Gov.Jeff Landry signed an executive order Thursday while flankedbyLouisiana utility company executives saying that data center projects must have their benefits to residents “evaluated andbalanced”against their useofelectricgeneration, waterand land
The “Ratepayer and Community Protection Framework for Large Load Investments” assigns the Louisiana EconomicDevelopmentOffice to ensure that future projects “adequately protect Louisiana’sresources,ratepayers, and communities,” according to the text of theorder.LED should come up withthe criteria for companies to protect ratepayers, contribute tolocal tax basesand more within the next 90 days,the order states.
“These resources are vital to the welfare of ourcitizensand to thefuture of our economy,and that is whyour approachdemands thoughtful andresponsible stewardship,” Landry said.
The order comes on the heels of questions around Entergy’splans to purchase a$1.8 billion power plantinTexas,which aconsultant for the state’sPublic Service Commission said is largely needed for Meta’s northLouisiana data
Pair of powerful tremorskillatleast 188, trap over 200
BYMEGAN JANETSKY, ANDRYRINCÓN and JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela— Venezuelanssearched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday and res-
cueteams raced to northern areas rocked by apair of powerfulearthquakes that officials say killed at least 188 people andleft more than 200 trapped. More werefeareddead from the7.2-and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that
Governor vetoes over $12million in local projects
Abouthalfofthe funding wasslatedfor N.O. area
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
Gov.Jeff Landry used his veto power to cut over $12 million in state funding forlocal governments andcommunity organizations in blue-leaning areas of the state, with roughly half the cuts affecting NewOrleans.
Thecuts, whichalsoimpactBaton Rouge,Shreveport, Monroe, Lake Charles andOpelousas, touch everything from programs for at-risk youth and economic development initiatives to local law enforcement and educational initiatives.
UL vice president salaries receive criticismfollowing budgetcuts
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
The University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved athirdvicepresident at the Lafayette campus earning at least $245,000 this year,drawing criticismfromfaculty whosay they have gone three years without acost-of-living raise. That’snot sitting well with some faculty,saidBethStauffer,presidentofthe UL chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Faculty have not received acost-ofliving raise in three years, she said,
struck Wednesdayevening —amongthe strongest in Venezuela in more thana century and felt throughout theregion. Some 1,500 people were injured, thousands were reported missing and buildings were evacuated as far away as Brazil’sAmazon
In cities across northern Venezuela, panicked residents poured into the streets and searched for the missing in the debris. Injured children, animals and civilians covered in dust and blood werepulled out of concrete rubble. Onemother sobbedand collapsed in grief as the bodiesofher 3- and10-year-old
childrenwerewrapped in blankets and carried away
Others screamed the names of missing loved ones. Some stood in silent shock.
The coastal region of La Guaira —north of the capital,Caracas —suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties, and it’s there that the country’s main airport was damaged and closed, complicating aid efforts. Retiredschoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendaño climbed through wreckage in La Guaira and past a dead body when he spotted awoman who was trapped and signaling with her hand forhelp.
BRIEFS FROM
Heat wave breaks
French and U.K. records
The heat wave bakingwestern Europebroke records in the U.K. and France.
The U.K. recorded its hottest June day on Wednesday,with daytimehighs hitting97degrees FinGosport in southern England, according to theMet Office. France’saverage daily temperature reached an all-time high of 86, eclipsing the record set on Tuesday,data from Météo-France show.The mercury surpassed 104 Fin some locations, including in Paris.
The intense heat wave is hittingEurope earlier than usual, underscoring how climate changeisreshaping summers on the world’sfastest-warming continent. As the extreme heat strains health services, transport networks andpower grids, meteorologists warn of above-normal temperaturesfor months to come.
French Prime Minister SébastienLecornuhas raised the country’shealth alerttoits highest level, while Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said hundreds of air conditioners are beingdelivered to schools in the French capital. The heat is also becoming acritical issue for nursing homes that lack air-conditioning,Zaynab Riet, executivedirector of the French Hospital Federation, told FranceInter radio stationonThursday.
The heat wave, drivenbya high-pressure heat dome and atmospheric shifts from adeveloping El Niño,has led to widespreadpublic health warnings.
The extreme temperatures have been deadly in France and in Spain, where monitoring by the Institute of Healthshow more than 200 additional deaths during the heat wave. Forecasters and health authorities have warned aboutthe mounting threat of heat exhaustion due to excessively warmand humid evenings.
“If you don’tget enoughsleep, then your body can’trecover and then it struggles again through the day to cope,” U.K. Met Office Meteorologist Alex Burkill said on avideo briefing. Kenzo Kies, a21-year-old French soccer player with a second-division club, diedafter being pulled from the Rhone River this week.
U.N. agency pauses evacuation of ships
Britishmilitary says vessel washit by a projectile offthe coastofOman
BY JON GAMBRELLand MATTHEWLEE Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates AUnitedNations agency paused theevacuation of shipsthrough the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday afterthe British military said avessel was hitbyaprojectile off the coastofOmanfollowing thepassage of several tankers that used aroute backed by theU.N.
The head of theInternational Maritime Organizationsaid theplan to move stranded ships out of the PersianGulf throughthe straitwill be on hold until theagency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region.
REPORTS CO IN T MI EAST NFLICT HE DDLE AST
At least 40 fatalities from drowninghavebeenrecordedin the past week as people seek relief in rivers and other bodies of water,despite authorities’ warningsabout unsupervisedswimming.Mostofthe drownings involved young people, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornusaid on Tuesday Man setcouncil member on fire; 40-year sentence DANVILLE, Va.— Aman who seta Virginia council member on fire last year in an alleged jealous rage was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday Shotsie Buck-Hayes pleaded guilty in April to one counteach of attempted first-degree murder andaggravated malicious wounding in the July 30, 2025, attack on Lee Vogler.Witnesses said Buck-Hayes walked into Vogler’s Danvilleofficewitha bucket of gasoline, doused him, chased him from the building and set him ablaze. Blair Vogler,the council member’swife, testified that Lee Vogler’sburns covered 60% of his body Commonwealth’sAttorney MichaelNewmansaidVogler and his family attended Thursday’shearing in Danville Circuit Court, where the visibly scarred councilman made an emotional statement about how the attack had altered his life. Newman said Buck-Hayes alsospoke,offering “what he claimed to be an apology,” but repeating that he was motivated by an alleged affair between Vogler and BuckHayes’wife.
It was unclear who launched theprojectile or the type of vessel that was targeted. The report of astrike came hours afterIranthreatened vessels to stopusing the route through the strait withoutTehran’spermission.
Thevessel thatwas attacked was not part of the evacuation effort, said Arsenio Dominguez, the U.N. agency’s secretary-general.
Following reports of theattack, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority —a new government agency established to control shippinginthe strait—wrote on X that transitoutside its own designated routes “will not be covered by the guarantee of safe passage.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center saidthe vessel sustained damage, but it reported no injuries or environmentaleffectsfromthe attack off thecoast of Oman
Alternativepassage wouldhelp
Theopening of an alternativepassage through the vital waterwaywould relievepressure on the world economyand remove Iran’smain sourceofleverage in ongoingpeace talks with theUnited States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on avisit to theGulf to reassure American allies, said Washington was committed to the new route and ensuring that ships are able to transit the strait
“If that stops, then we’re going to have aproblem,”Rubiosaid Thursday before thereport of thestrike on the ship.
The U.S.and Iran are still debating termsofaninterim peacedeal, including issues such as getting ships through the narrowmouthofthe Persian Gulf and addressingthe future of Iran’sstockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Under thememorandum of understanding signed last week, the U.S. and Iran have60daystoiron out the details. As talks areheld behindcloseddoors, U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders have seemed to negotiate in public,tradingthreatsand claiming concessionsthe other side denies.
Meanwhile, aflare-up of fighting in
Lebanon between Israel andIranianbacked Hezbollah militants threatened thewider truce. Lebanon saysfive people have been killed by Israeli strikes over thepasttwo days.Iran says thetentative deal to end the war would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon —acondition Israel has rejected.
Last week’s transitbelow prewar level Oiltankers, led by theStoicWarrior vessel,sailed alongthe United Arab Emiratesand thenOmanearly Thursday, passing by Oman’sMusandam Peninsula fairly close to the shore.The routewas laid outbyOman and the International Maritime Organization.
North of theroute is acorridor in the center of the strait where ships moved freely before thewar,transporting about afifthofall theworld’soil andnaturalgas
Iran said it mined thatpassage after theU.S. and Israel attacked it on Feb. 28. At least one mine has been sighted there.
Though some ships had been getting out of the strait, withU.S. military support,the U.N. agency’s effort wasthe latest to free trapped vessels. The shipping company Maersk said its container ship, theMaersk Baltimore, and another chartered vessel madeitout on Thursday
Last week, 125 vessels crossed the strait,upfrom33the week before,according to marinedata and analysis firm Lloyd’sList Intelligence.
AccordingtoS&P Global,Wednesday saw 78 transits, the most since the war began,but still belowthe daily prewar average of 130 or more.
Iran says newroute is ‘unacceptable’
The naval armofthe Revolutionary Guard issued awarning Thursday against usingthe new route. In astatement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency,naval officialssaidthe route was established without notice or coordination withIran, calling it “unacceptable and completely dangerous.”
“The only authorized route for passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the one declared by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Iranian force said. “Vessel traffic outside these routes is extremely dangerous and prohibited.” “Violatorswill be dealt with,” it added, without elaborating.
On Wednesday,the Guardthreatened one tanker over the radio, with asoldier warning, “You are in range of my missiles and maybe (I) fireonyou,” according to the private security firm Ambrey Rubio: U.S. will preventtolls Rubio met with foreign ministersfrom thesix-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to assure them that their interests would be protected in anyagreementwith Iran.
Those countries, including major energy producersreliant on the straitfor exports,came under attack by Iran after thestartofthe war
“There is no part in this deal that’sundertakenthatinany way underminesthe security,the stabilityorthe prosperity of any of our partners in the Gulf region,” Rubio said at the meeting in Bahrain.
Bahrain’sforeignminister,Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, said the agreement brought aglimmer of hope but stressed thatitwas “critically important thatIran adheres to its obligations.”
The Florida Everglades immigration detention center knownas“Alligator Alcatraz” has served its purpose, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday,closing the makeshiftfacilityheralded by the Trumpadministration and denounced as inhumane by civil rights groups.
DeSantis said the center, which opened in July 2025, was always meant to be only temporary until more permanentdetention centers couldbesecuredand federal officials now have that capacity
“Westeppedupbecause there was agap, but my hope is thatthey’ll be able to handle that,” the Republican governor saidatanews conference at the facility Officials announced a temporary closureofthe facility earlier in June and sent all of the detainees to other facilities,saying hurricane season madeit unsafe to keep them in the Everglades.
Immigration advocates said the center’stents were neversafe or humanefor holdingpeople.Detainees at thefacility have talked about their difficulty accessing lawyers and described poor physical conditions,including worms in the food, toilets that didn’t flush, floors flooded with fecal waste, and mosquitoes and other insects everywhere. They described large whitetents with rows of and rows of bunk beds surrounded by chain-link cages. The air conditioning couldshutoff abruptly in the sweltering Florida heat. Detainees could go days withoutshoweringorgetting prescription medicine. Advocates for immigrants said the closure of “Alligator Alcatraz” does nothing to stop the harm to people who spend months in custodyastheir families suffer.The Florida ImmigrantCoalitionsaidthe only winners were corporations and contractors who profited millions of dollars
as Republicans pushedan immigration emergency that does not exist.
The detention center of tents andtrailers was built by DeSantis’ administrationina matter of days. The governor and President Donald Trump said the center was critical to Republican efforts to return people in the country illegally back to their home countries.
“There is no questionthis mission has madethe state of Florida safer,” said DeSantis, noting that 21,000 people were deported through the facility Even with the closure of the facility,Florida continuestoplaya keyrolewith otherdetention centers and an increased role in helping with immigration enforcement, WhiteHouse border czar TomHoman said at Thursday’snews conference.
“Gov. DeSantis did a good job,and he’sgoing to continue doing what he’s doing to help us make this country safe again,” Homan said.
Lawyersfor theimmigrants at the facility said their clients startedleaving forother facilitiesin South Florida,California, Arizona, Louisiana and Texasearlierthis month, disappearing for about a weekbefore their attorneys andfamilieswere told where they were sent.
DeSantis said the Everglades airstrip thefacility wasbuilt aroundwill continue to be used.
Environmentalgroups sued over the detention center,saying Florida officials never got the proper permits or did required reviewsonits impact.
The state andfederal governments built the site with no oversight and closed it with no input, but theywill still be held responsible even with the site is closed,saidPaul J. Schwiep, an attorney for Friends of the Everglades and the Center forBiological Diversity
“Wewill ask the courts to ensure that the environmental damage is fully addressed,” Schwiep said.
Judgerules againstefforttocreatemajority-Blackdistricts in Miss.county GET IN TOUCH
BY SIMEON GATES Mississippi Today
Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COM or 337-234-0800
Thefederal lawsuit, filed in Septemberof2024, allegedthatthe 2022 DeSoto County electoral map diluted Black voting power in county office elections. The plaintiffs sought anew redistricting plan and special electionsfor posi-
U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled Wednesday that the plaintiffs in Harris v. DeSoto Countydid not provide enough evidence that DeSoto County district maps were drawn to intentionally dilute Black voting power. In ruling for DeSoto County,Davidson wrote, “plaintiffscannot provetheir claims for vote dilution pursuant to Section2ofthe Voting Rights Act, and judgment must be awarded to defendants.”
tionsonthe boards of supervisors and education and for the election commission, plus the offices of constable and justice court judge. DeSoto County,located just south of Memphis, hasbeen oneofthe state’s fastest growingcounties for years The Black population of DeSotonow representsmore than 30% of the total population of 190,000.
The Acadiana Advocate: 203 W. Third Street, Lafayette, LA 70501
REUTERS PHOTO By ERICLEE
U.S. SecretaryofState Marco Rubio, left, and Bahrain’sKing Hamad binIsa Al Khalifa shakehands after their meeting ThursdayatAl-Sakhir Palace near Zallaq, Bahrain.
TPS for Haitians, Syrians can be ended
Legal protections were given to migrants fleeing violence, disaster
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria, exposing hundreds of thousands more people to potential deportation.
The 6-3 decision overturns lower court orders and allows the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly end temporary protected status, a program that protects a total of 1.3 million people from 17 countries.
It marked another victory at the high court for Republican President Donald Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigration.
The court’s conservative majority found that immigration authorities have sole authority over the program,
and the law doesn’t allow judges to intervene.
The majority opinion from Justice Samuel Alito also brushed aside arguments that derogatory comments from Trump about Haitians showed the decision was unlawfully tinged by prejudice. He called the statements “insufficient to show that the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation was based on the race of the Haitian people.”
Justice Elena Kagan forcefully disagreed, calling Trump’s comments “so repellent and racially inflected that the majority declines to put them in print.” She pointed out that Trump had said Haitians in the U.S. “probably have AIDS,” and he also amplified false rumors during the 2024 campaign that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating dogs and cats.
Lawyers said Haitian immigrants would be in serious danger if they are sent back.
“Simply put, the Supreme Court’s ruling will directly result in thousands of innocent people dying violent, needless deaths,” Geoff Pipoly and Andy Tauber said.
the end of the program for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. The high court sided with the administration before and allowed the end of the program for people from Venezuela.
Federal authorities deny that prejudice played a role, and argued that TPS was supposed to be temporary
Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, Homeland Security has moved to end the protections, including some that had been in place for more than a decade, for people from 13 countries.
and contributed to this country for years — only to be cast out based on anti-Black immigration sentiment.”
The United States first granted protections to Haitians in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake and extended them multiple times amid ongoing gang violence that has displaced more than a million people, according to court documents.
Syrians were first granted protected status in 2012, during a civil war that lasted for more than a decade before the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government in late 2024.
They urged the Senate to approve an extension of deportation protections for Haitians that passed the House on a bipartisan vote in April.
“Families are here, kids are going to school, parents are going into work, folks are trying to commute, and it’s like the Supreme Court just put all those activities on stop and put folks in limbo,” said Viles Dorsainvil, who runs a support center for Haitians
in Springfield, Ohio.
Haitians covered by the program known as TPS are also a key part of the workforce in long-term care facilities. “This would be a dreadful loss for all seniors in our community,” said Rita Siebenaler, a resident at Goodwin Living, a senior living community in Virginia.
The Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court after judges postponed
The terminations were made through an improperly fast process, even though countries such as Haiti and Syria remain dangerous, immigration lawyers said Four Haitian women who were deported from the United States in February were later found beheaded and dumped in a river several months later, lawyers said in court documents.
Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP called the ruling “a devastating betrayal of Haitian families who have lived, worked,
“Today, many of our community members, they feel lost,” Farrah AlKhorfan of Immigrants Act Now said about Syrian immigrants losing TPS protections. The program was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters, civil strife and other instability It allows people already in the country to stay with work permits in increments of up to 18 months, but it does not provide a path to citizenship.
Trump can revive restrictive policy for asylum seekers
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for the Trump administration to potentially revive an immigration policy once used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border
The justices, in a 6-3 decision, overturned a lower court order blocking the practice that limited the number of people who could apply for asylum each day first under the Obama administration and then expanded during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Advocates said the tactic created a humanitarian crisis as thousands of people settled in unsafe makeshift
shelters to await their turn.
The Trump administration said it was necessary to deal with an increase of asylum seekers at the border
The policy is not in place now, though authorities have imposed other restrictions on asylum seekers The Department of Homeland Security did not say if it plans to revive it, but applauded the ruling. “This decision opens up an important tool to continue securing our southern border,” said James Percival the agency’s general counsel.
The administration argued that metering is a critical tool that’s been used by presidents of both parties and should stay available.
Federal attorneys say people turned away at the bor-
der could come back later, though lines were thousands of people long when the policy was in place before.
The case is one of several immigration suits the court is considering this term, including Trump’s push to restrict birthright citizenship. The high court also allowed his administration to end deportation for migrants fleeing instability and armed conflict on Thursday Under federal law, migrants who arrive in the U.S. must be able to apply for asylum and be screened for fear of persecution in their home countries.
The Justice Department argued that people stopped by authorities haven’t arrived in the country, so immigration agents don’t have
Hawaii law requiring permission to carry guns in stores, hotels overturned
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law requiring people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels on Thursday, in its latest opinion backing Second Amendment rights.
The high court’s 6-3 decision means people can carry guns onto privately owned property like shopping malls and gas stations, unless the owners specifically say guns are banned at their establishments. It comes shortly after the court found that marijuana users can’t be completely banned from owning firearms.
It’s a win for President Donald Trump’s Republican administration, which argued the law violates the Second Amendment The measure was sometimes referred to as a “vampire rule” because it required people with guns to get permission to enter, and according to vampire lore, bloodsuckers need an invitation to enter a home.
Hawaii argued that the 2023 measure ensured private owners could decide whether they wanted firearms on their property The state passed the law as thousands more people got legal permission to carry guns in the wake of a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that found the Second Amendment gives
most people the right to have guns in public.
Hawaii also restricts guns in places like parks, beaches and restaurants that serve alcohol, but those rules weren’t before the court.
The suit before the Supreme Court was filed by a gun rights group the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, and three people from Maui. A judge originally blocked the measure, but an appeals court allowed it to be enforced Trump’s Republican administration backed the Supreme Court appeal.
The gun-control group Everytown Law pointed out that business owners can still post signs forbidding firearms on their properties.
to let them apply
The court’s conservative majority agreed. “A guest does not arrive in a house when he knocks on the front door,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote.
But attorneys for people seeking asylum say the law has long meant anyone arriving at a port of entry should be screened, and blocking arrivals disregards the nation’s ideals.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented from the bench, saying that the majority’s opinion “regrettably and tragically extinguishes the
light of the torch of the Statue of Liberty.”
The decision could also give people a “perverse incentive” to enter the country illegally if they can’t count on being able to legally apply for asylum at a port of entry, she said, a concern that Alito’s opinion said was overblown.
In an unusual exchange, Alito voiced a response after she finished speaking. He expressed surprise that she had read her dissent out loud and defended his opinion by pointing out that the policy had been used during
two presidential administrations “I won’t add anything more to that,” Alito said. Metering was first used under President Barack Obama when large numbers of Haitians appeared at the main crossing to San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico. It was expanded to all border crossings from Mexico during Trump’s first term in the White House. It ended in 2020 when the government introduced greater restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, and President Joe Biden formally rescinded it in 2021.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy
Linda Joseph holds a candle during a vigil at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary immigration status, or TPS, for Haitians, Feb 3 in North Miami.
andMeta have disputed that it’s needed for the data center Landry last week expressed concerns about the plant in asocial media post responding to coveragefrom The Times-Picayune| The Advocate. He said Entergy promised him Meta would not pass along coststocustomers.
“The PSC should not allow anyone to take advantage of power markets at the expense of ourratepayers,” he said last week.
On Thursday, though, Landry passed off taking aposition on the plant to the Public Service Commission,which he dinged as “somewhat dormant” forthe past 50 years. Landry also repeatedly defended data centers, which his administration has said asidemillions in incentives for,saying they are vital for Louisiana’sfuture
“I don’tget avote,” he said. “That’sadecision for the Public Service (Commission), and that’s something for them and Entergy to work out.”
The Public Service Commission’sfive-member elected body hasthe ultimate authorityover whether to approve the purchase.
The consultant, LaneSisung, who regularly analyzesutilities’ proposals for the commission, raised other concerns about the plant as well. The plant’sprivate equity owners boughtita few years ago for far less than what Entergy plans to payfor it. It’salso 22 years old and has had reliability issues that would require Entergy to spend hundreds of millions more on improving it, according to the report.
Entergy President and CEO PhillipMay attended the news conference Thursday but did not speak at it. In astatement Entergy released afterward, May defendedthe Cottonwood plant.
“The Cottonwood generating facility is neededtosupport broader customer growth across Louisiana and deactivation of legacy units thathave been serving all customers foroverfive decades, andithas been part of Entergy Louisiana’s supply plan beforeMeta was apotentialcustomer,” the statement
VETO
Continued from page1A
The governor alsopared back the state’scapital outlay budget by millions more, though that money, allocated through HouseBill 2, usually comes through state bonds and is often not guaranteed. New Orleans was also hard hit by those vetoes Landry’sdecisions,which were publicly releasedon Wednesday,have drawn the ire of city officials and legislators from the area, someof whom have accused Landry of acting out of political retribution The vetoes, which mostly target Democratic districts, mark ashift from how Landry wielded his veto pen last year,when he primarily killed spending on projects soughtbyRepublicanlegislators who voted againsta bill he championed that gave the insurance commissioner more power to reject rate changes.
Landry defended this year’svetoes, saying most of the money wasslatedfor nongovernmental organizations. Landry and other state officials have long questioned whether it is wise to give taxpayer dollars to NGOs.
“For two years Itold members of the Legislature we were going to take aharder look at NGO funding in our budget bills,” he said.
“That’sexactly what we did this year.”
But in ayear where the governor successfully pushed legislation to reduce the number of Orleans Parish judges, eliminate an Orleans clerkofcourt positionand redistribute some funding for the District Attorney’s Office to otherparishes,the cuts have beentough to swallow,local leaders said.
“At atime when New Orleans is building real momentum and confidence in our future, it’s deeply disappointing to see so many investments in our city singled out for elimination,” New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said in astatement.
State Sen. Royce Duplessis, aDemocrat from New Orleans and frequent voice of dissent in the Legislature, called the cuts “continued political retribution.”
AMeta spokespersonsaid the company’s agreement with Entergywas built to guarantee Meta pays costs for powerand newinfrastructure, not Louisianans. Entergyreleased astatementdefending the purchase of agasfired powerplant in Texasthat arecent report states would require hundredsofmillions of dollars to improve.
from May said.
“Despite reports to the contrary, through itscontractterm, Metais fully supporting andfunding the construction of 7.5gigawatts of new, highly efficient natural gas generation, along with additional solarand battery resources and purchase capacity,” he added.
AMetaspokesperson, Francis Brennan, last week describedthe consultant’sreport as “inaccurate speculation” ina statement. He pushed back againstclaimsthat ratepayers picking up thetab for theCottonwood plantwouldviolate aWhite House pledge from thespring, in which tech companies agreed to pay for their own data center power needs.
“Meta pays its own way, both for the power and new infrastructure we use,” Brennan said. “Our agreement with Entergy is built to guarantee we pay those costs, not Louisianans.”
Texasplant drawsconcerns
LandryonThursdaytouted how many data centers and other companies are trying to do business in the state.
“We’re finally like the prettiest
“These were notpolitical projects.Theywere investmentsinchildren,healthcare, housing stability, workforce developmentand public well-being,”hesaid.
The line-item vetoesadjustingthe budget applyto House Bill 1, which dictates the operating budgetfor the fiscalyear that startsJuly 1, andtoHouse Bill 312, which adjusts spending in the current year’sbudget.
School fundingup
Some legislators also speculated that the vetoes punished thosewho didnot vote in favor of the governor’splan to payfor teacher stipends by taking about $168 million from the state’s main education fund, meaning some school districts will have to cut other areas.
Landry disputed that notion, sayinghis office finished the vetoes beforethe teacher pay votewas finalized and submitted themthe same morning thevote was released
Landrysigned thebudget bills with hisvetoes on June 18, accordingtothe Legislature’swebsite. But the vetoes werenot announced until Wednesday,the day theresult of theteacher pay votewas publicized
State Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans, said she did not learn of the vetoes until after that vote. Shefelt projects in herdistrictwerevetoedbecause she disagreed with Landry’sallocation funding plan.
Boyd represents Algiers, which had over $1 5million worth of allocationsvetoed.
“I am completely horrified,” said Boyd. “Weare serving under agovernor that, if youdon’tagree with him, you will be penalized.” Boyddid not cast aballot in theteacher payplanvote.
She saidshe did not thinkshe should vote because that plan is held up by acourt order —but if she had, shewould have votedno, sheadded. Landry also vetoed House Bill 950, aconsumer protectionbill forseniors that Boyd sponsored. In hisveto message, Landrysaidthe bill set up anew program withoutfunding it Meanwhile, JS Clark Leadership Academy,acharter school in the district of Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelou-
girlatthe dance,” Landry said “Everybody wants to dance with us, but guess what? Beforethey can even ask us out, they’vegot to go lookatthis executive order, andthey’ve gottomeetthosedemands.”
Landry saidLouisiana hadalready designedits partnership withMetainaway to ensure that customerswould be protected before techcompaniessigned Trump’spledge.
“The agreement that we had is basically what we put in the executive order,” he said when asked to share the state’sprevious agreements with Metaand Entergy Concerns about theplant in southeastTexas have come from bothstate Republicans and Democrats, alongwith the Alliance for Affordable Energy,aconsumer advocacy group.
PSC member Davante Lewis,a Democrat who represents New Orleansand parts of Baton Rouge, held his own news conference after Landry’sonThursday afternoon. He said that, while he agrees with Landry’scontention that data centersshould bear theirown costs, Landry’s actionshavedif-
sas, lost a$500,000 allocation. Miller voted against Landry’steacher pay plan because, he said, St.Landry Parishschools could not afford to makecuts.
Miller said he did not request the $500,000 allocation but was in discussions about it. Still, he was matter-offact about theveto, and he saidhewas unsure whether it was meanttotarget him.
“That’s just politics,”Miller said. “It is what it is.”
State Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro,who chairs the House Appro-
fered from his speech.
Lewiscriticizeda recentPSC rulechange backed by Landry to fast-track the building of data centers, which also said large-scale customersare only requiredtopay halfthe cost of newpowerplants. Lewissaidhewillpushtorescind therule.
And Lewis noted that while Landry spoke of transparency and accountability,he’salso signed nondisclosure agreements related to Meta’sdata center
“Whenhesays we are committed to making sure these energyintensive organizations are paying their own costs, that’ssimply not true,”Lewis said.
Landry stood by his use of NDAs during the news conference, rebuffing questionsabout whenthe details of Meta’sincentives with thestate will fully become public by saying the projectisnot yet complete. Landry’sadministration has aggressively used nondisclosure agreements, including with Meta, Hyundai and LIVGolf.
“Weare winning because we get to negotiate with those companies, and those companies don’thave to spill their plans out to the pub-
priations Committeeand sponsored key budget bills, said he did not know how thegovernor chose what to veto—but he noted his own funding requests were vetoed multiple times my former Gov.John Bel Edwards, aDemocrat. “I knowhow theyfeel. I felt thered ink of John Bel’s pen, and usually it was over politicaldifferences,”said McFarland. “Historically, that’swhat governors do.”
Wherethe cuts were Someofthe largest alloca-
lic,” Landry said. “Weare being as transparentaspossible while making sure that we don’tmove opportunity to other states.”
Republican PSC member JeanPaulCoussan saidThursday that theexecutive order reflects the sameprinciples that the commission stands for.
“Wewill continue to scrutinize any proposal that comes before us withLouisiana families at theforefront, demanding transparency, accountability,and fair treatment for every customer on the grid,” said Coussan, whorepresentsLafayette andparts of BatonRouge “Economic development and ratepayerprotection arenot competing goals.”
‘Makethose protectionsbinding’
The Alliance for Affordable Energy applauded Landry’sexecutive order on Thursday,saying they agree regular customers should not bear the costs of data centers. Alaina DiLaura, the group’spolicy coordinator forthe PSC, saidthatbeyond theexecutive order,the commission can do moretoprotect consumers.
“Itisthe commission’sresponsibility at this point to take action to make thoseprotections binding,” she said.
PSCmember Eric Skrmetta, a Metairie Republican whohas supported data center projects, said last week that he does not plan to approve the Cottonwood plant’s purchase unless Meta pays for it.Hedescribed thesale price as “taking advantage of the moment.”
Mike Francis,anotherRepublican commission member whorepresentsCrowley,saidinaninterview this week that he generally trusts Sisung, the consultant.
“If that’shis opinion, I’m going to be inclined to go with it,” Francis said. “But Ihaven’tseen all the details yet.”
StateSen.Bob Hensgens, aRepublican who chairs theSenate Committee on Natural Resources, recently warned Francis in aletter about data centers’ potential impact on customers’electricbills. Hensgens, who represents Abbeville, asked the commission to consider “stronger safeguards” to protect residential and small commercial ratepayers from bearing power costs fordata centers.
tions cut by the governor in NewOrleans include $1 million for Behrman Stadium in Algiers, $2 million forthe EllisMarsalis Center,$1million for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and nearly half amillion dollars forthe Algiers Economic DevelopmentDistrict.
About $2.5 million worth of BatonRouge projectsalso got axed, as did allocations to initiatives in nearby municipalitiessuchasBaker and Port Allen.
For example, theLouisiana Leadership Institute,
anonprofit which aims to build leadership skills in Baton Rouge area students and was slatedtoget $600,000, will not see that money The organizationwas foundedbyU.S.Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, who previously served as astate senator Landry also cut$500,000 for Keep Louisiana Clean, an organization that focuses on cleaning up dumped tires and is different from the better-known Keep Louisiana Beautiful, which also is aimed at cleaning up litter
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
and are being toldthere is no money for raises, while vice presidents are being appointed and given raises. Some assistant professors, by comparison, earn $54,000 ayear
UL officials werenot available for commenton this story Thursday afternoon. The vice presidential appointments follow months of cuts at UL, including several high-paying vice president positions eliminated in December as President RameshKolluru worked to close afinancial deficit he inherited from his predecessor In December,Kolluru announcedthe eliminationof three vice presidential positions: vice president for enrollment management, vice president of student affairs and vice president for university advancement. Twoothers, vice president for academic affairs and vice president for intercollegiate athletics, took temporary 15% pay cuts.
Kolluru said in an email in December that the cuts were part of an organizational restructuring to improve efficiency and streamline administrative functions to align with the university’s financial realities while furthering academicsand positioning itself for sustainable growth.
In May,Kolluru asked the Louisiana Legislature for a $15 million “strategic investment.” The Legislature budgeted $9 million from various funds. The university said the money would be “focused on university operations and student success priorities.”
Other cuts include the closing of two centers last week —the CecilJ Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning and the Marine Survival Training Center University officials said
closing the centerswas not related to the university’s deficit, but were part of an “organizationalrestructuring effort.”
At one point last year,the university faced a$50 million deficit that included a $25 million structural deficit and$25 million in prior fiscal year payables, according to its website.
Astructural deficit is an ongoingimbalance in which recurring expenses exceed recurring revenue.
The university’s202526 budget showed Kolluru earned $331,001 as vice president for research, innovation and economic development. He said he was onlytakinga$1raiseto serve as president.
On Thursday,the UL Boa rd of Supervisors ap p roved the appointme nt of Geo ffre y Stewart as interim vice president foradvancement andstrategyeffectiveJuly 1.Itcomeswith a$266,000 salary plus an endowed chair stipend.
Stewarthas been serving as interim vice president for strategic impact &economic development.
Kumer Das was appointed interim vice president for research, innovation and economic development in April. Das, who replaced Kolluru when Kolluru was named president,isbeing paid $245,000 ayear
InFebruary,Andy Benoit wasnamed vice president forstudentsuccess with a salaryof$260,000 ayear
2026 UL VP appointments n Feb. 26, Andy Benoit, vice president for student success, $260,000 n April 23, KumerDas, interim vice president for research, innovation and economic development, $245,000 n June 25,GeoffreyStewart, interim vice president for advancement and strategy, $266,000 plus endowed chair stipend
QUAKE
“May God rescue her as quickly as possible,” said Mendaño.“When we heard the scream, therewas nothing we could do.”
Offers of help poured in from around the world, including from the United States, which seized Venezuela’sthen-president Nicolás Maduro at the beginning of the year in asurprise militaryoperation.
Thenatural disaster is just thelatest challengefor acting President Delcy Rodríguez, theformer vice president who took office in January after Maduro’scapture. Venezuelahas been facing economicdisarrayfor more than adecade, and many people reject the legitimacy of thepolitical movement Rodriguez represents.
Rescue teamsheadcoastal region
Venezuelan authorities said they were divertingrescueteams from other parts of thecountry to La Guaira, which is no strangertonatural disasters; a1999 mudslide there, considered oneofthe country’sworst natural disasters,killed thousands.
Rodríguez appealed to businesses Thursday to make heavy construction equipmentavailablefor rescue operations, while aUnitedNationsspokespersonsaidsearch andrescueteams were just hours away
“Weare currentlycarrying out intensive rescue operationstosave lives,” saidRodríguez, who referred to La Guaira as a“disaster zone.”
Jorge Rodriguez, thepresidentof Venezuela’sNational Assembly and brother of theactingpresident, gave updated figuresfor thenumbers of dead, trapped and injured.
WhileVenezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strongearthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with amagnitude of 7.2, hit westofMoron on the Caribbean coast,about 105 miles westof Caracas. It hada depth of about14 miles. Just aminute later,USGSreported asecond 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with adepth of about6miles andanepicenter 10 miles southwest of Moron.
The one-two punch of thequakes, combined withthe shallow seismic movements, amplified the destruction,said Marcos Ferreira,ageophysicist and researcher at the Geological Survey of Brazil.
“It is as if Iamscreaming and then someonestarts screaming, too. That amplifies the vibration and adds to the potential hazard,” Ferreira said.
Venezuelaresidents reeling
During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings. Many were stunned Thursday morning as they saw buildings reduced to skeletons, furniture hanging out of windowsand helicopters circling overhead.
In La Guaira, CristianCarreño stared at his charred apartmentbuilding tilting precariously to one side.
“I lost everything,” he said. “There are people still inside, Iimagine, that couldn’tget out. It’s incredibly devastating.
DayanaDelgado, mother of three children, saidshe wasdesperate because her 8-year-old son wasmissing. Delgado asked where the heavy machinerywas thatgovernment officials had promised, pointing out that neighbors were the ones digging through therubble.
“I wanttoknowwhere my child is, if he’strapped or in ashelter,” she said.
Authorities warned people against returning to homes with structural damage. In downtown Caracas, hundreds spent the night huddled in parks, parking lotsand other open spaces.
“Wewere afraid the buildings would collapse on us,” said María Cristina Díaz, a41-year-old janitor.“My mother,mydaughter and Iwere cold. We didn’tsleep awink.”
Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone service, Rodríguez said. Subway servicesweresuspended and natural gas wasshut off, she said. Classes will also be canceled for several days,and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings wouldbe used as sheltersand donation centers.
Familiesbegan posting missing-personflyers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for those still unaccounted for.Venezuelans living abroad struggled to makecontact with relatives.
Shortly after U.N. officials in Venezuela calledonthe government to lift social media restrictions so people can get potentially life-saving information, Venezuelans in the country were able to access X. The site had been blocked by Maduro since August 2024, in an attempttosuppress the exchangeofinformationamong those who rejected his claimofvictory in the July presidential election.
Governmentsoffered assistance
Rodríguez declared astate of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She said the government was creating a$200 million reconstructionfund fordamaged hospitals and homes.
Leaders from Mexico, Qatar,Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Canada and more expressed solidarity with and vowed to send aid to Venezuela. Anumber of shipments werealready on the way Thursday.Aid included emergency and military personnel, canine and search teams, medical supplies, water purifiers, airplanes and drones.
U.S. Secretary of State MarcoRubio, who spoke to Rodríguez following the quake,saidthe UnitedStates was “immediately” deploying search andrescueteams,medical resources otherassistance, though he acknowledged the closure of Venezuela’s mainairport created logistical challenges.
“Wehave awhole-of-government response.It’llbebig; it’ll be fast; and it’ll be effective,” Rubio said.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByPEDROMATTEy
Neighbors carry aman rescued fromthe rubble of acollapsed building on Thursday,the dayafter earthquakes struckLaGuaira, Venezuela.
Ruling blocks Roundupsuits
SupremeCourt sideswithBayer, halting thousands of lawsuits
BY LINDSAYWHITEHURST and DAVIDA.LIEB Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court sided with the maker of Roundup weedkiller Thursday in aruling expected to block thousands of lawsuits allegingitfailed to warn people the product could cause cancer
The case came before the justices after atidal wave of litigationthat included some multibillion-dollar verdictsagainst Bayer, aGermany-based agrochemical manufacturer that acquired Roundup’soriginal producer, Monsanto, in 2018.
The decision is avictory for President Donald Trump’sadministration, which argued in supportof Bayer.But it provoked outrage from allies in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement who want to rein
in pesticide use.
The high court, in a7-2 ruling, held thatRoundupcannot be sued in state courtsfor failure to warn because federal regulators have found a cancer link unlikely and do notrequire awarning label.
Though focused on Roundup, the ruling couldaffect similarhealth claims against other pesticide products.
“Thisdecision is good for American farmers whohelp feed the world,“ BayerCEO Bill Anderson said. ”It provides the regulatory clarity necessaryfor innovators like us to develop the agricultural tools thatguarantee an affordablefood supply.”
Though Bayer said the ruling should resultinthe dismissal of failure-to-warn lawsuits,the companysaid it planstoproceed with a proposed $7.25 billionclassaction settlementintended to resolve many of theremaining claims
The rulingwas denounced by environmental groups and lawyersrepresenting people who believe they were harmed by Roundup.
“This Supreme Court ruling wrongly slams the court-
house door on Americans sickenedbypesticides,” said attorney ChristopherSeeger, whoisaclaimant’s representative in the settlement. But he said asettlement still wouldallowsomepeople to receive compensation.
Thecase before the Supreme Court was filed by Missouri resident JohnDurnell. He developeda cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after morethan 20 years of serving as the neighborhood association’s “spray guy,”using Roundup on parks in his historic St. Louis community.
Ajury agreed thatthe company failed to warn himabout possible cancer dangers and awarded him $1.25 million.
But Durnell never received themoney as his case was appealed.Durnell, 75, said Thursday thathis cancer is in remission, and he will be fine without the money But “thereare thousands of cases that arelikeminethat will not see court now,” Durnell said.“So that is the biggest disappointment for me.”
There is still fierce debate about whether Roundup’s keyingredient, glyphosate
causes cancer.The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the chemical as “probably carcinogenic” in 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that it’snot likely to causecancer in humanswhen used as directed.
Theagencyapproveda label without acancer warning, and Bayerarguedthat it was required to follow those federal standards. The Supreme Court agreed, ruling that separate warning requirements cannot be compelled by state laws andcourts. The ruling still leaves room for other lawsuits alleging problems withthe product’sdesign, andDurnell said he is considering bringing anew case on different grounds.
Bayer disputes the cancer claims but previously set aside $16 billion to settle cases,and earlier this year proposed a$7.25 billion class-action settlement.A federal judge recently ruled that the proposedsettlement will be heard in aMissouri state court, where manyof thelawsuits have been filed
Inflation gaugehits3-yearhigh
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer
WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rosetoanew three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, asign rising costscould pose political problems for President Donald Trump and his political party as midterm elections near Consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from ayear earlier,the Commerce Department said Thursday,the largest annual increase since April2023. On a monthly basis, inflation was 0.4%last month, matchingApril’sincrease and down from 0.7% in March. The increase was largely driven by more expensive gas, as well as pricier semiconductors and othercomputer equipment that areinhighdemand for the AI buildout. Rising prices have caused the inflation-fightersatthe Federal Reserve to keep their key rate unchanged this year,areversal from January when they had penciled in two cuts. Some economists forecast the central bankcould lift ratesthis year instead.
“Underlying inflation is closer to 3% rather than 2%,” said Mark Vitner chief economist at Piedmont Crescent Capital. “It does suggesttomethatthe next Fed move,wheneveritcomes,is more likely to be ahike than acut.” The Fed probably won’traise rates until next year,headded.
Oiland gasprices have fallen substantially since Trump agreedtoa peace deal with Iran earlierthis month, but the conflict lifted gas prices to nearly $4.50 agallon on average nationwide in May.They havesincefallen back to $3.92 as of Thursday,according to AAA, but that’smore than 20%above prices at this time last year as the driving sea-
songetsunderway Declining gas prices will likely pull down headline inflation next month, yet measures of underlying inflation remain stubbornly elevated and will be aconcern for the Fed. Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, core pricesrose3.4% in May compared with ayear earlier,upfrom3.3% in Apriland the largest increase since October2023.Ona monthly basis, they rose 0.3% from April to May,the same as theprevious month. Adjusted for inflation, spending rose 0.3% from April to May. And inflation-adjusted incomes rose for the first time in four months, picking up 0.3%, which could bolster consumer spending in coming months.
New Fed chair Kevin Warsh lastweek underscoredthe central bank’s determination to drive inflation back to its 2% target, but he gave no sign of what steps the Fed might take. Some economists,however,now expect the central bank to increase rates this year.Those expectationsupendedU.S.markets this week, hammering fast-growing sectors like tech.
Inflation has been above theFed’s2% targetfor morethan five years, leaving many Americans moregloomyabout the future. Vitnerpointsout thatinflationhadn’ttopped 2.5% for nearly adecadebefore thepandemic, likely making the inflation spikes since theneven harder to accept for most households.
Apple upsprices for Macs and iPads
Apple on Thursday announced an increase in prices forMacsand iPads, citing amemory chip shortage brought on by the artificial intelligence boom. The Cupertino, Californiabasedcompanycalled the demand spike an “unprecedented challenge” for the consumer electronics industry
“The rapid expansion of AI datacenters hascreated an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seena component price increase this much, this quickly,” the company saidinawritten statement.
The new,entry-level MacBook Neo will now cost $699, up from$599. The 512gigabyte MacBook Air now costs $1,299, up from $1,099. The
one terabyte MacBook Pro is $1,999, up from$1,699. The 128 gigabyte iPad Air is now $749, up from $599, while the 256gigabyte iPad Pro Wifi is now $1,199, up from$999 Analysts expect iPhone prices to rise laterthis year Wall Street drifts to amixed finish
NEW YORK The U.S. stock marketmeanderedtoa mixed finish Thursday after several artificial-intelligence stocks veered back up their roller-coasterride,whileApple dropped after hiking prices on many of its products. The S&P 500 finished nearly unchanged with adip of less than 0.1% after swinging between gains and losses throughout the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 71 points, or 0.1%, and
theNasdaqcomposite fell 0.5%. Micron Technology helped lead the market after jumping15.7%. The maker of computer memory reported much bigger profit and revenuefor the latest quarter thananalysts expected, and it gave astronger growthforecastfor the current quarter than Wall Street expected. Thathelpedallayworries a bit that itsstock hadgrown tooexpensive after coming into theday with asurge of 267% so far this year
Economyexpanded at 2.1% pace
WASHINGTON The U.S. economy expanded at asolid and unexpected 2.1% annual pace from January through March, the Commerce Department reportedThursday in its final estimateoffirst-
quarter growth. The growthingross domestic product—the nation’s output of goods and services —marked arebound from asluggish 0.5% in thelast three months of 2025 when a43-day federal government shutdownweighed on theeconomy.Thursday’s numberswere an upgrade from of Commerce’spreviousfirst-quarter estimate of 1.6% growth. Business investment surged, probably reflecting an investmentboom in artificial intelligence. But consumer spending, which accounts for around 70% of U.S.economic activity,fell sharply from fourth-quarter 2025and from Commerce’s previous estimate in asign that consumers may be cutting back in theface of higher gasoline prices caused by the war with Iran.
BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP business writers
NEW YORK U.S. gasoline prices decreased an averageof49cents agallonin the last month as expectationsrosefor an endtothe warwith Iran. But they’re not falling fast enough for President Donald Trump.
Trump, whowants to stave off the economic fallout of the war ahead of midterm elections, is now pointingatoil companies as the culprit. The president said on social media early Wednesdaythathe hadtaskedthe JusticeDepartment with investigating whether “customers are being ’gouged.’”
“The big Oil Companies arenot dropping theirprice at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices theyare paying for Oil,”Trump wrote. “Gasoline prices better start going down alot faster than what I’mseeing!”
Crude oilisthe main ingredient in gasoline, and its costmakes up the bulk of whatconsumers pay at the pump. But oil companiesdon’t setgasoline prices;gas station owners do. Those operators often have littlechoicebut to raisepumpprices when the cost of oil surges like it did during the Iran war
Even after crude prices come down, it can take weeksorlonger for market changes to reach refineries andeventuallyconsumers, experts said.
“It sounds abit like political theater to me,” Karen Young, asenior research scholaratColumbia University’sCenter on GlobalEnergy Policy, said when askedduring aCNBCinterviewabout Trump’sprice-gouging allegation. “That’snot really howgasoline prices work in the U.S.”
Multifaceted prices
Multiple factorsgointo what gasstationowners decide to charge.
In the U.S., oil prices represented about51% of the price of agallonofgasoline last year,per theEnergy Information Administration. When crude oil gets moreexpensive because there’sless on the market, gasoline prices generally follow
Before reaching an interim agreement with the Trump administration last week, Iran blockedships fromcrossing the Strait of Hormuz, awaterway off the country’scoast through whichone-fifth of the world’soil andnatural gas typically passes. In 2025, federal and state taxes contributed about 17% of thegasoline price, refining costs andprofits contributed 14% and distribution, andmarketing contributed17%,the EIA said. In some states, such as California, highertaxes andrefining costs push prices well above the national average. While expensive oil was the leading driver of higher gasoline prices in recent months, U.S. gasprices typicallytick up abit at this time of year.Warmer weather brings ashift to summer blend fuels, which is moreexpensive to refine than the versions sold in coldermonths. Demand also is greater as more people hit the road.
For the upcoming July Fourth holiday period, AAA forecast 61.4 million Amer-
icans traveling at least 50 miles away fromhome by car,slightly morethanthe 61.3 million whotook road trips last year
Pricelag
Somecomponents of fuel prices areoutside agas station’scontrol.
Refineries buy crude oil in advance, and deliveries of thatoil taketime.Refineries may be processing moreexpensive supplies weeks or months after market prices fall. After refining, gasolinetravels through pipelines, ships, trucks andfuelterminals before landing at filling stations, further prolonginghigher prices forconsumers.
“Weall felt how fast gasoline prices rose this spring,” Rob Smith, director of global fuelretail at data and analytics provider S&PGlobalEnergy.“The pace of their rise wasactually less than thepaceof the rise forcrude oil.” Smith calculated that the price for Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose about$1.75 per gallon between the start of the war and early April, and during that same time, the averagepriceofgasoline went up $1.10.
“It went up alot,” Smith said of gasoline. “But it still wasn’tasmuch as the crude price wentup.”
That’sbecause retailers resisted passing alongall of the fuel price increase to customers, absorbing some of the cost, he said. Whenoil prices started falling, those retailers could recoup someofthe money they lost, Smith added.
“Overthe course of a year,there’sacertain operating margin that the retailers need to keep thelights on,” he said.“Thevastmajority of gas stations are owned by small corporations. Afamily that owns a dozen stations, or even one or twostations, they have little room forerror.”
Prices arestill higher
Even with prices dropping, motorists in the U.S. are paying almost $1 more per gallon than they were before thewar,and gas is nearly 22% more expensive than it wasatthis time last year
Gas also isn’tthe only thing that’sgotten more expensive during the war Groceries, airline tickets and even goods like condoms andshoes now cost more due to supply chain disruptions. Even if afinal peace deal is reached and oil resumes flowing reliably from the Middle East, experts warnprices will likely remain elevated for sometime.
Before joining Israel to launch the warwith strikesonIranonFeb.28, Trump bragged about low gas prices. But after Iran effectively cutoff traffic from the Strait of Hormuz and energy prices skyrocketed, the presidentquickly pivoted.Atone point,he tried to paint steep energy prices as apositive forthe business of U.S. crude production —stating in March that, because the U.S. is the largest oilproducer in the world, “whenoil prices go up, we make alot of money.” Meanwhile,anonline tracker from Brown University’sWatsonSchoolof Internationaland Public Affairs estimates higher fuel prices forgas and dieselalone have costAmericans an average of
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV
Aperson looks at the fresh fish at agrocerystore on May11inNashville, Tenn. The FederalReserve’s preferred inflation gaugerose to athree-year highinMay as gaspricespeaked.
Park servicesayspoolliner wascut with knifeorrazor
BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
WASHINGTON Aliner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool wascut with asharpknife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a$16 million rehabilitation project,a top official at the National Park Service says. The U.S. Park Police responded June 9toacomplaint by the park service, said Frank Lands,deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in acourt document filed late Wednesday as part of alawsuit filed by anonprofit organizationto halt the Trump administration’swork on the project
Hisstatement does not say when exactly the damage occurred or whether it was a suspected case of vandalism and does not identify anyone who might have been involved. The police reportindicates damage to the pool, “includingacaulk over thefoam sealantthat was cut with asharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,” Lands said. About 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool, he said. The statements are the first time the Republican administration has offered specifics for when andhow the Reflecting Pool may have been damaged after work on the projectwas sub-
Aman
stantially completed.
‘Believedtobeisolated’
Aspokesperson for the Interior Departmentsaid Thursday that public notification about the damage was delayed because, “at the time ofthe June 9incident, the vandalism was under investigation andbelieved to be isolated. So as nottoencourage deranged individuals, we did not announcewhat we hopedtobe an isolated incident.”
Around the same time, park service staff “discovered another incidentwhere fencing around the pool hadbeen forciblyremoved and thrown into the pool,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Thedepartment soon noticed that “recurringcases andvideos of people ripping at thecoatingbegan to circulate. We then knew this
was not an isolated incident, but anew trend to attempt to damage the Reflecting Pool,” theemail said.
President DonaldTrump and other officials have repeatedly blamed,without citing evidence, unidentified vandals for peeling paint as well as a“350-foot gash” in the liner and other problems. Six people have been arrested, Trump said this week, without providing details
The Interior Department saidThursdaythere have been seven arrests, seven federalcitations and 18 police reports filed. The departmentdid not specify what the charges wereoridentify anyone cited by police.
Trumppledged to beautify the century-oldReflectingPool, draining its water and directing the bottom to be painted acolor he called “American flag blue.”But
Cassidyflips on war-powers vote
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON Senate Republicans who were berated by President Donald Trump over opposition to his warinIranhelda late-night vote Wednesday totry toappease him, rejecting awar powers resolution aday after asimilar measurepassed Trump harangued GOPsenators face to face earlier in the day for allowing avote to block his war in IranonTuesday,further escalating afeud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to ahalt. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy,one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure. Hours later,though, Cassidy was invited to receive apersonal briefing on the war at
the White House from Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff. Cassidy then returned to theCapitol to voteagainst aseparatebut nearly identicalwar powers resolution.
Themeasure failed 47-50-1 just before midnight on Wednesday,and theSenate then left town for atwo-week recess.
It’sunclear whether the move will be enough to appeaseTrump, whohad called theRepublicans “losers” for voting against hiswar and had called Cassidy a“lunatic” at thelunch after their tense exchange. But the vote wasaclear signal to thepresident from Republican senators who still want to placate him, despite increasing tensions in recent weeksand his decision Wednesday morning to reverse himself and delay signing ahousing bill that received overwhelming bipartisan support.
since thesitewas restored, its water has been plagued by an algae bloom andpieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off thebottom.
TrumpsaidWednesday that “sick people” had used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining. Refilled betweenJune4-9
The Associated Pressreviewed videos showing that the Reflecting Pool was refilled between June4 and June 9, meaning thealleged cut reported to law enforcement on June 9could have occurred before the basin was fully refilled. Dayslater, pieces of the new blue liner were observedpeeling up from thebottom.
The Park Police posted surveillance footage Wednesday evening and asked for help “identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a
Destruction of Government Property investigation.”
Thegrainy,30-second video appears to show aperson kneeling down, reaching intothe reflecting pool and removing something from the water.Police said it was taken on Friday afternoon.
In his statement to the court, Lands said the parks agency plans to begin draining the Reflecting Pool following Independence Day celebrations to conduct repairs, including assessing andrepairing anydamage to the lining.
The park service completed morethan twomonths of renovations at theReflecting Pool in earlyJune. The 2,000-foot-long basin was drained and atinted, plasticlike liner was installed to waterproofand protect the concrete pool surface, and the pool was refilled with water,Lands said.
The CulturalLandscape
Foundation, an education and advocacy group that suedinMay to halt work on the project, asked afederal judge to block further renovations.
Dems want investigations
CongressionalDemocrats have calledfor formalinvestigations into the pool renovations, saying no-bid contractsfor theproject were awarded to vendors with prior ties to Trump.
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley,the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations panel overseeing theInterior Department’sbudget,saidthe pool renovationappears to be awaste of taxpayers’ dollars.
“After railingabout waste, fraud and abuse, Donald Trumpspent morethan $16 million on arenovation of the Reflecting Pool that’s nowpeeling andchock-full of algae,” Merkley said Thursday
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
Gov.Jeff Landry has appointed two new members of the LSU Board of Supervisors, the latest fluctuation on aboard that has seen several changes in recent months.
Charles “Chad” MoodyofBaton Rouge replaces supervisor PatrickMorrow, while Jennifer Settoon of Gonzales replaces supervisorLaurie Lipsey Aronson,according to appointment letters signedbyLandry. Morrow and Aronson were appointed by former Gov.John Bel Edwards.
Moody is the founder and CEOofCrossroads Area Management, ahealthcare services companyinLafayette,according to his biography on the LSU Board of Supervisors website. He graduated from LSU and was asafety on the football team that won LSU anational championship in 2007. He served as second vice chair onthe Boardof
Supervisors for the Louisiana Community andTechnical College System
Settoon is an attorney basedinGonzales. Her biography was not yet available on the boardwebsite, andshe did not immediately respond to arequestfor details for this story
The appointments were made earlier this month without apublic announcement from Landry’soffice.
The new membersarrive to aboardthat hasshiftedsignificantly duringLandry’s tenure. Most recently, thegovernor elevated former Vice Chair Lee Mallett to board chair,and he appointedJohnCondos to the board after Lafayette-based personal injury attorney GlennArmentor resigned. The board selected veteran trial attorney John Carmouche as its vice chair in February.
The new supervisors will take their oath of office at Friday’sboard meeting, according to the public agenda.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By RAHMATGUL
holds an upside-downU.S flag Wednesday at the Reflecting Pool in Washington.
DA to investigateSchoolBoard vote
Complaintalleges groupviolatedits ownpolicy
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
District Attorney Don Landry
confirmed Wednesday that he will look into acomplaint that the Lafayette Parish SchoolBoard violated its own policy when it voted to close Comeaux High School. Former board member and state Rep. Rickey Hardy said he hand-
delivered acomplainttoLandry on Wednesdaymorning.
Hardy alleges the board violated apolicy that says amatter votedon by theboard “shall not be brought up forreconsiderationmorethan once during acalendar year except by atwo-thirds vote of the School Board.”
The board voted 5-2 on March 12 to close Comeaux High School. In
April, in the middle of alawsuit, the board voted to rescind the March 12 vote.The boardvoted again in June to close the school.
In the complaint, Hardy says the board,per its policy, needed a two-thirdsvote to put on the April agenda apossible vote to rescind theMarch vote. Butthe April votetorescind was only the first reconsideration, if it
can be defined as a reconsideration. If the April vote was afirst reconsideration,thenit appears that atwothirds vote wasnot needed to put it on the agenda.
The June vote, though, would be the second reconsideration and would have requireda two-thirds vote to place it on the agenda,according to board policy
Adherencetofireworks laws urgedinLafayette
Residentsinvited to Stars& Stripescelebration downtown
Staff report
The Lafayette FireDepartment is reminding residents that fireworks are illegal withinthe city limits of Lafayette ahead of the Fourth of July holiday Fireworks may be used only in unincorporated areas of LafayetteParish from June 25through July 5between 8a.m.and 10 p.m., with thedeadline extended to 1a.m. on July 5. Minors younger than 18 are prohibited frompossessing,handling or purchasing fireworks.
The department alsourged residents to buy only legal fireworks from reputableretailers, keep children away from fireworks, light them one at atime on ahard, flat surface and keep a bucket of waterorfire extinguisher nearby.Fireworks should never be used while impaired or aimed at people, pets, vehicles or buildings. Officials encourageresidents to attend the LafayetteStars& Stripescelebration presentedby LUS and LFT Fiber in downtown Lafayette on July 4instead of settingoff fireworksat home.
of fireworks on Thursday. The Lafayette Fire Departmentreminds residents that fireworks are illegal within city limits and only permitted in unincorporated Lafayette Parish from June 25 to July 5 between 8a.m.and 10 p.m.
Victim identified in fatalLafayette hit-and-run
CRIME BLOTTER Advocate staff reports
Hardy hand-delivered an amended complaint to Landry on Wednesday afternoon alleging that it was the June vote that was improper because theboarddid nothavea two-thirds vote to place it on the agenda.
Theboard voted 5-4inJuneto close the school. They would have needed sixvotes to placeitonthe agenda.
Contact ClaireTaylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.
UL alum to give back to school
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
In many ways, Donna Moore had acollege experience straight out of anovel —filled with self-discovery,new knowledgeand the joy of independence.
Moore, anative of New Orleans, graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana(nowUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette) in 1977.
“I didn’tgohomethat much,” she said, reflecting on student lifeinthe ’70s. “I felt so muchathomethere —it felt like Iwent from aneighborhood in NewOrleans to another neighborhood in Lafayette. The food was great, the campus was beautiful, thepeopleweresoniceand fabulous. It was agreat experience.”
Shemajored in psychologyand sociology and went on to careers in counseling and food sales, which fed her love of travel. Moore also came out at 39, and went on to participate in the international Gay Games in Amsterdam,Sydney and Chicago in 2006, where Moore was abronze medalist in tennis, and her partner won silver in bowling.
In gratitude to the university that established her foundation, Moore has established abequest that will support severaldisciplines, scholarships and student lifeareas —LGBTQ+studies and support, gender studies, the Department of Psychology and afund to assist students who are participating in organizations that promote diversity on campus.
Flood damage from Tropical Storm Arthur has prompted polling location changesin parts of Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes for Saturday’selection, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’sOffice.
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office has identified the victimina fatal hit-andrun that occurredonWednesday morning as 51-year-old Charles Kountz II. Deputies responded to the 900 block of Marteau Road shortly before 3a.m. Wednesday.Upon arrival, Kountz was found dead in the roadway, according to an announcement from the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies suspect he was struck and killed by an unknown vehicle traveling southbound. Anyone with information related to this incidentisasked to contact the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Officeat(337) 232-9211. This case remainsunder investigation. Nurse practitioner arrested on elderly crueltycount APortBarre manwho is alicensed nurse practitioner has been arrested on a count of cruelty to an elderly person after an investigation by theSt. Landry Parish Sheriff’sOffice. Craig M. Kidder,55, was booked on one count of cruelty to the elderly or persons with infirmities, according to Sheriff Bobby Guidroz.
derly woman. Capt.Lynnette Chavis of theSheriff’s Office Elderly Services Division investigated the complaint and obtained an arrestwarrant for Kidder,who authorities identified as afamily member and caregiver of the victim.
Theinvestigation began after amedicalprofessional at asenior care center reported possible abuse involving an el-
According to theLouisiana State Board of Nursing, Kidder has been licensed as a nurse practitioner since 2016. Hislicense was renewed in December 2025 and is set to expire in 2028. “This caseinvolved alleged abuse involving family andafamily member/ caregiver,” Guidroz said in astatement. “The prompt action on the part of the medical professional and athorough
In Avoyelles Parish, voters assigned to precincts 03/01, 03/01Aand 03/03 willnow vote at theMansura Fire Station insteadofthe Cochon de Lait Pavilion. Precincts 08/01 and 08/03A have been moved from the Plaucheville Community Center to Plaucheville Elementary School, while voters in Precinct 08/03 will cast ballots at 2Sisters’ Salsa Company insteadofDupontCatholicChurchHall. In St. Landry Parish, voters in precincts 00/01A, 00/01B, 00/01C, 00/02B, 00/02C and 00/05 will all vote at North CentralHigh School because their original polling locationsare unavailable.Precincts 00/24 and 00/25 will continue voting at Opelousas Junior High School as previously announced. Voters can confirm their polling locationand view asampleballotthroughthe GeauxVote mobile app or the state’svoter portal. Anyone with questions can call the Secretary of State’s Elections Hotline at (800) 883-2805.
Wynona Ancelet takes her selection
STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD KEMP
Wynona Ancelet and her son Emmett,7,shop for
Landry
OPINION
Redistrictingfightshighlight pitfalls of partisanship
Iserved two terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives as an Independent. Being amember of the“no party” party gave me aunique perspective on the legislative process. Ioften joked that there “ain’tnoparty likenoparty,” and the line usually got alaugh.But there was truth behind the humor.Free from party expectations, Iwas able to evaluate legislation based on its merits rather than whether it came from Republicans or Democrats.
That perspective is one reason Act 2ofthe 2026 Regular Session concerns me.
Much of the public debate has focused on who benefits from Louisiana’snew congressional map and whether the district lines are fair.Those are important questions. But Ibelieve they distract from a larger problem that has plagued our politics for years. The real problem is partisanship.
During my time in the Legislature, I attended caucusmeetings and worked alongside members of both political parties. What Iobserved was often frustrating.Too much energy was spent
maintaining party unity,counting votes and protecting political advantages.Too little energy was spent listening to opposingviewpoints, finding common ground andbuilding consensus. Redistricting hasbecome aperfectexampleofthatmindset. Rather than viewing congressional maps as away to ensure fair representation, both parties increasinglyviewthem as tools to maximize political power.Every line becomes abattle. Everydistrict becomes astrategy.Every election becomes afight over who cangainanadvantagebeforea single vote is cast. That approachmay help political parties win elections, but it does little to strengthen democracy When districts becomeheavily Republican or heavily Democratic, the most important election often becomes the party primary rather than the general election. Candidates have less incentive to appeal to abroad cross-section of voters and greater incentive to satisfy the most partisan voices within their own party.Over time, compromise becomes moredifficult and politi-
To wininmanufacturing, theU.S.needs La.energy andimprovedpermitting
Our country is the product of our history.And as America’s250th anniversary nears, those echoes sound with unusual clarity Later this year,wewill also mark 223 years since Oct. 17, 1803, when President Thomas Jefferson urged Congress to ratify the treaty formalizing the Louisiana Purchase.Hesaid the new territory would bring “important aids to our Treasury,anample provision for our prosperity,and awidespread field for the blessings of freedom.”
He was right.
cal polarization becomes more severe. The result is alegislature filled with members who arerewarded for beingloyal Republicans or loyal Democrats rather than independent thinkers willing to work across party lines.
Iwitnessedthatfirsthand in Baton Rouge. Some of the best ideas Iencountered came fromRepublicans. Some came from Democrats. Neitherside had amonopoly on thebest ideas. Theyemerged when lawmakers were willing to listen to one another andfocusonsolvingproblems rather than scoring political victories
Unfortunately,the current redistricting debate sends the oppositemessage Many Louisianans look at theconstant legalbattles, shifting district linesand partisanmaneuvering and conclude that politicians are choosing their voters rather than voters choosingtheir representatives. Whether that perception is entirely fair is almost beside thepoint. Public trust depends on people believing theprocess is fair,transparent andnot constantlymanipulated forpolitical gain.
declines. Confidenceingovernment weakens. As someonewho servedoutside thetwoparty system,itisdisappointing to watch both parties continue to treat redistricting as apolitical weaponrather than an opportunitytostrengthenpublic confidence in ourinstitutions. Fairrepresentation should matter more than partisanadvantage. Public trust should matter morethan gaining or protecting aseat in Congress. Louisiana deserves better than another round of political warfare over district maps.Weneed leaders who are willingto place thelong-term health of ourdemocracy ahead of short-term political gains. The goal of redistricting should notbe to help oneparty win. It should be ensuring that voters have confidencethattheir voices matter andthatelectionsremain competitive,meaningful andfair. Withoutthattrust, no map will ever be good enough.
Joe Marino II is aformer member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.
Newfederal rule couldhit thesesmall
businesses hard
From the day Standard Oil built its Baton Rouge refinery in 1909, Louisiana has powered America’sprosperity.Much has changed since Jefferson’stime,but one truth remains: Louisiana’sleadership in energy remains essential to American manufacturing and acornerstone of our national strength.
Manufacturers champion an “all of the above” energy strategy —apath to unleash America’senergy dominance. And that path runs through Louisiana.
The manufacturing industry consumes one-third of the nation’senergy.Tolead as an industry,every energy source, every electron counts. Manufacturers understand that leadership isn’tabout producing more, it’sabout using energy wisely Manufacturing is key to Louisiana’s economy,representing 17% of stateGDP andnearly $58 billion in output.More than 143,000 Louisianans work in manufacturing, earning nearly double the state’saverage wage. Those jobs depend on access to abundant, affordable energy,because manufacturers make energy and useenergy The resilience, affordabilityand reliability of U.S. oil and gas underpin our industrial base, our national security and our ability to compete globally.InLouisiana, manufacturers are on the front lines of that effort, onshore and offshore alike from the state’spipelines to its LNG terminals. And the state has made it clear over the years that energy and manufacturing are top priorities. But leadership also requires followthrough. Toomany critical projects remainstuck in permitting limbo, waiting for approvals that should have come long ago. Louisiana alone has billions
of dollars in potential investmentliterally stuck. Wordsmustbe turned intoaction to move projects forward With billions on the line, manufacturing needs a predictable permitting processthat sparks longterm certainty. Since day one of President Donald Trump’sadministration, he has answered the calls of manufacturers by reversing theprevious administration’sban on liquefied natural gas exports. That decision reaffirmed America’s commitment to lead the world in energy production and trade.
If we want to keep leading, manufacturers need comprehensive permitting reform now
America’sbroken permitting system is costing America’smanufacturers $8 billion each year,according to recent analysis by the National Association of Manufacturersand the Foundation for AmericanInnovation. It takes roughly 80% longer to approve amajor energy or infrastructure project in theU.S. than in other advanced economies. That means higher costs, fewer jobs and slower growth.
There is bipartisan momentuminCongress to get permitting reform done in 2026. America needs amore efficient, more reliable permitting system to build the infrastructure that powersgrowth and keeps our industry competitive. This year,Congress can deliver thecertainty manufacturers need to build faster,invest with confidence and improve the quality oflife for all Americans.
We can’tpower the factories of the futureifwecan’tbuild them.
Louisiana has long shown that energy production and environmental stewardship can coexist. With smart policy,a modern permitting system andpredictable rules, that balance can endure.
Twocenturies after Jefferson’swords, Louisiana continues to fuel America’sfuturethrough energy,manufacturing and innovation.
When Louisiana’senergy and manufacturing sectors thrive, America wins.
Will Green is thepresident and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. Jay Timmons is president and CEOofthe National Association of Manufacturers.
The hairstylist whohas done your color for years is aLouisiana-licensed professional. So is the barber across thestreet, the massage therapist who eased your back pain after surgery,the esthetician who treated your skin during chemo and the nail technician who knows your kids by name. Somework for someone else. Many work for themselves. Together,they staff and own much of thesmall business economy you walk past every day
This entire workforce is now in the crosshairs of aDepartment of Education accountability test that, by the department’sown analysis, would strip federal student aid from almost every accredited cosmetology,barbering, esthetics and massage therapy training program in Louisiana. The testcompares anew graduate’s early paycheck against the paycheck of an older worker whonever went past high school. Many of ourgraduates are self-employed, renting a chair,suiteortreatmentroom,and tip income is real but missed by the federal data. The result is atest built to fail thevery Louisianans it claims to protect Andwhat hangs on theoutcome is not just hair or nails. It is Louisiana’ssmall business backbone. The U.S. Small Business Administration reportsthat 88% of workers in Louisiana’s“Other Services” sector,which covers salons, barbershops andnail studios, work at smallbusinesses. Massage therapists workinphysical therapy clinics, in oncology recovery and with veterans managing chronic pain. Estheticians workalongside dermatologists. These are theworkers who keep our communities running, and the entrepreneurs whogive them somewheretomaster the skills.
That mattersmore now than it did a decade ago. Nationally,there are 36.2 million small businesses employing nearly half theprivate-sector workforce, and thesmallest are doing the lion’sshare of the hiring. According to ADP Research, U.S. businesses with fewer than 20 employees added more than 525,000 jobs in 2025, morethan any other size class, and kept hiring through thefirst quarter of 2026 while bigger employers slowed. The same engine is at work here, where the salon owner hires her first stylist, the barber adds achairand the massage therapist opens atreatment room It is also aworkforce on the cusp of
generational change. McKinsey estimates that roughly 6million American small and mid-size businesses will face an ownership transition by 2035 as baby boomers retire. Salons, shops and clinics across our state will need a next generation of licensed owner-operators ready to take the keys. If Washington shuts off the schools that train them the keys go in adrawer and the businesses close. Congress already drew this line. When Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise championed and President Donald Trumpsigned the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last July,the law limited this earnings test to programs that lead to adegree, on purpose. The samestatute madetips tax-exempt forour workers by name. Now the Department of Education is advancing aregulation that reaches past what Congress wrote and would close the very career pathways the law was designed to protect.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon ran the Small Business Administration before becoming head of the Department of Education, and she has the authority to honor what Congress and Trumpintended. We are asking forafix: Useearnings data that reflects how this workforce actually gets paid, and hold our schools to the metrics we already meet —graduation, licensure, placement and default rates.
Lora Moreau opened the Cosmetology Training Center in Lafayette in 1983 and trained Louisiana cosmetologists fornearly 40 years. When she passed in 2022, my wife and Icontinued her work.
What our students build when they leave us is alivelihood forthemselves and, often, forthe Louisianans they go on to hire. The window forpublic comment closed on May 20, but Louisiana’scongressional delegation can still maketheir voices heard ahead of the Department of Education issuing the final rule by July 1. Every Louisianan —with astake in our state’s small businesses and the services communities rely on —has areason to call their member of Congress before Washington cancels the workforce that keeps them open.
JeanPitre owns aLafayette cosmetology school and serves on the Louisiana StateBoard of Cosmetology
GUEST COLUMNIST
COMMENTARY
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio,right, and StevenButler,charged’affaires ad interim of theU.S.embassyinKuwait, attend a flag-raising ceremony at the embassy amid Rubio’svisit to the Middle East to discuss theinterim deal between the U.S. and Iran with Arab Gulf allies,inKuwaitCity, Kuwait, on Wednesday.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK IRAN DEAL
When President Donald Trumpannounced that the U.S. and Iran had reached adealtoend the warand open theStrait of Hormuz,hereleased fewdetails. It’sclear that much remains to be negotiated.Trumpsaysthe deal will prevent Iran from ever getting anuclear weapon, amain goal of the administration. But Iranian officials say no agreementhas beenreachedonmonitoring of the country’snuclear sites. Similarly, the sides appeartobe at odds on what a$300 billionreconstruction fund for Iran would payfor.Trump has sentenvoystothe region to ironout these differences. Butsome arelookingatwhat the president promised at the startofthe warand asking whether it was worthit. Did the U.S. achieve its objectives in Iran? Here are twoperspectives:
Iran deal renews question: Wasthe warnecessary?
It is perhaps the most fundamental question of the Iran war.Ifthe goal of the war was to prevent Iran from acquiring anuclear weapon, and if theU.S. attack of June 21, 2025, either obliterated or substantially damaged Iran’snuclear facilities, and if additional targeted bombing couldhavefinished the job of destroying those facilities, why was it necessary for the U.S., along with ally Israel, to goto full-scale war against Iran at the end of February 2026, targetinga broad range of targets, assassinating thecountry’ssupreme leaderaswell as other key figures and setting off further war and an economic debacle that may or may not be resolved by the currentpeace negotiations? Why not just destroy Iran’snuclear capabilities, keeping the option to strike again if, or when, Iran madeprogress reconstituting them? It’sa question President Donald Trump and top administration officials have never fully answered. After the 2025 bombing,Trumpfamously said that special U.S. bunker-buster bombs had “obliterated” Iran’snuclear facilities. There followed immediate intelligence leaks suggestingthat was nottrue. Onesuch leak said thebombing had set back Iran’sprograms just a short time, perhaps as little as threeto six months. Other assessments saidithad been set back one or two years.
nuclear weapon,and theJune 2025 U.S. strike set them back along way.And yet just eight months later,inearly 2026, some in the administration were suggesting that the Iranian danger hadreturned in full force or nearly full force.
President Donald Trump andVice
In the early days, theWhite House listed four reasons for starting the war: “1)Destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles and production capacity; 2) Demolish their navy; 3) Endtheir ability to arm proxies; and 4) Prevent them from ever obtaining anuclear weapon. What had been theNo. 1reason for the war slipped to No. 4. For his part, Rubio began expressing theview that Iran’s missiles werethe key target because the country was trying to produce so many missiles that it could effectively createa shield for its nuclear development. Later, as the war settled into astalemateand the Strait of Hormuz became an overwhelming issue, President Trump began to return to what he called the main issue: preventing Iran from having anuclear weapon Of course, theU.S. could have kept Iran from having anuclear weapon with far less extensive actions than thosethat marked the first weeks of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Trumpfocuses on the notion that Iran will “never” have anuclear weapon,but there is no single action anyone can take to ensure that.
President JD Vance spent mostoflast week trying to convince Americans the“Memo of Understanding” (MOU) with Iran is agood deal for theUnited States and world peace. That’snot what Iran believes. Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini,has hailed theMOU as amajor “victory” for Tehran. The “greater jihad” would now begin, he promised, according to aspeech aired by Iranian state media last week. Youread that correctly The greater Jihad. To some, this might sound like the same propaganda we have heard from Iran since thestartofthe president’sbombing campaign (“War is peace,” wrote George Orwell in his novel “1984”inwhich he creates “Doublethink,” the act of holding two completely contradictory beliefs in one’smind at the same time, and accepting both as true).Inthis case, the Iranians appear more believable than the administration.
Cal Thomas Byron
conditions of the agreement between Iran and the United States, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these conditions are met.All ships are requested, forthe sake of their security and safety,not to approach the Strait of Hormuz. Any vessel that defies this directive will be targeted.” Trumpand Vance have said Iran will get nothing from the MOU or any subsequent peace until they meet our conditions.
Trump has neverbacked down from the “obliterated” assessment. Andat the time, SecretaryofState Marco Rubio stressed that, in addition to all the other damage ithad done, the U.S. had destroyed Iran’sability toperform something called “conversion,” which is akey part of theprocessofmaking anuclear weapon. Finally,the head of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency said theattack had done “enormous damage” tothe Iranian program. So that is success, right?The goal was to keep Iran from buildingorobtaining a
Whoknows what is going to happen years from now? Given that, it appears the best approach would be to simply make sure Iran remains along way away from acquiring anuclear weapon. If it getstoo close in the future,the U.S.can take action again. That is not thecourse theTrumpadministration chose. So now,aspeace talks go on, the fundamental question about thewar —was it necessary? —remains unanswered.
EmailByron York at byork@washingtonexaminer.com
LastFriday,adelegation headed by Vance that was supposed to go to Switzerland to sign the MOU, delayed thetrip after reportsthat Iran had closed theStrait of Hormuz, blaming Israel’srefusal to leave Lebanon andthe ongoing presence of U.S. forces in the region. Conflicting statementsabout the status of the Strait compounded the confusion. The formula for Iran, which has worked forthem in thepast, is that they demand everything and the U.S. thinks it can appease those who want to destroy Israel andusbygiving them more than we get. Here’show they think, as expressed in astatementread over maritimeradio channels by theRevolutionary Guard Corps, now,apparently,put on hold, at least temporarily: “Since Israel’swithdrawal from Lebanon, thecomplete lifting of the naval blockade, and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region are among the main
If the Strait is closed again, gas prices will go back up and stocks will go back down. And the midtermswould again look problematic forRepublicans, not that Democrats could do any better Writing last week on Truth Social before the latest developments, the president again displayed his gift of overstatement and name-calling: “These fools, who think Ihaven’tbeen tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market just Hit ARECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are ‘tumbling’ down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid.” Without the deal, he wrote, “the alternative would be aworldwide depression.” At anews conference, the president, noting aWall Street Journal editorial, seemed to admit that the Iranians had him over abarrel —ofoil. If he had fought on, he said, the market “would go downatlevels that nobody ever saw before, maybe except for1929. …Sorather than possibly going into adepression, rather than having your favorite president be Herbert Hoover,hewas always the one Ididn’twant to be.” Once again, it’sall about him and not the greater good. What to do now?The president has said repeatedly that if Iran refuses to live up to the MOU,hecould start bombing again. If previous bombing didn’twork, what will morebombing achieve? What amess.
Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub. com.
York
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByERIC LEE
Jail’s corporatestructure at issueininmate’sdeath lawsuit
relatedtohis death.
Widowsays LaSallesite’s operator is responsible
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
Sprawled on the concrete floor of ajail cell in LaSalle Parish, Jaleen Anderson could do little more than wave at an overhead surveillance camera for help.
Over the prior 36 hours,the 29-year-old had experienced aseries of at least six seizures, at timescoveringhis bed in urine and his cell in vomit, his family says. After Anderson’sfourth, guards found him on the floor,seemingly unable to stand, and sought permissiontocall an ambulance for him.
But Anderson’sfamily claims the facility’snurse declined, saying: “Wedon’t send people to the hospital for seizures.”
Twohours later,Anderson —held in the Louisiana jail under contract with Harris County,Texas —was dead.
His widow has sued, claiming the death at LaSalle Correctional Center in Ollain April 2024 was preventable More than twoyears after Anderson’sdeath, alegal battle over getting information surrounding it rages on. On the other side of that fight is Louisiana’slargest private jail operator,LaSalle Corrections. Greg Schafer, an attorney for the company recently argued before afederal judge in Alexandria that therecordssought by Anderson’sfamily don’tbelong to the company named in the lawsuit.
The attorneys for Anderson’sfamily say Schafer’s legal position highlights the company’scomplicated corporate structure.
Though they say the numerous companies connected to the private jail look the same, are registered to the same addressand have thesame leadership, LaSalle’sattorney counters that the company is “notconceding that there’s similar ownership.”
Regardless, he said, the companies named in the suit are not in possession of the evidence being sought.
Anderson family attorney Stephen Weil, citing other lawsuits overmedical care, told the judge that the “not party” argument is atactic often used by LaSalle to delay proceedings and make itself amoving target.
“It is hard to figureout which exact company is doing what in all these places,” Weil told U.S. DistrictJudge JerryEdwardsJr. “LaSalle uses that to its advantage.”
LaSalle’sattorneys did not
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investigation has prevented further abuse.”
The Sheriff’s Office did not release additional details about the alleged abuse.
Twowounded after Popeyes dispute
Twopeople wereinjured in ashooting Tuesday evening after an earlier disturbance at an Abbevillerestaurant, police said.
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“I just hope that it enables them to continue theireducation, and hopefully graduateand achieve their goals,” she said. Moore particularly wanted to help students who are actively building aculture of support for their peers.
Said Moore, “I know there’scounseling on campus, but maybe there’sa person or group that they know, as agay person, they can turn to so that someone will be able to hear their experiences, and share and understandit. It’snot alot, buthopefully there’sother people that will also put up some seed money,soitcan
respond toarequestfor comment.
Awebsite for LaSalle Corrections details various services at detention facilities in Louisiana and other Southern states. Louisiana business filings show 22 companies —each aseparate LLC, or limited liability company registeredtothe same Ruston address and registered agentsasLaSalle Corrections. Several individual government contracts list more than one of those LLCs as being involved in thescope of work
Theprivatejailer also operatesseveral ICE detention facilitiesinLouisiana
Lawyers for Anderson’s family argue LaSalle profits by routinely hiring “untrained, unlicensed correctional officers and low-level nurses” and discourages employees from transporting inmatestoclinicsorhospitals, which can be costly
“LaSalle’s provision of inadequate medical careis drivenbythe greedofits owners,”theywrote Anderson’s death
Anderson was arrested March 3, 2024, in Houston for allegedlypossessingmethamphetamine.
Through acontract with LaSalle,Harris County shipped Anderson to LaSalle Correctional Center in Olla to be housed as he awaited trial.
Attorneys for Anderson’s family say between 6a.m. on April2 and8 p.m. on April 3, Anderson sufferednumerous seizures.
Images from the jail’ssecurity footage —now filedinto the court record —over those twodays show Anderson aloneand at times unresponsive on the cell floor.Atone point, he clutched the armof aguard who entered to assist him and curled into aballin awheelchair when staff later were removing him.
Despite being placed undermedical observation afteraseizure around 6a.m. on April 3,the lawsuitsays, he wasprovided no medical care duringanotherseizure around 5p.m. later that day
Accordingto thesuit, he would again haveseizuresat 5:41 p.m 7:05 p.m 7:35 p.m. and 7:47 p.m.
Guards asked nursing staff to have him taken to ahospital but weretold no, the lawsuit says.
Lawyers for Anderson’s familysay the jail’sleadership was contacted about sending Anderson to the hospital, too, butthe assistant warden refused to authorize it
The only treatment from the medical staff wastogive him Zoloft, aprescription antidepressant,they argue.
Around8:03 p.m.,Andersonagain begantoconvulse,
Officers initially responded about 4:30 p.m. to Popeyes, 501 VeteransMemorial Drive, after receiving areport ofcustomersfighting. Whenofficers arrived,they foundXavion Broussard and Anayla Williamsinvolved in averbal altercation. The restaurant manager asked that theparties leave, and they wenttheir separate ways, according to the Abbeville Police Department. About an hour later,officers responded to ashooting in the 600 blockof HawthorneStreet. Investigators said surveil-
grow and help provide asafe space for so many kids that just have nowhere to turn.”
In giving to the school whereshe created such fond memories, Moorehopes that future generations of studentswill benefit, while spreading similar opportunities to people who need extra support.
“When Irealized Icould direct it to specificorganizationsorspecificpeople, there was even greater motivation to do it,” she said. “I hadawonderful time, and Iremember going to school and thinking my mother would have loved this. She camefrom ageneration wherewomen were in school, but not really.Ithought,there’s somebodyout there that would
vomit and loseconsciousness.
ALaSalle correctional officer “laughed as she stood over an unresponsive Mr Anderson,” thelawsuit says. “At the same time, officers were attempting unsuccessfully to locate apulse on Mr Anderson.”
Tenminutes later,alieutenant called an ambulance. Paramedics arrived minutes later and began giving him chest compressions, attorneys say
Around thesametime,the jail’shealth services director —who is not adoctor —said Andersonwas “faking his symptoms” and told staff she had “evaluated Mr.Anderson earlierthatday,thathewas fine, and that he was going to stay up all nighthaving seizures,” thelawsuit says.
For minutes, officerscould not locate apulse on Anderson, accordingtothe timeline laid out in thesuit
About 23 minutes after he lostconsciousness, as paramedics continued to give him chest compressions, the facility’smedical director again toldstaffnot to send him to thehospital, Anderson’s family says.
It is unclear who eventually determined Andersonshould be taken to thehospital,but the plaintiffs say at 8:29 p.m., he was loaded intoanambulancewhile paramedics continued to give him chest compressions and wastaken to Hardtner Medical Center —less than amile down the road.
At 8:59 p.m., Anderson was pronounced dead.
Otherinmatedeaths
The attorneysfor Anderson’sfamily argue the death wasn’tanisolated incident of neglect but rather aresult of “policies or widespread practices within LaSalle.”
The lawyershave another caseinthe same court against LaSallefor adeath in the same facility last year Erik Carlson, 29, contracted strep throat after arriving at the Olla facilityinJanuary 2025, his family says. He had aswollen throat the size of a golf ball, developed asevere fever and began coughing up blood, attorneysargue, so his bunkmates triedtoget him medical attention.
But LaSalle staff told them thatover-the-counter medicine was available for him to purchase from the commissary,the lawsuit claims. He was dead eight days later
Thecause of Carlson’s death, according to his autopsy report:strep throat.
In 2019 at aLaSalle facilityinTexas, Franklin Greathouse, 59, reported having aseizure to thestaff, who accused him of faking it,attorneys claim. He died later the same day, says alawsuit
lance video showed Broussard’svehicle being followed to Hawthorne Street, wherehis grandmother lives.Occupants of asilver ChevroletMalibu gotout of the vehicleand opened fire on Broussard, police said. Authorities saidBroussard returned fire, striking the driverand arear-seat passengerinthe Malibu The vehicle left thescene and was later found in the 1500 block of Graceland, where Acadian Ambulance responded. The two gunshot victims were taken to alocal hospital.
really like to go to school, and might needsomehelp. I’m hoping that this is going to help other people takea look and say,‘Yeah, maybe I should do this too.’”
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Last year,afederal jury in the same court hearing the Anderson case awarded morethan $40 million in a separate case against LaSalle.
The verdict stemmed from thedeath of Erie Moore Sr., a57-year-old man held on misdemeanorchargesin 2015 at LaSalle’sRichwood Correctional CenterinMonroe. At trial, Moore’sfamily claimed he experienced a mental healthcrisis, and after guards repeatedly beat him, LaSallestaff failed to provide him medical care— and he died of his injuries ‘The rightcorporate entity
In Anderson’scase, LaSalle’sattorneys deny the companies named in the suit —LaSalleCorrectionalCenterLLC,LaSalle Corrections LLC and LaSalle Management Company LLC —bear responsibilityfor the man’s death
Schafer,LaSalle’sattorney, also argues the cases involvingother LaSalle prisons are irrelevant to the issueofthe adequacy of medical policies because each of those facilities is registeredtodifferent LLCs.
“Each correctional facility is owned and operated by a separate LLC,” he said. “I’m sorry,thoseLLCs are not parties to this matter.”
Earlierthis month, LaSalle appealed the verdict that ordered$40 millionbepaidin Moore’sdeath.The jury had found that Richwood CorrectionalCenterand LaSalle Management Company LLC “were asingle integrated enterprise.”
In line with arguments beingmadeinthe Anderson case, LaSalle’s lawyers told the appellate court that the jury incorrectly found the twocompanies were one, calling evidence to support that argument “superficial” and“insufficient.” Anderson’sfamily is seeking LaSalle records related to theOlla facility, including an inmate roster at thetime
of his deathand documents related to the jail’smedical operations.
Even if LaSalle hadownership of those records, Schaferargues,those materials would be too difficult to produce.
“They’re in rural Louisiana, they do not have acentralizedcomputersystem; many documentsare handwritten, he toldthe judge in therecent hearing. “This would be overly burdensome.”
(14)
In April, LaSalle filed motions to have the Anderson lawsuit dismissed before trial, arguing the plaintiffs cannot produce evidence thatshows LaSalle Corrections “hadany involvement in the events” related to the inmate’s death. Partofthe judge’s decisionisexpected to depend on whetherthe variousLaSalle-affiliated LLCs should be treatedaslegallydistinct companiesorasa single,integratedoperation.
“They don’tsay exactly what each corporationdoes in avery complex system …all operating out of this Ruston headquarters,” Weil, the attorneyfor Anderson’s family,arguedincourt. “Can these folksjust sithere and just say, ‘You know, this man died, but you didn’texactly name the right corporate entity,and therefore you’re out of luck?’”
LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Covering all bases
Ex-UL catcher Lucroy had all-around game to excel in big leagues
Editor’s note: This is one among 12 profiles of inductees for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Festivities will take place from Thursday-Saturday in Natchitoches.
BY DAN MCDONALD
Contributing writer
It’s been a good handful of months for Jonathan Lucroy
In August, the former Major League Baseball All-Star catcher got the phone call from the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame that let him know he would be honored with the state’s highest athletic accolade this summer.
Less than two months ago, he was back at UL’s Russo Park, where the ex-Ragin’ Cajuns standout catcher received that program’s greatest honor with the retirement of his No. 21 jersey
During that same time frame, he was selected as the top catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers during the organization’s nearly 60 years of existence.
And this past spring, the high school baseball team he coaches at Grapevine
BY BRIAN MAHONEY AP basketball writer
NEW YORK The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder were thinking big Darius Acuff and Mikel Brown might be a matchup to watch among smalls. And the one-and-done era is far from done.
Those were some of the things that stood out from the two-day NBA draft in Brooklyn, which started with the Washington Wizards taking AJ Dybantsa on Tuesday night with the No. 1 pick and continued with a number of trades in the second round Wednesday night. Here are some things that stood out in between:
Spurs vs. Thunder
The Thunder had trouble with Victor Wembanyama in the Western Conference finals. The Spurs
“He’s a great man of character, a hard worker and was a great teammate. And he could really hit. He could hit the other way, he could pull the ball and he could hit with power That record, 53 doubles for a catcher, that speaks for itself.”
RON ROENICKE, former Brewers manager, on Jonathan Lucroy
Faith Christian School near Dallas had a surprisingly successful 500 season with a young roster
“Only two returning varsity players,” Lucroy said. “We will be good next year.”
That isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows the Eustis, Florida, native, since his passion for baseball is rivaled only by his drive to succeed at whatever level the game takes him.
All in all, an excellent few months But still not as good as his summer of 2014, when he was the best catcher in baseball.
had trouble when Wembanyama wasn’t in the game in the NBA Finals.
Both teams took steps to address those big problems. Oklahoma City took 7-foot-3 cen-
ter Aday Mara from Michigan with the No. 12 pick Chet Holmgren, the No 2 pick in 2022, struggled badly in the series that ended the Thun-
der’s title reign, and the 260-pound
Mara — the Big Ten defensive player of the year from Spain could provide more of the physical presence they need.
“I’m excited to play against him, obviously, to play in the NBA,”
Mara said about Wembanyama.
“But I feel like I’m going to play against him a lot. If it’s not NBA, it’s going to be on the national team.” The Spurs fell to the New York
UL and Major
Knicks in five games in the NBA Finals and Wembanyama at times looked exhausted, perhaps overworked because the Knicks were dominating when backup Luke Kornet was in the game
Perhaps they can handle Wembanyama’s breaks better now after drafting 6-9 Jayden Quaintance from Kentucky and acquiring the rights to Tarris Reed, the rugged big man who powered UConn to the national title game. Sizing up guards
One of the pre-draft debates was who would go first when it came time for teams to start choosing among the smaller scoring guards in the class.
That moment arrived at the No. 6 pick The Brooklyn Nets went with Brown from Louisville.
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
A year before Michael Ruzic knew he would take his basketball talents to Baton Rouge, he mentioned which former LSU player he enjoyed watching. The 7-foot, 221-pound Croatian big was asked at the 2025 NBA Draft combine who he models his game after The first name he said was former LSU standout and current Charlotte Hornets players Naz Reid, who was traded to Charlotte from Minnesota on Thursday
“To play like Naz Reid, (a) very overall versatile player,” Ruzic said. “He’s able to space the floor, put the ball on the floor, attack on the perimeter, oneon-ones. And also on defense, he’s got really good length and getting up to defend multiple positions, which is very valuable in today’s basketball.” Before Ruzic likely tests the NBA draft waters again, he’ll play next season for Reid’s former college coach, Will Wade. The 19-year-old arrives at LSU with experience in Spain’s Liga ACB, which is widely considered the third-best professional league in the world behind the NBA and EuroLeague. In 35 games for Joventut, Ruzic averaged 6.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 blocks in 18.1 minutes per game. He shot 57.3% from the field and 35.9% from 3. NBA evaluators were intrigued by Ruzic a year ago because of his shooting potential for his size and age. Since debuting in the ACB at 17, he has consistently flashed touch from the perimeter Ruzic shoots comfortably from all areas of the arc. He often spaced the floor as a power forward on the wings or in the corners. His 39 3-point attempts in 35 games were a reasonable volume given the smaller role he had on a team that included former NBA players Jabari Parker and Ricky Rubio. His jumper is repeatable, despite a slower release speed due to a longer windup that brings the ball from his waist to above his head. At 7 feet, shorter defenders struggle to contest his shot. Wade should feel comfortable using Ruzic as a pick-and-pop option and, in certain matchups, a mid-post scorer Ruzic also displayed soft touch around the rim. When he wasn’t dunking in open space, he relied on short push shots from 5-8 feet.
One concern is his free-throw percentage, which was 63.3% on 49 attempts. While Ruzic’s shooting draws the most NBA attention, his passing is also appealing.
His sub-1.0 assist average undersells his decision-making Ruzic plays with an intuitive basketball feel, rarely holding the ball longer than necessary He’s also a strong cutter, where he consistently moves into open pockets of space.
His scoring efficiency in a tough league is the product of clean looks from roaming and cutting in the proper areas.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
PHOTO By ROSS D FRANKLIN
Milwaukee Brewers hitter Jonathan Lucroy watches his two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training game on March 27, 2015, in Goodyear, Ariz.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Former
League Baseball player Jonathan Lucroy speaks after receiving his general studies degree during a UL baseball game at Russo Park on May 21, 2022.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA Aday Mara is interviewed after being selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 12th pick in the first round of the NBA draft on Tuesday in New york.
ANALYSIS
6:30
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
Hornets trade Ball to T-Wolves
Charlotte also deals G Green in exchange for ex-LSU star Reid, bevy of draft picks
BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball is the latest NBA star with a new home.
The Charlotte Hornets agreed to trade Ball, their starting point guard, and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for former LSU power forward Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round draft pick, three first-round pick swaps and three future second-round picks, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by ESPN has yet to be approved by the league.
The three first-round pick swaps will be in 2028, 2029 and 2030. The Hornets also get three second-round picks in 2029, 2032 and 2033. The Hornets quickly moved to agree on a three-year, $74 million contract with new projected starting point guard Coby White following the trade, the person familiar with the situation told the AP White, the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high school basketball history, averaged 15.6 points and three assists per game while shooting 39.1% from 3-point range last season for the Hornets after being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bulls
The 24-year-old Ball, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, had three years left on a five-year $203.9 million designated rookie contract with the Hornets, which was a franchise record.
An All-Star in 2022, Ball has struggled with ankle and foot injuries during his career, but he played in 72 games last season and averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, helping the Hornets win 44 games before being blown out in the play-in tournament by the Orlando Magic. Ball finished second in the league in 3s made last year with 272, one behind rookie teammate Kon Knueppel.
Ball is considered an excep-
TRADE DETAILS
Minnesota receives n G LaMelo Ball n G Josh Green
Charlotte receives n F/C Naz Reid
n 2033 unprotected first-round pick
n First-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, 2030
n Second-round picks in 2029, 2032, 2033
tional offensive player, but his shortcomings on the defensive end were at times a source of irritation for coach Charles Lee. Still, Ball’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates off the dribble, his exceptional passing and knack for getting off 3-pointers — with shots often coming off one foot via a stepback move, make him one of the league’s most dynamic scoring point guards.
But Ball was never able to get the Hornets to the playoffs in his six seasons with the club, with injuries playing a role. Before this season, Ball missed 141 games over the previous three seasons.
This trade is expected to be included as part of the transaction in which Minnesota agreed to
send Julius Randle to Brooklyn in a deal that involved the Chicago Bulls, a second person with knowledge of the agreement told the AP It will create an NBA-record trade exception of nearly $41 million for the Hornets
The deals cannot be finalized until July 6, when the league moratorium on such moves is lifted.
It’s another blockbuster for the league, which has seen Giannis Antetokounmpo getting traded by Milwaukee to Miami for a package that includes Tyler Herro, a move that followed the Randle deal before the draft.
Reid, 26, has spent all seven of his NBA seasons with the Timberwolves.
After reaching the Western Conference finals in 2024 and 2025, the Timberwolves stagnated at times last season and were ousted in six games in the second round of the playoffs by the runner-up San Antonio Spurs.
President of basketball operations Tim Connelly has never been shy about aggressive pursuit of roster improvement, from the package of draft picks he sent the Utah Jazz in 2022 for defensive ace Rudy Gobert shortly after taking the job in Minnesota, to the stunning trade of franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns to
WORLD CUP ROUNDUP
the New York Knicks two years ago. To make this work, the Timberwolves had to give up one of the most popular players in their history in Reid, the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year who would’ve been in line for a starting spot after the departure of Randle.
The 6-foot-11 Reid, who went undrafted out of LSU in 2019, worked his way into an excellent offensive player with a shooter’s touch from the outside who has the quickness to get to the rim. Playing through a shoulder injury this season, Reid appeared in 77 regular-season games while averaging 13.6 points and a career-best 6.2 rebounds per game.
Their five-game loss in 2025 to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder and their defeat by the Spurs last month made clear to the Timberwolves that they’re not yet at the championship level they’ve been chasing since building their roster around 2020 first overall pick Anthony Edwards. Now they’ll have the third pick in that draft to play next to Ball, one of the few remaining pure point guards in a league that has evolved toward more volume scorers serving as the primary initiators of the offense.
Ecuador tops Germany on late goal
By The Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J Gonzalo Plata poked the ball past Manuel Neuer in the 77th minute, and Ecuador advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup by rallying for a 2-1 win over Germany on Thursday Germany, which clinched first place in Group E with victories in its first two games, went ahead on Leroy Sané’s second-minute goal Nilson Angulo scored Ecuador’s first goal of the tournament in the ninth minute.
Plata, who took a kick to the head when Germany scored its early goal, keyed Ecuador’s great escape after Pedro Vite’s corner kick was nodded on by Kevin Rodríguez Neuer, the 40-year-old Germany goalkeeper who came out of international retirement for the World Cup was about the grasp the ball when Plata raised his left foot and with a toe put the ball into the net Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece ran to the stands to celebrate. Ecuador finished third in the group with four points and advanced past the group stage for the second time, the first since a round of 16 game in 2006. Germany’s winning streak was stopped at 11 games, one shy of the team record set in 1979-80. The four-time champions will play their round of 32 game Monday at Foxborough, Massachusetts, most likely against Paraguay Australia or Sweden. A crowd of 80,663 at MetLife Stadium that was mostly in Ecuador’s yellow boosted attendance to a record 3,587,539 in the 56th game of the expanded tournament, one more than the 52 matches for the 1994 tournament in the U.S. Sané put Germany ahead about 1 minute, 50 seconds in with his 18th international goal. Aleksandar Pavlovi had chested the ball and kicked Vite following Nathaniel Brown’s throw-in but there was no foul call by American referee Tori Penso. Pavlovi passed to Florian Wirtz, who centered to Sané just inside the penalty area.
Former Tigers Mackinnon, Sutton agree to NBA deals
Two LSU basketball players from last season took steps in their
Former LSU guard Max Mackinnon agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Charlotte Hornets, and forward Marquel Sutton agreed to play for the Sacramento Kings summer league team, according to reports from their social media accounts.
Mackinnon’s contract is a oneyear, minimum-salary agreement that is not guaranteed. New players on this kind of deal typically play in the summer league.
The 6-foot-6 Mackinnon was the Tigers’ leading scorer last season, averaging 15.7 points as a senior The 6-9 Sutton averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds last season.
Report: Nicholls’ Saddler named G League coach
Nicholls State men’s basketball coach Tevon Saddler was named the head coach of the Capital City Go-Go, the G League affiliate of the Washington Wizards, according to a report by NBA insider Michael Scotto.
Saddler, a Maryland native, has coached at Nicholls for the past three seasons, compiling a 54-46 record. He led Nicholls to backto-back 20-win seasons, which included a victory at LSU in 2023, in his first two years.
When Saddler, 31, was named the Colonels’ coach in 2023, he was the youngest Division I head coach in the country Before coaching at Nicholls, Saddler was an assistant at Maryland and McNeese State. Saddler was also a player at Nicholls.
WNBA suspends Thomas for hit to Clark’s throat
NEWYORK The WNBA suspended Phoenix forwardAlyssa Thomas for one game after she made contact with her fist to Caitlin Clark’s throat in Wednesday night’s matchup against Indiana. It happened with 6:52 left in the second quarter and was deemed to be a non-basketball act. The league gave Thomas a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty for it. No foul was called on the play by officials.
The WNBA is allowed to review a game to reclassify a flagrant foul or to classify as flagrant any foul not called as such during a game. Thomas will serve her suspension on Saturday when the Mercury visit the Toronto Tempo. The Fever renewed their call for player safety in a statement Thursday
Lions CB Arnold charged with directing attack
DETROIT Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions was charged Thursday in Florida with leading a plot to detain and pistol-whip three people whom he believed had stolen luxury goods and $100,000 in cash from him.
It turned out that the three, including Arnold’s personal driver, had nothing to do with the theft in February, investigators said.
Two people charged alongside Arnold have pleaded guilty in the attack and agreed to cooperate with authorities, records show
Angulo scored a short time later after Felix Nmecha lost the ball in midfield to Vite. He passed it to Angulo, who dribbled toward goal and beat Neuer to the far post from just outside the area.
IVORY COAST 2, CURAÇAO 0: In Philadelphia, Ivory Coast got goals from Nicolas Pépé in each half and advanced to the World Cup knockout round for the first time in the West African team’s history Les Éléphants have crashed the party and made it out of their group for the first time in four World Cup appearances. Ivory Coast beat Ecuador 1-0 in its tournament opener — at the same Philadelphia stadium as Thursday’s game — and lost to Germany in its Group E second game. Ivory Coast will play Tuesday against either France or Norway — whichever is the runner-up in Group I. Curaçao needed to win and instead failed to become the smallest nation to qualify for the knockout stages. Pépé, who plays for the Spanish club Villarreal, wiped out all the suspense in this one early, scoring in just the seventh minute and the lead held the rest of the game in front of an enthusiastic crowd that made Les Éléphants feel at home.
Three men in their late teens were held at gunpoint, battered, pistol-whipped and robbed in a Tampa apartment on Feb. 4, police said It was three days after Louis Vuitton bags and shoes, Rolex watches, a Bible, cash and more were reported stolen from Arnold at an Airbnb rental in Largo, Florida.
D’backs activate Kepler after 80-game suspension
ST LOUIS The Arizona Diamondbacks activated outfielder Max Kepler from the restricted list on Thursday following his completion of an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performanceenhancing drug.
Kepler, who signed a free agent deal with the Diamondbacks on June 7, hit .333 with two home runs in 10 minor league games. He was slated to hit fifth in the batting order and play left field for the Diamondbacks against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. Kepler was suspended in January for a positive test for Epitrenbolone, a metabolite of Trenbolone that’s contained in some products used in bodybuilding stores and has been used in products to promote cattle growth.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATT KROHN
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball works around Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid on April 5 in Minneapolis. Ball, 24, was the No 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Reid went undrafted in 2019.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PAMELA SMITH
Pedro Vite of Ecuador celebrates Gonzalo Plata’s winning goal against Germany during their Group E match on Thursday in East Rutherford, N.J
MLBproposeslimited yearsonfree-agentdeals
BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer
MajorLeague Baseball proposed limitingmost free agent contracts to five years and 15%ofateam’s salary cap and to eliminate deferred compensation, fleshing out details of asalary-cap plan likely to spark a confrontation with the players’ association.
MLB’splan would eliminate deals such as Juan Soto’s$765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets. The league said just seven players this year exceed the proposed maximum and 98%offree agent contracts would not have been affected.
“There’snoquestion that we’re very far apart,” union head Bruce Meyersaid during an online news conference.
During abargaining session Thursday at the union’s office,MLB said it would accept the union’sproposal granting free agency ayear early for players who have reached age 30 if the union
LUCROY
Continued from page1C
Thenumbersbackitupina big way
That season, his fourth in the major leagues, Lucroy finished fourth in National League Most Valuable Player voting.Heled theNLin doubles that year with 53, becoming the first catcher in MLB history to lead his league in that category and breaking the mark of 47 set by Ivan Rodriguez with the Texas Rangers in 1996.No catcher has come within 15 of Lucroy’stallysince that 2014 season.
He was the runner-up for the Gold Glove,and he started the All-Star Game behind the plate forthe NL and proceeded to go 2-for-2 with two RBI doubles off Jon Lester and Chris Sale.
Now that was agoodyear
“I had the great privilege of managing Jonathan for fiveyears at Milwaukee,” said Ron Roenicke, who took over as Brewers manager in Lucroy’sfirst full year with the clubin2011. “He’s agreat man of character,a hard worker and was agreat teammate. And he could really hit. He could hit the other way,hecould pull theball and he could hit with power That record, 53 doubles for acatcher,that speaks foritself.”
“Toplay on ahigh levelin
Continued from page1C
There were arguments for Acuff over Brown, and critics of the pick will onlygrow louder if Acuff lookslike a better pro. He went with the next pick to Sacramento. “I was good whereverI went,” Acuff said. “It wasn’t like abad reaction on it.”
But there was from those who felt like he had abetter bodyofwork in his season at Arkansas. Both have shown explosive scoring ability.The 6-4 Brown set an ACC freshman record when he scored 45 points in agame,making10 3-pointers. Butaback injury forced him to miss 14 games
RUZIC
Continued from page1C
That same awareness shows up on the glass. He improved as arebounder this season, grabbing 0.9 more offensive boards per game than in previous ACB seasons. Defensively,Ruzic generally makes the correct rotations. He switches onto guards when necessary and can contain some pro guards, though he tends to bendat the waist rather than sit in a lowerdefensive stance. He’sslender,and his roughly7-1 wingspan offers only marginal length for a
accepted the league’ssalary-cap system. MLBalso proposed boosting the minimum salary from $780,000 to $1 million for thosewith twoyears of big league ser-
vice
MLBalsoproposedincreasing the pre-arbitration bonus pool from $50 million to $65 million next year and $75 millionby2032, thesixth season of MLB’sproposed seven-year deal.
Meyer said “the debate gota little more vigorous today.”
“The league has done us afavor becausetheir proposalsare in fact so obviously and extremelybad for players at all levels that it’sactually been abenefit forour unity,” Meyer said. “Anybody’swho’sbanking on Major League Baseball players cracking, it’snever happened. It’snot going to happen. That’swhy we’re the only ones who don’thave asalary cap.”
MLB also said it would agree to eliminate the qualifying offer for freeagents that since its inception in
an agreement on March 10, the 99thday of the lockout, preserving the 162-game schedule.
In the league’scornerstone proposal, madelast month, team spending would be cappednext year at $245.3 million, usingfigures forluxurytax payrolls that include $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitrationbonus pool.Italso would establish apayroll floor of $171.2 million, forcing several teamstospend more.
The two-time World Series championLos Angeles Dodgers, baseball’sbiggest spenders, had a$415.2 million payroll on opening day thisyear —around$170 million over the proposed cap.
moresmallmarket teams in those leagues have achance to win. Thesalarycap and floor proposal levels the playing field.” Meyer took issue with that.
“It’sappallingthat the stewards of the game, the people whose job it is to grow the game primarily and promote the game, have for whateverperiod of time now in the last couple of years been sayingnothing but the game’sbroken,” he said.
2012 has restricted the market for someplayers.
Bargainingstarted May13 for acontract to replace the five-year deal that expires Dec. 1, and owners proposed asalary cap for the first time since theunion fought offthe system duringa 71/2-monthstrike in 1994-95. MLB is expected to impose
alockout in December,haltingfree agentsigningsand trades.
After theprior agreement expired in December2021, intensive bargaining did not start untillate February as the threat approached of losing regular-season games —along with revenue and salary.The sidesreached
Former UL catcher Jonathan Lucroy,
college, andthen to do what he did in pro ball, it takesthe physical talent,”said Anthony Babineaux, aULassistant coach under Hall of Famer Tony Robichaux during Lucroy’s collegiate career.“But it’smorethanjust the talent. It’salot of intangibles, it’s the type of leader that he was and the type of teammate that he was, and it’sthe extra things he did off the field and on thefield.”
It wasn’taperfect pathto collegestardom or to athirdround MLB draft selection. In fact,Lucroy didn’t have many scholarshipoffers out
Acuffaveraged 23.5 points, third in the nation,and led the SEC in scoring and assists. He wasthe SECTournament MVPafterleading Arkansas to the title
One-and-dones
The one sure thinginthe NBA draft for years was that it would begin with acollege freshman. From 2010, when WashingtontookJohnWall, to 2022, when Orlando selected PaoloBanchero, theNo. 1 pickwas aplayer whospent one yearincollege. That ended in 2023 when San Antonio took Victor Wembanyama. When Atlanta tookfellowFrenchman Zaccharie Risacherwith the No. 1pick in 2024,itwas thefirst timethataninternational player who did notplayat
player of his height. Without significant strength or elite wingspan, he’snot yet a greatdefender. He didn’t play centerin Spain because he lacks upper-body strength. While he can timeblocks well, older bigs can back him down andget acomfortable shot. Skilled guards can create space and blow by him, too. Ruzic com petes in pick-and-roll coverage, pressing up on guards and recoveringwell to rollers. If asked to switch against starting-caliber SEC guards, he’llmorelikely be at adisadvantage. Ruzic shouldbeLSU’s most tantalizing NBA pros-
of Umatilla High School, and he only caught the eye of a Cajunsassistant coach who was recruiting apitching teammate. In his freshman season, Lucroyonly caught six games, with most of his first seasonspent as designated hitter “There werealot of upperclassmen on that 2005 team, and it was avery good team with olderguys that were thevoice of the team,” Babineaux said. “Luc respected all those guys, buthealso earned their respect in a hurry withwhathewas able to do on the field and how he
aU.S. college was selected first in consecutive years. The one-and-doneshave regained their place in abig way.The first eight picks were college freshmen, matching the record set last year,aswere nine of thetop 10 to match another record.
Knicks saving up
There wassome skepticism when owner James Dolan said in an interview withWFANRadio in New York thathewanted to avoid going into the second apron. After winning achampionship for the first time in 53 years,would theKnicksreally not spend whatever it took for thebest chance to repeat?
Time will tell, but they werecautious with the draft
pect because of hisyouth andskill for his size
Barring significant physical or defensive improvement, theTigersare unlikely to start him over senior KentuckytransferMoDioubate at power forward.Ruzic isn’tasstrong defensively, andhis shooting maynot outweighDioubate’sadvantageinphysicalityand experience.
Still, Wade shouldhave fun deploying Ruzic as astretchbig who makes quick decisions and can help on theglass. If the Croatian proadjusts to the collegegamefasterthan expected, he may even flash shadesofReid.
handled his business.”
Lucroy wound up hitting .373 with five homers and 48 RBIsthat year in earning Freshman All-America honorsasDH. He went on to set UL recordsfor RBIs (184), doubles(54) and total bases (414) in acareer while hitting 35 homers, batting .356 and slugging at a.612 clip. He was atwo-time All-Sun Belt pick, and he led theCajuns to two league titles and the 2007 NCAAregional finals Lucroy movedfromLow-A to the majorsinjust twoseasons, in large part becauseof his defensive improvement.
“The biggest issue baseballfans wantsolved to strengthen the game is fixing the payroll disparity thatleaves toomanyfans without hope of their team competing for aWorld Series title,” MLB spokesman GlenCaplin said in astatement. “Every other major U.S.sport hastackledthis problem, and every year
One metric ranked him as the major league’sbest in “stealingpitches” —receivingand framingpitches in away thatinfluenced plate umpires’ calledstrikes —for two seasons.
“Jonathan took alot of prideinhis defense,”Roenicke said. “Even though he was agreat hitter,that was really important to him.”
Lucroy wasthe face of the Brewers in his final two years there before spending two years with the Texas Rangers, helping that team win the AL West in 2016. Injuries and the COVIDshortenedpandemic season in 2020 hampered the latter part of his career,but he was still valuable enough to clubs seeking aveteran catching presence that he spent time with seven other MLB teams before he retired in 2021 after 12 bigleague seasons. Hisfinalstop wasinAtlanta during the 2021 season when the Braves won the World Series. Although he did notsee actionduring that postseason run, Lucroy was respected enough to be invitedtothrow outthe ceremonial first pitch forGame 2ofthe 2021 NationalLeague DivisionalSeries whenthe Braves playedhis longtime Brewers.
While defense wasthe key to his longevity,his batwas the most memorable part of his game. His .356 batting and.612 slugging marks in
The Knicks traded back fromtheir originalNo. 24 spot and eventually outof the first round entirely.They came intothe draft with the No.31pick, the first spotin the second round. Theytraded back from thereaswell. First-round picks come with guaranteed salary slots, andhigh second-round picksare paid well.And the Knicks needtoleave themselvesasmuchroom as possible if theywantto paykey role playerssuchas Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and MilesMcBride
As part of the plan, MLB would establish a“cornerstone player” similar to theNBA’s Bird rule,which would allowateam to resign aplayer at 16% of the cap. Afree agent switching clubs would be limitedto a$36.8 millionsalary next year and are-signing player to $39.2 million. Salaries for free agents in additional seasons of amultiyear contract wouldbe limited to 5% increases, as would salaries foryounger playersinmultiyear deals that cover potential freeagent seasons.
college, a.325 mark in summercollegiate baseball, and career .274 batting and .416 sluggingmarks along with 1,134 major league hits are a testament to that.
“Even in his freshman year,you knew he could hit,” Babineaux said. “There’s alot of guys that hithome runs,and then there’ssome that get so muchlift on their ball when they swing the bat. Jonathanwas oneofthose guys. His fly balls were just someofthe highest I’ve ever seen, the ball would just lift when it left his bat. Youknow the power wasthere, and you had agood idea that the catching would advance to ahigh level, and once those two matchedupitwas just amatter of timebefore he made it to the big leagues.” Roenicke well remembers oneofhis 108 career home runs.
“Wewere facing Cincinnati and Aroldis Chapman had just comeupastheir closer,” he said. “Wewere in atie gameand Chapman camein, he was throwing 100 plus miles an hour before everyone started throwing 100, he was the hardest thrower we’d seen. Lucsaw 11 pitches between 100 and 102 and he kept fouling off balls until he got to a3-2 count and Chapman tried to throw himaslider on the 12th pitch and Luc hit ahomer to winthe game for us. That’sthe kind of hitter Luc was.”
They eventually left the draft with the Nos.39and 47 picks, German guard Jack Kayil andVanderbilt forward Tyler Nickel. If Kayil ends up playing for the champions, he said they will finda playerwith their type of mentality “I think also one of my strengths is thatIlovewinning andIgive everything for that, andtocome in this organization shows that they also want winners,” Kayil said. “SoIthink it’s a good fit.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BENNy SIEU
shown here getting astanding ovation in Milwaukee as amember of the Brewers,isjoining the LouisianaSports Hall of Fame
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX Commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred answers questions during anewsconference at the winter meetingsonDec. 8inOrlando, Fla.
Former STM standout
Hornback transfers to UL
BY MIKE COPPAGE
Contributing writer
Tanner Hornback plans to finish his college baseball career in his hometown.
The former St. Thomas More star committed to play his senior season at UL after a coaching change at the University of Texas at Tyler “I loved that place and everything about it,” he said of UTTyler “The coaches were awesome. It was a hard decision, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity at UL.”
UT-Tyler, which went 50-14 in 2026, reached the NCAA Division II World Series each of the past two years, with Hornback playing an instrumental role. The infielder batted .356 last season with 10 doubles and two home runs.
“I’m going to UL and work hard, give it my best effort and see what happens,” said Hornback, who is playing with the Acadiana Cane Cutters for the second summer in three years.
Hornback, who ranks among the Texas Collegiate League leaders with a .396 batting average, has hit four doubles and a triple for the Cane Cutters (11-8).
“It’s not too big of a difference,” he said of the wooden bat summer league. “You just have to play baseball.”
UL assistant coach Seth Thibodeaux has known Hornback, a second baseman, for years.
“He knew I had a good career at UT-Tyler and reached out,” said Hornback, who led UT-Tyler with a .410 batting average as a sophomore.
That year, the Patriots went 4913, with Hornback hitting 18 doubles, four triples and four home runs while stealing 16 bases and recording a .520 on-base percentage.
“I’m just having fun with the game,” said Hornback, who will
now have two years of eligibility left after this week’s new agebased system passed. “I felt like UL would be a good opportunity to test myself.”
A baseball district MVP at STM, Hornback was a receiver on the state championship football team as well.
He made All-Region as a freshman at Baton Rouge Community College, batting .393 with 66 hits and 30 RBIs.
Hornback, who is playing the first half of the season for the Cane Cutters, will spend the rest of the summer working out and preparing to join the Ragin’ Ca-
juns. “I’ll be working on getting stronger and better,” he said “I’m ready to get after it.”
Hornback is the Cajun’ ninth transfer portal addition. He is the fourth position player, joining Texas State first baseman Manny Salas, Kansas State infielder Micah Kendrick and Loyola-Marymount catcher Jose Carmona.
The five pitchers added include the Marshall trio of Charlie Krebs, Blaine Albright and Griffin Miller, UTSA right-hander Kendall Dove and Jacksonville State’s Jackson Evers.
Lafayette Christian senior Ryan expecting big senior season
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
Lafayette Christian senior Sky Ryan has experienced the highs and lows that comes with being a talented player
Three years ago, Ryan burst onto the scene as a freshman by winning a starting spot in the secondary
“As a freshman, Sky started 13 of 14 games for us, including the state championship,” coach Matt Standiford said. “Sky didn’t just start because we didn’t have anybody at the position. He beat out some big-time guys to get an opportunity to play So when he beat out those guys, we knew that he was going to be something special.”
Ryan, the younger brother of former LSU and Ole Miss defensive back Sage Ryan, proved capable of handling the lofty expectations.
“There were some high expectations for him, and he knew that,” Standiford said. “Not only because of his last name, but because of how talented he was as a freshman.”
After enjoying a strong first season, the expectations grew However, injuries the past two years hindered his progress.
“As a sophomore, Sky battled through some injuries,” Standiford said of the 6-foot, 175-pounder. “He didn’t miss a whole lot of time, but he had a big growth spurt and he was also transitioning into playing a little bit of safety.” Ryan’s hopes of rebounding last season were further dashed in Week 2 when he tore his ACL against Carencro.
“It was very hard because I know I was due for a big season,” Ryan said. “Not even just me, the whole team. We still went 11-2, but I wanted to play
SCOREBOARD
19. Toronto Raptors, Allen Graves, f, Santa Clara 20. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta), Jayden Quaintance, f, Kentucky
35. l- San Antonio Spurs (from Utah via Minnesota), Trevon Brazile, f, Arkansas
36. L.A. Clippers (from Memphis via Atlanta and Utah), Baba Miller, f, Cincinnati
37. m-Oklahoma City Thunder (from Dallas), Ryan Conwell, g, Louisville
38. n-Chicago Bulls (from New Orleans via Boston Detroit, and Portland), Braden Smith g, Purdue
39. o-Houston Rockets (from Chicago via Washington), Jack Kayil, g, Germany
40. Boston Celtics (from Milwaukee via Orlando), Dillon Mitchell, f, St. John’s
41. p-Miami Heat (from Golden State via Charlotte, New York, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta), Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky
42. San Antonio Spurs (from Portland via New Orleans), Ja’Kobi Gillespie, g, Tennessee 43. Brooklyn Nets (from L.A. Clippers via Houston), Tyler Bilodeau, f, UCLA
44. San Antonio Spurs (from Miami via Indiana), Maliq Brown, f, Duke 45. Sacramento Kings (from Charlotte via San Antonio, Atlanta, and New York) Emanuel Sharp, g, Houston
46. Orlando Magic, Felix Okpara, f, Tennes-
see 47. q-Phoenix Sun (from Philadelphia via Houston and Oklahoma City), Tyler Nickel, f, Vanderbilt
48. Dallas Mavericks (from Phoenix via Washington), Tobi Lawal, f, Virginia Tech
49. Denver Nuggets (from Atlanta via Brooklyn and Golden State), Bryce Hopkins, f, St. John’s
50. Toronto Raptors, Jaden Bradley, g, Arizona
51. r-Washington Wizards (from Minnesota via Detroit and New York), Izaiyah Nelson, f, South Florida
52. s-L.A. Clippers (from Cleveland), Henri Veesaar, c, North Carolina
53. Houston Rockets, Ugonna Onyenso, c, Virginia
54. Golden State Warriors (from L.A. Lakers via Toronto, Miami, and Cleveland), LaJae Jones, g, Florida St.
55. t-New York Knicks, Nick Martinelli, f, Northwestern
56. u-Chicago Bulls, (from Denver via Minnesota, Phoenix, Charlotte, and Phoenix), Vsevolod Ishchenko, g, Russia
57. v-Atlanta Hawks (from Boston), Narcisse Ngoy, f, France
58. New Orleans Pelicans (from Detroit via New York, Brooklyn, Phoenix, Orlando, and L.A. Clippers), Jaron Pierre Jr., g, SMU 59. Minnesota Timberwolves (from San Antonio via Indiana), Trey Kaufman-Renn,
“The recovery part of (the injury) was also hard. The mental part of it was hard, but the recovery part was also very hard. I just put my head down and worked.”
As he dealt with the injury, Ryan also had to deal with college interest waning.
Through it all, Ryan leaned into his faith.
“I put my faith in God, and I knew I had people in my circle that told me God always has a plan,” Ryan said. “Especially my mom. So I put my head down, working hard and just trusting in God. I just refused to be stuck focusing on the past. It happened and once it happened, you have got to respond.”
The way Ryan responded was impressive, but not surprising.
“He’s just come back on fire,” Standiford said. “He probably could have run at the state track meet (in May) in a perfect scenario with no rain That’s how well he’s done in rehab. The doctors were super impressed with his progress, and he was only seven months (from the surgery) at the time.” Ryan is expected to be fully cleared to practice in early July
“He’s done pretty much everything besides contact at this point,” Standiford said.
Ryan, who will switch his jersey from No. 15 to No. 1 this season, has shown improved speed while attending college camps this summer Ryan, who is expected to also play wide receiver this season, has offers from Baylor, Syracuse, Nicholls State, Grambling and Southern. “Sky is poised for a big-time year,” Standiford said. “I’m not saying that he’s going to have seven interceptions and five touchdowns on offense. I don’t know if statistically it’ll show but he’ll be one of the leaders of our defense and he’s going to make some big-time plays for us.”
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Tanner Hornback, left, shown here during his St. Thomas More days, has committed to the UL Ragin’ Cajuns out of the transfer portal.
Ryan
Magical music
ThePrincess Concertiscoming to theRiver Center Theatre for PerformingArts on Saturday, bringing songsfrom works including “Frozen,”“Wicked,”“Beauty & TheBeast” and more. The two-hour concertstarts at 3:30 p.m. Tickets startat $47.17. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.
Third (Neighbor) Hood Fest releases lineup
Staff report
The talent and film lineupis out for the third annual (Neighbor) Hood Fest. The event will take place from noonto8 p.m.Saturday,July18, at theMain Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Family-friendly and free to the public, the festival also will feature avendors’ village, foodcourt,children’splay area and hot dog eating contest.
Musical talent will include Henry Turner Jr.&Flavor and theListening Room All-Stars includingKing Solomon,Ervin “Maestro” Foster,Jim Masters, Princess Teha and Dixie Rose. New to the festivalare (Louisiana) Claude Hitt, David Comeaux and Rude. Returning acts areSmokeHousePorter andthe Gut Bucket Blues Band, Crossfire and Ms. Pressure.
The film component this year willfocus on the travel, adventure and music industries in Louisiana.Filmmakers Oscar Tickle,who produced “The Search for Swamp Cows” and“The Secret Dark Side of Imported Shrimp,” and Charles Bush, who produced“Music Dreams, An AmericanStory”will participate in question-and-answer sessions. Music video blocks from the 2025 ListeningRoom Film Festivalwill be “Made In Louisiana” and“Listening Room Alumna.” Sponsors includeLamarAdvertising, EPRPL-Main Library, Blue Runner,WBRZ2+,Visit Baton Rouge, Vernon Thomas, Frankie’sDawg House, Joyful Jumps and Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room Museum Foundation.
Henry Turner Jr.’sListening Room, 2733 North St., will host apre-party from 7p.m. to midnight Thursday,July 16. Cost is $30 and includes abuffet.There will also be ano-host bar Entry forms and more informationare available on thewebsite at neighborhoodfest.org or call (225) 802-9681.
STAGELINEUP*
n NOON-12:20 P.M.: hostPrincess Teha
n 12:30 P.M.-12:50 P.M.: Dave Comeaux (singer-songwriter)
n 2:45 P.M.-3:15 P.M.: SmokeHouse Porterand the Gut Bucket Blues Band
n 3:30 P.M.-4 P.M.: Hot DogEating Contest
n 4P.M.-4:20 P.M.: Rude (blues/ soul)
n 4:30 P.M.-4:50 P.M.: (Louisiana) Claude Hitt (folk/blues)
n 5P.M.-5:45 P.M.: Henry Turner Jr. &Flavor(blues, soul,reggae)
n 6P.M.-6:20 P.M.: Dixie Rose (folk)
n 6:30 P.M.-7 P.M.: King Solomon Willis (R&B)
n 7:15 P.M.-7:45 P.M.: Crossfire (Christian)
ä See LINEUP, page 6C
PerformerSaRiyah Roxx
BACK TO BIGGER
Center Arena to accommodate the United States Bowling Congress championships using thehall.
“And Ididn’trealize how much 30,000 square feet could make a difference untilyou get putinto a40,000-squarefoot space,” Wisekal said Monday
BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer
With 95 vendors and thousands of festivalgoers, Baton Rouge Pride Fest Director Bobbi Wisekal is glad the eventisback in its regular location this year —the 70,000-squarefoot Raising Cane’sRiver Center Exhibition Hall. Last year,the freefestivaldrew about 13,000 peopleand wasmoved to the 40,000-square-foot River
Duringarecent SundayChanté, Syreeta Neal accompanies herself and the group with her guitar.She also uses akeyboard and karaokeapp.
She explained that the arena’sacoustics made themusic seem extremely loudin2025, while during past years in theexhibition hall, people were able to chat while the music was going on.
“It’s amore pleasant experience,”Wisekal said. “Wewere so packed that people were actually walking through each other’s booth spaces to get around.”
This year’sfest will run from noon to 5p.m. Saturday Headlining theday is multi-
platinum-selling popartist and LGBTQ+ advocate David Archuleta, who first cameonto the music sceneatjust 17 on “American Idol.” He competed in the series’ seventh season in 2008, finishing second. “As shown on his 2024 compelling single ‘Hell Together,’ Archuleta has dramatically expanded the landscape of his songwritingand devoted himself to making popmusic with equal parts uncompromising emotion and exhilarating impact,” his bio reads.
“Withhis latest single, ‘Crème Brulée,’David continues to share new sides of himself and has hit a new chord with pop music lovers,” the bio also says.
ä See PRIDE FEST, page 6C
BY JOHN WIRT Contributing writer
Sunday Chanté at the West Baton Rouge Museum in PortAllencreates community through song. Even though all are welcome at thegathering, Syreeta Nealcreated Sunday Chanté especially for female voices. Neal, asinger,voice teacher and daughter of theaward-winning blues artist Kenny Neal,leads
Hitt
Archuleta
STAFF FILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON
takes the stageduring Pride Fest 2025 at the Raising Cane’sRiver Center in BatonRouge.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Usejewelry clothtotestshine
Dear Heloise: Asmall flannel jewelry cloth can come in handy at estate sales and garage sales. It helps you determine if you can clean the item and it will shine up, or if the tarnish can’t be removed.
Dear Heloise: I’ve discovered asecond use for empty cereal bags (that go inside boxes of cereal). Iuse them for flattening chicken breasts. They’re much more durable than waxed paper,not as slippery as plastic wrap, and more sanitary than just using a cutting board and ameat mallet. Ipop the breastinto the bag, pound away,and repeat. If I’ve trimmed any excess fat off the meat, it goes into the bag when I’m
By The Associated Press
done, then into thetrash Margie,Damascus,Oregon Boxspringremoval
try. They love when these items are donated because it’shelpful in feeding the homeless in our community
FRIDAY
LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar,New Iberia, 5p.m
Hints from Heloise
Dear Heloise: Ihad thesame problemwhen fixing my bed and startedwith the step stool, but then Idiscovered that Ireally didn’t needthe box spring. Remove this,and youwon’tneed to use astool to fix your bed. Butifyou’re really short, it will at least make thestool easier to use! —Kim H., in Bakersfield, California
Plasticutensil donation
Dear Heloise: Isaw theletter from Olivia V. andtotally understand hernot wanting to collect plastic table utensils with her takeout food. I save all the plasticware that Iget from restaurants and donateittothe food pan-
TODAYINHISTORY
Today is Friday,June 26, the 177th day of 2026.There are 188 days left in the year
Todayinhistory: On June 26, 2015, in its 5-4 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country,ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Also on this date: In 1917, U.S. troops entered World WarIasthe first soldiers of theAmerican Expeditionary Force landed in Saint-Nazaire, France.
In 1948, the Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing solidarity with the city’s residents, declaring: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”).
In 1996, in the caseof United States v. Virginia,
CHANTÉ
Continued from page5C
women-centered singing circle every firstSunday of the month.
Women who stop singingat some point in their lives, Neal said, may have been stungby criticism of their voices or simply too fearful to sing “A lot of them havea similar story,” Neal saidone weekday afternoon at the museum’sauthentic replica of aSouthern juke joint “But then, as they get older and lose someofthose inhibitions, they want to do the things they’ve always wanted to do. Iwanted to create a space for women who, more than likely,were expected to be quiet or make themselves smaller.Sowecan just be together and be our loud, crazy,fun selves, without fear of being chastised for it.”
During Sunday Chanté,
PRIDE FEST
Continued from page5C
Wisekal, in her fourth year of leading Pride Fest, works as an HIV pharmacist with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is also oneof thefestival’spresenting sponsors, along with Open Health Care Clinic, Whittington Family Fund and L’Auberge Casino &Hotel Baton Rouge. New to the 19th annual fest are: n Drag king performances —tobalance out the drag queens; n ParticipatingHBCU Greek fraternities and sororities from the area’sLGBTQ+ community “(The fraternities and sororities) historicallyknown as being afoundation of that community, which I
—SandraM., in Oxford, Ohio
Diaper disposal hint
Dear Heloise: Ikeep adiaper disposal outside to hold all my pet wasteuntil garbage day.This avoids smells gettingintothe regular garbage pail, and there’s no odor in the diaper pail. Saunda G., in Tucson,Arizona
Spicejar hint
Dear Heloise: When opening anew spice jar,don’tpull off the cardboard. Instead, slice it down the middle and remove half of it. This creates aflat edge you can use to level your measuring spoons. —Margaret S.,inLaMirada, California
Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
theU.S. SupremeCourt found that the Virginia Military Institute’smale-only admission policy violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. (VMI enrolled its first femalecadetsthe following year.) In 1997,the first Harry Potternovel, Harry Potter andthe Philosopher’sStone” by J.K.Rowling,was published in the United Kingdom. It was laterreleasedin the United States under the title “HarryPotter and the Sorcerer’sStone.” In 2008, in District of Columbiav.Heller,the U.S. Supreme Court struck down ahandgunban inthe District of Columbia as it affirmed,5-4, that an individual’sright to gun ownership is protected bythe Second Amendment In 2013, in the case of United States v. Windsor, the U.S.SupremeCourt gave thenation’s legally married same-sex couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans, and cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California in a separate decision
Neal accompanies herself and the group with her guitar,akeyboard and karaoke app. She teaches participants from aprinted songbook sheassembles for the sessions.
Selections can include familiar songs such as “This Little Light of Mine,” “Stand by Me”and Louisiana’sofficial state song,“YouAre My Sunshine.” Also,newermaterial such as Jason Mraz’s “I Won’tGive Up” and, the song that opened Sunday Chanté in June,India Arie’s “I Am Light.”
“Thegoal is nottobea choir, but when people walk by,theythink it’sachoir rehearsing,” Neal said. “It’s awesome.”
Sunday Chanté participation has ranged from ahalfdozento25attendeesages 3 to 87. It’sbecome one of the musicalactivities Neal especially loves.
“My favorite thing, when it comes to music,isthe com-
appreciatebecause it gives everybody asense of family, right?”Wisekal said. “And belonging. And theyalso give back to thecommunity.Sowepartner alot with them and different events that we feellike is necessary in order for everyone to be seen.”
Fornewbies to PrideFest, sheoffers these pointers:
n Make sure you have a clear purse or clear bag unless it’sthe size of aclutch
n People will be allowed to bring theirbaby strollers this year.
n There will be two of the popular drag queen storytimes, at 12:30 p.m. and 3p.m
n At the food court this year,look for Mestizo’s, Mother’sand Ruby Slipper amongthe varied fare.
n The venue is cashless. Although some booths or food vendors may takecash at
In 2024, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was sentenced in federal court in New York to 45 years in prison and fined $8 million for conspiring to distributemore than 400 tons of cocaine and for firearms offenses.(Hernandez was freed in 2025 after apardon by President Donald Trump, who said Hondurans believed Hernandez had been “set up.” Today’sbirthdays: Jazz musician-composer Dave Grusin is 92. Brazilian singer-songwriter and politicianGilberto Gil is 84. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer is 73. MusicianMickJones (The Clash, Big AudioDynamite) is 71. CyclistGreg LeMond is 65. Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is 58. Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is 56. Actor Sean Hayes is 56. Actor Chris O’Donnellis56. Actor Nick Offerman is 56. Country musician Gretchen Wilsonis53. BaseballHall of Famer Derek Jeter is 52. Actor Jason Schwartzman is 46. Actor Aubrey Plaza is 42.Actor-author Jennette McCurdy is 34.
munitypart of it,” she said.
In June, Joyce Scott, 87, already aregular at the museum’smusical performances and festivals, attended her second Sunday Chanté.
“I couldn’twait till today got here,” the retired teacher said. “I enjoy the singing. It clears your mind, gives you something to do. They writeabout music being good for thesoul.”
Sandra L’Herisson, another second-time Sunday Chanté attendee in June, plays bass in Unselfish Lovers of the Blues, but sings only occasional backup vocals with thatpopular local band.
“There’ssomething special about singing in a group,” L’Herisson said. “It raises theenergy so high. Youcan come in with any kind of feeling and comeout feeling better,and Syreeta is abeautiful personand teacher.”
TwoofNeal’s private voice lesson studentsinspired the
their booths, don’tcount on it.
n Ablessing of the relationships willbeconducted, with local ministers officiating, followed by cakeand photos beneatha flower arch.
Wisekalstressedthat the festival is focused on family and started to cry as she related astory from last year’s event. “A vendortold me the reason why theydecided to come back was that they saw somebody fromanoil refinery, afather,actually come in afterwork with their son, a5-or6-year-old with little fairy wings on and him holding his hand and just like thanking them for being there to give him asafe space,”she recalled “That he thought about his child so much thathe brought him ” For more, visit batonrougepride.org.
LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza&Brewery, Lafayette, 6p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s,Broussard, 6p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: The BarrelofBroussard, Broussard, 8p.m
THE CARTOONS: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m.
NIK-L BEER: Rock ’n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 9p.m
SATURDAY
KEYUN&ZYDECO
MASTERS: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8a.m
TROYLEJEUNE BAND: Fred’s, Mamou 8a.m
CAJUN BREAKFAST WITH JAMIE
BERGERON: Naq’sn-Duson, Duson, 8:30 a.m.
CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park,Lafayette, 9a.m
SATURDAY MORNING
JAMSESSIONS: The SavoyMusic Center, Eunice, 9a.m
CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie,Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.
CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville Living History Museum &Folklife Park,Lafayette, 1p.m
CAJUN JAMSESSION: Touchet’s Bar,Maurice, 2p.m
SEEDLESS BASH ’26!: Adopted Dog Brewing,Lafayette, 6p.m.
KINDRED SOULZ: The TapRoom, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m
SLIM AND JIM: Buck &Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m
TROUBADOUR: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m
CHARLES&WENDY TRICHE: Whiskey and Vine, Lafayette, 7p.m.
JC MELANCON: Silver Slipper, Arnaudville, 7p.m.
JULIAN PRIMEAUX: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 7p.m.
CHRIS HIMEL&JEFF
MENARD: Gloria’s Bar &Grill, Lafayette, 8p.m.
CHUBBYCARRIER: La PoussiereCajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 8p.m.
MIKE BROUSSARD & QUICKDRAW: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 8p.m.
THE PRESERVATIVES: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8p.m.
SHADOW ROAD: Toby’s Lounge, Opelousas, 8:30 p.m
women-centered singing circle.
“Because they were so fun, so brave,socool,”she said of the students. “Every time Iworked with one of them, Iwanted them to meet each other.This is my way of allowingthemtobe in thesame space together They’re dear friends now andgive each other rides to theSunday Chanté.”
With the museum’sblessing, the singing circle began in March in the museum’s juke joint. The museum created its juke joint at the suggestion of Neal’s father, Kenny Summer heat has temporarily compelled Sunday Chanté’smovefrom thejuke joint to an air-conditioned museum gallery There’s no audienceduring
CRYRS: Rock ’n’ Bowl de Lafayette, Lafayette, 9p.m.
SUNDAY
LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.
THE SUNDAYPEOPLE: Whiskey& Vine Lafayette, 11 a.m.
LESFRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s, Carencro, 11:30 a.m.
BALDUDIMANCHE—CAJUN FIRE: Vermilionville Living History Museum& Folklife Park, Lafayette, 1p.m.
“That makes it comfortable and safe,” Neal said. “It’snot aperformance group. It’s about creating music togethervs. creating it forsomeone else. We do it foreach other.”
Afriendintroduced Mary Lynn Lobello to the group. Though shedid love singing, thedemands of ballet training earlier in Lobello’slife meant she couldn’tpursue both music and dance. Now she sees the museum’s singing circle as arefuge.
“The world is on fire,” Lobello said following June’s session.“How do you step out of the mess that’ssurrounding us allthe time, makesomething beautiful and share it with other people? Ifeel like that’swhat we did.”
SARD: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.
BLUEGRASS JAM: Cité des Arts, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m
TUESDAY
DONALD WRIGHT: Whiskeyand Vine, Lafayette, 6p.m.
PAUL TASSIN: CharleyG’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.
SIONSOPENMIC: The Jefferson Street Greenroom, Lafayette, 7p.m.
WEDNESDAY
DULCIMERJAM: St. Landry Visitor Center,Opelousas, 10 a.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6p.m.
WANTED WEDNESDAYKARAOKE NIGHT: The Barrel of Broussard, Broussard, 6p.m. LIVE MUSIC: The Tap Room, Youngsville 6:30 p.m
CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8p.m.
THURSDAY LADIESNIGHT
Compiledby
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Seize the moment and engage in talks. Take action to make a difference and bring about positive change. Don't let anger set in when intelligence and positive affirmation will get you where you want to go.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Emotional anger is counterproductive. Channel your energy into something meaningful, and it will encourage you to volunteer your time to worthwhile causes and concerns.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Travel, communicate, learn and participate, and you'll open channels that lead to interesting encounters or new beginnings. What you contribute will be well received.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) You can desire change, but first consider any consequences that follow. Look inward. Consider what's necessary and what's feasible, and map out a plan that reflects who you are and what you can do.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Bask in the things you enjoy doing most. Engage with people who share your passion and bring out the best in you. Turn your life journey into something that elevates you.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Spin situations to fit your needs. Use your voice, connections and willpower to make things happen. Don't let what others choose to do slow down your agenda.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Set high standards, and follow through with your plans. The opportunities you are
searching for will unfold through the action you take and the people you approach.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Step up, choose a direction that excites you and turn your plans into reality. Using your skills, attributes and imagination will help you increase your earning potential through prospects that you initiate.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stifle anyone who pressures you to make a snap decision or change your plans. Look out for your interests and pursue your dreams. Invest time and money in yourself and what you own.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Put a big push on self-improvement projects and looking and being top-notch. Consistency and discipline will help you achieve whatever you set out to do.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Acting in haste can have side effects. Determine what you want to achieve, and have a foolproof plan in place before you push the button and engage in rhetoric or unrealistic promises.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Set yourself up for success. Turn your surroundings into your source of motivation. Having emotional energy and channeling it to serve a purpose will elevate you as well as attract attention.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: J EQuALs c
FAMILY CIrCUS
CeLebrItY CIpher
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
A.J. Kitt, who used to be atop downhillskier,said,“Youhavenocontrolover what the other guy does. Youonlyhave control over what you do.”
That is usually true at the bridge table, but sometimes you can control your opponentbyleavinghimwithnowinning option —asinthis deal South is in seven spades.Westleads the club ace. Southruffs and cashes the spade ace, expecting to claimone nanosecond later. But when Eastdiscards a club,suddenlyWestseemstohaveacertain trumptrick. Is there any chance?
North’s rebid was adouble negative, showingaverybadhand,eitherthetraditionaltwo no-trumporthe modernthree clubs,according to partnership preference. Then South, confident that North could not have an ace, jumped to seven hearts to offer achoiceofgrand slams. Northgave preference to spades, never having expected to make three bids in the auction
The only way to bring home the contract is to lead side-suit winners through West. When he ruffs one, dummyoverruffs, and declarerdraws trumps, then having the samenumber of spades (three) as West
However, West will onlyruff if he has no alternative.Hewill discard as often as possible. Here, if South immediately runs hishearts,Westwill pitch hisdiamond and later ruff the diamond ace. As declarer can throw only four of dummy’sfivediamondsonthehearts,he must cash one diamond trick first. Then heplayshishearts.Eventually,Westwill concede.
Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters 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, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed
toDAy’s WoRD EQuIVocAL: ih-KWIH-vuh-kul: Subject to multiple interpretations, usually used to mislead.
Average mark26words
Time limit 55 minutes
Can you find 43 or morewords in EQUIVOCAL?
yEstERDAy’s WoRD —BAnALIty
PuzzleAnswer today’s thought “Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long on the land which the Lord your God gives you.” Exodus 20:12
