The Advocate 06-22-2026

APPEAL

An empty Railroad Avenue extends from

small town sees early signs of growth as Hyundai plant brings investment to community

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND staff writer

Lewis Savoie remembers walk-

ing the streets of downtown Donaldsonville when Railroad Avenue was bustling with shoppers

“There were cars up and down both sides of the avenue. And it was a quaint little town,” he said, picturing the city nearly 40 years ago. “And today, that’s not so much.”

Now 64 and the owner of Cane Sugar Toffee Co., Savoie looks out the storefront window onto quieter streets. Most of downtown Donaldsonville’s historic brick buildings sit vacant, with cracked windows, dark interiors and for-sale signs.

But just a few miles away, one of the largest industrial projects in Louisiana is taking shape. Hyundai Steel’s planned $5.8 billion facility is expected to bring thousands of jobs and longterm investment into the region. As work on the project moves forward, business owners, investors and city leaders are betting that Donaldsonville could be on the verge of a revival.

ä see STEEL, page 4A

“We

LEWIs sAVoIE, owner of Cane sugar Toffee Co.

New tax district would aid BR sports complex

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER staff writer

Baton Rouge’s Elite Training Academy has hopes to expand its footprint to add more than a dozen baseball fields, a stadium and more, aided partially by a new economic development district near Burbank Drive and Lee Drive approved by the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council earlier this year On July 1, an additional 2% sales tax will be collected in the Bayou Fountain Economic Development District’s boundary, along with

PsC report says plan benefits Meta, but Entergy cites state’s rising 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.

ä see PLANT, page 4A

sTAFF PHoTos By MICHAEL JoHNsoN

Mississippi street in the historic downtown of Donaldsonville. Longtime residents can remember a time when the streets of downtown were bustling with shoppers.

A delivery worker from Ten M Vending makes a delivery along Mississippi street.

sTAFF FILE PHoTo By HILARy sCHEINUK young athletes play a game of pickup football in the indoor field at the Elite Training facility in Baton Rouge.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

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.”

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 The crew of Delta flight 2351 coordinated with air traffic control to perform the go-around, an airline spokesperson said. The plane, which had 129 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and deplaned normally according to the spokesperson.

Czechs rally over public broadcasters’ funding

PRAGUE Thousands of Czechs rallied in the capital on Sunday to condemn a plan by the government led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to overhaul funding for public broadcasters that is considered dangerous for their independence.

The protesters gathered in front of the Czech public television offices in Prague to voice their support for the media a day before their staffers plan to go on a warning strike, and after recent protest marches in the regional capitals and Prague. According to the plan approved last week, public radio and television would be financed from the state budget starting next year, and not from fees paid by individuals, households and businesses.

Critics say that change would give the three-party coalition government a means to take control of the media following the examples of populist governments in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico and in Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

“The media don’t belong to politicians,” Mikuláš Miná , a main organizer from the Million Moments for Democracy group said. “They belong to us all and we won’t allow them to be stolen from us.”

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

to lead both the party and the country

“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working,” he said.

“Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”

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

Classified

THE DEsERET NEWs PHoTo Residents rush to evacuate saturday as winds drive the Iron Fire toward 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.

Trump shakes U.S.-Iran negotiations with threats

BY AAMER MADHANI, SEUNG MIN KIM and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press

OBBUERGEN, Switzerland High-level negotiations in Switzerland seeking a permanent end to the Iran war ended early Monday, with lowerlevel talks planned for the rest of the week as Iran and the United States agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” to address the fighting in Lebanon.

A statement from mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the cell would include the Lebanese government and would “ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon.” But it remains unclear whether that will be enough to stop fighting between the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah and Israel, which occupies Lebanon and insists it must maintain a free hand to attack militants who are launching attacks into northern Israel.

The U.S. offered no immediate comment, while Iran praised the meditators’ work.

The talks marked the start of a 60-day diplomatic process that seeks to reach a permanent deal to end the Iran war But the fighting in Lebanon remains one of the key sticking points.

Meanwhile, Iran insisted it had again shut the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf crucial to energy shipments, while the U.S. said traffic continued.

The negotiations had a tense start Sunday in Switzerland, when Tehran took offense at President Donald Trump’s threat to attack and his warning that Iran’s president should watch what he says.

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away despite some government officials saying that won’t — and can’t — happen.

“The EDD allows these tax dollars to be reinvested in this particular area for things like drainage maintenance, li ght ing , sidewalks, crosswalks,” said council member Jen Racca, whose district is where the EDD is located. “No one is trying to take anyone’s land away.” Racca acknowledged that family members have raised fears of property being seized by eminent domain.

“Eminent domain law can only be used if there is a limited public purpose,” Racca said. “The Louisiana Constitution says economic development and enhancement of tax revenue shall not be considered in determining whether it’s for a public purpose.”

The taxing breakdown

The taxing district is unusual in that the amount of tax revenue going to the cityparish will incrementally increase over time.

According to a draft of the agreement the council will vote on this Wednesday, for 2026, the entirety of taxes collected in the district boundary will be given to the district’s board at first. In 2027, 75% of those taxes will be remitted to the district. In 2032, that tax revenue will be split 50% between the city-parish and the district. By 2041, 25% of those taxes will be given back to the district.

Because no voters reside in its boundary, the new taxing district only needed Metro Council’s vote approval on April 22 to go into effect. Reached Thursday, Mason Batts, executive director for Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ office, said any dispute over the purchase of land needs to be worked out between the Duplantier family and Elite, adding that Edwards supports projects like the one envisioned here.

“If the Elite Training project moves forward, it has the potential to be a significant economic driver for the area,” Batts said. Edwards’ staffer said the administration respects private property rights and supports the two parties holding productive conversations.

He said the “city-parish government has no inter-

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

“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!!!”

The comments from afar — on social media and to news outlets — complicated efforts by Vice President JD Vance and mediators Pakistan and Qatar to keep Iran engaged in discussions.

“They would do better to be careful about their statements,” Iran’s lead negotiator, 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.”

But later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that

“Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War.” He said the first “real test” of negotiations would be whether the deconfliction cell succeeded in halting the fighting in Lebanon.

Vance and U.S negotiators including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, had met with Qalibaf and Araghchi for what Iranian state media said was about 80 minutes.

Pakistan and Qatar after the meeting said lower-level technical talks would continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week. Such talks aim at producing the breakthroughs needed for high-level officials to return and sign agreements.

A senior U.S. diplomat engaged in the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private dis-

Baton Rouge’s Elite Training Academy has hopes to expand its footprint to add more than a dozen baseball fields, a stadium and more, but some of the vacant land the facility is eyeing is not for sale, the owners say.

est in becoming involved in those discussions.”

Elite’s plans

The council was set to approve the tax remittance agreement at a meeting on May 27. But council members decided to reschedule the vote for June 24 after members of the Duplantier family who own property in the boundary voiced their concerns

One of those family members, Rebel Caplinger, notes that the family has owned the land for six generations, and takes issue with Elite conducting an environmental study in the area without the family’s consent She also questioned why the land was included in the district’s boundary without the family’s OK.

According to a copy of the original district proposal, Elite planned to purchase the more than 160-acre property from the Duplantier family where it would expand its complex to 10 flat sports fields that would include a stadium-style field. The plan also includes adding 13 baseball diamonds, additional concessions, restrooms, parking and more.

“We’ve been blindsided by all of this stuff that’s occurred,” Caplinger said. “They never talked to us. It’s my property. It is not the city’s property It is my property.”

Greg Stringfellow, who owns Elite and is a representative of the economic development district, said he’s made numerous offers in writing to purchase the land from the family

But Caplinger says the land has never been listed for sale, though unsolicited offers have come in over the years. She said she is not aware of Elite reaching out “until after the EDD had passed” two months ago

Whether the family sells the property to Elite or not, Stringfellow says the taxing district benefits the company either way, as well as other businesses in the area that will reap the benefits of the sales tax collected in the

boundary

“Those funds must be spent on projects that will spur economic development in the district,” Stringfellow said. “This includes infrastructure projects in addition to the actual construction and/or improvements of sports tourism complexes.”

As for any dispute about the purchase of land, Racca says that has nothing to do with the council deciding to remit tax revenue back to the district. If the agreement is not approved Wednesday, she said the tax dollars will be still collected and deposited into a city-parish account

While Racca and Edwards say the city-parish has no plans to take the land, Caplinger isn’t convinced.

“We have been expropriated more than once on other pieces of property, so we are highly aware and concerned,” she said. “Our biggest fear is that all of this has happened so far without us knowing.”

In 2006, the Louisiana Constitution was amended to explicitly bar eminent domain seizures for economic development purposes.

“Any suggestion that the city-parish is considering taking private property for this development is simply false and not based in reality,” Batts said.

Development incentives

With a majority vote, the plan of government allows for the Metro Council to amend the ordinance that created the district and change the boundary, though it would have come with a certification from the registrar of voters that no voters live in the area.

Caplinger argues the district makes it more costly for the family to develop their land in the future — unless that development fits the requirements of the city-parish’s rebate agreement

“The EDD encumbers us in a negative way,” she said.

Racca said there is no reason to change the boundary, and if the Duplantiers’ land isn’t sold, it will be impacted positively

cussions, said the talks Sunday included clarifying what Iran meant by recent statements about the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiators also discussed “mechanisms” to ensure the strait remains open and that a ceasefire in southern Lebanon is enforced, along with “robust” discussions on the nuclear issue.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon

Negotiators are in a 60-day 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 together? 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

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.

“The landowners receive the benefit of having these taxes pay for flood mitigation, drainage maintenance, put towards sidewalks, culverts and crosswalks,” she said. “If they want to develop, they have the opportunity to petition the EDD board for whatever they need for whatever they might build there.”

The company is actively pursuing several sports tourism opportunities — includ-

Nuclear program

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.

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%.

Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

ing adding volleyball and baseball — that can immediately start by converting its current space and would add sports that don’t exist in the district.

Stringfellow said a major youth sports complex would bring tens of thousands of visitors to the area each year and said he’s confident that Elite will be able to move forward with its project — on land currently owned by the

Duplantier family or somewhere else. “We remain open to negotiating in good faith with any party that wants to participate in this exciting opportunity, and hope to formalize an agreement on the final location soon,” Stringfellow said.

Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.

sTAFF FILE PHoTo By HILARy sCHEINUK

REUTERs PHoTo By NATHAN HoWARD

Racca

Centuries along the river

Donaldsonville’s history dates back to 1805, when Englishman William Donaldson purchased land near Bayou Lafourche from Acadian settler Marguerite Allain. From 1829 to 1831, Donaldsonville served as Louisiana’s capital.

The city has experienced cycles of growth and decline. In the early 1900s, the damming of Bayou Lafourche altered trade patterns that had long sustained the city Later, the arrival of the automobile, the construction of the Sunshine Bridge and Interstate 10, and the growth of heavy industry reshaped the region’s economy

“The downtown area was thriving at one point and Donaldsonville was the place to be before the interstate came through on the east bank of Ascension Parish Donaldsonville was alive and well. But since that time, things sort of deteriorated to no businesses opening except Walmart,” Donaldsonville Mayor Leroy Sullivan said Construction beginning Major employers such as CF Industries and other plants along the Mississippi River have long provided jobs and economic activity for the area. But local leaders say the scale of Hyundai Steel’s planned facility could bring a level of investment unlike anything Donaldsonville has seen in decades.

The Hyundai Steel mill was officially announced on March 24, 2025, during a White House event attended by company executives, Gov Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump.

The planned $5.8 billion ultralow-carbon electric arc furnace facility will be built on approximately 1,700 acres in the RiverPlex MegaPark near Modeste Construction officially began in February

The plant, set to begin operations

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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 But an analysis commissioned by the PSC as part of its standard review of the plans found that the primary reason Entergy will need the 1,200 megawatts of power from the plant is because of the massive power needs of Meta’s data center in Richland Parish.

Lane Sisung, a consultant who works for the Louisiana Public Service Commission and regularly analyzes utilities’ proposals, filed testimony rebutting Entergy’s proposal earlier this month. Sisung raised a range of concerns: The plant is 22 years old, has reliability issues that will require hundreds of millions in spending by Entergy and was acquired a few years ago by its private equity owners for far less than what Entergy plans to pay for it. And, he wrote, the need for power exists “principally by the Meta-related ramp period rather than by general system load growth.”

The filing represents a rare potential roadblock to Entergy and Meta, who have won near-total support for the massive buildout of data centers and power plants from Louisiana’s Republican elected leaders. In recent months, Gov Jeff Landry’s administration has set aside millions in incentives for Meta and the PSC has fasttracked Entergy’s plans for powering the data center

Both a Metairie Republican and a Baton Rouge Democrat on the PSC are raising concerns about the deal, citing high costs and the PSC consultant’s finding that it’s largely only needed because of Meta. Other PSC members did not return messages for this story

The report comes on the heels of a White House

The sidewalks are empty along Railroad Avenue in Donaldsonville.The city which was founded in 1805, has experienced cyles of growth and decline

As a new Hyundai steel mill begins construction nearby Donaldsonville has seen new investments, property sales and business openings

in 2029, is a collaboration between two South Korean manufacturing giants. Hyundai is the world’s third-largest automobile maker, and POSCO is the seventh-largest steel producer Once complete, the facility is expected to produce millions of tons of steel annually and generate thousands of construction jobs, as well as more than 1,000 permanent positions.

“It brings an opportunity for young people to get a job right here instead of having to leave and go to other states. It’s going to open up economic development, and people will stay here, and the population will increase. That means more money being spent in the area, so it’s a win-win for the city of Donaldsonville,” Sullivan said.

Economic growth so far

The ripple effects of Hyundai Steel’s planned facility are already being felt in Donaldsonville, with new investments, property sales and business openings in the past few months.

meeting this March, when President Donald Trump had major tech executives sign a pledge promising that their companies would pay for their own power needs when building data centers, in a bid to stave off rising public outrage about high electric bills

Meta rebuffed claims that it was violating the pledge, saying Entergy would file a response to Sisung’s analysis in July And the company emphasized that it is spending billions to cover its own power needs for the data center campus, arguing it will save customers money in the long run.

“This consultant’s report is inaccurate speculation given the facility will provide power to multiple Entergy customers and Entergy planned to acquire it before Meta decided to build in Louisiana,” Meta spokesperson Francis Brennan said in a statement “Meta pays its own way, both for the power and new infrastructure we use. Our agreement with Entergy is built to guarantee we pay those costs, not Louisianans.”

Entergy’s first mention of buying Cottonwood in PSC filings came when it asked to purchase the facility in December The company said Cottonwood’s owner made an “unsolicited offer” to Entergy in January of last year

“It’s kind of gobsmacking,” said Logan Burke, head of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of ratepayers and has been critical of the Meta deal. “This is a side door acquisition to serve Meta with no Meta promise behind it.”

Sisung recommended that the PSC reject Entergy’s request to recover costs associated with buying the plant from customers. Instead, he said Meta should pay for the plant if the commission decides that it’s needed to fill capacity gaps caused by Meta’s data center

Documents filed by Entergy show that if approved, a customer using 1,250 kilowatt-hours a month, roughly the average for Louisiana customers, would pay $8.65 a month to pay for the plant In the summer, customers would be hit with higher charges as consumption increases. For instance, Entergy’s documents show a customer using 2,000 kWh would pay nearly $13 more a month Entergy spokesperson Brandon Scardigli said in a statement that Entergy will

“The Hyundai Steel project could be the single most transformative economic development opportunity Donaldsonville has seen in generations,” said Donnie Miller, Ascension Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.

Since the plant was announced just over a year ago, several Korean investors have placed their bets, investing nearly $4 million to buy property in the area.

Among the first was Bella Lee, who opened Hi Bob Korean restaurant in March at 817 Veterans Blvd Property records show Lee purchased the building in July for $415,000.

In May, another Korean investor purchased the mixed-use property at 416-420 Mississippi St for about $2.25 million. The 25,000-squarefoot building includes a hotel, restaurant and event space.

Lindsey Redhead of Elifin Realty who represented the sale, said the property is expected to reopen this month because it required little renovation.

“They’re going to see a surge in

address claims about Cottonwood “through the regulatory process,” and noted the Public Service Commission will ultimately decide whether it’s in the public interest. He said it’s in the “preliminary stage.”

He added that Entergy has been projecting capacity deficits starting in 2027 since well before Meta announced plans for its data center here. He pointed to the company’s 2023 resource plan, initially filed in 2021, which did not mention Cottonwood by name but forecast a 510-megawatt energy shortfall in 2027, growing to more than 5,000 megawatts in the 2040s.

“No single customer is driving this acquisition,” he said. “This facility is the best option for all Louisiana customers. The demand for power across the state has accelerated consistently and significantly for a number of years from the needs of residential customers to larger projects in LNG, steel and other industrial and petrochemical development across the state.”

It’s still not clear what action the PSC will take on the matter, which is being litigated in a “docket” between PSC consultants and Entergy A hearing is set for September, and Entergy wants approval by November

A spokesperson for the PSC declined to make Sisung available for an interview or answer questions.

Significant profits

The deal would not only be a win for Entergy and Meta. The seller stands to make a significant profit.

The Cottonwood plant was tossed around between several owners for years until 2023, when Atlas Holdings, a private equity firm based in Connecticut, bought Cottonwood and several other power plants from Cleco for $600 million.

In the intervening years, the market for power changed dramatically A rush of data centers has caused a feeding frenzy in the electric power sector, causing the price of building a new natural gas plant to skyrocket.

Now, Atlas is planning to sell Cottonwood for $1.4 billion to Entergy filings show That’s about $1 billion more than the underlying value of the facility, Sisung’s testimony shows. Entergy would spend more than $300 million on acquiring and upgrading

this new workforce coming there, and it’s going to be a big opportunity for people on the west bank of Ascension to capitalize on this growth,” Redhead said.

Two additional downtown buildings are expected to open later this year as Gangnam Korean BBQ and Lemon Tree Coffee and Ramen Bar

Lindsay Lee, who purchased the properties for more than $1 million, said Hyundai and other industrial projects influenced her decision to invest in Donaldsonville.

“The infrastructure expansion driven by large-scale industrial projects, including the Hyundai plant, was a major motivation With a massive influx of workforce, we anticipated a strong demand for large-scale field restaurants and catering,” Lee said.

Lee said she hopes the business “goes beyond providing meals.”

“We want to introduce the deep, authentic flavors and culture of proper Korean cuisine,” she said.

“By offering a high-quality dining experience to both field workers and local Donaldsonville residents, our true objective is to contribute to the revitalization of the downtown area.”

Miller said the chamber is working to help local companies connect with Hyundai and its contractors and identify opportunities to become part of the project’s supply chain.

Looking ahead

While major industrial employers have long surrounded Donaldsonville, much of that economic activity has historically occurred outside city limits or has not fully translated into broader community development, Miller said.

“In many ways, projects of this scale serve as catalysts that help communities reach a tipping point where private developers and investors gain confidence to pursue projects that may not have previously been financially viable,” Miller said. “For Donaldsonville, Hyundai represents an opportunity to capture more of the economic

the plant, bringing the total cost to $1.8 billion.

PSC member Eric Skrmetta, a Metairie Republican who has supported the data center projects, said the sale price is “taking advantage of the moment.” He said he doesn’t see a reason to consider approving the deal unless Meta pays for it

“The Atlas guys think they’ve got something that’s worth more than it is,” Skrmetta said. “They’re going to try to get as much for it as they can. Good luck to them. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.”

Entergy executive Laura Beauchamp wrote in company filings that the premium is reasonable given the difficulty and “rapid escalation in costs” associated with buying or building new natural gas-fired power plants. She wrote that new-build gas plants being put into service in 2030 are forecast to cost 65% more than projects coming online today

The rush to build data centers has sent demand for power soaring, and utilities filed for nearly 24 gigawatts of gas-fired power across the country last year, a 570% increase compared to 2023, according to a report from BloombergNEF One gigawatt can power about 750,000 homes, and Cottonwood generates about 1.3 gigawatts.

value generated by industry and convert it into visible community growth.” Sullivan said the city has established a strategic planning commission to prepare for expected growth. While infrastructure and housing will need attention, he said, preserving Donaldsonville’s character remains a priority

“One of the things we hear is that we don’t mind the growth, but they want to make sure that Donaldsonville keeps that small community atmosphere. So we want to make sure we grow in a way that we don’t lose the integrity of the city of Donaldsonville,” Sullivan said. Miller said the city could see population growth, increased housing demand, rising property values and expanded healthcare, education and recreation opportunities.

Sullivan said he believes Donaldsonville could look dramatically different in 10 years.

“I picture a population that could almost double. I see a lot of businesses opening here in the city I see a lot of economic growth and we hope that we have all of the growth at the same time but still keep the community safe,” Sullivan said.

When Savoie opened Cane Sugar Toffee Co. nearly two years ago, he had no idea the scale of growth that was coming.

“We had no idea these plants were going to be doing what they’re doing. The growth and the magnitude of them It’s taking our little business to unbelievable places. We have customers from all over the world coming in here, and it’s really helped us,” he said. After living in Clinton for nearly 40 years, Savoie was “surprised at the unkept properties and lack of preservation” when he returned to Donaldsonville. Still, he hopes to see downtown return to what he remembers from his childhood.

“I hope to see the traffic that I once saw in the 1980s when I left town,” he said. “At one time, Donaldsonville was a thriving little country town.”

Sisung suggested the 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 asked to shoulder And those “scarcity conditions” are primarily the result of Meta’s huge power needs for its data center, he wrote.

“Less than three years after affiliates of Atlas acquired the entire Cleco Cajun generation portfolio for approximately $600 million, Louisiana customers are being asked to fund approximately $1.43 billion for Cottonwood alone (and) invest at least $300 million for additional rehabilitation capital,” Sisung wrote.

The amount that would be charged to regular customers from the deal also raises “serious concerns,” he added.

Reliability problems

Entergy’s stock price has soared as Meta and Amazon build data centers in north Louisiana while industrial customers build energy-intensive plants in south Louisiana.

Scardigli, the Entergy 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 the system by helping meet near-term capacity needs and reducing the risk of supply shortfalls,” he said. But the plant also has reliability 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’s power 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 member Davante Lewis said he wants to see the case litigated instead of settled so Entergy can answer the questions raised by PSC consultants.

“When the commission approved Meta, it was always clear there was going to be more generation needed to fully serve their load,” said Lewis, a Baton Rouge Democrat. “This request brings a lot of questions about how we materialize that and continue to protect ratepayers.”

sTAFF PHoTo By MICHAEL JoHNsoN

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

Kennedy Center says

it isn’t

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.

sCHIEFELBEIN

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By MARK

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

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 spaces will still be accessible but the stages may largely be silent.

Colombians vote in presidential runoff

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 freedom to decide.”

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 of 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.

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.

“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.

required to reschedule shows

“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.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By MICHEL EULER

People cool off in a water spray on saturday at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Police: Teen 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 firstdegree murder in Minnieweather’s disappearance. The teen’s body has not been recovered.

Based on their investigation, 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 Winbourne 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 Cash App payments from Parms to the girl. The teen told police she had met up with Parms multiple times at his home and his white truck and black SUV. She told police Parms would take her to stores and buy things for her as well as send her payments through Cash App.

An arrest warrant was issued for Parms on June 10 for counts of indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor

In talking to police, Parms admitted he had been at the residence on Bradley Street on June 4 Parms said he met Minnieweather only briefly and left soon after the encounter However, police said security footage contradicted Parms’ account and showed Parms riding a bicycle that is similar to one used by Minnieweather

Security footage obtained by police showed Parms left his residence early on the morning

of June 5 in his white truck and returned within an hour, the arrest warrant states. Detectives obtained a search warrant for Parms’ cellphone, which showed the phone was left at his home during the time frame where he is seen leaving in the truck. It also shows that Parms was at home when he is seen on foot and riding a small kid’s bike, the warrant states.

Detectives were able to narrow a location down to where it was believed Minnieweather was possibly attacked.

Detectives obtained video of a tall Black man dragging a garbage can to a spot in the 3200 block of Conrad Street. They also found video from a minute later of a man matching Parms’ body type riding a small kid’s bike away from Conrad toward Charles Street. A tall male also was seen getting off the bike and throwing it into some bushes He is then seen taking off a black mask, gloves and a T-shirt, which

VII Vogue

he throws into several garbage cans. When he took off the mask, detectives immediately recognized him to be Parms, the warrant states. Parms is seen then walking toward the direction of his residence a short distance away, police said.

Additional video showed Parms in his truck as he returned to the garbage cans to retrieve the shirt, gloves and mask, police said. He then returns to his residence and is seen wiping down areas of his truck with a rag, police said.

After witnesses described observing a tall man beating a smaller person while a kid’s bike was in the middle of the roadway, detectives were able to locate blood that had soaked into the ground. Detectives obtained a search warrant for Parms’ truck, which tested positive for the presence of blood.

Staff writer Charles Lussier contributed to this story

Man sought in woman’s death on Saturday

Detectives with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office are searching for a 21-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a woman at a Geismar residence on Kerry Road. Marquell Green, 21, of Geismar, is wanted on a count of second-degree murder according to a news release issued by Ascension Sheriff Bobby Webre on Saturday Deputies were called around 3 p.m. Saturday to a residence on Kerry Road in reference to a shooting. On arrival, deputies located a woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead on scene.

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

Detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit identified Green as the suspect. Green fled the area before deputies arrived and remains at large.

Anyone with information that could help with the investigation is urged to call the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office anonymously at (225) 621-4636 or by texting 847411 to the anonymous tip line from any cellular device or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867. To receive a cash reward, call Capital Region Crime Stoppers.

One injured in Port Allen shooting, five arrested

Five people were arrested after a dawn shooting Sunday in Port Allen left one person injured.

Officers with the Port Allen Police Department were dispatched around 5 a.m. to the 700 block of Azalea Street over reports of a shooting.

Police learned one victim suffered several gunshot wounds and relocated to a different address in the 3000 block of La. 1 South, according to a news release from Port Allen police.

The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment. Their condition is stable but critical, and they will remain in the hospital for some time, the release said.

Five suspects were arrested and booked.

sTAFF PHoTo By MICHAEL JoHNsoN

Mike the Tiger sits on a rock recently in his enclosure on LSU’s campus

Minnieweather

Americansasked aboutTrump’s handling of Iran

BY LINLEY SANDERS and AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Associated Press

WASHINGTON— MostAmericans continue to disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling Iran, while his overall presidential approval holdssteady, accordingtoanew APNORC poll that was conductedashesuggested a deal with Iran had been 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 ofthe war remains lopsidedly partisan. About two-thirds,65%, of U.S. adults disapprove of how Trump is handling issues with Iran. But while the vast majority of Democrats and independentsview Trump’s actions negatively,only 28% of Republicans are unhappy Americans’views on how the president is handling Iran are roughly in line with hisoverall jobapproval, which stands at 37%, unchanged from an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conductedinMay Thenew survey wasconductedJune11-17,justafter Trump called off threats to escalate the war with Iran. The poll was fieldedas Trump announced adeal with Iran and authorized an endtothe U.S.navalblockade in the Strait of Hormuz, concludingjust before the deal was signed Wednesday

Approval of Trump’sactions on Iran has beenlow over the past few months. But in interviews, some Republicans also weren’t pleased withthe outcome of this week’sagreement, which gives Irananimmediate benefit, allowingitto sell its oil freely again

Thedeal alsoreopens the strait without tolls for twomonths, restarts talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’snuclear programand calls for Tehranto dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium

David Farrington,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 thecountry’s nuclear weaponsprogram.

“Any agreement regarding the strait is hardly what Iwould consider arecognizable concession on the part of Iran,” Farrington said. “So, Iconsiderthatsome fluffthatattemptstomake this agreementlook better when it’snot.”

ApprovalonIran flat

Only about one-third of U.S. adults approveofhow Trumpishandling Iran in thenew poll, in line with May.

DonaldMcBride, a 28-year-old independent in Plano, Texas, is frustrated that Trump has not maintained hiscampaign promise to keepAmericaout of foreign wars. McBride votedfor Trumpbut he opposedgoing to warwith Iran.

“I would likethe war to end,” he said. “The original objective of the war was to endthe Iranian regime, and that’sjust not possible. I

of the

in Evian-les-Bains, France.

don’treally know whywe’d continue fighting.”

The poll suggests most Americanswant action in Iran to wrap up. Even with an agreement on thehorizon, 53% of U.S. adults said American militaryaction against Iran had “gone too far,”onlya slight decline from 59% in March.

About 4in10Republicans, though, saidinthe latest poll thataction has been “about right,” and 37% said it had not gone far enough.

Joan Jones, a64-year-old independent in northwest Florida, believes theUnited States’ actions in Iran have been necessary to address thethreat Iran posed.

“Those attacks are ultimatelytoprotect us from nuclear attacks,”Jones said. “I think we have to go throughthat …and eliminatethatworry so we don’t have that hovering over us.”

Approach to Israel

About one-third,34%, of U.S. adults approveofhow Trumpishandling Israel.

Tensions have been rising between Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trumpasthe president criticizes recent Israeliattacks in Lebanon, which jeopardized negotiations

between Washingtonand Tehran.

James Huffman, a69-yearoldRepublican in Medway, Ohio,thinks Trump is taking the wrong strategy when it comes to Netanyahu.

“Netanyahu is notgoing to do everything Trump wants.He’sgoing to do what he 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’sinline withlast month, andcontinues achallenging stretch for Trump on the issue.

Jones, the Florida independent,ismore optimistic than most. She said she can hardlyleavethe house some hourswithout getting stuck in the trafficoftourists headed to the beach on vacation.She alsospots linesaround the block for Starbucks, McDonalds and Chick-fil-A in hercommunity —all signs to her that theeconomy is doing well overall.

“I thinkPresident Trump’s policies are contributing to abettereconomy,” Jones said.

OtherRepublicansare

more skeptical, atroubling sign forapresident who prides himself on hisbusinessacumen. Only 69% of Republicans approveof 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 economywhere prices have gotten outofcontrol “I just said the other night, ordering pizza is for rich people,” she said. Bailey voted forTrumpbut added, “He’skind of let me downa little bit.”

Evenifhigh prices preceded Trump, Bailey doesn’tthink he’s livedup to his pledge to improve the economy

“I think he got so distracted with the war that he forgot some old promises,” she said.

The AP-NORC poll of 3,040 adults was conducted June 11-17 using asample drawn from NORC’sprobability-basedAmeriSpeak 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.

Turtle conservationistmourned in Lebanon

Womankilled afterIsraeli strike

BY SALLYABOUALJOUD and ALI SHARAFEDDINE Associated Press

BEIRUT Mournersgathered Sunday in Beirut to pay their respects to a much-loved Lebanese conservationist who diedafter succumbing to wounds sustained in an Israeli strikeon her home on the country’s southern coast.

Mona Khalil, who spent more than two decades protecting sea turtles along Lebanon’scoastline, was critically injuredinthe strike on her home in the village of Mansouri earlier this month and died of her wounds Friday.She was 76.

AssoCIATED PREss FILE PHoTo By HUssEIN MALLA

Mona Khali releases baby sea turtles in Mansouri village near Tyre city,southLebanon, in July 2018. The Lebanese conservationist died on Fridayafter beingwounded in an Israeli strikeonher homeonLebanon’ssoutherncoast.

servation project withher She also brought her own children to volunteer,introducing them to the work of protecting nesting turtles and hatchlings along Lebanon’ssouthern coast.

During the previouswar between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollahin2024, Khalil initially refused to leave Al-Mansouri beach, Jomaa said. The Lebanese army ultimately persuaded herto evacuate for her safety.“She was the last one to leavethe area,” Jomaa said.

twodays after Israel and the U.S. attacked its ally Iran.

Khalil could have left Lebanon altogether.She held Dutch as wellasLebanese citizenship, having lived in theNetherlands before returning to Lebanon and settling in what had once been her grandmother’shome—the building that wouldlater becomeknownasthe Orange House.

But she refused to leave her homeagain.

Bradford,Donald Eugene 'Don'

Donald "Don"Eugene Bradford,a loving hus‐band,fatherand longtime BatonRouge attorney, passedonJune 14, 2026. He wasbornDecember4,1941 in Alexandria,Louisiana Knownfor hisinfectious smile,Don is survived by hisdevoted wife Jane (Pierce),his children Mark Bradford (Stephanie), LeighAckerman(Gerard), AmyKubricht(Trey), Beth Carroll(Clayton) and stepchildren Jennifer Hat‐ter(Chipper) andTreyD'Ar‐mond (Kelly)aswellas belovedniece Nancy Romero (Jerry). He wasan adoring"PawPaw"toHal‐lieand Matthew Bradford Avaand Edward Ackerman, Addisonand Campbell Car‐roll,Faith Kubricht,Hunter andBen D'Armond,aswell as Ally andGrayHatter. He is preceded in deathbyhis parentsOttieLouise(Van‐dervort) andJosephCor‐bitt Bradford as well as his brotherJCBradford. A proudgraduateof LouisianaState University, both forundergrad andlaw school,Don waspresident of SigmaChi fraternity.As abeliever, he wasonthe FirstNew Testament Church boardofdirectors for33years.Later in life, he wasanelder at Chapel at theCreek in Bluff Creek, Louisiana. "One thingI have desiredofthe LORD, that will Iseek after, that I maydwell in thehouse of theLORDall thedaysofmy life,tobeholdthe beauty of theLORD, andtoenquire in histemple." Psalm27:4

Howtoplace an Obituary Notice

Howtoplace a MemorialAd EMAIL: obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FORMORE INFORMATION: 225-388-0289

“She saidI am acivilian, Ihave no weapons, I will shut my door,” Jomaa said.

The Orange House, which Khalil helped build into a small conservation hub and ecotourism site in Mansouri, became arefugefor endangeredloggerhead and green sea turtles and atraining ground forvolunteersdocumenting nesting activity alongthe coast. News of her deathtriggeredanoutpouring of grief among environmentalists and those who volunteered and worked with herover theyears.

researching seaturtles in Lebanon and thendecided to volunteer withher project Forthe volunteers, “this relationship didn’tstop at being avolunteering relationship —Monabecame our mother,” Jomaa said.

“She hadanawful timein Beirut,” Jomaa said, adding thatKhalil longed to return to the south, to theOrange House and the beach shehad spent years protecting.

AnotherIsrael-Hezbollah war erupted in March. Hezbollah firedacross the border into Israel on March 2,

On June 4, an Israeli strike hither home. Khalil andher domesticworker wererushed to the hospital.Itwas notclear what the intended target of the strike was

Journalist and environmentalactivist Fadia Jomaa first met Khalil in 2016 while

Jomaa became one of Khalil’sclosest collaborators, eventually helping managethe sea turtle con-

Ramiro Valdés Menéndez,key

figure of theCuban Revolution,diesat94

BYANDREA RODRIGUEZ Associated Press

HAVANA, Cuba Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, aformer vice president and akey figure of the Cuban Revolution who fought alongside Fidel Castro, died Sunday,the Communist Party and Cuba’sgovernment said. He was 94. Valdés was one of the closest allies of Fidel and his brother Raúl Castro since the 1953 attack on the Moncada barracks that marked the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. He remained an influential figure in the following decades. The joint statement didnot provide details on the cause of death.

“Ramiro Valdés Menéndez deserves therespect and admiration of the Cuban people for his dedication and provenloyalty to the revolutionary cause,” said the statement publishedbythe official news portal Cubadebate. On X, President Miguel Díaz-Canel saidValdés’ deathhurt likethe loss of a father

“Every act in Commander Ramiro’slife wasmarked by his absolute loyalty to theleadershipofFidel and Raúl,” President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Valdés was born April28, 1932, in the western city of Artemisa. He was21whenhejoined

FidelCastro’s1953 attack on the Moncadamilitary barracks,the openingact of therevolution that would eventually overthrow dictator Fulgencio Batista. Valdés later fought under the command of legendary guerrilla leader Ernesto “Che”Guevara and became one of the few rebels to hold the honorary title of Commander of the Revolution. He was also awarded the title “Heroofthe Republic of Cuba.”

Valdés fell out with Fidel Castro while serving as interior ministerin1986 and was considered out of the main circle of power until 2003, when he rejoined the Council of State.

AssoCIATED PREss PHoToByVADIM GHIRDA PresidentDonald Trumptakes questions Wednesday during anewsconferenceatthe end

G7 summit

YOUR VIEWS

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 speech protected by the First Amendment.

The 26th Amendment(lowering the age at which one could vote) passed faster than any otherconstitutional amendment. Its rationale was that if young men could be required to fight and possibly die for their nation in wartime at18, they could not be denied theright to express their opinion withregard to their government’sdecisionto engageinwar until the age of21. Inherent wasthe 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 fullestextent possible.

Perhaps that idea is what the framershad in mind when theywarned us about “factions,” and what George Washington had in mindwhen 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 the finals 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’s final 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.

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?

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

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR AREWELCOME.HEREARE 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 sEND Us ALETTER sCAN HERE

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.

Theletter also mischaracterizes thePelican Institute’s“Shock to theSystem”report, which documents this alarming trend and

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.

MELISSA LANDRY director, Center forEnergy/ Pelican Institute forPublic Policy Neworleans

WhenI first 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 its five boroughs. New Orleans’ eight-parish area (Jefferson, Orleans St. Tammany,Plaquemines, St.Bernard, St

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

Regarding Will Sutton’scolumn, “The NAACP wants Black athletes to boycott schools like LSU.Should they?”

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

George Will

The U.S. military’sseniorechelons think constantly about ano-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,isthat wewill 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 at atime

And because of inexpensive countermeasures, Russia’sair force, Europe’s largest, has been unable to operate effectively over Ukraine.

But a fight with China would be utterly unlike this in tempo and 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 Dillon Prochnicki, writing for the Waronthe Rocks website, recently termed that fightera “masterpiece,” but “a forcedesigned around amasterpiece is notdesigned for long, protracted wars.”

In Iran, the authors say,the F-35 “performed brilliantly” the tasks it was designed for: penetrating contestedair spaces, and using sensors to find, track and deliver strikes againsttargetsinside an integrated air defense system. But, they say,war games concerning the Western Pacifichave repeatedly concluded that most aircraft losses would happen on the ground. Most U.S. aircraft sit within range of Chinese missiles where U.S. air andmissile defenses “cannot reliably defeat salvos at the scales China can generate.” F-35s, Ferrari and Prochnicki stress, have a“heavy ground footprint.” They depend on maintenance facilities, diagnostic systems, spare parts and fuel and munitions inventories, and skilled maintainers. “Destroy any piece ofthat supportinfrastructure, andyou degrade sortie generation aseffectively as destroying the aircraft themselves.”

Theycontinue: In Iran, F-35s chose the time and tempo of attacks against fixedtargets “with the luxuryofanoperationalpause between sorties.”War with China“would demand continuous,reactiveoperationsatadversaryimposedtempo acrossthousands of miles, against avast and mobile target set.”Ferrari and Prochnicki favor many fewer F-35s than currently planned, reserving these for missions requiring penetrating stealth, and spending the saved resourceson“cheaper,replaceable systems.”

RetiredAir Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula’srejoinder to theauthors, in amemotothiscolumnist, acknowledges the wisdom of their advocacy of moreuncrewed systems, and more hardenedand dispersed basing. But he says Ukraineand Iran teach opposite lessons.

Ukraineshows that absent air superiority,war becomes attritional —slower andbloodier.Iran shows the utility of advanced stealth, electronic capabilities, precision strikes and integrated air operations to “break open adefended battlespace”: The attacker imposes tempo, suppresses air defenses and shortens the conflict

Drones generally cannot flylong distances, anddonot communicate penetrate defended airspace,carry substantialpayloads or serve as a command-and-control platform.F-35s canand shouldbethe center of a“full airpower ecosystem,” Deptula says, penetrating defended battlespaces, strikingadversary centersofgravity andenabling other U.S. forces.

By denying Russia air superiority, Ukraine’sground-basedair 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 symptom of its 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 onthe 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.

Britain and then wrote aconstitution all to protect their wealth against redistribution.Then, in what Ihave called the“Midcentury Moment” 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

Thehardest andthe best

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 were A’s. Only a decade earlier,that figure was35%. 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 NewYork 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.”

Michael Barone

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 ofmonarch and church, and with no motive to conceal motivation from thethen-nonexistent Marxian or Freudian theorists.

“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 the first instance of states’ abolishing thepractice.”

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.

Early 20th-century progressives, influencedbyMarxist assumptions about economicclass warfare, tried to prove that colonists led arevolution against

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, tractsocieties, 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.”

Wood was among the multiple leadinghistorianswho criticized The New York Times’ Nikole Hannah-Jones’ argumentthat 1619, the importation of the first slave in the colonies, was the

Wood has been critical as well of the notion, recently mentioned withoutdisapproval by Vice President JD Vance, that those with American ancestorsin 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 theuniversities, mosthave been replaced by academics with different interests and amore adversarial approach to the nation whose bounty and freedomsmake their work possible.

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.

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 wereonly 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.

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

Horn took unconventional routetoSaintsHOF

BY SHELDONMICKLES

Contributing writer

Editor’snote: This is one of 12 profilesof inductees for the LouisianaSports Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Festivities will take place from Thursday-SaturdayinNatchitoches.

Compared to some of his NFL peers, JoeHorn ran adecidedly differentpass route to stardom.

After all, the many twistsand turns that led Horn, amultisporthigh school star,tobecoming one of the league’spremier wide receivers would have probably left even aHollywood scriptwriter abit dizzy

From his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to being selectedinthe fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, Horn’slong, winding journey was special tosay theleast.

It was unconventional,unimaginable and —most of all —highly unlikely

It was also largely unfulfilling until a 28-year-old Horn, who toiled in relative anonymity in his four seasonswith the Chiefs,joined the New Orleans Saints as an unrestricted free agent on Feb. 13, 2000.

Before signing afour-year,$9.9 million contract with the Saints, one of Horn’s top highlights came when he andChiefs teammates Derrick Thomasand Neil Smithperformed thenational anthem beforea Monday Night Football game in ajam-packedArrowhead Stadium.

Many more highlights were to come within the white lines after Horn’s pro career took offwith the Saints, which ledhim to induction intothe Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as amember of the Class of 2026.

Forstarters, themany obstacles Horn

ute to Saints, HOF

had to navigate beforehecould contributeand put together aproductive seven-year stint with theSaints from 2000-06 would have made even the most talented players give up on the sport. But hisdeterminationpaid off.

Yearslater, Horn told reporters how he was down to two or three dollarsinhis pocket, whichheusedto buy aJerry Rice workoutvideo from aBlockbuster store.

Studying and emulating the drills the future Pro FootballHallof Famerwas doing led Horn to put together his own tape, which he sent to multiple NFLand Canadian FootballLeague teams.

The CFL, which expanded to the United States ayear earlier,was

ä see HOF, page 3B

PREss PHoTo By GEoRGEWALKER IV

Wyndham Clark celebratesafter abirdie on the16thhole during the final round of the U.s. open on sunday at shinnecockHills Golf Club in southampton, N.y

Second Wynd

BYDOUG 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’s finalact 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.

Despitenot having picksin firstround,changes couldstill be in storefor

One year after being the mosttalked about team on NBAdraftnight, the New Orleans Pelicans may not be talked about at all this time around.

As of now,the Pelicans don’thave a firstround draftpick forthe draftthat will be held Tuesday and Wednesday in Brooklyn, NewYork.

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 a firstround pick ayear early But Dumarsalso said two days 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 targeting in the first round, they could just waituntil the draftstarts and see how things play out. Finding agood player in that 15-20 range in adeep draftclass is

saints wide receiver Joe Horn sTAFF FILE PHoTo By DAVID GRUNFELD

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 winnertake-all 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,”

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 tworun 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. 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.”

Heim outduels Reddick for first Cup win

By The Associated Press

CORONADO, Calif. — Corey Heim

slammed into the wall twice while destroying his tires during the first few runs Sunday in the inaugural NASCAR race at Naval Base Coronado It was no problem for Heim, whose No 67 Toyota inexplicably kept getting faster on the way to his first career Cup Series victory in only his 13th start.

The 23-year-old part-time driver from Marietta, Georgia, took a deep breath before the second half of the race and reminded himself that he had as much experience as the veterans on the 16-turn, 3.4-mile street course on Coronado Island, just south of downtown San Diego.

“I’m speechless,” Heim said.

“Maybe I knocked some good into the car I have no idea. I had high expectations coming into this race. I just reset and went after it.” Heim, the 2024 truck series champion who will move full time into Cup next season with 23XI Racing, led the final three laps after snatching first from teammate Tyler Reddick.

“I was able to stick with him, and five to go came, and it was time to put some pressure on him and see if I could get him to make a mistake,” Heim said. “Sure enough, he did.” Bubba Wallace finished second to deliver a 1-2 finish for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA great Michael Jordan.

Reddick suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and fell to 25th, cutting his lead in the standings to eight points over Hamlin

“To even have a shot at it at the

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.

end was really nice,” said Reddick, who started from the rear after unapproved adjustments to his No. 45 Toyota. “First and foremost, congratulations to Corey I thought I was going to be able to hold him off there. It definitely stings. Really needed a good points day Had another really bad one, so we’ll try and scrape together.”

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. Heim became the third firsttime winner in Cup this season, joining Ty Gibbs (Bristol) and Carson Hocevar (Talladega).

“Just crazy,” Heim said. “I hope I don’t wake up from this dream.” His peers already think Heim’s for real.

“Awesome job by Corey Heim,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson said after finishing third.

“That’s really cool. He’s a super talented race car driver and it’s neat to see somebody get their first win, especially at a challenging track like this.”

Zane Smith and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five. Hamlin, the driver-owner who had won the past three races for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 14th. 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

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. 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

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.

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 PHoTo 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.

PRoVIDED PHoTo

‘Justanatural’: Marshall to enterLouisiana sports HOF

BY RONHIGGINS

Contributing writer

Editor’s note:Thisisone among 12 profiles of inductees for the LouisianaSports Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Festivities willtake place from Thursday-Saturdayin Natchitoches.

The mostforthright advice acollege-aged John James “J.J.” Marshall received about pursuing asportswriting career came from a crusty veteran scribe.

“The hours are terrible, you’ll never make any money,” Bill McIntyre, atransplanted Massachusettsan who was astaple on the Shreveport Times staff for44 years, told Marshall. That’sundeniably true. Forget the timecard. Sportswriters work until the job gets done Most of them wouldn’tknow how to act if they came close to earning six figures annually Shreveport native Marshall eventually ignoredMcIntyre’swarning.Not just once, but to the third power

for more than fourdecades. “That’swhatwecallgreat radio.”

There’sthe teacher J.J., who has been themediadirector since 1992 at his high school almamater,Loyola College Prep.

“His mindset for projects andthe way he envisioned thingsreallyresonated with me,” says Will Rabun, a Loyola Class of 2022graduatewho recently accepted ajob in Tyler,Texas, after graduating in May with a University of Arkansas journalism degree. “J.J. is not only the best teacher I’ve ever had, but also thebest role model.”

For mostofhis 46-year career,all spentwhere he was born andraised,the 66-year-old Marshall balanced handling atleast two of his journalistic ventures.

But now,at social security age, he spins three awardwinningplatesasa mustread writer,an entertaining sports radio talk show host and anurturingeducator.

to capturing theLouisiana Sports Writers Association 2023 Story of the Year

“J.J. is morecompetitive than most of us,”said Allen, a2022 DSAHallofFame winner who worked for several Louisiananewspapers, starting with the Journal. “He’sfun and entertaining on the radio.But when he writes,he’sserious business.

“He’slike ‘Nobodyisgoing to tell this story better than Ican.’ Sometimes Ithink he writesinfulluniform, a cup, eye black and the whole deal.”

It beganwithelementary school-aged J.J., perusing the newspaper sportsagate page.

“I really was more of an information junkie,” Marshall recalled. “I didn’thave any great prose, but writing sportsseemed like anatural thingfor me.”

BY BOBTOMPKINS Contributingwriter

Editor’snote: This is one among 12 profiles of inductees for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Festivities will take place fromThursday-Saturday in Natchitoches.

Kathy Stewart Holloway’slife has been marked by unprecedented achievement as awoman in high school sports once ruled by men

Yet, she points with love to two men who, behind the scenes, helped her along theway

Herfather,Jack Stewart, acar salesman, put up her first basketball goal on the side of a building on the family property in Lecompte when shewas atyke. It was atarget, set then at alower achievable height,but she always aimed high at whatever goal she pursued. That attitude was motivated by her father’s constant encouragement to “do your best.”

Marie Gagnard (2019), api-

oneer as awomen’s pro tennisofficial;and Opelousas native Joan Cronan (2020), the women’sathletic director during the Pat Summitt era at Tennessee, in the subset of women who have beenhonored.

The classic story of Holloway’sdisciplined but quiet push into amale-dominated hierarchy at the Louisiana High School Coaches Associationcame during an All-StarweekendinBaton Rouge in 1982, when, as she said, “football coaches controlled everything.”

Yet, some of the iconic coaches of theday,likeCharlie Brown of Neville and Red Franklin of Haynesville (both since electedtothe Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame),liked her and asked her when she was going to run forpresident (ofthe LHSCA).

honored by the NHSACA, becoming the first winner of an award named in her honor,the “Kathy Holloway Women of Inspiration Award,” given annually to women promoting high school athletics. Herroad to prestigious positions andhonors started at her home in her youth. The oldest of threechildren of Jack and Edith HarrisonStewart, Kathy started shooting and dribbling abasketball as soon as shecould walk,and from the start, her father set the barhigh.

“Forhim,” said Holloway, “everything we did, it was ‘do your best.’” Young Kathy took that message to heart and has livedbyittothe present day.

There’sthe writer J.J., whose style flows so smoothly that he makes a3,000word story seem like ashort read.

“He’sjust anatural,” vowed NicoVan Thyn, a former Shreveport Journal sports editor

There’sthe radio host J.J., who teams with older brother Ben for “SportsTalk with J.J. and Bonzai Ben,” the longest-running radio sports talk in Louisiana

“Their listeners always know whattoexpect, but somehow always receive theunexpectedwithJ.J and Ben,” says Shreveport native TimBrando, anationally known college football and basketball play-by-play voiceonvariousnetworks

HOF

Continued from page1B

first to spot Horn’spotential. He was with the Baltimore Stallions and Shreveport Pirates practice squads before getting abig breakwiththe Memphis Mad Dogs in 1995. Flashing speed and shiftiness, Horn piled up 71 catches for 1,415 yards with along of 90, averaging 19.9 yards per reception on the way to earning CFL Southern AllStar honors.

But the CFL’s South of the Border experimentfailed because of financial woes and poor attendance, which meant players had to head north to continue theircareers. The numbers Horn put up in Memphisled theChiefs to take a fifth-round flieron Horn with the 135th overall pick. It was vindication for Horn, who took acall from Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer welcoming him to the NFL. Nicknamed “Hollywood” for his flashy clothesinthe locker room and swagger on the field, Horn was willing to do anything to stayinthe league.So, in his third season in 1998, he switched to defensive back. When aChiefs wideout went down with an injuryin

Such atriple-threat talentisrecognized by hiscolleagues, whovoted Marshall as oneoftwo winners of the Louisiana SportsHall of Fame Distinguished Service AwardinSports Journalism. There’snosecret why Marshallgetsbetterwith age

“If Ididn’thave thevehicletotellstories, that’swhen you might as well just put me in the old folks’ home, because I’llhavenothing elsetodo,” hesaid Sportswriting chose Marshall long before he finally reciprocated the love and started collectingawards for thepast 41/2 decades.

It stretchesfromhim and longtimefriend Teddy Allen co-writing the 1987 AssociatedPress sports editors’ national best feature winner

apreseason game, however, Hornwentinatwidereceiver Acatch on ago-route prompted Schottenheimer to give hisreceivers coacha directive: “‘Put Joe Horn at widereceiver, and don’tyou change him,’ ”Horn recalled himsaying. “That’swhen I knew Iwasn’tgoing to be cut.”

Ayear later,Horn had 35 receptions, 586 yardsand six TDs. But as an impending free agent, his bid for a big payday from theChiefs never materialized. Horn wound up in New Orleansas the second UFA signed by thenew Saints regime led by general manager RandyMueller and coach Jim Haslett after they picked up veteran quarterback Jeff Blake. It didn’t hurt that new offensivecoordinator Mike McCarthy was the Chiefs quarterbacks coach during Horn’sfirst three years in Kansas City

So didMueller,who was the Seattle Seahawks vice president of football operations when histeam faced Horn and theChiefstwice ayear Horndidn’tdomuchinhis first three seasons against the Seahawks. But late in the 1999 season, he had a76-yard TD —the longest gain ofhis 12-year NFL career —and had92yards on threerecep-

Marshall was already into his high school playing career in football and baseball when VanThyn assigned thehigh school sophomore to cover an area high school basketballtournamentfor three nights. It resulted in his first byline.

“I have no memory whatsoever of who scored points, andthe lede was probably crappy,” Marshall said, “but thenext day when Isaw my name,byJohnMarshall, at the top of the story,itwas one of the greatest thrills in my life.I thought, ‘This is something Ineed to do the rest of mylife.’

”

Yetafter he quarterbacked then-Jesuit to a14-0 record and astate championship in 1976 in which he threwagame-winning screen pass for thegame’s only touchdown, he enrolled at Louisiana Tech as an accounting major Why? Because of McIntyre’saforementioned warning shot.

tions with Muellerwatching from the press box.

Mueller saidthe Saints needed theskills Horn possessed to rebuild afranchise that had suffered six consecutive losing seasons —capped by a3-13 mark in 1999.

WhenHorn’s career blossomed with 94 receptionsfor 1,340 yards and eight TDs, the Saintswon 10 games and theNFC West titleand shocked thereigningSuper Bowl championSt. Louis Rams for thefranchise’s first playoff victory Horn continuedtorack up big numbers, catching 80 or morepassesand piling up at least 1,250 yards in four of his first five seasons in New Orleans— earning Pro Bowl berthsin2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. In those five years, he set numerousclub recordswhile averaging 87 catches,1,257 yards and nine TDs in playing79ofapossible 80 games.

Known for his crowd-pleasing touchdown celebrations, Horn hada memorableone when he pulled in the second of acareer-high four scores in a45-7 routofthe New York Giants on Dec. 14, 2003.

Upon reaching the end zone, Horn reached under the goalpost’spadding andretrieved acell phone to keep a promise to his children.

“SinceitwasaSundaynight

Herhusband,Charles, whowas thedirectorof business affairs andcomptroller at LSU-Alexandria for 35 years beforehis death19years ago, was the other mostinfluential man in herlife. Sheturnedto him for advice before any bigdecision in an extraordinary career as acoach and administrator

Astring of honors stands as testimony to her many local, statewide and national accomplishments, the latestofwhichisbeing among 12 elected to the2026class to be inducted into the Louisiana SportsHall of Fame in Natchitoches

She is the25th recipient of theDaveDixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award and will be enshrined in the Hall as the fourthfemale Dixon winner She joins Pineville native Sue Donohoe (2017),an NCAA basketballadministrator; Alexandria native

“At aFridaynight barbecue before aSaturday AllStar football game, Iwas standing by myself andthis guysaid, ‘Are yougoing to vote for me tomorrow (for president)?’ Isaid, ‘Yeah, if you vote for me whenIrun.’

“He said, ‘There ain’tever going to be awoman president of this association.’”

One year later,atthe suggestionofthen-LHSAAcommissionerFrank Spruiell, Holloway ran forsecondvicepresident (which virtually assures automatic succession to first vicepresident then president). No one ran against her.So, she was the first woman to hold each office, being theLHSCA’s first female president in 1986. In 1992, she made history by becoming the first female president of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. In 1998,she waselectedto the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fameand in 2012 was inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame.

In 2021, Holloway was

She enjoyeda stellar playing career at Poland High School, leading her team to the Class Cstate championship in 1965. She coached girls basketballat Tiogafor 23 years(196992), mentoring four high school All-Americans and 13 all-state players. In the 1990s,when Ocean Spray launcheda sponsorship and scholarship initiative forthe NHSACA, Hollowaywas on the initial selection committee with the twoprevious NHSACA presidents andOcean Spray representativestopickthe nationalwinners.

One of the team managers during Holloway’s time as Tioga’sgirls basketballcoach wasDr. Joan Brunson, afamily medicine physician who is the president of the medicalstaff at RapidesRegional.

“It doesn’tsurprise me that she went on to accomplish the things she did,” BrunsonsaidofHolloway

“Kathy is aperson that would nevergive up, Brunson said. “She would think of waystodothings more efficiently. She was good at restoringconfidence in her players when theywerehaving adifficult time.”

game, my kids couldn’tgo,” said Horn, who wasfined $30,000 by theNFL for the stunt. “When Iwas leaving thehouse, they were yelling and crying, so Isaid,

‘I’llcallyou.’ Ihad to say something because Ihad to go.” By the time nagging injuries took atoll on Horn in his finaltwo seasonswith

Kathy Holloway speaks during an event. she is being inducted into the Louisiana sports Hall of Fame Classof 2026 this week. PRoVIDED PHoTo

the Saints, he had aclubrecord 27 100-yard receiving gamesand was second in receptions (523), yards receiving (7,622)

Longtime shreveportsportswriter John James ‘J.J.’ Marshall, left, interviews former boxing champion sugar Ray Leonard.

Marshall

Holloway

TODAY’S GAMES

WORLDCUP 2026

Iran playsBelgium to 0-0draw

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

INGLEWOOD,Calif. AlirezaBeiranvand made seven saves while Iran and Belgium playedtoa0-0 draw at the World Cup on Sunday, with Team Melli unable to break through after the Red Devils went downto10men in the secondhalf.

Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy received astraight red card in the 66th minute when he miskicked a ballbackward andthenfouled MehdiTaremitopreventthe Iran star from getting aclean breakaway scoring chance. Iran couldn’tcapitalize,and Belgium actually generated better scoring chances down thestretch —but both teams left with their second straight draw in group play Neither team will feel good about the result at SoFi Stadium. During atumultuous World Cup trip affected by travel restrictions and visa denials from the U.S., Iran will regretmissing agolden opportunitytobeat aEuropean powerhouse sitting 10th in FIFA’s world rankings whileplaying before aloud, supportive crowd.

Iran returnedtothe LosAngeles area for its second straight match in frontofa crowd packed with fans from the diaspora both supporting Team Melli anddecrying the Iranian government with boos of the anthem andhundreds of Lion and Sun flags displayed.

Iran’sWorld Cupcycle has been chaotic ever since the U.S. beganawar on Feb. 28. TheIraniansmovedtheir training base from Arizona to Mexico, and the team is operating under travel restrictions requiring themtoleave

AssoCIATED PREss PHoToByANDRE PENNER

Belgium’sKevin De Bruyne, front, tries to control the ball pastIran’sHossein Kanani during theirWorld Cup Group Gmatch on sunday in Inglewood,Calif. Iran and Belgium playedtoa0-0 draw.

LosAngelesonly hours after both matches, infuriating coach Amir Ghalenoei.

Meanwhile,star-studdedBelgium has yet to score in two matchesatthe World Cup, getting on the scoreboard onlythrough an owngoal in its opening draw with Egypt.

Belgium is unbeaten in itslast 15 competitivematches, but it has notscored on 53 consecutiveshots 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 thefirst 60 minutes, butIran hada handful of strong chances stopped by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who matched Beiranvand’sexcellence. Team Melli had the best scoring chances early,including abeautiful setpiece for a goal by Taremi —who was ruled offside by videoreview

Maxim De Cuyper was denied twice in the secondhalf by Beiranvand, including agolden opportunity in the 86th minute

With so many preparation obstacles, Ghalenoei leanedonexperi-

ence against Belgium, sending out the oldest starting 11 at aWorld Cupmatch since1966, according to Opta. Romelu Lukaku was asurprise addition to Belgium’sstarting lineup, playing the first 73 minutes and recording one shot. The Red Devils’ career goals leader missed nearly allofhis club season at Napoli with ahamstring injury,and he played as asubstitute against Egypt last Monday StandoutBelgianwinger Jérémy Doku missed thematch with an illness.

Yamalhelps Spainto4-0 winoverSaudi Arabia

BY JAMES ROBSON AP soccer writer

ATLANTA— Welcome to the World Cup, Lamine Yamal. Welcome to the World Cup, Spain.

Teenage superstar Yamal scored 10 minutesinto his first start on soccer’sbiggest stage and Spain kickstarted its tournament with the 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday

The18-year-old forward slid in at the far post to touchhome alow cross for the opening goal and became the eighth-youngest scorer in World Cup history

More importantly,hesettled Spanish nerves after the European champion was held to a surprise 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in its opening game.

“The first game wasn’treally us, it was different, but now we’vearrived and we’re going formore,” Yamal said.

In atournamentthathas already seen LionelMessi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland andHarry Kane get off to flying starts, Yamal’sstrike saw himjoin the party. “I’ve always dreamed of being at aWorld Cup, and being able to score in my first match as astarter is adream,” he said. “I watched

the last World Cup from aclassroom so being able to score here with my mum and my family in thestands is adream cometrue.”

The Barcelona winger is al-

ready considered onethe world’s top players andhelpedSpain win theEuropean Championship in 2024 despite being just 16 years old when the tournament started. He is tippedtotakeoverfrom Messi andCristiano Ronaldo as thesport’sbiggest star butcame into theWorld Cup with questions over his fitnessafter he missed theend of the seasonwith ahamstring injury After being used only as asecond-half substitute against Cape Verde, he wasthrown in from thestart on Sundayand wasted no time in making hispresence felt,repeatedlyslicing through the Saudi defense before turning home Mikel Oyarzabal’scross.

“When thereare players with individualattributesinthis game that can work (beat opponents) one-on-one, they can make adifference,” said Saudi Arabia coachGeorgiosDonis.“This is a player that makes adifference all the time in Spain andIthink the better the physical condition, the more time he has, he’llhelphis team even more.”

BY ETHAN WILCOX Associated Press

MONTERREY,Mexico Japan moved one step closer to reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time after pummeling Tunisia 4-0 in Group F, securing amilestone victory in the tournament’s1,000th men’smatch. Japan’sfour goals were the most the Samurai Blue have ever scored in aWorld Cup game, as it comfortably dismantled aTunisia side that became the first to ever fire its coach after the openingmatch.

AyaseUedascoredtwice,along with Daichi Kamada and Junya It to put Japanlevel with theNetherlandsonfour points. TheDutch are currently on top of the group due to having scored one more goal than Japan across its two matches. Even after leading 2-0 just over half an hour into the match, Japan continued to apply pressure to a disjointed Tunisian defense

“If we are able to get as many goals as possible, that would give

the team confidence,” said Hajime Moriyasu, the first head coach to lead Japan at consecutive World Cups. “That is something we would definitely wanttorepeat against

Sweden.”

LATE SATURDAY

enough to advance to the knockout stages.

Tunisia appointed two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner Hervé Renard to try and rescue the EaglesofCarthage afterits humiliating 5-1 loss to Sweden, but the NorthAfrican nation could not containJapan’s speedyattacknor create any clear chances of their own.

“It is important to get ready to fight for this third game against theNetherlands,” Renard said. “It’snever easy after two losses in two games,but we must take our responsibilities and be professionals to the very end.” Kamadaopened the scoring in the fourth

in

World Cup history. The Crystal Palace midfielder,who acted as a“shadow striker”, was perfectly positioned for

AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By ERIKs.LEssER

Lamine yamal celebrates after scoring spain’sopening goal during a WorldCup Group Hmatch against saudiArabia on sunday in Atlanta.

Burns’ rally comes up brutally short at Shinnecock Hills

BY STEPHEN WHYNO

AP sportswriter

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y Sam Burns

tossed his putter aside, fell to his palms and then down to his knees. The crowd around him groaned. He was that close to sinking a birdie putt on the 18th hole to tie leader Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open and instead missed just right by a half-inch — maybe.

“I really thought I made that putt,” Burns said after shooting a 67 Sunday to get to 3 under for the tournament and go into the clubhouse one stroke behind Clark. “It just didn’t go in.”

The former LSU standout sat down in the scoring tent, let out an exasperated sigh and put his hands on his head. He could only watch as Clark birdied No. 16, bogeyed 17 and two-putted in on 18 to win by the single shot Burns did not make down the stretch

“I felt like I was chasing all day,” Burns said. “It’s unfortunate I just came up one short.”

The heartbreak at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island came a year after Burns’ miserable finish at the U.S.OpenatOakmontoutsidePittsburgh. He led after two rounds, played in the final group Sunday andeverythingfellapartintherain whenheshot78tofalloutofcontention and into a tie for seventh. Burns was brilliant Sunday in his bid for retribution. Entering the final round at even par, seven back of Clark, Burns birdied three of his first eight holes to move past Scottie Scheffler and

others into second place.

“To start the day seven shots back, I knew it was going to take something really special,” Burns said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”

Clark bogeying three of his first seven holes made it close, but Burns was never able to pull into a tie for first. Three-putting at No. 15 put him in a difficult spot, and he thought the back nine was playing difficult.

With Clark shooting the same back-nine 35, Burns felt differently following this loss than a year ago, saying, “The guy who played the best won.”

It just wasn’t him.

“Last year at Oakmont, I felt like more I lost the golf tournament,” Burns said “I certainly don’t feel that way today I gave it my best, and I did everything I could to have a chance to win.”

When Burns was hitting balls on the driving range Sunday night, his dad, Tom came over with a fatherly message on Father’s Day

“He just said he was really proud,” Sam Burns said as he got choked up. “I think we both knew how special it could have been for Father’s Day But I know he’s proud.”

Burns’ wife Caroline, is 37 weeks pregnant with the couple’s second child, he said. Burns played with 2-year-old son Bear while waiting for Clark to finish and left the course with life perspective after another difficult defeat.

OPEN

Continued from page 1B

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 threeputted 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.”

Michigan’s Mara headlines list of top big men in draft

BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer

Aday Mara was a massive pres-

ence in Michigan’s huge lineup that carried the Wolverines to their first NCAA championship since 1989. He’s now a lottery prospect in the NBA draft. The 7-foot-3, 260-pound center is the headliner among the big men, a position group with a shorter line of top prospects compared to the guards and forwards The list includes Washington’s Hannes Steinbach, Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance and Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr

Here’s a look at the some of the top big men entering the first round Tuesday night:

Aday Mara Michigan

STRENGTHS: The junior from Spain projects as a defensive force, leading all players measured at the combine in standing reach (9-9) and ranking second in wingspan (7-6).

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).

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 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.

lead to one shot.

“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.

“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.”

Clark hit a superb wedge that 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.

WyNDHAM CLARK, U.s open winner

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.

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

“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.

Now he goes to No. 8 in the world ranking, and the smile he wore holding that U.S Open trophy would suggest he feels on top of the world

Mara averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while ranking sixth nationally in blocks (2.6) in 23.4 minutes. He shot 66.8% overall, with Synergy charting post-ups as making up 34.8% of his possession usage. He had steady work as the roller in pickand-roll scenarios and as a cutter, and predictably earned an “Excellent” rating from Synergy for finishing at the rim (97th percentile).

Mara stood out in a Final Four romp against fellow No. 1 seed 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’s unclear what type of offense he’ll offer outside of finishing in the paint, though he did make 3 of 10 3-pointers last season in his first foray beyond the arc.

Hannes Steinbach Washington

STRENGTHS: The 6-10, 248-pound freshman from Germany was a steady producer as a scorer (18.5) and rebounder (nationalbest 11.8). 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

WALKER

Continued from page 1B

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,

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. 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 McDonald’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

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 firstround picks from last season, both were voted second team on

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 first-round 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.

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 secondround 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.

AP FILE PHoTo By MICHAEL CoNRoy

Michigan center Aday Mara dunks the ball during the second half of a Final Four game against Arizona on April 4 in Indianapolis.

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

STOKING THEFIRES

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

BY HILLEL ITALIE

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

McDonald’sisfrying up some apple piestohonor America’s 250th birthday

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

Some sources attributeittothe

st.GeorgeCityHall buildingpictured in 2025

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 st.Georgemay have slayed thedragon, butishe thesolenamesakefor

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

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.

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.

FILEPHoTo By JAVIER GALLEGos

Brandauer is 83. Musician-

By The Associated Press

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

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 1C

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.”

Associated Press writer

Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

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

producer 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.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Follow through; procrastinatingwon'tget you where you wanttogo. Aim high and refuse to let emotions interfere with completion. Take aunique approach to how you earn your cash.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Reach out,gather information andput aplan in place. Preparation is everything. Show your willingness to pull your weight as well as the uniqueness you bring to anyventure you pursue.

VIRGO (Aug.23-Sept. 22) It'stime to pick an expert's brain. Summarize what you wanttoachieve and start adialogue.The information will lead to unexpected help thatincreasesyourenthusiasmandhelps you see beyond your expectations.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.23) It's onestepforward and three stepsback.Pay attention to detail, and don't embellishwhat you can do. Overthinkingorpromisingtoo much will make you look bad.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) An open mind will lead to learningand preparing yourself forwhat'stocome. Armyourself with information, and connect yourself to those who can help you make your dreams come true.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Shuffle things around at hometoboostyour productivity.Followingtheruleswillpay off and change 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 aroundyou. Hold on to the

information you digestuntil you can back up your claims.Put your energy into self-improvement.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) The pressure is on. It'stime to take notice and to unleash your plans.Participation is in your best interest. Getinvolved in what excites you, and you'll connect with someone you can share concepts with PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Getinthe game, speak up, shareconceptsand go where the action is, and you'll connect with an opportunity you won't want to miss. Refuse to let the changes othersmake drag you in the opposite direction.

ARIES(March 21-April19) Verify facts and takenotes.Beopentosuggestions,butdo what's best foryou. Aprofessional move or changing howyou handle money will offeranincentive to save forsomething special.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Keep the momentum flowing when dealing with self-improvements, butapply caution regarding physical risk when you venture outsideyourdomain.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Welcomechange Adopting and adapting to what's available can help youturnyouraspirations into something tangible. Refuse to let your emotions lead you astray or stand between you and what's meant to be yours.

Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by NEA,Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases fromMonday to Sunday

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Earl Wilson, ajournalist who wrote a nationallysyndicatednewspapercolumn called“ItHappened LastNight,”said,“A baseballgameissimplyanervousbreakdown dividedinto nine innings.”

Threeno-trumpissimplyanervous breakdowndividedintoninetricks.Well, whatshould South do in this deal after West leads the heart two in answer to his partner’sovercall,andSouthtakesEast’s queen with his king (orace)?

AfterEast’s one-heart intervention, South had two choices: atakeout double (ifNorth would haveread it as such!) or anatural two-no-trump rebid, showing abalanced hand with 18, 19 or apoor 20 points and hearts well held. Since North could have still looked for a4-4 spade fit at the three-level, Southmade the same rebid that he would have produced if East had remained silent.

South starts with only five top tricks: two spades, two hearts andone club. Since the club finesse is probably losing, declarer should try to add four diamond tricks to bring his total up to nine.

It lookssoeasy to lead the diamond queen or jack at trick two, butwith this layout, that costs the contract. East wins the trick andestablishes his hearts.

Whendiamondsbreakbadlyandtheclub finesse is losing, South cannot recover.

wuzzles

As asmall safety play, declarer should cross to dummy’sspade king, then lead a low diamond towardhis hand. Here, the ace appears,collecting only low cards, and the contract is safe. However,ifthe ace does not appear, South wins the trick and continues the suit, hoping for a3-2 break. ©2026 by NEA, Inc dist. By Andrews

McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”suchas“bats” or “dies,”are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are notallowed.

ToDAY’s WoRD BoonDocKs: BOON-dox: Aremote, thinly settled ruralarea.

Average mark 11 words

Time

Can youfind17ormorewords in BOONDOCKS?

sATuRDAY’s WoRD —REGoLITH

Amen! Godtakes

G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

IBERVILLE PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES PUBLIC HEARING, TUESDAY,MAY 19, 2026 PROPOSED ORDINANCES

TheParish Council of Iberville Parish, State of Louisiana, held aPublic Hearing in the Council Meeting Room, 58050 Meriam Street, Plaquemine, Louisiana, on the 19th day of May,2026 at 6:00 P.M. pursuant to aNotice of PublicHearing published on the 28th day of April, 2026 in the Advocate andposted on the Iberville Parish website.

The Council Chairman, Steve C. Smith, called the hearing to order at 6:01 p.m. followed by the roll call with the following Council Members in attendance: Shalanda L. Allen, District 1; Chasity B. Easley; District 2; Thomas E. Dominique, Sr District 3; Freddie Frazier,Sr.,District 4; Steve C. Smith, District 5; Raheem T. Pierce, District 6; Nadia Jenkins,District 7; Hunter S. Markins, District 8; Charles Dardenne, District 11; Matthew H. Jewell, District 12; Bart B. Morgan, District 13.

Absent: Bradford, Martinez.

Chief Administrative Officer-Dwayne Boudreaux, and Chief Operating Officer- Randall Dunn werealsoinattendance.

Mr.Boudreaux read the following ordinances in entirety

ORDINANCE 1 ORDINANCE TO DECLARE PROPERTY TO BE SURPLUS ANDTOSELL TO NEIGHBORINGPROPERTY OWNER PURSUANT TO THE TERMSOFORDINANCE #00213 (WILLIE MAE W. &JOSEPH LANDRY;PARCEL # 0210239850)

ORDINANCE 2 ORDINANCE TO ADD ARTICLE 7, DIVISION F, TO THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE TO INCLUDE BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS. AN ORDINANCE TO ENACT ARTICLE 7, DIVISIONF,TO THEUNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE OF THE PARISH OF IBERVILLE TO BATTERYENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS WITHIN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF IBERVILLE PARISH

The floor was opened to comments and questions.Therewas no opposition to this ordinance from the public.

Therebeing no further business to be conducted, the hearing was adjourned at 6:12 p.m.

/s/MACY W. OURSO /s/STEVEC.SMITH COUNCIL CLERK COUNCIL CHAIRMAN IBERVILLE PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR MEETING, TUESDAY,MAY 19, 2026

TheParish Council of Iberville Parish, State of Louisiana, met in Regular Session, in the Council Meeting Room, 2nd Floor,Courthouse Building, 58050 Meriam Street, Plaquemine, Louisiana, on the 19th day of May,2026.

TheCouncil Chairman, Steve C. Smith, called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. followed by the roll call with the following Council Members in attendance: Shalanda L. Allen, District 1; Chasity B. Easley;District 2; Thomas E. Dominique, Sr District 3; Freddie Frazier,Sr.,District 4; Steve C. Smith, District 5; Raheem T. Pierce, District 6; Nadia Jenkins,District 7; Hunter S. Markins, District 8; Terry J. Bradford, District 9; Charles Dardenne, District 11; Matthew H. Jewell, District 12; Bart B. Morgan, District 13. Absent: Martinez. Parish President- Chris Daigle, Chief AdministrativeOfficer-Dwayne Boudreaux, Chief Operations Officer-Randall Dunn werealsoinattendance.

Aquorum was present and due notice had been posted and published in the Advocate newspaper on the 14th day of May,2026. The Pledge of Allegiance followed.

Council Chairman Smith called for anyone wanting to make public comments to register with theClerk. Gary Harvey registered to speak.

ADDENDUM

A) Executive Session, pursuant to La. R.S. 42:17(A)(2), to discussthe status and strategy in the pending lawsuit captioned: Nottoway Plantation &Resort II, LLC v. Iberville Parish Council,etal., Docket No.C-85219, Division C, 18th Judicial District Court, Parish of Iberville, StateofLouisiana.

Upon amotion by Councilman Markins,seconded by Councilman Pierce, it was moved that the addendum item will be added to the agenda under Resolution Committee Report. The motion having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Smith, Pierce, Jenkins,Markins, Bradford, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: Allen.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Martinez.

Motion Fails.

B) Discussion of lighting in St. Louis Subdivision.

Upon amotion by Councilman Dominique, seconded by Councilman Bradford, it was moved that the addendum item will be added to the agenda under Discussion. Themotion having been duly submitted to avote wasduly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Allen, Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Smith, Pierce, Jenkins,Markins, Bradford, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Martinez.

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairma PRESENTATIONS AND APPEARANCES

A) Recognition of Ms. Wheelchair America –Kristie Mascarella •Councilman Pierce read the Resolution of Recognition aloud andpresented it to Ms.Kristie Mascarella. She thanked the Council for the recognition and apicturewas taken.

B)Announcing Candidacy for District Judge –Lori White •Came before theCouncil to formally announce her candidacy for district judge. She stated that she has worked in this community of the18th JDC for many years and her work has taught her compassion for people and how that will serve her as judge. She thanked the Council for their time.

C) PresentationbyErik Willis- Director of Parks &Rec

•Director Erik Willis came beforethe Council to give brief update on IPRDPrograms and Project updates. He stated that registration for all programs has increased and that is due partly to the partnership that IPRD has with the Iberville Parish School Board. He stated they aregetting ready for their big summer programs,Camp 360, Track and swimminglessons. He also stated that the splash pad in Bayou Blue is complete, the batting cages at Crescent Bend arealmost complete and theeasy access lighting for the basketball courts and batting cages has been installed.

D) Presentation of Parish Bridges by Keegan Sanchez

•Keegan Sanchezcame beforethe Council to give an update on the current stateofthe Parish Bridges. He stated that the Parish is fully compliantwith the off-systems bridge program. His team identified afew issues and made the necessarychanges that ledtogetting the Parish back in compliance. He provides the Council with acompliance list.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Upon amotion by Councilwoman Jenkins, seconded by Councilman Bradford, it was moved to wavethe reading of the minutes of March 17, &April 21, 2026 and approveaswritten. The motion having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Allen, Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Smith, Pierce, Jenkins,Markins, Bradford, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Martinez.

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairman.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Daigle reported on the following:

•Hestated that he would like to introduce the new director forEmergency Preparedness and 911, JustinAlleman. He recognized Alyssa Crochet for 5years of serviceand Tammie

Gougisha for 5yearsofservice.

•Hestated that Entergy’s Solar Farm applicationhas been turned in and the engineering arebeginning to review the application. He stated that he has metwith the engineers and the City of Plaquemine aboutthe Gay Subdivision (St. Louis Subdivision) Light project and they areidentifying what needstobedone to getthis project complete. He stated that the DPW and the Utility Departments will be goingunder renovations and those projects aregoingout to bid soon

•The Hwy1roadboreproject is still delayed duetoUnion Pacific. TheBayouGrosse Tete cleanup effort has started

•Hestated that they have turned in afederal applicationfor the LowerGrand River sediment removal forregional flood risk reductionand the BayouSorrel Floodwater pump station.

•Hestated that only upcomingevent in the Parish, June 18 is the Juneteenth Event at the Civic Center.

FINANCIAL REPORT

Finance Director,Randall Dunn stated that each council members received budget to actual financial statements. He stated that the audit is ongoing and that it will be presented at the July meeting OLD BUSINESS

ORDINANCE IPC #003-26

ORDINANCE TO DECLARE PROPERTY TO BE SURPLUS AND TO SELL TO NEIGHBORING PROPERTY OWNER PURSUANT TO THETERMS OF ORDINANCE #002-13 (WILLIE MAE W. &JOSEPH LANDRY; PARCEL #0210239850)

WHEREAS,the Parish of Iberville has atax interest in the property described below which has been adjudicated fornon-payment of property taxes.

WHEREAS “Property1”listed below is notneeded forpublic purposes and should be declared surplusand sold pursuant to the terms of Ordinance #002-13 and the Iberville Parish Adjudicated Properties Program administered by the Parish Administrator

WHEREAS the adjudicated propertylisted herein has been maintained foratleast oneyear by an adjoining landowner. Section 14 of IPC Ordinance #002-13 states: “Notwithstanding any provision of this Ordinance, Iberville ParishCouncil may, pursuant to the provisions of La. R.S. 47:2201(2)(B), as revised by Act511 of 2009, allowadjoining landowners of an adjudicated propertywhich constitutes an adjudicated vacant lot to purchase the adjudicated vacant lot for any priceset by Iberville Parish Council without anypublic biddingata public meeting of the Iberville Parish Council provided that Iberville Parish Council determines that the adjoining landowner has maintained the propertyfor aperiodofone (1) year prior to thesale. Such sale shall be deemed apublic sale under the provisions of this subpart.”

WHEREAS contingent upon the requirements of law being met, including butnot limited to,propernotice to any interested parties, advertisement in the official journal of Iberville Parish and the production of the three swornaffidavits attesting to the adjoining landowner’s maintenance of the adjudicated lot, the Iberville Parish Council desires, and intendstosell the following properties:

1) Parcel # 0210239850 Taxdebtor: Willie Mae W. &JosephLandry Location of property: LOT 3KINGS

KING BLVD. 75’ X120’

Adjoining landowner intending to acquire ownership: LeroyJefferson

Suggested price: $2,901.50

BE IT ORDAINED that the propertydescribed aboveisnot needed for public purposes and is declared to be surplusand should be returned to commerce.

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the propertydescribed aboveshall be sold to the adjoining landowner listed in accordance withthe terms of Ordinance #002-13 and the Iberville Parish Adjudicated Property Program as administered by the Parish Administrator

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the adjoining landowner of the adjudicated propertymay purchase the adjoining propertyfor the price suggested aboveunless another priceisdesignated by the Iberville Parish Council.

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that all ordinances or resolutions or parts thereofinconflict herewith areherebyrepealed

BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED should any part of this ordinance be declared null, void,invalid, illegal or unconstitutional, the remainder of the said ordinance shall remain in full force and effect.

Theforegoingordinance which waspreviously introduced at the meeting of the Iberville Parish Council on April 21, 2026 and acopy thereof having been published in the official journal on April 28, 2026 the public hearing on this ordinance held on the 19th dayofMay,2026, at 6:00 p.m.,in

theCouncil Meeting Room, 58050 MeriamStreet, Plaquemine, Louisiana, wasbrought up for final passagewith amotion by CouncilwomanJenkins, and seconded by Councilman Frazier, having been duly submitted to a vote, the ordinance wasduly adopted by the following yea and nay vote on roll call:

YEAS: Allen, Easley,Dominique, Frazier, Pierce,Jenkins, Markins, Bradford,Dardenne, Jewell, Morgan.

NAYS:None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Martinez.

Theordinance wasdeclared adopted by the Chairmanonthe 19th dayof May, 2026

B) Ordinance to addArticle 7, DivisionF,tothe Unified Development Code to include Battery Energy Storage Systems. An Ordinance to Enact Article 7, DivisionF,tothe Unified Development Code of theParish of Iberville to BatteryEnergy Storage Systems within the Unincorporated areas of Iberville Parish

•GaryHarrelcamebefore in the Council in opposition of the proposed ordinance. He stated that BatteryStorage facilities are dangerous. He is completely against the ordinance and any future projects related to batterystorage

Upon amotion by Councilman Jewell, seconded by Councilman Bradford it wasmoved to table the proposed ordinance until the June 16, 2026 meeting.The motion having been duly submitted to avotewas duly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Allen, Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Smith, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford,Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Martinez.

Themotion wasdeclaredadopted by the Chairman.

NEWBUSINESS

•IntroductionofOrdinances

1. Ordinance to adopt the millage rates forthe tax year 2025

2) Ordinance to declarethe following properties to be surplus andtoauthorizethe parishadministrator to sell the Parish of Iberville’sinterest in these properties at public sale pursuant to theterms of Ordinance #002-13.

Upon amotion by Councilman Frazier,seconded by Councilman Dardenne, it wasmoved that apublic hearing be held on Tuesday,June 16, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. on the introduced ordinances.

Themotion having been duly submitted to avote, wasduly adopted by the following yea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Allen, Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Smith, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Dardenne, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN: None.

ABSENT:Martinez.

Themotion wasdeclared adopted by the ChairmanonMay 19, 2026.

RESOLUTION COMMITTEE REPORT

TheResolutionCommittee metonTuesday,May 19, 2026 at 6:12 p.m. followed by the roll call withthe following Resolution Committee Members only in attendance: Jewell, Dardenne, Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Frazier Morgan, Dominique.

Absent: Martinez.

Thefollowingresolutions were read aloud by Mr.Boudreaux:

A) Resolution Acknowledging the Iberville Parish Council’s

Program(TAP) andcertifyingproject responsibilities

Councilman Jewell made arecommendation to forward the resolutions to the regular meeting, seconded by Councilman Markins. The recommendation having been duly submitted to avote was duly adopted by the followingyea andnay votes on roll call by

RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING THE IBERVILLE PARISH COUNCIL’S COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE ATWENTY PERCENT (20%) LOCAL MATCH FOR THE LA HIGHWAY 1SIDEWALK PROJECT,TOTHE CAPITAL REGION PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONAND DEVELOPMENT (LADOTD)

WHEREAS, the followingresolution was introduced by Councilman Pierce,

needing funding. BE IT FURTHER RESOLOVED that the Parish President is hereby authorized to execute anyand all documents necessarytocarry out the intent of the Resolution and to act as the authorized representative of the Iberville Parish Councilinall matters related to thisProject

The foregoing resolution having been submitted to avote by roll call was adopted in regular session this19th day of May2026 by the followingvote: YEAS: Allen,Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Dardenne, Jewell, Morgan. NAYS: None. ABSTAIN:None ABSENT:Martinez.

The resolution is approvedand adopted by the Chairmanonthe 19th day of May, 2026.

RESOLUTION IPC# 2026-016

RESOLUTION OF THE IBERVILLE PARISH COUNCIL AUTHORIZING PARTICIPATIONINTHE TRANSPORTATIONALTERNATIVES PROGRAM (TAP) AND CERTIFYING PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES

WHEREAS, the followingresolution was introduced by Councilman Pierce, and seconded by Councilman Markins. WHEREAS, the Iberville Parish Council(the “Council”) desires to participate in the Transportation Alternatives Program(TAP) which assists Local Public Agencies (LPA’s)inconstructing alternative modes of transportation within theircommunitiessuch as sidewalks, bike trails,and other non-traditional transportation modes, andadministered by the LouisianaDepartment of Transportation andDevelopment (DOTD) forthe implementation of the Mississippi River Levee Trail (Dorseyville to White Castle) (the “Project”); and WHEREAS, the Project has been selected forfunding under the Transportation Alternatives Program; and WHEREAS, DOTDrequires the Counciltocertify,byresolution, its commitment to financial, administrative, and legal responsibilities associated with the Project; NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Iberville Parish Council, in regular session convened, that:

1. The Iberville Parish Councilhereby certifies that it will assume full responsibility for all required local matching funds associated with the Project.

2. The Councilhereby certifies that it will assume full responsibility forall design engineering services forthe Project, includingall associated costs, if applicable.

3. The Councilhereby certifies that it will assume full responsibility for all construction engineeringand inspection (CE&I) services forthe Project, including all associated costs, if applicable.

4. The Councilhereby certifies that it will be responsible for the administration, management, operation, and maintenance of the Project upon completion, at no cost to DOTD.

5. The Councilhereby certifies that it will assume full responsibility for anyand all legal liabilityincurred as aresult of the Project. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Parish President is hereby authorized to execute anyand all documents necessarytocarry out the intent of this Resolution and to act as the authorizedrepresentative of the Iberville Parish Councilinall matters related to thisProject

The foregoing resolution having been submitted to avote by roll call was adopted in regular session this19th day of May, 2026 by the followingvote: YEAS: Allen,Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Dardenne, Jewell, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN:None ABSENT:Martinez.

The resolution is approvedand adopted by the Chairmanonthe 19th day of May, 2026

PLANNING COMMISSIONREPORT

A) Consideration of re-subdivision for Lori Layman

B) Consideration of re-subdivision for Shirley Harelson

C) Consideration of re-subdivision for Randy Morales

D) Consideration of re-subdivision for GuillotLand Company

E) Consideration of re-subdivision for Casandria Haynes

F) Consideration of re-subdivision for Entergy Louisiana (Jumonville Pipe &Machinery)

Uponamotion by Councilman Dardenne, seconded by Councilman Bradford, it was movedtoapprove as it.The motion having been duly submitted to avote,was duly adopted by the followingyea and nay votes on roll call:

YEAS: Allen,Easley,Dominique, Frazier,Pierce, Jenkins, Markins, Bradford, Dardenne, Jewell, Morgan.

NAYS: None.

ABSTAIN:None ABSENT:Martinez.

The motion was declared adopted by the Chairmanonthe 19th day of May, 2026.

BOARDS &COMMISSIONS REPORT

None.

DISCUSSIONS

A) Lighting in St. LouisSubdivision

•Councilman Dominique expressed that he would like to move forward with thisproject to be completed andget lighting out in the subdivision. Randall stated that once the Parish gets the cost back from the engineersthey will introduce an ordinance to amendthe budget to get thisproject started.

ANNOUNCEMENT

None.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no furtherbusiness, it was movedbyCouncilwomanAllen,and seconded by Councilman Bradford, to adjournat7:38p.m.The motion was unanimously adopted.

/s/ MACYW.OURSO/s/