16th hole for a two-putt birdie He finished with a pair of pars
for a 77 and was at 3-over 143. Most frustrating is Johnson, who is in the last year of his U.S. Open exemption from winning in 2016 at Oakmont, felt like he was on the right track. He made a rash decision to change back to the old loft on his irons before the LIV event in South Korea, finished fourth and then tied for fifth in Spain. And here he was, chasing Wyndham Clark until he was hanging on by the seat of his pants. He lost an opportunity but not all hope.
“The swing is good. I feel good,” Johnson said. “On this golf course, you’re never really out of it A couple of good days, I can get back in the mix.”
Yan takes lead at Meijer LPGA Classic
The Associated Press
BELMONT, Mich. — Jing Yan shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic, the final event before the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship next week at Hazeltine.
Yan had a bogey-free afternoon round to get to 10 under in breezy conditions at Blythefield Country Club. The 30-year-old American is winless on the LPGA Tour
“I feel like I struck it pretty well the last two rounds,” Yan said. “And I putted well, so that kind of adds up to birdies.”
Lottie Woad of England and Cassie Porter of Australia were a stroke back. Woad shot 66, and Porter had a 68.
“Definitely challenging,” Woad said. “Wasn’t as windy as yesterday, but definitely still there. So I think the pins were maybe a little more tricky so just had to play smart to a few of them.”
First-round leader Yan Liu of China was 8 under with Minji Kang of South Korea. Liu had a 70, and Kang shot 68.
Two-time winner Brooke Henderson was 5 under, following an opening 73 with a 66. Defending champion Carlota Ciganda was 3 under after a 69.
Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul missed the cut, shooting 74-70.
University of Oregon star Kiara Romero also dropped out with rounds of 72 and 73. She’s the No. 1 amateur in the world and was the low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open, where she tied for sixth.
Alternate Higgs brings the right attitude to U.S. Open
BY BRIAN MAHONEY AP sportswriter
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y Harry Higgs was ready to quit golf, burned out by the mental beatings he gave himself, shortly before becoming what he believes was the last of the 156 players in the U.S Open field.
It was only Monday that he was added to the tournament as an alternate, so late that he never unpacked after arriving in New York. With his clothes still in his suitcase, he pulled the wrong item out Thursday morning, which is why he mistakenly showed up at Shinnecock Hills in shorts before a frantic wardrobe change allowed him to play Good thing. The Big Rig is trucking into the weekend with his first made cut of the year on the PGA Tour
“I let the day build and build and build, and man, I felt like a rock star out there,” Higgs said Friday “I felt like I could do anything.” Higgs shot a 3-under 68 in the second round, boosted by a 75-foot putt for birdie after missing the 11th green, the kind of bad miss that for so long caused him to spiral Higgs acknowledged that his
Continued from page 1C
going into the weekend like I am, it’s definitely this one,” McIlroy said. It’s a better chance than Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, the two biggest stars from LIV Golf who missed the cut. DeChambeau left early from his third straight major
The shocker was Rahm, a runner-up at the PGA Championship last month. He didn’t make a bogey until his 21st hole. But he shot 41 on the back nine for a 78 to match his highest score in a U.S. Open, also at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. The cut came at 4-over 144. The 10 players who remained under par were one short of the record for Shinnecock in 2004. That was the year the field averaged 78.7 in the final round.
The most remarkable day belonged to Joaquin Niemann. He made a 9 on No. 6 his 15th and final hole of the fog-delayed first
in Southampton, N.y
tee shot was “the worst place you can hit it” but said he only had about a “3 out of 10 freakout.”
“That would have been, hell, even a week ago, that probably would have been an 8, 9, 10 out of 10 freakout that I would have blamed something or someone else,” Higgs said. Not this week. Higgs told him-
round that was halted by darkness — only for it to become an 11 when the USGA penalized two shots for bad behavior
Niemann hit two drives off the property, chopped his way up the fairway and finally lost it by heaving his club. The majors are cracking down on behavior this year — the Masters was the first to use the policy this year — and the USGA deemed it serious enough to skip the warning and go straight to the harsh two-shot penalty Niemann headed out for his second round, made five birdies in six holes and shot 65 to make it to the weekend at 3-over 143. It was the first time in 97 years at the U.S Open someone made 10 or worse in and still made the cut.
self he was going to stop berating himself and play like he belonged. He goes into the weekend at 1 under, six shots behind leader Wyndham Clark.
“Again, there’s a lot of golf left, but I can just choose to be a factor,” Higgs said. “If the golf goes my way and the result goes my way, great, but I can choose to just,
like, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be a small insignificant piece of the 156 that was playing here,’ even though I think I was 156 of 156.”
Higgs has seen the highs of golf, with a tie for fourth in the 2021 PGA Championship and a top15 finish a year later at the Masters. But he was having trouble dealing with the lows, and lately there have been many of them as he plays on the Korn Ferry Tour missing the cut in all six of his PGA Tour starts.
He was ready to give it up while playing in a U.S. Open qualifier on June 8. He thought he was out of it early and this time perhaps never coming back.
“Through six holes in the 36-hole day, I was really close to quitting golf,” Higgs said. “It went the same way as it’s always gone. I missed a bunch of putts from short range early for birdie and then made a terrible bogey on 6. Took my phone out, booked a flight back home to Kansas City from Charlotte.
“We were playing just outside Charlotte and was, like, I’m just going to go home. I’m going to walk off after the ninth hole. I’m just going to go home. I don’t even know if I’m going to go to Amaril-
lo and play the Korn Ferry, and I don’t know that I’m going to keep doing this.”
He stuck around and played well over the final 27 holes. It wasn’t good enough to qualify, but he did secure one of the alternate spots. When Bud Cauley won the Canadian Open last weekend and became automatically into the field, Higgs got his spot, getting the official call when he was preparing to fly from Texas.
The flight was delayed, so he didn’t get to Shinnecock until Monday afternoon. Then came the fashion faux pas, when he grabbed gray shorts instead of gray pants after his 3:30 a.m. wake-up Thursday He borrowed a pair until his wife rushed his own to him, which was good, because the golfer who is listed at 235 pounds and leaves unbuttoned the top two on his golf shirt with the Dude Wipes logo thinks the other pair would have ripped.
He stayed positive then and thinks that can continue.
“I haven’t had that feeling in a while,” Higgs said. “I would love to recreate it over the next two days, and if I don’t, I’m just going to try my damnedest and see what happens.”
“All the frustration that came inside me and had my club in my hand, and I couldn’t resist to throw it away,” Niemann said. “There was no people, obviously No one there I’m not proud of it, but yeah, sometimes all the expectation of trying to play well and things doesn’t go your way, you get frustrated. And that was me there.” Collin Morikawa also shot 65 to match Niemann for the low score Friday, only his performance put him in sixth place, five
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT
Dustin Johnson reacts after missing a putt during the second round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Friday in Southampton, N.y.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SETH WENIG
Harry Higgs watches his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the U.S Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Friday
WORLDCUP 2026
Dual eligibilitymakes forhardchoice
Playerswho have immigrantparents must decide which countryto represent
BY GRAHAM DUNBAR Associated Press
GENEVA— Almost every World Cup matchup has astoryline 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 playfor theU.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’snativeTunisia, adecision that came into focus as Sweden defeated theNorth African team 5-1 with two goals from Ayari.
And there’sAyyoub Bouaddi, an 18-year-old standoutwho switched national teams from France to Morocco just weeks before the tournament kickedoff.
TheWorld Cupinthe U.S., Mexico and Canada is thebiggest 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 arelaxation of FIFA’seligibility rules.
Dozens, if not hundreds,ofplayers at this World Cup are playing for acountry other than the one in which they were born. Many with mixed backgrounds switched allegiances when turningsenior, following their heart —ortheir ambition
France-bornplayers everywhere
Nearly 100 players at this World Cup were born in France, but only 23 of them playfor the French national team. The others —France-bornplayers with family tiesworldwide —make
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER
United States strikerFolarin Balogun, center,and teammates celebrate hisgoal against Paraguayduring aWorld Cup match on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.
up significant partsofthe squads of Algeria, Cape Verde,Congo, Ghana, Haiti, Ivory Coast,Morocco and Tunisia.
Bouaddi, one of the top performersinMorocco’s 1-1draw with Brazil,was born in France and nurturedattop-tier club Lille. He played for France at theyouth level and was captain of France’sunder-21 team as recently as March, but switched to Morocco, where hisfamily camefrom, just in time for theWorld Cup
“I’mvery proudofmydecision andvery happytorepresent my country,Morocco,” he said before thetournament.“My family is happy,and Ihope great things will comein the upcoming competitions.”
Moroccan soccer federation president Faouzi Lekjaapersonally visitedBouaddi at hishome and met with the president of Lille to outline the NorthAfrican kingdom’ssoccer ambitionsand 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 diaspora in Spain, France, Belgium
and the Netherlands. It has 19 foreign-born players in its26man squad.
DefenderAchrafHakimi was born in Madrid, andReal Madrid forward Brahim Diaz played one gamefor Spain beforehis FIFA switch toMorocco was processed in 2024.
Acomplex choice
Some of the biggest profiles of soccer had to makeachoice. 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’sLamine Yamal could have played for Morocco, his father’shomeland.
Brothers Désiré and Guéla Douétook 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 whohaveendeduponseparate WorldCup teams. John Souttar represents Scotland while his brotherHarry plays for Australia. Nico and IñakiWilliams were born in Spain to Ghanaian parents andwhile Nico chosetoplay for Spain, Iñaki picked Ghana.
Tunisiatried to recruit Ayari, the Sweden midfielder whoplays for Brighton in the Premier League, for itsnational team based on hisfather’sTunisian background. However,his father, Azzouz Ayari, pushedback.He told Swedish media that he felt his son should represent the country in which he wasborn and raised.
“I am an immigrant, but my children, no.Yasin is aSwede, with Tunisian background,” Azzouz Ayaritold newspaper Aftonbladet.“Iwant him to play for Swedenbecause Iwanthim to feel that he is giving back to the countrythat really took care of him.”
Sweden fans won’t argue with thatdecision. Ayari scored twice in the team’sopener against Tunisia but muted his celebrations out of respect for his father’shome country
U.S. over England
Balogun’stwo goals in the 4-1 win against Paraguay made him —and his background —more widely known to the American public.Heplayed for England at theyouth level, except forabrief stint withthe U.S. under-18 team, but switched to representthe United States in 2023.
That was possible because of birthright citizenship rules in the U.S. —Balogun was born in New York,while hisNigerianparents were visiting.
Balogun has cited the passion of U.S. soccer fans that he experienced while visiting atraining camp in Florida in March 2023 as partofthe reason whyhedecided to represent the United States. When they found out he was in Florida, manyfans urged him to play for the U.S. national team. He also metwith U.S. team officials.
“I’ve always said thefansgave me so much motivation and showed mesomuch support. The mostimportant thing has always been to be able to repay that,” Balogun said after the Paraguay game last week. “I just want to continue to show thefansImade theright decision.”
Saibari’searly scorelifts MoroccooverScotland
BY KYLE HIGHTOWER Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. It tookIs-
mael Saibarionly21minutes to score agoal for Morocco in his World Cup debut.
Barely aminute was enough time for him to get on the scoreboard in his second outing
Saibari drilled ashot into the top corner of the net amere 72 seconds into Friday’s1-0 win over Scotland at Gillette Stadium, keeping alive Morocco’schances of advancing to its second straight World Cup knockout round.
“Wewanted three points, and we got them,” Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said.
Morocco’sball movement caught Scotland on its heels at the very start.
Saibari slipped behind two Scotland defenders and Brahim Diaz dropped the ball over the topto him. The 25-year-old forward gathered andblasted it into the top left corner,well outside the
reach of goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
Morocco, which reached the semifinals at the last World Cup in Qatar,drew 1-1 with Brazil in its GroupC opener withSaibari scoring the lone goal. Scotland, which hasn’tgotten out of the group stage in its eight previous World Cupappearances, beat Haiti 1-0 in its first match.
Scotland was outshot 12-6 on Friday, strugglingtoget clear looks against Morocco’sdefense.
The negative result didn’taffect Scotland coach SteveClarke’s confidence in his team.
“Wegave them agame,” Clarke said. “We’re sure we can compete at this level.”
Morocconearly scored another in the 52nd minute when aheader by Bilal El Khannouss off Achraf Hakimi’scorner kickwas batted down by Gunn.
Scotland hadachance in firsthalfstoppage timewhenAndy Robertson senta cross at John McGinn, who couldn’tget afoot on it near theback post.
Morocco’sIsmael Saibari, left, is congratulated after scoring during a WorldCup match against Scotland on FridayinFoxborough, Mass.
As Scotland pressed for an equalizing goal in theclosing minutes, Morocco hada pair of good chances to add to its lead, but both missedthe target “I thought the performance
didn’tmatch the result, if I’m honest,” Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson said. “Wetook the game to them. So there arepositives fromboth games that certainly we can take into this last game.”
BY DAVID BRANDT Associated Press
This summer’ssupersized World Cup is about to reach the halfway point of its48-teamgroup stage schedule By the end of Saturday,there will have been 36 games played with 36 more to go before the 32team knockout stage begins June 28. Achampion will be crowned on July 19. The Netherlands —often described as the most talentedsoccer nation to never win aWorld Cup— faces acrucialgame against Sweden in GroupF.The Dutch fought to a2-2 draw against Japan in their opener Germany and IvoryCoast
LOOKAHEAD
square off for potential control of Group Eafter both squads won their first game. Also on Saturday, Curacao facesEcuadorwhile Tunisia takes on Japan.
Happyhosts aftergood results
The three host countries for this World Cup are feeling good about themselves after two matches
The U.S. earnedits second straightwin and aspotinthe knockout round, beating Australia 2-0 on Friday.The Americans will win theirgroup if Paraguay and Turkey draw or Paraguay wins late Friday night Canada is in excellentshape to
qualify for the knockout round after a6-0 win over Qatar on Thursday.Mexico has already wrapped up the Group Atitle thanks to its 1-0 win over South Korea.
Pressure on Netherlands
The Netherlands —ranked No. 8inthe world —isunder aconsiderable amount of pressureto beat Sweden on Saturday after it blew two leads in its draw against Japan. Coach Ronald Koeman faced severalpointed questions about strategy after theJapan game and shot back with cryptic replies. Meanwhile, 34th-rankedSweden put on ashow in its5-1 win over Tunisia, starting its World Cupwitha flourish afternot quali-
fying in 2022.
“It’sabout how we perform and the mentality we have,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said Friday “Weknow that we are awork in progress andwe’re improving. We have to play better against a better opponent and Ithink we’re ready to do that.”
Germanylooks to buildonrout
The Germans did what they were supposed to do in theiropener: win decisively over Curaçao. The 7-1 victory was awarmup forSaturday’sgame against Ivory Coast, which should be amuch moreformidable opponent. IvoryCoastscored alategoal against Ecuador for a1-0 win in its opener
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARTIN MEISSNER
p.m., 1st game Chicago White Sox(TBD)atDetroit (Melton 3-0), 12:10 p.m. Cincinnati(Abbott 4-4) at N.Y. Yankees (Warren7-1), 12:35 p.m. Toronto (Corbin 2-3) at
College World Series glance At CharlesSchwabField;Omaha, Neb. Doubleelimination; x-if necessary
June 12
Game 1—West Virginia 7, Troy 5
Game 2—North Carolina6,Ole Miss 2
June 13
Game 3—Oklahoma 9, Alabama 0
Game 4—Georgia 7, Texas1
June 14
Game 5—Troy 12,Ole Miss 8 Game 6—North Carolina 5, West Virginia 2
June 15
Game 7—Texas 14, Alabama 7
Game 8—Oklahoma 4, Georgia2
June 16
Game 9—West Virginia 12,Troy 5
Game 10 —Georgia 2, Texas0
June 17
Game 11 —NorthCarolina12, West Virginia 7 Game 12 —Oklahoma 11, Georgia 4 Championship series (Bestof3)
Saturday
Game 1—North Carolina vs.Oklahoma, 2p.m.
Sunday Game 2— N. Carolinavs. Oklahoma, 1:30 p.m. Monday x-Game 3—N.Carolinavs. Oklahoma, 6p.m.
Golf
U.S. Open
Friday At Shinnecock Hills GolfClub Southampton, N.Y. Purse: $22.5million Yardage: 7,440; Par: 70 Second Round Wyndham Clark,United States 64-69—133-7 MattFitzpatrick, England 67-70—137-3
TomKim, South Korea70-67—137-3
Xander Schauffele, United States
Sam Stevens, United States
Collin Morikawa, United States
Sam Burns, United States
Harry Higgs, United States
Sahith Theegala, United States
Justin Thomas, United States
AkshayBhatia, United States
RyderCowan, United States
Alex Fitzpatrick, England
Brian Harman, United States
RyoHisatsune,Japan
Rory McIlroy,Northern Ireland
MaverickMcNealy, United States
Keith Mitchell, United States
William Mouw,United States
Scottie Scheffler, United States
Gary Woodland, United States
Ludvig Aberg, Sweden
ZacBlair, United States
Keegan Bradley,United States
Corey Conners, Canada
TommyFleetwood, England
Benjamin James, United States
John Keefer,United States
Ben Kohles, United States
Max McGreevy, United States
Niklas NorgaardMoller, Denmark 71-70—141+1
Aaron Rai, England 74-67—141+1
Justin Rose,England 71-70—141+1
A. Dumont De Chassart, Belgium 71-71—142+2
Sungjae Im,South Korea74-68—142+2
Kurt Kitayama,United States 74-68—142+2
John Parry,England 71-71—142+2
J.T. Poston, United States 71-71—142+2
Andrew Putnam, United States 74-68—142+2
Spencer Tibbits, United States 68-74—142+2
Jackson VanParis, United States 70-72—142+2
Cameron Young, United States 72-70—142+2
Michael Brennan,United States 72-71—143+3
Pierceson Coody, United States 72-71—143+3
Ryan Fox, New Zealand 70-73—143+3
Emiliano Grillo, Argentina 73-70—143+3
Russell Henley,United States 70-73—143+3
Angel Hidalgo, Spain 69-74—143+3
Dustin Johnson,United States 66-77—143+3
Michael Kim,United States 71-72—143+3
Jackson Koivun, United States 72-71—143+3
James Nicholas, United States 71-72—143+3
Joaquin Niemann,Chile 78-65—143+3
Patrick Rodgers, United States 72-71—143+3
Miles Russell,United States 72-71—143+3
Jordan Spieth, United States 73-70—143+3
Jacob Bridgeman, United States 73-71—144+4
Laurie Canter, England 72-72—144+4
Bud Cauley,United States 72-72—144+4
Nicolas Echavarria,Colombia 71-73—144+4
Marek Fleming,UnitedStates72-72—144+4
Chris Gotterup,United States 75-69—144+4
Eric Lee, United States 74-70—144+4
Hideki Matsuyama, Japan71-73—144+4
Neal Shipley,United States 71-73—144+4
CalebSurratt, United States 75-69—144+4
Peter Uihlein, United States 74-70—144+4
Dylan Wu,United States 73-71—144+4
Missedcut
Filippo Celli, Italy 75-70—145+5
Bryson DeChambeau, U.S. 70-75—145+5
Harris English, United States 72-73—145+5
Rickie Fowler, United States 71-74—145+5
Ryan Gerard, United States 73-72—145+5
Billy Horschel, United States 73-72—145+5
Viktor Hovland, Norway 76-69—145+5
Matthew Jordan, England 72-73—145+5
Andrew Novak, United States 73-72—145+5
Patrick Reed, United States 72-73—145+5
Jackson Suber, United States 74-71—145+5
NickTaylor, Canada 74-71—145+5
Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Canada73-72—145+5
Patrick Cantlay, United States 74-72—146+6
Cole Hammer, United States 73-73—146+6
LucasHerbert, Australia 74-72—146+6
Si WooKim, SouthKorea 77-69—146+6
Nathan Kimsey, England 76-70—146+6
Shane Lowry,Ireland 73-73—146+6
Alex Noren, Sweden 74-72—146+6
Carlos Ortiz, Mexico 72-74—146+6
Jon Rahm,Spain 68-78—146+6
KristofferReitan, Norway 70-76—146+6
Jack Schoenberger,United States 73-73—146+6
Cameron Smith,Australia 75-71—146+6
Min WooLee, Australia 74-73—147+7
Bryan Lee, United States 73-74—147+7
Kaito Onishi, Japan77-70—147+7
Giuseppe Puebla,United States 74-73—147+7
AdrienSaddier, France 72-75—147+7
ManavShah, United States 73-74—147+7
Jimmy Stanger, United States 74-73—147+7
Sepp Straka, Austria 72-75—147+7
Brandon Wu,United States 78-69—147+7
Mason Howell, United States 78-70—148+8
JakeKnapp, United States 77-71—148+8
Marcelo Rozo,Colombia74-74—148+8
Adam Scott, Australia 73-75—148+8
Ben Silverman,Canada74-74—148+8
J.J. Spaun, United States 77-71—148+8
AlejandroTosti, Argentina 78-70—148+8
Ugo Coussaud,France 76-73—149+9
Jackson Herrington, United States 75-74—149+9
Nicolai Hojgaard,Denmark74-75—149+9
J.B. Holmes, United States 75-74—149+9
Chris Kirk,United States 78-71—149+9
Chandler Phillips, United States 74-75—149+9
David Puig, Spain 77-72—149+9
Kevin Roy,United States 72-77—149+9
Taihei Sato, Japan 75-74—149+9
Alex Smalley,United States 76-73—149+9
Preston Stout, United States 72-77—149+9
Carl Yuan, China 77-72—149+9
Daniel Berger, U.S. 77-73—150 +10
Brandon Holtz, United States 76-74—150 +10
Brooks Koepka, United States 73-77—150 +10
Ryuichi Oiwa, Japan78-72—150 +10
p.m. San Diego (Buehler 4-3) at Texas(Eovaldi 6-7), 3:05 p.m. Milwaukee (Harrison 8-1) at Atlanta (Sale
Max Greyserman, United States 69-73—142+2
Ben Griffin, United States 72-70—142+2
Tyrrell Hatton, England 74-68—142+2
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By MANU FERNANDEZ
U.S. playerHaji Wright runs withthe ball during the WorldCup Group Dmatch against Australia on FridayinSeattle. TheU.S.won 2-0.
WORLD CUP
Continued from page1C
At this year’s48-team tournament, the U.S. has won consecutive gamesfor the first timeataWorld Cup since 1930.The Americans have scored six goals, one offtheir record formost in asingle World Cup, and received contributions throughout their roster.
Alex Freeman, the youngest player on the teamat 21 and son of Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the43rd minute off aset piece. Freeman headed in adeflected shot by Sergiño Dest forhis first career World Cup goal. The goal was confirmed after a video review
“(He) is doing afantastic job,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said of Freeman.
“The evolution is massive.
He’s so humble. He wants to learn. He always listens.
He’saplayer that you really enjoy being withhim. Not only coaching, but
being with him.”
The U.S. took a1-0 lead in the 11th minute aftera run down the left sideline by Balogun.
He directed acentering pass toward striker Ricardo Pepi, who started in place of Pulisic. Theball never reachedPepi, deflectingoff Australia defender Cameron Burgess and into the Socceroos’ net for an own goal.
“I want to be dangerous. Iwantto create opportunities,” Balogun said. “It might not always be myselfthat scores, but if Ican force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it’s like agoal as well. It was a special start to the game to give us the momentum.”
TheAmericans did not score again afterhalftime, but the manner withwhich they so thoroughly dominated Australia in the opening 45 minutes lefta lasting impressiononSocceroos coach Tony Popovic.
“It didnot surprise us because their quality is clear,” Popovic said. “Their power is clear.Their athleticism is
clear.They are not surprising in what theydid.
Expectations will only increasefor the U.S. as it racks up morevictories and momentum builds around the team. The way the Americans have started the tournament in dominant fashionhas notchangedPochettino’s perception of the team and what it is capable of, though.
“I think it’smuch better when you show good performances andwin the games,” Pochettino said. “I think that makes it easier,everything. But,atthe same time, it’s (important) to keepbelieving.”
Still, the U.S. learned it can get out of the group stage withoutPulisic.And, they have the roster to make a deep run in the tournament.
“Weknowhow vital Christian is to theteam andhow much he can contribute in the game,” Freeman said. “Forusitwas, we have RicardoPepi, who came in and had an amazing game. Ithink that just showshow (good) ourroster is.”
Jayden Trey Schaper,S.Africa 75-75—150 +10
Davis Thompson, United States 74-76—150 +10
Hamilton Coleman,U.S.81-70—151 +11
Reese’s double-double propels Dream over Fever
Former LSU star notches 21 points, 11 rebounds in victory over Indiana
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS Angel Reese had 21 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season, Jordin Canada added 18 points, and the Atlanta Dream beat the Indiana Fever 108-101 on Thursday night.
Naz Hillmon and Allisha Gray each scored 17 points, and Rhyne Howard added 16 as all five Atlanta starters scored in double figures.
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (9-6) with 26 points apiece. Aliyah Boston had 23 points and eight rebounds, missing her fifth straight double-double. Mitchell became the eighth player in WNBA history to make 700 ca-
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.
Offensive linemen (9)
Kelvin Banks, David Edwards, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Taliese Fuaga, Asim Richards, Dillon Radunz, Jeremiah Wright, Torricelli Simpkins
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
reer 3-pointers. Atlanta (10-4) led by as many as 13 points in the second half. But Indiana went on a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to tie it at 93-all on Sophie Cunningham’s layup with 5:07 remaining. Mitchell scored the first seven points of the run, including her milestone 3-pointer
Atlanta took advantage of Indiana’s 17th turnover late in the fourth with a fast-break layup to take a 99-95 lead with 2:08 left Then, Howard scored on Atlanta’s next two possessions to make it 103-97.
Reese sealed it by making a layup while being fouled with 23.1 seconds left, completing the threepoint play
Reese played the entire second half without picking up a foul after being called for four in the first half. She went to the bench with 5:45 left in the second quarter, but Atlanta responded by outscoring
Indiana 19-11 the rest of the half for a 58-49 lead.
Clark put her new signature shoes in game action, one day after Nike announced it was releasing the “Caitlin 1” this fall.
But Clark, and the racer blue shoes that feature her initials on the tongue, did not log as many minutes as planned after picking up her fifth foul with 8:41 remaining in the fourth.
Clark came back into the game at the 3:28 mark, with Indiana trailing 95-93, but she did not attempt another shot to go scoreless in the frame. Clark had been hinting at the shoe’s long-anticipated arrival recently on social media posts.
“I think even yesterday, like knowing I was going to post that early in the morning, I didn’t sleep very well because I was just so excited,” Clark said before the game. Clark finished 8 of 17 from the floor, with two made 3-pointers.
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
New york Jets
quarterback Geno Smith looks to make a pass during practice on June 10 in Florham Park, N.J
AP PHOTO By SETH WENIG
QB Smith getting rave reviews in Jets sequel
BY DENNIS WASZAK AP pro football writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J Frank Reich
played with Jim Kelly and coached Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan during an NFL career that has spanned more than four decades. He knows an outstanding quarterback when he sees one.
That’s what made the New York Jets offensive coordinator’s effusive praise of Geno Smith on Wednesday so noteworthy If not a bit surprising.
“IamjustsoimpressedbyGeno,” Reich said before minicamp practice. “I cannot express that enough. I know we haven’t played any games yet. We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot to prove and everybody’s got a lot to prove.
“But man, he is on point. His preparation is top notch. His football mind is elite.”
The 64-year-old Reich certainly knows how that looks. And it has taken Smith just a few months to make a believer of his new coordinator
“The way he’s communicating in the huddle, at the line of scrimmage, the way he communicates in the quarterback room,” Reich said of Smith. “I’ve been around a lot of really smart and good quarterbacks. All I’m going to say is, we’re in good shape.”
Smith’s long and winding NFL journey has returned him to the place where it started in 2013. He was the face of the franchise then, a second-round draft pick and a big-armed passer with unlimited potential. Inconsistency, injuries — including a broken jaw suffered from a punch by a teammate in a locker-roomdispute andperhaps some immaturity derailed his first stint with the Jets, who moved on after the 2016 season.
Now 35, Smith was an unlikely offseason priority for New York, which wanted a seasoned veteran who could help Reich jumpstart its stagnant offense. The Jets traded a sixth-round pick in March to Las Vegas for Smith and a seventh-rounder, creating a reunion that even the two-time Pro Bowl pick couldn’t have imagined.
“I’m in a good place,” Smith said after practice Tuesday, “and we just have to keep working and keep getting better every single day.”
The first day of minicamp practice offered a vivid reminder of what once was for the Jets with former head coach Rex Ryan, whose son Seth is the team’s pass game coordinator, watching from the sideline in green and white gear in practice — and reconnecting briefly with Smith.
“It was so special man,” a beaming Smith said. “Any time I get to talk to coach, it just brings back the nostalgia, man, all those games we fought together Obviously he was part of the staff that gave me my first opportunity in the NFL and I’m forever grateful for that. Any time I get to see coach, I’m excited.”
Smith has acknowledged he has grown mentally since those rocky early days of his NFL career and learned a lot in subsequent spots, where he was a backup to players such as Eli Manning with the Giants, Rivers with the Chargers and Russell Wilson with the Seahawks. Much like Reich, Smith’s new Jets teammates rave about the quarterback’s presence.
“From the first day that Geno came in, you could just feel the senseofconfidencecomeintotheoffense,” left tackle Olu Fashanu said.
“Geno’s special,” wide receiver Isaiah Williams added. “One of the biggest things that stood out to me when I first met him, he didn’t try to be a leader Like, a lot of guys try to come in and try to be leaders. He was just himself. He’s a natural leader.” Reich repeatedly used the word “impressive” while talking about Smith, who he said has the “it factor” for success: a combination of confidence and humility
Many assume Smith is merely a placeholder at quarterback for the Jets, who are likely to search for their eventual next signalcaller in next year’s NFL draft Whether this second stint in New York lasts just one season or a few more beyond, Smith has insisted he’s focused on the present. “I think all of us are just, we’re always trying to be the best version of ourself,” Reich said. “But this league is about winning and that’s what we all came here to do We want to put a winning product on the field and excellence in everything we do off the field. You put those two things together, I think everything will take care of itself.”
more into special teams.
In this projection, seventh-round 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 twoyear 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-of-32 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.
Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com
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
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Saints wide receiver Chris Olave catches a pass during minicamp on Wednesday at the team’s outdoor practice facility in Metairie.
AP PHOTO By NICK WASS Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels works out during practice on June 9 in Ashburn, Va
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy
Indiana Fever forward Makayla Timpson defends Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese in the second half on Thursday in Indianapolis. The Dream won 108-101.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Breathe, relax, separate yourself from drama and do what makes you feel comfortable. Distanceyourselffromthosewhoplaymind games or try to take advantage of your generosity.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Getting money, approving contracts and making your way forward will require patience and precision to ensure you avoid interference. Verify the information you receive.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Learn, and gain experience by doing. Volunteer or take on responsibilities that will educate others and help you head in an interesting direction.Aphysicalchangewillenhance your persona.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You'll have plenty of emotional energy to gather momentum and pursue your dreams if you don't let your overthinking spin out of control, creating havoc and trouble at a personal level.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Go where the action is, and do something that elates you. Take control of your life and your happiness by following your heart and letting go of what no longer serves you.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Consider your objective, and look at the broad scope of what you are dealing with Engage in discussions that can help you manage your responsibilities. Having a plan in place is half the 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 trying to lead you astray or use emotional blackmail to take advantage of your skills.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Find your bliss, but don't stretch the truth or take on more than you can handle. Be vocal; let others know how you feel and what you want, and find out what they want in return.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Push for what you want. Come up with solutions, and present what you have to offer with a friendly demeanor, and you'll make progress. Put a routine together that helps you get back to basics.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Honesty and integrity are essential when trying to sort out differences. Take a conversation to the next level. Speak your mind, andgenerateadialoguethatwillhelpyou understand the needs of others.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Creativity and discipline go together. Venture out and participateinsomethingthatexcitesyou. You are overdue for a change of scenery and direction. Consider what makes you feel good about who you are.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Implementing an efficient, convenient and comfortable space to relax and to execute your plans will offer peace of mind and insight into the possibilities. Don't take a risk.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: o EQuALs W
CeLebrItY CIpher
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
Sudoku
InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Robert J. Sawyer,a Canadian science fiction writer,said, “General principles should notbebased on exceptional cases.”
Thisweekwearestudyingthirdhand’s finessing againsthis partner at trick one. The general principle is that when dummy has one honor, third hand holds ahigherhonor, and dummy playslow, third hand saves his honorwhenhecan insertanine or higher.
However, bridge still exists because of exceptional cases.Isthisdeal oneof them?
South is in three no-trump. West leads his fourth-highest heart. What should East do after declarer callsfor dummy’s five?
After South opened one no-trump, responder was right to raise to three notrump. With along minor, no singleton or void, enough points to think about game, but insufficient for aslam, go for the nine-trick game. If East blindly follows the finesseagainst-partnerrule, he will put in his heart 10.
However,Southwillwinwithhisqueen and run the diamond jack. East can win with his king, but declarer has 10 tricks: three spades, one heart, five diamonds and one club.
Nowlet’s go back to trick one. If East tallies the high-card points, he will realizethat his partner is destitute. And if he stopstosurveyhis hand and thedummy, he will noticethat hisclubsuit is asource of three tricks. East must takethe first trickwith hisheart aceand shift to the club king.
Each Wuzzleisaword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name,place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of
toDAy’sWoRD
Averagemark
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles hidato
dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.
GramS Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer ken ken
InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is
Scrabble
roSe
Everyyoung man needs someone in hiscorner.
This Father’s Day, many of us will honorthe fathers, grandfathers,mentors, and role models whoshowed us the power of guidance and unwavering support. At Son of aSaint,webelieve every young mandeserves that same foundation.
For 15 years, we’ve helped boys who haveexperienced the lossofafather build bright futures through relationships that last.
SONOFASAINT.ORG
HOME | DESIGN | GARDEN | REAL ESTATE
My name is MarignyLanaux, and I’m thrilled to be InsideOut’s new editor.Asanative New Orleanian, I’ve always admired the creatives who make this city special. I’m excited to continue highlighting the talented people and beautiful placesin our city by sharing localhome, design, garden and real estate content.
This week’sedition is full of great reads. Nothing says “Happy Father’s
Day” like abrand-newman cave Marni Jameson shares tips for creating one on Page 18. The cover storyprovidesa glimpse inside an Arabi residence’sbeautiful garden. Flip to Page 14. And did you know you can grow pineapples in Louisiana? Dan Gill shareshow on Page 10.
If you have astylish space, I would lovetohear from you —reach outanytime.
The InsideOut home and gardensection is published every Saturday by TheTimes-Picayune Questions about InsideOut should be directed to the editor
Victor Andrews, Louis J.Aubert, Jyl Benson, Dan Gill, Marni Jameson, Robin Miller
COVER DESIGN: AndreaDaniel
COVER PHOTO: Jeff Strout
TO BE FEATURED: Send information and photos to insideout@theadvocate. com
HOMEWORKWITHLOUIS
Thehome thatinspired Shingle StyleinN.O. PAGE 4
INSIDE INFO
Home and garden happenings. PAGE 7
ONEINAMILLION
Garden District home with an $8.5Mpricetag. PAGE 8
GREENTHUMB
Pineapple plantstolerate local heat well. PAGE 10
InsideOut’smission is to give readers peeks inside themanydifferent ways that peopleinthe New Orleans area live. We profile spaces that are opulent,orjustoffbeat; sophisticated or simple;functional or lighthearted; historicorbrand-spanking new. Andanything in between. Please help us by sending information andJPEGphotos of your home, or specific spaces inside it,toinsideout@theadvocate.com. We love gardens and outdoor spaces, too. And we’re waiting to hear from you.
AT HOMEWITHMARNI
Post-retirement peace starts in aman cave. PAGE 18
COVERSTORY
Family’screativityshines in garden. PAGE 14
INSIDE STORY
Familyhas deep ties with 1800s orphanage. PAGE 20
REAL
ESTATE TRANSFERS
Recent transactions in the metroarea. PAGE 21
Marigny Lanaux
1082 WhitetailDrive •Mandeville$749,000
“Thisone hasitall!” Gorgeous Onestory with twoen-suites plus threemoreBedroomswithBath! Modern updatestoKitchen, Baths, Lighting,and Fireplace! Glorious Inground Pool/Spa with coveredpatio backstoGreenspace! Rearyardaccess.Gated neighborhood hasaccess to Trace! QuickClose! AMustSee! JeanHunn504-232-3570
RE/MAX N.O. Properties504-866-7733
518WalnutStreet,UnitE• Uptown
10 Chapel Hill Road •Bay St.Louis
$1,475,000
Beautifullymaintained3BR/2.5BA/2,487 SF coastalhomeontwo lots in sought-afterChapelHill. Features open-concept living,indoorelevator, Wolf-equipped chef’s kitchen, gas fireplace, andluxurious primarysuite with privatebalcony.Additionallot offersendless possibilities. Enjoywater views, privatebeachaccess,composite decking,and included golf cart HollyLemoine-Raymond 601-569-6099 HL RaymondProperties228-466-6643
Overlooking AudubonParkexquisite top-floorcondo in meticulously preserved 1920’s building. Features 3bedrooms,2baths,soaring high ceilings,originalhardwood floors,livingroom, dining room andcharming sunroom. Ground levelguest quarters.Gated parking.One blocktoTulaneUniversityand Loyola University EleanorFarnsworth504-669-0211
Compass• Garden District 504-891-1142
1311-1313GovernorNichollsStreet•Treme
$450,000 Greatopportunity!4-plex, approximately 3blocks from French Quarterinthe Tremearea. Each unit has2bedrooms,1 bathroom Greatfor homeowner or investor! Sellerswantoffers!
Stephen Carson 504-427-4646 The Carson Co.Inc.ofNew OrleansRealtors504-821-1858
Beautifullyrenovated 4Bed,3Bath, 2,525SqFthome only steps from Trader Joe’s, dining, andshopping. Features high ceilings,heart pine floors, five fireplaces,chef’skitchen,luxuriousprimary suite, privateupstairsguest retreat,CaliforniaClosets, oversizedfenced lot, porches, gatedparking,EVcharger,and abundantstorage Maddie Lazar• 504-228-9714Mat Berenson •504-232-1352
1629 Coliseum St., Unit 3• LowerGardenDistrict$435,000
BeautifulVictorian condoacrossfromColiseumSq. Magnificent details-pine flrs,13ftceilings,3gorgeous frplcs &carvedwood wainscotting on walls &ceiling Breathtaking,hugegreat room,bright& airy newlyrenovated kitchen, 2large bedrooms,2fullbaths,1300sfoflivingspace,gated prkg adjacenttocondo,lrg pool &tree-shaded brickpatio.Comeenjoy easy living with plenty of charm! LettyRosenfeld
504-236-6834 Compass•UptownOffice 504-866-2785
Haveyou ever noticed the use of wood shingles around New Orleans?
Instead of clapboard, older homes sometimes have wooden patterns as siding and decorative accents.
Unlike Colonial New England, which has ahistory of shingle-clad houses,the use of wood shingles as awall cladding material arrived
here in the laterpart of the 19th century.
Replacing clapboard and drop siding, the shingleswere something newthataddedbothtexture and pattern to homes.
It caught the eyeofarchitects acrossthe nationwho enthusiastically jumpedonboard.
Shingle Style in Rhode Island
While the Gilded Age wealthy were busy building massive summer homes referred to as “cottages,” there was a growing desire for something more American. The William Watts Sherman House in Newport, Rhode Island, designed by Louisiana native H.H. Richardson, is considered the prototype of what has been dubbed Shingle Style.
With the excitement of the upcoming 1876 U.S. centennial in the air came the desire for an architectural expression more homegrown than European. The William Watts Sherman House delivered with a more open and less formal room arrangement; an exterior of stone, brick and, of course, wood shingles; and bands of leaded glass windows.
By 1879, his family desired more space, and young architect Stanford White, of the noteworthy New York firm of McKim, Mead & White, obliged, having recently completed the nearby Newport Casino.
Not a gambling den, the casino was a tennis clubhouse with storefronts facing the street and club activities above and
behind the building. The casino appeared in HBO’s “The Gilded Age” as itself when the characters assembled to play lawn tennis.
The Isaac Bell House, near the casino, was designed by White in 1881. It is considered one of the most important examples of Shingle Style as
it incorporates elements of English Arts and Crafts and Colonial American homes with the Japanese influence of a more open floor plan. It also in-
cluded unusual details, such as the bamboo-style posts along the porches.
PROVIDED By THE PRESERVATION SOCIETy OF NEWPORT COUNTy/GEORGE GRAy
The Isaac Bell House is a historic landmark in Newport, R.I.
HOMEWORKWITHLOUIS
SHINGLE
Continued from page 5
Surfacing in the South
It’s important to note that “creatives” (architects, designers, fine artists, etc.) do not create in a vacuum. They are influenced by what came before. The William Watts Sherman House, the Newport Casino and the Isaac Bell House appeared in many architectural publications of the time, inspiring architects across the country.
One such architect was the very talented Thomas Sully. Considered one of the most important architects of the late 19th century in New Orleans, Sully designed many fine homes and commercial buildings that continue to grace our city For example, he designed 4010 St. Charles Ave., which exhibits several of the same features as the William Watts Sherman House — a fully shingle-clad second floor rests on a brick ground floor, all accompanied by small paned upper window sashes.
SHINGLE STYLE
You can find homes around New Orleans built by Thomas Sully using Shingle Style designs: n 2631 Prytania St. n 2727 St. Charles Ave. n 4010 St. Charles Ave. n 1234 Henry Clay Ave. n 1305 S. Carrollton Ave. n 1531 S. Carrollton Ave.
Sully later designed 1305
S. Carrollton Ave., and again, clad the entire upper floor with shingles in various patterns. There, the English influence is seen again in a diamond-paned upper window sash.
New Orleans legacy
There are grand homes around town that display wood shingles in many shapes: scallop, fish scale, square, diamond and wave-patterned. There are even squared shingles applied in a crazed, though rhythmic, pattern.
In New Orleans, wood shingles were adopted by the builders of more modest shot-
guns and cottages, filling the front gable with texture and pattern. After 1900, bungalows became all the rage and were built in great numbers in the Carrollton, Broadmoor and Gentilly Terrace neighborhoods.
Many of these homes are partially or completely shingle-clad. There is also a smattering of shingled houses in the Lakeview, Algiers and Old Metairie neighborhoods.
The next time you are out and about, look around, and you will see the use of wood shingles in a historic neighborhood near you.
Louis J. Aubert is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers and an avid preservationist. Some of his most visible New Orleans projects include making interior color selections for Gallier Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church and the Louisiana Supreme Court Royal Street Courthouse, and both interior and exterior selections for St. Stephen’s Basilica. Contact him at mrcolour@aol.com.
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Parade of Homes opens this weekend
The Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans’ 2026 Parade of Homes tour will offer the chance to see a variety of new residences over the next two weekends. Tickets, which are free, will be required to explore the buildings Saturday and Sunday and June 27-28. Plus, ticket holders can enter a raffle for a ticket to a Saints game. Self-guided tours of the homes are from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day, with builder representatives on hand for questions and information. Neighborhoods include River Ridge; Parks of Plaquemines; Crestmont Park, Bonnabel Place and Cottam Park in Metairie; Live Oak Manner in Westwego; Garden Park in Gretna; Water Oaks in Waggaman; and English Turn and Audubon Park in New Orleans.
The association also supports the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, which raffles off a new home for $100 per ticket to raise funds for the Children’s Research Hospital. The new construction, valued at $750,000, is located at 1045 Orion Ave. in Metairie. Get maps, locations and more information at hbagno. org.
Learn to research your home’s history
The Friends of the Cabildo will help get homeowners on the road to learning about the history of local properties Saturday at the New Orleans Jazz Museum in the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Ave.
Tulane University architecture lecturer Robert J. Cangelosi Jr will present “Researching Your New Orleans Property,” an in-depth seminar about historic dwellings and their lineages, including how to find primary sources rather than using oral traditions and secondary sources, and preparing a “chain of title.”
INSIDEINFO
the class or for information, call (504) 523-3939 or visit friendsofthecabildo.org.
Volunteer projects abound at City Park
A variety of cleanup days and initiatives are on tap at City Park to improve and maintain the extensive urban green space. Those coming up include:
n Pelican Greenhouse Summer Volunteer Series: 8 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 2 Celebration Drive. An eight-week series for individual volunteers to assist in greenhouse operations.
n Big Lake Native Plant Trail Res-
toration Project: 9 a.m. Friday. Big Lake Native Trail near 7 Friedrichs Ave.
n City Park Kayak Cleanup: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. June 27. Meet at the gravel launch at the intersection of Dueling Oaks Drive and Dreyfous Drive Volunteers are sought to join City Park’s kayak krewe that will work with staff to remove litter from waterways with the use of personal kayaks. Register for the programs and find out about what to bring at friendsofcitypark. volunteerhub.com.
Have a home and garden event coming up? Send it to events@theadvocate.com.
Documents showing the ownership of a property can, in theory, go as far back as the early 1700s during the French
Colonial period.
The class will be at 10 a.m. in-person and live on Zoom. Tickets start at $25. To join
Beautifulone-bedroom,one-bath condooniconicSt. CharlesAvenue in theheart of theGardenDistrict, with MardiGrasparades passingright outside. 623NASHVILLEAVENUE $1,495,000 ElegantUptowndouble-gallery home with 3BD/2.5BA. Grand
PROVIDED PHOTO
ONEINAMILLION
Stars aligning for $8.5M Garden District home
BY VICTOR ANDREWS Staff writer
Certain properties in New Orleans become available for purchase only once in a lifetime. That can be particularly true of the many mansions that fill the Garden District and sections of Uptown.
But when the stars align just right, a heavenly slice of Crescent City architecture is offered: 2423 Prytania St.
Built in the mid-1850s as a status symbol for the owner at the time, the home has almost 8,000 square feet with six bedrooms, more than five baths and an abundance of architectural details that create an atmosphere of opulence, listed at $8.5 million.
Situated behind a wroughtiron fence bearing the historic marker, the Adams House is a raised villa-style edifice with a quartet of floor-length windows across the broad front porch, accessible by a grand marble stairway leading to the stately front door
The broad center hall, with 14-foot ceilings, opens onto a plethora of rooms, with the unique curved staircase to the upper floor recessed in an
arched alcove to the side.
To the right, double parlors sport their own characteristics but open to one another via pocket doors Marble fireplaces also tie the spaces together, as well as the immense molding that characterizes the rooms.
Behind the second parlor lies the home’s stately dining room, bathed in natural light from floor-length windows. Another Italian marble fireplace is featured in the room.
On the left side of the hall, the library features more windows and an array of gilttrimmed cabinets and shelves for literature and objets d’art
A mirrored-front cabinet cleverly conceals a spacious bar area.
Step from the library into the Chinese room with its bowed wall of windows and customcarved fireplace mantel that bolsters the Asian attributes of the space. Hand-painted wallpaper matches the voluminous curtains
Golden tones are omnipresent in the downstairs bedroom courtesy of French silk brocade wallcoverings, drapes and a tester A prime guest room, it features an en suite bathroom with a walk-in shower
ABOVE: The grand hall features 14-foot ceilings and ruby tones that highlight many of the architectural elements stylized in white.
LEFT: Louisiana chic is the overwhelming feeling in this uber-functional kitchen, packed with professionalgrade appliances and seemingly endless workspace.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
The Adams House on Prytania Street in the Garden District was built in the mid-1850s with an abundance of architectural details and opulent design.
ONEINAMILLION
One of the two parlors in the home, the front room enjoys floor-length windows and an Italian marble fireplace surround.
The kitchen, located behind the dining room, conjures images of rustic Louisiana with cypress cabinets, a broad island and a portfolio of professional-grade appliances in stainless steel. Included in the assemblage of appliances are double refrigerators, a convection oven and deep fryer Exposed brick creates a textural counterpoint to the natural wood tones throughout.
At the end of the front hall, a breakfast room gets a view of the extensive grounds via French doors with a transom and sidelights that create a wall of windows to the outside.
Up the curved staircase lies the primary bedroom featuring a large bath done in an art deco motif, with a double vanity, whirlpool tub and a marble shower with a bench. The five-person sauna is also at hand for a touch of European spa elegance
Two smaller bedrooms share a bath with a tub and shower.
The outdoor space matches the interior opulence, with centuriesold oaks forming the cornerstone of extensive plantings and landscaping, fitting for the style of the home. In addition to a patio, the home features a swimming pool with a large surround and abundant topiaries, plus palm trees. A cabana also holds a bar and half bath for convenience
The home is listed by Eleanor Farnsworth, of Compass, (504) 891-1142.
One in a Million is an occasional series featuring upscale homes for sale in the metro area.
Art deco meets relaxation in the primary bath, with a generous jetted tub and seated shower.
The second parlor, a sunny room with large windows, opens onto the front parlor via a pair of pocket doors.
LEFT: A pool is framed by large topiaries and bordered by planting areas, overlooked by tropical palms.
Charlotte Dorion 504.237.8615
Charlotte@Char-Realty.com Char-Realty.com
Chris Dorion
504.451.4274
Chris@Char-Realty.com 4018 MagazineSt. NOLA 70115 504.799.1702
•Co-ownersof5offices
•YourLocal and Global LuxuryREALTORS!
Chinese influence was seen frequently in New Orleans decor during the 1870s and ’80s, following Reconstruction and the presence of Cantonese merchants. The home on Prytania features a Chinese room.
GARDEN TIPS
BUGGING OUT: Gardeners often work outdoors in the early morning and late afternoon to avoid the heat, but these are alsotimeswhen mosquitoes are active.West Nile virus is still aconcern, and youshould always putonaneffectiverepellent beforegoing out to work in your garden. Remember to reapplyas needed, which is likely more often than youthink, given howmuch we sweat this time of the year
THE PEANUT GALLERY: Planta rowortwo of peanuts in the home garden now, as early summercrops are pulled up. Shell rawpeanutsand plant about three to four seeds per foot of row.Water daily until the seeds come up.Theywill be readytoharvest in October.Peanuts alsomakean excellent green manure crop.Just as peanut plants flower,turnthem under into the soil.Theywill decay and enrich the soil withnitrogen and organic matter.Allowthe bed tosit for four to six weeks while the organic matter decomposes,and youwill be readytoplant fall crops.
PROTECT PEACHES: Spraypeach tree trunks thoroughly with permethrin to prevent the peach tree borer from getting into the trunkand causing damage. Repeat again in mid-July and mid-August.
GREATGRASSES: Ornamental grasses are an excellent choice for gardeners trying to introduce more drought-tolerant, pest-resistantplants into their landscapes.There are many types suitable for virtually any landscape situation.Eventhoughit is hot right now, ornamental grasses are so tough that youcan plant them through the summermonths.
GREENTHUMB
AHOT TROPIC
Planting pineapples requires patience,but they areeasytogrow
Growing tropical fruits, such as mangos, papayas, star fruit (carambola), bananas and avocados, is challenging in Louisiana —the possibility of freezes in the 20s, or even the teens, hangs over us every winter.Protecting large tropical fruit trees during severe freezes is difficult.
Pineapples, Ananas comosus, are something you may not have considered growing, but they are relatively easy.They grow on small plants that produce very well in containers that can be moved inside in the winter.
ä See PINEAPPLES, page 12
Late spring or early summer is an ideal time to startplanting pineapple. Eachpineapple plant produces one fruit in about 18 months.
GETTy IMAGESPHOTO
Dan Gill GREEN THUMB
GREENTHUMB
Take alighter approach to pruningroses in thesummer
BY DANGILL Contributing writer
Iheard you talking about pruning on your radio show last Saturday. I have rose bushes that need pruning Anysuggestions?
Tommy Repeat-flowering roses should not be pruned hard during the intense heat of summer.The two major rose pruning opportunities are late January through early February and lateAugust through early September Pruning at those times stimulates vigorous new growth and flowers during the outstanding spring or early summer and fall or early winter when the weather is milder
During the summer,you can manage the size of arose bush to some degree by pruning off faded flowers. This is known as deadheading. Generally,we deadhead by cutting back to the first five-leaflet leaf below the faded flower or flower cluster.Tocurb the enthusiasm of more vigorous growing roses, cut back farther to the second or thirdfive-leaflet leaf.
My live, call-in radio show, “The Garden Show,” is on WWL radio 870 AM and 105.3 FM on Saturdays from 9a.m. to 11 a.m., or listen anytime on the Audacy app. Ineed informationonagood wayto preserve the basil Iharvest if Idon’t use it immediately.Any suggestions?
—Donnie
Ijustdid acolumn on hot weather herbs last week, and Iappreciatethe opportunity to provide information on how to preserve harvested herbs. Herbsshould be harvested frequently and regularly Cooking with freshherbs is great becausethe full, rich flavorsare at their peak. But it is alsoimportant to know how to preserve herbs when you harvestmore than you can immediately use. Mostherbs can be kept for afew days by placing their stems in aglassofwater.You may also store freshly picked herbs for aweek in plastic bags in your refrigerator However,this does not work
PROVIDED PHOTO By LSUAGCENTER
size of arosebush to some degree by pruning off faded flowers.
GREENTHUMB
PINEAPPLES
Continued frompage10
If you get achance tovisit Hawaii, you will likely see large fields of pineapples. They reach peak ripeness before harvesting, making them extra delicious, and are widely available.
For pineapples to be shipped successfully over long distances, however,they must be harvested before they are fully ripe. So, pineapples available in localsupermarkets are harvested before peak ripeness, and this affects theflavor
Fully ripened pineapples are superior in sweetness to those harvested while slightly immature. Fortunately,itis entirely possibletoraise your ownjuicy,fully ripe pineapples without atrip to the islands.
Pineapples are remarkably easy to grow,but producing one does requiresome patience. Generally,from the time you start your plant to thetime you harvest is about 18 months. Duringthat time, though, the pineapple plant makes an attractive foliage plant. Late spring or early summer is an ideal time to get started.
Begin by purchasing apineappleatthe supermarket
fromthe time youstartyour plant to the timeyou harvest is about 18 months. During that time, though, the pineapple plant makesanattractivefoliageplant.
Choose one thathas ahealthy, green leafy top, also known as the crown, thatdid not get toobadly battered during processing and shipping. To root the top, you will need a1-gallon-sized container,
enough potting soiltofill it, slow-release fertilizer and a sharp knife or hand pruner First, cut the crown using a sharp knife or hand pruner. Make aclean cut as closeto thefruit as you can. Next,
removeenough of the lower leaves from thecut crown to expose about three-quarters of an inch of stem. Laythe crown aside for threedaysto allow the cut to callus over Fill the gallon container
almost full with the potting soil andadd the slow-release fertilizer,per label directions. Plant the topjust deep enough to cover the exposed stem, firming the soil around it to make it stable.Ifnecessary, youcan insert two or three pencils or chopsticks into the soil on the sidesofthe pineapple toptoholditinplace. Waterthe plant thoroughly andplace it in ashady area outside to root (if you do this in winter, place the pot in a brightly lit window; move outside in spring). Water as needed.The crownshould root in two to four weeks. Afterthe crownisrooted, move the plant into aspot with morning sun andafternoon shade for aweek or two, andthenfinally into full sun. Grow your pineapple in full sun outside,keeping it well watered.
In threetofourmonths (around September if you root atop now), the plant will have outgrown the gallonpot. At this time,shift it to athreegallon-sizedcontainer using the same well-drainedpotting soil andmoreslow-release fertilizer.Itwill produce its fruit in this pot. The larger potisimportant. If kept in a small pot, the plant will produceasmall fruit.
Going into the winter,itis important to rememberthat the plant continues to need full sun, but it cannottoleratefreezing temperatures. Leaveyourplant outside in full sun through the winter, but bring it into aprotected locationonthose nights when temperaturesare expected to dip below40degrees. Return the plant to full sun when the freezing episode is over.The plant could also be overwinteredina sunny greenhouse or window
By the secondsummer, the originalsmall crown should have grown into alarge, handsome plant, abouttwo feet across. At this stage,your plant should flower.
The first sign of flowering
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DARLENE DENSTORFF
GREENTHUMB
The pineapples available in local supermarkets are harvested in Hawaii before peak ripeness in order to be shipped successfully long distance, and this affects the flavor Fortunately, it is entirely possible to raise your own juicy, fully ripe pineapples without a trip to the islands.
ADVICE
Continued from page 11
with basil. The chilly temperatures tend to make it turn brown.
Drying and freezing are two common ways we preserve herbs for longer periods of time. If you intend to dry herbs, harvest the stems long enough to easily tie them together. Next, rinse with water and blot dry
Make small bundles of about three to five stems held together with rubber bands and insert an unbent paper clip or S-shaped piece of wire to make a hook. Hang the bundles in a cool, dry place with good air circulation, preferably indoors. Do not hang them in a sunny or hot area because that will reduce the volatile, flavorful oils.
Another way to dry herbs is to lay leaves or short sprigs on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels Place them in a cool, dry location with good air circulation. Do not dry them in a warm oven or microwave because the heat will diminish the oils.
Whichever method you use, drying usually takes about a week. When the herbs are
PINEAPPLES
Continued from page 12
is a bright red color in the center of the plant. Soon, a stalk will appear with lavender flowers peeking out from a structure at the top shaped like a small pineapple. It is this structure that will develop into the fruit.
It takes about five months from flowering to produce a ripe fruit.
With proper care, you can generally harvest a ripe pineapple in the fall of the next year, from a spring or early summer-rooted crown. The fruit you get should be about the same size or a little
thoroughly dry, store them in a tightly sealed container. The leaves may be left whole or crumbled to the desired fineness.
To freeze herbs, harvest, rinse and blot dry. Remove leaves from woody stems and chop to the desired fineness before freezing. Place chopped herbs in a freezer bag. Lay the bag flat and spread the chopped herbs out in a one-half-inch layer This makes it easier to break off usable pieces later when the herbs are frozen solid. Force
out as much air as possible, seal and freeze. Whether you opt to dry or freeze, be sure to label the container or bag with the name of the herb, or herb blend, and the date.
Dan Gill is a retired consumer horticulture specialist with the LSU AgCenter. He hosts the “Garden Show” on WWL-AM Saturdays at 9 a.m. Email gardening questions to gnogardening@agcenter.lsu. edu.
smaller than the pineapples at the supermarket. Or, if you did a great job, maybe even a little larger.
When it comes to harvesting, the idea is to allow the pineapple to fully ripen on the plant. Harvested too soon, it will not be as sweet. If you are not sure, it is better to leave the pineapple on the plant too long than to harvest it too soon. When ripe, the fruit stores well on the plant. You don’t need to be as worried about leaving it on too long as much as harvesting too early.
A pineapple is ready to harvest when the background color changes from green to gold. The feel of the fruit will
go from rock hard to giving a little when firmly pressed with your thumb.
Also, the fruit will develop a rich, fruity pineapple smell. Use all these signs when determining when to harvest the fruit. You are in for an exceptional treat.
Each plant will produce a single fruit and then die You can, however, start new plants from the crown of the fruit you harvest, from slips that form on the flower stem or from suckers (called pups) produced at the base of the original plant. And after growing them once, you are sure to want to grow them again.
The yard at family’s Arabi home is a soothing refuge with a garden, fountains and driftwood sculptures
BY JYL BENSON Contributing writer
Most families searching for a new home are more focused on the home than the driveway, but not so for Dennis and Jill Weese.
With a passion for exploration and life on the open road, the house itself was secondary to a space to park the family’s RV.
“We really just wanted a driveway with a house attached,” said Dennis Weese.
Their shared outlook on travel made them a natural pair after they were introduced in 2008 by his mother, Sandra Cholmato. Jill Poutre had landed in New Orleans in 2007 as a native of Stoneham, Massachusetts. Robert Cerasoli, one of her professors at Eastern Nazarene College, offered her a staff position in the Crescent City when he was named New Orleans’ first inspector general.
At age 24, she became the executive director of the New Orleans Ethics Review Board
Dennis Weese founded Aquatic Landscapes Inc. in 2006. The company specializes in the design, construction, service, cleaning and repair of foun-
ABOVE: The Weese family, Dennis, from left, Jill and Anna, enjoy spending time in their backyard where they are surrounded by tropical gardens, burbling fountains and driftwood pieces. RIGHT: Nightfall in their so-called Driftwood Gardens ignites a collection of glowing lights, lamps and lanterns throughout the space
tains. The niche business has an extensive design portfolio and customer referral database that serves most of southeast Louisiana. His work with fountains is his creative outlet.
They married in 2010, and Anna Weese was born soon after.
All insatiably creative, the family was prone to hitting the road on a whim when business was slow Jill Weese homeschooled Anna, so there were few constraints tethering them to a conventional lifestyle.
ä See GARDEN, page 16
PHOTOS By JEFF STROUT
“As a family, we are really looking forward to welcoming neighbors and visitors who want to slow down, create something meaningful and connect with others through creativity. In times of rapid change, spaces that encourage calm and connection can make a real difference.”
JILL WEESE
ABOVE: Driftwood Gardens is divided into a series of outdoor ‘rooms,’ each with its own theme and purpose. Where we would see an old cast-iron bathtub, Dennis Weese sees a fountain for the garden. Cooling fans and shaded areas keep the space comfortable, even on hot days.
LEFT: Dennis Weese crafted this table from a stump he found in Bayou Bienvenue.
GARDEN
Continued from page 14
Then in 2019, the family found a tidy, 1,300-square-foot, post-World War II cottage on a one-third-acre lot in Arabi that fit their budget with plenty of land to spare.
A native of Chalmette, Dennis Weese was unsure about the location at first.
“I hadn’t really considered going anywhere near the old neighborhood where I grew up, but I’ve been sold,” he said. “If you want an affordable family home in the New Orleans area, Arabi is it. We have a strong art community that is growing.”
Creating an oasis
Shortly after buying their new home, Jill Weese started experiencing a multitude of health issues.
Years of medical exploration failed to reveal a diagnosis.
“Then I saw a piece on YouTube about a person with some symptoms that no doctor could diagnose until they fed the issue into AI (artificial intelligence),” Dennis Weese said. “So that’s what I did with Jill’s symptoms.”
At last, they had an answer: Chronic Central Nervous System Sensitization Syndrome, a condition in which the central nervous system becomes stuck in a hyperactive state.
She became largely homebound, and their forays on the open road came to an end.
So, Dennis Weese decided to bring the world they were missing to their home.
“I used my experience to transform our yard into a small oasis we now call Driftwood Gardens,” he said
He attacked their land with vigor, building tropical gardens of spiral ginger, variegated rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), oleander, native cypress, agave, iris, colocasia, canna lilies, cordyline, varieties of monstera, loquat, southern magnolia trees, trellises dripping with Peggy Martin roses and thickets and tunnels of bamboo. The garden is broken into outdoor “rooms” for
A fountain adds grace to the front lawn of the Weese family home.
that helps Jill find real relief from her daily discomfort,” Dennis Weese said. “The change has been remarkable — she smiles more than she cries — and these features have become an important part of her overall well-being.”
Paintings by Anna — now 15 and a visual arts student at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts — hang throughout the home and garden.
exploration. He scours nearby Bayou Bienvenue for driftwood, which he uses to make furniture, planters and structures to
suspend stained glass pendant lamps. He combs Facebook Marketplace for decorative elements to add to their home and garden.
Cooling fans are mounted, and fountains burble throughout the outdoor space.
“The sound of 14 fountains provides a calming backdrop
Visiting Driftwood Gardens
Where one sees a discarded cast-iron bathtub, a kitchen sink or an old hand pump, Dennis Weese sees a fountain.
Dennis Weese used a discarded bathtub to create a fountain with floating lily pads that doubles as a sanctuary for koi.
PHOTOS By JEFF STROUT
The better part of an entire tree, collected as driftwood, has a sculptural appearance that suggests a woman reaching toward the sky.
ABOVE: Signs recall places the family visited together before Jill Weese became unable to travel.
RIGHT: Tree stumps are used to define spaces throughout the garden.
“Anything goes when creating a one-of-a-kind water feature,” he said. “The tranquil sound of moving water truly brings about a drug-free, therapeutic and primal sense of peace.”
Before the end of the year, others will get to experience that tranquility. The Weese family plans to open Driftwood Gardens to guests who can learn to make their own fountains from vessels they bring from home.
“It can be a favorite container — or any kind or any old object, really — and we will provide the pumps, tubing and guidance needed to bring each idea to life,” Dennis Weese said.
“Many beautiful fountains can be created from simple items people already have at home, making the process both accessible and creative,” he said. “Our hope is to inspire others to create their own peaceful spaces and discover how even small water features can make a meaningful difference in daily life.”
Putting down roots
With a surplus of lush land available, Jill Weese decided to plant some seeds her mother-
with objets d’art that the family either finds or crafts.
in-law had given her.
“Her own mother had given them to her,” she said. “They
were a kind of family heirloom.”
The seeds thrived in the fertile, alluvial soil just blocks from the Mississippi River But in six months, Jill Weese had a cotton crop she had no use for.
But she thought, “If only I could spin that into something,” she said. So she learned to weave cotton.
Now she plans to host small fiber arts workshops to share the therapeutic value she found in working with yarn and textiles while managing chronic pain. Classes may include crochet and demonstrations of growing, processing and spinning cotton. Anna may offer painting workshops.
“As a family, we are really looking forward to welcoming neighbors and visitors who want to slow down, create something meaningful and connect with others through creativity,” Jill Weese said. “In times of rapid change, spaces that encourage calm and connection can make a real difference.”
Jyl Benson writes about homes and gardens. Email her at jylbenson@gmail.com.
Driftwood Gardens is adorned
Dennis Weese built a small deck that’s level with his daughter Anna’s bedroom. When she opens the window, the family’s chickens flock to the deck in anticipation of being fed.
Cavingin
Warningtowives:Whenhusbandsretire, give them room
Editor’snote: Remember Marni? Of course you do. Sherecently retired from writingthe weekly column thatran in these pages but still contributes the occasional missive. This is one of them.
Here’stwo words of warning to all wives whose husbandsare on thevergeofretirement: Forget downsizing.
When men retire, they need more room, notless.
As my husband, DC, neared retirement last October,bringing 40 years of practic-
ing law to aclose, he dreamed aloud of all he would do withhis newly unleashed time. He would work part-time as amediator
He would write music and play guitar.He would work on his genealogy and on directing thenextplayfor our community theater. The man hasnoshortage of interests. What he did have,however,was ashortage of space.
In our home, DC used asmallroom meant for storage to pursue his hobbies. The space had alow ceiling that pitched downward on two sides like adoghouse, so you could only fully stand in the center.
In addition to DC’s guitars and keyboard,
Marni Jameson AT HOME
DC composes music in hisman cave.
PROVIDED PHOTOS By MARNI JAMESON
it housed a water heater, the circuit-breaker box and the often-noisy air handler.
This would never do in retirement, but with our growing, far-flung family, I couldn’t let him take over a guest room or any other part of the already-spoken-for house.
I could foresee his projects creeping into the kitchen, the family room, my office. I’d heard about men who retire and are suddenly always around.
I panicked. This was not going to be us. So, I gathered my wits and did what any calm, supportive, level-headed wife would do. I sold the house in under a week without listing it
What happened next was nothing short of a hat trick, or a testament to self-preservation, or both: We moved into a new home that turned out to be a win financially, physically and — yes — maritally
Financially, we scored because the new house cost twothirds of what we sold the old house for, which meant (yay!) no more mortgage. Check off that retirement goal.
Physically, we scored because we didn’t give up any bedrooms. Between us, DC and I have five adult children, seven grandchildren and two on the way, scattered across four states. If we wanted our blended, extended family to visit, a smaller house with fewer bedrooms wouldn’t do. Plus, in the new house, all bedrooms are downstairs with the rest of the living space, which just makes life easier
But the best physical gain is that the new house is slightly larger, by 300 square feet, which belong to an upstairs bonus room (read “man cave”), which leads me to the marital advantage.
But I can hear you asking, “Who buys a bigger house when they retire?” Well, actually, according to a National Association of Realtors study, most homebuyers over age 55 buy a home the same size as the one they sold, and many upsize.
“The idea that retirees want to downsize is a persistent myth,” said Jessica Lautz, an economist who worked on the report.
Amen, sister.
When DC first saw the room during our house hunt, he lit up like a kid seeing a Ferris wheel. He quickly claimed the 30-by-13-foot retreat, which has an adjoining bathroom and closet. We moved in one month before his last day of work and have been grateful for every extra inch of home since.
How to make a man cave
While man caves can serve as welcome getaways for men at any stage of life, for retirees and those married to them, it may be a sanity saver. Consider these man cave musts:
n Be original. If you’ve seen one man cave, you’ve seen one man cave. That’s because done right, they should be as unique as their owners. Spaces range from glorified game rooms,
sports bars, speakeasies and hunting lodges to poker dens, studios and places to showcase career or travel highlights.
n Dedicate a space. Not all man caves are in the main house. For some men, like my dad back in the day, the garage is their sanctuary. Others lose themselves in a workshop or greenhouse. Some convert an attic or basement. Regardless of where, the common denominator of these spaces is they are dedicated to the guy’s interests.
n Design with purpose. Before letting DC have his way with his blank-slate room (knowing where that could lead), I intervened, “Let’s design this space, so you have the room you deserve.” He agreed. I started by asking what all he wanted to
do here, then divided the long room into zones: music, entertainment and legal work. On one end is a work desk where he can conduct mediations. Nearby is a leather sofa and coffee table where he can sit and read scripts, while monitoring his favorite team on a wall-mounted flat-screen. On the other end, we mounted his guitars on the wall, where they double as decor and get off the floor, and added a curved music workstation that can hold a keyboard and a laptop. Along the long wall, we hung a series of six framed 24- by 48-inch marquee posters featuring some of the plays he’s directed. A small pool table may be in his future.
n Set it apart. By definition, a man cave should look distinct from the rest of the house. Entering should feel as if you
are moving into another realm. Decor can be rustic or hightech, outdoorsy or sporty. It can include arcade machines, a dartboard, sports memorabilia, a putting green, photos of that prize catch, a card table, a shuffleboard, weight machines or a home theater, whatever reflects the man.
n Beverage station. For many men, their man cave would not be complete without a libation station, whether a small refrigerator or a fully stocked bar I drew the line at letting DC have a bar upstairs because I said I would never see him. And, as glad as I am that he has his own retreat, I do like to see him.
Marni Jameson is the author of seven books on home and lifestyle. She can be reached at www.marnijameson.com.
other side of the man cave features a sofa for reading, napping or watching the game.
INSIDESTORY
South La. orphanage has a rich history with one family
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
The story of Beverly Lively’s family plays out through the photographs covering the living room wall in her Baton Rouge home.
At the top is a photo of Lively during her days as a nurse for gynecologist Henry Miller Just below that is a small portrait photo of her brother. He was a businessman, owner of three lounges in Baton Rouge.
And in the center is a shot of Elvis Presley, whom Lively met after his 1956 Louisiana Hayride Tour performance in Baton Rouge High School’s auditorium. She looked into those blue eyes, he autographed the souvenir for which she paid 25 cents, then punctuated the moment with a kiss on her cheek.
Then the scan of Lively’s wall comes to a grinding halt on a group shot of little girls with uniform pageboy haircuts posing in front of a bricked building that once was known as the Protestant Orphanage in Baton Rouge when it stood on Main Street downtown.
Though so many stories vie for attention in this room, this is the story most important to Lively, and at age 90, she doesn’t want it to be forgotten. She took the opportunity
Her grandmother, Annie Laura Dunn Roof, was hired as the orphanage’s cook and later named matron. Lively’s mother, Laura Clara Roof, and three aunts were raised in the house, though they weren’t technically orphans.
“This is my mother,” Lively said, pointing to a girl on the back row “And this is my Aunt Edna. She was the oldest, and she was feisty My mother was the second oldest. And then here is my Aunt Alma and my Aunt Helen.”
Standing on the end in the back is Lively’s grandmother. She was barely scraping by in Hammond, taking any domes-
faced Main instead of North,” Laatsch continued.
The orphanage was governed by a board of directors, which secured the $42,000 funding for the new building’s construction and operated the organization as a private institution.
New home on North Street
In the end, the North Street home had the distinction the other two buildings didn’t — it was designed and built especially for the orphans. The building accommodated 25 girls and its staff, consisting of a superintendent, two matrons, a cook and laundress.
“My mother never lived in the new orphanage,” said Lively “She and my Aunt Edna had aged out of the orphanage by that time. My grandmother had left and was working for Kean’s Dry Cleaners. My mother worked with her, and Aunt Edna worked for Wolf’s Bakery when it was downtown.”
like that.’ She threw the stick away.”
A new matron
In the end, the matron was fired, and Lively’s grandmother was promoted to the position.
From there, the stories are sporadic. Lively remembers her mother sharing recollections of walking to school and church from the Main Street location. Her mother was a point guard for the girls’ basketball team at a school that once stood on Nicholson Drive, while her Aunt Edna attended a school on Convention Street.
Lively doesn’t remember the schools’ names, but research shows that the Convention Street school possibly was St. Francis High School, which was torn down in 1961 to make way for U.S. 110.
tic job she could find to support her four daughters
“My grandfather abandoned her, and she was doing what she could to support her family,” Lively said. “She was an excellent cook, and she heard from someone that the orphanage was looking for a cook. So, she went to the orphanage and asked them to try her cooking, and if they liked it, they could hire her. They loved it.”
Under these conditions
She immediately was offered the job, but Annie Laura Dunn Roof had a few conditions — four, to be exact. As the chef, she would have to move into the orphanage, so she asked if she could bring her four daughters. They agreed.
This was before World War II, even long before the Great Depression. Though Lively can’t remember the exact year her mother’s family made the move from Hammond to Baton Rouge, she emphasizes that it was necessary
“Times were rough, and they
were so poor,” she said.
So began the Roof family’s long association with the Protestant Orphanage. The institution had been around since 1854, housing only parentless girls.
Its first home was the “Bird Building” on the 500 block of Main Street in downtown Baton Rouge. The orphans moved further down Main Street in 1870 after their original home was rented out to the Louisiana School for the Blind.
David Laatsch, a genealogy librarian for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, pinpointed its exact address as 1219 Main St. after a deep dive into the 1905 City Directory.
“I found it at the same location in the 1895 directory,” he wrote in an email.
The orphanage remained on Main Street until moving into its third and final home in the red bricked building at 1328 North St. in 1927.
“The old orphanage was simply one lot to the west of the current location, and
Aunt Edna eventually joined the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, who flew under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces, which would later become the U.S. Air Force.
Aunt Alma and Aunt Helen were the only two family members who moved into the new orphanage on North Street, living there until they were old enough to leave.
But when they were all living in the Main Street orphanage, an incident occurred that changed Annie Laura Dunn Roof’s status from chef to matron.
“I don’t know what was said or what happened, but Edna got mad and threw an orange at the matron during dinner,” Lively said. “The matron had a stick and began beating Edna with it, and my mother heard the commotion. My grandmother came out of the kitchen and jerked the stick out of the matron’s hand and said, ‘At the risk of losing my job, I will not allow you to beat my child
“That school isn’t there anymore, and my grandmother always hoped that she would live long enough to be able to take a ride on the expressway,” Lively said. “She died before it was complete.”
Lively’s Aunt Alma moved to Long Island, New York. Her Aunt Helen married Alma’s husband’s brother. Lively’s mother married Charles Whites Lively The couple would become parents to Lively, her brother Kenny and sister Shirley Beverly Lively and her sister are the only survivors of their immediate family
Her mother never returned to the orphanage’s Main Street or visited the North Street location, though Beverly Lively would often take her on Sunday drives down Main Street.
“The building on Main Street had been torn down by then,” she said. “And she had no interest in going into the building on North Street.”
But her mother and aunts are forever part of the orphanage’s history on the living room wall.
Email Robin Miller at romiller@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER
The red brick house, built as the Protestant Orphanage in 1927, as it appears today at 1328 North St. in Baton Rouge. Two of Beverly Lively’s aunts, Alma and Helen, lived there until they were old enough to leave.
NEW ORLEANS
n TRANSFERS FOR JUNE 8-12
DISTRICT 1
CLIO ST. 1525: $120,000, Marcus W. Mudd to Jodi Lynn Demelo Hanson.
JULIA ST. 1001: $471,959, WWYD LLC to David A. Parker II and James K. Dart.
DISTRICT 2
ARGONNE BLVD. 6365: $1,300,000, Madison Cheatwood Webb and Matthew David Webb to Adam Podet.
CHARTRES ST. 931, UNIT 12: $325,000, Marianne Lewis to David F. Kocarek and Linda A. Ziemnik Kocarek.
DUMAINE ST. 1930: $320,000, WWS Remodeling LLC to Brendan John McCarthy.
FLORIDA BLVD. 936: $285,000, Croland LLC to Anita Bouanchaud Whitner and Matthew Harper Taylor.
LOUIS XIV ST. 6064: $1,406,000, Brett Casey and Tamara Abshier Casey to Jeffrey William Chrjapin and Melissa Elizabeth Kenyon Chrjapin.
MOSS ST. 604: $450,000, S. Stephen Rosenfeld to James P Moises.
N. BROAD ST. 929: $120,000, Joseph E. Basha Jr. to 929 N. Broad LLC.
N. SALCEDO ST. 1028, URSULINES AVE. 3012-3014: $100 and other valuable consideration, Denise R. Berthiaume to Jeanne Arceneaux Luna and Stephen W. Luna.
ORLEANS AVE. 6164: $390,000, Bridget M. Wright Keith and Stephen Keith to Colten Matthew Symmes and Lisa Brady Symmes.
DISTRICT 3
BLUE ASH DRIVE 5011: $225,000, Tzucanow D Cummings to Dominique Michelle Carter and Gregory Joseph Carter Jr.
CHARTRES ST. 5220: $199,000, Stephanie Marie Davis Nelson to Joseph Alexander Buckley.
DAUPHINE ST. 3143: $510,000, Leonardo MacElloni to Karen Hasbrouck Hesting.
EDGELAKE COURT 8036: $22,500, Joel Philip Heifner to Breion Christian Smith Cruz and Jonas Cruz.
EDGELAKE COURT 8038: $42,500, Joel Philip Heifner to Breion Christian Smith Cruz and Jonas Cruz.
REALESTATETRANSFERS
FELICIANA DRIVE 4985: $240,000, Terrise D. Morris Albert to Gaggie M. King and Willie R. King Sr.
FORTIN ST. 2936: $364,450, Jeanie Joyce Donovan Hoarty and Michael Timothy Hoarty to Medora Davison and Scott Davison.
HAYNE BLVD. 40974, N. LITTLEWOODS DRIVE 40990, S. LITTLEWOODS DRIVE 40989, 40993, 40989, 40998, VENICE BLVD. 8020, 8026, 8038, W. LITTLE WOODS DRIVE 8008: donation, no value stated, Virginia W. Dingeman to Anthony J. Dingeman.
LEHIGH ST. 7725: $160,000, Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Latosha Monique Kennedy
LEON C SIMON DRIVE 2360: $130,000, Christopher James Voigt and Ray Lawrence Voigt to Nola Buys Houses LLC.
LEON C SIMON DRIVE 2360: $100, Nola Buys Houses LLC to Juan Carlos Arreaga and Maximiliana Arreaga.
LEPAGE ST. 2623: $589,000, Mary
Elizabeth Painter Huegen and Nathan Alois Huegen to Ruth Elaine Coinier.
MUSIC ST. 6301: donation, no value stated, Leigh A. Geraghty to Melissa L. Morrissette.
ORIOLE ST. 1717: $1,250,000, David A. Boudreaux Nesbitt and Richard C. Nesbitt Boudreaux to Jefferson P. Chadwick and Kathleen O’Neill Chadwick.
ORIOLE ST. 2321: $490,000, Dorota Beata Malkinska and Leszek M. Malkinski to Kevin Lee Atkinson.
PAUL MORPHY ST. 1668-70: $285,000, Esailama G. Henry Trust to David Luong and Ryan Bennett.
PAULINE DRIVE 5133: $302,202, Property Quest LLC to Sherri Morrell Way
PINEBROOK DRIVE 7231: $187,500, Alberta Harris Evans, Eleanor Evans Dunn and Roger Evans Sr. to J. Paul Management LLC.
ROYAL ST. 3119-21: $500,000, Pamela Boutin Jefferson and Willie
Jefferson to Fabio Koelsch and Lais R. Bittencourt Koelsch.
ST. BERNARD AVE. 5025: $365,000, Joshua C. Shaw to Gina Age Edwards and Vanderbilt Edwards.
SOLDIERS ST. 1348: $165,000, Burk Property Investments LLC to Brandon W. Keay and Regina G. Allulli Keay.
ST. ANTHONY ST. 1415: $165,000, Odyssey House Louisiana Inc. to Laura Bailey Henry, Louis Lynn and Melaine Grace Lynn.
TRAPIER AVE. 7800: $180,000, Vyntrella Brewer Menzies to Idrenna A. Davis.
VERMILLION BLVD. 6049: $205,000, Salvatricia Maloz Ragusa and Vincent Joseph Ragusa Jr. to John L. Quinn.
VIRGIL BLVD. 3837: $270,000, Jeanette E. Prusisz to Christina Daversa and Mia Lucia Jeanty.
WILTON DRIVE 5323: $370,000, Cirilo Santiago Ramirez to Shana Spears Markey.
DISTRICT 4
BRAINARD ST. 2000, CARONDELET ST. 2003, 2005: $900,000, George & Leah Mckenna Museum of African American Art to TD 1996 Properties LLC.
CARONDELET ST. 2027: $2,300,000, Miriam McMichael Favor and Richard Springer Favor to Candice Ashley Gwinn.
CHIPPEWA ST. 2366: $445,000, Douglas Kraus to Kerry Kern.
CONSTANCE ST. 2223-25: $425,000, Eustis Mortgage Corp. to Kevin Truong and Samantha Chan.
HARMONY ST. 1824-26: $268,000, Allen Copeland and Louella Booker Copeland to Clinton Maurice Bowen.
PRYTANIA ST. 2726: $225,000,
Sharon Denise Oregan to Afarin Arghami Babazadeh and Saleh Babazadeh.
ST. CHARLES AVE. 2100: $159,000, Sabrina B. Duncan Rose and Sandra Rhodes Duncan to Catherine Rosen Hinnant.
ST. CHARLES AVE. 2434: $625,000, Martha Claire Hollis Breland and Quin H. Breland IV to Cynthia Payovich Andrews.
ST. CHARLES AVE. 3000: $193,500, Lisa Marie Fitzmorris Clement to Terry Owen Greaves and Theresa Greaves.
ST. ANDREW ST. 1132-34: $950,000, Ronna S. Harris to Anthony Raymond Gauthier Jr., Nicole Wierman Gauthier, Denise Borst Wierman and James Lee Wierman.
SECOND ST. 1550, UNIT 3H: $310,000, Paula Sue Cochran Pincus to Catherine Cordes Darden and Frank Williamson Darden. S. SARATOGA ST. 2419: $400,000, John Byrd Vi Easterly and Natalie Easterly to Jermaine Clark.
WASHINGTON AVE. 1629: $195,000, 1629 Washington LLC to Denise M. Johnson and Zachary Johnson.
DISTRICT 5
ENGLISH TURN DRIVE 94: $790,000, Heidi Celina Winborne to Brenda Louise Garcia and Joseph Lee Garcia.
FAIRFAX PLACE 212: $225,000, Amador Gomez Properties LLC to Cory Dale Bailey and Toi Bilah Lee.
GENERAL COLLINS AVE. 2616: donation, no value stated, Johanna Patterson Hendren and Ryan Michael Patterson to Karen ä See ORLEANS, page 22
REALESTATETRANSFERS
ORLEANS
Continued from page 21
Patterson Shilling.
GENERAL COLLINS AVE. 2616: $85,000, Karen Patterson Shilling to SRT Home Improvement LLC.
GENERAL MEYER AVE. 5244: $1,100,000, Dathuy T. Khong Le and Kiet T. Le to MMKW LLC.
HALSEY AVE. 2032: $220,000, Daniel Arthur Obrien and Janet Greco Obrien to Aysia Marie Rivera Hauser and Dominic Alexander Hauser.
HENDEE ST. 1410: $90,000, 1st Choice Commercial & Residential Environmental Services LLC to ARCIP Evolution LLC.
HUDSON PLACE 2529: $240,000, Daniel Morriz Holstein and Kelsey Ariel Heitmeire Holstein to Madison Dirks and Rebecca Buller Dirks.
HYMAN PLACE 3343: $105,000, Robert A. McMahon Jr. to Dorian Rene Rawles Jr.
LANCASTER ST. 3100: $40,000, Carolyn Bailey McGinnis to Bertucci Investment Group LLC.
PACIFIC AVE. 532-34: $140,824, Beau Felix Ciolino to Matthew Joseph Armato.
PRESTON PLACE 3121: $189,000, H&M Investment Partners to Dwajuanette Classie Delavallade.
EAST JEFFERSON
n TRANSFERS FOR JUNE 5-11 HARAHAN
FERRARA DRIVE 8200: Leslie L. Mutchier to Guillot Family Revocable Living Trust, donation, no value stated.
RAVAN AVE. 175: Rachel Baker to Kalila K. Zabalovici, $345,000.
JEFFERSON
ELLEN COURT 7: Stall Enterprises LLC to Alan J. Jeanfreau, $246,999. KENNER
ANTIGUA DRIVE 38: Aimee B. Maldonado to Tsion W. J. Alemu, $365,000.
BARONI DRIVE 413: Caroline Ryan to Harmony Acain, $235,000.
BEAUJOLAIS DRIVE 4221: Susan H. Hathorn to Stanley S. Hathorn, donation, no value stated
CALIFORNIA AVE. 3509: Jennifer B. Ammari to Wba United LLC,
RHODES AVE. 216: $130,000, Fidelity Bank to Lindy M. Forriest.
SOUTHLAWN BLVD. 1133: $40,000, S&N Housing Empire LLC to GT Construction & Cleaning LLC.
DISTRICT
6
ANNUNCIATION ST. 3711:
$735,000, Celine A. Hannon Moskowitz to Elissa Barahona Starring and Hunter Starring.
AUDUBON ST. 111, UNIT 201: $100 and other valuable consideration, Patricia F. Keegan Lennon and Thomas E. Lennon to Rosemary Powell James Desalvo.
BROADWAY ST. 2025-27, 2029-31, 2220-22-24-26, PLUM ST. 7832-34341/2, S. CLAIBORNE AVE. 7200,
UPPERLINE ST. 3106-08: $45,000, Broadway Street Holdings LLC to Home Bank NA.
BROADWAY ST. 2303: $615,000, Frederic L. Patteson and Mary Ann McWilliams Patteson to Dionne Mitchell Rachal and Frank James Rachal.
CALHOUN ST. 1641, MARQUETTE PLACE 6240: $750,000, Adrienne Luc Miester and succession of Randall Rawlins Miester CDC No. 2021-7500 to Carson Strickland.
CALHOUN ST. 2133: $790,000, Jerry Eugene Todd Jr. and Leslie Clemens Todd to Taluju Properties and Investments LLC.
CALHOUN ST. 2625-27: $372,500, Julie Maud Hecker to Oliveri Luxe Properties LLC.
$108,335
CALIFORNIA AVE. 3512: Antoinette H. Chategnier to Bonnie M. Pontiff, $105,000.
CLAY ST. 1108: Mathilda M. Jones to Thomas Mckenzie Jr., donation, no value stated.
DELAWARE ST. 4336: Carlos Lara to Diana C.P.C. Villanueva, $259,000.
DRIFTWOOD BLVD. 54: Neelam Tandon to Kenneth A.M. Velasquez, $330,000.
FLEURIE DRIVE 649: Hannah Foley to Evan C. Blum, $343,500.
GRANDLAKE BLVD. 3333: Lindsey C. Barbetta to Christopher D. Evans, $299,000.
IOWA AVE. 3244: Lanh Nguyen to Patrice E. Barattini, $290,000.
KANSAS AVE. 2012: Miguel A.R. Reyes to Angela M. Laviolette, $245,000.
KANSAS AVE. 2141: Katherine L. Gaspard to Nationstar Mortgage LLC, $117,760.
LOYOLA DRIVE W. 3621: Mark Morris to Rabab D. Hassan, $198,000.
CAMP ST. 6045: $1,275,000, BRAME LLC to Jo Anne Keck.
CHESTNUT ST. 6115: $10 and other good and valuable consideration, 6115 Chestnut Street Trust to Alexander Fortenko and Helena Bala Fortenko.
CLARA ST. 4617-4619: $140,000, American Reit LLC to 3007 Dryades Street LLC.
CONSTANCE ST. 5517: $828,500, Adam Jeremy Straight and Alyson Waite Straight to Annie Taffaro and Christopher Cortese.
DRYADES ST. 3422-3424: $100 and other good and valuable consideration, Emanuel Crosby Jr., Gerard Anthony Crosby, Ronald Crosby and Shannon Crosby to 3422 Dryades LLC.
LAKE MARINA AVE. 232: $800,000, Barbara Johnston Johnson, Christopher S. Johnson and Joseph Charles Johnson to David A. Boudreaux Nesbitt and Richard C. Nesbitt Boudreaux.
LEONTINE ST. 811: $470,000, Gretchen Clum Stockton and Trent Stockton to Patrick Scott Brown II.
LOUISIANA AVE. PARKWAY 396466: $162,500, Mildred Shedrick Marine to Catherine Louise Fenton.
MARENGO ST. 2012: $365,000, Jesse Nelson Daigle and Laura Hodge Daigle to NLMLL LLC.
OCTAVIA ST. 2001: $100, Bettye Burt Abernathy Bagot and
OLE MISS DRIVE 3345: Ana R. Tufino to Michelle T. Reyes, donation, no value stated.
SPARTAN LANE 669: J&M Real Estate Investors LLC to Tricia M. Meibaum, $259,000.
TENNESSEE AVE. 3105: Imran Khalil to Rabia N. Khalil, donation, no value stated.
TUPELO DRIVE 2806: Yolanda H. Campollo to Delfida D.D. Iboy, $110,000.
VALMONT LANE 3284: Jacqueline S. Brown to Jacquel D. Cockerham, donation, no value stated. W. 27TH ST. 78: Aleido Moya to Steven Bucher, $250,000.
METAIRIE
39TH ST. 3224: Christopher Mackenzie to Eliza R. Miller, $251,000. 47TH ST. 3621: Beverly J. Whiteman to C&J Property Rentals LLC, $200,000.
ACADEMY DRIVE 4813: Cascade Funding Mortgage Trust H.B.9. to New Orleans Property Ventures Inc., $186,000.
AIRLINE PARK BLVD. 601: An-
Michael Hardie Bagot Jr. to Clay Vallon Bland Jr. and Jessica Craighead Bland.
ROBERT ST. 2136-38: $539,000, Thomas Alexander to Deborah Cowen Stieffel and Michelle Jeannine Stieffel.
ST. CHARLES AVE. 3300: $168,950, Philip Wayne Adams to Paul Hyppolyte Guillory Jr.
S. CLAIBORNE AVE. 4624, 4640, 4636-38, WILLOW ST. 4621-23-2527: $1,790,000, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast to Wichita Investment LLC.
STATE ST. DRIVE 3221: $100, Sunrises A. Dream LLC to Camellia Builders LLC.
DISTRICT 7
16TH ST. 230-232: $422,500, Joni Ann Friedmann to Robert C. Hill Jr. and Taryn Wallace Hill.
BELFAST ST. 7909: $100, Erin Leigh Raggio Smith and Sidney Bemrose Smith to Allison Luann Wood Brock and Scott Harrison Brock.
BURTHE ST. 8227: $569,000, Sharon Souther Bethea and Sharon Souther Truxillo to Matthew John Dembowski.
EAGLE ST. 1832: $90,000, Midsouth Property Investments of Louisiana LLC to Nauman Steele Scott.
FIG ST. 8719: $70,000, Anthony Charles Lonon Sr., Carolyn Ann Lonon, Cynthia Lonon Gusman, Devin Stephone Lonon, succession of Dorothy Mae Lenoir Lonon, Joann Lonon Rodriguez, John Lonon IV, Joseph Anthony Lonon, Pamela Lonon McCutcheon Johnson and Rosemary Lonon White to Shelia A. Mossop.
GENERAL OGDEN 2924: $120,000, Antoinette Green L. Busby to DJS Property Investment LLC.
LAKE MARINA AVE. 232: $1,175,000, Charles Louis Dupin and Diane Szostak Dupin to Florencia Levinton Schabelman and Sergio E. Schabelman.
LEONIDAS ST. 2939-41: $135,000, Jerome Darrell Severe, Richard D Scott and Lynnell Carter Scott to Karen Gadbois Schooler.
MAPLE ST. 7528-7538: $100 and other valuable consideration, Leo Bee LLC to 7538 Maple LLC.
MISTLETOE ST. 3708: $10, Kiman I LLC to Anthony Vo I LLC.
MONROE ST. 1226-1228: $410,000, Marley Investments LLC to Declan Bristol.
PEAR ST. 7620: $540,000, Mary Catanese to Gabrielle Ann Saucier.
STAFFORD PLACE 334: $535,000, Christopher John Binder and Jeanne Marie McKay Binder to Peter Alan Kiech.
EAGLE ST. 4121, UNIT 23: $230,000, Eduin Noe Cubas Hernandez and Oscar Rodriguez to Raven Johnson.
thony Lobue to Wendy R. Kahn, $246,000.
AIRLINE PARK BLVD. 604: Amy A. Creel to Taylor C.E. Loga, $238,500.
APPLE ST. 1508: Philip A. Stervinsky to Joette M. Kopelman, $363,000.
ARLINGTON DRIVE 417: Scott E. Guidry to John Murphy, $2,000,000.
AURORA AVE. 1029: Randy J. Sternberger to Kishen Raghunath, $627,500.
BISSONET DRIVE 4712: Nurab Khadka to Vu T. Trinh, $330,000.
BONNABEL BLVD. 1416: Korver Family Investments LLC to Maenza LLC Vincent, $200,000.
CLAIBORNE AVE. 3136: Dons Striping Inc. to Three Thousand One Hundred Thirty Six Claiborne LLC, $85,000.
CLEVELAND PLACE 4804: Sharon B.F. Decastro to Karen B. Caballa, $687,000.
CLEVELAND PLACE 4900: Pasco Services Group to Gregory J. Ehardt, $1,380,000.
CLIFFORD DRIVE 3216: Linda N. Keen to Sharon Bourgoyne, $309,000.
CRAIG AVE. 4816: Dayani A. Rodriguez to Pamela B. Raneri, $308,000.
DAVID DRIVE 1109: Cirilo S Ramirez to Nicole A. Doucet, $385,000.
EDENBORN AVE. 2330: Mary C. Stokes to Nicholas Stokes, donation, no value stated.
FAUN ST. 513-515: Roger J. III Blanchard to Mark Henriques, $344,330.
FIELD AVE. 1616: Luke A. Grundmeyer to Kathie H. Reems, $430,000.
GEORGETOWN DRIVE 4025-27: Georgetown Associates Member LLC to Alanna C. Diaz, $369,000. GIUFFRIAS AVE. 1112: Arian Mendoza to Maura C. Littleton, $345,000.
GIUFFRIAS AVE. 2509: Gail C. Collier to Shelley A. Mcintee, $55,000.
REALESTATETRANSFERS
WEST JEFFERSON
n TRANSFERS FOR JUNE 5-11 AVONDALE
LANDSDOWNE DRIVE 4171: Dsld LLC to Dorian Lewis, $294,595.
BRIDGE CITY
HOOTER ROAD 1008: Mortgage Loan Asset Backed Certificates Series 2005 4. to Williams LLC Gladys, $88,200.
OAK AVE. 641: Christopher L. Childress to Kaylee C. Gibson, $60,000.
GRAND ISLE
LA. 1 3742: Pamela S. Barnes to Greystone LLC Trace, $375,000.
NORAH LANE 112: Heidi Guillory to Ronnie Smart, $165,000.
PAMELA DRIVE 7026: Jaime B. Avant to Jaime B. Avant, donation, no value stated.
GRETNA
AMAPOLA CIRCLE 208: Aus-
EAST
Continued from page 22
HARING ROAD 2309: Dorothy M. Coney to Madeline C. Bernard, $185,000.
LAKE VILLA DRIVE 3504: Rui C.O. Gong to Nicole Y.G. Wu, donation, no value stated.
FOXSPARROWLOOP 1244: Thomas E. MillerIII to Brian Hinkamp Ortego and Kellly Ortego, $419,900.
KELLYLAKE LANE4060: Alvarez Construction Co. LLCtoDennis Ryan and Molly Ryan, $398,990. NEAR MADISONVILLE,PORTION OF GROUND: Santa MariaIII LLC to Santa MariaInterest LLC, $684,120.
PINEAVE.100: Joan L. Knight to Jon R. Petrie and Pennie B. Petrie, $380,000.
REX AVE. 42: Melissa R. West Barnett to MM1 Investments LLC, $100,000.
S. FAIRWAYDRIVE 484: Fairway 2021 LLCtoJeffrey Lacoste and Brenda J. W. Lacoste, $165,000.
SECLUDEDFOREST WAY144: Herman Sanchez and LaurenO.Sanchez to Jacob Tullos,$365,000.
SPRINGHAVEN SUBDIVISION, PHASE 3A, LOT106: Spring Haven LLCtoKeith Knobloch and DeirdreK.Knobloch, $100,000.
SPRINGHAVEN SUBDIVISION, PHASE 3A, LOT113: Spring HavenLLC to Jenkins HomesLLC, $95,000.
WILLOWSSUBDIVISION,LOT 2: Burmaster Construction Inc. to YARConstruction Co. Inc., $150,000.
MANDEVILLE
ACADIAN LANE129: Joseph Stutson and Allison B. Stutson to Thomas W. Bunce Jr. and Rebecca Bunce,$899,000.
ACADIAN LANE142: Nicholas G. Kahl and Tori B. Kahl to Carey S. Loshbaugh and AlysiaK.Loshbaugh, $555,000.
AUTUMN WIND LANE260: Arthur J. Cushing and Shelly M. Cushing to Chad J. Cushing, $112,000.
BAYOUVILLA NO.1CONDOMINIUM, UNIT 197: LouiseT.Rusch, David D. Thibaut Jr. and Sally C. Thibaut Buras to Jeffrey Althouse and Shannon Althouse, $255,000. CONCORD DRIVE 317: DanielA. Dahlbergand Lorraine A. DahlbergtoJoshua revocable living trust, donation, no value stated.
DESTIN ST.1923: John R. Whanger and BarbaraC.Whangerto Joseph Ayersand Hope K. Ayers, $424,000.
DEVONDRIVE 180: Select Properties Ltd. to Noelle Dabadie, $417,500.
ELMWOOD ST.213: Margaret G. Tennyson to Frankie Tabary and Rebecca Leddy,$290,000.
GRANDE MAISON SUBDIVISION, PHASE 3C,LOT 172: Grande
Maison Development LLC to MJB Construction LLC, $79,000.
HECTOR ST. 19183: Alden Stennis and Hillary Y. Stennis to Steven M. Joubert and Karen G. Joubert, $337,000.
KINGSWOOD DRIVE 2016: GMI Construction Inc. to Jessie W. Shelton and Maritza NemogaShelton, $595,000.
KINGSWOOD SUBDIVISION, PORTION OF GROUND: McHugh Land Holding LLC to Jenkins Homes LLC, $100,000.
LABARRE ST. 755: Jennifer E. Haynes to Parker N. Hagood nd Kayla E. Adams Hagood, $258,000.
LAFAYETTE ST. 335: Scott A. Cardella and Mackenzie S. Cardella to George B. Riviere III and Katherine M. Fleming Riviere, $749,000.
MANDEVILLE ANNEX SUBDIVISION, LOT 6A, SQUARE 1: Stephanie F. Leibfritz to Brent S. Rappold, $224,000.
MARINGOUIN LANE 103: Nicholas T. Binnings and Margaret S. Binnings to Kenneth P. Barden III and Abigail Perace-Cook Barden, $808,000.
NEAR MANDEVILLE, PORTION OF GROUND: Brian Perilloux and Carla Smith to Daniel Holmes and Claire L. Holmes, $325,000.
NEAR MANDEVILLE, PORTION OF GROUND: Meredith G. Ratliff to Daniel Holmes and Claire L. Holmes, $95,000.
RENE COURT 4: David P. Livaudais and Nancy Gros Livaudais to Hauke Bayer and Larissa O. Bayer, $725,000.
RUE PICKNEY 2010: Preston R. LeBlanc and Olivia K. LeBlanc to Ross M. Budenski and Kayla N. Gill, $255,000.
S. ESTATE DRIVE 228: Succession of Earl W. Simoneaux and Mary C. Kessels Simoneaux to Windol J. Griswold, $217,500
SOULT ST. 2366: Merikay Long to Daniel J. Sessum, $311,500.
SPRINGWATER DRIVE 1278: Tony L. Cloud and Juliana C. Cloud to Eric M. Westenberger, $460,000.
SUNSET PARK SUBDIVISION, LOT 7, SQUARE 356: Denise N. Campbell to Denise O. Retreage, $50,000.
SWEET BAY DRIVE 609: Derek A. Townsend and Julie E. Townsend to Joseph Daoud and Diana Karabibar Daoud, $470,000.
TUPELO TRACE 1, 5: Burns Real Estate Holdings LLC to Donahoe Properties LLC, $600,000.
WEDGEWOOD FARMS SUBDIVISION, LOT 35: Scott E. Dunham and Hilary S. Dunham to Gavyn J. Keim, $55,000.
REALESTATETRANSFERS
WING HAVEN SUBDIVISION, LOT
1: Panno Construction LLC to Gregg J. Roy and Suzanne S. Roy, $1,099,246.
PEARL RIVER
16TH SECTION ROAD 69579: Troy B. Maillet to Erik J. Harrison, $165,000.
ASHLAND DRIVE 716: Servbank NA to Secretary of Veterans Affairs, $10 and other good and valuable consideration.
ASHWOOD LANE 39201: Miqdash Bethel to Lorenzo Jackson Jr. and Jessica Jackson, $640,000.
BRUCE ROAD 66436: Succession of Robert J. Sciacca III to Corey A. Lewis, $185,000.
EDGAR KENNEDY ROAD 34238:
Derrell J. Higgins and Lisa M. Higgins to Dylan Estain and Miranda Estain, $199,000.
FARMING LANE 39728: Christopher Shelton to Ian J. Wirth and Kiersten M. Wirth, $350,000.
FOREST RIDGE LOOP 1057: Aisha M. Buchanna to Lilika M. Barina, $366,000.
GENIE DRIVE 67092: Patricia McVay Dixon to Troy B. Maillet, $228,500.
LA. 41 SPUR 65256: Donnie Smith and Trina P. Smith to K&C Rentals of Tammany LLC, $56,000.
N. WOODLAKE WAY 404: Geraldine K. Veth to Davis A. Jones III and Joanne C. Jones, $449,000.
ORMOND DRIVE 416: Margaret H. Sims, David C. Sims and Jonathan D. Sims to ZCE Three LLC, $125,000.
SIXTH ST. 616: Henry W. Garretson and Spring Gayle Pena-Erickson to Joseph Frechou, $5,000.
TAYLOR FARMS ROAD 64313: DSLD Homes LLC to Kristy Ar-
nold, $298,990.
VILLAGE OF GUTHRIE SUBDIVISION, LOT 12, SQUARE 28: Shawn L. Smith to William C. Shuler, $13,650.
WINDSONG PLACE 107: Gerald T Brown and Frances Basile Brown to Bryan J. LeBlanc Jr. and Ariel LeBlanc, $242,000.
SIXTH WARD
NEAR SIXTH WARD, PORTION OF GROUND: Berta G. Richter to Philip A. Maguire and Desiree C. Maguire, $235,000.
SLIDELL
BAYOU LIBERTY ROAD 35093: Travis Rhea and Kayla Rhea to Jayce Himel and Mechelle Sevin, $370,000.
BELAIR SUBDIVISION, PHASE 1H1, LOT 357: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to Bruce Olivier, $115,001.
BOND DRIVE 35337: Kawanda L. White to Judy M. Napolitano, $138,000.
BUCKINGHAM DRIVE 307: Hannah H. Swift, Amanda L. Herring and Emily C. Herring Granier to Vincent Cuccia and Kristine Cuccia, $263,000.
CAMELLIA DRIVE 2965: Robert J. Pomes Jr. Testamenary Children’s Trust to FEH 2965 LLC, $130,000.
CARA MAE ST. 40669: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Brodie A. Braun, $263,900.
CARA MAE ST. 40681: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Zachary N. Augustine and Karisha L. Augustine, $280,900.
CEDAR AVE. 57360: Lauren C. Barraco to Katie L. Cantrell, $185,900.
COUSIN ST. 720: Gilberto Valencia
and Sonia Valencia to Keisha Lockett, $101,000.
CUTTYSARK COVE 1533: Amberly D. Boyle and Ashley M. Maryes to Christopher Grey and Cynthia A. Grey, $675,000.
DIJON DRIVE 128: David W. Stewart Jr. to Judith M. Cambone, $205,000.
DRURY LANE 325: Amanda L. Beavers to Gulf Coast Bank and Trust, $102,500.
E. MARINA VILLA 4065: Thu Thuy Bui to Qui Lam, donation, no value stated.
E. U.S. 190 40457: Carla A. Claude Williams, Darren Joseph, Felicia R. Claude, Tyrone J. Claude and others to Nadine D. Claude, donation, no value stated.
EASTRIDGE DRIVE 1517: Christopher P. Henry to Sell Northshore LLC, $70,000.
ELLINGSWORTH DRIVE 1430:
BMRC Properties LLKC to Cecil C. Rivera, $249,000.
ELLINGSWORTH DRIVE 1454: Wells Fargo Bank NA to MF Investments LLC, $105,900.
ELLINGSWORTH DRIVE 1454: MF Investments LLC to Bayou 24 Property Group LLC, $126,000. ETON ST. 3858: Carla C. Goode to Alexander Oakes and Christina Oakes, $188,000.
FIRST ST. 2239: 2239 1st Street Family Properties LLC to Chris R. Audibert Jr. and Mara L. Audibert, $292,000.
FOUNTAIN DRIVE 110: Succession of Joan W. Cogliandro to Tiffany C. Folks, $185,000.
HIGH RIDGE LOOP 633: Jasmine A. Pipkin to Nicholas Verrett and Stefanie Verrett, $351,400.
ä See TAMMANY, page
CELEBRATING AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY
Go red, white and blue in the garden
By LSU AgCenter
The Fourth of July is approaching, and this year’s holiday marks a special milestone: The United States of America is officially 250 years old. Folks across the country are commemorating the occasion with lots of red, white and blue. Why not bring that color scheme into the landscape?
At the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden in Baton Rouge, that’s exactly what staff members are doing as they refresh beds with warm-season annuals. Senior landscape manager Jason Stagg said there are plenty of patriotically hued plants that do well in Louisiana gardens.
Reds
The Burden team is using Lucky Star Dark Red pentas for a punch of red in the Burden landscape this summer The Lucky Star series, which was selected for the AgCenter’s Louisiana Super Plant program, features small, five-pointed flowers that come in a range of vivid shades.
“This particular variety of pentas is shorter, so we’re using that on the front of the bed,” Stagg said.
Flowers aren’t the only way you can add color. Stagg likes the deep crimson of Redhead coleus, a foliage plant that thrives in our climate.
Whites
To mimic the white stripes and stars
TAMMANY
Continued from page 25
LA. 433 52575: Joseph O’Brien and Christina O’Brien to Timothy Lukacz and Corea Lukacz, $730,000.
LAKEWOOD DRIVE 1500: BMRC Properties LLC to Nadine I. Robertson, $289,000.
LINDSEY LANE 115: Dean P. Story
of the American flag, the Burden landscape prominently displays white-flowering lantanas — a summertime staple in Louisiana gardens. Stagg recommends the Bandana series, a midsize lantana that is a Louisiana Super Plant
Blues
True blue plants are rare in nature. But there are a few — along with some that come close enough to evoke Old Glory’s blue field.
“I find that some of your best blue colors are with salvias,” Stagg said.
“This is also a good thing because salvias tend to be taller species of plants, and they’re great for the background of the bed.”
and Raye Ann Queen Story to Joe B. Mann IV and Pamela L. Mann, $568,650.
MARAIS RIVER DRIVE 4685: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Holley Groves, $217,900.
MAYERS TRACE 310, UNIT 5: Steven T. Malek to George Watkins and Jennifer B. Watkins, $270,000.
MIDDLE DRIVE 2127: Carrington Mortgage Services LLC to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, $205,743.
NEAR SLIDELL, PORTION OF GROUND: Coast Builders LLC to Mark A. Buyas and Shelby E. Buyas, $442,000.
PINE TREE ST. 837: Reality Dream Home LLC to Bailey E. Lewis and Pandora W. Lewis, $154,000.
REDWOOD ST. 220: Tommy J. Little to Tammy H. Little, donation, no value stated.
many
What about shady areas?
One of his favorite salvias is yet another Louisiana Super Plant that’s called Rockin’ Blue Suede Shoes. For even taller options, go with Indigo Spires and Big Blue.
For lighter shades, give some lesscommon plants a try Plumbago offers clusters of sky-blue flowers while ageratum, also known as blue mistflower, provides textured blooms that look like tiny pompoms.
RUE DE BOURBON 108: Susan M. Dyer, Ian Means Dyer and Bevin Carlton to Ascend Realty Investments LLC, $245,000.
RUE DE BOURBON 108: Ascend Realty Investments LLC to Salt & Light Property Solutions LLC, $265,000.
RUE DE LA PAIX 104: Chad L. Silliman to Matthew G. Hord and Jennifer G. Hord, $352,500.
SMALLS SUBDIVISION, LOT 4C: Southern Breeze LLC to JKE Inter Vivos Trust, $100,000.
SPARTAN LOOP 207: Kristy T. Arnold to NAF Cash LLC, $305,000.
SPILLWAY MANOR DRIVE 5153: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Milton J. Coleman, $340,000.
SPILLWAY MANOR DRIVE 5165: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Allan J. Williams Jr. and Hannah S. Williams, $339,900.
Incorporating color into shady gardens often can be tricky, as vibrant flowering plants generally prefer sunny locations. But with a little creativity, you can still make these areas look festive for the Fourth.
For shaded beds at Burden, Stagg and his crew are relying on a couple of plants. Torenia, a compact plant that works great in borders and containers, is available in blue and white. And red and white selections from the Beacon series of impatiens, a Louisiana Super Plant, are a tried-and-true choice for color in the shade.
SPILLWAY MANOR DRIVE 5169: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Catherine A. Price and David Price III, $273,900.
STARLING DRIVE 421: Curtis M. Anderson and Wendolyn W. Anderson to Dlorah Jean Teigue Glad and Mason C. Glad, $690,000.
SUNRISE BLVD. 3136: Millennium Mortgage Group Inc. to Joshua M. Sloan, $128,000.
WELLINGTON LANE 2029: Richard L. Gilmore III and Carlette N. Simon to Jalisa Brown, $155,000.
WINDWARD PASSAGE ST. 410: Andrew C. Smith and Laura Jean Hoffpauir to Kaishia A. Davie, $380,000.
WOODLAND PARK SUBDIVISION, LOT 30A, SQUARE 1: Jim L. Brown Sr. and Kathleen G. Brown to H South LLC, $25,000.
SUN/BUSH
CHAT COURT 100: Louis C. Henry to Audrey W. Henry, donation, no value stated.
LA. 41 80885: George F. Grantham to Sandra A. Grantham, donation, no value stated.
NEAR BUSH, PORTION OF GROUND: Tamprop Inc. to Karl K. Kramer and Ouida E. Kramer, $25,000.
NEAR BUSH, PORTION OF GROUND: George F. Grantham to Andrew F. Grantham, donation, no value stated.
NEAR SUN, PORTION OF GROUND: James R. Taylor and Jessica L. Fell Taylor to Eric J. Pearson and Kathryn M. Pearson, $24,000.
SOPHIA PINES ROAD 27273: Raleigh Brunet Builder LLC to Bret Sons and Cynthia Sons, $75,000.
Salvias come in a range of colors, including
shades of blue. This cultivar is Rockin’ Blue Suede Shoes
PROVIDED PHOTOS By LSU AGCENTER Lucky Star pentas are excellent choices for hues of red.
White-flowering cultivars of lantana, foreground, and impatiens pop in the landscape.
Embracingcarpe diem as thefutureisa mystery
to college justtoparty.
Annie Lane
DEAR ANNIE
Dear Annie: I’m ateenager about to be ajunior in high school in the fall. So far,high school has been bland. Nothing excitinghappens. Iguess the only thing that is exciting is the fact that I’m going to Japan on aschool trip in less than two weeks.
Iwant to go to college, but I want to attend acollege out of state because Iwant afresh start. Plus, Idon’twant tosee former classmates at college. (I have some ideas in mind as to which out-of-state colleges to go to, but Ihaven’tvisited them yet. My main focus is to see if they have Japanese as a major.)
Iwant afresh start for myself; Iwant to have some kind of friend group (I’m an introvert), aboyfriend, andI want to attend parties but not so many that it’slike Ionly went
But I’ve noticed that Ihave ahard time making decisions about certain things because I’mtoo worried thatwhatever Ichoose will be abad decision in the future.
Itend todwell on the future rather thanthe present, which makes me very upset with myself. Itend tobevery hard on myself, which makes me feel like I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to this stuff.
Ialsonoticed that I’m always worrying about things instead ofjustrelaxing and “being ateenager.”
Othertimes, Ifeel like I’m behind in everything that should happentoteenagers. Sometimes, Ijust want to give up and stop trying because nothing is going right for me. Butothertimes, Iwant to keep going and try and see whathappens. Whatshould I do? —Doubting Everything in Life
Dear Doubting: Another instance thatwarrants more
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday,June 20, the 171st day of 2026.There are 194 days left in theyear
Todayinhistory:
On June 20, 1967, boxerMuhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusingto be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s conviction wouldultimately be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.)
Also on this date:
In 1782, the Continental Congressapproved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.
In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British thronefollowing the death of her uncle, King William IV
In 1893, ajury in NewBedford, Massachusetts, found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and
self-love and grace.
Yousound like avery bright,conscientious, mature teen with so much potential and promise. None of us know exactly what the future holds. Don’tlet the fear of that unknown rob you of today’sjoy and living your present life to thefullest.
Continue pursuing your passions, like studying Japaneseand traveling. Meet new people, try new things,take chances, and keep an open mind. Youhave agood head on your shoulders that, regardlessofwhat decisions you make or paths you take, I’m confident you’ll always land on your feet
Dear Annie: Ihave been with “Garrett” for over four years now.Ihave ason who is 9, and we share adaughter,3.Iwas asingle mom for four years beforeImet Garrett, so Idid everything on my own.
Garrett is always willing to makemylunch for work, clean after Iget home from
work, do laundry,etc., so Ican relax. My problem is Itendto say no.
I’ll do it myself, andthen I become overwhelmed trying to do everything. Iknow I’m being resistant, but Ifeel as a mom, it’smysole responsibility to do so. How do Iloosen up and let him help me outmore without feeling guilty thatI’m not doing enough? —Used to Being Manic Mom
Dear Manic Mom: Take amoment and cut yourself some slack. After so many years as asingle mom, it makes sense you might feel likeyou’re
notoperating at full capacity. But Iguaranteeyou’re doing much more thanyou’re giving yourself credit for.
It takestime to adjust to the ideaofletting another person into your life androutine, but try your best to normalize it andget comfortable.
Youare lucky to have ahusband andfatherwho wants to pitchinasyourequal: That’s what good partners do. Now, youjust have to let him.
Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.
OPEN HOUSES
stepmother.
In 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit;federal troops were sent in by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to quell theviolence that resulted in more than 30 deaths.
In 1947, gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was shot dead at theBeverly Hills, California, home ofhis girlfriend, VirginiaHill, likely at the order of mobassociates.
In 1972, three days after the arrest of the Watergate burglars, PresidentRichard Nixon met at theWhite House with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly made tape recording of this meetingended up with anotorious 181/2-minute gap
In 2002, in Atkins v. Virginia, the SupremeCourt ruled 6-3 that executing people with intellectual disabilities qualified as cruel andunusual 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 EF5category, the strongest classification foratornadoand the first of that strength confirmedon U.S.soilina dozenyears.The tornado killed threepeople andheavily damaged aregionalairport.
Today’sbirthdays: Filmmaker StephenFrearsis85. Singer Anne Murrayis81. TV personalityBob Vila is 80.Musician Lionel Richie is 77. Actor John Goodmanis74. Rock bassist Michael Anthony (Van Halen) is 72. Rock bassist JohnTaylor (Duran Duran)is66. Actor NicoleKidman is 59. Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is 58. Actor Josh Lucasis55. Actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse is 37. Actor Kayla Maisonet is 27. Actor David Iaconois24.
EACH OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLYOWNED ANDOPERATED AGENTISLICENSEDINTHE STATEOFLOUISIANA