Officials urge residents to prepare, ‘remain alert’
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
Flooding concerns spread across Acadiana on Sunday as flash floods inundated parts of Lafayette and St. Martin parishes while St. Landry Parish officials prepared for rising water expected to arrive from Avoyelles Parish in the coming days.
In St. Landry Parish, officials warned that floodwaters from an area of Avoyelles Parish that received between 20 and 30 inches of rain Thursday are expected to move into local waterways, potentially affecting low-lying communities.
Parish President Jessie Bellard conducted an aerial
assessment of conditions Friday and over the weekend continued meeting with state and federal officials to evaluate projected impacts and possible protective measures.
Officials said areas under consideration for possible evacuations include the region from La. 71 east to the Atchafalaya River and from the Avoyelles Parish line south toward U.S. 190,
including portions of Port Barre.
As of Sunday afternoon, residents north of La. 10 remained under a voluntary evacuation advisory Port Barre officials urged residents living near Bayou Courtableau to prepare to evacuate and protect valuables and pets.
“We are asking residents to prepare now and remain alert as conditions continue to develop,” Bellard said in a statement “Taking action early gives families more time if conditions worsen.”
On Sunday, Bellard said the water is rising in the northern part of the parish a lot sooner than expected.
ä See FLOODING, page 3A
BY AAMER MADHANI, SEUNG MIN KIM and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press
OBBUERGEN, Switzerland Highlevel U.S.-Iran talks on their interim deal to end the war had a tense start Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran took offense at comments by President Donald Trump, who threatened to attack and told Iran’s president to watch what he says. The comments from afar — on
for buying power plant
PSC report says plan benefits Meta, but Entergy cites rising La. demand
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
Entergy Louisiana’s plans to buy a gas-fired power plant for $1.8 billion are drawing concerns from a consultant for the state’s Public Service Commission who recently warned in a report that the plant is unreliable and needed mostly because of Meta’s massive north Louisiana data center If approved, the acquisition would cost Entergy Louisiana’s average residential customer roughly $8 a month, according to documents Entergy filed in the case. The fate of the plant in southeast Texas will be decided at the state Public Service Commission, which will hear arguments about it over the next few months. The five-member elected body that regulates utilities will ultimately decide, likely in the fall, whether to let Entergy buy the plant and recover the costs from ratepayers.
Entergy says the plant, a facility called Cottonwood near the Louisiana border, is needed to meet “urgent demands” for power, regardless of Meta’s data center If it doesn’t buy the plant, the company says customers will pay more in the long run as Entergy sees energy demand outstrip supply
social media and to news outlets complicated efforts by Vice President JD Vance and mediators Pakistan and Qatar to keep Iran engaged in discussions meant to address thorny issues like Tehran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets. Before anything, however, Iran wants to discuss Lebanon, where Israel’s military has been fighting the Iranian-backed Hez-
bollah militant group, since the deal halts conflict on all fronts.
“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump said on social media. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
“They would do better to be careful about their statements,” Iran’s lead negotiator,
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Workers continue the construction of
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
City employees place sandbags around Maison De Williams Adult Health Day Care on Latiolais Drive in Breaux Bridge on Sunday amid rising water after heavy rains.
Homes off Latiolais Road are surrounded by water from heavy rains Sunday.
Vice President JD Vance, right, meets with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during high-level talks at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, in Switzerland, on Sunday.
REUTERS PHOTO By NATHAN HOWARD
Man falls to his death during rock concert
NEW YORK A 51-year-old Connecticut man fell to his death from an upper deck of Madison Square Garden during a concert on Saturday night, police said
Officers responding to a 911 call around 9:51 p.m. found the man unconscious and unresponsive with injuries indicating a fall from an “elevated position,” New York City police said. Police did not say how far the man fell, but said he was in Section 300. They identified him as Paul Kueker of Niantic, Connecticut
The man was with his wife, according to police. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police do not suspect foul play
The rock band Goose was performing. In a statement on Facebook, the band said it was “deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of the tragic event that occurred.”
Turtle conservationist mourned in Lebanon
BEIRUT Mourners gathered Sunday in Beirut to pay their respects to a much-loved Lebanese conservationist who died after succumbing to wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on her home on the country’s southern coast.
Mona Khalil, who spent more than two decades protecting sea turtles along Lebanon’s coastline, was critically injured in the strike on her home in the village of Mansouri earlier this month and died of her wounds Friday She was 76.
The Orange House, which Khalil helped build into a small conservation hub and ecotourism site in Mansouri, became a refuge for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles and a training ground for volunteers documenting nesting activity along the coast.
News of her death triggered an outpouring of grief among environmentalists and those who volunteered and worked with her over the years.
Journalist and environmental activist Fadia Jomaa first met Khalil in 2016 while researching sea turtles in Lebanon and then decided to volunteer with her project. For the volunteers, “this relationship didn’t stop at being a volunteering relationship — Mona became our mother,” Jomaa said.
Jomaa became one of Khalil’s closest collaborators, eventually helping manage the sea turtle conservation project with her She also brought her own children to volunteer, introducing them to the work of protecting nesting turtles and hatchlings along Lebanon’s southern coast
Jets were 300 feet apart in Boston close call
BOSTON A Delta Air Lines jet was roughly 300 feet from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston’s airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said Sunday
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan International Airport. Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing, estimated the distance between the two jetliners using Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. Curtis now coproduces a podcast about flight safety issues.
“This is a significant incident,” Curtis said, adding that it was particularly concerning because it involved two professional airline crews. He said federal aviation officials have been concerned about such runway incursions for a while now and will scrutinize Saturday’s close call.
Near-misses and runway incursions at U.S. airports will be the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation will seek ways to strengthen safety across the national airspace system
The Delta flight from Dallas had to execute a go-around, or aborted landing, to avoid the American plane departing from an intersecting runway according to the FAA and flight logs.
Heat, wind, drought spark fires in West
BY VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press
Extreme heat and dry, windy conditions fueled several wildfires in the West on Sunday including an uncontained blaze in Utah that forced the evacuation of a small town southwest of Salt Lake City
The Iron Fire in Utah’s Juab County was first detected Saturday and had blackened 34 square miles, authorities said.
The fire about 70 miles southwest of Salt Lake City forced the evacuation of Eureka, population 1,000, and people at a nearby ranch
No homes had been lost, and UTAH Fire Info, a multiagency operation, said in a post on X that firefighters conducted a successful backburn operation to protect the town.
Kelly Wickens, a fire prevention specialist with the Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands, warned that the
fire was continuing to grow amid drought conditions. Wickens said the fire was human-caused and remains under investigation.
Utah Gov Spencer J. Cox visited the town Sunday
“We knew that there was going to be extreme fire danger, and sure enough we had multiple fires,” Cox said.
The Iron Fire was one of six fires burning in Utah at varying levels of containment.
In neighboring Colorado, the southwest corner of the state was under a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service until Monday, due to gusty winds and low relative humidity
A wildfire prompted evacuations over the weekend near Sedona, Arizona, burning about 300 acres of steep and rugged terrain near Oak Creek Canyon. As of Sunday afternoon, the fire remained uncontained. Residents evacuated earlier were
still not being allowed to return home.
Much of the Western U.S. from the Rockies to the Pacific coast saw above-average temperatures this weekend with even hotter weather anticipated for early next week.
Officials also warned that the prolonged dry, hot weather and relatively low humidity increased the risk of fire danger
Much of Utah is experiencing severe to extreme drought, while parts of Arizona and Colorado are experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor
Extreme heat claimed the lives of three hikers in two separate incidents last week in the Grand Canyon Temperatures were expected to climb in the Southwest on Sunday, with a forecast of up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Meanwhile, a brush fire in Miami-Dade County in Florida spread across 2,000 acres on Saturday
CHICAGO
7 killed, dozens hurt in series of shootings
By The Associated Press
CHICAGO A spate of shootings in Chicago has led to at least seven deaths and 38 injuries since Friday evening, police say, prompting President Donald Trump to renew his call for a military intervention in the nation’s third-largest city
“Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!” Trump said in a Sunday morning Truth Social post.
The office of Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender who has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s calls for a military intervention, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under Trump, National Guard troops have been deployed on crime-fighting missions in Democrat-led cities including New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and Memphis, Tennessee. While Chicago Police Department data shows a slight uptick in shooting incidents compared to the first half of last year violent crime rates have generally dropped in the city over the past few years, in parallel with national trends.
Preliminary information shared by Chicago police indicate there have been at least two dozen shooting incidents since 5 p.m. on Friday Those killed by gunfire include a 21-year-old shot in the chest Sunday, an 18-yearold shot in the armpit Saturday evening and a 50-yearold shot in the chest Friday
At least 12 people in a crowd on a Chicago street suffered gunshot wounds Friday evening after an SUV pulled up and two people inside started shooting, police said.
The eight men and four women in the group ranged in age from 17 to 47. They were being treated at four hospitals. Police said another man suffered unknown injuries and refused medical treatment.
That shooting happened on Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. Earlier Friday, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama welcomed the first visitors to his presidential center on the South Side.
“What should have been a night of celebration and community reflection for Juneteenth was shattered by a horrific act of violence,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in an X post Saturday “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.”
“Violence has no place in our city, and those responsible will be held accountable,” he said.
Other major U.S. cities experienced gun-related violence over the weekend. In Philadelphia, two people were killed and two others wounded following a shooting early Sunday morning, according to Fox 29. In Cincinnati, a shooting killed three people Saturday, WLWT reported. And police in Kansas City, Missouri, say they are investigating a shooting Friday that left one dead and five hurt.
Pressure builds for U.K. prime minister to resign
BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
LONDON U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a career-defining decision: step down or fight a possible challenge from Labour Party rival Andy Burnham.
Starmer has publicly vowed to stay in office, but pressure is building as more and more Labour Party colleagues conclude that his time is up. Expectation is growing that he will announce a timetable for his resignation as soon as Monday That’s the day Burnham will be sworn in as a lawmaker in the House of Commons after winning a special election last week
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said Sunday that Starmer is “making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in.”
“I know he is a prime minister who always puts his country first,” Kyle told the BBC, though he said that reports that Starmer will resign are “speculation.”
Starmer is spending the weekend at Chequers, the country mansion used by prime ministers, with his family He gave no public hint about his decision, but sent a Father’s Day message on social media.
“Being a dad is my greatest joy Today, I’m thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him,” he wrote on X
U.S. President Donald
Trump weighed in even before an announcement, linking Starmer’s potential exit to two of his recurring bugbears: immigration
and renewable energy
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!).
I wish him well! President DJT,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
It was unclear whether Trump was responding to media reports about Starmer’s plans. The two leaders haven’t spoken over the weekend.
Starmer’s initially warm relationship with the president has soured in recent months over issues including the Iran war, which the U.K. didn’t join.
If Starmer quits, he will be the sixth prime minister to leave office in the past 10 years, an extraordinary rate of churn for the United Kingdom.
Discontent with the prime minister has been building for months, with Labour lawmakers desperate to reverse the government’s decline in popularity since Starmer led the center-left party to a landslide election victory in July 2024.
He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and has been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandaltarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as the U.K. ambassador to the United States.
Labour is losing liberal voters to the growing Green Party and facing a rising Reform UK, the Nigel Farage-led anti-immigration party that consistently leads in nationwide opinion polls.
Burnham, until this week the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, decisively won the seat of Makerfield in northwestern England in a special election held Thursday He took almost 55% of the 45,510 votes cast, over 9,000 more than the Reform UK runner-up.
Now that Burnham is becoming a lawmaker, he’s in a position to challenge Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party Burnham’s acceptance speech left no doubt that he wants
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THE DESERET NEWS PHOTO
Residents rush to evacuate Saturday as winds drive the Iron Fire towards Eureka, Utah.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks Friday with local residents as he visits a housing development in north London.
FLOODING
Continued from page 1A
He said some houses are flooding, and while that was expected, it wasn’t expected this soon.
In the Port Barre area, on Bayou Courtableu Road coming into town, the road is flooded and some camps and homes have taken on water he said.
Bellard said he won’t issue a mandatory evacuation.
“You know your area, you have history with rain, you know what you can expect,” he said.
The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at the Yambilee Building, 1939 W. Landry St in Opelousas, in response to evacuation concerns and the threat of rising water
“As water levels rise and threaten local communities, your Red Cross stands ready to serve,” said Micah Nicholas, executive director of the Red Cross Capital Area West Chapter
Anyone planning to stay at the shelter is encouraged to bring medications, clothing, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents and other necessities.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said on X after Trump’s comments. “Our armed forces are prepared to respond to them in a different manner They may keep talking, it is we who act.” Iranian state media said talks had entered a “difficult phase” and recessed after the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. President.” The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site, state media said. Vance and U.S. negotiators including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, had met with Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for what Iranian state media said was about 80 minutes. It was not clear when they might meet again
An official with knowledge of the talks later told the AP the Iranian delegation remained engaged in the talks and has not indicated to mediators any intention to leave. The official requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon
Negotiators are in a 60day sprint to reach an agreement on the technical details that hold massive implications for the world economy and global security “The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish to-
gether? Can we turn over a new leaf?” Vance said as the talks began, and asked whether they could “change relations in the Middle East permanently.”
The U.S. wants Iran locked into negotiations over its nuclear program amid concerns it may be used for military purposes, which Iran denies Vance also wants Tehran to commit to keeping open the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran on Saturday claimed to close. The U.S. has disputed that, saying shipping traffic continued Sunday But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told the state news agency that Tehran first wants talks to focus on the conflict in Lebanon.
A renewed ceasefire in Lebanon, brokered on Saturday appeared to be holding, and Israel’s military said it would lift movement restrictions for residents near the border with Lebanon on Monday morning another sign of calm.
But neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the U.S -Iran deal, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep his forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing.
Sharp words exchanged
The agreement signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian immediately allows Tehran to sell its oil freely and paves
the way for Iran to tap into billions of dollars in assets that are currently frozen. A member of Iran’s negotiating team told state television that draft wording was reached about “temporary sanctions waivers for oil and petroleum derivatives.”
The agreement also calls for Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were targeted in U.S. strikes a year ago.
Pezeshkian, however, declared Sunday that “we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is also forced to accept it,” according to Iran’s state media
Trump, in a telephone interview with Fox News, later warned that the Iranian president should watch what he says and threatened to take over Iran, in comments relayed by a Fox correspondent.
Iran had cautiously approached the talks given its previous experience with U.S. negotiations on the nuclear issue, which twice in the past year were interrupted by military strikes.
Deal controversy
Vance has said he planned to be in Switzerland for “a day or two,” leaving much of the detailed negotiations to be led by Witkoff and Kushner His role in the talks has heightened scrutiny at a time when he’s considering a 2028 presidential campaign.
Trump and Vance have come under searing criti-
cism from parts of their own party for the deal, with Republican hard-liners unfavorably likening it to the nuclear agreement signed by the Obama administration that Trump and Republicans have insisted did nothing to terminate Iran’s nuclear program.
The new agreement says commercial vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days without charge, but does not pre-
issued a flash flood warning for eastern Lafayette Parish and northwestern St Martin Parish, including Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, Cecilia, Henderson, Parks, Broussard, Youngsville, Scott, Carencro and Arnaudville Forecasters reported between 2 and 6 inches of rainfall had already fallen, prompting the warning to be upgraded to a “considerable” flash flood threat. In St. Martin Parish, flooding was reported in parts of Breaux Bridge and Cecilia, where multiple vehicles became stranded in high water Officials also reported that Ochsner St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge was taking on water
The St. Martin Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness reported that the intersections of Anse Broussard Highway and Cecilia Senior High School Highway as well as Grand Point Highway and Cecilia Senior High School Highway, were closed because of flooding. Residents who experience flood damage are encouraged to report it at damage.la.gov to assist emergency officials with damage assessments.
clude future fees imposed by Iran. Trump made his own threat Saturday to levy U.S. tolls if there is no deal with Iran in 60 days, insisting that the money would be for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East.”
The Trump administration has been working to reassure global markets that the war has been merely a blip on oil prices as Americans complain about high gasoline prices ahead of peak summer travel. After the deal was announced, oil futures dropped almost 8%. Markets are expected to closely track the progress of talks when they open for trading Sunday evening. Associated Press writers
Drivers navigate a flooded Doyle Melancon Extension on Sunday.
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
City employees use a backhoe to help move water away from Maison De Williams Adult Health Day Care on Latiolais Drive in Breaux Bridge on Sunday
Poll asks Americans’ opinion of Trump’shandlingofIran
BY LINLEY SANDERS and AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Associated Press
WASHINGTON Most Americans continue to disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling Iran, while his overall presidential approval holds steady, according to anew APNORC poll that was conductedashesuggested a deal with Iran hadbeen reached.
The poll points to just how unpopular the war, which began Feb. 28,has been with Americans even as the Republican president turned abruptly from threatening Iran to reopening negotiations. Support for his handling of the war remains lopsidedly partisan. About two-thirds, 65%, of U.S. adults disapprove of how Trump is handling issues with Iran. But while thevast majority of Democrats and independents view Trump’sactions negatively,only 28% of Republicans are unhappy Americans’ views on how thepresidentishandling Iran are roughly in line with his overall job approval, which standsat37%, unchanged from an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in May The new survey was conducted June 11-17, just after Trump called off threats to escalate the war with Iran. Thepoll was fielded as Trump announced adeal with Iran and authorized an end to the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, concluding just before the deal was signed Wednesday
Approval of Trump’sactions on Iran has been low over the past few months But in interviews,some Republicans also weren’t pleasedwith the outcome of this week’sagreement, which gives Iran an immediate benefit, allowing it to sell its oil freely again. The deal also reopens the strait without tolls for two months, restarts talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program and calls for Tehran to diluteits stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
DavidFarrington, a 79-year-old Republicanleaning independent in Fort Worth, Texas, “doesn’thave any love lost” for Iran, but he’sfrustrated the agreement focused on the strait and didn’tdeliver more on the country’snuclear weapons program.
“Any agreement regarding the strait is hardly what Iwould consider arecognizable concession on the part of Iran,” Farrington said “So, Iconsiderthat some fluff that attempts to make this agreement look better when it’snot.”
ApprovalonIran flat
Only about one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handlingIran in the new poll, in line with May
Donald McBride, a 28-year-old independentin
Plano, Texas, is frustrated that Trump has not maintained his campaign promise to keep America out of foreign wars. McBride
PLANT
Continuedfrom page1A
But an analysis commissioned by the PSC as part of itsstandard review of theplans foundthatthe primary reason Entergy will need the 1,200 megawatts of power from the plant is because of the massive powerneeds of Meta’sdata center in Richland Parish.
LaneSisung, aconsultant who worksfor the Louisiana Public Service Commission and regularly analyzes utilities’ proposals, filedtestimony rebutting Entergy’sproposal earlier this month. Sisung raised arange of concerns: The plantis22 years old,has reliability issues that will require hundreds of millions in spending by Entergy and wasacquired afew years ago by its private equity ownersfor farless than what Entergy plans to pay for it.
votedfor Trumpbut he opposed goingtowar with Iran.
“I would like the war to end,” he said. “The original objectiveofthe war was to end the Iranian regime, and that’sjust not possible. I don’treally knowwhy we’d continue fighting.”
The poll suggests most Americans want action in Iran to wrap up. Even with an agreementonthe horizon, 53% of U.S. adults said Americanmilitary action against Iranhad “gonetoo far,”only aslight decline from 59% in March.
About 4in10Republicans, though,said in the latest poll thataction has been “about right,” and 37% said it hadnot gone far enough.
Joan Jones, a64-year-old independent in northwest Florida, believes the United States’ actions in Iran have been necessary toaddress the threat Iran posed.
“Those attacksare ultimately to protect us from nuclear attacks,”Jones said. “I think we have togo through that …and eliminate that worry so we don’t have that hovering over us.”
Approach to Israel
About one-third, 34%,of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling Israel.
Tensions have been rising between IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump as thepresident criticizes recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon, which jeopardized negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
James Huffman, a 69-year-old Republican in Medway,Ohio,thinks Trump is taking thewrong strategywhenitcomes to Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu is not going to do everything Trump wants. He’sgoingto do whathe wants,” Huffman said. “I justdon’tthink it’s effective.”
Economy
About one-third of U.S
adults approve of Trump’s approach to the economy That’sinlinewithlast month,and continues a challenging stretch for Trump on theissue.
Jones, the Florida independent,ismore optimistic than most. She said she can hardly leavethe house some hours without getting stuck in the traffic of touristsheaded to thebeach on vacation.She also spots linesaround the block for Starbucks, McDonalds and Chick-fil-A in her community —all signstoher that the economy is doing well overall.
“I thinkPresident Trump’s policies are contributing to abettereconomy,”Jones said.
Other Republicans are moreskeptical, atroubling sign for apresident who prideshimself on his business acumen.Only 69% of Republicans approve of how he’shandling the economy,slightly lower than the 78% who approve of how he’shandling the presidency overall.
Patricia Bailey,a42-yearoldRepublican in Parkersburg, West Virginia,sees an economy where prices have gotten out of control.
“I just said the other night, ordering pizza is for rich people,” she said. Bailey voted for Trump but added, “He’skind of let me down a littlebit.”
Even if high prices preceded Trump, Bailey doesn’t think he’s lived up to his pledge to improve the economy “I think he got so distracted with thewar that he forgot some old promises,” shesaid.
The AP-NORC poll of 3,040 adultswas conducted June 11-17 using asample drawn from NORC’sprobability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, whichisdesigned to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error foradults overall is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
tergy show that if approved, acustomer using 1,250 kilowatt-hours amonth, roughly theaverage forLouisiana customers, would pay$8.65 amonth to pay forthe plant. In the summer,customers would be hitwithhigher chargesasconsumption increases.For instance, Entergy’sdocumentsshowa customer using 2,000 kWh would pay nearly $13more amonth.
Entergyspokesperson Brandon Scardigli said in a statement that Entergy will address claims aboutCottonwood “through the regulatoryprocess,” andnoted the Public Service Commission will ultimately decide whetherit’sinthe public interest.Hesaidit’sinthe “preliminary stage.”
we’re going to do it.”
Entergy executive Laura Beauchamp wroteincompany filings that the premium is reasonable given the difficulty and “rapid escalation in costs”associated with buying or building new natural gas-firedpower plants. She wrote that new-build gas plants being put into service in 2030 areforecasttocost 65% morethan projects coming online today
And, he wrote, the need for power exists“principally by the Meta-related ramp periodrather than by general systemload growth.”
Thefilingrepresents a rare potential roadblock to Entergy andMeta, whohavewon near-total support for the massive buildout of datacenters and power plants from Louisiana’sRepublican elected leaders.Inrecent months,Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration has set aside millions in incentives for Meta and the PSC has fast-tracked Entergy’splans for powering the data center
Both aMetairie Republican and aBaton Rouge Democrat on the PSC are raising concernsabout the deal, citing high costsand the PSC consultant’s finding thatit’slargely only needed because of Meta. Other PSC members did not return messages for this story.
The report comes on the heels of aWhiteHouse meetingthis March, when PresidentDonaldTrump had majortech executives sign apledge promising that their companies would payfor theirown power needswhenbuilding data centers, in abid to staveoff rising public outrageabout highelectric bills.
Meta rebuffedclaims that it was violating the pledge, saying Entergy wouldfilearesponseto Sisung’s analysisinJuly. And the companyemphasized that it is spending billions to cover itsown powerneedsfor thedata center campus, arguing it willsavecustomers money in the long run.
“This consultant’s report is inaccurate speculation given the facility will provide power to multiple Entergy customersand Entergy planned to acquire it before Meta decided to build in Louisiana,” Meta spokesperson Francis Brennan saidina statement. “Meta pays its own way,both for the power and new infrastructure we use. Ouragreement withEntergy is built to guaranteewepay those costs, not Louisianans.”
Entergy’sfirst mention of buying Cottonwood in PSC filings came when it asked to purchase the facility in December
The company said Cottonwood’sowner made an “unsolicited offer” to Entergy in January of last year
“It’skind of gobsmacking,”saidLogan Burke, head of the Alliance for Affordable Energy,anonprofit that advocates on behalf of ratepayersand hasbeen critical of the Metadeal. “This is aside door acquisition to serve Meta with no Meta promise behind it.”
Sisung recommended that the PSC reject Entergy’srequest to recover costs associated with buying theplant from customers. Instead, he said Meta should pay for the plant if the commission decides that it’s neededtofill capacitygaps caused by Meta’sdata center Documents filed by En-
He added that Entergy has been projectingcapacitydeficits starting in 2027 since wellbefore Meta announced plans for its data center here. He pointed to the company’s2023 resource plan, initially filedin2021, whichdid not mention Cottonwood by name butforecast a510-megawatt energy shortfall in 2027, growing to more than 5,000 megawatts in the 2040s.
“Nosinglecustomer is driving this acquisition,” he said. “This facilityisthe best optionfor allLouisiana customers. Thedemandfor power across the state has accelerated consistently and significantly for anumber of years —from the needs of residentialcustomers to larger projects in LNG,steel and other industrial and petrochemical development across the state.”
It’s stillnot clear what action the PSC will take on the matter,which is being litigated in a“docket” between PSCconsultants andEntergy.Ahearing is set forSeptember, andEntergy wants approval by November Aspokesperson for the PSC declined to makeSisung available for an interview or answer questions.
Significant profits
The deal would not only be awin forEntergy and Meta. The seller stands to make a significant profit.
The Cottonwood plant was tossed around between several owners foryears until 2023, whenAtlas Holdings, aprivate equityfirm based in Connecticut, bought Cottonwood and several other power plants from Cleco for $600 million.
In the intervening years, the market forpower changeddramatically.A rush of data centers has caused afeeding frenzy in theelectricpower sector, causing the price of building anew natural gas plant to skyrocket.
Now,Atlas is planning to sell Cottonwood for $1.4 billion to Entergy,filings show That’sabout $1 billion more than the underlying value of the facility,Sisung’stestimonyshows. Entergy would spend more than$300 million on acquiring and upgrading the plant, bringing the total cost to $1.8 billion.
PSCmemberEricSkrmetta, aMetairie Republican who has supported the data center projects, saidthe sale priceis“taking advantage of themoment.” He said he doesn’tsee areason to consider approving the deal unless Meta pays forit.
“The Atlas guys think they’ve got something that’sworth more thanit is,”Skrmetta said. “They’re going to try to getasmuch foritasthey can. Good luck to them.That doesn’tmean
The rush to build data centers has sent demand for power soaring, and utilities filed fornearly 24 gigawatts of gas-fired power across thecountry last year,a 570% increase compared to 2023, according to areport fromBloombergNEF.One gigawattcan powerabout 750,000 homes, and Cottonwoodgenerates about 1.3 gigawatts.
Sisung suggestedthe price tag is the result of a“scarcity premium.” But he argued that the value being extracted from the transaction “far exceeds” the limit of what regular ratepayers should be askedtoshoulder. And those “scarcity conditions” areprimarily the result of Meta’shuge power needs forits data center,hewrote.
“Less than three years after affiliates of Atlas acquired the entire Cleco Cajungenerationportfolio forapproximately $600 million, Louisiana customers arebeing askedtofund approximately $1.43 billion for Cottonwood alone (and) invest at least $300 million foradditional rehabilitation capital,” Sisung wrote. Theamountthatwould be chargedtoregularcustomers from the deal also raises “serious concerns,” he added.
Reliability problems
Entergy’sstock pricehas soared as Meta and Amazon build data centers in north Louisiana whileindustrial customers build energyintensive plants in south Louisiana.
Scardigli, theEntergy spokesperson, said Cottonwood would give the company immediate capacity as Louisiana sees huge growth in power needs.
“The resource is expected to support all customers on thesystembyhelping meet near-term capacity needs and reducing the risk of supply shortfalls,” he said. Butthe plant also hasreliability problems, filings show.The facility recently had “catastrophic transformer failures,” according to Sisung. Due diligence done by Entergy found equipment condition problems, major rehabilitation projects and reliability concerns. Burke noted that Atlas, the private equity seller, could double its money on its purchase of Cleco’spower plants through one sale. If the deal goes through, there would be $672 million in stranded costs, or money still owed on the deal when the plant is no longer operational. Burke said customers would shoulder the costs. PSC memberDavante Lewis said he wants to see the case litigated instead of settled so Entergy cananswer the questions raised by PSC consultants.
“When the commissionapproved Meta, it wasalways clear there wasgoing to be more generation needed to fully serve their load,” said Lewis, aBaton Rouge Democrat. “This request brings a lotofquestions abouthow we materialize that and continue to protect ratepayers.”
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
PHOTO By VADIMGHIRDA
President DonaldTrump takes questions Wednesday during amedia conference at the end of the G7 summit in Evianles-Bains, France.
ISNAPHOTO By AMIRHOSEIN KHORGOOI
Asmallmotorboat passes anchored vessels Wednesday in theStrait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran
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Barber Wissam Srour,41, searches for belongings inside the rubble of his barbershop, damaged in an Israeli strike, in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, on Friday
Heat wave bakes parts of Europe
France restricts public alcohol consumption and outdoor sports
BY OLEG CETINIC and ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press
PARIS France endured sizzling temperatures on Sunday, with trains, concerts and sports events canceled and authorities cracking down on drinking alcohol in public, as an exceptional heat wave unfurled across parts of Europe. Multiple drownings were reported as people sought relief in whatever water they could find.
About a third of France is under a “red alert” for heat, and high temperatures reached 104 in some areas, in a country where air conditioning isn’t widespread The forecast for Monday is even hotter
The Eiffel Tower and other Paris venues set up misting stations to cool down crowds. Tourists in Rome dunked in fountains
Over the last four years, more than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes, and most of the fatalities were preventable, the World Health Organization’s Europe office said this month. More above-average temperatures are expected this summer, which can cause heat exhaustion and lifethreatening heat stroke.
Human-caused climate change is tied to increasing extreme weather, and U.N. climate agency projections say the next five years should shatter more heat records. A rapid study found that human-caused climate change was responsible for killing about 1,500 people in an unusually early European heat wave in May
In this latest European hot spell, French media reported that four children drowned Saturday Summer drownings are an annual problem that health authorities say worsens during hot
spells. One man drowned in southwestern Germany and three others were missing after swimming in the Rhine River, the German news agency dpa reported Canal Saint Martin in Paris drew throngs Sunday splashing and diving off a bridge, despite authorities’ attempts to control the crowds.
“With this heat, it’s the only way to have fun while going out,” swimmer Nicolas Cruz told The Associated Press.
Zouzou Hobbs was skeptical at first of swimming in the murky urban canal.
“But it’s hot. I’m going to risk it,” she decided. “We need to cool off before tonight when we’re gonna be dancing.”
France’s annual Music Day on Sunday was of particular concern. The nationwide summer solstice celebration involves thousands of concerts in village squares, rave venues and Paris clubs, bringing communities together and increasingly drawing British and other international visitors. Some concerts were canceled.
The French government banned drinking booze in “red alert” zones, and ordered organizers of music day events to limit alcohol consumption to “preserve emergency services and al-
low medics to concentrate on taking care of the most vulnerable.”
Authorities are notably worried about people living in the baking streets, and elderly people in nursing homes or isolated in their homes About 15,000 older people died in France in a 2003 heat wave that became a national reckoning.
The government mobilized emergency services and military forces for reinforced wildfire readiness, imposed tightened surveillance of water supplies to France’s many nuclear reactors, and ordered 845 schools to close Monday Spain kicked off the summer with large parts of the country on alert because of temperatures expected to hover around 104 — even in the interior of the Basque region, an area in the north of the country, which typically experiences cooler temperatures. Authorities have suspended outdoor sports and cultural activities in the region. The heat wave is expected to scorch Spain at least through Wednesday In Italy, authorities expanded heat warnings — referred to locally as “red flags” — to eight cities Sunday in northern and central parts of the country Temperatures there are mostly
in the high 90s to low 100s.
At one farm outside Milan, owners set up fans and sprinklers to keep cows cool, while visitors to Milan Fashion Week huddled under parasols and clutched fans. In Rome, tourists dunked their arms and occasionally their faces into the city’s famed fountain pools.
German meteorologists are forecasting temperatures of up to 98 for Monday and Tuesday, and up to 102 on Wednesday
The U.K. weather office has issued an “extreme heat” warning for much of southern England and parts of Wales from Monday until Thursday, saying temperatures could reach 100. The current record for a June day is 96, reached in 1976.
Thunderstorms also threatened regions in Germany and Poland.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is convening a new government heat crisis meeting Sunday and ordered government ministers to plan for better adapting France to heat waves in the future — including “via air conditioning, if necessary.”
Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland, Jill Lawless in London, and Teresa Medrano in Madrid, contributed to this report.
Civilian fuel sales halted in Crimea after Ukraine attacks
By The Associated Press
Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea suspended civilian gasoline sales Sunday as Ukraine ramped up attacks on fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula.
Gov Sergey Aksyonov the Kremlin-appointed head o Crimea, said that overnight Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28 others. He did not specify the target of the attack.
He later wrote on social media that local gas stations would halt all sales to nonstate companies and individuals for an undefined period.
“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted fuel supplies to Crimea in recent weeks, triggering the worst energy crisis in the region since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement Sunday that a Crimean oil depot, as well as an oil transport facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region were among the targets. He described the attacks as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia’s energy infrastructure.
“Russia understands only strength, and our longrange strength is certainly working for peace,” he wrote.
Russian officials in Krasnodar reported earlier Sunday that a drone strike sparked a fire at a Black Sea oil terminal in the village of Chushka. They said that Ukrainian attacks struck a ferry, killing one person.
The Crimean peninsula has had periodic fuel shortages from Ukrainian strikes
before, but the current crisis is the worst since its 2014 annexation.
At the end of May authorities restricted the sale of gas to 5 gallons per vehicle owner per week, using prepaid coupons. Those were snapped up immediately following their release on an official messaging app channel, and motorists lined up for hours, waiting to refuel.
Social networks have been abuzz with requests and advice on where to find fuel, and authorities launched a hotline for tourists in the area who have found themselves trapped.
Some motorists bring their own gas from Krasnodar and elsewhere via the Kerch bridge, but they are restricted to carrying about 26½ gallons per vehicle. Some speculators are selling gas at double the market price. In a rare public acknowledgment, the Kremlin has recognized the scope of the problem and promised to address the issue quickly
However, Ukraine’s successes have highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage on Russia and change the course of the conflict while Moscow’s advances recently have ground to a near halt. On June 11, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reached its 1,569th day, surpassing the duration of World War I.
Kennedy Center says it isn’t required to reschedule shows
Filing comes after judge blocks 2-year closure
BY STEVEN SLOAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Kennedy Center’s management isn’t making a commitment to scheduling new shows or building up its staff even as the performing arts venue considers options short of a full two-year closure that a federal judge blocked last month. In a court filing Friday, Kennedy Center lawyers said the institution plans to “maintain an operational model” after the July 5 date when it was initially scheduled to shutter for renovations. Under that status, the Kennedy Center’s public
A tarp covers the sign on the side of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday in Washington, after President Donald Trump’s name was removed from the building
spaces will still be accessible but the stages may largely be silent.
“The Court’s order did not affirmatively require the Board to reschedule programming that had previously been cancelled or to seek new programming,” the lawyers wrote in the filing. The Kennedy Center has been forced to reassess its plans after a May ruling from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper upended many notable moves imposed by a board dominated by President Donald Trump’s allies Cooper said Trump’s name was illegally added to the building and ordered it taken down. He blocked the closure and gave the institution’s leadership — along with Rep. Joyce Beatty, DOhio, an ex-officio board member who filed the lawsuit until Friday to provide
a status update. The venue said its management would present the board with several renovation options to consider for a vote. The options would include a complete closure or a partial closure that would allow “some continued public access and limited programming in spaces unaffected” by the work. A third option would “consider a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the Center’s most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming.”
Kennedy Center lawyers said the recommendations have not been finalized and a vote would happen in midJuly Beatty’s lawyers, mean-
while, argued the Kennedy Center hasn’t fully complied with Cooper’s order While Trump’s name has been removed from the building, they took issue with a tarp that was put in place to cover the areas where the letters had been installed. There appears to be no immediate effort to remove the tarp. They also argued that without making an effort to return to some form of programming, the Kennedy Center would effectively be closing the institution despite Cooper’s ruling.
“Having gutted staff and programming, Defendants believe they can sit back and allow their pre-planned shutdown to commence,” Beatty’s lawyers wrote in the filing.
BY REGINA GARCIA CANO and ASTRID SUÁREZ Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia Deeply divided Colombians voted for their next president in a runoff Sunday that pitted a progressive against a conservative outsider, both of whom tapped into fears of a renewed internal conflict The options before voters were business owner and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda, a lawmaker and heir to the political movement of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, the nation’s first leftist leader
The two defeated nine other contenders in a May 31 vote. Both pitched strategies that they said will prevent the South American country from experiencing the nonstop merciless violence, such as car bombs, kidnappings, disappearances and forced displacements that Colombians lived with in
previous decades. De la Espriella proposed a heavy-handed approach that earned him the endorsement of President Donald Trump. Cepeda promised to continue Petro’s efforts including attempts at establishing dialogue with multiple illegal armed groups even though those efforts have largely failed
“We have had an armed conflict and a drug trafficking problem for too long, and this has greatly polarized the country,” retired economist Víctor Duque, 72, said while wearing a national soccer team jersey at a voting center in the capital, Bogota “I believe it is one of the most important elections that has taken place in Colombia this century.”
Colombian flags, waved from cars, and soccer jerseys dotted polling stations and surrounding affluent neighborhoods of Bogotá. The jersey, popular due to
the World Cup, has been used as a campaign symbol by de la Espriella and defended in court after Cepeda criticized its use.
In the first round, Cepeda earned 41% of the vote, while de la Espriella garnered 44%, according to official results. Petro, without evidence, sowed doubts in the results after Cepeda, who had consistently lead polls ahead of the May vote, did not win outright and even finished behind de la Espriella.
Petro reiterated his allegations on Sunday “We must protect the vote, undoubtedly,” he said shortly before polls opened.
His movement will provide details about “all the accounts and funds that were transacted from abroad,” Petro added. Actors, whom he did not identify, “tried to enslave the people of Colombia by taking away their
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHEL EULER
People cool off in a water spray on Saturday at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
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Ukrainian soldier practices on Saturday at a training ground near the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine.
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La. native joins Bulls dance team
UL Ragin’ Jazz member nearly walked away from passion
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
Growing up in Carencro, Ja’Loni Broussard dreamed about dancing professionally, but she never imagined that her dream would take her more than 900 miles from home to Chicago.
Now after years of competing on dance stages across Louisiana and performing with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Ragin’ Jazz dance team, Broussard, a UL senior, is preparing for her biggest audience yet after recently earning a spot on the Chicago Bulls’ Luvabulls dance team.
Student wins silver with dad as coach
BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer
For Sulphur native Autumn
Buck, the graphic design department at Southwest Louisiana Technical Community College has been her second home for as long as she can remember
She grew up going into the building alongside her dad, Darrell Buck, a digital arts and communication instructor at the school.
“Every little project that we’ve done here in the department, whether it’s painting a mural or gathering canned goods, or I mean just printing T-shirts, she’s been involved all the way,” Darrell Buck said. “(She’s) been here for a while.” Now 20 years old, Autumn Buck is attending SOWELA as a student in digital arts and communication and recently represented the school in a national level as a screen printer.
At the beginning of June, she became the first student at the school to place in the screen printing competition at the SkillsUSA National Championships with her dad still by her side, as both her father and mentor
“I was pretty confident going into the competition, but I think that’s because of the judges and everything; they made it run really smoothly and just made everyone feel really comfortable,” Amber Buck said. “It didn’t feel like we were competing; it just felt like we were in a shop, just having fun and working” The SkillsUSA Championships in Atlanta is an invitation-only event for middle school, high school and postsecondary students with state champions from across the country competing in 115 occupational and leadership contests.
This year, SOWELA had 11 students in the competition in nine categories, including photography, baking and pastry arts, electrical construction wiring and advertising. However, Amber Buck was the only one to place.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” Darrell Buck said. “The SkillsUSA National Championships are incredibly challenging. Students spend months preparing and then compete under intense pressure against the best talent from across the country Our students willingly put in the extra time and effort because they care about their craft and want to be the best they can be. That commitment showed throughout the competition.” However, he said it was even more special having his daughter compete this year
“We’ve always done well, but it was great having (Autumn) be the one to win it this year,” Darrell Buck said. “Like she says, she’s a Buck. There’s a lot of pressure there, and I know it wasn’t easy I’m super proud of her, though. I wish she got gold, I think she got
Advancing through multiple rounds of auditions this spring, Broussard said the experience felt surreal as she performed alongside dancers from across the country for a spot on the NBA dance team.
“Being in those rooms, I had to remind myself I belonged there,” she said. “It was overwhelming in a good way and unreal.”
Known for her hip-hop and jazz dance style, Broussard said growing up in south Louisiana, where
music and culture are a part of everyday life set her apart during auditions.
“Being from the South and bringing my culture and flavor and spice,” she said. “I feel like that is something that appealed to them and kind of set me apart.”
Earlier this year, while study-
ing during Ragin’ Jazz’s national competition season, Broussard received an Instagram message
from a coach with the Bulls’ Luvabulls dance team inviting her to attend an audition clinic in Chicago. “I was really stunned,” she said. “I went on her page and was like, ‘OK, is this a bot? Is this real?’” A few weeks later, Broussard traveled to Chicago with her mother and aunt in April, where dancers spent the day learning choreography while judges evaluated them. After advancing through
See DANCE, page 4B
COLORFUL PRIDE
ABOVE: Area Episcopal churches show their solidarity with the LGBTQ community. RIGHT: Chico Black, left, Mr. Pride Acadiana 2024, and Jabari Glamazon, Mr Pride Acadiana 2025, wave to the crowd
Police: BR teen was beaten to death in fight
Staff report
Maurice Parms beat 15-yearold Ja’Derrius Minnieweather to death during an altercation and then went to great lengths to hide the evidence, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department. Parms, 51, was arrested Saturday on a count of first-degree murder in Minnieweather’s disappearance. The teen’s body has not been recovered Based on their investiga-
tion, detectives believe Minnieweather was in a confrontation with Parms and was killed in the struggle, according to a warrant for Parms’ arrest. Police say they believe Parms stashed the body, threw away evidence, came back to retrieve the evidence and possibly the victim’s body and transported them elsewhere in his truck. Minnieweather was last seen around 2 a.m. June 5 on Bradley Street in the Foster and Win-
bourne area, police said. In their investigation, detectives learned that Minnieweather went to see a 16-year-old longtime female friend on June 4, riding to her residence on Bradley Street on a small children’s bike. Parms and the girl later arrived at the home in a white 2014 GMC Sierra 1500, and Minnieweather and Parms apparently got into an argument over how the older man was acting toward the girl, according to a warrant for Parms’ arrest.
Parms then left and returned to his residence. Minnieweather was last seen in the area early the following morning. As police were investigating Minnieweather’s disappearance, police came into contact with his 16-year-old friend. Using a search warrant for her phone, police found messages between the girl and Parms, as well as several
See TEEN, page 4B
PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy
Members of the Lafayette Shrimpettes marching group strut down Jefferson Street during the Pride Parade in downtown Lafayette on Saturday
Broussard
Closed primaries, gerrymandering violateour constitutional rights
Stephanie Grace’scolumn, “When politicians choose their voters, not vice versa,” should be awake-up call for all of us. It’stime we think about voting as aform of speechprotected by the First Amendment. The 26th Amendment(lowering the age at which one could vote) passed faster than any otherconstitutional amendment. Its rationale wasthat if young men could be required to fight and possibly die for their nation in wartime at 18, they could not be denied theright to express their opinion withregard to their government’sdecision to engage in war until the age of 21 Inherent was the idea that voting is a form of expression that could notbe restricted when important issuesare at stake for those voters In 2014, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “There is no more basic right in our democracy than the right to participate in electing our political leaders.” One of the ways he mentions is the right to participate by voting. That should lead us to conclude that closed primaries, gerrymandering in any form and bans on ranked choice voting areabridgments of the right of asubstantial number of voters to express their political views to the fullest extent possible.
Perhaps that idea is what the framers had in mind when theywarned us about “factions,” and what George Washington had in mind when he warned in his 1796 farewell address that political parties posed athreat to liberty and the promise of republicangovernment.
BRUCE WILDER NewOrleans
Confederates fought foradifferent country
As aveteran, please do nottreat Confederate dead just like veterans They fought for adifferent country and for very different values Youmight as well say that Nazi deadshould be treatedasveterans. They too fought regardlessofhow they “felt” about theirwar.Over 5,000 young Jehovah’sWitness men diedinthe concentration camps of Germany because they acted on how they “felt.” In modern liberaltimes, everybody cares about how people feel. Isubmit that for veterans, action matters more than feelings The Confederatedead died for their country,not ours.
MICHAEL BURNSIDE NewOrleans
Fans of ‘realfootball’ readyto crownatrueglobalchampion
Thank you, gracias, obrigado! I, along with all of the tens of thousands of other soccerfanswithin your readership area, am very appreciative of the recent expanded coverage within your sports section of the World Cup.
This sport has always been thefavorite of Earth,and most U.S. football fans don’t realize thevast distinction between the popularity of thefinals of the World Cup and theSuper Bowl.
TheWorld Cup is held only every four years to satisfy therequirement to qualify for this tournament by every nation, no matterhow large or small, that wishes to field ateam.
The vast difference between the last World Cup’sfinal viewership, of 1.5 billion,
and the last Super Bowl’s, of only 125.6 million, provides astarkcontrast in the numberofaficionados.
When thesport of “international football” crowns its champion, they really are the undisputed world champions —incontrast to our American sports (football, basketball and baseball) that erroneously place that title upon teams that only compete within theUnited States and sometimes in Canada —not even on another continent.
So hopefully,with this spectaclebeing played to theUnited States, Mexico and Canada, our American “football” fans will embrace the real football and enjoy seeing thecrowning of areal World Champion.
JAMES
VILAS Metairie
Cost of powerinLouisiana must be reined in
This is in regard to theletter,“Why ruin Louisiana’s affordable electricity?”
Nothinggets the blood pumping like a Houston economist telling Louisiana families to quitcomplaining while our power bills keep climbing.
When Iread that sentiment in arecent letter to theeditor,Isuspect manylocals had thesame eyeroll reaction Idid. The writer admits electricity prices are rising, yet insists regulators should do nothing about it
Here’sthe plain truth: Utilitybills are rising, and many families and businesses are alreadyfeeling the squeeze. While Louisiana has long enjoyed someofthe lowest electricity rates in the country,that advantageisslipping away fast.
Theletter itself proves thepoint, citing Louisiana’srate at 8.8 cents per kWh in 2024 and 12.44 cents per kWh this April —a41% jumpinroughly 18 months. If that’s evidencethatthe system is working, we’d hate to see what failure looks like.
proposes reformsregulators should consider to keep rising costsincheck.
We do not call for Texas-style deregulation.Instead, we recommendcompetitive procurement,direct market access for large industrial users, permitting reform andstronger regional transmission planning. These targeted reforms are designed to workwithin Louisiana’sexisting regulatoryframework, not dismantleit.
The letter’smisleading Texas comparison distractsfrom amore important question: When amonopoly utility can recover virtually any cost from captive ratepayers with little competitive pressure, what real incentiveexists to keep bills affordable?
Louisianafamilies do not need lectures from economists about why higher bills should be acceptable. They need leaders willing to ask tougher questions, pursue smarter solutions and put consumers ahead of the status quo.
We should interrogate ourbroken immigration system
What if establishing effective control over whoenters the country and the way they do, is fundamental to asustainable immigration policy?
What if addressing illegal immigration in athoughtful and consistent manner is equally essential to ensuring that such apolicy remains effective over time?
What if we adopted an approach that emphasized constructive outcomes in how we respond to those whoentered the country illegally or overstayed their authorized period of stay? Under such an approach, individuals whomake positive contributions could be afforded an opportunity to remain, while those whoengage in criminal conduct could be subject to deportation. It is important to note that unlawfully entering the country forthe first timeisgenerally classified as a misdemeanor rather than afelony By contrast, remaining in the United States without authorization is not typically treated as acriminal misdemeanor,but instead as an administrative violation.
What if our leaders established apathway to citizenship forimmigrants seeking abetter lifewhile also making meaningful contributions to our economy and society?
What if the billions of dollars currently spent pursuing individuals whose offenses are misdemeanors wereinstead redirected toward prosecuting felons involved in drug trafficking and gun violence, or towardstrengthening our healthcare system,reducing healthcare costs and lowering the national debt?
What if our elected officials approached these issues with reasoned judgment rather than allowing political objectives to drive their decisions?
CAMORS “CHRIS” ROTH BaySt. Louis, Mississippi
Recruiters from other states will make sure Blackathletesknow La.’spolicies
Regarding Will Sutton’scolumn, “The NAACP wants Black athletes to boycott schools like LSU.Should they?”
OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SENDUS ALETTER SCAN HERE
Theletter also mischaracterizes thePelican Institute’s“Shock to theSystem”report, which documents this alarming trend and
WhenIfirst read Sidney Pulitzer’sletter about “welcoming Broadway to New Orleans,” Isaid, “Yes!” Iloved this idea.
But after discussing it with my husband, we bothdecided thatBroadway needs more than tourists to sustain it.
And, unfortunately,New Orleans does not have the 8.5 million population that New York City has in itsfive boroughs. New Orleans’ eight-parish area (Jefferson, Orleans St. Tammany,Plaquemines, St.Bernard, St
MELISSA LANDRY director, Center forEnergy/ Pelican Institute forPublic Policy NewOrleans
Charles, St. John the Baptistand St. James parishes) is only 1.24 million people and may be shrinking.
The city itself has only apopulation of 362,701.
So, although Iagree withPulitzer and would love to have Broadway move to New Orleans,itjust doesn’tseem possible.However,let’s not give up thinking big!
MARY ANN AUCOIN Gretna
To be clear,the NAACP wants the athletes to boycott schools in states that have eliminated Black voting districts. So, to suggest that Black athletes don’thave plenty of other options is unrealistic. In the SEC alone, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky would still be options.
That said, Idon’tthink it really matters what the NAACP or anyone else wants. If Iwere aBlack athlete being recruited by top college programs, whywould Ichoose a place so unwelcoming that they are against diversity,equity and inclusion?
And Ican assure you there will be plenty of recruiters whowill take full advantage of that inequity PATRICK TOOLE NewOrleans
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Pauline Bonnet reacts as the U.S. scores against Paraguayinthe WorldCup at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in NewOrleans on June 12.
F-35 fighterisavital asset
TheU.S. military’ssenior echelons think constantly abouta no-longerunthinkable subject: being prepared to deter,orwin, aprotracted, high-intensity war againstanear-peer adversary,China. Generals are often disparaged for preparing to fight the last war.Today’sdanger, however,isthatwe will overlearn dubious lessons from Ukraine concerning the role of small, inexpensive, unmanned weapon systems. Ukraine’sdrones havebeen extraordinarily effective, especially on defense, in aslow-moving, small-unit infantry conflict contesting acres ata time. And because of inexpensive countermeasures, Russia’sair force, Europe’s largest, has been unable to operate effectively over Ukraine. But afight with China would be utterly unlike this in tempoand variety,and in all domains —land, sea,below the sea,in theair and in space.Hence, the salience of the argument about the F-35.
John G. Ferrari and DillonProchnicki, writing for the Waronthe Rocks website, recently termed thatfightera “masterpiece,” but “a force designed around amasterpiece is not designed for long, protracted wars.”
In Iran, the authors say,the F-35 “performed brilliantly”the tasks it was designed for: penetrating contested air spaces, and using sensors to find, track and deliver strikes againsttargetsinside an integrated air defense system. But, they say,war games concerning the Western Pacific have repeatedly concluded that most aircraftlosses would happen on the ground. Most U.S. aircraft sit within range of Chinese missiles where U.S. air and missile defenses “cannot reliably defeatsalvos at the scales Chinacan generate.” F-35s, Ferrari and Prochnicki stress, have a“heavy ground footprint.” They depend on maintenance facilities, diagnostic systems, spare parts and fuel andmunitions inventories, and skilled maintainers. “Destroy any piece ofthat supportinfrastructure, andyou degrade sortie generation as effectively as destroying the aircraft themselves.”
Theycontinue: In Iran, F-35s chose thetime and tempo of attacksagainst fixed targets “withthe luxury of an operationalpause between sorties.”War with China“would demand continuous, reactiveoperations at adversaryimposedtempo acrossthousands of miles, againsta vast and mobile target set.”Ferrariand Prochnicki favor many fewer F-35s than currently planned, reservingthese for missions requiring penetratingstealth, and spending the saved resources on “cheaper,replaceable systems.”
RetiredAir Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula’s rejoindertothe authors,in amemotothis columnist,acknowledges thewisdom of their advocacy of moreuncrewed systems, and more hardenedand dispersed basing. But he says Ukraine and Iran teach opposite lessons.
Ukraineshows that absent air superiority,war becomes attritional —slower andbloodier.Iranshows theutilityof advanced stealth, electronic capabilities,precision strikesand integrated air operations to “break open adefended battlespace”:The attacker imposes tempo, suppresses air defenses and shortens the conflict.
Drones generally cannotflylong distances, anddonot communicate, penetrate defended airspace, carry substantialpayloads or serve as a command-and-control platform. F-35s can andshould be thecenter of a“full airpower ecosystem,”Deptula says, penetrating defended battlespaces, strikingadversary centersofgravity andenabling other U.S. forces
By denying Russia air superiority, Ukraine’s ground-based air defenses
An F-35C Lightning prepares to launch from the USS Abraham Lincoln in supportofOperation Epic FuryonFeb.28.
PROVIDED PHOTO
have produced an outcome that F-35s existtoprevent:abloody slog. The authors, Deptula says, reverse causeand effect in Iran: The campaign was short because integrated airpower made it so.They treat drones “as asubstitute for air superiority, but theyare mostly a symptomofits absence.”
In the first days or weeks of awar withChina, asmaller-than-planned F-35 fleet would be unable to generate sufficient sorties, absorblossesand support allies in severaltheaters. If the necessity of asubstantial support infrastructure is an argument against the F-35, what of an aircraft carrier’slarge enveloping group of support vessels?
The estimated $2 trillionpriceof the F-35 program is in “then-year dollars” over adecades-long program, allowing for inflation, sustainment,and modernizations, involving multiple services.The question, Deptula says,is not whether the F-35 is expensive, but “whatisthe cost of not having enough penetrating airpower in awar with China, Russia, Iran, or another advanced air-defensestate?”
This is the mostturbulent,menacing erasince 1945. It is less stable thanthe Cold War’sfrozenconfrontation. The Air Force’smission of securing air superiority encompasses most othermilitary missions. Wherevera fight occurs, airpower will be presupposed for projecting unmatched combat power,from the long-range strike capabilityofstrategic bombing, to support for ground combat.Wehave moved far from when airpower’s primarymission was supporting an 18-year-old with arifle.
Email georgewill@washpost.com
Historians told real storyofthe founders
The sudden death of the historian Gordon Wood, just weeksbefore the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is one more mark of the closure of a golden age of the historiographyofthe Revolutionary era. It’sanoccasion to reflect on the uniqueness, indeed the idiosyncrasy,ofthe emergence of the primacy of this UnitedStates among the nations of the world. As the historian WalterMcDougall has pointed out, acatalog of world civilizations in the year 1600 looks, with one exception, much like the world today. There is aprosperous and populous Chinaatone end of Eurasia and aprosperous and populous Europe at the other.There is a bustling Indian subcontinent and avast and little-visited Africa, and large Euro-indigenouscultures in Mexico and South America. The great difference is the emergence, from what was a sparselypopulated and isolatedrealm,ofthe great world power of the United States of America. Howthisnation emerged,and how it was formed and unified in the pivotal final years of the 18th century,has come to be understood anew thankstoa generation of historians who began their work in the postwar decades more than 50 years ago and continued it into their 90s.Among the pioneers were Wood, who died this month at 92, and his thesis adviser Bernard Bailyn, whodiedin 2020 at 97. Before their generation,American historiography often wasmore about the presumptions of the writers than the makers of history.Early 19thcentury historians glorified, even mythologized, the Founding Fathers.The tragic losses of the Civil Warprompted Northerners to lament antebellum statesmen’s failure to compromise and Southerners to canonize thechampions of the Lost Cause.
Britain and then wrote aconstitution all to protect their wealth against redistribution.Then, in what Ihave called the“MidcenturyMoment” during and after World WarII, some historians abjured class warfare and argued that Americans shared aconsensus all along Bailyn and Wood did something else. They read the patriots’ words more carefully and took their arguments seriously.They studied the numerouspamphlets from the revolutionary1760s and 1770s, as well as the debates over the new republic in the1780s and 1790s.
real founding of America. Instead, he argued it was the revolution that led to theunraveling of slavery
Ihave taught at George Washington University for35years, and Ialways read the anonymous reviewsweget from students. This spring, one student wrote that the course Iofferinfeature writing —really storytelling —was the “hardest and the best” class they’d taken in college.
Ithought about that student when Harvard, my alma mater, recently adopted amajor overhaul of its grading system,limiting A’sto20% of each class. The superior students, emphasizes the new policy,the ones whoembrace the challenge of high expectations and standards, should be recognized.
“This is aconsequential vote,” said Amanda Claybaugh, Harvard’sdean of undergraduate education. “Itwill, Ibelieve, strengthen the academic culture of Harvard; it will also, I hope, encourage other institutions to confront similar questions with the samelevel of rigor and courage.”
The debate over grade inflation comes at a timewhen faith in higher education has plummeted. In 2013, an NBCpoll found that 53% of respondents considered college “worth the cost.” Today,that figure has sunk to 33%, and while universities resent and reject President Trump’sunhinged and unfair campaign against them,they would be foolish to ignore his impact.
At Yale, which is also considering aserious revision of grading standards, the school’s president, Maurie McGinnis, wrote: “Raising the bar forourselves will also raise trust in our university.”
The numbers are stunning. At Harvard, during the last academic year,about two-thirds of undergraduate letter grades wereA’s.Only a decade earlier,that figure was 35%. Historically,only one or two graduating seniors compiled aperfect record of straight A’sinevery class. Last year,55students hit that mark.
Steven Pinker,aHarvard psychology professor and fierce critic of grade inflation, cheered the university’sdecision to The New York Times:“Grade inflation forced arace to the bottom in which any professors whoheld the line with challenging material and standards would see their enrollments plummet.Itturned universities into national laughingstocks.”
TwoHarvard economists, Jason Furman and David Laibson, added in aTimes essay: “Easy A’sare aproblem forawhole lot of reasons. They reducethe incentive to learn, which meansthat students leave college with less knowledge and fewerskills. They makeithard fortruly exceptional students to stand outfrom theirmerely successfulpeers.”
They understood that Americans, imbued with Britishideas of freedom but blessedly distant from British authorities, could write with more frankness than past political theorists under the close supervision of monarchand church, and with no motive to conceal motivation from thethen-nonexistent Marxian or Freudian theorists.
Wood’scentral thesis in his 1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Radicalism of the American Revolution” was that the revolution declared in 1776 had transformed thecharacter of the American people.
WritinginNational Review lastJanuary,Wood celebrated “five significant wordsthat came to define American culture —‘all men are created equal.’”
This prompted them to create “numerouslearned academies and historical societies,”including “mechanic societies, humane societies, societies for the prevention of pauperism, orphans’ asylums, missionary societies, marine societies, tract societies, Bible societies, temperance associations, Sabbatarian groups, peace societies, societies for the suppression of vice and immorality,societies for the relief of poor widows, societies for the promotion of industry.”
“Although manymodern historians have called the Revolution’sinability to free all theslaves its greatest failure, they have committed the great sin of anachronism by assuming that everyone in the past must have known that slavery was an evil,” he wroteinJanuary.“These historians have not fully appreciated that the Revolution defied aworld that for the millennia had taken slavery for granted. It was the Revolution that for the first time in history madeslavery aproblem,and it led to thefirst instance of states’ abolishing thepractice.”
Wood has been critical as well of the notion, recently mentioned withoutdisapproval by Vice President JD Vance, that those with American ancestors in theCivil Warera are somehow more American than those whose ancestorsarrived later.Contrary to Europe, “There is no American ethnicity to back up thestate,” he said in his November 2025 Irving Kristol lecture at theAmerican Enterprise Institute. “To be an American is not to be someone, but to believe in something.” Such as “the powerful sense of equality” that “is what makes us one people. We are unlikely to hear much more from thelast survivors of the two generations of academic and popular historians who made the final thirdof the20th century agolden age for the history of the founding. In the universities, mosthave been replaced by academics with different interests and amore adversarial approach to thenation whose bounty and freedoms make their work possible.
As ateacher,I have wrestled with this problem foryears. I’mknownasatough grader,and I’mproud of it. Ichecked my class record for this spring against Harvard’snew standards, which allow any professor to add four A’sontop of the 20% cutoff. In my feature writing class of 17, Igave out 7A’s,the maximum allowed; in my other class of 17, focusing on media and politics, there were only 3A’s,well below the limit.
When you get an Ainone of my classes, you know you’ve earned it.
But there are downsides to my approach: Somestudents avoid my classes, and others complain that Igrade too harshly.At83, Idon’t have to worry about my career prospects, but younger teachers up forpromotion cannot afford low enrollments or ratings.
Iknow the argument that if an Aisthe norm, mental stress accelerates as students struggle to reach that level. But the reverse can be true: Iworry that curbing the number of top grades can introduce an unhealthy level of competition into adelicate ecosystem.
Early 20th-century progressives, influencedbyMarxist assumptions about economicclass warfare, tried to prove that colonists led arevolution against
Wood was among the multiple leadinghistorianswho criticized The New York Times’ Nikole Hannah-Jones’ argumentthat 1619, the importation of thefirst slave in the colonies, was the
Butonthe 251st FourthofJuly upcoming, and in months and years to come, it should be refreshing to dip into their rich works and gain more knowledge of, and appreciation for,the wondrous deeds of those who came before us and of whom we are thefortunate, if too often the ungrateful, heirs. Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.
Classroomswork best when students see themselves as part of alearning community, acooperative effort to ask questions, debate answers and develop skills. No good teacher wants to pit students against each other Plus, there’sthe problem of subjectivity.I am not grading exams in mathorother subjects where there is aclear right or wrong answer Even the mostopen-minded professor brings personal experiences and preferences to the grading process. We’re human, after all. Andsoare ourstudents. They are notthe same. Ithink of grades as teaching tools, at least duringthe semester.Some students need apat on the back with agood grade, while others need akickinthe pants with alow one. Actually,I’d prefer not to give grades at all. Iprovide lengthy written feedback on every assignment submitted by my students, and reducing my judgment to alabel often seems unsatisfying and unfair.But if we’re going to give grades, they should mean something. They should encourage and reward excellence.
Email Steven V. Roberts at stevecokie@gmail. com.
Steve Roberts
Michael Barone
George Will
Arabineighborhoodworks to repair tornadodamage
BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer
In yards strewn with branches and roof shingles, residents across several blocks in Arabi spent Saturday cleaning debris and surveying the damage from a tornado that battered their neighborhood Friday evening.
The tornado slammed homes with winds up to 85 mph that snapped trees, flattened fences and ripped the roofs from several properties, according to the National Weather Service. But many neighbors still escaped the worst gusts.
“It’scrazy,man,” said Rodney Neumeyer,whose garden was untouched despite damage to the roof. “I don’tknow if this one was atornado or atwister or what. It was just weird.”
The National Weather Service confirmed Saturdaythat an EF0tornado hit Arabi just before 6p.m. and spun northwest for three minutes. It traveled about two-thirds of amile betweenRowley Boulevard and Norton Avenue and Sable Drive and Livingston Avenue.
St. Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes said five homes sustainedmajor damage and many more lost
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the first round,Broussard returned to Louisiana and immediately beganpreparing for the next stage. She trained daily with a longtime friend who helped create the solo routineshe later performed during the semifinal round. In an audition room filled with dancers from nationally recognized programs
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Cash App payments from Parms to the girl. The teen told police she had met up with Parms multiple times at his home and hiswhite truck and black SUV.She told police Parms would take her to stores and buy things for her as wellassend her payments through Cash App.
An arrest warrant was issued for Parms on June 10 for counts of indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aidedsolicitation of aminor
In talking to police, Parms admitted he had been at the
shingles. But no injuries were reported.
“Everything could’ve beenway worse,” Michael Kok, another neighbor,said Saturdaymorning as he picked up branches from his front yard on Rowley Boulevard.
Kok saidhewas eating dinnerwith his family Fridaynight when they noticed debris churning through the air. They slammed their windows shut and rushed to the center of their home as branches blasted intotheir yard,leaving indentations in the mud.
“This was literally out of nowhere,” Kok said. “That’s the scary part.”
Many newer homes in the neighborhood suffered minor damage, but some older properties fared worse. Twoofthe three homes that lost part of their roofs were built in the1950s, according to the weather service.
Neighbors said thethird home was abandoned and had termitedamage.
206mph slammed Arabi in 2022, destroying about 70 homes and killing two people
Another weaker tornado passed through the same areaseveralmonths later
Many neighbors at the time lacked enough insurance to cover all of their losses, and some moved out of the area.
Residents across the neighborhood said they felt lucky that Friday’stornado was notworse.And some signs of solace were already emerging. Power returned by Saturdaytoabout 1,500 residents who lost it Fridaynight, according to Entergy.Officials saidthe St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office was sending extrapatrolsthrough the neighborhood, and publics works crews werepicking up curbside debris.
Pomes said.
“It’sa hard hitonthem,”
Several residents said the tornadowarning alert blared from their cellphonesafew minutesafter the system passed, when neighbors hadalreadybe-
Pomessaidheplansto meet witha representative from Gov.Jeff Landry’soffice on Monday but does not expect the scaleofdamage in Arabi will warranta state of emergency or government reimbursement Some neighbors in the area cannot afford thecost of homeowners insurance and may not be covered for thedamage.
and others already working professionally in theindustry,Broussard securedone of 19 spots on theLuvabulls’ 2026-27 roster
But Broussard’spathto the NBA wasn’t alwaysdirect. In fact, there was a time whenshe said shenearly walked away from dance altogether
“I thinkmysenior year of high school,Iwas genuinely readytoput dance to bed,” Broussard said. “I was tired. Iwas like, ‘OK,I think I’ve had enough.’”
residence on Bradley Street on June 4. Parms saidhe metMinnieweather only brieflyand left soon after theencounter.However policesaid security footage contradicted Parms’ account and showed Parms riding abicycle thatissimilar to one used by Minnieweather
Security footage obtained by police showed Parms left his residence early on the morning of June 5inhis whitetruck and returned within an hour,the arrest warrantstates. Detectives obtained asearch warrant for Parms’ cellphone, which showed thephone was left at hishomeduring the time frame where he is seen leaving in the truck. It
PHOTO PROVIDED By SOWELA TECHNICAL COMMUNITy COLLEGE
Darrell and Autumn Buck attend the SkillsUSA National Championships in Atlanta.
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robbed, but that’sme, that’s the dad and the teacher.”
Amber Buck said having her dad as her teacher gave her drive. She specified that he made it easy by having the same mentality at home and school.
“I feel like because (he) is my dad, Iwanted to like push further andbelike, ‘OK, well, now Igot the pressurebecause it’syou watching me,’”she said. “ThenI feel likeitmadea bigdifference,becauselikea lot of times I…get judged for my last name because he is so big in the graphic world.”
In addition to bringing home thesilveratnationals, Amber Buck took the gold at the state level, aperformance thatlanded her a job at the T-shirt Warehouse after theowner judged the competition
While AmberBuckis currentlyworking for the T-shirt Warehouse, which is run by afather-daughter duo, she andDarrell Buck plan to open up their own shop together in the future.
Amber Buck said she wants to be able to sell her own thoughts, and Darrell Buck said he doesn’twant to teach forever
“It’dbelikeornaments, T-shirt,linocut prints (and) anything creative,”she said.
Broussard began dancing at age 4after her parents enrolledher andher sisters in activities to see what they enjoyed. While her sisters eventually moved on to pursueother interests, dance quickly became Broussard’s passion. Hergrade-school years were spent in competition dance, an environment centered mainly on individual development and direct feedback from industry professionals, she said.
After joining Ragin’ Jazz at UL, she discovered an
also shows that Parms was at home when he is seen on foot andriding asmall kid’sbike, the warrant states.
Detectiveswere able to narrowalocation down to whereitwas believed Minnieweather was possibly attacked Detectives obtained videoofa tall Black man dragging agarbage can to aspotinthe 3200 blockof Conrad Street. They also found videofrom aminute later of aman matching Parms’ body type riding a small kid’sbike away from Conradtoward Charles
PUBLIC
gun clearing their streets of branches.Mike Efferson, ameteorologist at the National Weather Service in Slidell, said the agency issued atornado warning at 5:54 p.m. —one minute before thetornado first touched down.
Wireless carriers typically distribute the weather service’swarningstocellphones in an affected area.
entirely differentside of dance. The transition taught her thedifference between competing as an individual and performing as part of a collective unit.
“In thecompetition world, they really focus on dancers as an individual,” Broussard said. “On acollegiate team, youuplift yourself as an individual so that youcan be an asset to your entire team.”
Being surrounded by teammates who shared her passion helped herredis-
Street. Atallmale also was seen getting off the bike andthrowingitintosome bushes.Heisthen seen taking off ablack mask, gloves and aT-shirt, whichhe throws intoseveral garbage cans. When he took offthe mask, detectives immediatelyrecognizedhim to be Parms, thewarrant states Parms is seen then walking toward the direction of his residence ashort distance away,police said.
Additional videoshowed Parms in his truck as he returned to thegarbagecans to retrievethe shirt, gloves
Pomes said Saturdayafternoon thathehad heardno reports of delayedwarnings but would look into the matter Friday’stornado wasthe third to hit Arabi in recent years. Apowerfultwister with winds between 158 and
cover her love fordance.
“I just fell in love with dance again from being around thosepeople,” she said. “Everybody valued dance as much as Idid.”
Years of training and the support of her teammates also helped transform her intoamore confident performer, which she said becameevident during the Bulls audition process, where judges noted the presence shecarried into the room
Now,after being selected
and mask, police said. He then returns to his residenceand is seen wiping down areasofhis truckwith arag,policesaid.
After witnesses described observing atall man beating asmallerperson while akid’sbike was in the middle of theroadway, detectiveswereable to locate blood that had soaked into theground. Detectives obtaineda search warrant for Parms’ truck, which tested positive forthe presence of blood
Staff writerCharles Lussiercontributed to this story
By noon, Kenneth St. Charles, the regional chief executive officer of American RedCross, arrivedwith atrunk full of cleanupkits, water,snacksand lunches from Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. He sat on the bed of apickup truck, taking notes and chatting witha man who emerged from ahome with no roof Thenhehandedthe man a bagfull of lunchand moved on to the next house.
among dozens of dancers who auditioned, Broussard is preparing to finish her degree in early childhood education online at UL while relocating to Chicago.
“Our first official game as ateam is in August, so right now Iamsearching for housing, ajob and preparing forlifeawayfrom home forthe first time.It’sall exciting.”
3inthe Speci‐ficationsmustbesentin a separate sealed enve‐lopewiththe contrac‐tor’s licensenumberon the outsideofthe enve‐lope. Proposalsshould besentto705 West Uni‐versity Avenue Lafayette,LA70506, at‐tention:Dabne Dover. Proposalswillbeevalu‐atedbythe Purchaser based on theevaluation criteriaoutlinedinthe Request forProposers The Lafayette Consoli‐dated Government re‐servesthe righttoreject
STAFFPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Michael Chalona III and Louie Spera pack up boxes provided by Home Depot in Arabi on Saturday, the dayafter atornadohit. Spera,
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGEWALKER IV
Wyndham Clark celebratesafter abirdie on the16thhole during the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.y
Second Wynd
Clarkavoidsrecordcollapse, holdsontowin second U.S. Open
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y.— On theedgeofthe greatest collapse in U.S. Open history,WyndhamClark heldhis nerve againstacharge by former LSU standout Sam Burns and aShinnecock Hills gallerythat nevergavehim much love Sunday until he captured his second Open title in four years.
Six shots aheadatthe start of the final round, Clark’sfinalact wastwo puttsfromjustoutside50feetfor par that gave him a3-over 73 and aone-shotvictory overBurns. Clark, who won the2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, became the first wire-to-wirewinner of the U.S. Open since Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014. This suredidn’tfeel like that. His lead was down to a single shot after just five holes, and the stress followed him the rest of the way The clincher forClark was one of hisworst drives of
the dayonthe par-516th.Hegougedthatout andnarrowly cleared abunker. His8-iron barely stayed on the back of thegreen. And he rolled in a30-foot birdie putt that gave him atwo-shot lead with twoholes to play It was asignature moment with muted applause. The galleryrooted against him all day, putting alltheir support behind Scottie Scheffler and his bid for the career Grand Slam.Scheffler had his own share of mistakes and never got closer than three shotsall day Clark had thehighest final round of aU.S. Openchampion since Graeme McDowell closed with a74towin at Pebble Beach.Nomatter.The 32-year-old American has two U.S.Open titles,and two wins in the last month. Burns closed with a67, his secondchance in as many years to winthe U.S. Open. He missed twobirdiechances on the final two holes,but what hurtjustasmuch wasa three-puttbogey on the 15th when he was trying to catch Clark.
ä See OPEN, page 3C
BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer
Aday Mara wasa massive presence in Michigan’s huge lineup that carried the Wolverines to their first NCAA championship since 1989. He’snow alottery prospect in the NBA draft
The 7-foot-3, 260-pound center is the headliner amongthe bigmen,aposition group with ashorter line of top prospects compared to the guards and forwards. The list includes Washington’sHannes Steinbach, Kentucky’sJayden Quaintance andHouston’s Chris Cenac Jr
Here’salook at thesomeofthe top big men entering the first round Tuesday night: Aday Mara •Michigan
STRENGTHS: The junior from Spain projects as adefensive force, leading all players measured at the combine in standing reach (9-9) and ranking second in wingspan (7-6). Maraaveraged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and2.4 assists while ranking sixth nationally in blocks(2.6) in 23.4 minutes. He shot 66.8% overall, with Synergy charting post-
One year after being the mosttalked about team on NBAdraftnight, the New Orleans Pelicans may not be talked about at all this time around.
Rod Walker
As of now,the Pelicans don’thave afirstround draftpick forthe draftthat will be held Tuesday and Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York. They relinquished their pick last year in the highly criticized trade that allowed them to leap from the No. 23 spot to No. 13 to select Derik Queen. Joe Dumars, the Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, said after last year’sdraftthat you could look at the Queen pick as the Pelicans just getting afirst-round pick ayear early But Dumarsalso said twodays after the season ended in April that the Pels could makeatrade to get back into the first round this year So farthat hasn’thappened. All that has occurred lately are abunch of trade rumorsthat have kept social media buzzing. Dumars’ phone has been ringing with teamscalling to inquire about guys such as Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, but none of those calls have come close to offering anything to makeDumars pull the trigger There’sstill timefor adeal to get done and the Pels maketheir wayinto the first round. Such adeal wouldn’thave to come before commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium Tuesday night to start the first round. If the Pelicans have someone they are
ups as making up 34.8% of his possession usage. He had steady work as the roller in pick-and-roll scenariosand as acutter, and predictably earnedan“Excellent” rating from Synergy forfinishing at the rim (97th percentile).
Mara stood out in aFinalFourromp against fellow No. 1seed Arizona with a career-best 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocks.
CONCERNS: Mara must improve at the line (56.4%). It’sunclear what type of offense he’ll offer outsideoffinishing in thepaint, though he did make 3of103-pointers last season in his first foray beyond the arc. Hannes Steinbach• Washington
STRENGTHS: The6-10, 248-pound freshman from Germanywas asteadyproducer as a scorer (18.5) and rebounder (national-best 11.8).
6
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
UNC forces winner-take-all final
BY ERIC OLSON Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb North Carolina
coach Scott Forbes had to make a quick pitching change when starter Ryan Lynch tweaked his left oblique midway through Game 2 of the College World Series finals.
No worries.
Forbes called on freshman Caden Glauber for the 29th time this season, and for the 29th time he’s pitched, the Tar Heels won. Their 6-2 victory over Oklahoma kept alive their pursuit of the school’s first national championship in baseball. The winner-takeall Game 3 is Monday night.
“This is what it’s all about,” Forbes said “This is why you work so hard — to play in a night game, national championship game So we’re excited about that opportunity.”
Lynch and Glauber cooled off Oklahoma’s bats, Owen Hull and Cooper Nicholson homered, and North Carolina (54-13-1) bounced back from a 9-3 loss in Game 1
The Sooners (42-23) scored twice in the first inning and then had two hits and a total of five baserunners the rest of the way Lynch injured his lower left side throwing his second pitch of the fifth. Glauber (12-0) came on and struck out the side and fanned a total of eight over five innings.
“When you play for the best team in college baseball, it’s pretty easy to go out there with the defense you have and the offense you have,” said Glauber who has allowed one run in 101 3 CWS innings.
Glauber graduated from high school a year early and was 17 when he enrolled at Carolina last fall. He’s the only pitcher in Division I with 12 wins and five saves and is pitching to a 2.05 ERA over 92 innings, with all but three of his appearances in relief.
He’s been comfortable on stages big and small all season. Sunday he faced an OU team that had been averaging 9.4 runs per game in the postseason and 8.25 in the CWS.
“The preparation takes over the fear,” he said. “We work so hard on it. You know, you’ve got to have the right mindset, and you know that you’re made for the moment, whatever moment you’re in.”
The Sooners were held to their fewest runs since a May 19 loss to LSU. They hadn’t been held scoreless over eight straight innings since a 3-0 loss to Southeastern Louisiana on March 17. Their four hits were their fewest since a March 19 loss to LSU.
“Obviously tough loss today,”
By The Associated Press
CORONADO, Calif. — Corey Heim, a part-time driver making only his 13th start in the Cup Series, outdueled teammate Tyler Reddick to win the inaugural NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado. Heim, who will move into a full-time ride next season at 23XI Racing, snatched the lead from Reddick with two laps remaining after stalking the points leader around the 16-turn, 3.4mile street course on Coronado Island, just south of downtown San Diego. It’s the second time in three years that an inaugural street race has produced a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series. Shane van Gisbergen won his Cup debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race. Bubba Wallace finished 10.365 seconds behind Heim in a 1-2 finish for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Reddick suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and fell to 25th. Kyle Larson finished third, followed by Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger Hamlin, the driver-owner who had won the past three races for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 14th.
run triple and scored on a wild pitch to put the Tar Heels up 3-2. Mercurius began laboring in the third and left after Hull’s second homer of the CWS and ninth of the season leading off the fifth.
“The trick in baseball is to not get away from your game plan and start trying to punch guys out,” OU coach Skip Johnson said, “and he kind of lost it a little bit. Instead of just trying to throw the ball to the target, he’s trying to punch people out.”
Nicholson’s team-leading 16th homer, off Nate Smithburg in the seventh, made it 6-2. Glauber walked consecutive batters with one out in the ninth.
WR commit Burney flips from Houston to LSU
Three-star wide receiver and Class of 2027 recruit Gary Burney has flipped his commitment from Houston to LSU, he announced on social media Sunday
Burney is the No. 22 player in Louisiana and the No. 104 wideout in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite He attends Parkway High in Bossier City and is the sixth recruit from the state to commit to LSU’s 2027 class. He had been committed to Houston since May 30. He also holds scholarship offers from Baylor, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Burney is a track athlete who competed in the 200-meter dash and the 4×100 relay as a sophomore and junior Burney is the 14th player to commit to LSU from the 2027 class. He’s the fourth wide receiver
Yamashita wins Meijer LPGA Classic in playoff BELMONT, Mich. — Miyu Yamashita got into a playoff Sunday in the Meijer LPGA Classic when Lottie Woad’s 3-foot par try lipped out to close regulation, then won with a 3-footer of her own on the first extra hole.
Five strokes behind third-round leader Jing Yan and four back of Woad going into the day, Yamashita shot an 8-under 64 to get to 17-under 271 at Blythefield Country Club. The 24-year-old Japanese player birdied the par-5 18th in regulation and the playoff.
“I had a really good feeling,” Yamashita said. “I’m really happy to win.” Woad had a 68, holing out from a bunker for birdie on the 17th before running into trouble on the 467-yard 18th.
Williams to play singles at Wimbledon as wild card
LONDON Serena Williams will play singles at Wimbledon after accepting a wild card invitation, the All England Club announced Sunday The move comes after the 44-year-old Williams recently returned to competition in doubles after nearly four years away from professional tennis.
And it means Williams will play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon after already accepting a wild card for the doubles competition with older sister Venus.
“This is not a drill,” Wimbledon said on its social media accounts.
OU’s Trey Gambill said. “But I don’t think we overly care. We know that we still have the opportunity to win the national championship. It’s going to be a fun atmosphere. We’re excited. Have a good meal tonight, good shower and be ready for tomorrow.”
OU freshman starter Xander Mercurius (1-3) struck out six of the first seven batters he faced but encountered trouble when Carolina’s first two batters reached base in the third inning.
Jake Schaffner pulled a ball into the right-field corner for a two-
The game ended when Dasan Harris grounded to second and Gavin Gallaher turned an unassisted double play that was confirmed after Oklahoma challenged the call. Johnson said Nick Wesloski (21) would start for the Sooners on Monday Wesloski pitched 52 3 innings in an 11-4 win over Georgia last Wednesday Forbes said he was undecided on a starter
“It will be all hands on deck,” he said. “I feel like we’ve got about seven options to start tomorrow, and I like every one of them.”
SVG stunner Van Gisbergen finished 38th in his bid for an eighth road or street course victory (which will make him the active leader among Cup drivers).
After starting from the pole position, van Gisbergen was caught in a crash that started when Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch and Austin Hill collided while battling for the lead on a Lap 32 restart. The nine-car incident caused a nine-minute red flag for wall repairs. “I felt like I was giving Austin space, and the next thing, I was in the wall,” said Zilisch, who led the first eight laps of his Cup career in the highlight of a miserable rookie season. “Really unfortunate. I hate to end both days for both Shane and I. We had a really fast car today I had a lot of fun. I
really enjoyed just getting to race out front and lead laps.”
Driver swap
During the first caution, Christopher Bell was replaced in the No. 20 Toyota by Brent Crews, but the driver relief stint was short. Crews exited in last place after a gearbox problem on the 28th lap.
Bell is still recovering from a broken wrist in a June 7 crash at Michigan International Speedway and said getting out of the car was precautionary and not because of pain.
One more for Johnson
In his second and last Cup start of the 2026 season, Jimmie Johnson slammed a tire barrier after missing a chicane on the fifth lap and finished 28th. The seven-time series champion said Saturday that he still plans on the 2027 Daytona 500 as his final start as a Cup driver, but he is open to racing in other series.
Up next
NASCAR will stay in California, heading north to Sonoma Raceway on June 28 Van Gisbergen dominated in winning on the road course last season, leading 97 of 110 laps from the pole position.
Serena’s last singles match was a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open. Serena has won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, including seven at Wimbledon.
Noskova beats Pegula on grass to win Berlin Open
BERLIN Eighth-seeded Linda Noskova beat third-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to win the rain-delayed Berlin Open final on Sunday
Scheduled to start around noon, the grass-court match began nearly six hours later after heavy rains caused flooding.
Pegula saved five match points when she won the Berlin tournament in 2024, but the 32-year-old American could not repeat the feat against her Czech opponent Sunday and missed out on a 12th career singles title.
The WTA 500 grass-court event served as a tune-up for Wimbledon, which starts on June 29.
Rangers place Leiter on IL with lingering ankle injury
ARLINGTON,Texas The Texas Rangers placed Jack Leiter on the 15day injured list Sunday with an ankle issue the right-hander has been battling most of the season. The Rangers recalled righthander Jose Corniell from TripleA Round Rock but didn’t say how they would fill Leiter’s spot in the rotation Tuesday at Miami Six of Corniell’s seven minor league appearances were starts. President of baseball operations Chris Young said Leiter was trying to pitch through what is being called right ankle posterior impingement, but his mechanics were affected by compensating for the injury Young also said the 26-year-old Leiter was already dealing with the balky ankle when he aggravated the injury by slipping on an on-deck circle April 22 at home against the New York Yankees.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By REBECCA S GRATZ
Cooper Nicholson celebrates after hitting a two-run home run for North Carolina during Game 2 of the College World Series finals against Oklahoma on Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
Oklahoma pitcher Xander Mercurius walks back to the dugout after striking out two North Carolina batters with the bases loaded to end the third inning of Game 2 of the College World Series finals on Sunday in Omaha, Neb
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DENIS POROy
Shane Van Gisbergen, left, and Bubba Wallace come out of Turn 2 during a NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday in Coronado, Calif.
targeting in the first round, they could just wait until the draft starts and see how things play out. Finding a good player in that 15-20 range in a deep draft class is doable. They’d obviously have to move on from one of their key players, though.
On the day the Pelicans introduced Jamahl Mosley as the new head coach, Dumars made it clear that he’s willing to listen to offers. And who can blame him with a team that has finished with less than 30 wins in each of the past two seasons
“Unless you’re a championship team, you might tweak one or two things,” Dumars said that day “When you’re where we are, you have to be open to everything. And that’s where I am. I am open to whatever comes across my desk. Whatever phone calls I get, I’m open to it to listen and see if this is the right thing for us at this moment. I don’t think you can close off anything where we are right now.”
That response was followed up by Dumars being asked whether Zion Williamson was a guy he wanted to continue to build around.
“We haven’t changed our opinion on Zion,” Dumars said. “I’d love to see Jamahl coach Zion I’d love to see him get Zion to defend and do all the things that he said. Let’s see what we have here.” Assuming Dumars meant that, Williamson is likely one of the few untouchables on the team. You can also put Queen and Jeremiah Fears in that category Queen and Fears, the two first-
NBA
Continued from page 1C
The work on the glass stands out, with Steinbach having a 24-rebound game against USC and five other games with at least 15 boards. He also had 10 games with at least six offensive rebounds, with putbacks accounting for 17.2% of his possession usage, according to Synergy His game otherwise leaned on being the roll man in pick-and-rolls, on post-ups and as a cutter.
Steinbach shot 57.7% overall, and he showed some inside-out skills by hitting 18 3s (34%) that could also have him work as a 4-man. He averaged 1.2 blocks with a better than 7-2 wingspan
CONCERNS: He’s not an explosive athlete, which could show in facing opponents with length or defending skilled opponents He had more turnovers (59) than assists (47) to raise uncertainty about how he can contribute as a complementary playmaker
Jayden Quaintance • Kentucky
STRENGTHS: Physical tools stand out for the Kentucky sophomore. Quaintance has a strong frame (6-9, 253) and good measurables, including ranking fourth at the combine in wingspan (better than 7-5) and having big hands (tied for combine lead with 11-inch width, tied for second with a 9.5-inch length).
CONCERNS: Health. Quaintance tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in February 2025 while at Arizona State. He returned only to play four games at Kentucky while dealing with lingering issues in that knee.
round picks from last season, both were voted second team on the All-Rookie team and are foundational pieces.
Will the Pelicans be able to add more quality pieces like that through this year’s draft? Or will they have to try to add through free agency, where their current salary-cap situation handcuffs them from landing some of the big names? We’ll have to wait and see what Dumars is planning
What we do know is the team desperately needs more rebounding rim protection and reliable 3-point shooting. Their only draft pick currently is a late second-round pick (58th overall).
Will the Pelicans find a deal to get someone in the first round to address those issues? Stay tuned.
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.
Continued from page 1C
Scheffler, in his first try to get the only major he hasn’t won, was three shots back when he rammed a 30-foot birdie putt some 6 feet on the 14th and three-putted for bogey and a 71.
Clark capped off quite a turnaround from a year ago He was playing poor and looking angry, throwing a driver at the PGA Championship that made a marshal flinch, and then bashing in his locker at storied Oakmont Country Club after missing the cut in the U.S. Open last year
Oakmont banned him until he made good — which Clark did — and he set out to work on his head and his game. Both looked better than ever at Shinnecock Hills.
He finished at 4-under 276. “New York didn’t really like me I love you guys,” Clark said at the closing ceremony, hoisting the silver trophy “But I get it. Some of it’s self-deserved. I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret, and I’ve been sorry multiple times and I’m still sorry, so hopefully I can win you guys over eventually.”
But it was uncomfortable at times, not only seeing a six-shot lead disappear so quickly but a crowd so badly wanting a special day for Scheffler that it turned on Clark. One fan was ejected when he shouted, “Don’t choke, Wyndham” when it was Clark’s turn to hit on the fourth tee. And there was a loud and instant cheer on the par-3 seventh, the kind normally reserved for a shot close to the pin. This was for Clark’s tee shot rolling into a bunker, leading to a short miss for bogey that again trimmed his lead to one shot.
“New York didn’t really like me — I love you guys. But I get it. Some of it’s self-deserved. I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret, and I’ve been sorry multiple times and I’m still sorry, so hopefully I can win you guys over eventually.”
WyNDHAM CLARK, U.S Open winner
“I get it — they were rooting for Scottie,” Clark said. “Grand Slams only happen a few times. He’s going to get it. He’s the best player in the world. But today it’s my day.”
It almost wasn’t.
But Burns never caught him — he played even par over the last 10 holes. Tom Kim, who like Scheffler celebrated a birthday on Sunday, was on the fringes of seriously contending until he fell back with a bogey on the 17th and shot 70 to finish third. Clark hit a superb wedge that
That leaves a limited evaluation sample. He averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 24 games at Arizona State before the injury He made his Kentucky debut in December with 10 points and eight rebounds against St. John’s, but managed 10 points and 12 rebounds over the next three games and played his final game Jan 7.
Chris Cenac • Houston
STRENGTHS: The 6-11, 240-pound Houston freshman has rangy skills and intriguing tools. The McDon-
ald’s all-American was MVP of the NBPA Top 100 camp in summer 2024, then started 36 games for Kelvin Sampson’s top-10 team where defense, toughness and rebounding is a prerequisite to play Cenac was fifth among combine players with a 7-5 wingspan. He led the Cougars in rebounding (7.9) while hitting 30 3-pointers to show inside-out skills.
CONCERNS: He didn’t consistently pop, instead settling into a complementary role while averaging 9.5 points He had three or fewer made baskets in nearly half his
games (18 of 37) He didn’t get to the line often (58 attempts in 37 games) and shot poorly when he did (62.1%). He also committed more turnovers (33) than assists (27).
Others of note:
HENRIVEESAAR: The 6-11, 227-pound fourth-year junior from Estonia had a breakout year at North Carolina (17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds). He’s a late first-round prospect who runs the floor and fits today’s desired mold of bigs with spacecreating range. He made 42.6% on
spun back to 4 feet for birdie on the 10th to restore the lead to two shots. But then he went long on the 13th with a pitching wedge and couldn’t save par Burns last year had to deal with a rain-soaked Oakmont and a couple of shots he missed badly with so much water getting between the face of the iron and his golf ball. This time, it came down to the final two holes. He made a weak attempt at birdie from 10 feet on the 17th to tie for the lead. His 17-foot birdie chance on the 18th rolled along the right edge of the cup at perfect speed and didn’t drop. Burns let go of his putter and dropped to his knees.
“I honestly thought I made it,” Burns said. ”Just the way it goes sometimes.”
That it went Clark’s way is hard to fathom considering where he was a year ago, where he was a month ago. He was No. 75 in the world, winless in two years, when he shot 60 in the final round to win The CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
3s (40 of 94) at UNC and earned an “Excellent” rating from Synergy for his catch-and-shoot jumper, coming after shooting just 31.6% (19 of 60) from behind the arc in two seasons at Arizona.
TARRIS REED: The 6-10, 264-pound senior was an interior force in UConn’s run to the NCAA final. He had career-high averages of 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks including 31 points and 27 rebounds in the firstround NCAA win against Furman to become the first player since Houston’s Elvin Hayes in 1968 to post a 30/25 game in March Madness. The late first-round prospect has a better than 7-4 wingspan. ZUBY EJIOFOR: The 6-8, 245-pound senior was a physical presence in St. John’s run to the Sweet 16. Ejiofor has a high motor, with 15.4% of his possession usage coming on offensive-rebound putbacks, according to Synergy His sturdy frame and 7-2 wingspan that offers defensive potential with his ability to tussle in the paint and move his feet to handle switches. The late first-round prospect made 18 of 59 3s (30.5%) to offer at least some potential to step outside.
UGONNA ONYENSO: The 6-11, 237-pound Virginia senior is an intriguing second-round flier as a rim protector with a nearly 7-5 wingspan. He stood out against top pro prospect Cameron Boozer of Duke, harassing the eventual Associated Press national player of the year into season-low outputs (13 points, 3-of-17 shooting) while blocking four of his shots in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game. Onyenso’s nine blocks in that game pushed him to 21 for the tournament, breaking a record held by former Wake Forest big man and NBA champion Tim Duncan
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARIA LySAKER
Houston forward Chris Cenac goes for a layup as Arizona center Motiejus Krivas defends on Feb 21 in Houston. Cenac led the Cougars in rebounding (7.9) while hitting 30 3-pointers to show inside-out skills.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP Sam Burns reacts after missing a putt on the 18th hole during the final round of the U S. Open on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.y
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars speaks during a news conference on Sept. 22 at the team’s practice facility in Metairie.
Iran plays 10-man Belgium to 0-0 draw
BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Alireza Bei-
ranvand made seven saves while Iran and Belgium played to a 0-0 draw at the World Cup on Sunday, with Team Melli unable to break through after the Red Devils went down to 10 men in the second half.
Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy received a straight red card in the 66th minute when he miskicked a ball backward and then fouled Mehdi Taremi to prevent the Iran star from getting a clean breakaway scoring chance.
Iran couldn’t capitalize, and Belgium actually generated better scoring chances down the stretch — but both teams left with their second straight draw in group play
Neither team will feel good about the result at SoFi Stadium.
During a tumultuous World Cup trip affected by travel restrictions and visa denials from the U.S., Iran will regret missing a golden opportunity to beat a European powerhouse sitting 10th in FIFA’s world rankings while playing before a loud, supportive crowd.
Iran returned to the Los Angeles area for its second straight match in front of a crowd packed with fans from the diaspora both supporting Team Melli and decrying the Iranian government with boos
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER
Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, front, tries to control the ball past Iran’s Hossein Kanani during their World Cup
Group G match on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif. Iran and Belgium played to a 0-0 draw.
of the anthem and hundreds of Lion and Sun flags displayed.
Iran’s World Cup cycle has been chaotic ever since the U.S. began a war on Feb. 28. The Iranians
moved their training base from Arizona to Mexico, and the team is operating under travel restrictions requiring them to leave Los Angeles only hours after both matches,
infuriating coach Amir Ghalenoei.
Meanwhile, star-studded Belgium has yet to score in two matches at the World Cup, getting on the scoreboard only through an
SCOREBOARD
21. (7) Nolan Siegel, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 22. (15) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 23. (20) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 54, Did not finish.
own goal in its opening draw with Egypt.
Belgium is unbeaten in its last 15 competitive matches, but it has not scored on 53 consecutive shots at the World Cup dating back to its one goal scored in its three mostly dismal games in Qatar four years ago.
Belgium dominated possession in the first 60 minutes, but Iran had a handful of strong chances stopped by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who matched Beiranvand’s excellence. Team Melli had the best scoring chances early, including a beautiful set piece for a goal by Taremi who was ruled offside by video review
Maxim De Cuyper was denied twice in the second half by Beiranvand, including a golden opportunity in the 86th minute.
With so many preparation obstacles, Ghalenoei leaned on experience against Belgium, sending out the oldest starting 11 at a World Cup match since 1966, according to Opta.
Romelu Lukaku was a surprise addition to Belgium’s starting lineup, playing the first 73 minutes and recording one shot. The Red Devils’ career goals leader missed nearly all of his club season at Napoli with a hamstring injury and he played as a substitute against Egypt last Monday Standout Belgian winger Jérémy Doku missed the match with an illness.
Keith Mitchell, USA 70-70-70-70—280 E J.T. Poston, USA 71-71-71-67—280 E Scottie Scheffler, USA 72-68-69-71—280 E
Tyrrell Hatton, England 74-68-72-67—281 +1
Joaquin Niemann, Chile 78-65-72-66—281 +1
Sam Stevens, USA 68-69-72-72—281 +1
Gary Woodland, USA 67-73-73-68—281 +1
T. Fleetwood, England 70-71-70-71—282 +2
John Parry, England 71-71-71-69—282 +2
Aaron Rai, England 74-67-72-69—282 +2
Justin Rose, England 71-70-73-68—282 +2
Xander Schauffele, USA 71-66-73-72—282 +2
Sahith Theegala, USA 72-67-70-73—282 +2
Ludvig Aberg, Sweden 69-72-76-66—283 +3
Akshay Bhatia, USA 70-70-73-70—283 +3
Ben Griffin, USA 72-70-72-69—283 +3
Collin Morikawa, USA 73-65-73-72—283 +3
Justin Thomas, USA 71-68-75-69—283 +3
Matt Fitzpatrick, England 67-70-74-73—284 +4
Corey Conners, Canada 69-72-71-73—285 +5
Pierceson Coody, USA 72-71-71-71—285 +5
Ryder Cowan, USA 68-72-72-73—285 +5
Alex Fitzpatrick, England 71-69-72-73—285 +5
Ryan Fox, New Zealand 70-73-74-68—285 +5
Emiliano Grillo, Argen. 73-70-67-75—285 +5
Benjamin James, USA 69-72-77-67—285 +5
Ben Kohles, USA 70-71-74-70—285 +5
Jackson Koivun, USA 72-71-74-68—285 +5
Zac Blair, USA 71-70-72-73—286 +6
Keegan Bradley, USA 70-71-71-74—286 +6
Brian Harman, USA 69-71-73-73—286 +6
Dustin Johnson, USA 66-77-71-72—286 +6
Max McGreevy, USA 68-73-73-72—286 +6 Rory McIlroy, N. Ireland 69-71-73-73—286 +6 Maverick McNealy, USA 72-68-73-73—286 +6
Jacob Bridgeman, USA 73-71-74-69—287 +7 John Keefer, USA 71-70-76-70—287 +7
Robert MacIntyre, Scot. 70-74-73-70—287 +7
Miles Russell, USA 72-71-74-70—287 +7
Michael Brennan, USA 72-71-73-72—288 +8 Laurie Canter, England 72-72-71-73—288 +8
Chris Gotterup, USA 75-69-73-71—288 +8
Max Greyserman, USA 69-73-76-70—288 +8
Harry Higgs, USA 71-68-77-72—288 +8
Ryo Hisatsune, Japan 71-69-73-75—288 +8
Sungjae Im, South Korea 74-68-71-75—288 +8
Michael Kim, USA 71-72-70-75—288 +8
N. Norgaard Moller, Den. 71-70-73-74—288 +8
Cameron Young, USA 72-70-73-73—288 +8
A. Dumont De Cha., Bel. 71-71-77-70—289 +9
Angel Hidalgo, Spain 69-74-74-72—289 +9
Kurt Kitayama, USA 74-68-76-71—289 +9
Bud Cauley, USA 72-72-72-74—290+10
Nicolas Echavarria, Col. 71-73-75-71—290+10
Marek Fleming, USA 72-72-74-72—290+10
Jordan Spieth, USA
Peter Uihlein, USA
Spencer Tibbits, USA
Jackson Van Paris, USA
Eric Lee, USA
Caleb Surratt, USA
73-70-73-74—290+10
74-70-80-66—290+10
68-74-76-73—291+11
70-72-76-73—291+11
74-70-78-71—293+13
75-69-75-74—293+13
Russell Henley, USA 70-73-80-71—294+14
H. Matsuyama, Japan
William Mouw, USA
James Nicholas, USA
Andrew Putnam, USA
Neal Shipley, USA
Patrick Rodgers, USA
Dylan Wu, USA
Auto racing
71-73-77-73—294+14
70-70-74-80—294+14
71-72-82-69—294+14
74-68-74-78—294+14
71-73-77-73—294+14
72-71-80-74—297+17
73-71-82-72—298+18
IndyCar Road America Grand Prix results
Sunday At Road America
Plymouth, Wis.
Lap length: 4.014 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (12) Christian Lundgaard, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55 laps, Running. 2. (2) David Malukas, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 3. (10) Will Power, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55 Running. 4. (19) Kyffin Simpson, Dallara-Honda, 55, Running. 5. (1) Alex Palou, Dallara-Honda, 55, Running. 6. (25) Alexander Rossi, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 7. (6) Scott McLaughlin, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 8. (4) Felix Rosenqvist, Dallara-Honda, 55 Running. 9. (13) Santino Ferrucci, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 10. (18) Kyle Kirkwood, Dallara-Honda, 55 Running. 11. (11) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 55, Running. 12. (9) Pato O’Ward, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55 Running. 13. (5) Marcus Ericsson, Dallara-Honda, 55, Running. 14. (23) Louis Foster, Dallara-Honda, 55, Running. 15. (14) Romain Grosjean, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 16. (8) Caio Collet, 55, Running. 17. (22) Mick Schumacher, 55, Running. 18. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Dallara-Honda, 55 Running. 19. (24) Sting Ray Robb, Dallara-Chevrolet, 55, Running. 20. (17) Dennis Hauger, 55, Running.
24. (3) Marcus Armstrong, Dallara-Honda, 52, Did not finish. 25. (16) Christian Rasmussen, Dallara-Chevrolet, 28, Did not finish. Race statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 119.220 mph. Time of Race: 01:51:06.4432. Margin of Victory: 0.6241 seconds. Cautions: 5 for 11 laps. Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers. Lap Leaders: Palou 1-13, Rosenqvist 14-31, Armstrong 32-42,
STOKING THEFIRES
St.Georgemay have slayed thedragon, butishe thesolenamesakefor theEastBaton Rougecity?
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
St. Georgeslayed the dragon. Ask most peopleabout the venerated Christian knight,and they’ll reply with this one-sentence story.A statue commemorating this moment stands in frontofSt. George Catholic Church off of Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge.
So why was the East Baton Rouge Parish city of St.George named after the dragon slayer?
That wasn’t theexactway aBaton Rouge reader posed her question. St.George’sname obviously plays apart in the city’sname, and St. GeorgeCatholic Church stands within the municipality.
“Is the city named forthe church?” thereader asked.“Or are there other factors? Where doesthe city get itsname?”
Thevillage and fire department
Some sources attributeittothe
area’sVillage St. George subdivision, built in phases between 1956 and 1968. Other sources give partial credit to the Village of St. George Volunteer FireDepartment and Social Club, established in 1966. The fire department eventually evolved into the St. George Fire
Protection District. Andthe Catholic parish of St. George was established in this area in 1908, making it the secondoldest Catholic church in East Baton Rouge Parish.The oldest is the Cathedral of St.Joseph on
BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press
McDonald’sisfrying up some apple piestohonor America’s 250th birthday
HILLEL ITALIE
Thecompany said it’sbringing back fried apple pies for thefirst time in morethan three decades. The y’ ll be available at most U.S. restaurants for a limitedtime starting June 23. McDonald’sisone of several fast-food companiesoffering semiquincentennial treats. BurgerKing recently debuted its Firecracker Cookie Pie, which has asugar cookie crust andred,white andblue starshaped sprinkles. Sonic is offering ared, white and blue slush float for $2.50. Hardee’shas an iced Star-Spangled Biscuit with red and blue sprinkles.
Here’salook at McDonald’s fried apple pies by the numbers:
1968
The year McDonald’sintroduced both its fried apple pie and the Big Mac hamburger Litton Cochran, aMcDonald’s franchisee in Tennessee, developed therectangle-shapedpie, whichwas served in acardboard sleeve. 1968 was amomentous year that included the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr in Memphis and Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles, protests against the Vietnam Warand the signing of afederal law prohibiting housing discrimination.
1992
The year McDonald’s replaced the friedapple pie with abaked version in mostofthe U.S., responding to growing consumer awareness of fat and cholesterol consumption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture first published its food guide pyramid the sameyear.Fried apple pie remained on McDonald’smenus in Hawaii and is still sold in some othercountries, including the United Kingdom, Mexico, Greece, Australia and China.
230
Numberofcalories in McDonald’s baked apple pie. That’s10more calories than the fried version, according to thecompany’s website. Acup of boiled lentils, asingle almondSnickers bar and agrande Frappucino from Starbucks have the same calorie count, according to publicly available nutrition information.
130
Number of members of the Facebook group “Bring Back the Original McDonald’s Fried Apple Pie.” By comparison, there are1,100 members lobbying McDonald’sinthe “Bring Back the McRib” Facebook group and 928 members of the “McDonald’s, Bring Back the Szechuan Sauce” Facebook group.
170M Number of Americangrown applesthatMcDonald’s says it serves every year at its U.S. stores.
35 Height, in feet, of a giant fried apple pie that McDonald’sisinstalling on Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, near McDonald’sChicagoheadquarters. That’sabout the height of athree-story house and some species of palm trees. The giant apple pie will stay in place until July 4, the company said.
AP PHOTO By CARA RUBINSKy
STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER
Astatue of St. Georgeslaying the dragon stands in front of St.GeorgeCatholic Church off Siegen Lane in the city of St.George.
JAVIER GALLEGOS
By
Today is Monday, June 22, the 173rd day of 2026. There are 192 days left in the year
Today in history: On June 22, 1938, in a rematch that bore the weight of both geopolitical symbolism and African American representation, American Joe Louis knocked out German Max Schmeling in just two minutes and four seconds to retain his heavyweight boxing title in front of 70,000 spectators at New York’s Yankee Stadium. Also on this date: In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated for a second time as Emperor of the French.
In 1941, Nazi Germany
CURIOUS
Continued from page 5C
Main Street.
“I wouldn’t say it was any one single thing, but I would say all of those things contributed to the choice of the name,” said Scott Byrd, city of St. George’s program director “They wanted to pick something that people could already identify with, and those three things are probably some of the more notable things in this area.” Byrd points out that the core of the city was already called the Village of St. George on maps because of the subdivision.
“And so, I think all of those things combined led to the decision to name the city St. George when they were forming the petition to create a city,” Byrd said. How it happened
The movement for the city’s formation originally began in 2010 after residents in the Shenandoah neighborhood sought to break away from the East Baton Rouge Parish school system to form their own independent district. The effort failed, resulting in a bigger urban secession movement.
The incorporation of the city of St. George was finally approved in a special
LIBRARIES
Continued from page 5C
naval history, the ponydrawn sleigh he rode in as a child, and on and on.”
Since FDR helped launch the modern system of presidential sites in the late 1930s, a network of museums and research facilities has grown nationwide, overseen in part by the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, but otherwise as varied as the men they honor They are set everywhere from the scenic Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in California’s Simi Valley to the small-town setting of the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa, to the vast Barack Obama Presidential Center that opens to the public on Friday Juneteenth, in Chicago.
Historian Douglas Brinkley, who says he has visited all of the post-FDR libraries, calls them vital hubs for lectures, research, school tours and tourists.
“Each of the libraries have their own aura,” Brinkley says. “Roosevelt came up with a perfect idea by gifting his home in Hyde Park to the people of America, instead of having his papers stored in a warehouse in Virginia or Maryland. He started a tradition of having them go where the president lived.”
A little presidential spin Libraries carry with them a given president’s personality and legacy Brinkley and others note that while the library archives are managed by NARA, the museum is funded by private donors who are likely to prefer a given president’s more favorable moments be emphasized or less favorable ones softened.
On the Hoover website, a page dedicated to the Great Depression emphasizes that some of the policies enacted
launched Operation Barbarossa, a massive and ultimately ill-fated invasion of the Soviet Union that would prove pivotal to the Allied victory over the Axis Powers.
In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known as the “GI Bill of Rights,” which provided tuition coverage, unemployment support and low-interest home and business loans to returning veterans.
In 1945, the World War II Battle of Okinawa ended with an Allied victory
In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that lowered the minimum voting age to 18.
In 1977, John N Mitchell be-
came the first former U.S. attorney general to go to prison as he began serving a sentence for his role in the Watergate cover-up.
In 1981, Mark David Chapman pleaded guilty to killing rock star and former Beatle John Lennon.
In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court, in R.A.V v. City of St Paul, unanimously ruled that hate crime laws that banned cross burning and similar expressions of racial bias violated free-speech rights.
In 2009, a Metro commuter train slammed into the back of another train waiting to enter a station in Washington, D.C., killing nine people, including a train operator, and leaving dozens injured. It was the deadliest accident on the Metro train system
election on Oct. 12, 2019, by 54% of the voters residing within the proposed city’s boundaries in the southeast corner of East Baton Rouge Parish After several years of legal battles, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of St. George, allowing the incorporation to proceed.
That was in April 2024. The city elected its first mayor and city council on March 29, 2025, and with a population of almost 84,000, it’s now Louisiana’s fifthlargest city St. George is the state’s newest city, unseating the city of Central, also in East Baton Rouge Parish, which held the “newest” status after its incorporation on
by Roosevelt, who easily defeated Hoover for reelection, were first proposed by Hoover The Richard Nixon library in Yorba Linda, California, was for years at the heart of a battle between museum administrators and the former president and his supporters over everything from control of his archives to how much space should be dedicated to the Watergate scandal that helped lead to his resignation Max Boot, author of a 2024 biography of Reagan, contrasted his access to the Reagan archives with the museum itself. The late president’s records were “administered by federal employees in an entirely professional and apolitical fashion There is no attempt to hide anything,” he said. The museum “naturally focuses on Reagan’s achievements and shortchanges his failures.”
“It’s designed to present a positive portrait. Thus, volumes critical of Reagan are not sold in the library bookstore,” Boot said.
Historian Ted Widmer, a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton, said, “While it’s inevitable that the presidential libraries will present the highlights of a presidency, there has been some progress toward transparency in recent years.”
He praised the Lyndon Johnson library, located in Austin, Texas, for its willingness to take on LBJ’s widely criticized handling of the Vietnam War. In 2023, the library helped revive interest in one of Johnson’s most notorious campaigns — the 1948 Senate campaign now widely believed to have been stolen — by posting recordings on its website of interviews by Associated Press reporter James W. Mangan with a former Texas election judge who acknowledged certifying false votes that helped LBJ win.
“It is hard to know if future libraries will continue that trend, in an era in which
April 23, 2005.
The city is nestled in the southeast portion of East Baton Rouge Parish and includes the Inniswold, Oak Hills Place, Old Jefferson, Shenandoah, Village St. George and Westminster communities. City maps can be viewed at the East Baton Rouge Parish Geographic Information System website, ebrgis.opendata.arcgis.com. They show rough borders that follow roads on the city’s north side and Bayou Manchac on the south.
The city’s boundaries St. George Catholic Church unintentionally played a big part in how these boundaries were
history is increasingly politicized and polarized,” Widmer says. “But it’s healthy for our democracy to encourage the study of history as it really happened — not a sanitized version.”
The Obama experience
Obama officials have faced criticism for the center’s size and aesthetic —
“The building has an ominous presence, its mostly windowless heft recalling a menacing sci-fi headquarters,” wrote The Guardian’s Oliver Wainwright — and for their decision not to have a NARA facility on site. A substantial amount of the former president’s records are digital, a trend Brinkley expects to continue with future libraries.
As many as 1 million people are expected to visit the center’s 20-acre campus each year with highlights including a public library branch, an NBA-grade basketball court, a fruit and vegetable garden and a playground Obama tested out one of the high metal slides in May
“That was fantastic,” he said after zipping down, according to a video posted to the Obama Foundation’s social media. “I was a little tall for it.”
Obama also decided many of the center’s details and features, from textured stone on the museum’s 225foot tower to a pair of highbacked reading chairs inside the library Among his favorite items, though, are charcoal grills that will be available for public use. He
floated the idea to the public at a 2017 community meeting and was met with warm laughs from the hometown crowd.
“We don’t have any folks who grill here?” Obama said at the time “I thought this was the South Side of Chicago.”
since it opened in 1976.
In 2011, after evading arrest for 16 years, mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger was captured in Santa Monica, California.
In 2012, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted by a jury in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, on 45 counts of sexually assaulting 10 boys over 15 years. (Sandusky would later be sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.)
In 2025, U.S. forces used bunker buster bombs and cruise missiles to attack two underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran, seeking to deliver a knockout blow to that country’s nuclear program. Today’s birthdays: Actor Klaus
determined. According to cityofstgeorge.com, a website formed by the city’s supporters during the transition from community to city, “the church parish’s original boundaries were similar to the city of St. George’s city limits, providing the area with an early sense of continuity.”
The church’s website, st-george.org, traces its history from its humble beginnings in a “small, wooden chapel sitting off a remote country road on land donated in 1885 by the widow of George Kleinpeter,” who was one of Baton Rouge’s earliest and most prominent landowners and farmers.
“The exact date the chapel was built is unknown, but St. George is listed as a chapel and school in the church directories of the Archdiocese of New Orleans by 1891,” the church history continues. “At the time, St. George was a mission of St. Joseph Church in Baton Rouge. Prior to the building of the chapel, this small community was served by priests from St. Joseph who arrived once a month to celebrate Mass in one of the area homes.”
The parish was established in 1908, and according to the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, the
church’s name, St. George, was a nod to George Kleinpeter’s “patron saint” — the saint for whom he was named.
The story of St. George Jacobus de Voragine, the 13th-century Archbishop of Genoa, recounted the legend of St. George in his book, “The Golden Legend; or, Lives of the Saints.”
“Saint George was a knight and born in Cappadocia,” he writes. “One time he came to the city of Silene in the province of Libya.
Near this city was a pond, wherein there was a dragon which was poisoning all the country.”
The city’s people tried to appease the creature by supplying it with a meal of two sheep a day When there were no more sheep, a daily lottery of human sacrifices was put in place.
“Whoever the lot fell upon, wealthy or poor, he or she was delivered to the dragon,” de Voragine writes.
That’s when the name of the king’s daughter was drawn, and to make a long story short, St. George rescued her by killing the dragon.
The real story of St. George, though tragic, is less fantastical. He was, in-
deed, born in Cappadocia now Turkey — in the third century He wasn’t a knight but a high-ranking officer in the Praetorian Guard for the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
George refused Diocletian’s command to persecute Christians and thereby refused to recant his own Christian faith, which resulted in his torture and beheading. That was in 303 AD. His burial site remains a pilgrimage destination in Lod, central Israel. The dragon myth initially was attached to St. Theodore Tiro in the ninth and 10th centuries, then transferred to St. George in the 11th century Some sources attribute its origins to Roman Thracian horseman iconography of a serpent entwining the Tree of Life. In the end, St. George stands as his own symbol in front of the St. George Catholic Church and the city that has grown around him.
Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.
Maria Brandauer is 83. Musicianproducer Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon) is 82. Musician-producer Todd Rundgren is 78. Actor Meryl Streep is 77. Actor Lindsay Wagner is 77. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is 77. Singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper is 73. Actor Bruce Campbell is 68. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich is 66. Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California is 66. Basketball Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler is 64. Actor Amy Brenneman is 62. Actor Mary Lynn Rajskub is 55. Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner is 55. Actor Donald Faison is 52. Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey is 48. Golfer Dustin Johnson is 42. Singer Dinah Jane is 29. Actor Sean Kaufman is 26.
STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER
A plaque commemorating St. George Catholic Church’s 1908 establishment as a parish hangs on the church’s building, which was dedicated in 2017.
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LIBRA (Sept.23-Oct. 23) It's onestepforward and three steps back. Pay attention to detail, anddon't embellish what you can do.Overthinkingorpromisingtoo much willmake you look bad.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.22) An open mind will lead to learning andpreparing yourself forwhat'stocome. Armyourself with information,and connect yourself to those who can help youmake your dreams come true.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Shuffle things around at hometoboost your productivity.Followingtheruleswillpay off andchange how others perceive you. Personal improvements will enhance your appeal.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Sit tight with eyes wide open and observe what's unfolding around you.Hold on to the
information you digest until you can back up your claims. Putyour energy into self-improvement.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) The pressure is on. It's time to take notice and to unleash your plans. Participation is in your best interest. Get involved in what excites you, andyou'll connect with someone you can share concepts with.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Get in the game, speak up, share concepts andgowhere the action is, andyou'll connect with an opportunity youwon't want to miss. Refuse to let the changes others make drag you in the opposite direction. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Verify factsand takenotes.Beopentosuggestions,butdo what's best for you. Aprofessional move or changing how you handle money will offer an incentive to save for something special.
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Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact ©2026 by NEA, Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
FAMILY CIrCUS
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
TODAy'S CLUE: CEQUALSS
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.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZardoFid
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Earl Wilson,ajournalist whowrote a nationallysyndicatednewspapercolumn called “ItHappened LastNight,”said,“A baseballgameissimplyanervousbreakdown divided into nine innings.” Threeno-trumpissimplyanervous breakdowndividedintoninetricks.Well, what shouldSouthdointhis deal after West leadsthe heart twoinanswer to his partner’sovercall,andSouthtakesEast’s queen with hisking(or ace)?
After East’s one-heart intervention, Southhad two choices: atakeout double (ifNorth would have read it as such!) or anatural two-no-trump rebid, showing abalanced hand with 18, 19 or apoor 20 points andhearts wellheld. Since North couldhave still looked for a4-4 spade fit at thethree-level, Southmade thesame rebid that he would have produced if East had remained silent. South startswith onlyfive toptricks: twospades, two hearts andone club. Since theclubfinesseisprobablylosing, declarer should try to add four diamond trickstobring his total up to nine. It looks so easy to lead thediamond queen or jack at trick two, but with this layout,that costs the contract. East wins thetrick and establishes his hearts.
Whendiamondsbreakbadlyandtheclub finesse is losing, South cannot recover.
wuzzles
As asmall safetyplay, declarer should cross to dummy’s spadeking, then lead a low diamond toward hishand. Here, the ace appears, collecting onlylow cards, and thecontract is safe. However, if the ace does not appear, Southwinsthe trick and continues thesuit, hoping for a3-2 break. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which createsadisguised word, phrase,name,place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d”
ToDAY’sWoRD BoonDocKs: BOON-dox: Aremote, thinly settled rural area.
Averagemark 11 words
Time limit 25 minutes
Can you find 17 or more words in BOONDOCKS?
sATuRDAY’sWoRD —REGoLITH
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
