The Times-Picayune 06-23-2026 by The Advocate

Audit: Regulatorbenefited off statecontracts

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Aformer state regulatorhelped longtime associates obtain alucrative state orphan wellcontract through aseries of “shell” corporations that allowed them to“run it how we see ﬁt,noquestions asked” and avoid scrutiny if the “Commissioner or anyone goes looking,” accordingtoemails obtained in an investigative audit

theassociatesin apossible violation of state law, according to the report

wells that arepotentially dangerous without costly procedures to cap them.

statement that “wewill be further reviewing the case forcriminal charges that may be appropriate as well.”

Johnny Adams, the former assistant commissioner in the Ofﬁce of Conservation,later received a $780,000, below-market loan from those corporationstobuy aBaton Rouge home,auditors said. And two of his children gotjobsfrom

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sOffice has been investigating the Louisiana Oilﬁeld Restoration Association andits associated companiessince at leastOctober 2024. The contract was part of the state’seffort to address “orphan wells,” which are abandoned oil

of a ‘REALIZATION

The company shut down last year amid scrutiny over alleged “self-dealing” andexcessive management fees.

On Monday,the auditor released a72-page report that includes emails between Adams andfour people involved with LORA. Reached Mondayafternoon, Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill whoseofﬁce previously opened a civil case against LORA —said in a

In response to theauditor’s ﬁndings, Adams’ attorney,Steve Moore, saidthe report contained “misstated facts” that he believes are “unfounded,misleadingor completely inaccurate conclusions.”

LORA’s attorney,J.Eric Lockridge, said Monday that the report

AUDIT, page 4A

Ward Stadium at LCMC Health Field in NewOrleans during agroundbreaking ceremony.

Long-awaited 9thWardstadium breaks ground

ä Arnie Fielkow would not allow stadium project to die. PAGE 1C

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

The long-awaited9th Ward stadium broke ground Monday,nearlytwo decadesaftercommunity members ﬁrst pushedfor afootball stadium for students in the neighborhood. Paid for with private and public money, construction on the stadium adjacent to G.W.Carver High School in theDesire neighborhood is expectedtobecompletednext summer. Called the Raising Cane’s 9thWard Stadium atLCMC Health Field, it will seat 3,700 peopleand host middleand high school football and soccer games,

ä See STADIUM, page 7A

Appraiserinfederal artfraud trialdetails inflated values

BYMATTBRUCE Staff writer

Teachers union opposes Landry cuts forstipends

Districts warn that reducedbudgetwould forceelimination of programs,staff

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Louisiana educatorsoverwhelmingly wanttoreceive pay stipends, but they oppose Gov.Jeff Landry’s plan to bankroll the pay boostbycutting public school funding, according to the results of a statewide teachers union survey released Monday Nearly 70% of survey respondents saidthey support giving teachers andcertain school supportstaff one-time stipends again this year,according to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the state’slargest teachers union. If the state fails to fund the stipends, educators who have received the bonuses the past three years instead of raises could potentially face apay cut. But nearly two-thirds of respondents also oppose an executive orderby Landry that seeks to pay for the $2,000 stipends for teachers and $1,000 for eligiblesupport staffbycutting stateeducation funding by $168 million. School system leaders have warned that the cut could force schools to eliminate some programs or staff positions, though Landryhas arguedthatschool systems have enough extra money to weather the reduction.

“This is notasimple yesornofrom educators,” union President Larry Carter Jr.said in astatement. “They are saying: Protect our pay,but do not cut school funding to do it.”

On Friday,aBaton Rouge judge temporarily blocked Landry’sorder after several education advocates sued, arguing that the governor exceeded his legal authority by effectively reallocating education funding, which is controlled by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Legislature.

Lawmakers have until Tuesday to vote remotelyonthe funding cut, which needs the approval of two-thirds of the Legislature to take effect. However,the judge’s temporary restraining order has put the voting process in limbo.

Claus ä See APPRAISER, page 5A

ALas Vegas appraiser of high-end artwork testified Mondayina federal courtroom that he took his cues fromthen-New Orleans police Officer Christian Claus when heinflatedvalues foraslate of paintings reported stolen from the Lakeviewhome of well-known restaurateur Fouad Zeton. Prosecutors say Claus, aformer Las Vegasattorney who moved to New Orleans and became apatrol officer,convincedZeton to report 12 paintings stolen in October 2019. He promised to usehis friendship withMichael Schofield, an artist of 50 years, and his position on the police force to secure ahefty insurance claim. In exchange,Zeton promised akickback from thepayout and pledged to usehis political connections to advance Claus’ career Federal prosecutors allege the theft that Zeton reportedwas staged, as was an interview capturedonbodyworn police video as Claus responded to Zeton’s hometotake the initial, allegedly bogus theft report.

The surveyresultscome after statewide associations representing superintendents, school boards andprincipals have allcomeout againstLandry’sJune 2executive order.Now that thelargest teachers union also is opposing the plan, that could put pressure on somelawmakers to abstain or vote against it.

ä See STIPENDS, page 7A

Todd Graves, CEO of Raising Cane’sChicken Fingers, revealsthe renderingsfor the future site of Raising Cane’s9th Ward Stadium on Monday.

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIAGERMER

Officials and guests walk across the field Monday at the future site of Raising Cane’s9th

Landry

Adams

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Federal judge blocks effort to subpoena Walz

A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov Tim Walz and other state ofﬁcials, accusing the Justice Department of using its investigatory powers to retaliate against state ofﬁcials for not cooperating with federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.

In a ruling unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz found the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.”

Tensions between the Trump administration and Minnesota’s Democratic leaders escalated in January as federal immigration ofﬁcers clashed with protesters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, especially after officers’ fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

President Donald Trump even threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell protests and accused Walz, who was Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024, and others of encouraging protesters to disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity

The subpoenas seeking records were served in January as part of an investigation into whether Walz and other officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement actions. They were sent to the ofﬁces of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and ofﬁcials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.

High court reinstates conviction in Patz case WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a murder conviction in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz.

The justices, by a 6-3 vote granted an appeal from New York prosecutors who had urged them to undo a federal appeals court decision that overturned the verdict. The three liberal justices dissented.

Prosecutors had been preparing to try the man, Pedro Hernandez, for a third time. His ﬁrst trial ended in a mistrial.

The unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed Hernandez’s murder and kidnapping conviction in the second trial because of how the judge had answered a question from jurors Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had called the basis for overturning the conviction “a slender reed” that essentially ignored a ﬁve-month-long trial with 66 witnesses.

The justices agreed, in an unsigned opinion, that federal courts should not second-guess state courts under a 1996 federal law that was intended to reduce federal court oversight of state criminal trials.

Trump-endorsed hopeful leads Colombia vote

BOGOTA, Colombia Conservative political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a narrow lead Monday with almost all votes counted in Colombia’s polarized presidential runoff, as the ruling party’s progressive candidate vowed to challenge the results.

De la Espriella, a business owner and lawyer who earned President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for ofﬁce, led with 49.7% of the votes over lawmaker Iván Cepeda, with 99.9% of results released by electoral authorities Cepeda, ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, had 48.7%. Election ofﬁcials have not formally announced a winner

A victory by de la Espriella is expected to usher in policies that will reverse Petro’s agenda, including a contentious plan to hold parallel peace negotiations with illegal armed groups. Cepeda, Petro’s protégé, had pledged to push forward that strategy and other social reforms if he won Sunday’s vote.

The election was colored by people’s fears of renewed internal conﬂict.

Vance: Iran talks set foundation for deal

VP, officials claim progress toward peace agreement

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

OBBÜERGEN,Switzerland Vice President JD Vance on Monday said his lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” as they seek a permanent end to the war that the U.S. and Israel began in late February Vance and U.S officials claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of “mechanisms” to ensure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipments, stays open and to address fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, where a ceasefire appeared to be holding.

The interim deal to end the ﬁghting in Iran, signed last week by the leaders of the U.S. and Iran, sets a 60-day period for negotiations on key issues, including the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that Iran wants to use it for military purposes, a claim the country denies.

The vice president departed Switzerland as technical teams were still negotiating, and U.S. President Donald Trump talked up the efforts to keep the strait open to create “an oil gusher” as he stressed that the key to resolving the war was “respect” from Iran.

“As long as they respect us, I don’t want to use the word fear because that’s an inappropriate word, but as long as they respect us, we’re not going to have any trouble,” Trump said from the Oval Ofﬁce.

Iran effectively closed the strait after the U.S. and Israel attacked on Feb. 28, causing fuel prices to skyrocket far beyond the region. The interim agreement to end the war was supposed to reopen the channel. Dozens of ships passed through it over the weekend, even though the main route is still mined and closed.

The lead negotiator of the Iranian delegation, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, insisted on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will be managed by Iran, but following international laws.

“Hopefully we can activate the strait

again, in terms of passage, and bring prosperity back to regional and global economy,” Qalibaf told Iranian state media on the plane on his way back from Switzerland.

Qalibaf and the Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived on Monday night in Oman where they met with the country’s Foreign Minister Badr al Busaidi to discuss the peace efforts and ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. Treasury issued a 60-day license on Monday waiving sanctions on Iranian oil as part of the interim agreement. Notably the license allows Iranian oil to be imported into the U.S., which has not imported signiﬁcant amounts of Iranian oil since the 1990s.

Tanker traffic continued to pick up through the Strait of Hormuz. According to data and analytics ﬁrm Kpler, there were 71 conﬁrmed transits over the weekend, with a peak of 35 crossings on Saturday Before the war, 100 to 130 vessels passed through the strait each day

Ships have been avoiding the central route to steer clear of mines, choosing instead to use the smaller northern route, which goes through Iranian waters, and the southern route, which goes through Omani waters. In the markets, Brent crude oil fell 3.2% to $77.52 per barrel, closer to its roughly $70 price from before the war Benchmark U.S crude oil fell 2.6% to $73.86 per barrel.

Trump did not attend what was dubbed the “Lake Lucerne Summit,” but his presence certainly loomed large The talks were jolted by statements from Trump, who, from thousands of miles away, ﬁred off comments that offended the Iranians. But the mediation effort in Switzerland started Sunday and stretched into early Monday

“We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people,” Vance told reporters.

The vice president suggested that the U.S. could agree to unfreeze Iranian assets for purchases of U.S. soy, corn and wheat. He said Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and one of the lead U.S. negotiators, came up with the idea with ofﬁcials from Qatar Vance said Qatar would have approval over the process, and Iranian money that would be accessible as sanctions were lifted would buy American products “for the beneﬁt of the Iranian people.”

Judge blocks use of federal database to check citizenship

Court says use could wrongly purge voters

BY ALI SWENSON and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal judge on Monday ruled that a recently revamped version of a federal tool central to the Trump administration’s election integrity strategy is unlawful and can no longer be used.

U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan sided with advocacy groups that argued the recent upgrades to the program, called Systematic Alien Veriﬁcation for Entitlements, or SAVE, aggregated Americans’ sensitive personal data in a way that could result in voters being wrongly purged from voter rolls.

“All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote,” Sooknanan said in an order explaining the decision. “This Court cannot stand idly by while that happens.” She said Congress had expressly prohibited the government from centralizing Americans’ personal identifying information and that the federal agencies that created the SAVE program “knew that the database violates those statutory protections.”

The decision is a major legal setback for President Donald Trump in his efforts to use federal agencies to encourage a nationwide crackdown on noncitizens illegally on state voter rolls. The modified SAVE system, which critics had referred to as an unlawful centralized federal database of voter information, had been a key pillar of the second election executive order the Republican president signed earlier this year The ruling leaves its future uncertain.

“It’s amazing how hard the Left will ﬁght to stop us from solving problems they insist do not exist,” James Percival, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, said of the ruling in a social media post.

The department referred to his post as its comment on the ruling. The Department of Justice did not immediately return a request for comment.

The SAVE program was created under an immigration law mandating that DHS help federal, state and local agencies prevent government beneﬁts from going to noncitizens. At least 25 states used it to check their voter rolls since April 2025, after the Trump administration signiﬁcantly expanded its search abilities. Since then, at least 67 million registrations have been scanned through the program, but critics worry it could end up purging valid voters from the rolls

Starmer says he’ll resign as U.K. prime minister

BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

LONDON British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he will resign, forced out by his own party after missteps and mistakes soured voters’ goodwill following a landslide election victory two years ago on a promise of steady leadership and economic growth.

Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until his Labour Party chooses a new leader — with expectations growing that it will be former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Burnham confirmed on social media that “I will put myself forward as part of this process.” Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who was considered his main rival for the top job, said he will back Burnham. It was Burnham’s victory in a special parliamentary election last week that triggered Starmer’s decision to resign, as Labour lawmakers ﬂocked to the charismatic former mayor in the hope he can revive the party’s fortunes. After nearly a decade as mayor of the northwestern city, Burnham returned Monday to Parliament, where he took the oath of ofﬁce in the House of Commons. Only members of Parliament are eligible for the party leadership Streeting’s statement makes it more likely that Burnham will be selected without a leadership contest.

Burnham was cheered loudly by lawmakers and heckled by one, who shouted “He’s not the Messiah!” as he was sworn in, before posing for selﬁes and a group photo with dozens of Labour MPs in another part of Parliament. Britain’s next election does not have to be held until 2029 Asked if he would call an early vote if he becomes prime minister Burnham said: “You’re jumping several hurdles ahead there.” Starmer is the sixth prime

ASSOCIATED

announces his resignation to the media on Monday outside 10 Downing St. in London.

minister in a decade to stand outside No. 10 Downing St., and announce a departure His statement came the day before Britain marks the 10th anniversary of its vote to leave the European Union, a decision that still roils the country’s economy and politics.

After weeks of insisting he would ﬁght to keep his job, Starmer conceded to growing pressure to hand over to a new leader who can try and revive the government’s ﬂagging fortunes. He led Labour to a landslide election victory in July 2024, but since then his popularity and that of the party have plummeted.

Starmer made the announcement outside his official residence, where he delivered his ﬁrst speech as prime minister two years ago. His voice choked with emotion near the end of the brief statement, which was watched by his staff, Cabinet ministers and scores of journalists.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” Starmer said. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

He said he spoke to King Charles III, Britain’s constitutional monarch, to inform him of the decision. Starmer said nominations for a leadership contest will open July 9, and the new leader will be in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer break on Sept. 1.

REUTERS PHOTO By NATHAN HOWARD

Vice President JD Vance speaks to members of the media Monday after the U.S and Iran held talks at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbüergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland

PRESS PHOTO Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Clive Davis, music industry starmaker, dies at 94

BY NEKESA MUMBI MOODY and MARIA SHERMAN AP music writers

NEW YORK Clive Davis, a music industry mogul who launched or resurrected the careers of Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has died. He was 94. Davis died in his Manhattan apartment, weeks after being hospitalized for an upper respiratory issue, his publicist Aliza Rabinoff said.

Many artists mourned his passing on Monday Carlos Santana called him “a visionary.” Patti Smith thanked him for a halfcentury of “love and support.” Davis’ family said in a statement that he “shaped the soundtrack of countless lives. He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history.”

Davis’ influence grew since the 1960s to span genres and labels as he directed the careers of everyone from Barry Manilow to “American Idol” winners Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. His groundbreaking support for Black artists earned him the NAACP’s Vanguard Award. His exclusive pre-Grammys gala has been an institution since he ﬁrst threw the party in 1976.

“Clive’s talent has always been seeing and hearing what other people don’t,” former President Barack Obama said in a video mes-

sage played at this year’s gala.

A Brooklyn background Clive Jay Davis was born on April 4, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a traveling salesman, and attended New York University and then Harvard Law School He became an in-house lawyer at a time when Columbia Records was resisting rock ’n’ roll. Seven years later, he was company president and seeking to capitalize on the counterculture spirit he witnessed at the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival. His success stories were a staggering who’s who of

Last quarantined cruise passengers released

BY JOSH FUNK and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb The last eight American passengers who endured 42 days in a specialized hospital quarantine unit after exposure to an unusual hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that killed three people have left the Nebraska facility U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ofﬁcials on Monday confirmed the end of the quarantine.

“Through close collaboration among federal, state, and local partners, HHS helped protect the American people, contain potential risks, and bring this response effort to a successful conclusion,” HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in an email. More than 120 people were evacuated from the MV Hondius in Spain’s Canary Islands early last month — including the 18 Americans who wound up in the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha though most were from other countries.

In addition to those people evacuated by health ofﬁcials in full protective suits, at least 30 other pas-

sengers had left the ship earlier before the outbreak was documented. That included seven Americans, who were allowed to monitor for any symptoms at home. When the ship eventually docked in the Netherlands, 25 crew members and two medical personnel were on board and had to quarantine.

The World Health Organization didn’t immediately respond Monday to questions about the status of all the other people who had to quarantine around the globe. A total of 13 cases of the virus, including the three who died, were identified among people who were on the ship

One of the American passengers, Angela Perryman, had been held against her will and against the recommendation of a government medical expert. She said in an interview Monday passengers were told that the quarantine monitoring period ended Sunday at 2 p.m. She left on a ﬂight that evening. Others were flying out Monday, she said “We were locked in our rooms until 1:55. And at 2 o’clock, ‘OK, well, everybody walk out and go home,’ ” Perryman said, speaking from her Florida home.

Ukraine and Russia exchange deadly strikes, with at least 1 child killed

BY VOLODYMR YURCHUK Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine A Russian drone strike on the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine killed three members of the same family, including a 13-year-old boy while a Ukrainian strike on a Russian industrial plant killed ﬁve people, ofﬁcials said Monday Russia has pounded civilian areas of Ukraine with drones and missiles since its all-out invasion more than four years ago. Ukraine increasingly has struck back against oil facilities and military factories deep inside Russia.

A United Nations tally says more than 16,000 civilians have died in the war U.S.-led peace efforts have failed to stop the ﬁghting.

The Sumy attack hit a home and killed a 36-yearold man, his son and the 73-year-old mother of his partner, according to Oleh Hryhorov, the head of the regional military administration. The man’s partner and 10-year-old son were wounded, he said. “An ordinary home — not a military target whatsoever,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X. The Ukrainian missile attack on the industrial plant in Voronezh in southwestern Russia killed ﬁve people and injured dozens, Gov Alexander Gusev said. He did not name the plant. Ukraine’s General Staff said it hit a Voronezh factory that produces electronic parts for Russian missile and air defense systems.

America’s most iconic and enduring musical acts with Houston both a crowning achievement and a devastating tragedy Davis signed her to his Arista record label when she was just a teen and turned her into America’s reigning pop princess.

Houston racked up multiple No. 1 hits before drug abuse hobbled her career She died in a Beverly Hills hotel room in 2012, hours before Davis’ annual gala downstairs. He had been convinced she was turning her life around.

“Maybe I should have been more skeptical,” Davis wrote in his 2013 memoir, “The

Soundtrack of My Life,” “but I’ve always been optimistic, and I felt hopeful. It felt like old times.”

Davis proudly noted the other talents he signed, including Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Blood Sweat & Tears and other “all-timers,” as he so often put it.

“I signed Patti Smith, the great Renaissance woman I signed Lou Reed I signed the Grateful Dead,” he proudly touted in an interview with The Associated Press in 1999.

He also signed the up-andcoming producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose Bad Boy

Records under Davis scored huge hits, most notably with Notorious B.I.G., long before Diddy landed in prison.

An exec who built careers Davis also kept veterans relevant. Aretha Franklin ﬂourished in her later years at Arista as did Luther Vandross at another Davis label, J Records. It was Davis who conceived of the 1999 album “Supernatural,” pairing guitar god Santana with some of the day’s hottest talents to win eight Grammys. And he persuaded middle-aged rocker Rod Stewart to try standards from “The Great American Songbook.” That album, released in 2003, sold millions and was so successful it spawned four titles in all.

His collaborators didn’t always agree — Davis won a bitter ﬁght with producer David Foster over Houston’s all-time hit, a cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” — and the song was published with its iconic a cappella intro.

And Manilow strongly objected to recording “I Write the Songs” — a song he didn’t write — but it too became a signature hit. “He’s just brilliant at picking ideas he thinks the public will connect,” raved Manilow

But not an infallible figure

Columbia fired Davis in 1973, accusing him of mismanaging funds. Davis

pleaded guilty to tax evasion and had to pay a $10,000 ﬁne, but said Columbia funded Arista to resolve the dispute. That label became another huge success, with country superstars Brooks & Dunn, sassy R&B group TLC, Babyface, Houston, Franklin and others.

Arista also signed Milli Vanilli, the male pop duo that was stripped of its best new artist Grammy after revealing they were lip-syncing their songs. In 1999, Arista’s parent company BMG Entertainment, a division of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, wanted him to retire. He was ousted despite support from his superstar roster But BMG then helped Davis launch J Records, where he found his next star in Keys, a pianoplaying singer-songwriter whose powerful pipes and dramatic R&B songs would sell millions of Grammywinning albums. Davis later ran BMG’s U.S. division, guiding “American Idol” winners to platinum albums. Some disagreed with his directions Clarkson went her own way with “My December” — but she apologized after the album flopped. Davis was serving as worldwide chief creative officer at Sony Music Entertainment at his death. He was married twice, and in his memoir, confirmed he was bisexual and living with a man.

Senate passes bipartisan housing bill

BY MICHAEL CASEY and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate passed a bipartisan housing bill on Monday that aims to reduce federal regulations and expand local control, one of the most sweeping efforts in recent decades to increase supply and bring down prices.

The bill, which passed 85-5 and now heads to the House, has been the focus of intense negotiations in recent weeks as lawmakers in both parties try to address housing costs in an election year The ﬁnal version of the legislation bans corporate investors from buying single-family homes but doesn’t include a Senate provision that would have required investors to sell newly constructed homes within seven years.

The measure was the result of years of work to “lower costs, expand housing supply, cut red tape, protect taxpayers, and help more Americans achieve the dream of homeownership,” said Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., who worked with Democrats to get the bill passed.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the banking panel, said it is the most signiﬁcant housing bill to pass Congress since 1990, when the average home in America was sold for $150,000. Now it costs more than $500,000, she said.

The bill “acknowledges that the federal government has a role to play in lowering housing prices,” Warren told The Associated Press. “For the first time ever, private equity will be blocked from buying up single-family homes and trying to turn housing into one more Wall Street investment.”

Senate passage of the bill shapes up as a rare bipartisan legislative achievement when much of Republicans’ agenda has stalled. The House is expected to give ﬁnal approval later this week and send the bill to President Donald Trump, who has signaled his support Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, of California, who helped negotiate the legislation, said it was a “huge step toward finally addressing the affordable housing and homelessness crises in this country.”

Republicans and Democrats have embraced the bill as a way to show they are addressing the nation’s affordability crisis, driven in part by rising home prices due to

a shortage of affordable housing. The U.S. housing market has been in a slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Sales of previously occupied U.S homes have been hovering close to a 4-million annual pace going back to 2023 — well short of the 5.2-million annual pace that’s historically been the norm. Sales slowed last year to a 30year low and have remained sluggish so far this year, declining in January and February versus a year earlier

The Economic Report of the President in April found a shortage of 10 million homes, while a report this month from the Joint Center For Housing Studies at Harvard University found sales of existing homes were at threedecade lows and inventories were rising due to high home buying costs. “Cost burdens for both renters and owners continue to climb, while assistance remains profoundly underfunded,” the report said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JOHN SALANGSANG

Barry Manilow, from left, Carly Simon and Clive Davis arrive on Feb 14, 2016, at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala in Beverly Hills, Calif. Davis, a music industry mogul, has died at age 94.

Social Security shortfallenergizes Congress to find answers

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON Nearly 1million

Louisiana seniors—about 17.4% of the state’s population —will see their monthly SocialSecurity check drop signiﬁcantly unless Congress can make changes enoughtokeep the trust fund from going insolvent in six years. That doesn’tmean an end toSocial Security,asmany have fretted. But it does mean asteep decrease in beneﬁts.

Atypical Louisiana beneﬁciary would lose $460 from their $1,726 monthlySocial Security check, accordingtoa Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget analysis of the dreary financialforecast released last week by the Social Security Trustees for the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust The trustees’ report appears to have energizeda Congressthat has been dragging its feet foryears sincethisproblem ﬁrst emerged.

While anumber of senators and representatives from both parties have been writing letters demanding action, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge,are at the tip of the spear in trying to ﬁnd ways to address the trust fund’s shortfall.

Howitworks

SocialSecurity becamelaw in 1935 and created asystemin which today’sretirees anddisabled people receive beneﬁts paid for with payroll taxes collected from today’sworkers

Atrustfundwas established in 1983 as asort of rainy-day fund

Continued from page 1A

lacks important context, including that the company has complied with repayment since the state terminatedthe program.

In astatement Monday,the Department of Conservation and Energy —formerly the Department of Energy and Natural Resources —said it has already taken steps to reorganize under new leadership to prevent problematic third-party contracts like the one with LORA. The auditor “has been working for more than two years to fully understand what went wrong within LORA and what went wrong within the agency prior to thisadministration,” said Dustin Davidson, thedepartment secretary “The lack of accountability and oversight thatthe LLAreported was frankly shocking.”

‘Probablybestkeptprivate’

In 2019, while Adams was an attorney supervisor for theOfﬁce of Conservation,the agency entered into an agreement with LORA to provide financial security to oil well operators. The companies would give LORA money, and LORA would take responsibility for“plugging”wells that were orphaned. Between 2021 and 2023, after

thatput aside whatever money was leftover afterthe month’s beneﬁtswere paid foruse in the future, shouldpayroll tax revenues not be enough to cover the month’sbeneﬁt payments.

Social Securityadministrators areforbidden by lawfromusing general tax money to pay beneﬁts and thus must rely on the trust fund to coverexpenses whenever theFICA payroll taxes aren’t enough todoso.

But, for the past 17 years, administrators have dipped intothe trust fund almosteverymonth. And the amount needed to cover the gap between monthlyrevenues and payments continues to go up.

Trustees estimated that, at the present rate, thetrust fund will go broke in 2032, requiring administrators to lower monthly payments by 22%.

ForLouisiana, the expected reductionofbenefits works out to a$4.2 billion loss to the state’seconomy,accordingtocalculations by the Committee for aResponsible Federal Budget in its analysis released June 4.And that’s just Louisiana.

Nearly 70 million American retirees anddisabled peoplefacesimilardecreases in beneﬁts, which should also worry local retailers andserviceproviders when the Social Security beneﬁciaries cut back their consumer spending.

‘Waste,fraud andabuse’

Moon Griffon’s syndicated radio program.

He later wrote on social media —after being pilloried by Democrats—“We have aplantodo that next year,and it’s critical, because we’re at $40 trillion plus in debt.Atsome point you get into ahole so deep you can’tclimb out of it,sodesperatetimes call for desperatemeasures.”

Johnson hasn’treleased any details,leaving Democrats to assert that Republicans want to raise the retirementage and establisha “meanstest” that would make Social Security accessible to fewer people.

Democratspoint to Project 2025, theblueprint organizedby the conservative Heritage Foundation, that repeated those ideas Republicans have rallied behind in thepast.

Johnsonrespondedthathe wasn’ttalking about cutting ben-

in op-eds printed fornewspapers around the country

His proposal, like othersbeing forwarded, is complexwith multiple facets.

The crux of Cassidy’sidea, whichhas the support of some Democrats, would change the trust fund into something like a 401(k)retirement account. Money would be invested, rather than just banked, in the stock andbond markets, with the proceeds shoring Social Security’sﬁnances.

“Myplan is ready to go,” Cassidy saidlast week.“By the way, my plan does not cut beneﬁts or raise taxes on theseniorcitizen. And importantly,myplan can passCongress. Cassidy,who lost reelection in May,hopes to getsomething done before theend of the year when he steps down. All the various legislativeefforts must begin again when the newly elected Congress convenes in January

Trustees estimated that, at the present rate, the Social Security trust fund willgobroke in 2032, requiring administrators to lower monthly payments by 22%. ForLouisiana, the expected reduction of benefits works out to a$4.2 billion loss to the state’s economy,accordingtocalculationsby the Committee for aResponsible Federal Budget in its analysis released June 4.

efitsfor retirees and accused Democrats and the media of “fearmongering.” He said his focuswas going afterwaste, fraud and abuse.

Severaldifferent ideas are on thetable —and that couldbecome problematic in adivided Congress thatrarely agrees on anything.

Johnson painted Social Security as oneofthe “entitlement programs,” likeMedicare andMedicaid, that mandates spending and accounts for about 74% of the federal government’s spending.

“They have to be adjusted and fixed,” Johnson said June 8on

LORA hadbegan to receive money for the program, it loaned nearly $2.4 million to twoafﬁliated companies that then loaned morethan $1 million to Adams and two of his family members, ofﬁcials say “Because Mr.Adams and his daughter received apersonal benefit from thebelow-market-rate loans, Mr.Adams may have violatedstate law,”investigators said. Thereport saysAdams —who is married to EastBaton Rouge Parish MetroCouncil member Laurie Adams— notonlyassisted LORA owners VanMayhall III, Chad Lott and Jacob Dickinson in obtaining the state contractbut also took part in structuring thecompany andits related entities

Mayhall said in astatement Monday afternoon thatLORA operated in “full compliance” withapplicable laws andplugged more than 120 orphan wells for the state —all with private funds.

According to the report, during the selectionperiod, Adams sent emails from his personalaccount to the trio with Ofﬁce of Conservation documents attached, telling hisassociates the materials “would probablybebest kept private.” He also sent thetrio questions in advance of theirinterviews for the project

Investigators say Adams’ emails suggest he had apersonal relationship with LORA’s owners since at least 2012.

Some Republicanspraised Johnson, but others advisedcaution Perhaps they recalledthe electoral clobbering the GOP received in 2004 when President George W. Bush attempted sweeping changes to the popular program without securing Democratic buy-in.

401(k)-like model

Forthe past eight years, Cassidy has been sellinghis solution at tradeassociationconferences and

Adams’ attorney said thereport lacks evidence showing that there wasany relationship, outsideofa single email. Moorealsosaiditwas inaccurate for the auditor to imply that Adams inﬂuenced theselection of LORA to run theprogram Mayhall also said the report lacked key context, “including the contractuallanguagethatshows LORA acted at therequest of the state.”

He addedthatthe companyhas cooperated withthe auditor’sinvestigation, even though it didn’t have to

“LORA voluntarily cooperated withthe Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sinvestigation as agestureof good faithand transparency even though, as aprivate company that never received or utilized any state or public funds,itwas under no obligation to do so,” Mayhall said.

‘Might look suspicious’

In oneemailsentbefore LORA got thecontract,Mayhall wrote that “Johnny (Adams) andI have changed theorganization’s structure” to include three separateentities,according to the report.

“It looks like this will be thebest structure for tax purposes, liability reasons, etc.,” Mayhall wrote.

“(LORA) will initially beowned by me, because Iwant thattobe reﬂected in the Articles and Secretary of Stateifthe Commissioner or anyone goes looking.

ASenate subcommittee on Social Security is scheduling ahearing this week to review potential solutions.

The longerCongress waits to address theproblem,he says,the more that ﬁx will cost.

“It’sonlygoing to cost more and be more difficult to solve the longer we wait,” he said.

The trustees estimated that the 12.4% payrolltax will climb to 16.65% if changeswere made this year,but would climb to 17.3% if Congresswaits until 2034.

Raising thetax cap

Cassidy’sDemocraticcounterpart is Rep. John Larson, aformer Connecticut insurancebroker who is pushing adifferent proposal, again with lots of moving parts andbipartisansupport.

Larson basically would raise revenues by collecting payroll taxes from workers making more than $184,500 per year,the point at which administrators stopwith-

That emaillaysout the relationship betweenLORA— which Mayhall said “will basically just be a shell withthe reserves and the liability” —and aseparate LLC and a nonproﬁt that later loaned Adams money to buy ahouse.

“One of the best parts of this arrangement, asidefromisolating us from liability of (LORA), is that when the DNR wants to look at our books,wecan show them the books of (LORA),” Mayhall wrote.

In an email sent amonth later, Mayhall notes that he did not want to listothers’ names on LORA’s website yet in order to avoid suspicion, as they were thethreeﬁnalists to run the program at the time —thoughitappearsthe plan was for them to later run it together

“A little ways down the line, we can easily say that Ireached out to Johnny (Adams) and asked for some names of people to help me, andhegavemey’all’snames,” Mayhall said. “But right away like this, it might look suspicious. And that’s thelastthing we need right now.”

In August last year,afew months after the state terminated its agreement with LORA, Murrill ﬁled acivil suit against the company,accusing Adams, Mayhall and others of “self-dealing.”

That lawsuit is still ongoing.

Moore says Adamspaid back his loan from LORA-relatedentities in full. He said nothing improper

drawing FICA payroll taxes from an individual’scheck.

Social Security was designed to payretirees anddisabled people aset amount each month, as opposedtoreturning what an individualput into the system over theyears. Employers stop withdrawingFederal Insurance Contributions Act payroll taxes, called FICA, after an individual’s contributions reach aspecified amount.

Thecap now is set at $184,500 earnings annually,which the Census Bureau says accounts for about 22% of the nation’shouseholds.

The Larson planwould getrid of the cap and require those higherpaid employees to continue paying FICA throughout the entire year

Anotherbill, also bipartisan, was ﬁledinthe Houselastweek that would create a13-member committee to study alternatives and find“common-sense solutions.”

Social Security administrators’ estimatesinthe past were thrown offbythe slowrecovery from the Great Recession nearly 20 years ago, which led employers to not increase their employees’ wages as fast as before andcaused more people to retire earlierthan had been the case.

Added to those factors, the trustees also point to President Donald Trump’seconomic policies as exacerbating to downward trend in the trust fund’sﬁnances.

TheOne BigBeautiful Bill Act, signed into lawonJuly4 last year lowered taxes for manyworkers and seniors, impacting the amountscollected forthe trust fund.

In addition, immigrants —even those without proper documentation —contributed to the fund. Trump’sdeportation efforts also arehelping depletethe trustfund.

EmailMark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

occurred, noting thatnoneofthe funds discussed “ever contained a single penny” of taxpayer dollars. “Atnotime has John Adamsever possessed or exercised any authority,supervision or control over any aspect of the LORA program,” Moore said.

Excessivefees?

By creating separate shell companies, LORA’s owners were able to effectively pay themselves salaries and loan themselves money, investigators said.

For example, whileLORA took in the money from companies and assumed the liability forthe wells, it paid acompanyowned by the same people, Arkus Management Services, to actually operate the orphan wellprogram

The amount of administrative fees Arkus charged LORA rose steeply during the course of the contract, auditors noted.

As part of itsinitialagreement with the state, the association was allowed to use no more than 20% of what it collected on management fees. But, three years into theagreement, LORA increased those fees paid to Arkus to 36%, whichinvestigators sayresulted in a$1.85 millioninsalary paid to LORA/Arkus’ owners.

Email Patrick Sloan-Turner at patrick.sloan-turner@ theadvocate.com.

Ex-Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan dies at 100

BY PAUL WISEMAN and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writers

WASHINGTON Alan Greenspan, the jazz-playing U.S. Federal Reserve chair who was celebrated for engineering a decade of prosperity but later shared the blame for a devastating financial crisis, died Monday He was 100.

Greenspan died from complications of Parkinson’s disease, said his wife of 29 years, NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell.

“To me he was my husband, who shaped my life from our very ﬁrst date in 1984,” Mitchell wrote. “He had ‘irrational exuberance’ for baseball, the Washington Commanders, tennis, golf, and music, especially jazz. He will be remembered for his brilliance and his kindness. Being his life partner was the joy of my life.”

The Fed said Greenspan helped to cement trust in the Fed during a time of economic uncertainty.

“Under his leadership, the Federal Reserve achieved a sustained era of price stability that supported economic growth and helped anchor the public’s conﬁdence in the institution,” the central bank said in a statement Monday ‘Maestro’ — then crisis hit

In 181/2 years at the Fed, Greenspan presided over a breathtaking surge in stock prices and a 10-year economic boom that started in March 1991. He was celebrated as “Maestro” and “Oracle” — an economic virtuoso whose every utterance was dissected for clues on where interest rates and the economy were headed.

The intense scrutiny of Greenspan’s intentions gave birth to new Fed folklore: the “Briefcase Indicator.” A stuffed briefcase carried into Fed meetings implied changes might be afoot because Greenspan carried with him charts and research to make his point

But his reputation began to suffer almost as soon as he left the Fed in 2006. American housing prices tumbled rapidly, causing huge losses for banks that had repackaged mortgage loans into a dizzying array of complex securities. The growing financial crisis pushed the U.S. economy into the Great Recession of 2007-2009 — the deepest downturn since the 1930s. Critics blamed the devastation on Greenspan’s easy money policies and his support for deregulated ﬁnancial markets. Greenspan himself later acknowledged “I made a mistake” in assuming that banks could essentially regulate themselves.

Continued from page 1A

Zeton called 911 minutes after he, Schoﬁeld and Claus held a three-way telephone conference the night of Nov 6, 2019, according to court documents. Zeton reported that he noticed the artwork missing from his bedroom walls after construction was completed. Just hours earlier, Schofield had delivered an appraisal that listed the combined value of the paintings at $128,500. He testiﬁed that he did so after Claus hired him to appraise the pieces at $10,000 apiece.

Schoﬁeld said “it was going to be tough” to justify such high values for the paintings, which he described as duplicates produced in China and sold in the U.S. through distributors.

Schoﬁeld said he came up with a two-page “write-up” that detailed the inflated numbers for the collection of paintings, valuing several of them as high as $15,000. On the stand Monday in Claus’ criminal trial inside the U.S. Eastern District Courthouse, he admitted there was no way the paintings would sell for those amounts at wholesale gal-

June 2009 through February 2020.) During Greenspan’s tenure at the Fed, the nation’s unemployment rate briefly dropped below 4% for the ﬁrst time since 1970.

And inflation, which had bedeviled the United States and much of the global economy during the 1970s, was remarkably dormant during Greenspan’s chairmanship, something many economists thought impossible for so long a period.

Authority on U.S economy

For almost two decades, it seemed that Greenspan could do no wrong Not only in the United States but across the world, he was regarded with a mixture of reverence and awe Many openly dreaded the day when he would leave the Fed Investors hung on his sometimes inscrutable observations. In the most well-known such remark, Greenspan sent financial markets reeling on Dec. 5, 1996, when he suggested with just two words — “irrational exuberance” — that stock prices were too high. Mindful of his power to move markets, Greenspan typically resorted to obfuscation. At times, he even joked about his habit of doing so. “I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant,” Greenspan once told a befuddled congressional committee.

Greenspan was one of the few Fed chairs that Kevin Warsh, chosen by Trump to lead the Fed, praised at his swearing-in last month. Warsh has said one of his goals is to dial back the Fed’s communications, particularly the guidance it gives ﬁnancial markets, an approach closer to Greenspan’s than to Warsh’s immediate predecessors as chair Yet for all his circumspect comments, Greenspan did make the Fed more transparent He was the first chair to issue a statement explaining the Fed’s interest-rate decisions Before Greenspan, investors had to divine the Fed’s intentions from market changes. Greenspan also began to release minutes and even full transcripts of meetings, though those changes were in response to pressure from Congress.

A protégé is born Born in the Washington Heights neighborhood

leries or online auctions. He told jurors “interior decorating markets” were the only place his appraisals could garner ﬁve-ﬁgure payouts. That reality didn’t stop Zeton from submitting a claim to his homeowner’s insurer, Western World Insurance, that estimated the artwork was worth $128,500.

A former boxer who has touted his connections to political ﬁgures like former New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Zeton pleaded guilty to insurance fraud for his role in ﬁling the fake insurance claim.

FBI agents raided Zeton’s Lower Garden District hotel in 2022 and recovered several of the paintings he’d claimed stolen nearly three years prior Schofield also pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme. Both men have awaited sentencing while Claus stood to be tried on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy, using a facility in interstate commerce in aid of bribery, lying to a federal agent Zeton testiﬁed last week over two days as a witness for the government

Ruthie Moore Winston, a New Orleans appraiser, took the stand Monday afternoon and said the paintings were “giclée,” high-resolution digital duplicates of high-

of Manhattan, the young Greenspan was a math whiz who was trotted out by his mother to show off for visitors.

“I was a prop at parties,” he said in a 2007 interview with PBS NewsHour. A Julliard School dropout, he worked as a professional musician in his teens, playing clarinet and saxophone alongside the future jazz great Stan Getz. It was a humbling experience that persuaded the young Greenspan to seek another line of work.

He pursued undergraduate and graduate study in economics at New York University, eventually earning a doctorate there. For most of three decades, he ran an economic consulting firm. During the 1950s, he became a disciple of the libertarian philosopher Ayn Rand, who stuck him with the nickname the “Undertaker” for his dark clothes and quiet bearing. When Greenspan was sworn in as President Gerald Ford’s chief economic adviser in 1974, Rand stood beside him An early trial President Ronald Reagan tapped Greenspan to run the Fed in 1987. He was tested almost immediately On Oct. 19, 1987, which came to be known as “Black Monday,” the stock market suffered the worst one-day percentage loss in American history just two months into his term The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 22.6% for reasons that remain opaque to this day Greenspan was credited for helping restore stability He assured Wall Street that the Fed would supply as much money to the ﬁnancial system as was needed to restore calm. Stocks recovered, and the American economy emerged unscathed by the market crash.

During his tenure at the Fed, Greenspan drew praise for presiding over what was at the time the longest economic expansion in American history (It was later surpassed by a 128-month expansion that ran from

end art. She valued the total collection at $6,500.

Schofield was sentenced to 10 months in prison in California in 2008 after he admitted pretending that a sketch by Pablo Picasso valued at $200,000, called “Le Couple,” belonged to him, and using it to secure a $40,000 loan.

Christopher Murell, Claus’ attorney questioned Schofield about his criminal past and confronted him over the deal he made with federal authorities in October 2023. For agreeing to testify against Claus, the feds agreed to drop more serious charges against him and limited his potential prison stint to a maximum three years. Prosecutors could also ask the judge to reduce his sentence to probation based on his cooperation, Murell suggested.

“You want to please the government with your testimony during this trial so they will give you that letter,” he asked.

“I would think I’d want to be a good witness and tell the truth,” Schoﬁeld said. The trial is expected to resume Tuesday as the government continues to present its case.

Email Matt Bruce at matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

During the long boom, Greenspan argued that improvements in technology had made the economy so efficient that it could run faster and at lower rates of unemployment, without unleashing inﬂation. As a consequence, the theory went, the Fed could keep interest rates low even when the economy was roaring.

The economy soared in the late 1990s, expanding by 4% or more for four straight years, and Greenspan was credited with holding off on rate hikes and allowing the boom to run.

Warsh has said that AI could reproduce the 1990s experience of high growth with low inflation, though economists are skeptical it will play out the same way Passion for numbers, life

As Fed chair, Greenspan relished poring over obscure economic data, from monthly boxcar loadings to steel production, all in a bid to assess where the economy was going. He would often phone economists at other government agencies to discuss details. He would rise early each morning for a two-hour soak in his bathtub, time that he used to review statistics and Fed staff memos.

Improbably, Greenspan also made the gossip pages as an unlikely ladies’ man. He dated the television journalist Barbara Walters and later married Mitchell after a 12-year courtship. They had no children.

Greenspan dated Walters while working as an adviser

to President Gerald Ford.

According to a biography of Greenspan, “The Man Who Knew” by Sebastian Mallaby, when Ford read a newspaper item about the pair he cut it out and sent it to his chief of staff, Dick Cheney, with a note that said, “I don’t believe it.”

Faith is challenged

All along, Greenspan held fast to the belief that ﬁnancial markets could largely regulate themselves. With officials from President Bill Clinton’s White House, he helped block efforts by Brooksley Born, the nation’s top commodities regulator, to bring federal oversight in the late 1990s to the shadowy market in over-the-counter derivatives. The derivatives allowed speculators to make bets on everything from the price of oil to high-risk mortgages.

Eventually, history would vindicate Born, not the Maestro.

The low interest rates Greenspan had engineered helped swell housing prices into a dangerous bubble. And the financial deregulation he supported allowed banks and other financial firms to pile up huge risks, often hidden from government supervision. Bad derivatives bets helped sink insurance giant American International Group, which required a $180 billion taxpayer bailout. Vaunted investment firms Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers failed and U.S. financial markets nearly collapsed.

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which was assigned to investigate the debacle by Congress, concluded:

“More than 30 years of deregulation and reliance on self-regulation by financial institutions, championed by former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and others had stripped away key safeguards, which could have helped avoid catastrophe.”

Life after the Fed

In the years after stepping down as Fed chairman in 2006 just shy of his 80th birthday Greenspan kept busy doing what he loved to do most — following the economic data He ran his own consulting ﬁrm, Greenspan Associates, through which he dispensed advice to Wall Street clients and collected handsome speaking fees. He kept up a busy schedule well into his 90s, writing his memoir and two other books on the economy, as well as opining on the latest economic developments on television news shows. He also signed onto opinion articles and statements defending the Federal Reserve’s political independence from President Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks. In January 2026 he signed a statement criticizing the Trump administration’s investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The statement, which was also signed by two other former Fed chairs and five former Treasury secretaries, called the investigation “an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks to undermine” the Fed’s independence and warned it would have “highly negative consequences for inﬂation.”

In his 2013 book “The Map and the Territory,” Greenspan defended himself against critics who assigned him signiﬁcant blame for the 2008 ﬁnancial meltdown. He argued that traditional economic forecasting was no match for the irrational risktaking that can feed catastrophic price bubbles. “Bubbles go up very slowly as euphoria builds,” Greenspan said in a 2013 interview with The Associated Press. “Then fear hits, and it comes down very sharply When I started to look at that, I was sort of intellectually shocked.”

AP economics writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BARRy THUMMA

President Ronald Reagan, right, congratulates Alan Greenspan after he was sworn in as chair of the Federal Reserve Board at the White House on Aug. 11, 1987.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Oil prices ease as Big Tech stocks fall

NEW YORK U.S. stocks drifted through amixed day of trading on Monday after oilprices eased and falling BigTech stocks weighed on Wall Street.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, coming off its 11th winning week in the last 12, and pulled 1.8%below itsall-timehigh set early this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Averageadded 148points, or 0.3%, andthe Nasdaq composite slumped 1.3%.

In the oil market, pricesfell following talks over the weekend betweenthe United States and Iranontheir war.U.S. Vice President JD Vance said they created a“good foundation for asuccessful ﬁnal deal.”

An end to the war couldclear the Strait of Hormuz foroil tankers andallow for the undisputedresumption of deliveries from the Persian Gulf. Iran’s military hadsaid Saturday that it closed the Strait of Hormuz again, though U.S. Central Command has disputed that.

The price for abarrel of Brent crude oil fell 3.2% to $77.52, closer to its roughly $70price from before the war.Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 2.6% to $73.86 perbarrel.

The lower oil prices, though, did not pull down Treasury yields in the bond market. Yields have been climbing because of speculation the Federal Reserve mayhike interest rates this year to keep alid on inflation,which has been accelerating because of expensive oil caused by the Iran war.Economists expect areport on Thursday to show ameasure of inflation forU.S. consumers sped up to 4.1% in May from 3.8% in April. High yields in bond markets worldwide caused by worries about inflation are threatening to slow economies, and they have alreadysentrates higher for mortgagesand other kinds of loans.

Mexico seeks to restart oil shipments to Cuba

MEXICO CITY Mexican PresidentClaudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her country seeks to restart oil shipments to Cuba soon, amove that couldprovidemuch-needed relief as the island’scrises deepen given a lack of petroleum.

Sheinbaum said her administration would seek to send the oil viacommercialand privately owned ﬁrms instead of stateowned companies as it has done in the past.

Mexicobecame akey fuel supplier to Cuba afterthe U.S. attacked Venezuela in early January and halted critical oil shipments. Butthose shipments, which had already been reduced, werecompletely suspended after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any countrythat provides or sells oil to the island Google invests $75M in A24 movie studio

Google on Monday announced it hasinvestedinmovie studio A24,asthe two companies collaborate on newtools for artists that useartiﬁcial intelligence technology

The Mountain View-based techgiantinvestedaround $75 million into A24, the studio behind popular movies including horror ﬁlm “Backrooms” and drama “Everything EverywhereAll At Once,”according to aperson familiar with the partnership who declined tobe named. The collaborationis not adata training agreement, the source added.

The deal wasﬁrst reported by the Wall Street Journal

“By anchoring Google DeepMind’sinnovations directly within the creative process, A24 and its ﬁlmmakers canhelp shape new technology in serviceoftheir vision and expand their storytelling possibilities,” EliCollins, avicepresident of product withGoogle DeepMind, said in ablog post Monday

“This hands-on collaboration provides Google DeepMind with invaluable feedback and guidance from leading artists.”

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

ChinahitsbackatU.S.sanctions

By The Associated Press

BEIJING China on Mondayannouncedsanctions on 10 American military-related companiesinresponsetoarecent U.S.movethat bars some leading Chinesetech companies from defense contracts.

TheCommerce Ministry said that Chinese companies would be blockedfromexporting “dual-use” itemstothe 10 companies, which include military drone makersand some involved in rareearth mining. Dual userefers to goodsthat can havemilitaryaswell as non-

militaryapplications.

The ministry said the export ban was both to safeguard China’s national security and in response to what it called the U.S. government’s“wrongful expansion of its so-calledList of Chinese Military Companies.”

George Chen, partner for Greater China at the advisory ﬁrm The Asia Group,saidthe ban wasanunsurprising and proportionate response to the U.S. restrictions.

“Most of themare U.S. defense industry players or they have close connections withthe U.S. govern-

ment forcontracts andother reasons,” he said.“Those companies are not going to do business in China, so theimpact will be quite symbolic.”

Separately, the Finance Ministry said that government entities would be prohibited from buying products from 46 American companiesincluding multiple units of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and GeneralDynamics.A briefstatement did not give any reason for the prohibition.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Defense Department added several

tech companiesincluding Alibaba andBaidu to its list of ﬁrms thatit says have links to the Chinese military.Baidu said the suggestion that it is amilitary company is “totally baseless.”

The designationprevents them from getting U.S. military contracts.

The Commerce Ministry said at the time that the American sanctions run countertothe consensus that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump reached during Trump’svisit to China in May

High oilpricesdrive asurge in Chineseelectricvehicle sales

Butamountofcharging networks arelagging behind

BY CHAN HO-HIM, ALLANOLINGO and ANTON L. DELGADO Associated Press

HONG KONG

The war in Iran has helped reshape the global electric vehicle market, givingChinese automakers an opening across thedevelopingworldassoaring fuel prices push drivers towards electric vehicles, even as charging infrastructure lags behind a wave of imports.

The blockade of theStrait of Hormuzdisruptedshipping of about afifth of the world’s crude oiland liquifiednatural gas, first hitting Asia —the main destination for the fuels —followed by Africa.

Thisshock accelerateda trend that was already spreadingacross thedeveloping world. In April, global exports of Chinese EVs hit arecord $9.4 billion, according to an analysis bythink tank Ember of Chinese customs data. Shipments surgedtocountries such as Australia, Brazil and regions like Southeast Asia and East Africa.

China exported about 435,000 passenger EVs andplug-in hybrids in May,morethan doublefrom ayear earlier,according to the Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

As fuelcosts rise,moredriversare switching to EVs to save money,while governmentsfrom Laos to Ethiopia are embracing electriﬁcation to curb oilimports and reduce costs of fuel subsidies.

But faster EV adoption is outpacing the expansion of charging networks. Governments and state-owned utilities in Africa are taking aleadingrole in buildingthem— a modelanalysts saycould help otheremergingmarkets, likeAsia,speed theshift away from fossil fuels.

When anation lacks sufficient charging infrastructure and EV fleet size, it is a“classic chicken-and-egg problem” regardingwhat comes first, said Paul Gong, head of UBS bank’sChina automotiveindustry research.

“At that stage, government support for infrastructure couldhelp accelerate adoption,” hesaid Across the developing world, driversare looking beyond the gas pump.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByANTON L. DELGADO Adriver plugs in her Chinese-made MG electricvehicle to chargeataparking lot in Bangkok, Thailand.

In Southeast Asia, imports of Chinese EVs have surged in Thailand,Laosand thePhilippines. In May, Laos bannedthe importof fuel-powered vehicles for therest of 2026 to cutoil import costs andencourage the EV shift Africaimportedaround 44,000 Chinese EVs in 2025, a130% jump from the year before, according to ChineseCommerce Ministry data.

Across Asia and Africa, transport is one of thelargest household expenses.

Limited public transit, long commutes and areliance on private vehicles make families vulnerabletovolatilefuelprices. In South Africa,transportation accounts fornearly aﬁfth of household spending, according to a2024 study by Stellenbosch University in SouthAfrica’sWestern Cape province.

So,asfuelpricessurge,global interest in EVs has been growing, said Mark Wakeﬁeld, with the consultancy AlixPartners.

One in four new cars sold worldwide last year were electric, according to the International Energy Agency Global electriccar sales are expected to grow further in 2026 andreach 23 million,

making up nearly 30%ofall carssoldworldwide,according to the IEA’s latest EV outlook.

“In thenextﬁve years, we will accelerate (our)overseasexpansion,” said JerryGan, CEO of Geely Auto,one of China’s biggest automakers, at acompanyevent in March as the auto group makes inroad into regions like Southeast Asia including selling EVs. Chinese automakers supplied around 60% of electric carssold globally,the IEA said. Theyhavealso been targeting Europe, Africa and Latin America.

In Vietnam, automaker VinFastalsologged strongersales.DemandfromSoutheastAsia helped drive a42% year-on-year increase in thecompany’sJanuary-Marchquarterly revenue.

On most mornings, NguyenThien Bao threads his VinFast electric motorbike throughthe jammed trafficofVietnam’s capital Hanoi —ferrying passengers and deliveries.The EV bike hassharply cuthis expenses as fuel prices rise.

“Before,somuchofmyincome went into fuel,” he said. “Now,Ican actually save some money.”

Wine brands shakingthingsuptoattract youngerdrinkers

Companiestry tie-ins with popculture

BY J.M. HIRSCH Associated Press

BOSTON Which wine pairs well with Shark Week? Does apinot noir have enough acidityto cut throughthe grime of aTough Mudder race?

Is abig,brassy cabernet bold enough of aquaff for anight of naming dead rodentsafter an ex? And is awine named SEX too provocative or notprovocative enough?

Absurd as they may sound, theseare the questions haunting wine marketers grappling with slumping sales and increasingly elusive drinkers. How consumers— especially younger drinkers—answer themwill determine whether an industrylongdeﬁnedbyfuddyduddy pretense canﬁnd itsfooting in 2026 and beyond.

“That self-important way that wine can refer to itself —we’re really trying to tip thatonits head,” said Helen Kurtz, chief of marketing for TheWine Group, whichhopes that offerings suchasits easy-drinking CupcakeVineyards wines can attract ageneration that came of age on Frappuccinos and gas station BuzzBallz. “It’sabout being less seriousabout ourselves, because that’swhat this consumer is demanding,” she said. By which shemeans partnering the company’sMD20/20 (yes, it’sa wine) with World WrestlingEntertainmentmatches (“Mad Dog Entersthe Ring”), and launching the aptly

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J.M. HIRSCH Wine, from the labels to the languageused to describe it, historically has leaned priceyand pretentious.

named Fuel by Franzia line of boxed wine beverages for NASCAR (“Full Throttle Flavor”).

It’safresh lesson on theimportance of ﬁnding your customer rather than hoping they ﬁnd you. Because almost across the board, alcohol consumption is down, atrend that accelerated post-pandemic. Ahost of factors is at play including aging Boomersseeking healthier lifestyles,Gen Z’sgravitation to low- and noalcohol beverages, andwidening availabilityof alternatives such as marijuana. Each segment of the alcohol industry —valuedataround $560 billion in the U.S. —isre-

sponding differently.Hard liquor,for example, hasfound araregrowth categoryinready-todrink cannedcocktails. Butthe wine industry faces its ownconstellation of challenges, many of its own making.

For anyone new to wine —particularly muchcoveted 20-somethings —ﬁnding one’sway can be daunting, something of aChâteau du Stuffy effect.

“You’ve got abunch of things, what you might call friction points, with wine, that are particularly salient to younger consumers,” including costand drinkability,said Christian Miller, director of research forthe Wine Market Council.

Wine, from the labels to the language used to describe it, historically has leaned pricey and pretentious.

Wine trends also have favored boozy and bracing styles, ahard sell forfolks used to sipping hard seltzers at the club.

Fewerthan athird of Gen-Z households own a corkscrew,according to atrends report by the British household products company Lakeland. Acadre of wineries hasbegun pushing the bounds of wine culture by ditching thefussy façade in favorofasassy vibe and accessible language. Price matters, too (the sweet spot seemstobethe $8 to $20a bottle range),but not nearly so much as the message. It’sabout using contemporary communication to pitch “something that’sbeen made for centuries,”saidCharlesSmith, founderof House of Smith, the company behind younger, shopper-friendly brands such as Kung Fu Girl Riesling and SEX Rosé.

as well as graduations, concerts, festivals and other community gatherings.

The project has proceeded in ﬁts and starts since its inception in 2008 as it encountered fundraising woes and ballooning expenses. But it has gained momentum in recent years under a new nonprofit board led by former New Orleans City Council

President Arnie Fielkow

On Monday, Mayor Helena Moreno, NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Fateama Fulmore, U.S. Rep.

Troy Carter and dozens of school employees and community members gathered at the future site of the stadium to mark the occasion

“Today is more than a start to construction,” Fielkow said at the ceremony “It’s the realization of a dream that started many years ago.” Long time coming

A football stadium in the 9th Ward has been a long time coming.

First floated in the years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the neighborhood, supporters hoped it would jumpstart the area’s recovery Initially called the 9th Ward Field of Dreams, the project garnered national attention and fundraised more than $1 million, but it ﬁzzled after several years.

Fielkow who said he was among the donors to the original project, formed 9th Ward Stadium Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, around 2019 to revive the project.

The group has raised more than $15 million to build the stadium, Fielkow said Monday The money includes federal, state and local funding, including $3.8 million from the state Legislature and $3 million expected from a bond that Orleans Parish voters approved last year The group also secured philanthropic commitments and private donations.

In April, the Orleans Parish School Board selected contractor TKTMJ, Inc.’s $10.9 million bid for the project, which will also include buildings for concessions, restrooms, locker rooms and parking.

Earlier this month, Rais-

STIPENDS

Continued from page 1A

“Legislators should listen carefully to what educators are saying,” Carter said.

“They do not deserve a pay cut. But cutting school funding is not the answer.”

‘Bottom of the list’

There is wide agreement that Louisiana’s public school teachers are underpaid. The state ranks 49th for average teacher pay, which was $56,785 last school year according to a recent analysis by the National Education Association, a national teachers union.

Landry has sought to boost educators’ pay without raising taxes. But state voters last month rejected the ini-

Troy Carter,

ing Cane’s, the Baton Rouge-based chicken ﬁnger fast food restaurant chain, secured naming rights to the stadium for $2 million LCMC Health, which has secondary naming rights, donated $600,000 to the project. NOLA Public Schools will

tial plan he championed, which called for liquidating three education trust funds to ﬁnance permanent teacher raises. Landry responded by ordering a roughly 5% cut in state education funding to pay for another round of stipends.

Jenny Guidry, a specialeducation teacher in Acadia Parish, said she and her colleagues desperately need a raise. She earned about $53,000 last school year — not much more than when she started teaching over 20 years ago, she said, and certainly not enough to keep up with the soaring cost of living.

“I’m not sure how to make ends meet anymore,” she said.

Yet as much as she cannot afford to see her paycheck shrink, she questioned why

oversee the facility Fielkow said it would also be used for “emerging” sports, such as lacrosse and ﬂag football, and might include historic markers honoring ﬁgures from the 9th Ward and a community health component.

The group has committed

the state must slash school budgets to give teachers the modest stipends this year

“They can ﬁnd money for everything else without blinking,” she said. “But when it comes to teachers, we’re always at the bottom of the list.”

Rep. Charles Owen, RRosepine, said that after voters in May rejected the ballot measure to pay for permanent teacher raises, there wasn’t time to find money for the stipends in the state budget before the legislative session ended June 1.

While it was a “tough vote,” Owen said he cast his ballot in favor of Landry’s plan to pay for the stipends by reducing education funding.

“This is what we could do,” he said, adding that educators earned the extra pay “I voted with the teachers.”

to fundraising an additional $5 million for a separate track facility, he said.

“Once successful, this will truly become one of the ﬁnest athletic facilities anywhere,” he said.

Moreno commended the community and board members for continually advocating for the stadium over the years.

“This stadium is more than just bricks and mortar,” Moreno said. “This stadium is about opportunity, it’s about pride and it is about belief in our children, belief in the next generation.”

‘A blessing’ Community members and Carver alumni said they were excited about having a home stadium in the 9th Ward, which could bring more investment to the neighborhood.

City Council member Eugene Green, who represents the area, said the city is investing millions of dollars in district street repairs and

that businesses are moving to the Desire neighborhood. Carter said the stadium is a chance to level the playing ﬁeld for the community and invigorate the local econo-

“For too long, historically underserved communities like the upper 9th Ward and the Lower 9th Ward and everywhere in between have watched resources ﬂow everywhere else,” Carter said. “Today that changes.” It will also bring relief for high school football teams which play in a handful of public ﬁelds across the city Carver’s head football coach Luis Figueroa said the Rams will play all their home games at the new stadium, an upgrade for the team. They currently play home games at Pan American Stadium and Tad Gormley Stadium at City Park, sometimes at inconvenient times for fans like 3:30 p.m.

“I’m just happy something’s happening,” he said, noting that he has already attended two other ribboncutting ceremonies for the stadium.

Lorraine Tardy, who graduated from Carver in 1962, said she was looking forward to watching her grandchildren play in the new stadium.

“It’s a blessing,” she said after the groundbreaking, sitting alongside Carver alumni wearing orange and green. “We’re glad we lived to see this happen — it was promised to us when we were students.”

Karl Washington, class of 1981, was among Carver alumni who advocated for Carver to be rebuilt after Katrina when it was initially put on a list of damaged schools that were to become vacant lots. Washington said he collected 2,000 signatures to save the school.

“It’s good to see the community is getting something,” he said.

Fielkow closed his remarks with a reference to the “Field of Dreams” movie.

“If you build it, they will come,” he said. “Starting next summer, may all New Orleans youth come.”

Congressman

from left, Mayor Helena Moreno and Todd Graves, CEO of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, sit together during the groundbreaking ceremony Monday Earlier this month, Raising Cane’s, the Baton Rouge-based chicken finger fast food restaurant chain, secured naming rights to the stadium for $2 million. LCMC Health, which has secondary naming rights, donated $600,000 to the project.

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Former New Orleans City Council President Arnie Fielkow arrives to the groundbreaking ceremony Monday at the future site of the Raising Cane’s 9th

led by Fielkow

Audibelis NOW Offering...

$6.4M school bus facility debuts

Jefferson Parish complex aims to improve service

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

The Jefferson Parish school district unveiled a new $6.4 million transportation complex to house buses and on-site mechanics, which ofﬁcials say will make transportation safer and more reliable for thousands of students who depend on buses to get to school.

The 15,000-square-foot Westwego facility, which took two years to plan and build, will house the majority of Jefferson Parish’s 98 district-owned buses in one centralized location. The new complex includes ofﬁces for mechanics and district employees, a large garage that can service several buses at once, a state-of-the-art computer system and new vehicle diagnostic tools intended to make it easier to identify mechanical issues.

“We want to make sure that every aspect of Jefferson Parish schools functions at a high level,”

Superintendent James Gray said

during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday. “This increases opportunities for our kids to maximize their time in classrooms.”

The facility’s opening follows longstanding complaints from families who say their children’s buses often pick them up late or not at all. Dozens of routes were canceled or had late or interrupted service each day in March, according to data obtained by Nola.com, leaving hundreds of Jefferson Parish students scrambling to find some way to get to school.

The new transportation complex won’t immediately fix all of the busing issues, ofﬁcials said, pointing to an ongoing driver shortage as a major cause behind the route disruptions. Still, they said, the facility will make it easier for mechanics to conduct regular maintenance and make major repairs, leaving vehicles out of service for shorter periods. Putting all transportation

employee ofﬁces in one location will also allow managers to better coordinate routes and dispatch buses where they’re needed, district leaders said.

It’s “going to definitely help in terms of efficiency,” said Patrick Jenkins, the district’s chief operations officer Jefferson Parish contracts with First Student, a company that provides buses and drivers for about half of the roughly 40,000 district students who take the bus to and from school each day The other students are transported on buses owned or leased by the district, a fleet that Jenkins said he is aiming to expand.

Up to 92 Jefferson Parish-owned buses can be housed at the complex on an average day During emergencies like hurricanes or severe flooding, it will be able to fit nearly 80 additional leased vehicles, officials said. School Board member and facilities subcommittee Chair Clay

Moise said the facility was funded through the “competent and deliberate management” of the district’s existing budget, without need for additional funding from taxpayers. He called the facility a

Heard in the heavens

Playground to get $7M baseball stadium

“major milestone” for Jefferson Parish schools.

“This is not simply a new building,” Moise said “This is an investment in our children and our community.”

Top City Hall staffer changing roles

Jenny Mains to shift focus to international partnerships

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Mayor Helena Moreno’s pick to lead New Orleans’ economic development efforts is moving into a new role before her six-month anniversary on the job.

Jenny Mains, the deputy mayor for economic development, is leaving that position to serve as Moreno’s special adviser focused on international partnerships and economic growth, according to a Monday news release.

In the announcement, Moreno, who hired the former physician to be the city’s top business booster in January, said Mains will help “cultivate relationships with business leaders, investors, chambers of commerce, educational institutions, trade organizations, and international partners while identifying opportunities that support New Orleans’ long-term economic growth.”

Jeff Schwartz, who is director of the city’s Ofﬁce of Community Development, will become deputy mayor for economic development and community development, according to a City Hall spokesperson. He served as the city’s director of economic development for more than six years under Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

Mains is the first top City Hall staffer to change roles since Moreno took office on Jan. 12. Her move comes just a few days after Michael Hecht, another economic development leader who serves as president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., said he will transition to an emeritus role at the end of the year Hecht has led the nonprofit organization for the past 18 years. As a deputy mayor, Mains led the city department charged with expanding job opportunities,

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Bus drivers, school officials and others check out the new Jefferson Parish school bus complex in Westwego on Monday The large garage will allow for work on school buses

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Musicians perform on the balcony of Preservation Hall during a memorial second-line for Preservation Hall trombonist Ronell Johnson in New Orleans in Monday ä See more on 2B

Mains

Friends, family and members of the community walk through the French Quarter during a memorial second-line for Preservation Hall trombonist Ronell Johnson in New Orleans.

Farewell notes

Recovery begins after major Avoyelles Parish flooding

More than 100 Moreauville homes reported flooded

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

At 91 years old, former Moreauville Fire Chief Robert Lemoine was one of dozens of volunteers ranging from children to adults at the Moreauville Volunteer Fire Department, distributing cleaning supplies and recovery kits to neighbors after Tropical Storm Arthur ﬂooded areas of Avoyelles Parish.

Lemoine, who’s been involved with the department for 65 years, said the response reflected the close-knit nature of his small community that lies just south of La. 1 as residents are helping each other recover After Tropical Storm Arthur moved through Louisiana, the National Weather Service reported major flooding across Avoyelles Parish, with more than 195 homes affected. That number includes Moreauville, where more than 100 homes were reported ﬂooded

Twenty to 30 inches of rain fell in Avoyelles last Thursday from about 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., mainly in the nearby town of Cottonport and the village of Plaucheville, both in the southern part of the parish, according to Jonathan Brazzell with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

A rain gauge located between the two communities recorded 29.06 inches, he said.

In Moreauville, the ﬂooding was like nothing anyone had ever experienced. Sandra Lemoine an 18-year resident of the area, said the water arrived faster than she expected.

Although her home remained undamaged, she said she watched water rise and worried for her neighbor, an elderly woman living alone and has physical limitations and cannot clean out her ﬂooded home herself.

Lemoine said she delivered supplies to her and is now trying to connect her with volunteer groups to help her “It was not predicted to be that

MAINS

Continued from page 1B

supporting small-business growth. In a March interview, she said her priorities were to build on the city’s strengths as a shipping and logistics hub, redevelop eyesores that have been abandoned since Hurricane Katrina and focus on renewal in New Orleans East. Neither Mains nor Schwartz responded to a request for comment about their changing job roles. But in a statement, Moreno said bringing the city’s economic development and community development together under one leader will help “ensure that growth reaches every part of our city and that our investments create stronger communities.”

She added that Mains “has been a tireless advocate for New Orleans” and that the new position will let her focus on building relationships and attracting investments

amount at all,” she said “It looks like the tropical storm hung up and just spun over Avoyelles Parish and dumped everything right here. It was scary because you’re watching it rise so quick.”

Jan Blankford, who has lived in the area for six years and lives not far from Lemoine, said a local church she attends in nearby Simmesport was destroyed.

“The whole church is going to have to come down,” Blankford said. “It’s a complete loss. It’s been there over 50 years.”

Blankford said the ﬂooding overwhelmed drainage systems, creating what she described as a “soup bowl effect” in some low-lying areas, where levees and elevated roads trapped rising water

that will bring “new opportunities for our residents and businesses.”

During his previous tenure leading the city’s economic development efforts, Schwartz was a champion of the River District real estate development and the new Shell headquarters building that’s been under construction there since early 2024. He was also a key ﬁgure in the city’s efforts to redevelop the former Navy Support Activity complex in the Bywater. Moreno also announced Monday that Deputy Mayor of External Affairs Renee Lapeyrolerie will serve as the administration’s point person for New Orleans East economic development projects.

“We are committed to unlocking the tremendous potential of New Orleans East and ensuring it receives the attention and investment it deserves,” Moreno said.

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Despite the devastation, residents, government officials and responders came together to help in the recovery Gov Jeff Landry and his wife, Sharon, visited the fire station Monday to help distribute cleaning supplies and announce temporary housing and debris removal plans for affected communities as part of the state’s recovery effort.

Landry said the state is focused on immediate recovery needs, including helping residents clean out flood-damaged homes and document losses that could qualify the parish for federal assistance. Residents should report any damage through the state’s assessment website, damage.la.gov

“We don’t get the federal help

until we know how many people are impacted,” Landry said. “But that’s not going to stop the state’s response.”

The Moreauville ﬁre station has been designated as a distribution hub for cleaning supplies, fans, dehumidiﬁers and ice, with additional support being sent to nearby hard-hit communities, including Bordelonville and Plaucheville.

Landry also announced plans to deploy 50 trailers to the Paragon Casino campground in Marksville for those who may not be able to return home while the state continues working to secure hotel rooms.

Sandra Lemoine said neighbors have also stepped in to help one another by delivering supplies and

PLAYGROUND

Continued from page 1B

parking areas to be paid for by the parish. Julia LeBlanc, director of communications for Loyola University New Orleans, said in a statement that the athletics department expressed interest in moving their baseball team to the new stadium once completed, and that the department “celebrates Jefferson Parish’s investment in baseball facilities.”

Bonano added that the team was interested in having a closer spot to play than their current home turf at Segnette Field, which just underwent its own set of upgrades like a new turf inﬁeld, lighting, fencing and paint. “It’s for the kids, but will also provide the opportunity for Loyola or any other colleges that are interested,” Bonano said.

Plans for the new Jefferson Playground ﬁelds come as the Shrine on Airline is set to undergo a $28.5 million renovation into a multiuse

checking on elderly residents living alone.

“We really came together again,” she said. “It’s awesome to see.”

Landry credited volunteer groups, faith-based organizations and first responders for helping stabilize recovery efforts, including the National Guard, wildlife and ﬁsheries agents, Acadian Ambulance and volunteer ﬁre departments.

He said no deaths or major injuries have been reported.

Landry said the next phase of the state’s response will focus on transitional sheltering and debris removal as residents begin cleaning out their homes. Staff writer Ellyn Couvillion contributed to this report.

venue for both concerts and high school sports including soccer and football. Those renovations officially launch Wednesday and are expected to be completed in June 2027.

The parish also opened a $45 million John Alario Jr Youth Sports Complex earlier this year near Segnette Field, which has four multipurpose fields to host travel baseball, softball, football, soccer, lacrosse and rugby tournaments. Jefferson Playground, built in the 1950s, offers three baseball fields and one softball field, as well as two batting cages, four tennis courts and one tennis wall. The 20.5-acre playground also offers a Golden Age center, track, gym and outdoor fitness center

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

workers unload supplies from National Guard trucks Monday at the

station in Moreauville, which is a drop-off and pickup location for flood relief supplies.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER Jefferson Playground is getting a new baseball stadium that’s expected to cost $7.8 million.

STAFF PHOTOS By

SOPHIA GERMER

Ben Jaffe, creative director of Preservation Hall, plays an instrument while holding a picture of Johnson.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Booker-Massenburg, Shirley Day, Mary Garrett, Robert Vernaci,Linda NewOrleans Boyd Family

DW Rhodes Garrett, Robert Obituaries

Booker-Massenburg, ShirleyMae

On Sunday,June 7th, 2026, theheavenlyangels cametoclaim oneoftheir own.Shirley MaeBookerMassenburgwas born on June8th,1955, to the late Frank Booker Sr.and Melba Mitchell. Sheisprecededin death by herlatebrother Frank Booker,Jr.,late grandparents, Ceasar and ThelmaSmall, heraunts the late AnitaWebb, Joyce Anderson, Claire Williams and late uncleEmile Larry”Brown.Shirley is survivedbyher sevenchil‐dren, KevinBooker I(Amy) Sherri B. Eli(Cassidy), ChanelBooker-Demesme (Rudy), Sean Wade,Shirley Hyde(Mike), Chandel Booker,and Daniel Moses; hertwenty-ﬁve beloved

grandchildren; threesis‐ters, JanetBeraud, Lisa Clark,and MelanieBooker; aunt,Barbara Williams; goddaughter Brandy B. Clark anda host of other relatives andfriends.Fam‐ily andfriends areinvited toattendthe FuneralSer‐viceonThursday,June 25, 2026, for10:00 a.m. at XavierUniversitySt. Katherine Drexel Chapel 3932 Pine Street,New Or‐leans LA 70125. Visitation willbegin at 9:00 a.m. In‐terment will follow at Prov‐idenceMemorialPark& Mausoleum,8200 Airline Highway,Metairie, LA 70003. Repast:XavierUni‐versity Ballroom 3rdFloor ofUniversityCenter, 4800 Dixon Street,New Orleans, LA70125. Guestbook On‐line: www.anewtraditionbe gins.com(504)282-0600 LinearBrooksBoydand Donavin D. Boyd Own‐ers/FuneralDirectors

Day, Mary Harper 'Mary Jo'

MaryJoHarperDay, born January3,1940in Plattsburg, Missouri, to HelenGraceAtteburyand MerlinHarper,departed this world on June5,2026. Her father died when she was seven years old, and after hermother's second marriage to Franklin Leslie Gipson, her brotherDanny Leslie Gipson was born.

After graduating as valedictorian from PlattsburgHigh School Mary Jo attended St. Luke sHospitalSchool of

Nursing in KansasCity where she met medical student John Kent Day. They married in 1962 in Plattsburgand moved to Sacramento, Californiafor his residency, and then to Bowling Green, Missouri, where he openedhis private practice and they had their first child(Anne) Kathleenin1967. In 1969, theirsecond child(Leslie) Kirsten was born in Columbia, Missouri,where John was astaff member at theuniversity's Student HealthService. Ason, (John) Kyle, was born in 1973 in Fayetteville,where John was Director of Student Healthatthe University of Arkansas. Whenher children were older, Mary made asuccessfulrun for school boardand returned to nursing

MaryJowas an avid doll collector,anexpert seamstress, and an enthusiastic traveler.She was also a loving and supportive daughter, sister, mother grandmother,cousin, and friend. She is survived by daughters Kathleen(Nail Cetin) and Kirsten (Sean Chapman) and son Kyle (RenaDay), grandchildren Sabinaand John Day, and Harperand Owen Chapman; brotherDanny; and several cousins.She was preceded in deathby her father Merlin, mother Helen, and stepfather Frank.

Booker-Massenburg, Shirley Garrett, Robert

After their divorce in 1990, Mary Jo movedto NewOrleans in 1991 and took adirector's position at DePaul Hospital. Shealso returned to schooland finished her BSN at Saint Joseph's CollegeofMaine in 1993. She ended her nursing careerasan AssociateVice President of Quality Assurance for Tulane Hospital and Clinic.

At theFirst Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans, she sang in the choir, sat on the Boardof Trustees, and in 2007, received theTheodoreClapp Award forher decadeslong service. After retiring in 2002, she soldreal estate and became alicensedtour guide,conducting tours in theFrench Quarter and area cemeteries.

In 2021, Mary Jo returnedtoPlattsburg after renovating ahouse with thehelpofbrother Danny. She was an activemember of the community, volunteeringinseveral organizations, including the Clinton County Historical Society, theGathering Place,and the4C's,and servingona number of committees.

Robert Garrett departed this life on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at theage of 87. Relatives and friends of thefamily are invitedtoattend aFuneral Service at D. W. RhodesFuneral Home, 3933 Washington Ave. New Orleans, LA 70125 on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. Visitation will beginat9:00 a.m. ArrangementsbyD.W RhodesFuneral Home. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to signthe online guestbook.

Vernaci,

It is with aheavy heart that we announcethe passing of Linda Hentze Vernaciinher home on the nightofJuneSeventeenth 2026. Born in NewOrleans, Louisiana to CyrilG Hentze andAline Streck Hentze on the TwentyNinthofOctober 1943, faith and familywerecentered in Linda'slife. Linda grew up in New Orleansinthe embraceof thechurch.She graduated from AnnunciationHigh School with honorsand attended Loyola University. Sheworked for the ArchdioceseofNew Orleansfor anumberof years, andasa legal secretary, before startingher career with1st Lake Properties.

Peter, herdevoted husband of 57 years, andtheir childrenwereher greatest joys in life. Shewas blessed with awonderful familyand lifelongfriends Linda wasa kind andlovingsister,wife,mother grandmother,auntand friend.

waspreceded in death by herparents:CyrilG Hentze andAline Streck Hentze;and hersister Elaine McCraney(Edward). Sheissurvivedbyher husband, Peter J. Vernaci; herchildren: PeterVernaci (Suzette), JanineHodges (Robert)and Melissa Cochran (Jay); Grandchildren:Madison, Peter, Jaclyn, Caroline, James, Anna, andMary; manynieces andnephews; hersister Denise Hentze, brotherCyrilHentze, and sister-in-law Cheryl Hentze Afuneral mass willbe held forLinda Hentze Vernacionthe TwentyFourth of June 2026 at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church locatedat 1501 WCauseway Approach, Mandeville,LA 70471. Visitation will begin at 11:00 AM andconclude at 12:00 withmass to follow immediatelyafter. TheVernaci familywill hold aprivate inurnment ceremonyata later time Herstrongcommitment to herCatholic faithand ministryinspired everyone around herand herlegacy of faith, passeddown to herchildrenand grandchildren,will continuefor generationstocome.

Linda'sfaithremained strongthroughout herlife, she attendeddaily mass, assisted in children'sministry, participated in bible study, andwas active in theLadies Auxiliary of the KnightsofColumbus. When she wasn't serving herfaith, Linda enjoyed reading andwas active in book clubs, she also enjoyed sewing, baking,playingpokeno, tennis, andyoga. Linda could oftenbe foundinher gardenor walkinginnature.Mostof all,she enjoyed spending time with herfamily. Linda Hentze Vernaci

Linda Hentze

OUR VIEWS

La.small businesses need our supportthis summer

It’sthe summer,and while many Louisianans head to the beach or to cooler climes, we know that plenty of others are enjoying time with familycloser to home. It’swiththat in mind that our thoughts turn to the local restaurants, shops and attractions that so often suffer when there are fewer people around to patronize them.

Small businesses account for 99.5% of all businesses in our state and employed 889,000 workers in 2025, or about 53% of the state’s entire private sector workforce, according to Louisiana Economic Development.These businesses are the backbone of our economy,and they deserve our support Our state thrives on tourism, but that’s mostly during the high seasons of Mardi Gras and festivals. With some notableexceptions including the always exciting Essence Festival of Culture which arrivesinNew Orleans on July 3—during our typically sweltering summer months, the number of touristsdrops and so does the number of potential customers to these businesses.

That’swhy we encourage residentstoshop localthis summer.Whether it’s taking the family to alocally owned restaurant or visiting local sites where you can experience true Louisiana culture, it’simportant to support the small businesses that are staples in our communities year-round.

Make no mistake, this year has been especially tough on these businesses. High tariffs and fuel prices have eaten intotheir bottom lines. And in some places, other unforeseen issues have emerged. Several French Quarter businesses, for example,have been grappling with ongoing construction thathas led to aloss of foot trafﬁc. Somewere forced toclose. We were glad to see agrant program planned to those businesses that remain.

But ultimately,the success or failure of any local business depends on us. We know it’s easy nowadays to clickonAmazon and have whatever you need delivered toyour door.Still, where we spend our dollars matters. And if we want to continue to have the community-based businesses that do so much for Louisiana, we have to choose wisely

So insteadofgoing to afast-food chain, try the mom-and-pop restaurant down the street Instead of ordering books online, visit your local bookstore. And if you’re looking foraway to entertain the kids this summer,look around for sites around the state that you perhaps havenever visited. As we are getting close to the America 250 anniversary,several Louisiana cities are offering unique local entertainment to mark the occasion.

Small businesses support our communities every day; it’stime that we show them how much we appreciate that.

Pollutingindustries defended at theexpense of La.citizens

StateRep.BrettGeymannrepresentsthe citizens of Lake Charles, but it is apparent that he representsthe industries of LakeCharles much more effectively

His House Bill 804, the“Louisiana Energy Protection Act,” passed by theLegislature and signed into law by Gov.Jeff Landry,will make Louisiana —the statemost likely to suffer the maximum climate change disasters in theU.S. —one of the strongest explicit anti-climate legal bases in theU.S.

How it helps polluting industries is obvious, but how does alaw that immunizes thefossil fuel industry from legal liability help citizens who are harmed by their ﬂawed practices?

There has never been alawsuit in Louisianathat ﬁtsthe description of what Geymann’sbill “protects” us from, but just in case someone here would be desperate enough to consider such alawsuit, Geymann has decided to strike them down ﬁrst! What aman! And, since thelaw applies to other in-

dustries, he has effectively protected theindustries of Louisianafrom ever having to worry about being sued for their lack of care for the environment or the people of Louisiana.

This law will makeitalmost impossible for citizens affected by climate change to take companies to court; this would include carbon capture and storage-related lawsuits.

Carbon dioxide, methane and several “forever chemicals” are among those deﬁned in the bill as “greenhouse gases.”

Of course, Geymann had widespread support from those who beneﬁt: the state’soil and gas, chemical industries and agricultural interests. The fact that every humanity-based NGO asked him to pull his bill made no difference.

In what utopian world does Geymannthink that industries are worried about taking care of the citizens? Does he really live in Lake Charles?

MARGIEVICKNAIR-PRAY Lacombe

Spirit wasfelled by COVID, tough competition, notpolitics

BrianHennessy’sletter about the demise of Spirit Airlines reads less like afact-basedopinion piece than apolitically chargedcondemnation of Donald Trump. Rather than presenting balanced analysis supported by evidence, the letter adopts an authoritative tone that frames opinion as settledfact while dismissing the broader economicand industry realitiessurrounding Spirit Airlines’ struggles. First, the claimthat Spirit’s strugglesstemmedprimarily from political decisions —whether attributedtoDonaldTrump or any administration—isanoversimplification. Spirit wasprofitable as recently as 2019, showing thatits model worked undernormal conditions. What followedwas COVID-19, which devastatedglobalair travel, collapsed demand andforced airlines, including Spirit, to take on significant debt just to survive

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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Quin Hillyer seems arare bird in today’sopinion journalism because he gives thoughtful reasoning from abasic conservative perspective. Several other conservative opinion writers featured in this paper trytoo hard to convince by offering their viewpoint, supported by moreoftheir viewpoint.

Iprefer agame played fair and square, by opponents that respect their rivals, on aplaying ﬁeld that has not been tilted one way or theother and without regard for any “special interest.”

Ihave tended to agree with many of Hillyer’scolumns of late. He recently compared Louisiana voters’ rejection of all ﬁve amendments to their rejection of Bill Cassidy’sbid for reelection.The argument correlates liberal outrage with Republican outrage and questions theresulting wins for angry voters on bothsides.

Iwritetoboth of our senators often. They know that Iamangry.Ibelieve in the United States of America and its

founding principles. Those concepts have endured now for250 years, surviving all threats, foreign and domestic, while gradually achieving so much for so many.

However,our country cannot survive reckless leadership that shuns responsibilityinorder to dilly-dally with endless bickering. We need defense, not war.Weneed abalanced budget, not asermon. We need disagreement, not distrust.Weneed leadership that unites us instead of feeding us adaily diet of political rage. Idon’tlike what’sbeing served up, but Iamangry.Iamdead set against thedestruction of our nation in favor of any minority.Idonot trust our governor or our Legislature, both of which seek to take advantage of a gullible citizenry.Ivoted against all ﬁve amendments because Iknow who wrote them, and Idonot trust them. What amess.

ROBIN LEAKE

NewOrleans

Second, Spirit’schallenges went well beyond fuel prices. Its ultralow-costmodel depends on volume andfees,leaving it vulnerable when travelpatterns shift. After the pandemic,largerairlinesadaptedby offering basic economyfares that directly competed with, andoften undercut, Spirit’sprices, eroding its coreadvantage.

Finally,blaming geopolitical events for rising jet fuel costs ignoresthe complexity of global oil markets, which are driven by supply chains, production decisions and post-pandemic demand. Reducing this to asingle political cause is not serious analysis.

Spirit’sdecline is best understood notasa partisanstory,but as abusiness one: intense competition, structuralweaknesses and exposure to globalshocks. Turning it into apolitical talking point obscures more thanitexplains.

GEORGE LASTRAPES

Gretna

St.Tammany facesdistastefor taxesamidlovefor lawenforcement

On Saturday,when the (probably few) voters around Louisianagotothe polls, most of their attention will be on the intense Republican U.S Senate primaryrunoff between Julia Letlow and John Fleming. But in St. Tammany,politicos will also have their eyes on another ballot measure: a4.31mill property tax renewal that supports the parish’ssheriff’s ofﬁce.

The tax’sfate is more than just avote: It’sthe symbolic kick-off to asix-month law-and-order reckoning in the state’sfourth-largest parish, during which voters are being asked twicetosupport signiﬁcant taxes for law enforcement. Howparish voters decide on those measures will determine whether key agencies maintain or increasetheir funding, and whether parish governmentwill get at least atemporary reprieve from crippling budget problems or continue a worrying trend.

There are other taxes on theJune 27 ballot as well, including onefor mosquito abatement,but nonewill be as key abellwether as the sheriff’s tax. The sheriff’s tax has been on the books since 1978, and in previousdecades, it would have been almost inconceivable forvoters to reject it.

But this year,itfaces some major headwinds. St.Tammany voters have always been tax-averse, but they’ve turned downright tax-hostile in recent years,making any ballot measure a

source of anxiety for its proponents. SheriffRandySmith hasn’thelped. Smith was arrested earlier this month on charges stemming from a May29incident at an upscale Madisonville steakhouse. He is accused of pulling aman off a bar stool and pummeling him on theﬂoor before bystanders could separate the two. Smith hasoffered little public comment on theincident,except to apologizetothe restaurant’s owners, deputies and the public. Butitcouldn’thave come at aworse time forthe election. Smithwas booked just daysbefore early voting started. That probably explains why ahost of other law enforcement leaders, including District Attorney Collin Simsand police chiefs in Slidell and Mandeville, released avideo urging residents to supportthe sheriff’s tax while carefully avoiding mentioning Smith. Instead,they couched the tax renewal as supportfor “deputies.” The same has been true for signs and other materials urging ayes vote. Their worry is palpable. This tax accounts for about 13% of the sheriff’s ofﬁce budget. If it fails, it wouldn’tjust create funding problems; it also would augurill for an arguably more important voteinDecember.That measure is anew quarter-cent sales tax that the parish council has decided to put on the ballot to support thedistrict attorney, judgesand jail. Andthat tax does not need any fur-

ther ills augured. It already has plenty Chief among them is the fact that similar proposals have already been tried at least six times in thepast decade. Each one has failed. Andsome of themweren’tclose. No matter what form, voters weren’thaving it. There has been little evidence so far —and it’s still early —ofadifferent tack from the tax’sproponents. They have cited, with good reason, the draconian cutsthat would have to be madeonthe parish government side to cover expenses mandated by the state’sconstitution should voters reject this latestproposal. Sims has also said prosecutors could be laid off without thefunding. The council’sdesperation is clear The original December proposal was for ahigher 0.3-cent tax. They lowered that to aquarter-cent.Rather than going for amore standard 10- or 20-year term, they limited this proposal to just ﬁve years. Will any of that matter to voters? Maybe not Butfor an early clue as to whether voters areeven open to hearing the case, look to the June 27 sheriff’s tax If that goes down, passing thesecond tax becomes an even steeper climb. Andifboth fail, 2026 will have been avery bad year for northshore law enforcement.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Apresident whoisnever toobusyto celebratehimself —atour

expense

Midterm‘blue wave’dreams face an icy challenge

Speculation about aNovember “blue wave” wafting Democrats into power ignores the Law of Political Hydrology: There are no waves on frozen seas. The sheet of ice suffocating politics represents abalance of negative partisanship: Millions of voters have mild, ﬂickering affection for their party,but detest the other one.

What does it mean to be an American in 2026? Twodistinctlyand signiﬁcantly different visions showed themselves in recent days.

Clarence Page

On the South Side of Chicago, there was the long-awaited opening of the Obama Presidential Center.Inthe presence of three past presidents and an assembly of dignitariesand music stars, former President Barack Obama saluted “American values we can all share,” and he expressed his faiththat Americans “are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect, that deep in our gut we want to ﬁnd away to turn towards each other again, not further away.” Afew days earlier,onthe White House lawn in Washington, avery different celebration took place. Its centerpiecewas aless permanent yet still pretty expensive structure, a600-ton steel and star-spangled “Claw,” which to Gal Beckerman of The Atlantic “lookedlike it was about to pick up the White House like astuffed animal in an arcade game.”

This was the setting of UFC Freedom 250, an evening of mixed martial arts matches stagedtocelebrate President Donald Trump’s80th birthday and, apparently,our nation’ssemiquincentennial.

Among other crowd-pleasers, it included an Air Force ﬂyover,aMarine Corps band with singers, military honor guards and “Octagon Girls” in sequinedred-white-and-blue costumes to parade around the big cage between roundsfor aspectacle that,perhaps intentionally,reminded many of ancient Roman gladiator matches. Trump Fight Club, as some wags called it, drew 17 million viewers on Paramount+, in addition toafew thousand lucky spectators on White House grounds. Machismo was the theme of the evening,and it inspired at least one brawl to break out at the watch party held at the Ellipse nearby

To say it was tacky wouldbetogive quiet satisfaction to all involved in the planning and production of the event That was certainly the intent

To bring cage ﬁghting into the inner sanctum of American political power was the ultimate hat tip from Trump to his base.

Yetintypical MAGA fashion, they took it too far. After Josh Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis in aheavyweight bout, he failed to show some class when he needed it most.While

speaking to UFC analystand podcast star Joe Rogan, he decided to be cute by taking averbal shot at former ﬁrst lady Michelle Obama. While the crowd’srowdiest members cheered and others grimaced, even Trump appeared toregister how wrong this was, as TMZ’scamera captured him quickly removing from around his neck the necklace that Hokit had given to him earlier

Wasthis arare display of shame on Trump’spart,evidence of ashred of human decency? Don’tbet on it.

Earlierinthe month, after all, he posted to Truth Social an AI-generated image of adecrepit Obama Center as an overﬂowing garbage can, sitting amid abombed-out hellscape that was supposed to be theSouth Side. It’shardly the ﬁrst time Trump has gone viral with adepiction of Chicago created by or for people who have never been to Chicago.

There’s atendency to acceptthat Red vs. Blue America is anatural consequence of an intractable difference in culture. AndTrump has willingly exploited that. Unfortunately,too many of us accept the idea. Alot of people are upset by the notionofbringing cage ﬁghtsto the WhiteHouse, shuddering at the bad taste of it all. This is amistake.

President TheodoreRoosevelt engaged in regular sparring on the premises, which left him withadetached retina in his left eye —which he kept secret for more than adecade. Manliness is atouchy subject these days, but there was atime when hon-

orable combat was respected above themere running of one’smouth. ErnestHemingway famously declared, “Mywriting is nothing, my boxing is everything.”

To him, thering was aprofound philosophical stageonwhich thevirtues of discipline, resilience, and raw honesty were tested,reﬂecting much thesame demands he placed on his writing.

Trump, afan of rough-ridin’ TR,no doubt covetsthe imputed manliness of enjoying agood ﬁght, although you’ll never catch him in thering. Still, Isay let him indulge in his UFC fandom if it distracts him enough to go quietly after histerm is up. Let’sleave him and his manosphere fanatics to theirlame trolling and hijinks,while remembering that plenty of ordinary Americans seek more than entertainment.

For his entire life, Trump has been driven by grandiosity, solipsism, impulsiveness, lack of empathy,obsession with power and dominance and a bottomless need for praiseand adulation,and an obsession with avenging thelittlest perceived slights. He’sdone alot of damage to the American body politic, and to American interests at home and abroad, but he has not snuffed out Americans’ conviction that, together,wecan form amore perfect union. As America approaches its 250th birthday,that’s worth celebrating.

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com

In the 25 presidential elections since 1928, eight were won by 10 points or more. But the last such landslide (Ronald Reagan’s1984 defeat of Walter Mondale) was 11 elections ago. Since Republicans ended 28 years of Democratic control of the Senate in 1980, Republicans have controlled it 12 times, Democrats 11 times (once because aRepublican senator defected). Forty-eight of today’s53Republican senators represent states Donald Trump carried by at least 11 points in 2024. Florida was, until recently,the most important swing state (Barack Obama carried it twice). But in 2024, Trump won Florida more decisively (by 13.1 points) than Kamala Harris won New York (12.5 points). Ohio was aswing state when George W. Bush narrowly carried it twice, with 50% in 2000 and 50.8% in 2004, and Obama carried it with just 51.5% in 2008 and 50.7 in 2012. Trump carried it three times, by about 8points in 2016 and 2020, and 11.2 points in 2024. In 1988, 34% of congressional districts voted for apresidential candidate from one party and arepresentative from the other.In2020 and 2024 just 3.7% did. The last four times apresident’sparty entered midterm elections controlling both congressional chambers (1994, 2006, 2010, 2018) voters ended this trifecta, twice with Democratic presidents, twice with Republicans. About 70% of House Republicans were first elected after Trump took office in 2017. They have known nothing but enforced subservience; they fear nothing other than aprimary challenge instigated by acranky Trump. Most red-state Republican senators also fear only that. Election analyst Charlie Cook says: Since 2000, 115 elected red-state Republicans have been reelected, just six were not; 74 have been reelected since the last one to lose, in 2008. Technologically sophisticated and ethically uninhibited gerrymandering has left few competitive congressional districts. Four huge waves washed over Congress relatively recently: In 1994 and 2010, Democrats lost 54 and 63 seats, respectively; in 2006 and 2018, Republicans lost 30 and 40, respectively.This year,Republican losses might not comeclose to the post-1945 average of 26 seats lost by the president’sparty Youthink things cannot get worse? Remember the Law of American Political Geology: There is no such thing as rock bottom. Michael Barone, the mind behind the Almanac of American Politics, reports (in the Washington Examiner) that an Illinois Democrat, dissatisfied with his party having only 14 of the state’s 17 congressional seats, wants to “get over the mental hurdle of contiguity” in redistricting. Surplus Democrats in Chicago districts could be declared parts of downstate districts —hundreds of milesfrom being contiguous —where Republicans are intolerably competitive.

The political freeze will thaw when party competition again occurs between the 40-yard lines, around the center of the ﬁeld. Republicans will not think ice-breaking thoughts until Trump’s spell is broken and Republican thinking is again permitted. Democrats, however,can think about what Ezra Klein of the New York Timeshas noted about their party between 2012 and 2024:

“Democrats became more uncompromising on immigration and lost support among Hispanic voters. They moved left on guns and student loans and climate, and lost ground with young voters. They moved left on race and lost ground with Black voters. They moved left on education and lost ground with Asian American voters. They moved left on economics and lost ground with working-class voters.”

In 2024, Trump improved his 2020 share of the vote in 90% of all counties. In three consecutive elections, the GOP has increased its presidential vote share in 1,433 counties (almost half the nation’scounties). The Democratic Party has increased its share in 57. What death wish has Democrats including Kamala Harris in their 2028 presidential conversations?

Harris’ persistence beyond the call of plausibility is symptomatic. Until the freeze thaws, we are in “Groundhog Day,” in the bar where the character played by Bill Murray has this exchange with anew acquaintance: Murray character: “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?”

Acquaintance: “That about sums it up for me.”

EmailGeorge Will at georgewill@washpost. com.

Faimon Roberts

George Will

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trumpand first ladyMelania Trump stand in the ring at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House last week.

McClurewas ‘the guy’ on O-line

Editor’snote: This is one among 12 proﬁlesofinductees for the Louisiana Sports HallofFame Class of 2026. Festivities will take place from Thursday-Saturday in Natchitoches.

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH

Contributing writer

Todd McClure vividly remembers the day he got put in his place by one of his high school coaches.

“I thought,‘Why is he doing this,’ ”McClure said. “I wasn’tjust mad …Iwas reallyangry.Iwas atight endand adefensive lineman.

“Those guys get their names called out on the loudspeaker.The only time you hearanoffensive lineman’sname is when they commit apenalty.” Central High offensive line

coach RandyBlanchard did it anyway.Blanchard hadMcClure play center for the ﬁrst time, presumably for oneday

Thesophomore did what he was told.And it changedeverything, clearing apathfor McClure to become an All-America football player at LSU (1995-98), a14-year mainstay in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and now amember of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

All-Pro honors somehow eluded McClure, afact one of his former head coaches with the Falcons, MikeSmith, calls amisnomer

“In my opinion, Todd was an AllPro… without question,” Smith said. “People believe wide receivers andrunningbacksare the mostimportant playersaround aquarterback. But really,it’sthe

center and not just becauseof snap exchanges. Theblocking callsand prettymucheverything goes through thecenter.Todd was amaster of that and also the best teammate Ievercoached.Asa blocker,hewas atechnicianwho knew all the angles and leverage.” The 2026 LSHOFinduction is hardly McClure’sﬁrsthonor.He was inductedinto theFalcons Ring of Honor in 2022. At LSU, he was atwo-time All-SEC selection and earned ﬁrst-team All-America honorsfrom theAmerican Football Coaches Association in 1998.

Awardsare merely window dressing for McClure, whobuilt a career on an old-school,multisport upbringing. McClure was aleader and a“glue guy” for each team he

Fieldofhis dreams

Arnie Fielkow has accomplished many great things in hislong,distinguished career as sports executive and political leaderinNew Orleans.

He’snegotiated high-stakes lease deals for the New Orleans Saints, orchestrated the overhaul of NORD and overseen the development of Joe Brown Park andthe MLB Urban Youth Academy in Pontchartrain Park.

But few things have been nearer and dearer to his heart than the 9th Ward Stadium project

It has essentially been his life’scalling for the last seven years.

Fielkow revived the project after it had been derailed by dysfunction, malfeasance and corruption;navigated it through assorted hurdles and roadblocks; and saw it through to its successfulcompletion.

Nearly two decades after Teach for

Draftdoes hold some intrigue for localfans

Rod Walker

There won’t be an overflow of New Orleans Pelicans fans flooding Fulton Square in downtown NewOrleans on Tuesday night like they did on NBAdraftnight seven years ago. The only people you’ll likely see in the area are just afew tourists strolling through to make their waytoManning’s Sports Bar and Grill or to the slot machines at Caesars casino. Yeah, draftnight 2026 will be alot different than the one in 2019 when the Pelicans selected Zion Williamson with the No.1overall pick. The Pelicans don’teven have afirst-round pick in the draftthat will begin with the first round on Tuesday and conclude with the second round Wednesday But don’tworry,local basketball fans. There are plenty of reasons to tune in. Here are five reasons forlocal fans to watch the draft.

Anotherdraft surprise?

America instructor Bryan Bordainick hatched theidea in 2008, the original 9th Ward Field of Dreams project has ﬁnallycome to fruition, thanks largely to Fielkow’sdrive, determination and willpower.Hewasn’tsolely responsible for the nearly $15 million raised to fund the stadium’s construction.But as executive director,he certainly was responsible for pulling it all together and making it happen. So it was understandable to see Fielkow beaming from his front-row

ä See DUNCAN, page 3C

ARLINGTON, Texas Scoring goals and breaking records are what Lionel Messi does, andheisalready doing that again in his sixth World Cup The Argentina captainnow has the World Cup scoring record all to himself after another standout performance, one that began with frustration aftermissing apenalty kick and ended in pure elation with another victory Messi, who many consider the greatest player of all time, scored both goals in his team’s2-0 victory over Austria on Monday.That gave him 18,six days after hisﬁrst-ever hat trick in thetournament had matchedGermanystriker Miroslav Klose’sprevious record of 16 World Cup goals. “Beyond anything, I’m so happy for the win,” Messi said. “It was huge, tough and difﬁcult. It would allow us toberelaxed to what’s ahead.All matches in this World Cup are veryeven, very intense

Arnie Fielkow speaks during agroundbreaking ceremonyatthe future site of the Raising Cane’s9th Ward Stadium

I’m enjoying this moment and craving to enjoy with my teammates.” The first goal against Austria came in the 38th minute andtwo days before his 39thbirthday.It wasthe sixthconsecutive World Cup game in whichMessi has scored —joining France striker JustFontaine and Brazil great Jairzinho as only playerstodoso. Thatwas aboutahalf-hour after he missed apenalty kickwith a

Joe Dumars, the Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, said twodays after the season ended that the Pelicans could possibly trade back into the ﬁrst round of the draft. If the Pelicans do that, it means they have identiﬁed aplayer in this strong draftclass that they really covet.

The best guess is that it would be a big man,the one position that is the team’s biggest need. Michigan center Aday Mara would be ideal, but he is expected to be alottery pick. The Pelicans will have to give up alot to movethat high in the draft. One thing we know is that Dumarsputs full trust in right-hand man Troy Weaver,the Pelicans senior vice president of basketballoperations.

“Troy’sability to identifytalent in this league is elite,” Dumarssaid last June.

Lionel Messi center,of Argentina scores the opening goal during the WorldCup Group Jsoccer match against Austriain Arlington, Texas,on Monday.

STAFF FILE

PHOTOByTIM MUELLER

LSU center Todd McClure lifts up running backRondell Mealey in celebration after Mealeyscored atouchdown against Georgia on Oct. 3, 1998, in TigerStadium.

AP PHOTO By JULIO CORTEZ

Jeff Duncan

ä See MCCLURE, page 3C

Michigan coach May heads to Mavs

Boynton promoted to interim coach

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

DALLAS The Dallas Mavericks and Dusty May of national champion Michigan are finalizing a deal for the coach to make the jump from college to the NBA, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn’t completed.

May and the Wolverines won their first NCAA championship since 1989 with a 69-63 victory over UConn in April to wrap up a 34-3 season. They opened the NCAA Tournament by becoming the first team ever to score at least 90 points in five consecutive games. That came three years after May led Florida Atlantic to its only Final Four appearance. The Owls returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 before May was hired by Michigan.

The 49-year-old May replaces Jason Kidd who was let go two weeks after Masai Ujiri was hired as president of basketball operations and alternate governor of the Mavericks.

He comes to the NBA with a chance to mold 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Veteran star Kyrie Irving is also on the roster for now after missing the entire 2025-26 season following an ACL tear in March of last year May’s ﬁrst job as a college assistant was at Murray State in 2005-06. He then served on staffs at UAB, Louisiana Tech and Florida before getting his ﬁrst head coaching job at Florida Atlantic.

The Owls went 35-4 during their dream season in 2022-23, which ended with a 72-71 loss to San Diego State in the national semiﬁnals when Lamont Butler hit a buzzer-beating shot for the Aztecs.

“I was a fan of Dusty’s when he was at FAU,” said Yaxel Lendeborg, who played for May at Michigan and is expected to be a lottery pick in the ﬁrst round of the NBA draft on Tuesday night. “And now, after playing for him,

I’m a bigger fan. I have so much respect for Dusty May, I can’t even tell you.”

Lendeborg said at last month’s draft combine that he believed May ran Michigan’s program like an NBA program in many ways.

“A lot of schemes, a lot of switching and stuff. And his offense was very much a pro-style offense,” Lendeborg said. “We played fast-paced, physical, all of that. I’ve gained so much knowledge from him as far as those actions and just those little communication keys.”

May’s rise in coaching has been meteoric, particularly after the last four seasons.

He took over at Florida Atlantic in 2018 and had four consecutive seasons of ﬁnishing just over .500 before striking gold in the 2022-23 season, going 35-4 and taking the Owls on that improbable Final Four run.

May went 25-9 at FAU the following season, then went to Michigan and brought the Wolverines back to prominence.

He was 64-13 in his two seasons after replacing Juwan Howard with Michigan coming off an 8-24 season, the school’s lowest win total since going 7-20 in 1981-82.

Michigan went 27-10 in May’s debut, won the Big Ten Conference Tournament and made it to the NCAA Sweet 16.

May’s record in his last four college seasons was 124-26, an .827 winning percentage that was third best in all of major college men’s basketball over that span behind Houston’s Kelvin Sampson (.861) and Duke’s Jon Scheyer (.832).

The Indiana native was a student manager for the Hoosiers and coach Bob Knight while he was in school there from 19962000. He gained experience in scouting, video operations and player development while with the Hall of Fame coach, who died in 2023. After graduating from Indiana, May spent two seasons as an administrative assistant and video coordinator at Southern California He returned to the Hoosiers in similar roles from 2002-05. Who is Mike Boynton?

Michigan chose to give Mike Boynton, a two-year assistant under May and a former Oklahoma State coach, another chance to lead a program.

The school is hoping continuity will help convince players on the

roster to stay out of the transfer portal.

Boynton recruited Cade Cunningham to play for the Cowboys in 2020 even though they were facing NCAA penalties from rule violations under a former assistant coach.

“There’s not a lot of coaches that would say, ‘Do what you want to do, I’m going to help you if you want to leave,’” Cunningham said at the time. He went on to be drafted No. 1 by the Detroit Pistons in 2021.

Two years ago, Boynton was ﬁred with a 119-109 record over seven seasons. May said during the NCAA Tournament that his top assistant should get another shot.

“He’s an elite basketball coach,” May said in April. “He did a really good job at Oklahoma State, especially considering the circumstances.”

The 44-year-old Boynton, who is from New York, previously was an assistant with the Cowboys and Stephen F. Austin under current Illinois coach Brad Underwood.

Clark proves perfection isn’t needed for victory

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y Long before he smashed the locker, won a single trophy or had any inkling he’d play in a U.S. Open one day, golf for Wyndham Clark was a test of patience, will and temperament.

So, perhaps it’s only right that for Clark to sew up his latest, sweetest triumph, he had to rescue himself from a potentially history making collapse — and do it in front of a New York crowd that, for the most part came out to Long Island to watch him fail.

Clark’s second U.S Open victory will be remembered as the one where he handled Shinnecock Hills and somehow salvaged a ﬁnalround Sunday that saw a six-shot lead at the start dwindle to a single, precious stroke by the end.

It will also be remembered for the cheers when he missed shots, and for a winning, tap-in putt on the 18th green that was greeted with an awkward dribble of applause a strange reaction, especially given the hills Clark has had to climb to become a champion,.

“We’ve dealt with his anger issues since he was that high,” said Clark’s father, Randall, explaining the journey as he held his hand about hip high. “It’s because golf is not a game of perfection. And he wants to be perfect.” Clark, 32, was open about his struggles at his last U.S. Open victory in 2023, explaining his mother’s death 10 years earlier had left a scar and that the rage came out most viscerally in the aftermath of missed golf shots.

His felt like a simple tale about overcoming obstacles and personal

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SETH WENIG

Wyndham Clark holds the trophy after winning the U.S Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.y. on Sunday.

growth. But that journey is never truly ﬁnished.

His demons came back into full view a year ago when he smashed a locker at Oakmont after missing the cut at the U.S. Open. He has since apologized and the suits at Oakmont, appalled at first, have moved on, as well.

The fans in New York clearly haven’t. It made for an awkward stroll across the course Sunday, where Clark was paired with topranked Scottie Schefﬂer Schefﬂer, trying to complete the career Grand Slam, likely would’ve been a fan favorite against anyone No problem there, he said, but even he found himself cringing at the cheers ringing out when Clark missed shots, which happened a lot on a front nine in which he shot 38 and saw his lead shrink to one. Clark’s winning moment came

on No. 16. Nursing the one-shot lead, he teed off into the deep fescue a horrendous lie, according to caddie-turned-TV analyst Jim “Bones” Mackay Clark made it look better than that, lashing into the fairway, then hitting an 8-iron that straightened out along the back of the green

He nailed the 30-foot birdie putt his longest make of the day to give himself a two-shot lead over Sam Burns with two holes to play About a half-hour later, Clark two-putted from 50 feet on 18 to become a two-time winner instead of the player to blow the biggest 54hole lead in U.S. Open history The two-putt was reminiscent of the way he wrapped up his win three years ago at Los Angeles Country Club So much has changed since then. “It’s been part of every question in every interview for the last 12

LSU softball shortstop Edwards decides to stay

LSU softball shortstop Kylee Edwards has withdrawn her name from the NCAA transfer portal three days after entering it, she announced on social media Sunday Edwards, a senior who transferred from Mississippi State last offseason, ranked second on the team with a .341 batting average, 10 home runs and 40 RBIs.

“After exploring my options, it’s clear there is nowhere I’d rather be than here at LSU with my teammates and coaches,” she wrote in the post. “The Purple and Gold will always be home for me. The fans, the place, the people - some things you can never let go of.”

Eight other LSU players have entered the portal from the 2026 squad that reached the super Regionals, where it lost to Alabama.

Reds shortstop De La Cruz expected to return from IL CINCINNATI Reds shortstop Elly

De La Cruz is expected to be reinstated from the injured list Tuesday after missing 19 games with a strained right hamstring, manager

Terry Francona said Monday De La Cruz took batting practice prior to Monday night’s series opener against the ﬁrst-place Brewers.

He made three rehab starts for Triple-A Louisville going 2 for 8 with a home run and two RBIs. After homering in his ﬁrst rehab start on Friday, De La Cruz texted Francona, “Be there tomorrow” but the Reds didn’t want to rush things.

De La Cruz left the May 31 game against the Atlanta Braves with right hamstring tightness after he had a base hit in the ﬁfth inning.

Young agrees to 4-year extension with Wizards

Trae Young has agreed to a fouryear extension with the Washington Wizards, one that would be worth about $212 million if he picks up the ﬁnal year of the deal. The fourth year of the agreement is at Young’s option, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Wizards had not revealed the terms. Young will make around $49 million this coming season.

The deal is part of what could be a big week for the Wizards, who hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft that starts Tuesday night. Young is averaging 25.1 points and 9.8 assists per game for his career The only other player to average at least 25 points and nine assists for the entirety of an NBA career is Oscar Robertson.

Pulisic returns to training with U.S. team after injury

months,” his dad said of the constant rehashing of the locker incident, all of which Clark has handled with patience. “I do think it’s gone on too long.” In response to Oakmont, Clark has paid for the repairs to the locker He has given money to charity and participated in anger-management courses. He did not feel much love on Long Island.

“A little disappointing,” said Randall Clark, who took a red-eye ﬂight from Denver to be there for the win. “At the same time, he’s a warrior He ‘bowed up and said ‘I’m going to ﬁgure this out and still get through.’ It’s too bad. We’ve seen this before in the New York area with the Ryder Cup.”

But this was no Ryder Cup, the likes of which was marred by unruly behavior from the New York fans last year at Bethpage.

Clark conceded he heard it all and concluded, “man, they definitely don’t want me to win.”

All he could do, though, was turn to his caddie and laugh, especially when they heard from one of those rare fans who were actually pulling for him.

Now, the question is will this show of grit in the face of adversity give Clark a fresh start? Or will it always be about the locker and some meltdown lurking around every corner?

“I sure hope it closes the door on it,” he said “I ﬁgured in my mind that this would maybe be the last time just because it’s one year removed. I’ll probably always get (those questions). But I hope I don’t become the heel of the PGA.

“I guess if I am, any press is good press, right?”

IRVINE, Calif Christian Pulisic returned to training with his U.S. teammates on Monday after missing their most recent match of the World Cup with a calf injury

Pulisic participated in warmups and ball drills during the 15 minutes of practice open to the media in Orange County The team gave no formal update on the status of the AC Milan midﬁelder, who has been limited to one dynamic half of play in the unbeaten Americans’ home World Cup.

Pulisic didn’t play in the Americans’ 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle last Friday He played the ﬁrst half of their tournamentopening victory over Paraguay catalyzing two of the U.S. team’s three goals in the ﬁrst half of a historic 4-1 win.

Vondrousova gets 4-year ban for refusing drug test

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was suspended for four years on Monday for refusing an anti-doping test, the latest high-proﬁle player sanctioned.

The Czech cited “mental stress” and fear when the testing agent “rang my door late at night without properly identifying themselves.”

The International Tennis Integrity Agency made the announcement, saying Vondrousova refused a test in December and the maximum four-year ban for a routine first offense was reached by an independent tribunal following a hearing this month.

Vondrousova became Wimbledon’s ﬁrst unseeded female champion when

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By LON HORWEDEL

Michigan head coach Dusty May talks with the media after a win over Michigan State in Ann Arbor, Mich., on March 8. May is leaving the Wolverines for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.

Boynton

Jordangetsmoreupfront moneyindeal

BY MATTHEW PARAS and RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writers

The details for Cam Jordan‘s new contract are in.

After aresurgent 2025 season that saw him record double-digit sacks for the first time in four years, Jordan signed aone-year, $7.5 million contract with theNew Orleans Saints last week —anupfront increase overthe paycut he took last year

Notebook

Jordan’snew deal contains a one-year,$1.35 million base salary and aprorated signingbonus worth $6.15 million. The deal contains four years to spread out Jordan’s caphit, which is $2.58million in 2026. The contract voids the following year and is set to leave $4.9million in dead money.

Jordan’scontract, likehis last one, includes incentives that could make it worth up to $11 million.

Jordan is coming off arestructuredcontract thatwas initially worth $6.05 million for one year Butbased on incentives, Jordan earned an additional $2 million after he led the Saints with 101/2 sacks With his new deal, Jordanearned

more money before the season begins and has the chance to surpass thetotal he earned last year

The Saints and Jordan did not reach adeal until June 16, two months after his previous contract expired. Jordan said there were a“couple of bumps that got cleared up recently” to help facilitate adeal.

“Inany negotiation, there’salways goingtobethings that you want and can get through,” Jordan said. “When it comes down to it, it’slifestyle. It’sthe idea that I (can) play for the same team my entirecareer. There’snoamount of money inthe league thatsays, ‘Hey,justturnyour back on everything that you built,’ ” Jordan has said he intends for his 16thseason with the Saints to be the last of hiscareer

Top100

If Jordan’s new contract is asign of respect, thepass rusher is also receiving it from his peers

The36-year-old wasnamed to theNFL’s Top100 players list Monday at No. 100.

In atwo-minute videoreleased by the NFL, ArizonaCardinals tight end Trey McBride,New York Giants pass rusher KayvonThibodeaux andformer Baltimore Ravens

linebacker Kyle VanNoy explained why they hold Jordan in such high regard.

“Cam Jordan —that dude just ﬁnds away,” VanNoy said. “He’s evolvedhis game andhe’sreally, reallygood at what he does.”

BroncosQBNix doesn’tcarewhat youthink,and it makeshim great

DENVER From ﬁrst in the AFC to third in the AFC West, the lack of respect for the Denver Broncos remains enormous.

Take apeekatany sportsbook, and the Broncos’ over-under for victories ﬂoats around 9.5 games, whichwould leave them trailing theLos Angeles Chargers (understandable) and Kansas City Chiefs (unbelievable)

The lack of conﬁdenceinthe Broncos to repeat their success traces back to Bo Nix.

He is compromised aftermultiple ankle surgeries.

He is aslow starter in games six touchdowns, six interceptions in the ﬁrst quarter

He is aslow starter in seasons —4-4 record in September, compared to 20-6 in every other month.

He is not elite against zone defenses —ranking33rd among 45 quarterback qualiﬁers in success rate, per Sumersports.com.

The Broncos are about to fall from gracefromathud,ifyou believe wise guys and critics, and Nix doesnot give a(bleep).

Among the reasons thathecan leadthe Broncos to aSuper Bowl, place his mentality at the top of the list.

“He does not care what people think. Thatisasuperpower in this league. And he has it,” veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “It gives him the ability to go out there andplayfree, play loose. He cherishes it. On top of the maturity and knowledge he has gained over the last two years, he is madeofthe right stuff. That’swhy Ibelieve he’s the guy.”

The Broncos are five weeks from beginning one of the most scrutinized trainingcamps in franchise history,and they appear ready because theirquarterback will be.

Nixunderstands injuries are inevitable, but he hastwice recovered from ankle surgeries in highschooland college and played better.Heisconﬁdent he will do so again. There is no limp, no change in his throwing mechanics, noreason to thinkhewillbeanything

DUNCAN

Continued from page1C

seat as local and state ofﬁcials celebrated the groundbreaking forthe RaisingCane’s9th Ward Stadium at LCMC Health Field on Monday at the construction site behind George Washington Carver High School. Despite sweltering heat that spurredemcee Norman Robinson to quip that he was “sweating like aFrenchQuarter mule,” Fielkow never stopped smiling throughout the hourlong ceremony

“It feels fantastic,” Fielkow said “It has been along journey.We had ups and downs along theway but with the help of alot of great

but 100% when Denver travels to Kansas City for the season opener.WhenIasked him if he had concerns about his mobility,he said he was concerned he might run too much Nixisnot shying from goals associated with franchise quarterbacks —win a Super Bowl, win MVP. If he did not think that way, why bother paying him $60 million ayearafter this season? It is not aslam dunkthatthe Broncos repeat as AFCWest champs. And it is evenless likely that they secure theNo. 1seed with an opening schedule that features asix-pack nastier than Milwaukee’sBest.

But viewing Nix as areason for regression? That is laughable.

He ﬁnished lastseason with 30 total touchdowns —rushing and passing —rankingninth,ahead of Justin Herbert (28) and Patrick Mahomes (27).

He ranked seventh in 2024 with 34, includingareceiving score, placing him above Jalen Hurts (32) and Jayden Daniels (31).

And no quarterback was better in the clutch than Nix lastyear

He didthiswithout adynamic weapon. In his third year,wecan finallyget abettergriponhis ceiling with the addition of Jaylen Waddle. No longer will third-downcalls be:“Hey, Courtland, get open.” Waddle will pair withSutton, forcing teams to make tough decisionsinman coverage —where Nix excels.

Conclusions should never be drawn in June withoutpadson.

But it is obvious why the Broncos added Waddle.

He stops, starts and changes directions seamlesslyintrafﬁc. Imagine Frogger as areceiver “There’sanelement of explosiveness that Ithink as an offense we’ve lacked for acouple years,” Nix admitted.

While Waddlewill make Nix better,the onus is on Davis Webb to help him reach his potential Webb will call plays through the lens ofaformer NFL quarterback. He will simplify the verbiage to give Nix more time at the line of scrimmage. As in

people,wemadeittotoday and a year from now we’ll makeittothe ribbon cutting. And then after that we’re going tobuild this track and ﬁeld venue adjacent to it.Sowe’re notdone. But today is amilestone —and avery,very excitingday.” It takes avillage to complete a project of this scale, andthatwas certainly the case here. Seemingly,every sector of theNew Orleans community rallied behind Fielkow’splan. Everyone from MayorHelena Moreno to U.S. Rep. Troy Carer to NOLA Public Schools superintendent Fateama Fulmore to corporate titans Greg Feirn andToddGraves joined forces to carry the project across the goal line. They all played key roles in helping to complete the mission.

yearspast, theBroncos will use avariety of tempos. Webb, however, provides an opportunity to throttleupand down on the same possession. It is hard to imagine Webb not getting Nix into arhythm more quickly in first drives, first quarters and first halves.

The Broncosknow they are not going to win 11 one-score games again, afeat that tied an NFL record.Theywere1-6 in 2024 So that means we should expect them to go 6-6in2026.

Nix can helpthem avoidthis scenario by playing fewer close games. Starting on Oct.25at Arizona, theBroncosshould be favored in eight straight.

This is whereNix can ﬂex his muscles, not lose his ﬁngernails over worst-casescenarios ankle issues, failing to click with Waddle and Webb experiencing growing pains. If Nix regresses, it will be on him.But seriousquestion:When has he ever given us areason not to trust him?

He has clumsy moments— the Broncos had the third most punts last season. Yet, he boasts 10 career game-winningdrives. Wait, what was the score in the fourth quarter against Buffalo? Make it 11. He relishes competition.

“A coach told me along time ago that you have to be alittle screwed up to be good at this andweall areinsomeshape andform. YoulookatBointhe huddle, you see that fire in his eyes and you know this guy has gotsomethingspecialtohim,” McGlinchey said. “You could feel it theﬁrst time he stepped on the ﬁeld as arookie. And all it has done is grow.It’snot even the comebacksthat we all know about.Itisjustthe way he has developed and trusts everyone around him.”

Forthe thirdstraightseason, the Broncos will be overlooked. Criticssee imposters.

If the expectations of chasing a championship were toomuch, if the pressure wastoo suffocating, Iwouldbethe ﬁrst to callthem out.

But doubt is not aproblem. With Sean Payton, it is amotivation.

Nix is notaquestion,his ankle be damned. He is the solution.

But no onedeserves more credit than Fielkow.Noone hadmore sweat equity in the project than him.Hewas theone whoultimately gotitdone. Appropriately,the former Saints executive andNew Orleanscity councilman received hisproverbial ﬂowersfrom the distinguished cast of speakers during the ceremony. Carter calledhim a“true philanthropist” and“humanitarian extraordinaire.” Moreno celebrated hisperseverance. Graves applaudedhis tenacity while citing oneofhis favorite business axioms: Nothing great ever happens unless someone pursues avisionfanatically “I just respect peoplethatwon’t

started, 2025 wasthe first time zero Saintswerefeatured. Jordan being No.100 avoids a2026 repeat. Datesset

Saints coach Kellen Moore wanted his team to have joint practices against three teams this summer, andhegot his wish Now,those dates have been ﬁnalized. TheSaintswill host theJacksonville Jaguars at theirteam facility in Metairie on Aug. 13. The team will then head to California to practice against theDallas Cowboys in Oxnard on Aug. 18 and the Los AngelesRamsonAug. 20.

“It’ll be great work,” Moore said during mandatory minicamp.

AddedThibodeaux: “He don’t carewhat theclock say, what the time say.He’sgoing to keep going. Whether it’s his last snap, or his ﬁrst snap, he’s going to go, he’s going to do it theright way.” Since 2011, the year the list

MCCLURE

Continued from page1C

played for. That “glue guy” monikeroffered multiple meanings for critics of undersizedlinemen. At 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, he did not ﬁt theprototype of an NFLlineman. But McClure stuck to his craftrelentlessly as he ﬁne-tuned skills to adapt and excel. How good was he? Consider this —McClure wascalled forjust 22 penalties in 198 regular-season games during his NFLcareer That’sanaverage of 1.7 penalties per year.McCluredidn’thave a single penaltycalledonhim in the2011 season. And it started at practice with an order from Blanchard, best knownasthe Centralbaseball coach who won four straight Class 4A state titles with McClure as his all-state catcher

“There wasn’t awhole lotelse Todd could do at tight end that day,”Blanchard said. “So, Itold himtomoveovertocenter. He did not like it one bit and Iknew it. ButIsaid, ‘You never know when you might have to play there.’ Of course, he did. What acareer

“Now Iwill tell you this, if Todd wouldhavegonewith baseball instead, Ithink he could have made it to the major leagues as acatcher.Ireally do. He was that good.”

However,then-LSU football coachGerry DiNardowas enamored with McClure after watchinghim play basketball forCentral. After that, he still played tightend, but also took enough snaps at center so the ﬁlmcould be dubbed to VHS tapes that were sent to college football coaches.

“DiNardo loved him and told himtokeepplaying basketball becauseitwould help hisfootworksomuch,” former Central basketballcoach GaryDuhe said.

“Todd was just an all-around athlete.Igivehis dad alot of credit because he had him play point guardinBiddy Basketball even though he was abigger kid.”

Being called agreat teammate or aleader is often dismissed as an antiquated atta-boy cliché by many people in today’ssociety McClure provides an example of why that should nothappen, a point hisformer LSU teammates eagerly explain.

“Weplayed against each other in middle school,and Ialways followed his career,” former LSU linebacker Markeith Spears said.

“Todd was one of the ﬁrst guys to committoLSU earlyinour se-

ever give up,” Graves said. “Anything worthwhile is really hard to do.And Ijust think of Arnie being that way for 15 years, being fanatical about that vision and never giving up. If it wouldn’thave been for him and all the people that lead,(the stadium project) would have gone away.”

Fielkowadmitted there were many difﬁcultdays where his faith was tested. Escalating construction costs tripled the price tag from its original $5 million goal.Elevated living costs led to donorcaution and ﬁnancial fatigue. He was told “no” more than he cared to hear,but he refused to quit.

“At times, it was hard to raise money,” Fielkow said. “But you just keep persevering. Youjust

The Jaguars will visit ahead of theirAug.15 preseason game againstNew Orleans,while the Saints will get twojoint practices in beforetheir Aug. 22 preseason contest against the Rams. Thedates were unveiled Monday as part of aleague release that also ﬁnalized the start of training campfor teams. The Saints’ rookies and veterans will report on July 28, with camptobegin the next day.

Email Matthew Parasat matt.paras@theadvocate.com

nior year.And Iﬁgured if it was good enough forhim,itwas good enough forme.

“But Idid not know Todd as a person until we got to LSU.Iwas so nervous before my ﬁrst start our freshman year.Todd calmed me down. He walked me through it, telling me, ‘You know what to do …just play hard like you always do.’ That’scompassion and leadership.”

McClurewas drafted in theseventh round of the 1999 NFLDraft by theFalcons. He tore hisACL during atraining camp,atough breakthathad endedmany careers. But not McClure’s.

“I remember atrainer telling me it was atorn ACL and then he left me in this areabymyself,” McCluresaid. “I wasn’tsure what would happen next …was it (football) over forme?” McClure learned therewere twooptions.Ifthe team offered an injury settlement, he would be released. If the Falcons placed him on injured reserve, McClure would get his chance.

“Pretty soon Ifound out Imade an impression on people,” McClure said. “They had talked aboutmeand whatI haddonein meetingsfor theoffenseand defense. So, they put me on IR.I got to work rehabbing, watching ﬁlm …everything Icould do.”

McClure honed his skills for readingsidelinesignals andthe body language of defenders, looking fora“tell” that would give away gameplans or tendencies. The following season,McClure becameaﬁxture forthe Falcons, starting 159 of 160 games through the bulk of his career Michael Vick and Matt Ryan wereamong McClure’sAtlanta quarterbacks.Heblocked for LSHOF running back and former Catholic High-Baton Rouge star Warrick Dunn.

“Todd and Iwere teammates foreight years,” former Falcons lineman TysonClabo said. “I still considerhim to be my brother, even though we haven’tplayed together in quitea while. That’s how special the bond is.” Clabo laughedasheexplained that the Falcons drafted other centers over theyears, ﬁguring they could replace McClure. Some potential replacements were cut. Others got moved to new positions.

“Management talked about wanting to be bigger and fasteron the offensive line over theyears when Iwas the coach,” Smith said. “It was adifferent story in our building. We knew Todd was always the guy …our guy.”

keep going and going, and that was my mantra and that was the goal.”

On Monday,Fielkow and his team of well-intentioned do-gooders celebrated the completion of that goal. By the 2027 football season, the Carver Rams athletic programs will have aglitzy new home stadium, astate-of-the-art facility that will be the envy of their peers. Other New Orleansarea high schools will also get to play and compete there. It’sa win for everyone involved —the school, the city and the surrounding Desire community

The 9th Ward Stadium project is no longer just avision or a“Field of Dreams.”

It’sareality,thanks to Arnie Fielkow

STAFFPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

CamJordan signs acontract for his 16th season with the NewOrleans Saints in Metairie on June 16. Jordan will make more upfront moneythan he did in 2025.

TROY RENCK The DenverPost (TNS)

WORLDCUP 2026

Underdog Cape Verdekeeps rolling

BY TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press

MIAMI GARDENS,Fla. Here’s something very few could have reasonably expected coming into this World Cup: Cape Verdecontrols its own destiny withone match left in group play

That’sright. With awin on Friday against Saudi Arabia, thetiny nation of about 500,000 people and about 15 million new Instagram followers will be headed to the round of 32. Even adrawmight be —should be —enoughtoearna spot in the knockout round.

The Blue Sharks were long shots entering the WorldCup; some books had them at no better than 12% to advance from the group stage. They’re currently favored to move on.

“It’sinour hands,” defender Roberto Lopes said. “Wehave to go and take it.”

Apair of draws —ﬁrst against Spaintobegin group play, then rallying for a2-2 result against Uruguay on Sunday —has Cape Verde still searching for its ﬁrst win in its initial World Cup appearance. Still, the teamisinan ideal position.

Spain leads Group Hwith four points. Uruguay and Cape Verde are next with two points each, while Saudi Arabia is last with one point. The top two teams from each group advancetothe round of 32 along with thetop eight third-placeteams in the12 groups.

Awin over Saudi Arabiaby Cape Verde would give it five points; it would then be mathematicallycertaintobe no worse than second in the group. Adraw would give the team three points; that, combined with aSpain win over Uruguay,would alsoassure a second-place ﬁnish in group play

“One game at atime,” Cape Verde backup goalkeeper CJ dos Santos said. “This is just another challenge for us.”

There is areal chance thatif Cape Verde beats Saudi Arabia, its rewardwould be around of 32 game against Lionel Messiand reigning World Cup champion

Cape Verde fans cheer followingthe WorldCup match between Uruguayand Cape Verde on

Gardens, Fla.

Argentina.

And the interest in that game would be overwhelming, if it happened. On one side, there would be Messi, the biggest drawinthe sport andpossiblythe biggest draw right now in any sport. On the other,therewould be ateam thatthe world seems to have adopted —the improbable story,repletewith a40-year-old goalkeeper whose mother needed help just to obtain avisa andﬂytothe U.S to watch her son play on soccer’s grandest stage

More than half of the team was born somewhere other than Cape Verde; KevinPina, whoscored against Uruguay,spentpart of his youth living in Massachusetts, which has the largestconcentration of theCape Verdean diaspora in the U.S

That stems from howinthe 1800s, CapeVerdeans found work on American whaling vesselsin theAtlantic andeventually settled

Mbappé scores twice to lead France past Iraq

BY DANGELSTON Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA Kylian Mbappé

scored twice to move into atie for second in careerWorld Cup goals with 16, and France played through the tournament’sfirst rain delay to beat Iraq 3-0 on Monday and advance to the knockout stage. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé alsoscored for Les Bleus, giving fans who stuck out arainy night in Philadelphiaa reason to cutloose.

Mbappé scored in the 14th and 54th minutes to cap amomentous andsoggy 100th international appearance for one of the bestplayers in the world.

Mbappe’sﬁrst goal gave France a1-0 lead at halftime, when heavy rain and an incoming thunderstorm prompted adelayofjust over two hoursand forced the grounds crew to squeegee water

off the swampy Kentuckybluegrass atLincoln Financial Field Scoreboard messages directed thecrowd to take shelter in the stadium’scovered areas,warning that aseverestorm was on the way.Sheets of raincontinued to fall through halftime as fans wrapped themselves in ponchos and huddled in the concourse and underbalconies.

IraqcoachGrahamArnold wrestled with aponcho forafew seconds before he pulled it over his head andreturned to the covered dugout. Frenchfanswho stayed in their seats in the last fewcovered rows of the topof thestadiumwaved the country’s ﬂag, and many splashed around the concourse to pass time. Weather aside, this game —as so many do for France —belonged to Mbappé as he tries to keep pace on the career goals list with new record holder Lionel Messi. Playing in histhird WorldCup,

in port cities in states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“Wecomefrom acountryof immigrants,”Cape Verde coach Bubista said. “Wewantevery child and everyyoung person to feel proud to representtheir country We wantour successtomakethem want to represent Cape Verde.”

At LuandaRestaurantinBrockton,Massachusetts,Cape Verde’s ﬁrst World Cup matchbecamean afternoonofnervous cheering as customers gathered around televisions; some fans even brought laptops so theycould workremotely from the restaurant without missing the game against Spain. Everysaveby40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha —whose stardom has risen immeasurably during this tournament —drew louder reactions inside the restaurant. Owner Amélia Goncalvessaid she triedtoworkwhile screaming, laughing and nearly crying, noting that Vozinha’sstory reso-

nates withthe Cape Verdean community.

“If you work hard, it’spossible,” Goncalves said.

The team has worked hard. The roundof32isverypossible now. Atiny country with big hopes is poised forits biggest sports moment.

“Now nobody can ask, ‘Where is Cape Verde?’ ”said 22-year-old Micaelle Nunes, one of the soccer revelers in Brockton. “The whole world will know.”

The players are aware of the celebrations. They know that, in some ways, they have become a sentimental favorite all over the globe. Their story is easy to appreciate andthe way they play hasdrawn applause even from fans in opposing jerseys.

A12% chance is on the brink of coming through.

“Wehad abig journey here,” Lopes said. “Now that we’re here, we can’tchange.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PETRDAVID JOSEK

Kylian Mbappecelebrates after scoring France’s first goal during a match against Iraq on Monday in Philadelphia.

the 27-year-old Mbappé matched Miroslav Klose of Germany on the goals list and moved one ahead of Brazil great Ronaldo.

Mbappé scored his thirdgoal of thetournament with aleft-footed strike —his supposed weaker foot —from the edge of thebox that got pastIraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil, who got his ﬁrst start in the

tournament after captain Jalal Hassan allowed all four goalsin Iraq’s4-1 loss to Norway. Forhis second goal,Mbappé took advantage of apoor pass to thegoalkeeper by Iraq defender Zaid Tahseen. Dembele controlled thelooseball andpassed to Mbappé, who tapped it in with his right foot.

Ronaldoaimsto getontrack afterdisappointing start

BY JOHN MARSHALL

Associated Press

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and ErlingHaaland have taken theirexpected starringroles so far in the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo is getting some unexpected criticism.

Portugal’s41-year-oldstar arrived in North America hoping to make history by scoringin his sixth straight World Cup. He ended up frustrated after aforgettable opening performance in Portugal’ssurprising 1-1 draw against Congo, missingonacouple of good scoring chances in the second half.

TUESDAYLOOKAHEAD

Ronaldo and Portugalget a chance to getback on track against Uzbekistan on Tuesday in Houston. One of the pre-tournament favorites to win theWorld Cup, Portugal coulduse awin to keep pace in Group Kfollowing Colombia’s openingwin and Congo’stie in its ﬁrst World Cup in 52 years. Kane’s record pursuit HarryKanescored twogoals in England’sopening4-2 win over Croatia, giving him10inWorld Cupplay to match Gary Lineker’s Englishrecord. It also pushed

Kane into aseven-way tie for seventh in tournament history Kane gets achancetoadd to that total when England faces surprising Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Tuesday Should he score, Kane would moveintoatie for sixth with Germany’sJürgenKlinsmann and Hungary’sSándorKocsis. Awin would send England to theknockout stagefor the third straight World Cup. Ghana is looking for its first trip to theknockout stage since reaching the quarterfinals in 2010. England is unbeaten against African teams at the WorldCup, with five wins and three draws.

Eliminationgame?

Panama and Croatia will play a game in Toronto that neither can affordtolose.The countriesare at thebottom of Group Lbehind England and Ghana. Awin keeps alive the hopes of reaching the knockoutstage, while alossall but ends those hopes.

Panama was in line for its ﬁrst World Cup point against Ghana before Brandon Thomas-Asante’s late goal brokeascoreless tie. Croatia ﬁnished third in Qatar in 2022 and was runner-up to France four years earlier in Russia, but is in trouble after losing 4-2 to England in this year’sopener

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By REBECCA BLACKWELL

SundayinMiami

Wizards face legit choices with No. 1 pick

BY BRIAN MAHONEY AP basketball writer

NEW YORK For anyone seeking clues in the ﬁnal hours before the NBA draft, AJ Dybantsa’s Father’s Day message to his dad apparently wasn’t one. In the ﬁrst of two pictures that went along with the posting on X, Anicet Dybantsa (“Ace”) is holding young AJ in front of the White House. The White House, of course, is in Washington, D.C., the home of the team that has the No 1 pick on Tuesday night.

But Dybantsa wasn’t revealing anything about the Wizards’ intentions. He was just trying to avoid revealing too much of himself.

“Actually, it was just a random photo that I found,” Dybantsa said Monday “I was going to do one and I was a baby, but I was naked, so I didn’t want to do that one. So the next one to the right just happened to be in front of the White House.”

There’s a strong possibility Dybantsa is headed back to Washington. The 6-foot-9 forward from Boston led the nation with 25.5 points per game in his lone season at BYU and has drawn comparisons with his size and skills to Kevin Durant, who is Dybantsa’s favorite player.

The Wizards also could consider other players from a strong group of one-and-done stars, including Darryn Peterson of Kansas, college player of the year Cameron Boozer of Duke or forward Caleb Wilson from North Carolina. Behind them are a number of talented scoring guards.

“I think this draft, top to bottom,

is elite. I think you look at guys even outside of the top group, guys in the 16-to-20 range, those are all great players,” Boozer said. “I think our draft is really strong, stronger than a lot of classes that came before us. I guess we’ll see how strong we really are in a couple of years from now, but I am super excited, for sure.”

The Utah Jazz has the No. 2 pick, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls Assuming the four forwards are all gone by then, the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 5

Ohtani still a long shot for Cy Young despite great year

BY NOAH TRISTER AP baseball writer

Shohei Ohtani has won four MVPs, and now he’s making an impressive bid for an honor that has thus far eluded the two-way star: the Cy Young Award. Problem is, the competition in the National League might be a little too stiff this year.

Ohtani is 7-2 with a 1.47 ERA so far this season. With the Los Angeles Dodgers nearly halfway through their schedule, he’s made 12 starts and thrown 73 2/3 innings. His career highs in those categories are 28 and 166, back in 2022. That year he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA for the Los Angeles Angels and ﬁnished fourth in the American League Cy Young race. Ohtani’s hitting has always been more reliable than his pitching on a year-in, year-out basis. He didn’t pitch at all in 2019 or 2024, and his teams have been careful with his workload. Even now, he’s a few innings shy of qualifying for the ERA title, but with a mark that far below 2.00, he’s clearly one of the game’s top starters. Still, he remains a long shot for the Cy Young according to oddsmakers. Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (8-3, 1.45 in 15 starts) is the favorite, and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez (9-3, 1.80) isn’t far removed from throwing 50 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Ohtani is a runaway favorite to win another MVP, of course. He isn’t on pace for the eye-popping home run and stolen base stats he’s produced in the past, but he leads the National League in on-base percentage, and when you factor in his pitching value it’s hard to make a case for anyone else

Performance of the week

The ﬁrst two cycles of the 2026 season took place this past week.

Pete Crow-Armstrong completed

the single-double-triple-homer set for the Chicago Cubs on Monday in a win over Colorado. Then Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies pulled it off Saturday during a rout of the New York Mets.

Crow-Armstrong did get picked off ﬁrst immediately after the single that gave him the cycle so give the slight edge to Harper here.

Honorable mention: Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies hit three home runs in the same game Harper hit for the cycle. The only other time two teammates pulled that off was June 3, 1932, when Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees hit four home runs and Tony Lazzeri hit for the cycle. The Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics 20-13 that day

Comeback of the week

The Athletics overcame a sevenrun, sixth-inning deﬁcit to beat the Los Angeles Angels 12-11 in 10 innings on Friday night. It was a wild evening, with the A’s taking a 4-0 lead before allowing 11 consecutive runs. The Angels had a win probability of 99% by the bottom of the seventh according to Baseball Savant.

The comeback began an inning earlier when Zack Gelof singled home a run to make it 11-5. With two outs in the seventh, Tyler Soderstrom walked and Jacob Wilson followed with a homer to cut the deﬁcit to four A two-run homer in the eighth by Max Muncy made it 11-9.

The A’s were down to their last out when Jonah Heim hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth. After Muncy, the third baseman, threw a runner out at the plate in the top of the 10th, the Athletics won when Nick Kurtz drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom half.

The A’s (38-40) are 1 1/2 games out of ﬁrst place in the AL West despite what is now the worst run differential in the AL at minus-54.

would have the ﬁrst choice among the likes of Keaton Wagler of Illinois, Darius Acuff of Arkansas, Kingston Flemings of Houston or Mikel Brown of Louisville. Dybantsa, with his strong resume against top competition, is obviously hard to pass up. But the Wizards also have to weigh Peterson’s potential against what he was able to deliver at Kansas.

A McDonald’s All-American in high school, he averaged 20.2 points last season as one of the top recruits ever landed by the

WALKER

Continued from page 1C

If there is player that Weaver wants, the Pelicans could do whatever it takes to go get him.

Moving on

If the Pelicans end up in the ﬁrst round, it means they are willing to move on from one (or more) of their key pieces. That’s what it’s going to take. While it wouldn’t be a sign of a full rebuild, it would be a continuation of a youth movement that started with last year’s two ﬁrst-round draft picks: Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.

Before last week, Dumars was getting several inquiries about Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, two staples on the team. But according to sources, what other teams were offering wasn’t enticing the Pels. Perhaps those conversations have picked up over the past few days.

Moving on from a fan favorite such as Murphy or a defensive stopper such as Jones would get a heavy share of criticism, especially in exchange for an unproven draft pick. It would, however, also say the franchise isn’t just running the same team back from a season ago. It’s a risky move, but one to keep an eye on.

MESSI

Continued from page 1C

chance to match the record.

“There were moments when I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it,” said Messi, who has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards as the best player in Europe.

Argentina advanced to the knockout round by winning its ﬁrst two group games. Messi also scored all of his team’s goals in a 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City

Messi added his 18th World Cup goal in the waning seconds of stoppage time when he shot one through several defenders after the ﬁrst attempt was turned away by goalkeeper Alexander Schlager

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Messi said in translated remarks. “The way things are going in the World Cup, the way it’s being played, it’s a very even game. No one is giving away anything.”

The goal record became Messi’s alone in the first half when he caught Schlager leaning the wrong way after Thiago Almada let Facuno Medina’s pass go by him and directly onto Messi’s left foot from about 20 yards.

“I have no more words to talk about Leo,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter

ä NBA draft round 1, 7 P.M.TUESDAy,ESPN

He doesn’t seem stressed about not knowing where he’s headed after draft night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“Oh, it’s been my life for a while now,” Peterson said. “I went to three different high schools. I’ve been on the move my entire life, so no problem at all. That’s part of the process and I’m embracing it.”

The host Nets have the No. 6 pick, hoping to generate some buzz in a city where they’ve never felt less significant after the Knicks won their ﬁrst NBA championship since 1973.

Dybantsa was at Game 4 at Madison Square Garden the other photo with his father was taken at the NBA Finals — when the Knicks made the biggest ﬁnals comeback on record by erasing a 29-point deﬁcit.

“Craziest game I’ve ever watched in real life,” he said. “Like, it was so loud in there.”

Jayhawks. But there are plenty of questions when it comes to his availability Peterson dealt with full-body cramping issues before the season that led to a brief hospitalization, and other injuries and illnesses kept him from playing in 11 games while limiting him in several others. The 6-5 guard said teams haven’t shown any concerns about his health.

“Not at all,” he said. “Every team’s got my medicals and I’m cleared, so there’s no issues.”

NBA All-Rookie Team trend

While Dumars took a lot of heat last year for giving up the 2026 ﬁrst-round pick to draft Queen, the overall draft was a success. Fears and Queen both were named to the second team of the All-Rookie Team, showing some promise for the future. The Pelicans also drafted Micah Peavy in the second round and he was a contributor, playing in 61 games with four starts. The year before that, center Yves Missi made the All-Rookie Team. Continuing a run of identifying quality talent is how you build winning teams.

Second-round gem

It’s hard to get excited about the 58th overall selection, which is the only pick the Pelicans have in the draft. A late second-round pick may not last past the Summer League roster The Pels have hit on secondround draft picks before. In addition to Peavy in 2025, they got Jones early in the second round in 2021. They drafted Karlo Matkovic with the 52nd overall pick a year later The Pels have also found some undrafted free agent gems such as Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall. So it’s possible to ﬁnd some talent late in the draft.

The Pels hosted the following players for workouts last week, according to a report by The

Now Dybantsa is looking forward to being the player creating the cheers. The Wizards’ title drought is almost as long as the Knicks’ was, having last won in 1978 when they were still known as the Bullets. If they tab Dybantsa as the player who can turn them around, he’s ready for the expectations.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a little bit more pressure probably, target on my back,” Dybantsa said. “I mean, I’ve been No. 1 my whole life and people gunning after me, so it’d be a bigger motivation for me going into the league.”

Athletic: Maliq Brown (Duke), Malik Dia (Ole Miss), Xavian Lee (Florida), JJ Starling (Syracuse) and Peter Suder (Miami (Ohio)). A local player, former Carver standout Solomon Washington (Maryland), also had a workout with the team.

Other local players

Two players who played their high school ball in the greater New Orleans are expected to hear their names called. Chris Cenac, a 6-foot-11 forward, played two seasons at Newman in Uptown New Orleans. The LaPlace native ﬁnished his career at Link Academy in Missouri before playing one season at the University of Houston. He led Houston with 7.9 rebounds per game and helped the Cougars reach the Sweet 16.

Two years ago, Allen Graves was finishing up his high school career at Ponchatoula High School on his way to being named Louisiana’s Mr Basketball. After redshirting his first season at Santa Clara, he averaged 11.8 points per game and was named both Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year in the West Coast Conference. Both Cenac and Graves are expected to go in the first round.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy The way things are going in the World Cup, the way it’s being played, it’s a very even game. No one is giving away anything.”

LIONEL MESSI,Argentine forward

As the ball went into the net on the record 17th goal, Messi ran toward a corner and thrust his right arm into the air to celebrate the mark with the decidedly pro-Argentina crowd among the 70,649 fans in the sold-out home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

“Someone who is 39 years old and can score two goals, and ﬁve goals overall at the beginning of the World Cup, well, that makes a difference,” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said through an interpreter

“We knew that he is on a level of his own, and Lionel Messi showed us today that he’s one of the best, and he is the best.”

There had been a gasp from those same fans when Messi missed the penalty kick in the ninth minute.

His left-footed attempt went just wide of the right post. He is now 4 of 7 on penalty kicks in regulation play at the World Cup with misses in three consecutive tournaments. Klose played in 24 World Cup matches for Germany, which wrapped up his fourth tournament by winning the 2014 final 1-0 in extra time over Messi and Argentina. In an interview published on

June 12, Klose said he expected Messi to break the scoring record.

“With the larger ﬁeld of competing teams there are more games and so more chances to score goals. And I assume Argentina and France will go far,” Klose told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “That’s perfectly OK, the record will be broken eventually anyhow and Messi is welcome to be the one who does it. I’m a big fan of Messi, always have been Messi is a genius.”

Messi’s hat trick in the previous game, in his 200th international appearance, came 20 years to the date of his World Cup debut in Germany when he also scored. Monday was his FIFA-record 28th match in the tournament.

The penalty kick came after Lautaro Martinez was running free in the box and was tackled from behind by Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch, the defender playing with a broken jaw Play continued for more than a minute with Martinez still on the ground near the goal. When the game was stopped for him, ofﬁcials reviewed the play and called the penalty

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ

ByU forward AJ Dybantsa celebrates his 3-pointer in the second half of a game against Baylor on Feb 10 in Waco, Texas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO KyUSUNG GONG

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Los Angeles on Wednesday

LIVING

Ensemble leader to step down after

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Anwar Nasir,who has directed the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra since 2021,isleaving hispositiontotake ajob as president and CEO of theGrant ParkMusic Festival in Chicago. He will continue directingthe LPO through the summer Born in Philadelphia, Nasir is aformer professional dancer as well as an arts organization administrator. Before arriving in New Orleans, he served as chiefrevenue and advancement officer of the Omaha Symphony Whenappointed to the LPO’s toppost, Nasir became one of the few Black executivedirectors of amajor American classical orchestra. Under Nasir’s guidance,the orchestranot only emergedintact fromthe COVID pandemic but flourished,reachinglarge,varied audiences. In addition to classical presentations, in recent years the LPO repeatedly filled the Orpheum Theater with collaborative shows featuringNew Orleans pop stars, including Tank and the Bangas,Big Freedia, Mannie Fresh, Big Chief JuanPardo and The Golden Comanches and others In 2024, one of those collaborations,aconcert with The Lost Bayou Ramblers Cajun band, earned theLPO itsfirstGrammy award for Best Regional Roots Music Album.

Nasir will now take charge of Chicago’s80-year-old,free outdoor concert series held in the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, as the LPO conducts asearch for hisreplacement Nasir said that he’ll miss New Orleans, the people, the culture, the food and especially the immersive musical environment

“I don’tthink there’s anyplace in the world where you can get so much ﬁrst-class music,” he said, “fromthe orchestral group to bounce, hip-hop, jazz and the marching bandsinMardi Gras parades.”

He said he may do alittle genre-bending musical fusion in Chicagolikehedid in NewOrleans, but he’snot yet sure. “I’ll have to get there and see what their appetite is,” he said And in the winter,Nasir said, he’ll trytoslip back to New Orleans for some Carnival and crawﬁsh.

“It is awell-deserved recognition of his leadership, and we couldnot be more proud,”wrote an unnamed LPO spokesperson in the announcement of Nasir’s leaving. “Wewillalso miss him enormously.”

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Richard Lipseyin1963 in his dress uniforminWashington, D.C.

RichardLipseystood with JFKand danced with Jackie.But this Louisianaicon’sproudestroleisPops

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

Richard Lipsey briefed presidents and built one of the country’slargest ﬁrearmsbusinesses. Askhis children and grandchildren about him, though,and thestories get smaller —and that is thepoint.

tJacqueline Kennedy’scommand, the24-year-old lieutenant from Baton Rouge took thefirst lady onto thedance floor at the WhiteHouse. By then, Richard Lipsey was already afixture of the Kennedy Camelot days. He had landed there as an aide to Gen. Philip Wehle who had plucked him from FortPolk to work receiving lines in the Oval Office.

In October 1963, weeks before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,Marshal Tito, of Yugoslavia, wasatthe White House to meet with JFK. As Lipsey entered the room for the meeting, camera in hand, aguard told him cameras weren’tallowed. The president said otherwise.

The photographs Lipsey took that day of the president with Tito turned out to be among the last taken of JFK in Washington. Six decades later,ask Lipsey what he is proudest of, and he doesn’tmention Camelot —not the Kennedys, not the White House.

“My family’swhat I’mmost proud of,” Lipsey said, and began to list them: his twodaughters, Laurie and Wendy, his grandchildren and his wife of 63

ä See LIPSEY, page 2D

Nasir

PROVIDED PHOTO

LukeLipsey, WendyLipsey, Anna Aronson, Marla Aronson, LaurieAronson, Susan Lipseyand Richard Lipsey

PROVIDED PHOTO Richard Lipsey, king of 2022 Washington Mardi Gras, withhis grandson, LukeLipsey.

STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON LSUcoachJay Johnson celebrates with Richard Lipseyasthe Tigers punched itsticket to Omaha in 2025.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Lipseyfamily are hugeLSU and Kim Mulkey supporters. Pictured here, Laurie Aronson, Richard Lipsey, Kim Mulkey and Susan Lipsey.

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,June 23,the 174th day of 2026. There are 191 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On June 23, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law the Education Amendments of 1972, including Title IX, which barred discrimination on the basis of sex for “any education program or activity receiving Federal ﬁnancial assistance.”

Also on this date:

In 1888, abolitionist Frederick Douglass received one votefrom the Kentucky delegation at the Republican convention in Chicago, making him the ﬁrst Black candidate to have his name placed in nomination for U.S. president. In 1931, aviatorsWiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from Roosevelt FieldinNew York on an around-the-world ﬂightthat lasted eight days and 15 hours.

In 1947, the Senate joined the House in overriding President HarryS.Truman’sveto of the Taft-Hartley Act, designed to limit the power of organized labor

In 1985, all 329 people on an Air India Boeing 747 were killed when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland after abomb planted by Sikh separatistsexploded onboard.

In 1992, mob boss John Gotti

LIPSEY

Continued from page 1D

years, Susan.

was sentenced to life after being foundguilty of murder,racketeeringand other charges. (Gotti would die in prison in 2002.)

In 2016,Britainvoted to leave the European Union after abitterly divisive referendum campaign, toppling Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the drive to remain in the bloc.

In 2018, 12 young soccer players andtheir coach became trapped in aﬂooded cave in northern Thailand.All were plucked to safety,emaciated but weary,after Thai navy SEALSbegan arescue operation more than two weeks after theteam became trapped.

In 2022, in amajor expansionof gunrights, the Supreme Court said Americans have aright to carry ﬁrearms in public for self-defense

Today’sbirthdays: Author Richard Bach is 90. Computer scientist Vint Cerfis83. Actor Bryan Brown is 79. Supreme CourtJustice Clarence Thomasis78. Musician Glenn Danzig is 71.Actor Frances McDormand is 69. Golf Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie is 63. ActorSelma Blairis54. French soccer manager and former player Zinedine Zidane is 54. Actor Joel Edgerton is 52. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 49. Rapper Memphis Bleek is 48. Actor Melissa Rauch (“The Big BangTheory”) is 46. Figure skater Alexandra Ignatova is 22. Model and actor Laneya Grace is 22.

There is, in fact, agreat deal more he could have named At 86, Lipsey has livedseveral lives worth of remarkability —and has abook coming out laterthis yearto prove it.

Boundtosecrecy

After the Army, he came home earned aMaster of Business Administration at Harvard University and transformedhis family’sretail sporting goods business, Steinberg’s, into what is now one of the country’s largest wholesale ﬁrearms distributors, Lipsey’s.

His grandson, Luke Lipsey,said the Dos Equis man needs to move overbecause, in reality,Richard Lipsey is the most interesting man in the world.

Despite the glamour of the Kennedy days in the White House, RichardLipsey was also there for the darkest hours.

Cornered by sister’s perpetualinvitations

Dear Annie: Imoved to northern Floridaover ayear ago to help care for my parents. My sister has lived in southern Floridafor manyyears, and for as long as Ican remember, nearly every conversation with her includes the samequestion: “When are you coming down?”

BeforeImoved here, she asked it constantly Once, she and her husband picked me up from theairport, and before we had even left the curb, she asked, laughing, “When are you coming down again?” She knows it irritates me, but she does it anyway

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

Now that Ilive in the same state, nothing has changed. It is still, “When are you coming down?”

Ihosted Thanksgiving and gave her two months’ notice. Every time we talked, she asked, “What can we bring?” Itold her, then sent alist of who was bringing what. Still, every call brought another,“Areyou sure?”

has worked alongsideher father for 33 years andnow runs the company he built, said hissix-days-a-week work schedule nevergot in theway of supporting his children andgrandchildren.

“He never missed anything,” she said.

Wendy Lipsey remembers Saturdays at Steinberg’s, where “put us to work” mostly meant hiding in camping tents and jumping out at customers. The girls also spent hours cranking an antiquated machine that spun redbows for gift wrap, hundredsofthem, into abox.

In November 1963,the young lieutenant was the ofﬁcer placed in charge of the assassinated president’sbody. He was the only man at the autopsy who was not aphysician.

Bound to secrecy for years, hekept all of it to himself, andwhen the restriction waslifted around 1978, he still turned down the talk showsout of respect for the Kennedy family.Hehas never made adollar from any of it

“My grandfather does notembellish things,” LukeLipsey said.“He’svery straight-shooting. No pun intended.”

Allofthoselarger-than-life details, though, represent thesliver.

That is the word his family keeps reaching for when the Kennedy years come up —asliver of afar larger life. He came home and became an advocate forBaton Rouge, ahuge LSU supporter and several other causes.

Asked to describe him,his daughtersand grandchildren didn’tsay “historic” or “famous.”

LaurieLipsey Aronson said honorable, a class act. Wendy Lipsey said atrue Southern gentleman. Anna Aronson said aleader,aman of integrity,charitable. Luke Lipsey saidkind, thoughtful, genius.

‘Henever missed anything’

What his children marvel at is not the rocking chair in the Oval Ofﬁce but that he has consistently shown up.

Laurie Lipsey Aronson, the older daughter who

Now it is my birthday month, and Irecently found outIneed cataract surgery.This feels like abig deal to me, and between work andthe surgery,I told my sisterIdid not wanttomakeplans. She would notacceptthat. “Wehavetocelebrate your birthday,”she kept saying. WhenIsaid no, she answered, “That won’t do.” It is not the celebrating that bothers me. It is the relentless, battering-ram tone. “When are you coming down?” “Are you sure?” “We have to celebrate.” Over and over,until Ifeel like Iambeing pushed through ahedge backward. If Isay anything, she tells me I am too sensitive, then treats me like Iamfragile. Iamnot fragile. Iamtired of being verbally worn down. Ilove my sister,but we are bothover 60 years old, and I cannot handle this anymore. If Ihear “When are you coming

down?” one moretime, Imay answer,“Never.”

How do Iget her to stop steamrolling me, or at least learn not to let it get under my skin? —Harassed by Reputation Dear Harassed: Your sister may think she is being loving, but love repeated at full volumecan start to sound like aleaf blower Stopexplaining. Explanations give determinedpeople something to argue with. Tryone calmsentence:“Iloveyou,but Iamnot discussing plans this month.” If she keepspushing, say, “I’m going to hang up now, andwe’ll talk anothertime.” Thendoit. Youdonot have to becomedesensitized to being steamrolled. Youhave to becomeconsistent. Boundaries are not speeches; they are actions. Wait until after your surgery and fornow focus on protecting your peace.

Sendyour questions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators. com.

And there was the phone. Their father had arule: no matter who sat acrossthe desk —agovernor, achief executive, anyone —ifone of his daughters or grandchildren called, he answered.

“Excuse me aminute. This is my daughter,”hewould say He spent afew seconds to be sure everyone wasall right, and then he would call back.

Thepurplepopsicle

Richard Lipsey’sapproach to fatherhood is linkedtohis own father.Growing up, his family would go downtown for dinner at the Piccadilly —all four of themfed forunder $2 He remembers that every time astruggling family walked in, his father would ﬁnd awaiter andslip them acouple of bills, with instructions to feed that family

Richard Lipsey’smother,Anna Lipsey, helped found Mary BirdPerkins Cancer Center,aplace thefamily still treats as sacred ground. Wendy Lipsey spent her young adulthood volunteeringonits chemotherapyﬂoor,making beds and holding the bucket for patients too sicktolift their own heads.

Then came thepurple popsicle.

After Wendy Lipsey had aliver transplantin2009and akidneytransplant in 2015, the one thing she could keep down was agrape popsicle. Herson Luke recognized the power of the popsicle and wondered, “Ifapurple popsicle could do that much for his mother,what might it do forsomeone else?”

He used his allowance to buy popsicles forothers for years.In2016, he started handed them out each month at Our

PROVIDED PHOTO

Richard Lipseydescribes this photo as: ‘Returning JFK’sbodytothe EastRoom of the White House at 4:30 a.m. after the autopsy.First ladyJackie is in the pink suit she had worn all that dayand night. Richard Lipseyisbythe door next to family and staff members.

Lady of the Lake Children’sHospital, trademarking the name “Luke’sPopsicle Pals.”

“It’sagenerational thing,” Wendy Lipsey said.

Andshe has written her own chapter of it.The twotransplants that nearly tookher turnedher intoacertiﬁed organ-donation speaker,carrying her story across Louisiana,and the founderofan annual gala, Fais Do Donate.

After thisspring’sevent, herfather toldher what he tells her everytime: “You are literally saving lives.”

Carrying thename

Richard Lipsey’s grandchildren grewup inside the gravity of the name.

Anna Aronson, his oldest grandchild, did not love it at first. She rememberswalking into almost any Baton Rouge restaurant andsomeone there knowing exactly whose granddaughter she was.

“I love being Richard Lipsey’sgranddaughter,” she said. “But being my own person in New York is also very special to me.”

Shehas learned,too, thatthe man who wears a sport coat toa New York pizza joint is the same

Richard Lipseytook thisphoto in 1963. He describes it as: ‘The last known picture of JFK on the White House lawn with foreign dignitaryMarshall Tito, president of the Socialist Federal Republic of yugoslavia.’ Other people in the photograph include Tito’swife, JovankaBroz, an unnamed interpreter, SecretaryofState Dean Ruskand Eunice KennedyShriver, JFK’ssister

one whoﬂew to Vietnam last summer withher andher youngersister Marla Aronson. The summerbeforethat, he peeled offfrom thegroupinLondon to ﬁnd Indian food with her when no one else would go.

The mostlasting testimony to Richard Lipsey’slegacy mayhave comefrom the only grandson. Luke Lipsey’sparents divorced more than adecadeago.About four years ago, he decided he wanted to carry the Lipseynameforward —and he wenttohis grandfather ﬁrst.

“If you don’tsupport this idea, Iwill notdothis,out of respect foryou,” he told him

With his grandfather’sblessing, Luke went throughthe courts andbecame Luke Lipsey He said he wanted to go through with this while his grandfather wasalive. He borrows asentiment from another Baton Rouge figure the family holds close, LSU basketball coach Kim Mulkey,who likes to say:Give me my flowers while I’malive Richard Lipsey mostlikelyspent part of Father’sDay wherehis family can find him —atPhil’sOysterBar or in front of aballgame— being, to the peoplewho gettocall himDad and Pops, the most interesting maninthe world precisely because he has never acted like it.

Email Jan Risheratjan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Baton Rouge

PROVIDED PHOTOByHEATHER McCLELLAND

Stacia Haynie, deanofstudents for the LSU CollegeofHumanities and Social Sciences interviews Richard Lipsey, an LSUpolitical scientist, whoworked as an aide to President John F. Kennedywhen he wasassassinated, during their firesidechat style talkatTEDxLSU 2018.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Richard Lipseywith his granddaughter Anna Aronson and his wife, Susan Haspel Lipsey

PROVIDED PHOTO Lukeand Richard Lipseyhunt in Canada.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Question everything. Misinformation is likely if you aren'tdiligentaboutthefactsandfigures of anysituation thatcrops up. Taking a risk that can affect your status quo can putyou in avulnerable position.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your energy to work for you. Don't waste time on deadend projects, users andsituationsthat don't concern you or help youreach your objective. Pour your heartand soul into what's feasible.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Easy does it;don't trytobuy love or favors. Honesty is the best policy. Say what's on your mind, and pursue your goals without putting your health,wealthorreputationin jeopardy.

LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Choose to observe andestimate yournextmove. Think aboutthe possibilities,and follow the dotsuntilyougetaclearpictureofwhat's at stake. Refuse to let someone get away with empty promises.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) An open discussion will reveal where you standwith someoneand what youcan do to make thingsbetter.Put your energy into understanding and changing whatis causing disruptions.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Spend more time at home or with loved ones. Surrounding yourselfwith the rightpeople will help build confidence. Achange to how you earn your living will boostyour lifestyle.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Completion will helpdodge criticism. Oversee your

plans,dowhatyousayandlookforopportunities to match and mirrorthose you respect and love most. Put your energy whereitcounts.

AQUARIUS (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Don'tsettle for less. If change is whatyou want, make it happen. Put together aroutine that is focused on how you look and feel about yourself. Exercise.

PISCES(Feb. 20-March 20) Gather your thoughts.You may notrelishchange,but if an opportunity comes up that requires youtoberesourcefuland explore possibilities youhaven't considered in the past, pushforward with enthusiasm.

ARIES(March21-April 19) Useyour superpowersand diligence to win over those who show skepticism. Aprudent, disciplinedapproachtogettingwhatyouwant will payoff andchange howyou move forward professionally or financially.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Build your strengthcarefully.Whetherit's physical improvements,mentalgrowth or both youwant to harness, having aroutine and plan in place will help you avoid unnecessary setbacks.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Listen, elaborate andconsider whatyou can do without. Decluttering your life mentally and physically will help you put things in perspective and encourage you to clear apath that leads to asimpler lifestyle. The horoscope, an entertainment feature,isnot 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 Theobjectistoplace the numbers 1to9inthe empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty levelofthe sudoku increasesfrom monday to sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Duffy Daugherty,who was the head football coach at Michigan State Universityfrom1954 to 1972, said,“Three things can happen when you put aball in the air —and two of them are bad.” In this deal, Easthas three possible playsattrick one—and twoofthem are bad. Southisinthreeno-trump. West leads theheart eight and declarer coverswithdummy’s10.Whichheartshould Eastplay?

Eastmade atwo-heart weak jump overcall, promising arespectable sixcardsuitand5-10high-cardpoints.South respondedwitha negative double, indicatingfourspades.North cue-bid three hearts to show game-forcing values and to ask South if he had aheart stopper for no-trump purposes. South starts witheight top tricks: one heart(giventhelead),fourdiamondsand threeclubs. If clubs are 3-3, thecontract is safe,but if that suit is not breaking favorably, declarer will have to score a spade trick If Eastwins thefirst trick with his heart ace and returnsthe suit,South will makehis contract.Suppose instead East plays hisheart queen. South will get home if —admittedly abig if —hedoes nottakethe trick.

However, East should recall that when an opponent hasonly one stopper in the suit he is trying to establish, give that trick to the opponent as quickly as possible. East should signalenthusiastically with his nine. Declarer wins, tries the clubs, cashes his diamonds, and turns to spades. But West grabs thetrick, cashes his club jack and leads his second heart to defeat the contract ©2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

EachWuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOngOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

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

toDAY’sWoRD HuMIDoRs: HYU-mih-dors: Cases in which the air is maintained at aproper level of moisture.

Average mark14words

Time limit 25 minutes

Can you find 22 or more words in HUMIDORS?

YEstERDAY’sWoRD —BoonDocKs

sock soon

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letterword from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letterwords get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5thEdition.

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numberswithin the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (in any order)to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

WiShinG Well

HErEisa plEasanT liTTlE

Puzzle Answer

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe

JULY 7, 2026

June 25, 2026 @2:00P.M MicrosoftTeams Meeting MeetingID: 220 378 166 990 745 Passcode:GW9yi7wv Datesare subjectto changesvia an adden‐dumpostedbythe Bu‐reau of Purchasing on theCity’ssupplierportal. If this solicitation is fed‐erally funded,prospec‐tive bidder/respondent must payparticularat‐tentiontoall applicable laws andregulations of theFederal government andthe Stateof Louisiana. TheBureauofPurchas‐ingusescommodity codestonotifysuppliers of therelease of asourc‐ingevent andsubse‐quentmodiﬁcationsvia addendum. Note that you wouldreceive thosenoti‐ﬁcationsifyou selected thefollowing commodity code(s) before there‐leaseofthe sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 961-86

TheCityofNew Orleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-owned and women-ownedbusi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion Formoreinformation aboutthissourcing event, go to www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under “BIDS& CONTRACTS” Once on theSupplierPor‐tal, search “Open Events.”

forthe asneeded purchase andde‐livery of newcross ties andswitchties(the“Ma‐terials”), as setforth more fullyand in accor‐dancewiththe General Conditions andSpecifi‐cations(“Specifica‐tions”)and subjecttothe termsand conditions set forthinthe form agree‐ment attached hereto (“Agreement”)for an ini‐tial term of one(1) year with theNOPBhavingthe option to renewfor two (2)additional one-year periods. Official biddocuments canbedownloadedand must be submittedelec‐tronically throughCen‐tral Biddingatwww.cen tralbidding.com. The specificationsofthe Invi‐tation to Bid(ITB) may also be obtained from theSEBconnectApp, availableonboththe Appleand Googleplay platforms.

BIDSUBMISSION: NOPB will accept sealed bids forthisProject until 10:00 a.m. CDTonTuesday,July 21, 2026 (the “Bid Sub‐missionDeadline”). Any bidreceivedafter theBid Submission Deadline will notbeconsidered.

Biddersmustsubmit bids electronically for this Projectinthe follow‐ingway: •Submitan ELECTRONIC BID. Bids must be submitted electronically at www. centralbidding.com For anyquestions relating to theelectronicbidding process, please call Cen‐tral Biddingat225-8104814. Thebiddermustat‐tach acompleted and signed digitalcopyofthe BidForm, Proof of Au‐thorityand anyother documentsrequiredin theBidding Documents. TheNOPBshall notbere‐sponsibleifabiddercan‐notcompleteorsubmit an electronic bid. Bidders shallberesponsible for receivingconﬁrmation that thebid wassuc‐cessfullydelivered prior to theBid Submission Deadline BIDOPENING:Immedi‐atelyfollowing theBid Submission Deadline bids will be opened in ac‐cordance with thebid documents.

NOPB CONTACT:Respon‐dentsmustsubmitQues‐tionsinwriting to pro‐curement@railnola.com by Monday,July13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CST. As nec‐essary,addendatothis ITBwillbeissuedtoall respondentsreceiving this ITB. Questions, an‐swers, andall