Hundreds return for last walk through Comeaux High before it closes forever
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Hundreds of people flocked to Comeaux High School on Thursday evening as if the final bell was about to ring Alumni and former faculty walked the halls one final time of the school they called home for years, peeking into classrooms, greeting former classmates and reminiscing. Some scored tangible souvenirs: Tshirts, football jerseys, football helmets, plants and folding chairs with the Spartans logo on them.
The school, opened in 1966, is slated to close June 30 to
become a career center The closure follows a bitter fight between faculty, alumni, students and parents pitted against the Lafayette Parish School Board and school system administration.
“It’s bittersweet,” Barbara Vautrot, who taught at Comeaux High from 1974-2004, said as she stood in a hallway, surrounded by former students and teachers.
“The classroom was the happiest place in my life.”
Greeted by a former student, she recalled their name immediately. She even
ä See COMEAUX, page 5A ä See what’s on your ballot. PAGE 5A
U.S. strikes Iran in
President says attack violated ceasefire
By COLLIN BINKLEY and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press
WASHINGTON The U.S. struck Iran on Friday in response to a drone attack a day earlier on a cargo ship
in the Strait of Hormuz. It’s the most significant test yet to an interim understanding reached a week ago by the two countries to begin working to end their monthslong war and reopen the pivotal waterway President Donald Trump said the drone attack violated the ceasefire The strikes came shortly after Trump told reporters, “You’ll find out,” whether the U.S. would respond.
State Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-New Orleans, and former Jefferson Parish President John Young, a Republican, are facing off for the PSC seat that Eric Skrmetta is vacating because of term limits. The Legislature drew boundaries designed to elect a Republican. The PSC regulates the power grid and other utilities. The district includes portions of Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans and St. Charles parishes and all of Plaquemines, St. Bernard,
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Lafayette Consolidated Government secured nearly $23 million in direct and set-aside funding for infrastructure and public safety improvements during the 2026 legislative session, officials said. Legislation successfully pushed by state Rep. Annie Spell, R-Lafayette, also mandates commercial insurers to reimburse crisis care providers, supporting the viability of a future crisis center in the city, according to an LCG announcement.
“A strong partnership with our legislative delegation led to big outcomes,” said Mayor-President Monique Boulet. “Our legislators worked with us every step of the way as we turn our priorities into real results. As we continue to address infrastructure, public safety, redevelopment and improving quality of life in our community, this kind of collaboration is essential.”
Funding for projects includes: n Widening Rue Du Belier: $2 million n
response to drone attack on cargo ship
U.S. Central Command said the military struck missile and drone locations and coastal radar sites in Iran.
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them,” Trump said at the White House shortly before the U.S. struck back. When asked why there would be strikes when Trump has insisted talks with Tehran are going well, Trump said
of Iran: “They’re a little bit different.”
He then abruptly cut off questions and reporters were ushered out of his office.
Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, responded to Trump on social media earlier Friday, saying, “the Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules” and to “not mistake control
for escalation.”
“This is not a violation of the ceasefire; it is ceasefire management,” Azizi wrote The U.S. strikes on Iran concluded about an hour after U.S. Central Command announced the military action on social media, a U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation.
Money to go toward key projects ä See STRIKE, page 5A
The British military said on Thursday that a container ship was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, coming hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using the route. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said no injuries were reported. The development came during a fragile time for the U.S. and Iran as they work
STAFF PHOTO By CLAIRE TAyLOR
Comeaux High School alumni, from left, Dantrey Lockett and Devante Lee, class of 2017, and Breanna Foreman, class of 2019, toured the school for the last time on Thursday
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Steve Laborde, Class of 1983, views past awards displayed in the band room during a Legacy Walk for alumni, former educators and staff members of Comeaux High School on Thursday in Lafayette. The school, opened in 1966, is scheduled to close Tuesday before being repurposed as a career center
Missing giraffe found in Texas after two weeks
Gracie the Giraffe, who went missing for about two weeks in Texas after wandering off a remote private ranch, was finally found Friday — and the open range appeared to have agreed with her
The giraffe was spotted about 4 miles south of her enclosure during an aerial search in the Texas Hill Country, according to Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson. He said Gracie’s owner, Vick Jones, contacted a veterinarian and began putting together a team to bring the giraffe safely back to the ranch
“She’s in good shape,” Jones said “She’s standing there, swishing her tail.”
Gracie, who is about 3 years old and weighs at least 1,200 pounds, was found within a halfmile of a pond and creek and had plenty of vegetation to feed on, said Jones, adding that she appeared to have been in that area for about a week
Getting the 10-foot-tall giraffe home to the Cedar Hollow Ranch, about 100 miles west of San Antonio, was taking some work.
Veterinarians needed time to sedate Gracie and put a hood over her eyes, Jones said From there, Gracie will be moved with an open-pasture trailer to a taller, enclosed trailer made for giraffes for the trip back to the ranch.
Man accused in Calif wildfire faces retrial
LOSANGELES The man accused of sparking last year’s deadly Palisades Fire will be tried again this fall after his first federal arson case ended in a mistrial Friday Ten of the 12 jurors insisted Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is innocent. Judge Anne Hwang quickly set an Oct. 19 retrial date and ordered him jailed until then.
Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty to starting one of the most destructive wildfires in California history and feels encouraged that so many of the jurors “resoundingly found that the government’s case was not strong, and they did not have enough evidence to convict him,” defense attorney Steve Haney said.
But First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said they have strong evidence and will seek a guilty verdict in a new trial.
Prosecutors said Rinderknecht used a barbecue lighter on Jan. 1, 2025, to spark a blaze that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up Jan. 7 and killing 12 people as it incinerated entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Malibu Only 17 rebuilt homes in Pacific Palisades have been certified for occupancy since then.
Prosecutors never provided direct evidence that Rinderknecht started the earlier blaze. They showed jurors he was in the area when it began and presented a digital trail to indicate he was motivated by a desire to take revenge on society
His defense said fireworks were the likely cause and that investigators had zeroed in too quickly on Rinderknecht without clear proof.
Large, harmless asteroid will zip past Earth
NEWYORK A large asteroid will zip past Earth this weekend, but don’t worry: It poses no danger
The space rock — 1997 NC1 — makes its closest approach Saturday morning, coming within 1.6 million miles, according to the European Space Agency
Discovered nearly three decades ago by an asteroid-tracking system in Hawaii, the asteroid is between 2,461 feet to 5,413 feet wide — roughly the size of two to four Empire State Buildings.
Skygazers with binoculars and small telescopes may be able to spot the asteroid as a small point of light passing harmlessly through the sky It won’t greet Earth from such a distance again until 2133, according to NASA
The last time an asteroid similar in size passed safely by Earth from an even closer distance was in 2022, when a space rock called 1994 PC1 made its approach.
Venezuelans search for missing after quakes
Death toll continues to climb after disaster
BY REGINA GARCIA CANO, JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ and MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands Friday in the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes, citing the scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of the disaster climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing.
Citizens digging through the rubble of their homes said they have seen few state rescue teams in the areas hit hardest by the devastating 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck late Wednesday despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response.
The lack of help compounded families’ desperation as the pressure to find buried survivors increased with each passing hour The South American nation on Friday marked nearly two days since the disaster Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a crucial time frame to retrieve people alive, though that period can be extended if they have access to food and water Meanwhile, a broad international aid effort accelerated, with dozens of rescue teams from around the globe arriving in Venezuela or due to arrive there soon.
“Each person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodríguez the president of the country’s National Assembly “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”
Anxious families
Families across northern Venezuela searched in the ruins of buildings for relatives and whatever remained of their lives.
Nazareth Jimenez sobbed into the shoulder of a loved one as she watched neighbors try to cut through slabs of con-
crete with hammers and power tools in a building reduced to a mountain of debris.
“My God, how are we going to get them out of there?” she murmured.
She was in the northern state of La Guaira, just north of the capital of Caracas, where some of the worst destruction unfolded. Jimenez was wracked with anxiety as she waited to see if her siblings, nephews, nieces and friends would emerge from the debris alive.
“We’re making a call for help to the government and countries across the world,” she said, pleading for machines that would be capable of moving collapsed structures. “There are still people alive in there.”
Government forces distributed food and water to survivors in La Guaira as acting President Delcy Rodríguez said her government was mounting a full response during these “critical hours for rescuing people alive.” She welcomed the arrival of rescuers and humanitarian aid from all over the world. She said La Guaira had been militarized and that more help was on the way, even as residents said it was just a fraction of the aid they needed.
The disaster poses a huge challenge for Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January after the capture and removal of then-President Nicolás Maduro by the United States Venezuela has been facing economic disarray for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Rodríguez represents.
The number of dead was expected to climb, and civilians reported tens of thousands of people missing on independent digital databases. The number of missing likely includes those who have been incommunicado due to the lack of cellphone signals in disaster zones. Some reports may be duplicates created when multiple loved ones are searching for the same person.
The number of injured climbed to more than 3,300 as of midday Friday, and authorities said they had rescued 243 people.
Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
GREENBELT, Md. Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term.
Bolton, who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump after serving in the Republican’s first administration, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 28 by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Greenbelt, Maryland Bolton, 77, of Bethesda, Maryland, pleaded guilty to a single count of illegally retaining national defense information, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. His plea agreement with the Justice Department may enable him to avoid time behind bars, but the judge ultimately will decide his punishment
retirement pay for his federal service.
The plea deal also requires him to submit to a debriefing with federal intelligence officials and perform up to 100 hours of community service.
After a prosecutor read aloud a summary of his offenses, Bolton agreed that it was accurate.
“I’m sorry for it,” he told the judge.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell said Bolton “did what real leaders do” by pleading guilty
“He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information,” Lowell said in a statement after the hearing.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, the top federal prosecutor for Maryland, said Bolton knew how to properly handle and store classified information.
Israel, Lebanon signframework deal with U.S.
Rubio calls agreement ‘first step’ toward peace
BY BEN FINLEY, ABBY SEWELL and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the U.S. Friday to announce a framework agreement that was described as a first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The agreement does not include Hezbollah and prompted one of the group’s officials in Lebanon to warn of civil war The U.S. State Department said the framework establishes a process for dismantling Hezbollah and for Lebanon to regain territory that was taken by Israeli forces as they battled the militant group.
The U.S. will facilitate a newly created “Military Coordination Group for Lebanon” to implement the framework, the State Department said, while committing $100 million in humanitarian assistance.
“For Lebanon, this Framework provides a genuine pathway out of a long crisis,” the State Department said. “For Israel, it creates a verifiable path to removing the persistent threat on its northern border.”
Friday’s agreement was
signed in front of Rubio in Washington by Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, the Lebanese ambassador to the United States. Leiter said the final destination of the framework is peace between the two countries.
“Our language is we want to embrace Lebanon,” he said. “Our language is we want to get in our car in Tel Aviv and take a drive up to Beirut, and we want Beirut to come down and take a drive to Tel Aviv That’s where we’re going. That’s where we want to go.” Leiter said that will depend on Hezbollah being disarmed and dismantled, which will allow Israel to withdraw and Lebanon to “regain its full sovereignty.”
“So it really depends on the Lebanese army,” Leiter said “It depends on the support the Lebanese army gets from the U.S. And we think it’s going to be solid.” Moawad said the framework “is a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security and prosperity.”
The latest conflict began when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28. Israel invaded Lebanon and has expanded its control.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Lebanon’s Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Friday at the State Department in Washington after signing an agreement described as a first step toward peace between Israel and Hezbollah.
The plea agreement recommends capping any prison sentence at five years, but the judge isn’t bound by that part of the deal Bolton, who also agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million, can withdraw his guilty plea if the judge imposes a longer prison sentence or a larger fine.
Bolton must pay half of the fine within five days of his plea and the balance within 90 days. He agreed to forfeit his
“He also knew the damage to national security that could be caused by mishandling that sensitive information Nevertheless, as Mr Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law,” Hayes told reporters. Bolton was charged last October with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, including diary-like notes that he shared with relatives as he wrote a memoir about his career in government.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FERNANDO VERGARA
Rescue workers place Daniel Cordero on a stretcher on Friday after pulling him from the rubble two days after an earthquake struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Lawmakers subpoena billionaire over Epstein
Officials say Leon Black refused to answer questions
BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press
WASHINGTON The House Oversight Committee served subpoenas to billionaire investor Leon Black on Friday after lawmakers say he refused to answer some questions about his yearslong relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a time in which he paid the disgraced financier at least $158 million.
Black is the co-founder and former chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management who stepped down in 2021 amid fallout over his ties to Epstein. He became the 16th person to appear before the committee as part of their broader investigation into the web of wealth and influence around Epstein.
Lawmakers emerged from the closed-door voluntary interview with Black saying he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements, prompting the committee to issue a subpoena about the NDAs. A second subpoena was issued for Black to testify under oath on July 16.
“This is a result of refus-
ing to answer specific questions,” Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chairman, told reporters after Black’s interview Susan Estrich, the lawyer representing Black, said the decision to serve the subpoenas was a “premeditated political decision.” She called it a “planned political stunt.”
Democrats emerged from their hour of questioning
Black saying he had not answered questions, and they praised Comer’s decision to subpoena him.
Rep. Robert Garcia the top ranking Democrat on the committee, told reporters that “it was clear from the moment this interview started that Leon Black was not going was not going to answer critical questions.”
Black is mentioned repeatedly in files that the Department of Justice has released related to the Epstein investigation. He also appears in a collection of birthday messages sent to Epstein that were released by the House committee last year, including a poem attributed to him that refers to “Blond, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically.”
Black maintained Friday that he was not aware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019 and that he paid Epstein for legitimate purposes, in part due to his “unrivaled network of rela-
tionships” with influential figures.
“I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde,” said Black.
A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor The review said the payments were for “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services.”
“I gave Epstein a second chance, as did many others.
I wish I had not,” Black said. Epstein was indicted in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. The Justice Department alleged that Epstein created a vast network of girls, some as young as 14, for him to sexually abuse between 2002 and 2005. He died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Comer said earlier this year that Epstein’s former
accountant, Richard Kahn, told lawmakers in his testimony that Epstein received significant sums of money from a number of high-profile individuals, including Black.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this month referred findings from a nearly four-year investigation into Black to the House committee. In a statement, Wyden said, “Epstein even appears to have acted as a middleman for Black to pay women on Black’s behalf.”
Black broadly denied the allegations in his opening statement, calling them “rank speculation.”
“I have never abused a woman. I have never been with an underage woman. I have never engaged in sex trafficking. I have never paid Epstein for access to women. I was never blackmailed by Epstein.”
Other figures to have appeared for the investigation include former Democratic President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Gates testified earlier this month and said he had made a “grave error in judgment” by meeting with Epstein. Black said Epstein’s network included SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Democrats on the House committee have pushed Republicans to seek testimony from President Donald Trump, a Republican who had his own yearslong relationship with Epstein. Republicans have refused, saying they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong during his well-documented friendship with Epstein.
Disagreements between Supreme Court justices bubble into view
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court is handing down major opinions at a rapid clip, but even with some of the biggest decisions yet to come, there are signs of tension as the justices near the end of the term. A misunderstanding led to a highly unusual exchange for the restrained and traditional atmosphere after the nation’s highest court took the bench Thursday to hand
down their decisions. Those rulings included two major immigration wins for President Donald Trump. After conservative Justice Samuel Alito finished his reading of the majority’s ruling limiting how people can seek asylum at the southern border, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke up to read from her biting dissent. She traced the difficult journey many asylum seekers face and outlined a painful chapter in the country’s history: When the U.S. and other countries turned back
a ship full of Jewish refugees attempting to flee persecution in Nazi Germany in 1939. About 250 of those passengers later died in the Holocaust Sotomayor, the first Latina justice, said the majority’s opinion would allow the Trump administration to block people from applying for asylum at the border, which would result in more deaths. The decision “regrettably and tragically extinguishes the light of the torch of the Statue of Liberty.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Judge holds prosecutors in Charlie Kirk murder case in contempt
BY MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press
The Utah judge in the murder case over Charlie Kirk’s killing held prosecutors in contempt of court on Friday over comments they made to media organizations about defendant Tyler Robinson. Judge Tony Graf said the comments violated his restrictions on what the two sides can say about the case outside of court. But Graf denied a defense request to take the death penalty off the table as a sanction for the violation. He said the problem could instead be resolved through the screening and questioning process for potential jurors, which is intended to weed out people who could be biased about the case. Robinson has not yet en-
tered a plea. The 23-year-old from southwestern Utah is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept 10 assassination of Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump who was shot in the neck while addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University
Defense attorneys had accused Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard of trying to influence potential jurors by going on a “media tour” to talk about ballistics evidence in the case. Ballard also said prosecutors had enough evidence to show Robinson murdered Kirk.
Legal experts had said blocking the death penalty would have been an extreme remedy Graf said it would have been “grossly disproportionate” to the miscon-
duct
Ballard argued that he had a right to speak to the press to correct misinformation about a preliminary finding by ballistics experts.
Those experts’ initial tests did not match the bullet fragment with a gun that investigators believe was used to kill Kirk. That spurred stories by some publications raising questions about the prosecution’s case: A March 30 headline in the U.K.-based Daily Mail reported that the bullet that killed Kirk “did NOT match” the rifle investigators say was used to kill Kirk.
Ballard said he was trying to “set the record straight,” when he told media organizations the ballistics tests were inconclusive to determine whether the bullet was fired from the suspected murder weapon.
Man accused of faking death and fleeing to Scotland after rape charges, has died
BY ED WHITE Associated Press
A man who was accused of faking his own death in 2020 and fleeing to Europe to evade rape charges in the U.S. has died after he was taken to a hospital from a Utah prison, authorities said Friday Nicholas Rossi was serving at least 10 years in prison for two sexual assault cases that went to trial in Utah in 2025, following a yearslong global saga to find him and then extradite him from Scotland. A judge had described him as a “serial abuser of women.” Rossi, 38, died Thursday night from “complications of an existing medical condition after choosing to discontinue
medical treatment,” said Richard Piatt, a spokesperson at the Utah Department of Corrections
His victims and his family were notified, Piatt said. Piatt said he couldn’t disclose details about Rossi’s health problems. But during court appearances, he had appeared in a wheelchair and used oxygen.
“Mr. Rossi was a sexual predator who tried to escape accountability,” Salt Lake County prosecutor Sim Gill said “The survivors of his heinous acts have the consolation that he died in prison with the knowledge of the crimes he committed.” Rossi, also known as Nicholas Alahverdian, was extradited to Utah from Scotland
in 2024. Authorities had been searching for him when he was identified in 2018 through a decade-old DNA rape kit.
Months after he was charged, an online obituary claimed Rossi died on Feb. 29, 2020, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But police in his home state of Rhode Island, along with his former lawyer and a former foster family, cast doubt on whether he was dead. He was arrested in Scotland the following year while receiving treatment for COVID-19. Hospital staff recognized his distinctive tattoos, including the crest of Brown University inked on his shoulder although he never attended.
watched her intently as she spoke, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson looked straight ahead. Majority opinions are always read from the bench and dissenters can speak up as well to underscore their objections, which typically happens in few cases every term. Additional rulings are expected on Monday Sotomayor’s spoken dissent, however, appeared to
be a surprise for Alito. In a very rare move, he spoke off the cuff. He sounded surprised and frustrated, saying he would have added more detail to his summary if he’d known about plans to speak.
The confusion turned out to be a misunderstanding on Alito’s part; Sotomayor’s chambers had passed along word of her plan.
For the conservative majority, the case was about
whether the law allows border officials can delay asylum seekers’ entry into the U.S. “until they can be processed in a safe and orderly way,” not about the wisdom of the policy itself. Out loud, Alito defended his opinion by noting that the policy at the center of the case had been used under both the Obama and Trump administrations. “I won’t add anything more to that,” he said
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Leon Black, a billionaire who was close with Jeffrey Epstein, arrives Friday for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee at the Capitol in Washington.
Utah restricts fireworks, declares state of emergency
Largest U.S wildfire grows
BY KATHY MCCORMACK and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press
Utah restricted fireworks and declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of July Fourth celebrations as the United States’ largest wildfire mushroomed in size. The National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning as dry, windy conditions provided fuel for more fires across the western U.S.
The Cottonwood Fire in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah started Monday It reached more than 112 square miles Friday and was uncontained, forestry officials said. One of six large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County forcing mandatory evacuations.
Smoke from the fire has been pushing to the east and northeast, meaning the air quality at popular vacation spots like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — located far south of the flames — hasn’t been significantly affected beyond some haze in the Bryce area. Still, visitors to Bryce have posted videos on social media showing the giant plume in the distance.
The smoke could further be seen for hundreds of miles, all the way to Colorado, as authorities put roughly 1,300 residents in the towns of Marysvale, Junction and Circleville on notice that they should be prepared to leave if conditions worsen and the fire pushes further
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory,” state forester Jamie Barnes said in a statement Thursday “We’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations. Some of the fires we’ve responded to this year are behaving in ways veteran firefighters
simply haven’t seen before.”
Bruce Brown, 76, accompanied the sheriff on Thursday to find that his cabin and others in the area were gone.
“It looks a lot like the moon,” Brown said. “Just burned out. Power poles tipped over all up the canyon.”
Alyssa Olsen, 27, said her family’s cabin also burned, including memorabilia from her grandfather’s time in the ski patrol. It was the last place they gathered for family photos with her grandmother before she died of cancer Her brother was to get married there in two months.
“That stuff you can’t just
build back,” Olsen said. Utah limits fireworks
Gov Spencer Cox set the temporary fireworks restrictions through July 5 as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary saying “this year is different.”
The weather service in Salt Lake City, for the first time in the office’s history, issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” warning for five Utah counties, including the area of the Cottonwood Fire. The rare alert was first used to warn of tornado conditions. A red flag warning also was issued for most of the state.
“Prepare now for rapid fire growth,” it said.
A similar “dangerous situation” warning had been issued for the 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday in the arson case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of sparking that fire. The jury said it couldn’t agree on a verdict.
While the Cottonwood Fire’s cause was unknown, Cox’s order noted that humans have been the cause of most fires in the state so far this year
The governor’s order gives Barnes power to restrict or prohibit fireworks displays in Utah’s cities and towns, instead of leaving those decisions to the communities.
With extreme fire conditions persisting, Rocky Mountain Power issued a public safety power shut-off watch/warning for areas of central, southern and eastern Utah through the weekend.
Crews also were battling the Iron Fire southwest of Salt Lake City The flames on Thursday forced the temporary evacuation of Eureka, population 1,000.
Concern in the West
Red flag warnings, which mean conditions such as low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds can create an extreme wildfire risk, were in effect Friday and stretched from Idaho to southern Arizona and New Mexico.
The warnings extended into Saturday with forecasters predicting winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour and very low humidity levels. The worst conditions were expected from northern Arizona into central and southern Utah. Much of Utah already is experiencing severe to extreme drought, while parts of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico are experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor Tim Brown, a research professor and director of the Western Regional Climate Center, said the potential for extreme fire behavior will remain as long as it’s hot, dry and windy “I would not be surprised to see a lot of restrictions come out as we get closer to the July Fourth weekend,” he said. “People really need to be aware of their surroundings if they’re going to be out in the forested campground areas and grassland areas.” Even in Florida, where there have been multiple brush fires, authorities are urging people to skip the personal fireworks and instead leave the pyrotechnics to professionals putting on carefully planned shows. In Utah, federal land managers have closed public lands near the Cottonwood Fire as a precaution, and in New Mexico, forest officials closed campgrounds and trails near a wildfire burning in the Jemez Mountains.
Ukraine unleashes major drone bombardments on Russia
By The Associated Press
Ukraine launched a major nighttime attack on a dozen Russian regions, Russianheld Crimea and the surrounding seas, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Friday, in what appeared to be one of Kyiv’s biggest drone assaults since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion more than four years ago.
Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The previous biggest Ukrainian attack over the past year, as Ukraine has accelerated its drone development, involved 556 drones on May 17.
In an effort to turn the tables on Russia’s grinding war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have been
battering oil production and energy facilities behind the front line and deep inside Russia.
The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Moscow’s efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say and has heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Initial damage reports
from Russia after the overnight attack provided scant information. Russia’s Defense Ministry usually doesn’t say what was targeted in Ukraine’s drone attacks, nor does it detail any damage.
Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and
caught fire. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the report, and there was no official confirmation.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they flew toward the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.
Ukraine’s Security Service said it used drones to strike
Russian navy ships and air defense radars in Kerch, an important port city in Crimea. The targets were two reconnaissance and minelaying ships, the Volga and the Vyatka, and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, the agency said, claiming that the strikes started a large fire. The claim could not be independently verified.
BY JAMIE STENGLE and JIM VERTUNO Associated Press
public school curriculum.
AUSTIN, Texas The Texas education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible passages, widening conservative efforts to push Christian teachings in U.S. classrooms. The Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list over critics who argued the titles lack diversity and blur the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the
The proposal, which mandates literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside passages from the New Testament, has been closely followed by education observers who say it appears to be the first of its kind in the nation. It is a departure from letting schools or teachers decide what students read. The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030. Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation’s public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more religion into classrooms The state also allows public schools to hire chaplains to counsel students, mandates the dis-
play of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and has approved an optional Bibleinfused curriculum.
Critics say the reading list lacks diversity, blurs the separation of church and state that is enshrined in the Constitution and leaves teachers and students with little room to decide what to read.
“Kids of all faith backgrounds and no faith are served by Texas schools and they should all feel welcome in Texas schools,” said Elva Mendoza, legislative communications associate for the progressive Texas Freedom Network. “But this is sending the message to children that one and only one religious text — a Christian one — is worthy of making this required reading list.” Texas board OKs Bible stories as required reading in public schools
PHOTO PROVIDED By THE U.S FOREST SERVICE Firefighters respond Wednesday to the Cottonwood Fire above Birch Lake near Beaver, Utah
COMEAUX
Continued from page 1A
remembered where some of them sat in her classroom
Staci Henry was one of Vautrot’s English students for two years. A 1988 graduate, Henry said it felt like it was just yesterday she was walking the halls at Comeaux High as a student.
“It hurts my heart to think this is going away,” Henry said.
Bittersweet also was the word alumnus Brandon Plaisance used to described his feelings. Pulling a wagon with two of his children in it while his wife carried the youngest, he aimed for the band room where he played saxophone four years.
“My best memories were mostly in this room,” he said. “I loved being in band.” He hoped his children would be able to attend Comeaux High, too, but that’s not going to happen.
Plaisance said it seems odd to be closing the school when you hear about overcrowding at other schools, including the new Southside High, where some of the students zoned for Comeaux will be sent now Other graduates enjoyed reconnecting with old friends.
“I feel extra, extra old,” Devante Lee, a 2017 graduate who played football for the Spartans, No. 97, said in the gym as he greeted friends.
Breanna Foreman, a 2019 graduate, said she met Lee at Comeaux High in 2015.
“In that hallway right there,” Lee added.
“In Ms. McNair’s English class,” Foreman added.
Cheri Chopelin Armentor, Class of 1989, was happy to revisit the memories and former classmates during the final walk-through.
“I loved high school,” she said. “This was a fabulous school.”
Armentor remembered being hit in the face with a pie as an initiation for becoming class president, wild pep rallies in the gym and selling spirit tags for $1 each.
“I loved it,” she said.
Sophia Burleigh has the distinction of being part of the Class of 2026, the final
ELECTION
Continued from page 1A
St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes.
The winner of the GOP primary runoff will advance to the Nov 3 election and face Democrat Connie Norris of Slidell and Chris Justin, a noparty candidate
Joseph Cao and Ellie Schroder are competing for the BESE seat that Cao holds, having been appointed to the position by Gov Jeff Landry BESE sets policy for K-12 education in Louisiana.
Cao, an attorney in Metairie, served a term in the U.S House from New Orleans, while Schroder spent years as a teacher and administrator before pivoting to become a real estate developer. She lives in St. Tammany Parish. The district includes St. Tammany Parish and parts of Orleans, Jefferson and Tangipahoa parishes.
A new primary system
The elections for the Senate, the PSC and BESE will
group of students to graduate from the school. She’s still bitter about the unsuccessful two-year fight with the school system to keep Comeaux High open
“It’s not something we’re going to forgive and forget,” she said. “This School Board hurt everybody.”
Myra Young, also a 2026 graduate, said she had to audition to be in the arts program at Comeaux High, and her mother woke up every
settle party contests first held on May 16 under a new election schedule, for certain offices, that the Legislature adopted in 2024 at Landry’s behest. Under the new system, no-party voters can vote in either party’s primary — unless they voted in the May 16 primary Then they have to vote on Saturday in the same primary as last month
Many voters and polling commissioners reported on May 16 that the new election system caused confusion.
Voters appear to be either skeptical or apathetic Analysts are projecting a 15% overall turnout, down from a 28% turnout on May 16.
That day, voters rejected all five constitutional amendments put on the ballot by the Legislature. Landry supported three of them, including a complicated financial maneuver to give teachers a pay raise.
Voters also rejected 68% of the 97 tax measures on the ballot among the 64 parishes.
Voters had never opposed more than 50% of the tax measures during an election, said Guy Cormier, state
STRIKE
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to negotiate a permanent end to the war Iran has increasingly challenged the region and the U.S. over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even with the current interim deal it reached with the U.S. last week.
The attack on the cargo ship happened while a United Nations maritime agency was beginning an operation to move stranded ships out of the strait this week, using an alternative route, hugging the shores of Oman rather than sailing through the central part of the strait.
The International Maritime Organization halted the evacuations after the attack and said on Friday they won’t resume until there are guarantees that the other ships won’t be attacked.
About 115 ships were able to move out of the
strait in recent days, leaving about 500 still in the area, said Arsenio Dominguez, the agency’s secretary-general.
The opening of the alternative passage through the strait was expected to relieve pressure on the world economy and remove Iran’s main source of leverage in ongoing peace talks with the U.S.
The U.S. and Iran are still negotiating terms of the deal, including issues such as getting ships through the key strait and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details.
Cargo ship attack
Shipping analysts said the drone strike cast a shadow over what had been a growing stream of trapped vessels finally leaving the Gulf and an increasing flow of tankers carrying crude oil.
“A week of widening commercial confidence in the Strait of Hormuz has hit its first significant test,” said marine data company Windward on X. It said that while the strait remains operationally open with 43 transits recorded after the incident, “the pace of normalization has slowed.”
On Wednesday before Thursday’s drone strike, 78 vessels transited the strait, the highest since the war began, although below the prewar averages of 130 or more per day
At least two tankers reversed course while attempting to transit the strait on the U.N.-backed route near Oman after Iran insisted vessels use only the Teheran-approved routes, according to marine data and analytic firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence. More than two dozen ships were still transiting the strait’s southern route after the attack, Lloyd’s said Friday
day at 4 a.m. to drive her to school.
“I fought for it and now it’s just gone,” she said.
The leaders at the Lafayette Parish school system, Burleigh said, just see dollar signs when making decisions like closing Comeaux High.
“We’re not numbers. We’re people,” she said.
Contact Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.
WHAT’S ON THE ACADIANA AREA BALLOT
Polls open at 7 a.m. on Saturday and close at 8 p.m. For more information on races and to find your polling information, go to geauxvote.com.
U.S. SENATOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Gary Crockett
“Jamie” Davis REPUBLICAN PARTY
John Fleming Julia Letlow
director of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana. Cormier said an analysis by the association indicated that the rejection of the constitutional amendments carried over to the local tax measures.
To find your polling place on Saturday, what is on your specific ballot and other information, go to the secretary of state’s voter portal at geauxvote.com and enter your name, ZIP code and birthday Anyone with questions on election day can call (800) 883-2805.
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
A graduate from the Class of 1989 strolls a hallway during the Legacy Walk for alumni, former educators and staff members of Comeaux High School on Thursday in Lafayette. The school is scheduled to close Tuesday before being repurposed as a career center
Old friends reunite during Thursday’s Legacy Walk for alumni, former educators and staff members of Comeaux High School in Lafayette.
STAFF PHOTO By CLAIRE TAyLOR
Attendees of Thursday’s Legacy Walk review photos posted to a memory board during a final visit to the school, which is slated for closure on Tuesday.
A group walks through the science department during Thursday’s Legacy Walk.
ISNA PHOTO By AMIRHOSEIN KHORGOOI Residents swim in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz as a small motorboat passes cargo ships and other commercial vessels offshore near Bandar Abbas, Iran, on June 17.
expecting afew isolated showers,it probably
to
be
things down much. TheUVindex is at the extreme level, so wear your sunscreen.
BY GISELA SALOMON, PATRICK AFTOORA-ORSAGOS and CLAIRE GALOFARO Associated Press
MIAMI A35-year-old nurse in Kentucky prepared her will. The single mother named alegal guardian for her four children and transferred her properties into their names. She felt like she needed to prepare for death —incaseshe gets deported back to Haiti, acountry she fled at 9years old. After the Supreme Courtdecided Thursday to allow the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disasters in Haiti and Syria, fear ricochetedthrough those communities across the United States. Hundreds of thousands of peoplenow face the prospect of deportation.
“I have been living with this internal fear,it’slike preparing for afuneral, just in case Idie when going to another country,” saidthe nurse, whoasked not to be identifiedfor fear of being targetedfor deportation.
She is among about 350,000Haitiansgranted TemporaryProtected Status, many of whom have legally lived and worked in the U.S. for decades and have childrenwho are U.S. citizens. Thursday’sdecision, whichisexpected to take effect July 27, also applied to around 6,000 Syrians. It could alsoopen the door to the administration unwinding protections for 1.3 million people from 17 countries. Congress created Temporary
BY PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press
Apoll worker said two federal officers visited her at avoting location during New York’sprimaries to confront her aboutasocial media post she’d written criticizing the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. Paigelynne Gonyea said the confrontation happened Tuesday while she was working at apolling
Fear gripsHaitian communitiesafter TPSruling
Complex after afederaljudge blocked the Trump administrationfromending temporary immigration status for Haitians in NorthMiami. The Supreme CourtonThursday ruled that the Trump administration canend the protections.
Protected Status in 1990 to prevent deportations to countriesdeemed dangerous, because of disasters, civil war or other violence or instability.Itpermits people to work legallyinthe U.S. but does not provide apath to citizenship. It can be renewed in increments of up to 18 months if the homeland security secretary deems conditions unsafe for return
The Biden administration roughly doubled the number of people coveredbyTPS. TheTrump administration ended those protections, insistingitwas meant to be temporary,the countries are now safe and that President Joe Biden’sadministrationexpanded the destination and poorly vettedits recipients TPSbeneficiaries have, by defi-
nition, been living in limbo and their futures have been especially precarious under PresidentDonald Trump, but the Supreme Court ruling deliveredwhatcould be a crushing blow to living and working legally in theUnited States.
The Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio,became aparticular targetofthe administration during the 2024 campaign, when Trump spread fictional rumors that Haitians there were eating people’s catsand dogs. There is no evidence to support thoseclaims.
Still, the community has been underintense pressure ever since, said Viles Dorsainvil, the executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield.
Thursday’sruling added to the panic and chaos. People don’tknow if they should withdrawall their money from thebank,Dorsainvil said. They don’tknowiftheycan work, if their kids can go to school. Many are making preparations to leave theirchildren whoare U.S. citizens behind if they are sent away
“As aHaitian, Ialways say that life hasnot been easyfor us, nothing has been easy forusand this is another chapter in our life.And we’ve been in that type of situation sinceafterthe presidential campaign when they cameupwith that type of conspiracy theory of us eating cats anddogs,” he said. “We’ve been targeted.We’vebeeninthe spotlight fortheir political agenda.”
Dorsainvil said he’sfocused on trying to keep people calm, telling them not to panic, not to feel hopeless or make desperate decisions that could furtherjeopardize them and their children.
On Thursday morning, aHaitian mother of a17-month-old baby boy who lives in Florida woke up to the news.
“I was reading it andIjust for amoment there Ijust felt like I couldn’tbreathe, like as if something was just sitting on my chest, like my lungs couldn’textend,” the 37-year-old said, hervoice breaking.
She asked not to be identified for fearsofbeing detainedand deported.
“I did not expect this. It is so hard to accept.Maybe Iamindenial but Ithink this can’tbereal,” she said.
“I hadsomuch hope.”
Shearrived in the U.S.in1995 whenshe was7 years old and graduatedfromhighschoolhere. But she could not go to college because she did not have legal status.
Butin2010everythingchanged, when theU.S. grantedHaitians protection after acatastrophic earthquake. The U.S. repeatedly extended that amid the gang violence that has consumed the country and displaced more than amillion people.
TheFlorida woman applied, and she wasable to go to school and becomeanurse.
She wassupposed to begin anew job in two weeks. Now she doesn’t know if she’sauthorized to work.
TPS holders are overrepresented in caregiving roles, andthe longterm care industry,like nursing homesand facilitiesfor disabled people, industry groups said, could be hit particularly hard as fear and uncertainty ripples across America. The nurse in Kentucky said she’s trying to focus on her work taking careofdisabledpeople.But it’s hard to notthink of the worst-case scenario, imagining being separated from her children, who are ages 13, 12, 8, and 2, and being sent to her home country that she left more than two decades ago. She reads in the news that there are gang wars, kidnappings, killings.
“I don’twanttogothere. Iam very Americanized,” she said. “It’s like someone saying, hey, do you want to go live in ahorror movie? Like, you know,no, Idon’t.” Aftoora-Orsagos reported from Springfield, Ohio, and Galforo contributed from Louisville, Kentucky
place in Syracuse. Twoofficers gave Gonyea awritten notice stating that she might be in violation of federallaws that prevent publicly posting personal information aboutfederal officers, she said.
Gonyea said the warning stemmed from apost she madeon social mediainJanuary in which sheposteda picture of Jonathan Ross, an ICEofficer who shot and killedGoodinMinneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations that
month. In thepost, Gonyea wrote:
“I think today is agreat day for Jonathan to be indicted.” Gonyea’spost —whichshe made after Ross had already been identified by the news media —isstill up. She said she has no intention of takingitdown.
“I plan on using this experience to defend and support our First Amendment right,”Gonyea said. “Our First Amendment rightsdefinitely need to be protected now
morethan ever.” Gonyea “committed afederal crime by posting the address of an ICElaw enforcementofficer online” and “if you doxx our officers, we will investigate you, andyou will be brought to justice,” said Lauren Bis, aspokespersonfor theU.S. Department of Homeland Security,inastatement. Bis shared adifferent social media post from the same one of Gonyea’saccounts in which
she said Gonyea sharedRoss’ address. Part of thepost was redacted.
“Doxxing federal law enforcement officers is afederal crime that puts their lives and their familiesinserious danger,”the statementsaid. “Thisdanger is not hypothetical. Our law enforcementofficers are on the frontlines arresting terrorists, gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and rapists.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy
People hold hands and aHaitian flag during avigil on Feb.3 at the Little Haiti Cultural
AVOYELLESPARISH
RECOVERY BEGINS AFTERHISTORICFLOOD
Atruck drives through water on La. 1179 in Dupont on Thursday. At least 1,500 households in Avoyelles Parish have reported flooddamageinthe aftermath of Tropical Storm Arthur.Unsure if theywill receivefederalassistance, many residents are relying on communitysupporttopick up the pieces.
At least1,500 households have reported flooddamage
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
Soon after crossing the Simmesport Bridge over the Atchafalaya River into AvoyellesParish,the shoulders of La. 1give waytopiles of drywall, furniture, refrigerators, mattresses stuffed animals andfamily photos. Insidehomes smell of bleach; dehumidifiers and fans hum.
“It’sgoing to take acoupleofmonths beforeitcan completely dry,” Ellen Thibodeaux, a71-year-old widow,said as she stood inside her gutted home near Plaucheville.
Nearby,agroup of eightmen leaned againstthe back of apickup, taking abreak from cleaningher home and ripping Sheetrock from the walls. The scenewas similar in many driveways acrossthe parish Thursday,asneighbors, family membersand aid groups tried to save homes from mold and rot followingthe historic flooding Last week, Tropical Storm Arthur dumped 20 to 30 inchesofrainwithin 12 hours across southern parts of the parish, alikely 1,000-year rainfall eventthatcaughtmostresidentsoff guard. Flood insurance is rare inthe mostly flat region,and so far,more than 1,500 households in the parish have reported flood damage inside their homes, accordingtothe Governor’sOffice of HomelandSecurity and EmergencyPreparedness.
As people like Thibodeaux return
Volunteers sorthousehold items at the Moreauville Fire Departmentfor distribution to area residents that are still cleaningupfrom recent storms and flooding in Moreauville on Thursday.
home, they are relying on community support —itremains unclear whether thedamage will meet thethreshold for afederal disaster declaration that would unlock recovery funding.
Thibodeaux said she hasnochoice buttostay hopefulfor federal assistance.
“I have to be,” she said. “I don’thave the money.”
Meanwhile,others have yettoreturn to anything resembling normalcy.Parishofficials have relocated more than 50 people to ahotelinMarksville and areprocessing another100 applications for temporary stays at the Paragon Casino, saysParish President Darrell Wiley. Still others are staying with family or living in borrowed recreational vehicles.
Judice Innrankedwithtop burgersbymagazine
Eatery hasbeenfeeding Lafayettesince 1947
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Astaple of the community since 1947, these hamburgers have fed generations of Lafayette families and students. This week, Southern Living put out alist of 20 great burgers across the South, highlighting two Louisiana spots: Judice Inn in Lafayette and Port of Call in New Orleans
Founded by brothers Alcide and Marc Judice, the restaurant at 3134 Johnston St. has been abeacon of consistency over decades. Asimple burger with secret
the menu, citing tradition.
TheLafayette community hasembraced thetradition over thepast79 years, often filling thesamebooths week after week. For their75th anniversary in 2022, second-generation owner Greg Judice said,“thetruepeoplethat really love our food love it because it has not changed. We have not tried to fix it or change it.They lovewhat they had30yearsago. They love what they had 60 years ago. And they eat that same product today.” Southern Living named these 20 burger restaurantsontheir “20LegendaryBurger Joints in the South” list:
n Gilbert’s17th Street Grill, FortLauderdale, Florida
n Butch Cassidy’sCafe, Mobile,Alabama
n Ron’sHamburgers &Chili,Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas
n Phillips Drive-In, Laurel, Mississippi
n David’sBurgers, Arkansas
n Ed’sDrive-In, Jackson, Alabama
n The Varsity,Atlanta, Georgia
n Burger Boy Diner,Louisville, Kentucky
n Port of Call, New Orleans
n Beacon Drive-In, Spartanburg, South Carolina
n Borroum’sDrug Store &Soda Fountain, Corinth, Mississippi
n Dyer’sBurgers,Memphis,Tennessee
n ChampBurger,Houston, Texas
n Brown’sDiner,Nashville, TN
n Laha’sRed Castle,Hodgenville, KY
n Judice Inn, Lafayette
n Latham’sHamburger Inn, New Albany,MS.
n Texas Tavern, Roanoke, VA
n Jim’s Drive-In, Lewisburg, WV
n Melvins’ Hamburgers and Hotdogs, Elizabethtown, NC.
Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.
Corps holds summit with La. officials
Speeding up projects
BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer
The national leadership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gov.Jeff Landry and a wide range of Louisiana officials gathered in Baton Rouge on Fridayfor what was called afirst-of-its-kind “summit” aimed at speeding up projects andpermitting, a longtime sourceofcomplaintsbythe state. Louisianaoffereda naturalchoice to holdthe gatheringthat Corps leadership said could provideanexample forsimilar meetings in other states. The Corps’ New Orleans district includes the agency’sbiggest civil works anddredging programs andLandry is aclose ally of President Donald Trump, providing afriendly welcome to officials from his administration. But it also camewith concerns over uncertainty related to certain categories of planned homeelevation projects in Louisiana, with Corps leadership having spoken of reevaluating whether it should be the agency to carry those out on alarge scale. Adam Telle, the Army’sassistant secretary forcivil works, whose office oversees the Corps, ledthe gathering thatincluded state officials involvedincoastal, transportation, energy and economic developmentprojects. Port officials and leaders of related nonprofits wereamong those who also attended.
ä See SUMMIT, page 2B
Advocate staff reports
AYoungsville manwas arrested Thursday in connection with afatal hit-and-run the day before in Lafayette Parish. Brett Brignac, 21, faces one count of felony hit-andrun involving afatality,according to aLafayette Parishsheriff’s announcement. On Wednesday, deputies responded to the 900 block of MarteauRoad shortly before 3a.m. Uponarrival, CharlesKountz II, 51, was found dead in the roadway Deputies alleged that Brignac struck Kountz with his vehicle before driving off. LPSOdeputies, Crash Reconstruction Team members, andthe Real Time Crime Center werelater able to identifyBrignac and his vehicle. Brignacwas booked intothe Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.His bail is set at $50,000. An investigationisongoing. No further details are available at this time.
Tuesday morning wasnot the first time that the man beaten by theRev.Tony Spell was attacked in front of the Life Tabernacle Church in Central.
SUMMIT
Continued from page1B
It came with the Corps having announced aplan in February to cutred tape for projects, dubbed “Building Infrastructure,Not Paperwork.”Questions have been raised, however,over how much time frames can realistically be reduced without violating the thick tangle of federal lawsaimed at ensuring projects remain cost-effective and environmentallysound Telle and Landry held adiscussion at the conclusion of the socalled “SummitatSea Level,” which compiled lists of potential ways to streamline the highly technical aspects of permitting and related work.Even if the Corpsis not building the project itself, it must still grant permits in many circumstances, ranging from road construction to port operations. Both the governor and Telle highlighted Louisiana’sunique po-
RECOVERY
Continued from page 1B
“We’re just burnt out. We’re tired,” said Moreauville Fire Chief Robert Lemoine. Counting thelosses
At the Plaucheville Community Center —wheredays earlier the street was filled with airboats and kayaks Aimee Hayes and Ward Bordelon, twopublic schoolteachers, help run one of the area’s maindistribution sites.
They say demand has shifted from food and bottled water to cleaning supplies, dehumidifiers,insulation and plywood.
“I think today is the first daypeople areabletojust work,” Bordelon said Thursday.“The first day people are really able to get intotheir homes.”
They are proud of the community’sresponse and said the center would remain open from 7a.m. to 7p.m. indefinitely.But they also hope more professional aid groups will take over soon.
“Wecan only runvolunteer workand haveour own lives and jobs for so long,” said Ward. Down the street, aman loaded ruined refrigerators he’d scrapped onto atrailer In nearby Bodoc,standing water still makes streets impassable for smaller vehicles, including Guillory Road, where 8inches of water stayed in Rick Guillory’s home for nearly three days
“We’ve been living back there for 44 years and it’s never flooded,” he said. As he waited for his home to dry,Guillory hadn’tattempted to drive his car through the water.With his wife’scar already totaled, he figuredit wasn’tworth the risk.
At the Bodoc Fire Department, wherevolunteers fired up asmoker to cookan afternoon meal, FEMA and GOHSEP officials conducting on-the-ground damage assessments stopped in to greet residents.
Allison Saari, recovery operations director for
BLOTTER
Continued from page1B
Rayne man accused of cyberstalking ARayne man was arrested after allegedly barricading himself inside his home while deputies attempted to serve an arrest warrant, according to the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were investigating acyberstalking complaint involving Demoine Declouette and obtaineda warrant for his arrest. When deputies arrived
ThevictimofTuesday’sattack
20-year-old Toby Sherwin, told detectives that while he wasdriving home on July 20, 2025, he passed the church and saw adark truck in theparking lot. He said the truck pulled out and drove alongside him until he stopped in frontofhis
sitioning that makes the Corps’ effectiveness vital here: Mississippi Rivernavigation,flood control and levee construction, to nameafew
“If you all can get it right here in Louisiana, youcan literallyget it right anywhereelse in thecountry,” Landry saidduring the concludingsession Speakingin an interview afterward,Telle said there was nowhere else that the Corps’ key missions converge “better than in Louisiana.”
“You’ve got the greatestinland waterway systeminthe world that humanity’s ever known, intersecting with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway,” he saidofthe Mississippi River and its tributaries. “You’ve gotthe GulfofAmerica, of course.
This opens up the entire nation to theworld,and it allsort of happens here.”
But he addedthat “withthatis vulnerability.Thisplace is vulnerable to storm surge from hurricanes, it’svulnerabletofloods comingdownriver.”
homeonHooper Road,acrossthe street from the church, according to arrest documents in the incident. Citing home surveillance footage from Sherwin’shome, deputies said 38-year-old VanceGossett gotout of thepassenger seat of the truck. He approached Sherwin’s
‘Model forthe rest of thenation’
The state’smany coastal projects invariably involvethe Corps in some form.Michael Hare, executivedirector of the state’sCoastal Protection andRestoration Authority, saidthe session proved highly useful,and he hopedsomeofthe ideas put forwardcould eventually improve project time frames.
Landry highlighted the state’s energyproduction, andHaresaid he was glad to see thecase made that Louisiana coastal restoration is also in the national interest.
“Appreciate they came to Louisianatosolve Louisiana problems, but this should be amodel for the rest of the nation,”said Hare.“I think SecretaryTelle wants us to be the test ground for this.”
One recent sticking point has involved the Corps reevaluating its approach to certaincategories of projectsthat fall under the“nonstructural” label, which typically involveshome elevations or the floodproofing of buildings. Loui-
Ward Bordelon loads dehumidifiers with help from Jarrod Hayeswhile at the Moreauville Fire Departmenttotake backto Plauchevillefor distributiontoresidents that are still cleaning up from recentstorms and flooding in Moreauville on Thursday.
GOHSEP, said thestate must reach a$9million damage threshold to unlock public assistance funding for the parish and aid groups.She added individual assistance —which helps homeowners and renters with repairs and temporary housing —does not have afixed dollar thresholdbut depends on factors such as the number of damaged homesand thescaleof the local and state response.
“Thiswas aflood that affected many people but was at different levels in different areas,” she said. “We haven’tcollectedenough data to receiveanything yet In addition to homes,Saari saidthe flooding damaged 27 bridges in Avoyelles Parish andcaused at least $17 million in agricultural losses.
Now,she said,officials are migrating to St. LandryParish to assess damageasfloodwater from Avoyellesmoves south.
Alongcountry highways, soybean fields stood withered andbrown.Othersremained fully underwater. One familyofdeer rancherswas still looking for halftheir herd.
“We’re stillwaiting to see howbad it’sgoing to be,” said Billy Crawford, who estimates about 900 of the1,500 acres of soybeansand corn he farms arenow unharvestable. “Thesoybean crop is pretty muchfinished. Corn,
at theresidence, they said Declouette wentinside the home and lockedthe doors. Becauseofa previous encounter with Declouette in June 2024, deputies requested assistance from the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team. Duringthatearlier arrest, deputies said Declouette hidinhis attic while they attempted to arrest himon23 counts of telecommunications harassment and 23 countsof violatinga protective order. Authorities also knew he had access to weapons The Special Response Team took Declouette into custody without incident
we’re notsure.Inalot of places,the water didn’treach the ear.”
Michelle Deshotel, whose husband farms 6,000 acres of crawfish, riceand soybeans, said most of theirland remains covered with water “Maybe about200 acres are harvestable,” shesaid. “It’sa total loss for the year.”
Like mostfarmers in the area, theDeshotels and Crawford carry crop insurance, but they areunsure how much it will cover.Like homeowners,theyare waiting to seewhetherthey will qualify for federal assistance.
“Everybodyisinthe same boat in this area,” Crawford added.
Coordinatedresponse
LateThursday afternoon, Avoyelles ParishSheriff David Dauzat and Chief Deputy Ryan Quebedeaux set out in ahigh-waterHumveeto deliver medicine to ahome in Bordelonville, one of the more remote parts of the flooded region. It was their eighthstraight dayinthe vehicle. With amix of pride and exhaustion, they describeda week of 12-hour days delivering food, water, soap, toilet paper andother essentialstoresidents still unable to leavetheir homes. Eventually,Dauzatsaid, they began bringing soft drinks.
Declouette was booked into the Acadia Parish Jail on charges of cyberstalking and resisting arrest.Hewas also servedwith two temporary restraining orderspending a courthearing. His bail was set at $5,000.
vehicle and hit him several times through theopenwindowbefore getting back intohis truck, which left, awarrant for Gossett’sarrest said.
Sherwin told deputies that he would oftenstop his car to wait for vehicles to pass so he could back
siana hasincreasingly looked to homeelevations in circumstances wherethey could prove more costeffective than building expensive leveesystems.
It emerged in the fall that the Corps hadpaused studiesexaminingpotentialhome elevations at a large scale, including three in Louisiana, while it determines whether those types of projects should continue to be part of its mission.
The pause had also left it unclear if the Corps or some other agency will eventually carry out thousands of voluntary homeelevations already approved under flood protection plans statewide, including in St.Tammany Parish and along thestate’s south-central coast in Iberia,St. Mary andSt. Martin parishes.
State officials have been urging the Corps to complete the three studies that hadbeennearlyfinished before they were paused.
Those studieswere looking at ways to address flood risk in the Lafitte area, along the Amite River and in
“A couple of people almost cried when they saw that Coke,” Dauzat said. “They needed that caffeine after days of bottled water.”
In the days immediately after the storm, sheriff’s deputies, local police and fire departments, the National Guard, Fish andWildlife agents andgood Samaritans worked around theclock in high-water vehicles, boats and ATVs to rescue hundreds of people from homes flooded with as much as 6 feet of water.Noinjuries or fatalities have been reported.
“Wedid so good for the amount of rain we got,” Dauzat said. “We’re very fortunate.”
At the height of theflooding, water reachedDauzat’s armpits as he drove the Humvee, with deputies walking ahead as spotters. He and Quebedeaux alone rescued more than 40 people, Dauzat said.
Detectives, forensics specialists andcivil deputies all joined theeffort. Sheriff’s offices from Pointe Coupee, Rapides andCatahoula parishessentadditional manpower.Quebedeaux said part of theirsuccess came from pairing local deputies with outside responders for guidance.
“Our supervisors made good decisions,” he said. “We put people wherethey needed to be.”
Eight days after the storm, Dauzat’s Humvee still struggled to navigate flooded dirt roads to reach the Bordelonville home. The family’scar was flooded, leaving them unable to leave.
Dauzat said theSheriff’s Office will continue to try to balancefloodresponse with
Starting over
into his driveway Gossettwas booked with simple battery,and his case remains pending. The Advocate was unableto reach Gossett for comment. Earlier this week,Spell was booked with second-degree battery for attacking Sherwin.
Tangipahoa Parish. Hare said Fridaythere hadbeen good discussions on the issue, but that the studies remained paused. Telle and other Corps officials, however,offereda conflicting version, asserting that they were not frozen, though acknowledging the agency was looking at how best to handle large-scale home elevations.
Officials with the Corps’ New Orleans district had not responded to arequest forclarification by deadline.
The gathering provided Landry withanopportunitytoreflecton growing up around the Atchafalaya Basin andhis memoriesof Corps operations. Later,when Telle mentioned the governor’sclose relationship to Trumpand the assignments he had tasked him with, Landry joked in relation to his special envoyrole: “It may be good, sometimes it’sbad —you endup going to Greenland.”
He then went on to praise what he saidwas the president’s vision as “a builder.”
At Scallan’sPharmacy near thecenterofPlaucheville, Patty Andrus rang up prescriptions in astore with no floors and ripped-out Sheetrock as three dehumidifiers strained to drythe space. She greeted herfriend VickiDufur,a local elementary school teacher who was rescuedbyfour-wheeler after her hometook on about afoot and ahalf of water Dufur saidshe lost nearly everything, including asmall collection of livestock andan album of photos and artwork documenting herchildren from pre-Kthrough high school.She hopedtoone day share them with hergrandchildren
Dufur,who has livedin Plaucheville herentire life, saidthe rural community she grew up in hadfeltless tightknit in recentyears. The past week haschangedher mind. “I felt like in the last seven days Iwas alittle girl again, just seeing everybody help each other,” she said. “I think it is theLordtelling us that we allneed to shape up and getbacktogetherasacommunity.”
“I neverthought I’dhave to startoverat58, buthereI am,” she said. Despite the losses, she said she feels “blessed.” About 15 friendshavehelpedgut her home in recent days, a neighbor repaired her driveway and agrandparent of a former student droppedoff amuch-needed rotisserie chicken.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Appeals courtrejects
Trump EPAbid
WASHINGTON Afederal appeals courtonFriday rejected the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to abandon aBiden-era rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution.
The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel is asetback for the Trump administration’s deregulatory agendaand its repeated efforts to boostcoal, areliable but polluting energy source
The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit leavesintact, for now,atighter standard set in 2024onpollutionfrom coal-fired power plants, factories andother industrial sources.
The EPAunder President Donald Trump askedthe appeals court last year to invalidate the Biden-era rule, arguing that the agency under previousleaders hadexceeded itsstatutory authority and acted unreasonably by failing to consider costs to businessesaffected by the rule.
The court denied the Trump administration’srequest, saying in adecision written by Senior Judge Douglas Ginsburg that the agency’sarguments “lack merit.”
Toyota threatensGM’s crown as hybrids surge General Motors is facing an uncomfortable reality: Toyota has a shot at taking the U.S. sales crown once againthanks to growing demand forits gasoline-electrichybrids.
The Japanese automaker is expected to increaseits market share to 15.8% in the first half of this year,while GM’ssharemay tumble by almost 1percentage point to 16.8%, according to a forecast from researcher Cox Automotive. If consumers continue to flock toward fuel sippers, Toyota has ashot becomingthe No.1 auto seller in the U.S. thisyear Toyota overtaking GM in the Detroit automaker’s home market would mark ahistoric shift.
GM has held the top spot since passing Ford Motor Co. in 1931, losing to Toyota only once— in 2021 —amid aglobalsemiconductor shortage. Ashake-up also would underscore the ill effects of GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra’sriskybet on EVs over hybrids, as most American buyers have been reluctant to go all-electric.
Australia to change children’ssocial media
MELBOURNE, Australia The Australiangovernmentplans to strengthen laws that ban children younger than 16 fromsocialmedia platforms, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Observers said on Fridaythe government was responding to evidence that the ban on young children holding accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagramand YouTubehad failed since it came into forceonDec. 10 last year.Australia was the first country in the world to pass legislation keepingyouthoff social media, but others have since followed.
Albanese told Parliament on Thursday this government was considering options to strengthen the ban.
“We’re working on that as aprioritybecause thisissomething that other generations didn’thave to deal with,which is whyit’scomplex,” Albanese told Parliament. Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developingsimilar approaches.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Australia’sonline safety watchdog, said in April she was considering court action against Facebook,Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, alleging they were not doing enough to keep young Australian children off their platforms.
These platforms, as well as X, Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch, face fines of up to $34 millionif they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts ofyoung children.
BUSINESS
THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business
Trumpthreatens taxonimports
European countries mayimposelevyon digitalservices
BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press
WASHINGTON— President Donald Trumpon Friday threatened a100% tax on importsfrom anycountry that imposes atax on digital services fromUnited Statescompanies.
In apost on social media,Trump took aim at European countries that he said arediscussing “imminent” implementation of taxes on American companies.The U.S.president hasrepeatedly sought to use tariffs as waytodetersuch taxes, but many countries arelooking for revenues as their economies increasingly operatein digital realms that are dominatedbyAmerican companies.
“Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such aTax will immediately be metwith a100% TARIFFonany and all Goods sent to the United States of America,” Trump wrote.
He added that the new tax would supersede anypreviously negotiated trade deals. Trumpsaid the penalty would apply to any country that moves forward withsuch atax, but he singled out European nations in his post.
Themove could lead to alarger showdownthat could increase prices and hinder economicgrowth, possibly setting off alarger trade warif the 27-member EuropeanUnion was compelled to retaliate.
“Unilateral measures targeting such legitimate policies are unjustified. If pursued, the EU will respond swiftly and decisively to defend its rights andregulatory autonomy,” said OlofGill, aspokesperson for
ChatGPT maker OpenAI saidFridayitis restrictingthe release of its new artificial intelligence model at the request of President Donald Trump’sadministration, thelatest in an unprecedented government vetting of AI products that could pose cybersecurity risks.
OpenAI said its newAIproduct, called GPT-5.6 Sol, would only be available for now to a“small group of trusted partners” approvedbythe Trumpadministration.
“Wedon’tbelieve this kind of government access process should becomethe long-term default,”OpenAI said in astatement. The company saiditviewed the testing period as atemporary step on the “path to broader availability in the coming weeks.”
OpenAI’sstaggered release of apowerful new AI system followsactions the governmenttook earlier this month against OpenAI rival Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot. Anthropic took offline twonew AI models, known as Fable 5and Mythos 5, just days after publiclyreleasing them to comply with aTrumpdirective blocking their use by foreignnationals.
TheWhite House said Friday it continues to collaboratewith frontier AI labs on addressing the challenges of scaling the fastgrowing technology.
Officials have grown increasingly concerned since Anthropic warned earlier this year thatits Mythos modelwas adept at finding software flaws in away thatcould be weaponized by malicioushackers and threaten critical computer networks around theworld
Models draw scrutiny
Trump earlier in June signedanexecutive order onAIoversight that established aframework for thefederal governmentto vet thenational security risks of themost advanced AI systems for up to 30 daysbefore their public release. Theorderdescribed participation by AI developers as voluntary but the framework has not yet been fully developed.
Someof Trump’sallies have laid blame on Anthropic and its CEO Dario Amodei for the need for heightened government scrutiny
“Dario came to Washingtona few months ago, back in April, andbasically said that he
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEW YORK Most of the U.S.stock marketroseFridayafter oilprices eased back towhere they were before the war with Iran,but drops for stocks swept up in the mania around artificial-intelligence technology kept themarket in check. The S&P 500finished nearlyflat and slippedlessthan 0.1% to close out justits second losing week in the last 13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 44 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%.
Stocks got aboost as the price of Brent crudeoil, the international standard, dropped 3.8% to $72.60.
That’slower than it was the day before the United States and Israel attacked Iran, which eventually led to theclosure of the Strait of Hormuz
the European Commission on Friday
He defendedtaxation on technology companies as “nondiscriminatory” and applied equally to “all large companies,regardless of their origin.”
Trump has repeatedlypushed against foreign effortstotax or regulate American tech giants.Last year,hethreatened newtariffs on any country that moved to do so.
Apostfromlast August saidthat digitaltaxes and regulation “are all designedtoharm, or discriminate against, American Technology.”
The threat comes ahead of Trump’sJuly 4deadline for the European Union andthe United States to start implementing atariff deal thatcapstariffs on most EU exports at 15%
The European Union in May finalizedatrade deal with the United Statesthatcapsmosttariffs on EU
exports at 15%. The dealfollowed months of debate within the EU after European Commission chief Ursula vonder Leyententatively struck thedeal last year while visitingTrump’sgolf course in Scotland. Digitaltaxes were not part of the agreement and have remained a sticking point between the U.S. and the European bloc.
TheU.S. government haspreviously conducted tariffinvestigations intodigitalservices taxesunderSection301 of the TradeAct of 1974. Butitwas unclear how Trump wouldcarry outhis threat and whether he would apply the tariffs broadly or initially target certain nations.
Britain, whichisnolonger part of the EU, has since 2020 levied a 2% digital services taxonrevenues earned by search engines, social media sites andonline marketplaces that “derive value”fromU.K.users
had created acyber weapon called Mythos,” said investor David Sacks, who co-leads Trump’scouncil of technology and science advisers, on arecent podcast.“And he spikedthe cortisollevel, got everyone really worried. Andthere wassome truth to it in termsofthe sensethat this modelhad advanced cyber capabilities.”
San Francisco-based OpenAI said its new Sol model“is better at helping people find and fix vulnerabilities” than it is at carrying outcyberattacksand does not crossthe company’sown risk threshold. But it acknowledged there could be unforeseen risks especially if its model is combined with other tools
“That uncertainty,along with the model’s broader step change in capabilities, is why we arepairing the model’sincreased capabilities withstrongersafeguards and a phased release,” the company said Friday OpenAI hasn’tnamed anyofthe roughly 20 customers that have been approved to use thenew model so far Government intervention
Abroad group of cybersecurity experts has criticized the government’s actions that led Anthropic to shut down Fable, which the company hadpitched as asafer version of Mythos. It’snow been unavailablefor two weeks.
“I just want to say that pretty muchnobody
in the cybersecurity industry believesthat there’sany factual basisfor thisaction,” Stanford University cybersecurity expert Alex Stamos said on acall with reporters earlier this week.
Stamos, the chief product officer at AI security company Corridor and aformer chief security officer at Facebook parent Meta, said he reviewed an analysis of research on Fable by Anthropic’sprimary cloud computing backer,Amazon, and didn’tfind any risks that aren’tpresent with other publicly available AI models, including those made in China.
“Ifthe administration is honest about wanting the UnitedStates to beat China in this race, then this is about the dumbest thing they could possibly do,” Stamos said. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the model release Wednesday,part of aseries of negotiationsinrecentweeksbetween AI industry executives and Trumpofficials. Anthropic has also been part of those talks but Amodei has had amore contentious relationship with the Trump administration. The Pentagon designated Anthropic as anational security risk for raising ethical andsafety concernsabout AI usage in war, andTrump himself ordered federal agencies to stop using Claude.Anthropic responded witha lawsuit that is still working its way through federal courts.
and thecurtailment of oil shipments worldwide Theeasier oilpriceshelpedstocks of companies with bigfuel bills, and American Airlines Group climbed 1.7% Health carestocks,meanwhile, were some of thestrongest forces pushing upward on the market after acommittee of the European Medicines Agency recommended several medicines for approval and theextension foranother dozen of theirtherapeuticindications. That included one forEli Lilly,whose stock jumped 7.1%. Besides Lilly,nearly two out of every three stocks within the S&P500 rose. But more drops forAIstocks helped to overshadow them.
After soaring to tremendous heights and leadingthe market for years, AI stocks have been under
pressure recently because of worries their profits can’t possibly keep pacewiththe tremendous ralliesfor theirstock prices. Andthose drops have an outsized effect becauseAI stocks have become Wall Street’s largest andmost influential, giving movements for their stock prices more weight on indexes than others.
Micron Technology’sdropof 6.7% was the heaviest weight on the market, forexample. Themakerof memory for computers hasbeen a big winner this year,with its stock roughly quadrupling, becausethe AI boom hascreateda surgeofdemand for itsproducts.
Butinvestorssaw the downside of that surgeThursday,when Apple said it had to raise prices on laptops and other products by significant percentages to make up for the increases in memory prices. Thewor-
ry is thatsuchhigher prices could ultimately lead to lower demand.
Highlighting the roller-coaster ride that AI stockshavebeenon, SpaceX brieflydropped 2.9% in the morningand fell below $149. It then erased theloss to swing to again of 3.5% before finishing with amodest rise of 0.2%.
Afterinitiallyselling itsstock at $135 apiece in itsballyhooed initial public offering earlierthis month, SpaceX’sprice briefly soared above $225 within its first few days of trading. Besides rockets, Elon Musk’scompany also owns the xAI artificial-intelligence business.
Theday’s largest loss in the S&P 500 wasa23.7% drop for ON Semiconductor, which saiditagreed to buySynapticsinanall-stock deal valued at roughly$7billion
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJULIADEMAREE NIKHINSON
CEOofOpenAI SamAltman talks to CEO of GoogleDeepMind Demis Hassabis, not seen, on the sidelines of the G7 summit,onJune 17 in Evian-les-Bains, France.
ANOTHERVIEW
Take theJuly4 American historyquiz
Ron Faucheux
Tonight Show hostJay Leno oftendid bitscalled“Jaywalking,” quizzing average citizens about U.S. historyand civics. Answers could be right, wrong— or sometimesuproariously wrong. Year of American independence? 1492. Emancipation Proclamation?Ended Prohibition. U.S. general in World WarI?George Washington. First president? Abraham Lincoln. AFirst Amendment right? To remain silent. Funny —until youremember those folks vote Anyway,not all Americanslack basic knowledge of our nation’searly history.Some are really good at it. The 250thanniversaryofthe Declaration of Independence is coming up nextSaturday,July 4. It’sa perfect time to find out how much you knowabout the founding of our country.It’spossible you’re an undiscovered master of historical trivia and don’trealize it
The following questions— someeasy,some hard—offera chance to test your knowledge. Or,insome cases,your facilitywithGoogle and AI.
Ready?
Questions
1. The final text of the Declaration of Independencewas adoptedbythe Continental Congress on what dayin1776 —July 2, July 4or July 6?
2. When did most of thesignersofthe Declaration add their names—July6,July 20 or Aug.2?
3. How many total signers were there?
4. Which state had the most signers?
5. Who was the youngest signer?
6. Who was the oldest signer?
7. ACommittee of Five drafted the Declaration, but who was itsprincipalauthor?
8. Did Benjamin Franklin sign the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution or both?
9. Twoformer U.S. presidents, both signers of the Declaration,diedonthe sameday,July4,1826. Name them.
10.WhatotherU.S. presidentdied on July 4?
11. Which president was born on July 4?
12. What year did the American Revolution begin?
13.“We the People of the United States” arethe opening words of the major text of the DeclarationofIndependence or the U.S. Constitution?
14. “When in thecourseofhumanevents” arethe opening words of the major text of the DeclarationofIndependence or the U.S. Constitution?
15. Starting in Boston, whose midnight ridewarned that the “British arecoming”?
16. Which American navalcommanderin theRevolutionary Warsaid, “I have not yet beguntofight”?
17. Where were the first military engagements of theAmerican Revolution and where was the firstmajor battle?
18. What was the last major battle of the Revolution?
19.Namethe treaty that endedthe Revolutionand recognizedU.S.independence
20. Where was the signed original parchmentofthe Declaration of Independencestored during World WarII? Answers
1. July 4
2. Aug. 2
3. 56 4. Pennsylvania (9 signers)
5. Edward Rutledge, 26
6. Benjamin Franklin, 70
7. Thomas Jefferson
8. Both
9. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
10. James Monroe (1831)
SCORING
11. CalvinCoolidge (1872) 12. 1775 13. U.S.Constitution 14. Declaration of Independence 15. PaulRevere 16. JohnPaul Jones 17. Lexington andConcord (April 19, 1775); Bunker Hill (June17, 1775) 18. Yorktown (1781) 19. Treaty of Paris (1783) 20. Fort Knox
•0-5: Enroll in ahigh school civics course,ifyou can find one
No matter your score, justtaking this quizmeansyou’rea proud lover of American history.Italso givesyou thechance to look really smart at next week’sholidaycookout.
RonFaucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster andwriter based in Louisiana. As you prepare forthe 250thanniversary of America’sbirthasa nation, read hiscolumns on milestone birthdaysthroughout history, the 50th, 100th, 150th and200th at https://www.nola.com/ opinions/ron_faucheux/.
Black communitiesdeserve transparency before massive AI data centersmovein
Artificial intelligence may be the newest gold rush, but thecosts are being quietly shifted onto thesame communities that have carried the burdens of industry for generations.
Across the country,AIdatacentersand thepower plants required to run them are being placed in majority-Black, rural and politically underserved neighborhoods. These facilities consume enormousamountsofelectricity and water,raise utility bills and bring almost no permanent jobs. Yetthe communities expected to absorb theimpacts arerarely informed until thedeals are already done. Louisianaisnow on that list. Developers and utilities have been scouting locations in New OrleansEast, theRiver Parishes and the I-20 corridor.These are areas with large Black populations, long histories of environmental exposure and limited political protection They are also communities where residentshave repeatedly been excluded from decisions that affect their health, their land and their economic future.
The pattern is the predictable result of weakened voting power and aregulatory system that prioritizes corporate convenience.
When astate government reduces representation, closes primaries and sidelines local voices, it creates theperfect conditions forindustries to move quietly into neighborhoods that have the least ability to resist AI datacenters are not harmless warehouses. They require new gas-fired power plants, high-voltage transmission lines and millions of gallons of water.They drive up electricity demand, which utilities thenuse to justifyrate increases on residents. Anddespite the promises, these facilities typically create fewer than 30 permanent jobs.
Louisianadeserves better.Black communities deserve early disclosure, public hearings and areal seat at the table before any commitments are made.
We cannot allow another generation of environmental decisions to be madewithout the people most affected. JERLEAN MARIE CHATARD McCARTHY NewOrleans
Alligators on highwaypatrol mightput teethintothe law
Many years have passed since I practiced law,but thearrest by an alligator raises legal questions that Isuggest thebar association (I’m still amember) include on the annual bar examination next month
Since an alligator cannot swear an oath, can the beast be amember of the posse comitatus, the assembly of citizens who help thesheriff catch the bad guy?
If thealligator,not being acitizen, cannot make acitizen’sarrest, is the arrest nevertheless legal?
Arethe bites on the defendant’s arms evidence of excessive force?
Can thealligator be called as a witness,atleast to bare his apprehending teeth?
Areintoxication and intense stupiditydefenses that preclude criminal intent that counsel can raise to counter the prosecutor’s
evidence?
Can anyone, besides the alligator, be civilly liablefor the defendant’s injuries?
As thedeputies chased the perpetrator alongAirline Highway, they saw the yellow sign “Pass with Care.” Excited and exuberant from the adrenaline of the chase and remembering old cowboy movies, one deputy yelled out, “Head ‘em off at the pass!” (Barump!)Hearing that entreaty, thedefendant swerved into the swampand encountered said alligator
Another exciting day in the heat and stickiness of south Louisiana. Youknow what they say: It ain’t theheat that gets you; it’sthe stupidity. Yeah, you right.
EARL HIGGINS River Ridge
Patchy land bridgesare not aserious replacement fordiversions
In response to Gordy Dove’s recent comments in Delacroix, reported in Mike Smith’s article, “Louisiana wants to build a94-mile ‘landbridge’ to protect the coast. Is that even possible?”:
The idea that the state of Louisiana no longer needs to study the potential impacts of coastal projects is absurd and laughable. Iwonder if this sentiment is shared by the engineers and coastal scientists at the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority,which, before this disastrous administration’s choice of leadership, was anational model for integrating science, adaptive management and project implementation. Now it’senshrouded in political muck, incapable, through the knee-capping of the planned large diversions, of matching projects to the scale of our shared crisis. Instead, we have land bridges —alosing tactic.
While there are many issues with the patchy,over-hyped levees the agency’sleadership is pushing, the most obvious is lack of sediment input. To build these land bridges, the earth must comefrom somewhere, and without fresh river water supplying sediment, all we are doing is moving the existing and already very limited and unreplenished sediment supply Without meaningful river reintroductions bringing fresh flows full of new sediment behind these projects and allowing them to build, they are largely ineffective —soon to be eroded and overcomebythe ever-rising seas. Additionally,these projects are nowhere near ready.They are not fully planned, nor funded. Most importantly,they are not aserious replacement for whatwas lost in the cancellation of the diversions. But maybe that’stobeexpected when you have an unserious person at the helm.
DONALD DAVIDSON NewOrleans
SPORTS
Texas LonghornsquarterbackArchManning gives instructions to participants at the ManningPassing Academy on FridayatNichollsState University in Thibodaux
VIEW FROM ARCH
TexasQBstronger, wiserand lookingforward to TigerStadium visit
The first thing you notice about Arch Manning is his frame.
He’sbigger,slightly thicker inthe upper body
After an offseason of pushing weights around the gym, Manning has added afew extra poundsofmuscletohis 6-foot-4 frame. The beefedup physique was partly abyproduct of the downtime he enduredafter undergoing foot surgeryinJanuary
The NCAA calls it the “Age-Based Collegiate Eligibility Model,” but most will refer to the new guideline as the “Fivein-Five” rule.
On Tuesday,the NCAA Division ICabinet unanimously approved the new eligibility standard where athletes now will get five years of eligibility over afive-year period. The primary purpose is to simplifywhat’sbecome a very complicated process, especially since Covid, but no widespread transition phase is ever really simple. Like with anything new, there are manyquestions, potential problems, troublesomeexceptions and unexpected side effects to consider The basic rule change is athletes begin afive-year period of eligibility in one of twoavenues: 1. “When the student-athlete attends class as afull-timestudent during aregular academic term at any collegiate institution.”; or 2. “The start of the regular academic year immediately following the student-athlete’s19th birthday,ifthe student-athlete turns 19 years old before September 1.”
Jeff Duncan
But there was also an element of intent.Manning wanted to get bigger and stronger to meet the physical demandsofstarting in the SoutheasternConference. A year ago, he battled through multiple injuriesduring an up-and-down sophomore campaign
“I got up to, like, 235 (pounds),”Manning saidwhile visitingwithreporters at theManning Passing AcademyonFriday in Thibodaux. “I wantedtosee what it felt like,but Iwas alittletoo big.SoI lost it. Feeling good now.”
Editor’snote: This is one among 12 profiles of inductees for the LouisianaSports Hall of Fame Class of 2026.Festivities will take place through Saturday in Natchitoches.
BY JAKE MARTIN
Contributing writer
A14-year NFL career that began in Buffalo with Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith saw Pat Williams make a name forhimselfasone part of “The Package” alongside TedWashington.In the late 1990s, the Wossman High graduate squared off against Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Brett Favreand Warren Moon on the biggest stage football hastooffer. It can be argued the 6-foot-3, 315-pound nose tackle figuratively and literally left a massive gap in the Buffalo defense when he pursued anew team in 2004. AfterWilliams led the front lineofBuffalo’srush defense that allowed 100.3 yards rushing
He’slooking good, too. The former Newman standout will enter his second season as the Texas starter as abigger,stronger and mentally tougher version of the guy who led theLonghorns to a10-3 finish and No. 12 national ranking last season.
“Yeah, obviously there was some up and downs, alittle bit of arocky start there, but Ifeel like Ilearned alot, learned alot about myself and trying to keep gettingbetter,move forward,”hesaid. “(It was) agood year.”
Manning and theLonghorns will once again enter the season withgreat expectations. Texas is expected to be apreseason top-five team when the initial AP Top25 poll is released in August
Those closest to Manning believe he’ll be ready for whatever comes his way.Aseason of growthand hard
ä See DUNCAN, page 3C
pergamein2004, which wassixth-best in theNFL, the Bills allowed 137.8yards rushingper game (31st) thenext year whenWilliams exited for Minnesota. TheBuffalo rush defenseworsened, while Minnesota’srose to thebest in the league. In fact, Williams’ tenure with theVikings featured three consecutive seasons where they had thebest rush defense in theNFL. Minnesota allowed just 61.6 yardsrushing per game in 2006, 74.1 in 2007 and 76.9 in 2008 before“dipping” to 87.1in2009 when the Vikings reached the NFC ChampionshipGame against theSaints. Over fiveyears and60games played, Williams helped solidify adefense that allowed just 80.4 yards rushing per game
Youdon’tspend 14 years in the NFL and garner three ProBowl nods while earningthe distinction of All-Prowithout
BY
GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
ä U:S: vs: Bosnia 7P.M. WEDNESDAy FOX,TELEMUNDO
INGLEWOOD,Calif. The United States only wanted to getthrough itsfinalWorld Cup group stage match Thursday night without an injury or ared card, while Turkey was playing foraface-saving victory to enda dismal tournament. Both teamsgot what they wanted mostout of their meaningless meeting before the Americans head on to theknockoutstage —and coach Mauricio Pochettino was annoyed by anysuggestion that the Americans’ last-gasp, 3-2 defeat said anything negative aboutthe state of his team Kaan Ayhan scored on the final kick of the match to sendTurkeypast theU.S.inthe eighth minute of stoppage time forits only winofthe World Cup. The result was meaningless to the Americans, whowill meet Bosnia-Herzegovina in theround of 32 on Wednesday. Pochettino
Kevin Foote
PROVIDED PHOTO By KEVIN C. COX Minnesota Vikingstackle PatWilliams waits for playtoresume in agame against the Carolina Panthers on Dec.20, 2009, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NorthCarolina.
STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE
Former LSU 1B Edwards transferring to Florida
LSU softball’s former SEC Freshman of the Year Tori Edwards committed to conference rival Florida on Thursday, according to a report by Sports Illustrated. Edwards, a rising junior with two years of eligibility, is one of eight Tigers who entered the NCAA transfer portal following the 2026 season. She was SEC Freshman of the Year in 2025, with a .383 batting average, 18 homers and 73 RBIs. Her numbers dropped to .284, 12 and 45 last season. LSU is scheduled to play at Florida in the third week next season. Edwards is one of three Tigers committed to different schools. Pitcher Jayden Heavener chose Texas Tech, and utility player Maddox McKee is headed for Texas A&M.
Dembélé’s hat trick lifts France
By The Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Not so fast, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé Ousmane Dembélé has just entered the Golden Boot race.
Dembélé scored a first-half hat trick, including one off a feed from Mbappé, to help France beat Norway 4-1 at the World Cup on Friday Dembélé’s goals came in the seventh, 20th and 32nd minutes It was the first first-half hat trick at the World Cup since Russia forward Oleg Salenko scored three of his five goals in the opening 45 minutes against Cameroon at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
“It is a unique moment,” Dembélé said. “But the most important was to finish first of the group in the group stage, and we are focused on the round of 32, which is the most important.”
France which won the World Cup in 2018 and lost in the final four years ago, had already secured its place in the knockout round before Friday’s match. Norway was also assured of a spot in the round of 32 and ended up in second place in the group
Désiré Doué scored France’s final goal in second-half injury time.
Dembélé said changing the approach in the final group match was never a consideration France has 10 goals through three games.
“We want to win all our matches, but we remain focused,” Dembélé said.
Dembélé increased his international goal total to eight while Mbappe now has 16 goals and four assists in 17 World Cup matches. He scored two goals in each of the wins over Senegal and Iraq.
SENEGAL 5, IRAQ 0: In Toronto, Senegal notched a much-needed highscoring win, racking up goals on 10-man Iraq in a victory that boosted its chances of reaching
Williams will play first singles match in nearly four years
BY KEN MAGUIRE Associated Press
LONDON Serena Williams will face an opponent less than half her age when she plays 20-yearold Maya Joint in the first round at Wimbledon for her first singles match in nearly four years.
The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, who is 44, accepted a wild-card entry to the grass-court Grand Slam, where she’ll also compete in doubles with her older sister Venus, who turned 46 last week.
It’s all part of a tennis comeback that started with two doubles warmup matches but kicked into high gear Sunday when the All England Club announced Serena would play singles. Brackets were set in Friday’s draw
Joint was born in Michigan — as was Williams but represents Australia through her father She is ranked No 53 and made her Wimbledon debut last year, losing in the first round to Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2. “It’s an honor I always dreamed about playing Serena Williams,” Joint said. “If you told me 10 years ago that I’d be playing her first round at Wimbledon, that’s just crazy
“I hope it’s on Centre Court, that would be pretty cool. You just have to play the ball. You can’t
the World Cup knockout stages.
“The job is done, but fate is no longer in our hands,” Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said. “We have to wait until the other matches are over.”
Pape Gueye scored twice in a second-half flurry as the Senegalese vying to advance from third place in Group I — took advantage of a first-half red card on Iraq defender Rebin Sulaka, who prevented Sadio Mane from going in on goal alone by yanking his shirt.
Habib Diarra scored in the fourth minute and even though Sulaka was sent off in the 13th, Senegal didn’t find the net again
until Ismaila Sarr’s goal in the 56th minute.
Gueye then added his two goals, both hard blasts from around the edge of the penalty area, and Iliman Ndiaye netted Senegal’s fifth Senegal now has three points and a plus-two goal differential. The eight best third-place teams advance to the round of 32.
“We had to score as many goals as possible,” Gueye said. “So there you go.”
Diarra also seemed confident Senegal will be among the teams that move on.
“They gave us problems, but we solved them,” he said. “We played a great match, both collectively
and individually Now, here we are. I can say we’re focused on our next match.”
Iraq was eliminated without a point in its first World Cup appearance since 1986.
“I want to apologize for our fans, for our (country), these three games,” Iraq defender Merchas Doski said.
Iraq coach Graham Arnold said just qualifying for the tournament was a miracle.
“Hopefully the players will go away from this enjoying the experience of being in the World Cup for the first time in 40 years,” he said, “but also learning from mistakes.”
really think about who you are playing because I’ll just get too nervous. I’ll just take it one ball at a time.”
Joint won the grass-court Eastbourne Open last year for one of her two WTA tour-level singles titles, but she was slowed by a back injury earlier in 2026. Williams hasn’t played a singles match since a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 U.S. Open. At the time, she said she didn’t want to use the word “retiring” and instead declared she was “evolving” away from tennis. Her second daughter was born in 2023. Tomljanovic said she hopes Joint “enjoys the moment.” “Especially after (Serena) of-
ficially retired four years ago, no one thought that they’d get another chance to play her,” Tomljanovic, an Australian, said Friday Williams is “here to win,” Tomljanovic added. “You never lose that champion mentality. Her coming into the draw means that she thinks she can win,” she said.
Williams’ most-recent appearance at Wimbledon was in 2022 when she lost in the opening round to then-115th-ranked Harmony Tan. If Williams beats Joint on Tuesday, she may face rising Filipino star Alexandra Eala, who is seeded 29th, in the second round. She could meet defending champion
Iga Swiatek in the third round. Swiatek opens against Taylor Townsend of the U.S. on Centre Court on Tuesday
In a projected quarterfinals by seedings, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka would meet French Open champion Mirra Andreeva; No. 2 Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion, would face 2025 runner-up Amanda Anisimova; Swiatek, the No 3 seed, would play Elina Svitolina; and No. 4 Jessica Pegula would meet Coco Gauff.
Sinner could meet Djokovic
On the men’s side, No. 1 Jannik
Sinner will begin his Wimbledon title defense against Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court on Monday
Sinner and Novak Djokovic, the No. 7 seed, are in the same half of the draw and could meet in the semifinals.
Sinner underwent checks following his French Open meltdown — losing in the second round amid a heat wave in Paris and said he felt physically good after an exhibition match this week in London.
Djokovic, a seven-time champion at the All England Club, will play Wu Yibing of China Djokovic could meet third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.
Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz, who lost to Sinner in the 2025 final, will miss this year’s tournament because of a wrist injury Wimbledon starts on Monday
Mendoza fired as manager of underperforming Mets
NEW YORK From the front office to the field, just about everything has gone wrong for the New York Mets over the past year And on Friday, manager Carlos Mendoza took the fall.
Halfway through a wretched season, Mendoza was fired as skipper of the underperforming Mets and was replaced by Andy Green.
Last-place New York (34-47) opened the season with baseball’s highest payroll at $358 million and was projected to pay an additional $124 million in luxury tax.
“Our commitment to bringing our fans a championship-caliber team has not changed,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. “There is no sugar-coating it: This season has been a disappointment and our fans deserve better than what we’ve delivered.”
Thunder sending 3-point shooter Joe to Pistons Oklahoma City further reduced its potential luxury tax bill for next season by agreeing to trade elite 3-point shooter Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons for two secondround draft picks, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Friday Joe made 681 3-pointers over the last four regular seasons with the Thunder. He is one of 17 players in the league with that many 3s in that span and none of the other 16 names on that list shot better from beyond the arc than Joe, who connected on 41.5% of his tries in those four years. Joe did all that for the Thunder while playing almost exclusively off the bench. He is owed $11.3 million for the coming season, with an $11.3 million option for 2027-28 as well.
Tempo guard Mabrey ties WNBA scoring record
Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey created a buzz on Thursday night with one of the best shooting performances in WNBA history matching the league scoring record of 53 points in a win over Los Angeles.
The total points probably raised a few eyebrows, but her 3-point barrage didn’t the 6-foot-1 guard has been called “Money Mabrey” because of her shooting ability from beyond the arc.
She was 17 of 28 from the field, including matching her own WNBA record of nine 3-pointers. She’s just outside the top 20 alltime in league history as she’s hit 500 3-pointers in her career Mabrey matched A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage as the only players to score 53 points in a game.
CFL bars QB Sorsby from signing, negotiation lists
TORONTO Quarterback Brendan Sorsby, permanently ruled ineligible by the NCAA for sports betting, won’t be kick-starting his pro football career in Canada.
The CFL said Friday it won’t allow the 22-year-old to sign with any of its teams or be placed on their negotiation lists.
Sorsby admitted to placing thousands of bets totaling nearly $90,000 over his collegiate career, including at least 40 on Indiana football while he was a freshman there in 2022, although none was on games in which he played for the Hoosiers that year “At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for (Sorsby), and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list,”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIRSTy WIGGLESWORTH
Serena Williams smiles after a training session on Thursday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARTIN MEISSNER
French teammates Ousmane Dembélé, left, and Kylian Mbappé celebrate after a goal by Dembele during a World Cup match against Norway on Friday in Foxborough, Mass.
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lessons has steeled him for the challenge ahead.
“There’s nothing better than experience,” said Arch’s father, Cooper Manning. “You got to go through the bumps and bruises and dealing with all the things — the media, the teammates, the coaches, looking in the mirror and saying, ‘What do I do to get better?
I keep improving.’ So he’s excited about this opportunity
“I thought he handled everything like a tough guy I think a lot of people at Texas learned a lot about who their leader is. That’s why a lot of people want to be on his team. He’s the leader of the Texas Longhorns.”
Manning has a chance to do something his famous uncles, Peyton and Eli, and grandfather, Archie, never did — win a national title and a Heisman Trophy Vegas oddsmakers have installed Manning, along with Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, as one of the early Heisman favorites. Of
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Essentially, if you go directly from high school to college, you get five years. If you don’t go directly to college, the years of eligibility shrink.
For most, it won’t change much about their college experience.
“I don’t think it’s going to affect us a whole lot,” UL football coach Michael Desormeaux said. “I don’t think it’s going to change how we do things very much at all.” Certainly that’s the case from the procedural standpoint, but it will increase the time UL fans have with many of their favorite players For example, consider the talented freshman class the baseball team had this season. Shortstop Blaze Rodriguez and catcher Colt Brown now could play four more seasons with the Cajuns, if they don’t get drafted or transfer
Some athletes aren’t as pleased with the new rule, though. At first glance, there are two groups of athletes who will be negatively affected.
One is the international athlete who doesn’t sign immediately In other words, the days of having a 26-year-old punter from Australia are gone.
“A lot of those guys have been older,” Desormeaux said. ‘”They’ve graduated high school for a couple of years and they’ve trained and then they come over We’ve had good success with those kids, so that will affect us a little bit.”
The other group is the athletes who were listed as seniors during the 2025-26 athletic year and exhausted their four years of eligibility They won’t be eligible for the 2026-27 school year
Last year’s freshmen who did not redshirt will still be freshmen this fall, and the same for the sophomores
course, at this time a year ago, he was also one of the favorites, while Fernando Mendoza was the longest of long shots. So we know how much that matters.
When I mentioned the Heisman to him Friday his response was as predictable as the Thibodaux summer heat.
“I’m just worried about the team,” he said, switching deftly to default mode.
“I’m just worried about getting through this afternoon workout here in the heat.”
Still, the storyline is out there. And he knows it’s not going away Such is the blessing and curse of the Manning name. The spotlight never turns off.
To that end, Manning was mic’d up during workouts at the camp Friday ESPN was in town to record a feature story on him and his famous family that will air during Week 2 of the season when Ohio State visits Texas in Austin.
That’s just one of many marquee games on the Longhorns’ schedule, a gauntlet that includes home games against Ohio State, Florida and Ole Miss, and road trips to Tennessee,
and juniors, but the seniors won’t get another senior season.
There are already lawsuits being prepared for athletes in that category
The grandfathering process during these transitions can be tough
The new NCAA legislation included a July 31 deadline for any appeals to consider for all “prospective student-athletes who received their final athletics certification prior to July 1, 2026.” Basically, that addresses injuries or other hardships that took place prior to the new rule.
Tom Burke, the UL senior associate director of athletics for compliance, said the UL athletic department has fewer than 10 such appeals prepared as of now
Once those cases are resolved, the hope is the amount of NCAA appeals will be reduced moving forward. Medical redshirt years won’t exist any longer You get five years to play five seasons, period If one or two of those seasons are stopped short by injury, it falls under the “unfortunate” category
“This new rule just simplifies things,” said Burke, who said he knows several colleagues who left the profession in recent years because of the post-Covid confusion. “It simplifies it for us, as well as the coaches from a roster management standpoint.” Behind the scenes, the process is a lot more complicated than it seems.
“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Burke said “We’re in constant communication with the athletic training staff and the coaches. You’re looking at possible medical hardships, did he play in 30% of the games? How serious was the injury? Is it season-ending? Should he or she be held out one more game?
“We’re trying to tell the kid the right information and trying not to mess them up.”
Along that line, the care of student-athletes who
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commanding respect across the NFL. Williams earned every bit of that with a career that featured 672 total tackles, 20.5 sacks, and nine forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
Count Kevin Williams, who represented another piece of Minnesota’s dominant defensive front, as one of many happy people to see Williams finally get his day in the sun at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
“What made him so good was he could do stuff a normal person couldn’t. It was hard to duplicate,” Kevin Williams said. “He had the experience, where he could read the guy was about to overreach for him and shove him by and go behind him It was a lot of things like that.
came a two-time juco AllAmerican before landing at Texas A&M. After signing with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 1997, Williams asked the front office about why he wasn’t drafted.
“They told me they thought I had a bad attitude and that I was uncoachable,” Williams said. “I’m always going to learn.”
Williams had his chance to prove that as a rookie behind legendary defensive players such as Smith.
Oklahoma, Texas A&M and LSU.
The Nov 14 game at LSU will mark the first time Manning has played in an official game of any kind in Tiger Stadium. It figures to be one of the most anticipated games of the college season, epic theater as the native son returns to his home state to compete for the first time in his career as a starter
“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “I’m excited for the challenge. They’re a great team, great coach and a great crowd. So we’re fired up.”
Cooper said he is also eagerly anticipating the Week 11 showdown.
“Those are big (games),” he said. “That’s why you joined the SEC. That’s why you go to Texas and play on the big stage.”
Asked what kind of reaction he expects LSU fans to give Texas and Arch, Cooper smiled and planted his tongue firmly in his cheek
“Oh, I think the LSU fans will be really kind and nice,” he quipped. “They’ve always been so hospitable to other teams. I think they’ll be just lovely.”
might need more than four years to graduate becomes an easier process for the school’s training and academic personnel. Also, coaches have had to worry about not playing a talented young freshman to preserve his or her peak eligibility years.
“Now, if we’ve got a talented young player who can help us in any area, we can just roll with it,” Desormeaux said. “You don’t have to worry about wasting a season anymore. That’s kind of cool. I really like that aspect of it.”
The new guidelines do allow for a small list of legislated exceptions, including pregnancy religious missions and active-duty military service.
The new rule also will have some unintended consequences.
In this case, the high school Class of 2027 is likely to be affected negatively Theoretically, college coaches signed players this year to fill the projected gaps left by this past season’s juniors with one year left Now, that junior has two years left, so coaching staffs will likely keep that fifth-year senior on the roster instead of filling that spot with a high school senior a year from now In more trivial matters, what exactly what are we going to call these fifth-year seniors? In time, could this new system eliminate the terms “freshman, sophomore, junior and senior” and replace it with numbers? Are we going to be calling juniors ‘third-year’ players in 2036?
No one should expect a completely seamless transition. There absolutely will be some growing pains.
But in this crazy everchanging world of college athletics where chaos reigns, a little simplicity sure seems like a muchneeded oasis of sanity
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
“When I tried to do some of those things, I was like, ‘Pat, how are you doing that?’ He was wrong sometimes, but he was right more than he was wrong. It’s the little things that he brought to the game. I think we bonded because were were both hungry and desperate to succeed.”
But before the NFL glory, Williams got tough love under former Wossman football coach Lonnie Calahan to prepare him for life, and that’s something he grew to appreciate later on. After playing under Calahan at Wossman, Williams made his way to Navarro College in 1992. That’s where he be-
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sent out nine new starters, including eight who were starting a World Cup match for the first time.
The U.S. tied it early in the second half on a goal by Sebastian Berhalter and the Americans got within a few seconds of an unbeaten run through the group stage. But in his postgame news conference, Pochettino expressed his annoyance with what he perceived as disappointment in the result
“For you not say congratulations that we won the group, that is a little bit sad,” Pochettino told reporters.
“What we need to remember is we won first place in this group,” Pochettino added while speaking in Spanish and English. “We ended up being No. 1, and we managed all the pressure and the expectations quite well. We had other priorities. We wanted to win. We did want the victory, but there are other things we needed to balance out, and that’s how I made the decisions.
“Making history is winning the World Cup, not just winning the group. It’s a little bit petty, if you will. You’re thinking just a little bit too small.”
Auston Trusty scored in the third minute for the Americans, who beat Paraguay and Australia by a combined 6-1 to book their place in the knockouts.
“I was sitting in the same meeting room as Bruce, and I’m just like, ‘Bruce is sitting right there,’ ” Williams said, recalling his time as a rookie “I was calling my wife every week because it was different back then. We had 100-something guys before they started making cuts. In the middle of the summer, I was like eighth string, and there were no rookies ahead of me. Ted Washington and I had the same agent, so Ted pulled me to the side and said, ‘I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you got a family You need to do what you’ve got to do.’ Once we talked, I slowly started picking it up and rising on the depth chart.”
Marveling at Smith’s iconic performances was part of that process, too.
“I was asking Bruce questions all the time. It was amazing watching him play,” Williams said. “He would take two snaps at practice, pull his hat off and go, ‘Alright young pups, y’all got it.’ Then I would
watch him on Sunday’s and be like, ‘How do you play like this?’ His production for the Bills picked up every year before becoming a full-time starter in 2001. Pro Bowls and other illustrious honors were nice, but there’s one accolade that eluded Williams during his playing days. The offseason before the New York Giants won the Super Bowl, the team inquired about signing Williams and getting him to play 20 snaps a game. Fourteen years was a long time of playing in the NFL, though, and Williams was ready to hang up his cleats.
“My son still reminds me of that. ‘If you would have signed with them, you would have gotten a ring,’ ” Williams said “People don’t understand you have to work out to play And I was done with that. At the end of the day, I was proud of the longevity of my career because I enjoyed playing. I played out all my contracts. And had an opportunity to sign with the Giants after that, so I’m proud of that.” He also is proud of his Wossman roots. From donating and upgrading facilities to helping out with the football team, Williams is still an integral part of Wossman High School.
“It’s all about the kids,” Williams said. “That’s how I got to where I am. Through the ups and downs, the teachers and coaches helped me with everything I did in life. If I could do it all over, I’d do it all the same.”
chettino for the group finale.
“You make (nine) changes, and the team might not be used to as the guys that have been playing.
“It showed the hustle, the aggressiveness of the team. I think it’s a positive, because Turkey is a top team. They might have not performed their best throughout this tournament, but their quality is on the pitch and you can see it.”
Berhalter said he doesn’t believe the Americans lost any momentum from the close defeat.
Pochettino fielded nearly an entirely new lineup for thislow-stakesgame,notably resting all four key players who picked up yellow cards earlier in the tournament.
Christian Pulisic entered in the 58th minute, however The AC Milan midfielder hadn’t played since the first half of the Americans’ opener due to a calf injury, and he was involved in a couple of early scoring chances before getting beaten on the wing on Turkey’s winning goal.
“We could have done better on some defensive plays, but it happens,” said Brenden Aaronson, one of nine new starters chosen by Po-
“You saw the second half, how we came out,” said Berhalter, who tied it in the 49th minute by running on to a loose ball about 20 yards out for a vicious strike. “I think we deserved more out of that game We slipped in the last second of the game. We gave everything we had, and we’ll be ready for the knockouts.
“The guys did well. We fought Unfortunate not to get a result, but we’ll be ready for sure.”
Arda Güler and Orkun Kökçü scored in the first half of a resilient performance by Turkey which had already been eliminated after losing its first two matches despite largely dominating both statistically Turkey improbably won in the eighth minute of stoppage time when Can Uzun got the ball in space on the back post and pushed it past sprawling goalkeeper Matt Turner to Ayhan, who slid to knock it home.
AP PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER United States midfielder Sebastian Berhalter celebrates after scoring a goal against Turkey during the World Cup Group D match on Thursday in Inglewood, Calif.
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning gives instructions to participants during the Manning Passing Academy on Friday at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux
Scheffler takes control after shooting 60
The Associated Press
CROMWELL, Conn. Scottie Scheffler could not convert a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Friday at the Travelers Championship, narrowly missing out on a chance to join Jim Furyk as the only players in PGA Tour history with two sub-60 rounds.
Scheffler had to settle for a 10-under 60 on the soft TPC River Highlands course, setting an early target atop the scoreboard on a day of extreme low scoring at the final signature event of the regular season.
“Going out yesterday in the afternoon, when the greens get firm out here and the wind starts to blow, it can get tricky pretty quickly,” Scheffler said. “Going out this morning, you definitely had a feeling the conditions were going to be easier, so you need to go out there and try and take advantage of it.”
Scheffler was at 16-under 124, two shots ahead of Viktor Hovland.
“At the end of the day, I was very focused on just my execution out there,” Scheffler said. “Who knows
Scottie Scheffler reacts after finishing the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on Friday in Cromwell, Conn. He missed a birdie putt on No 18 that would have given him a 59.
what the lead is going to be after today I’ve put myself in position now this week. Go home, get some
rest, and get ready for tomorrow.”
Playing three groups in front of
Scheffler, Hovland needed to bird-
ie the final two holes for a 59. He settled for a pair of pars and a 61, matching his career best on tour
“Certainly it was more gettable today than it was even yesterday,” Hovland said.
Akshay Bhatia had a 62 to match first-round leader Eric Cole at 12 under
“I know how this golf course can play,” Bhatia said. “You got to kind of keep making birdies and try and limit mistakes.”
Cole parred the final eight holes for a 65.
“Maybe just being tired or something and making some tired swings,” Cole said. Matt Fitzpatrick, Bud Cauley and Ben Griffin were tied for fifth at 10 under, each shooting 66.
Scheffler shot 59 in his rookie season in 2020 in the second round of The Northern Trust at the TPC Boston, another rain-softened course that featured low scoring. Dustin Johnson was 11 under through 11 holes that day and had to settle for a 60.
“Some days they’re kind of hanging on the edge and not quite going in, and then other days they’re
SCOREBOARD
p.m. Miami (TBD) at St. Louis (May 5-6), 6:15 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Yamamoto 7-5) at San Diego (Vásquez 6-5), 7:40 p.m. Atlanta (Elder 5-5) at San Francisco (Webb 4-5), 8:05 p.m. Soccer
Men’s World Cup Glance
34-31—65 -7
36-31—67 5
Chalmers 36-31—67 -5
36-31—67 5
5
33-34—67 -5
33-35—68 4
DiMarco 35-33—68 -4
-4
-3
-3
3
-3
3
-3
3
-3
finding the bottom of the cup,” Scheffler said. “Today was a day definitely in which most of them were finding the bottom of the cup.”
Furyk shot his first sub-60 round in the second round of the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms outside Chicago, a 59 that included a bogey on his card. Three years later he set the PGA Tour record at the Travelers Championship with a 58 in the final round.
Furyk did not win either tournament.
“It was like, ‘It would be cool to shoot 59, but somebody has already shot 58 here, so it’s not even the course record,’ ” Scheffler said Scheffler, who won the Travelers Championship two years ago, is coming off a tie for fourth in the U.S. Open when he played in the final grouping. His last victory was The American Express in the California desert, his first start of the year
Scheffler bogeyed the par-4 second, leaving a wedge from the fairway well short and missing an 8-foot par try
Tatjana Maria, Germany, def. Jelena Ostapenko (3), Latvia, 6-1, 1-2, ret. Madison Keys (2), United States, def. Petra Marcinko, Croatia, 6-1, ret. Men’s Doubles
Women’s Doubles
Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Luisa Stefani (1), Brazil, def. Asia Muhammad, United States, and Fanny Stollar (4), Hungary, 6-3, 6-4. Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch, Czechia, def. Maia Lumsden, Britain, and Isabelle Haverlag, Netherlands, 7-6 (2), 6-4. ATP World Tour Mallorca Championships Results
Friday At Santa Ponca Mallorca, Spain Purse: €612,620
Surface: Grass Results Friday from Mallorca Championships at Santa Ponca (seedings in parentheses): Men’s Singles
Semifinals Albano Olivetti and Theo Arribage (4), France, def. Adam Pavlasek and Patrik Rikl, Czechia, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Evan King, United States, and Andre Goransson, Sweden, def. Robin Haase, Netherlands, and Constantin Frantzen, Germany, 4-6, 7-5, 10-4. WTA Bad Homburg Open Results Friday At Bad Homburg Tennis Club Hamburg, Germany Purse: €1,049,083
Surface: Grass Results Friday from Bad Homburg Open at Bad Homburg Tennis Club (seedings in parentheses): Women’s Singles Quarterfinals Wang Xinyu, China, def. Elina Svitolina (3), Ukraine, walkover. Women’s Singles
Newpastor wants Istrouma to be ‘heartbeat’ of thecity
Thepastoral position at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge didn’tinitiallyinterest the Rev.Merrick Nunn. ALouisiana native,Nunn was content serving his church in Kentucky,even as several trusted mentors encouraged him to consider applying at Istrouma, one of the state’srespected congregations, which dates back to its beginnings in North Baton Rouge in 1920.
“I wasn’t looking for achange in churches, so I didn’t(apply),” he said.
All that changed when a friend then referred Nunn to the Istrouma pastoral search committee.
“After the search committee reachedout, my wife andI prayedabout it and decided to trust the Lord by submitting my résumé,” he said. Nunn, 36, made the cut for the top 10 candidates, then the final four.Now,he’ll deliver his first message at 10:30 a.m. Sunday,July 5, as the senior pastor at Istrouma, 10500 Sam Rushing Drive. Awelcome reception willfollow at 11 a.m. in the cafe.
“From the very beginning, something just felt right about it.The search team was incredible, and the more we learned, the more excited we became,” he said. “Our requestofthe Lord was for him to makeit abundantly clear by havingthe search team discern his will.”
Nunn is excited about the opportunity to support Istrouma and the greater Baton Rouge area.
“Tothe Istrouma family,Iam honored and blessed to have the opportunity to serve you. Idesire to faithfully know, feed, love and lead this congregation,” Nunn said. “My prayerisn’tjust for us to grow numerically,orinour budgets and buildings. My prayerisfor us to see awork of God, for us to be apart of something that only he can do. Ican’twait to see what the Lord has in store.” God hadsomething in store for Nunn as achildraised in Quitman in Jackson Parish, near Ruston.
“I grew up in church and sought to be a‘good kid’ from an early age. Imade aprofession of faith and was baptized at 8years old,” he said. But through God’sgrace, as ayoung adult, Nunn had alifechanging spiritual awakening
“I cametorealize that I hadn’ttruly graspedthe depth of my sin and my need for Christ’sforgiveness,” he said “I knew alot about Jesus, but Ididn’tknow him. When Iwas 22 years old, Irepented and placedmyfaithinJesus. He changedme, and he is still changingme.”
Churches and ministries heard about his change and soon began inviting Nunn to share his testimony
“During this time, Ifound I wanted to share the truths I’d learned from God’swordthat changed my life. Iwas more interested in sharingGod’sstory than my own. It was during this time that the Lord called me into ministry,” he said Nunn earned his bachelor’s degreeinchemistry education from Louisiana Tech and
ä See MATTERS, page 6C
Staff report
We put aquestion out tolocal musicians: Nameyour favorite “America” or patriotic song.
For some, thetask was easy.For others, not so much Patriotic can be abig word to hangonamelody,but somehow it often works. Some people hear it and stand up straight. Some people hear it and brace. Two people can sing the sameanthem and meanoppositethings.
Theanswers cameback in every shape and genre —from “America the Beautiful” to asong with deep historicalroots the rest of us have never heard. Oneperson picked something tender.Another picked something with teeth.
Americanshave been singing about this experiment in democracy for 250 years. Yes, the national anthem can still evoke deep feelings, but we’ve never settled on asingle tune to sum up this broad, beautiful and complicated country Andweprobably never will. What follows is not adefinitive anything. It is local musicians telling thetruth about songs that move them. Therange is thepoint. Acountry this vast was never going to agree
on asingle verse —and maybeit was never supposed to.
—Jan Risher
An immigrant’ssong EastBaton Rouge Parish Talented Music teacher andsinger/ songwriter Peter Simon chose two American songs. He saidthe first song that came to mind about Americais“Going to aTown”byRufus Wainwright, which he said is honest.
“More than that, Ithink PaulSimon’s‘American Tune’ would be themostAmerican song Iknow. It’sanimmigrant’ssong, and it just happens to be the last song Allen Toussaint recorded before his death,” Peter Simon said.
From seatoshining sea, fewagree,but local musicianspicktheir favorite American song ä See SONGS, page 6C
TerryRobinson
Nunn
STAFFFILE PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Peter Simonand collaborator Raudol Palacios play together at Simon’sstudio in Baton Rougelast year
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, June 27, the 178th day of 2026. There are 187 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On June 27, 1957, Hurricane Audrey slammed into coastal Louisiana and Texas as aCategory 4 storm, causing as many as 600 deaths.
Also on this date:
In 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother,Hyrum, were killed by amob in Carthage, Illinois.
In 1950, the U.N. Security Council passed aresolution calling on member nations to help South Korea repel an invasion from the North.
In 1967, Barclays Bank unveiled the first automated teller machine (ATM) in the town of Enfield, north London.
In 1991, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black jurist to sit on the nation’s highest court, announced his retirement.
In 2005, BTK serial killer Dennis Rader pleaded guilty to 10 murders that had spread fear across Wichita, Kansas, beginning in the 1970s. (Rader was sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms in prison.)
In 2006, aconstitutional amendment to ban desecration of the American flag died in aU.S. Senate cliff-hanger,falling one vote short of the 67 needed to send it to states for ratification.
In 2011, former Illinois Gov.Rod Blagojevich was convicted by afed-
eral jury in Chicago of a widerangeofcorruption charges, includingthe allegation that he’d tried to sell or tradePresident Barack Obama’sU.S. Senate seat. (Blagojevich was later sentenced to 14 years in prison;his sentence was commuted byPresident Donald TrumpinFebruary 2020, and hereceived a full and unconditional pardon from TrumpinFebruary2025.)
In 2018, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy,whose vote often decidedcases on abortion, gayrightsand other contentiousissues, announced hisretirement. In 2022, in Kennedyv Bremerton School District, theSupremeCourt ruled that ahigh school football coach who sought to kneel and pray on the fieldafter games was protected by the First Amendment
Today’sBirthdays: Musician Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys) is 84. Fashion designer Norma Kamaliis 81. Fashion designer Vera Wang is 77. ActorJulia Duffy is75. Actor Isabelle Adjani is71. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski is 67. Country singer Lorrie Morgan is67. ActorTony Leung Chiu-wai is 64. Writer-producer-director J.J. Abrams is 60. Actor Tobey Maguire is 51. Actor Sam Claflin is 40. Actor Ed Westwick is 39. NFL linebacker Bobby Wagner is 36. ActorMadylin Sweeten (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 35. Singer-songwriter H.E.R is 29. Actor Chandler Riggs (“The Walking Dead”) is27.
STORY
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screening event at the Louisiana Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Highsmith and her husband and travel partner TedLandphairwill be on hand to meet attendees. The screening is free, but registration is required as seating is limited. Visit lpb.org/capturingamerica to sign up. Independent filmmaker Kristen Akers Gozdecki and Director of Photography Paul Jacobson will participate in apost-screening Q&Adiscussion. There is also aplanned musical performance by New Orleans jazz artist John Boutté, who is featuredinthe film. The network first worked with Highsmith, now 80, in 2023 when she collaborated with LPB on the photography companion book to its documentary,“Why Louisiana Ain’tMississippi …or Any Place Else!”.
“Her photographs captured the truth and beauty of our state. Now,LPB is pleased to share her story with audiences acrossthe country,with some Louisiana flavor thrown in, of course,”LPB Presidentand CEO Clarence “C.C” Copelandsaysina newsrelease. Highsmith’slove for America began at ayoung age while traveling across the country by car. “I was anomad from the moment go,” she says. Her love of photography led herona lifelongmission to document America by photographing people and places in all 50 states as well as the District of
Schoolsfailtoteach needed skill
Dear Heloise: Iread the letterabout counting change and thought I’d give you my experience. For many years, Irequested thatteachersin our district teach students two things: how to count change back and how to measure items with atape measure. In 40 years,I’ve had to teach everyemployee both, regardless of their ages,which range from 1560. My grandchild, whom I raised, was the only student in her school who knew how to make change. Sadly,it just isn’ttaught. It’s averysimple but nec-
SONGS
Columbia andPuerto Rico.
More than 40 years later, aftercountless milestraveled, Highsmith has built acollection expectedto surpass 100,000 images. Her remarkable archive is housedatthe Library of Congress and made available copyright-free and royalty-free to thepublic
“By documentingthe present, she’smaking sure that people can know the past in away that only photography can communicate because it freezes time,” Helena Zinkham, chief of the prints and photographs division, Library of Congress,says inthe release.
The documentary slowly reveals Highsmith’spersonal story as audiences come to understand themotivation behind her generousgiftand shareher love for America.
“Seeing the beauty and diversityofAmerica through Carol’s eyes will renew viewers’ love for our country,especially as we approachthe nation’s250th anniversary,”adds LPB Executive Producer Linda Midgett. “It’sa special honor to share Carol’sfascinating lifestory and the magnitude of herwork to anationwide audience through PBS.” Formore, visitwww.lpb org/capturingamerica.
Majorsupport forthe screening event is provided by St. JamesPlace, withadditional supportfromAARP Louisiana and DEMCO.
“CapturingAmerica: TheCarol Highsmith Story”was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additionalfunding provided by George Landegger and Diane Wallach.
essary thing to learn. Cash registersand calculators can make mistakes —and often do. —Pat W.G., viaemail Pat, there are some subjects that have been dropped from our schools, and I would like to seethem reinstituted. However, school boards feel that these subjectsaren’t needed, so they’re gone from the curriculum. Idon’tknow when or why geography was removed, but Iknow from talking to teachers thatmany students can’tidentify where the Middle East is located, or where the state of Kansas is located on ablank map
Iwas very lucky that my mother taught me to make change before the first grade, and geography was one of my favorite classes in middle school. Teachers and parents, please write to Heloise@Heloise.com as to what you’d like to see schools do to improve the education system in America. —Heloise Back in my day…
DearHeloise: Back in the 1960s and early ’70s, I worked for my dad in his family-owned grocery business. There were no electronic scanners or machines to crank out the change. Everything was done by
hand, including punching in the prices on acash register, counting the change, and counting back the change to the customer.Westarted with pennies, then nickels, and so on, counting out loud to the customer It isn’tdifficult, but these days, Iimagine that it’d take sometraining and practice to learn the “art” of counting back change. We also had to memorize all the sale prices, as they weren’t“computerized.” I loved working formydad. Thanks forstirring up the memories! —Nancy B.,via email Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
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‘ThisLandisYourLand’
Jodi James, one half of the acousticduo Clay Parker and Jodi James,said Bruce Springsteen’s versionof “This Land is Your Land” is her favorite.
She particularly prefers the “Live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY December 1980” version where Springsteen breaks outthe acoustic guitar and harmonica.
The song was originally writtenbyWoody Guthrie in 1940.
LSU Libraries’ Lois Kuyper-Rushing said this song is her favorite too.
“The message of the song says what Ibelieve —thatAmericais/ should be aland for everyone,” Rushing said.
Agiftfor humor
Musician, composer,recording artist and producer Kasey Ball saidhis favorite song aboutthe UnitedStatesis “YourFlagDecal Won’tGet YouInto Heaven Anymore” by John Prine.
woman,somyfavorite song is ‘The Payback’when James Brown wassaying whohewas: ‘I’m Black, and I’m proud, and my accomplishments deservethe samerespect as everyone else,’”Lynell said.
Shewrote herlatest album “Black Magic” after visiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. One of the songs on the album, “American Dream,”quotes “America the Beautiful.”
“Everyone understands whatitmeans to be American and have the audacity to fight for something,” Lynell said. “It maybeuncomfortable sometimes, but we’re right there.”
‘Chester’
Stevens, anearlyseven-minutecomposition released in 2005 that references the strong influence of theWorld’sFair of 1893 in Chicago.
Tyler and his bandplay across the Gulf Coast, mixing Southern rock,country, swamppop anddance favorites.
‘Touches my heart’
“Sufjan is my favorite artist, and this song is about American history and references alot of musical sounds that people associate withthe U.S., like the banjo and marching band music,” Kimball said.
“Music canbeprovocative without being hurtful or incendiary. Nobody wants brutal honestyall the time, either in apersonalorparasocial relationship,” Ball said. “Prine hada gift for humor which allowed delivery of toughcommentary. Iam working to developa similarly steady hand at penning lyrics.Listening to Prine gets me in themood to write music which addresses society thesame way listening to MartyRobbins gets me ready to brave adesertride.”
Ball noted that he’sworking to write asong that “celebrates all of the Americas.
‘Comeon!’
LSU musicinstructor WarrenKimball’sfavorite song about America is ”Come on! Feel The Illinoise” by Sufjan
MATTERS
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amaster of divinity and adoctorate of ministry in expository preaching from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina.
He has served churches in Ruston; Jackson, Mississippi; and most recently as lead pastor at Westside BaptistChurch in Murray, Kentucky
Several factors attracted Nunn to Istrouma.
“The church itself has a great reputation in the state, and Iwanted to be faithful to use the giftsGod has given me for his name and renown if he so chose to place me in this role,” he said.
The opportunity to minister to college studentsat the area universities and the proximitytoNew Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to help future pastors wereabig draw for Nunn.
“Ultimately,Iwas attracted to the role because I genuinely believe theLord has positioned Istrouma and equipped the church to be aheartbeat for the city, thestate, our country and around the world,” he said. “God has blessed Istrouma immensely,and Iamex-
‘Fromsea to shiningsea’ RayCharles’ theclassic“Ameri The Beautiful” is favorite of Louis singer Chase Ty Katharine Bates origina wrotethe song 1893 as apoem tit “PikesPeak.” of the nation’sm popular patriotic tunes, it’s been performed by many, from Bing Crosby to heavy metal band Black Label Society.Charles’ soulful version reached No. 98 on the US R&B chart,appropriately in 1976.
Baton Rouge native Noah James created amusic career for himself at 19 years old. The country musician often writes about themes of patriotism, and he draws inspiration from “American Soldier” by Toby Keith, his favorite American song. James said his grandpa, uncleand several friends erved in the mili,soheholds the song close.
“Every time Ihear hink about them dthe sacrifices made,” James “It also reminds of allthe menand men whohave served in the military to protect ourfreedom. Their courage, dedication and service mean agreat deal to me,which is why this song touches my heart.”
Deservingofrespect
“The song makes me think of ‘a country unitedduring simplertimes,’ kind of a stop-you-in-your-tracks tune that makes you feel proud to be an American,” said Tyler “Atleast it does for me.”
If she’s notpicking from herown repertoire of music, Baton Rouge-based singer Quiana Lynell picks James Brown’s“ThePayback.” She said Brown’smusic has an influence on her own.
“I’m aBlack American
cited about the opportunity to be apart of helping her reach her full potential in thedays ahead. The opportunityfor impact is immense.”
He wants Istroumato continue to reach beyond the walls of the church.
“I’m grateful forthe opportunity to serve in this wonderful city and sur-
Griffin Campbell, who served for 40 years as professor of saxophone in the School of Music at LSU, picked “Chester” by William Billings, an 18th-century tunesmith and patriot. “I’m familiar with it from singing it in choir in 1976 and playing it in aconcert band arrangement by William Schuman,” Campbell said. “I was told it was considered as our national anthem in the early years of the republic.”
Atoss-up
Baton Rouge-basedDJ Richard Haydel says his favorite is atoss-up between twosongs: “One Nation Under aGroove,” by Funkadelic,or“Rockin’ in theFree World,” by NeilYoung (even though he’saCanadian).
“The former is just ajoy to dance to, and an homage to thenotion that dance itself is aunifying force for us in this country,” Haydel wrote. “The second is interesting because,although it sounds like atypical stadium rock song, it hidesa lotofimportant critique about America. Andit’sstill relevant some decades later. So yes, ‘One NationUnder aGroove’is the joyous party starter the Neil Youngtrack, albeit still funtosing, is morecontemplative.”
rounding communities.
Ipray the city increasingly feels the positive impact of Istroumafor decades to come,” he said.
Nunn’sministry philosophy is rooted in Ezra 7:10: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” Nunn said, “This is what Idesire to do —toknow God’sword, apply it personally and then teach it corporately.”
His lifemotto, “treasure Jesus,” comes from Matthew 13:44-46: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in afield, which aman found and covered up. Then in his joy,hegoes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Nunn added, “I want to treasure him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and Idesire to help others see the immense worth of knowing, loving and living forJesus.” Contact Terry Robinsonat terryrobinson622@gmail. com.
Hints from Heloise
PROVIDED PHOTO
The Rev. Merrick Nunn, back, senior pastor at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, smiles with hisfamily.His wifeEmily,from left, holds son Wyatt, 3months old, next to children Ellis, 10; Nora, 8; and Abram, 7.
Kimball
STAFFFILE PHOTOBySOPHIAGERMER
Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle perform‘AmericaThe Beautiful’ before the Super Bowl LIXgame between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome in NewOrleans in 2025.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Size up your situation, consider the possibilities and put a schedule in place that is sufficient to meet your demands. Don't let negativity drain the energy from you.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Silence is golden. Wait, watch and start to plan what's in your best interest. Work quietly behind the scenes until you feel excited about what you develop. Your power comes from thoroughness.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept 22) Opportunity is within reach. Recognize what's available and go for it. Detail is important, but so aredeadlines.Doyourbestintheallotted amount of time. You will fulfill others' expectations.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) What you do will have a bigger impact than what you say. Focus on physical progress and sticking to the facts. If you color a situation, it will come back to haunt you.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Creativity is on the rise, and how you express your intentions, desires and expectations will make a difference when trying to generate interest. Listen carefully and be sure to get any offers you receive in writing.
sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Taking on projects that improve your health, lifestyle or home will have a positive impact onyourlife,relationshipsandconfidence if you don't surpass your budget.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take note of what everyone around you is doing to avoid getting caught in someone else's drama Truth matters, and knowing
when to back away or say nothing will help you avoid any setback that comes with unsavory situations.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A change at home will be rejuvenating. Personal gain and enjoying the company of someone who brings out the best in you will have a positive impact on how you look and feel.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Being brave, bold and boisterous will grab attention and help you get things done. Venture out, socialize and connect with people who have similar interests and something to offer in return.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Doubling down, pushing yourself to the limit and taking care of unfinished business will help you enjoy your downtime and think more about commitment and what you want to pursue next.
TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Put your energy where it counts. Focusing on personal growth, making investments and taking better care of your emotional well-being will come with rewards. It's time to venture into new genres.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Change begins with you Put your heart into what moves you, then see what happens. Learning from experience and discussions you get into will help you find greater stability and personal and financial security.
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
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
Stacy Keach said, “I can’t think of anything that requires more finesse than comedy, both from averbal and visual point of view.”
Thereishardly abridge deal without at least one finesse. How many potential finesses can you see in thisdeal?
South is in six hearts.What should he do afterWest leads the diamond queen?
North took aslight gamble in wheeling outBlackwoodimmediately.Heplanned, of course, to bidsix hearts even if partner denied an ace.
Butitwas just possible that hisside was off thetwo top spades. South could have held 14 high-card points without holding the spade ace or king. But the odds wereinNorth’s favor.
There are two possible finesses, one in each black suit. Which one should be tried?
Afinessing fanwould take both, go down with this distribution and then complain about his bad luck. With the right lineofplay, though, the contract is guaranteed —how?
Afterdeclarer winsthe first trick with dummy’s diamond king and draws trumps, he shouldcashdummy’s diamond ace, play atrump to hishand, ruff his lastdiamond in the dummy, and play
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
of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional
not be used. 4. Proper
or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed
ToDAy’s WoRD FRAGILITy: fruh-JIL-ih-tee: The state of being easily broken.
thought
Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him,and Iamhelped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices;and with my song will Ipraise him.” Psalms 28:7
