The Acadiana Advocate 06-29-2026 by The Advocate

HEADING SOUTH

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

St. Landry Parish residents have been playing awaitinggame forthe better part of aweek. Recently,Tropical Storm Arthurdumped20to30 inches of rain within12hours across southern parts of the parish, alikely 1,000-yearrainfall event that caught most residentsoff guard. That water, which is not contained within rivers andcanals,isnow flooding partsof northern St. Landry Parish. For most of the past week, aflood warning has been in effect for the parishes of Avoyelles,St. Landry, Evangeline and Rapides, according to the National Weather Service. St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard issued voluntary evacuation recommendationsfor most areas of the parish north of La. 190 early in the week, and on Tuesday,water flowed across La.10inPalmetto. On Wednesday,hewarned residents of Lebeau alongU.S. 71 from U.S. 190

Bennyand Sara Camp driveafour-wheeler through floodwaters on Veazie Road while leaving their homeinthe villageofPalmetto on Friday

northtoLa. 10 that it was time to leave if they planned to evacuate.

Though aRed Cross shelter opened forseveral days in Opelousas, Bellard said mostresidents who evacu-

ated were able to find family and friends to stay with,and theshelter was closed.

Aroad closedsignstands where Snows Road becomes impassable dueto floodwaters in thevillageofPalmetto on Friday.Floodwaters from Tropical StormArthur have inundated northernSt. Landry Parish, causing evacuations and flooding over100 homes. ä See FLOODWATERS, page 4A

LawmakersquestionifLa.

ed to raise concerns that the state is too often puttingfootballahead of other priorities.

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN

Staff writer

As Louisiana pours millions into making LSU afootballjuggernaut, some state lawmakers have start-

Thedebatecomes after alegislative session during which the Louisiana House killed abill thatwould have givenmore money to early childhood education programs;instead, college sports programs will get that money

Asecondbillexacerbatedtensions by shielding from the public details of how state universities spendfunds generated by athlet-

ics programs, including how they divide themoney among different sports and top athletes.

“I don’tknow if I’d call it asacred cow.But it pretty much is asacred cow,” stateSen.BethMizell,RFranklinton, saidofcollege football. “You can’t touchit. Youcan’t lessen what we put intoit.”

Mizell sponsored Senate Bill 135, which would have changed how

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

spending led

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow rode President Donald Trump’sforceful support and an avalanche of campaign spending in the ﬁnalweek to decisively win the Republican runoff SaturdaytobeLouisiana’s next senator, after late polls had suggested the race might be neck-and-neck. Trump didn’tjust endorse Letlow, R-BatonRouge.He lavishedpraise on herintwo campaign videos and held a rally by phone with Letlow on Thursday that attracted 98,000 listeners, an official withher campaign saidon Sunday. Thatwas more than half the 179,000 votes she collected on Saturday Trump’ssuper PAC, Securing American Greatness, also contributed $1 million to an outside group, the Accountability Project, that battered stateTreasurerJohnFleming, Letlow’sRepublican opponent,witha barrageofnegative ads.

“I can’twait to work with him (Trump) over on the Senate side,” Letlow,45, told reporters at her Baton Rouge victory party after clinching the Republican victory “Great News!!!” Trump posted Saturday night on Truth Social. “Julia LetlowWON in Louisiana, beating conclusively avery strong and smart opponent.”

sportsgambling taxrevenue is allocated. Currently,25% of that revenue goes to an early childhood education fund, while 25% goes to an account that supports college athletics knownasthe SPORTfund. According to state law, themoney in theSPORT fund is distributed evenly among Louisiana’spublic colleges that play Division Ifootball. Schools may spend it on scholarships, in-

surance and medical coverage for student athletes, andtoenhance facilities and settle lawsuits.

The earlychildhood education fund is capped at $20 million, but the SPORTfund has no cap. SB135 would have moved the cap to the SPORTfund, allowing the early childhood education fund to continue collecting revenue over $20 million. The change wouldhave

STAFF PHOTOSByLESLIE WESTBROOK

Officials: Israelistrikes in Gaza kill at least 4

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least four Palestinians, including a13-year-old girl, local healthofﬁcials said.

The first strike targeted a group of people in northern Gaza’sBeit Lahiya, killing two and wounding another,according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society

Another Israeli strike in southern Gaza killeda man, accordingtohealth ofﬁcials at Nasser hospital.

Andthe 13-year-oldgirl,Eileen al-Farra, was killedby shrapnel from Israelitankshelling in southern Gaza,according to Nasser hospital.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to arequest for comment on the strikes but said one of them targeted a“Hamas terrorist,” without elaborating.

Palestinians on Sundayreported heavytank shelling across Gaza and quadcopters —atype of unmanned aerialvehicle— buzzing overhead.

Skydiving plane crashes in France, killing 11

TOMBLAINE, France Families watched in shock as askydiving plane carrying their loved ones on what was meant to be athrilling introductiontoparachuting crashed in northeastern France on Sunday,killing all 11 peopleon board, authorities said.

The dead included five parachuting instructors, ﬁve novice jumpers and the pilot, Interior Minister LaurentNunez said Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said it was France’s biggest aviation accident involving skydiving in about 30 years.

“Some of the victims’ families witnessed the aircraft falling with their own eyes.Sothere is tremendous emotion and an even greater psychologicaltrauma,” Nunez said. He refused to speculate on what caused the crash but said the plane dropped out of the sky suddenly.Hesaid it had just taken off from the Nancy-Essey airﬁeld on theoutskirts of thecityof Nancy when it came downabout 300 yards from the runway Yves Séguy,prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region,said theplane suffered amalfunction and “fell almost vertically,” narrowlymissing abuilt-up area.

“Haditoccurred just afew dozen meters away,the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” he said.

NASA races to save Swift telescope CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earthwith a daringrescue mission.

The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of arobotic lifesaver.

NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to boostthe Swift Observatory to ahigher orbitwhere it can continue hunting for some of the universe’sbiggest explosions. Athree-armed spacecraft built by Katalyst will chase after Swift once it takes off from an atoll in the Paciﬁc’s Marshall Islandsaboard an airplane-launched Pegasus rocket. Liftoff could occur as early as Tuesday Scanning the cosmos since its launch in 2004, Swift has been sinking faster and faster because of recentintense solar activity. It needs to get to ahigher,more stable orbit as soon as possible to survive.

NASA’s Hubble SpaceTelescope —also at risk —couldbe next. Like Swift, Hubble is losing altitude as the sun eruptswith one ﬂare after another. Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee said his company’snext-generation robot, still in development, could save the day for the much bigger Hubble in acouple years

Iran strikesinBahrain andKuwait

Tehran threatens to halt talksafter U.S. attacks

BY JON GAMBRELL and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

Iranagain launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrainand Kuwait on Sunday following newU.S. airstrikesagainst the Islamic Republic, andthreateneda “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.

CO IN T MI EAST

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim that Tehranmust govern the straittothe Persian Gulf that once carried aﬁfth of theworld’s oiland natural gas.

of their interim deal. The Trumpadministration on Sunday said nothing has been canceledand technical talks areontrack for thecoming days.

NFLICT HE DDLE AST

Efforts to reopen the StraitofHormuzwithoutIran’s oversight has sparked days of crossﬁre.

Amultinationalmaritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturdayit wouldexpanda routenear Oman for inboundand outbound trafﬁc.

“Any attempt to establish neworseparate arrangements from thosecurrently being carried out by theIslamic Republic of Iran will only lead to furthercomplications, delaythe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the leveloftension,” Araghchi said.

The straithas long been considered an internationalwaterway despite its locationinIran and Oman’sterritorial waters.Inrecentdays, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through aroute near theOmaniside.

Pakistan,akey mediator hassaidtalks wouldresumeTuesday between the U.S. and Iran on the terms

Talks include arrangements around thestrait, the removal of aU.S. blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’sstockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have 60 days from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month to workout details.

ContinuedconﬂictinLebanon threatens the agreement, which says ﬁghting must end on all frontsbefore certain issuescan be discussed.

StrikestargetGulfstates

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guardclaimed responsibility forthe attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.

Kuwait,which hosts a majorU.S. military base,

said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and twomissilesjustafter the U.S. strikesinIran. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Bahrain said theIranian strikes damaged aresidentialbuildingnear the international airport and no onewas killed. Bahrain is home to theU.S.Navy’s 5thFleet.The damaged building was notnear its headquarters.

Bahrain’sForeign Ministry denounced what it called“adangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not apassing act, nor an isolated incident, butrather adeliberate approach and asystematic pattern of repeated aggression.”

LateronSunday, Qatar said acivilian had been killed, andanother person washurt, by shrapnelrelated to “military operations in the area” after avessel didn’treturn at its scheduled timeonSaturday.It

did not give details.

Trump’saccusations

The U.S. militarysaid it struck Iranian military “surveillanceinfrastructure,communicationsystems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on aship on Saturday.The Panamanian-flaggedtankerKiku carried crude oil forthe state-run energy company of Qatar, another keymediator President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the deal andwarned of apoint wherethe U.S. may“be forced to militarily complete the job.”

“If thathappens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote. The exchangesofﬁre began when an Iranian drone struck amerchant vessel offOman on Thursdayand the U.S. military retaliated.

Teamsscrambletolocatequake survivors

BY REGINA GARCIA CANO, JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ and MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela— Local and international rescueteamsraced against the clock to pullsurvivors fromthe rubble in Venezuela on Sunday,fourdays after two powerful earthquakes shook thenorthern state of La Guaira.

Thegovernment reported 1,450 dead fromthe quakes Sunday afternoon as it faced growing criticism fromVenezuelans that its response was inadequate and overshadowed by civilian-led efforts to rescue people buried under collapsed buildings.

Thousands have been reported missing,according to multiple databases used by families searching for loved ones.

Even as the likelihood of ﬁnding people alivediminished with each passing hour,rescuers continued to free some survivors from mountainsofdebris, offering anguished families asliver ofhope.

The ﬁrst 48 to 72 hours after anatural disaster are

crucial to rescue efforts, though survival can be extendedifpeople have access to food and water

More than2,600 rescue workers from aroundthe world had arrived by Sunday, the government said, noting that crews were being supported in their effortsbynearly 140 specially trained dogs.

“It’sbeen incredibly hard work, but we’re going strong,”said Jason Mercano, acivilian who was able

to communicate with family buried under therubble via social media.

“We’venever given up hope,” he added.

Masses of people gathered to watch as rescue crews from the U.S. and France pulleda manand his son from the ruins Sunday morning and carried them carefully on a black tarp into an ambulance.

Still, many Venezuelans arestruggling to hold

3firefighterskilled, 2hurtbattling wildfire on Colorado-Utahborder

BYTYONEIL,

MICHAEL R. SISAK and JULIE CARR SMYTH

Associated Press

BEAVER, Utah Three firefighters were killed and two sustained burn injuries when they were overcome by ﬂames from fast-moving wildﬁres in hot, windy conditions nearthe Colorado-Utah border

The firefightersdeployedemergency shelters for themselves during the socalled burnover —which occurs when afire spreads and closes off all escape routes —onSaturday in Mesa County, Colorado, the U.S. Interior Department said

They worked forthe U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service and were part of an interagencyresponsetothe Knowles andGoreﬁres, which merged with other ﬁres to form the Snyder Fire. So far,about 44 square mileshaveburned.

The Wildland FireService, created earlier this year to streamline ﬁreﬁghting and firereductionacross public lands, said in astatement thatit“stands united” withthe ForestService in grief and“in ourunwavering support forthe loved ones left behind.”

“Theirbravery,dedication,and sacriﬁcewillnever be forgotten,” the statement said.

The names of the firefighters who perished werebeing withheld pending notifications to their loved ones, the Interior Department said.

Temperatures in Grand Junction —east of the ﬁre—hit ahigh of 93 degrees, with windsgusting to 44 mph, according to the NationalWeatherService.

TheMesaCounty Sheriff’sOfﬁce was

Thompson Springs,Utah.

asking people to evacuate the potential pathofthe fireand to turn on irrigation water to saturate the land. The federal Bureau of Land Management closed public access to lands it manages nearby “Firefighter and public safety are the highest priority,” the agency said in a statement. “The temporary closing of the lands is to reduce exposuretohazardous situationsdue to therapid rates of spread and firebehavior that the fire has exhibited. The public is to remain clear of these closed lands.”

Wildfire activity has intensified across thewestern United States, as consecutivedays of hot,dry and windy weather have fueled flames in Utah, Arizona and elsewhere as new fires popped up across the region. The largest blaze, theCottonwood Fire, was burning in ruggedterrain in southwestUtah. It ballooned Saturday to more than 144 square miles aftermarching through canyons and mountainsides, destroying part of aski resort andother summer cabins along theway

onto hope in an increasingly desperate situation. The one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that hit last Wednesday have left atrail of devastation.

Alayer of dust coated coastal communities, and as the stench of decomposing bodies spread, morepeople began to wearmasks.

Authorities said Sunday that more than 770 buildings had totally or partially collapsed from the earthquakes, twiceasmany as were reported destroyed or damaged on Friday.The risk of further damage remains as aftershockscontinued to shake Venezuela; quakes measuring 4.2 and 4.5 hit Sunday morning. Many livingindisaster zones said they had seen little sign of their government sincethe quakes. But rescue efforts in La Guaira —the hardest-hitarea— appeared signiﬁcantly more organized on Sunday as international rescue missions arrived en masse. In previous days, residents there had expressed frustration and anger about the level of response. The government reported on state television that more than 14,000 members of the military and police are now patrolling La Guaira state, where access is blocked and special permitsare required to enter

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByMATIAS DELACROIX

Rescue workers carry aman rescued Sunday from the rubble of abuilding that collapsed in the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela.

VENEZUELA

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NOAH BERGER Smoke rises Sunday from the SnyderFire burning near

Astory about Saturday’s BESE primary that appeared in the Sunday paper incorrectlystated that candidate Mike Hollis was former board member Paul Hollis’ son. They are brothers.

The Advocate regrets theerror

U.S. lags in social media restrictions for children

But reform push is growing

BY KAITLYN HUAMANI and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writers

Amy Neville describes Kristin Bride as her “soulmate.” But the day that forged their bond — June 23, 2020 was the worst of each of their lives.

Both Bride and Neville lost their teen sons that day Their kids lived a thousand miles apart and never met, but they both died from harms related to their social media use. When the two mothers met, early in their advocacy work to protect other kids, Bride said she had felt “totally alone.” But they have since seen the online child safety movement blossom, with scores of other parents who lost kids pursuing stronger social media safeguards and legislation to protect children online.

With that momentum, advocates say the tide seems to be turning. A pair of landmark jury verdicts this year showed a way forward for holding tech companies accountable. And while the U.S. is nowhere near embracing social media bans for children like those seen from Australia to Indonesia, a push for regulation is simmering again in Congress

“Moving forward for me, it’s this groundswell. We now have the court of public opinion on our side, and that is powerful. That has brought things to the next level,” Neville said in an interview Her son Alexander Neville

was brilliant and intense,” Neville said, with an entrepreneurial spirit and “the best laugh in the world.”

When he was 14, a drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat and sold him the pill that killed him. Carson Bride was the “bright light” of his family, a funny and caring kid who loved connecting with people, his mother said. He died by suicide at age 16 after severe cyberbullying.

The teenagers were honored in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday alongside 270 other children and young people who died because of online harms. It was the sixth anniversary of the boys’ deaths, a date their families have worked to establish as Social Media Victims Remembrance Day

Growing awareness of the dangers social media poses for young, developing brains has shown up in a wave of new restrictions globally Australia, the U.K. Turkey Indonesia and others have passed bans on kids under 16 or 15 from using platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

In the U.S., the movement turned a corner with two jury verdicts against Meta and one against Google that galvanized proponents for kids’ online safety Evidence in the court cases revealed some of the tech companies’ inner workings, including communications of employees who likened their products to drugs and casinos.

That the Los Angeles trial accusing social media platforms of causing deliberate harm to children was allowed to move forward was itself a watershed movement, said

Kristin Bride, right, mother of 16-year-old Carson Bride, who died by suicide after being cyberbullied on an anonymous app on Snapchat, is joined by Amy Neville, mother of 14-year-old Alexander Neville, who died from fentanyl poisoning after being deceived by a drug dealer operating on Snapchat, during a Social Media Victims Remembrance Day memorial on Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Matthew Bergman, head of the Social Media Victims Law Center, which represents more than 1,000 plaintiffs in lawsuits against social media companies.

Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act shields tech companies from legal responsibility for posted content. It has been a barrier to accountability but lawsuits are side-stepping its protections by focusing on the companies’ deliberate design choices rather than content.

“It is still a hurdle, but it is no longer a barrier,” Bergman said. In the U.S., federal legislation of social media has moved at a glacial pace The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which took effect in 2000, requires kidoriented apps and websites

to get parents’ consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.

This week, lawmakers in the House unveiled a bipartisan deal called the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act. It includes portions of the the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, which passed the Senate in 2024, but critics say it’s been stripped of its most important part a provision called “duty of care,” a legal term that requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.

“Without a duty of care, Big Tech companies will maintain the status quo of putting profit before the safety of our children,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement Bride said advocates have to employ a three-prong ap-

proach, utilizing legislation, litigation and education. That way, “when one stalls, like legislation,” Bride said, “then we have the trials and we have litigation. So we keep pressing forward. We’re not going to give up.”

Representatives from Meta, YouTube and TikTok did not immediately respond to messages for comment. Snap said in a written statement that it works continuously to strengthen safety protections across its platform.

Over the years, social media platforms have introduced some safety features including separating minors into teen accounts and providing even tighter restrictions for younger teenagers. Instagram, for instance, now restricts teen accounts to viewing content that aligns

with “PG-13” ratings and accounts are set to private and can’t be messaged by strangers. YouTube has a separate kids app and parental controls on its regular platform that allow for “supervised kid accounts” for preteens who have aged out of YouTube kids.

But child advocates say there’s still a long way to go. “Their fundamental incentive to design products that maximize engagement has not changed,” Bergman said. “Yes, there have been some improvements. A 13-year-old child is not by default provided with an open account for adult predators to prey upon So, you know, there are baby steps, but there are steps in the right direction. We just need more of them.”

Since 2024 the Senate has passed a resolution annually to recognize June 23 as Social Media Harms Victim Remembrance Day, which honors the lives of those who died because of online harms including suicide, drug poisoning, cyberbullying and dangerous social media challenges.

Alongside several parents and advocates who spoke at the event Tuesday evening including Bride and Neville — senators called for urgent action. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DMinn., advocated for the repeal of Section 230. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, DConn., said advocates and lawmakers need to “ﬁght like hell for the living.” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., assailed his fellow Congress members for not doing more, saying “we all know why” they haven’t acted.

Europe

BY KIRSTEN GRIESHABER and JOHN LEICESTER

Associated Press

BERLIN France saw around

1,000 additional deaths last week at the height of its record-smashing heat wave, the country’s public health agency said Sunday, as the head of the World Health Organization warned that Europe is now the fastestwarming continent and needs to do more to protect its citizens. Temperature records were toppled in several countries on the weekend wildfires were sparked in Germany and Berlin police used water cannons to cool down the crowds.

Meanwhile, the heat wave slowly moved toward eastern parts of the continent.

Germany marked a record for the third day in a row with 107 degrees in Neißemünde, near the border with Poland, which baked under its new all-time high of 104.9.

The Czech Republic also experienced its hottest day ever with 107.4, up from the previous record of 105.6 on Saturday

A new study from the World Weather Attribution, a Europe-based collaboration of scientists, reported Fri-

lected, including for deaths at home.

The increase was sharpest in areas under red warn-

ings of extreme heat, it said. Those warnings blanketed about three-quarters of the country at the peak of the

heat wave. The agency said that 85% of the deaths involved people aged 65 and above.

day that the record-breaking heat and humidity in Europe this past week would not have been possible without climate change.

The rapid study found that the heat would have been virtually impossible just ﬁve decades ago, and is 200 times more likely today than it would have been 20 years ago France reported a surge in deaths last week, including a sharp increase at private homes, especially in the Paris region, the national public health agency said Sunday.

There were more than 1,200 deaths on Wednesday, when France was sweltering under its hottest temperatures, increasing to more than 1,400 deaths on each of the two following days, Public Health France said. In April and May, before the heat wave, France’s rate of deaths was about 900 to 1,000 per day

The agency concluded that France experienced a total of at least 1,000 additional deaths during those three days alone, an estimate it cautioned is likely to increase as more data is col-

Meteorologists: Heat wave, high humidity to blast eastern U.S.

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

and

were

and

across the lower Great Lakes, the midAtlantic and the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys. Some record highs could be set in areas from the lower Great Lakes to the mid-Atlantic and New England later in the week, said weather service meteorologist Bryan Putnam. A number of big cities could see their highest temperatures of the year so far as they host World Cup

matches and celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary Feeling the heat will be the East Coast cities of New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore, and Midwestern and Great Lakes cities including Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Detroit. Southern cities including Dallas, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, will also see high temperatures. High heat will last into next weekend across the Great Plains, the Southeast and the mid-Atlantic, the weather service said. Temperatures will reach well into the 90s and low 100 degrees, the weather service said. High humidity will lead to heat indexes of 100 to 110 degrees, and as high as 115.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROD LAMKEy

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO

People refresh in a fountain on Sunday after the Angelus noon prayer celebrated by Pope Leo XIV from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

On Friday, Bellard said about 100 homes in the Palmetto area had already ﬂooded and more may ﬂood as the water from Avoyelles continues to make its way south.

“It already ﬂooded up in Morrow and Palmetto, up in those areas,” he said Friday morning. “Now it’s coming down Highway 71 and down to Bayou Courtableau.”

Bellard said ofﬁcials were hoping the flooding would peak by Sunday and then begin drying out within a week or 10 days.

Parish ofﬁcials have been going house to house by boat, checking on residents and trying to get an assessment of damages to report to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Down Veazie Road in Palmetto, Sara and Benny Camp drove a four-wheeler down their flooded road before they hopped on a boat to make it to their front door

The couple left Saturday when floodwater began creeping into their yard, Benny Camp said. On Friday night, the water level jumped about a foot, reaching at least 4 feet.

Of the 15 or so houses on the street, about three homes ﬂooded,

Sara Camp said. The Camps’ home was one of the lucky ones.

The same can’t be said for Sara Camp’s 72-year-old mother, who also lives along the street Her home took on nearly 2 feet of water

“I didn’t tell her yet I mean, she’s tough,” Sara Camp said.

The couple said they have never

seen ﬂooding like this in their lives.

“I was talking to the older folks, it was like early ’70s, they had a flood down this road,” Benny Camp said. On Friday, KADN reported flood victims converged on a Louisiana Department of Insurance pop-up office in Lebeau seeking help.

Displaced residents spoke with representatives from the state Department of Insurance about federal, state and local resources available to them. Many were left with uninhabitable homes, with some forced to wade through kneehigh water to reach higher ground. And many were facing the harsh

reality of not having ﬂood insurance. The Department of Insurance reported that only about 2,300 of around 19,000 homeowners in the area carry ﬂood insurance.

“In this area, unfortunately, there’s not a high takeup, so that means they are not going to have flood coverage because flood is not covered under your homeowners policy,” Louisiana State Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said. Temple urged flood victims without insurance to register their losses online, noting that the data collected could help Louisiana qualify for federal assistance.

“Go to damage.la.gov let the government know how many people don’t have coverage. All of that amount gets totaled up, and then, that helps Louisiana ﬁgure out if it can qualify for federal assistance. So, if you don’t have ﬂood insurance, unfortunately, we are going to have to wait for local, state or federal assistance,” Temple said. Bellard said water levels were expected to peak by Monday in St. Landry, but the storm’s effects were not expected to be limited to Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes.

Doug Kramer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said ﬂoodwaters from Avoyelles are expected to continue moving into St.

FOOTBALL

Continued from page 1A

generated an extra $3.4 million annually for the latter fund according to a fiscal note attached to the legislation. That fund is used to create more seats in Louisiana’s Child Care Assistance Program, which helps families pay to put kids in early childhood education programs.

The initiative has received praise not only from education advocates but also from the business lobby; supporters say early childcare helps ensure parents can get to work and improves educational outcomes for kids.

But some lawmakers note that college football is an economic boon to the state.

State Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge who is also the PA announcer at Tiger Stadium, said strong athletics programs help generate visitors to the state who, in turn, spend money at local businesses.

“There’s no denying the economic impact that athletics has on all universities across the state when teams are performing well,” McMakin said, calling college sports programs “economic engines.”

Supporters of athletics

Mizell’s proposal easily passed the Senate, but it died in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee when none of that panel’s members would make a motion on the bill. No one spoke publicly in opposition to

SB135 during that meeting, nor did any lawmakers explain why they did not want to move it forward.

Like many other Louisianans, Mizell said she loves football but she also wants single moms in the poorer parts of her district to have access to childcare so that they can go to work.

“(The colleges) would still be getting $20 million,” Mizell said. “I thought we were ready to acknowledge that OK maybe we’ve given football enough money.”

Mizell noted that former head LSU football coach Brian Kelly received a $54 million buyout after LSU ousted him. The school then made Kelly’s replacement, Lane Kiffin, one of college football’s three highest-paid coaches, with an annual salary of $13 million.

funds to individual sports and athletes. That is money paid directly from the budgets of athletic departments.

HB608 easily passed the House with only four no votes, but it picked up opposition from a coalition of senators from across the political spectrum who said it was a blow to government transparency In addition to Mizell, state Sen. Greg Miller, R-Norco, and state Sen Thomas Pressly RShreveport, spoke against the bill when it was debated in the Senate on May 26.

Supporters of the athletics programs say most of the money for sports is generated by the programs themselves or comes from donors. A single donor reportedly paid for most of Kelly’s buyout.

Tensions rise

A week after SB135 died, another sports-related bill stirred debate in the Senate.

House Bill 608 by state Rep. Tehmi Chassion, D-Lafayette, which was billed as a way to protect student-athletes, exempts records that detail how colleges allocate so-called revenue sharing”

“We’ve got ‘student-athletes’ that are getting paid $1 million, $2 million, $3 million, $4 million a year We have lost sight of our priorities. We have jumped the shark on this,” said Miller “Who are we really trying to protect? What we’re doing here has just gone too far.”

HB608 passed the Senate 22-13.

Revenue sharing is just one source of money for student athletes. They often obtain lucrative name, image and likeness, or NIL, deals, which generally involve advertising campaigns.

Chassion said HB608, now Act 818, was necessary to protect athletes from being targeted for their money He also said it would make Louisiana sports teams more competitive, preventing other schools from learning a speciﬁc student athlete’s

salary and using it to poach that athlete.

“This is a protection for student athletes. Folks tend to think of these as rich college kids, when these are regular kids that happen to be able to play a sport so well,” Chassion said. “It’s not anyone’s business what an individual athlete is making.”

Scott Sternberg, a First Amendment expert and attorney who is representing a group of journalists suing

LSU for revenue-sharing records, said the exemption marks the ﬁrst time the state is allowing the expenditure of public dollars to remain conﬁdential.

Chassion argued that the revenue-sharing money should not be considered “taxpayer” dollars because it comes from funds that are “self-generated” by athletic departments.

Sternberg disputed that notion, saying taxpayer dol-

lars make it possible for institutions like LSU football to generate revenue.

“If a tollbooth collects a toll, that’s public money,” Sternberg said. “If LSU sells an advertisement or a ticket to the game how is that not public money?” Sternberg also represents The Advocate | The TimesPicayune in some legal matters. The newspaper is not a party to the lawsuit ﬁled against LSU.

Ukrainetargets Russianoil facilities,fuels conflict tensions

Putinacknowledges

By The Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Ukraine kept up its heavy drone assault on Russia, setting fire to amajor oil refinery in the south, as President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that the country was facing a“certain deficit” of fuel and vowedtostrengthen protection of oil facilities and boost fuel output.

Ukrainehas markedly stepped up its long-range attacks on Russian military industriesand energy facilities in recentmonths, aiming to cut Moscow’srevenue for its invasion —now in its ﬁfth year —and make Russians feel the

RUNOFFS

Continued from page1A

Davissecures nomination

Her triumph sets up aNov 3general election against Jamie Davis, afarmer from northeast Louisiana, who overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination over businessowner Gary Crockett.

“Weplanted good seedsin fertile soils, and we started to harvest last night,” Davis saidinaninterview on Sunday Davis, 55, facesanuphill battleina state whereno Democrat has been elected to the Senate since 2008, and Republicans hold all of the statewide offices and twothirds of theseats in the Legislature. In the runoff, 316,538 people voted in the Republican runoff,while 196,190 voted in the Democratic one.

Davis said he is undaunted by the naysayers and said he will broaden his focus to appeal to Republican voters whocould not vote forhim in thejustconcluded closed primary elections.

“Dr.Fleming’svoters are out there,” he said. “So are Dr Cassidy’svoters and Mr.Crockett’svoters.”

consequences.

“Our ‘long-range sanctions’ reached two oil reﬁneries in Russia,”Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on theTelegram messaging app on Sunday.

“Each (strike)meansareduction in the resources that fuel theRussian war machine,and another step toward peace.”

Thecampaign haschoked Russian fuel supplies, causing widespread shortages and long lines at gasstations across the country and prompting authorities in many regionstointroduce fuel rationing.

According to Westernanalysts, it has also slowed Moscow’sefforts on the battlefield, heaping pressure on the Kremlin to come to the negotiating table.

Speaking toa Russian state TV reporter,Putin described the Ukrainian attacks on oil reﬁneries as an attempt to “cause asplit in

Russian societyand force Russia to halt,even if only brieﬂy,the advance of our troops along the line of contact,and create conditions for launching anegotiation process on terms advantageous to our adversary.”

“Wewill notgive them that chance,” Putinsaid, adding that “strikes on ourinfrastructure, wherever theyare directed, have absolutely no effect on thesituation at the front, on the line of contact.”

He said for the first time that Ukraine has proposed ahalt on deep strikes, arguing that Kyiv made theofferbecause Russian strikes deep intoUkrainian territory are more powerful and devastating.

TheRussian leader added that Kyiv also offered to limit theﬁghting to the four regions that Russia annexed but never fully captured

—Donetsk, Luhansk,Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. He rejected the proposal,arguing it would allow Ukraine to relocateits forces that are ﬁghting Russian troopsinother areas to let them focus on fending off the Russian attacks in the four southeastern regions.

Meanwhile, debris from downed Ukrainian drones sparkeda blaze at the refinery in Slavyansk-naKubani, atown in Russia’sKrasnodarregion, eastofoccupied Crimea, according to regional Gov. VeniaminKondratyev.The fallingdebris killed one person in Slavyansk andwoundedanother in anearby village, local authorities said.

Thefacilityisone of southern Russia’s major reﬁneries, processing close to 4million tons of crude per year,according to its operator’swebsite. It is also akey source of petroleum products intended

campaign, for example, expected she wouldwin by sixorseven points,the campaign ofﬁcial said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy was eliminated in the May 16 primary when he ﬁnished third in the Republican primary Cassidy had angeredTrump and MAGA voters when he voted to convict the president of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

The overall turnout of registered voters in the runoff was 17%, according to Ed Chervenak, apolitical-science professor at the University of New Orleans. That was down from 28% in the May primary

NewOrleans pollster Greg Rigamer, whohad conducted weeklysurveys throughout the race, won public attention when hefoundin theﬁnal daysofthe election that Fleminghad closed most or all of the 17-point margin that Letlow hadcomingout of theMay 16 primary,45% to 28%.

Rigamerreleased apoll showing that Flemingheld a1-point advantage among those who votedearly in the Republican runoffbut that Letlowheld a6-point advantageamong those expectedtovoteon Saturday.

Rigamer expected Letlowtowin the runoff —but in “a squeaker.”

Fleming’spollster, John Couvillon,reported that his poll severaldays before the election showedFleming up, 45% to 40%.

COVIDTask Force, even sharing with the media that they ‘very frequently’met togetherastheypushed forced vaccinesand forced masks on our kids, and shut down businesses.”The text ended withphotosofFleming and Fauci. Landry raised money for

theAccountability Project andHopeinAction —which transferred big dollarsto theAccountability Project. “Weran astrongcampaign,”said Jay Connaughton,aSt. Tammany Parishbasedmediastrategist who headed theAccountabilityProject. “It wasn’tjust

for export through Russia’sBlack Sea ports, including fuel oil, naphtha and marine fuel. Zelenskyy also claimed that another Russian reﬁnery,inthe Yaroslavl regionaround 435 miles from the Ukrainian border, was hit during the nighttimestrikes. There were no immediate reports from Russian authorities about the strike on the Yaroslavl reﬁnery.Local Gov.Mikhail Evraev reported on Sunday morning that someroads between Moscow and the region’scapital, Yaroslavl, were temporarily closed due to “anenemy attack by Ukrainian drones.”

For months,Ukraine has been stepping up attacksonenergy facilities deep inside Russia. Despite araftofWestern sanctions, Moscow remains among the world’s top exporters of oiland natural gas.

aboutthe money.Itwas aboutthe effectivemessage. John Fleming was a flawed candidate. It made ourjob alot easier.”

Fleming repeatedly said the adsweredishonest. He declinedtobeinterviewedonSunday.Letlow didnot respond to interview requests. Letlow campaign volunteersmade100,000 callsto likely Letlow voters on the weekend before the election and 91,000 calls on election day,said the Letlow campaign ofﬁcial. WhereLetlowwon

According to apostelectionanalysis by Rigamer, Letlow endedupcarrying 49 parishes, while Fleming won 14 —Orleans Parish and13moreina corridor that stretched from northwest Louisiana to Allen and Beauregard parishes, the area he representedinthe U.S. House from 2009 to 2017.

“She just dominated,” RigamersaidonSunday. Fleming andLetlow tied in BossierParish, each with 4,351 votes,according to the SecretaryofState’sOfﬁce. Couvillon, whoacknowl-

According to unofﬁcial returns from the Secretary of State’sOfﬁce, Davis defeated Crockett, 79.9% to 20.1%. That result was not asurprise since Davishad much more money and important Democratic endorsements

“We’re talking grassroots, pure grassroots, different organizations coming together to say,‘This man has it; this man has whatwe want to see in the person who represents us,’ ”said Bonnie Byland, an organizer with IndivisibleBaton Rouge.

At Davis’ election night party in Baton Rouge, she added, “There was tremendous energy.”

James Carville,the famed Democratic political strategist, said of Davis, “He has some guts andmoxie.He seems to be asuccessful farmer,which is apretty good profile for aDemocratic candidate. His challenge will be raising money Democrats have no power in Louisiana.Inpolitics, you can have the best bio in the world, but if you don’thave money,you can’ttell your story.”

Behind Letlow’s win Letlow defeated Fleming, 56.8% to 43.2%. That 13.6-point margin was bigger than most political analysts predicted. The Letlow

TheLetlow campaign saved its heaviest advertising buys for the ﬁnal three weeks of the campaign, when more voters would be tuning into therace.

Outside groups also stepped up theiradvertising. Twoofthem —American Mission and Save American Freedom —spent over $1 million total to promote Letlow.

Another group, the Accountability Project —run by alliesofGov.Jeff Landry —spent over $4 million on attack ads against Fleming —TVads,radio spots, mailers and texts.

At 12:52p.m.onWednesday, voters receiveda text message from the group: “President Trump hassealed our border and is keeping illegal aliens out. But RINO John Fleming has found a workaround to bring more Mexicans into our country his taxpayer-funded immigrant bus system.”

At 10:43 a.m. on Thursday:

“While you bust your butt paying taxes,JohnFleming and his family were globetrotting the world on your dime,and lobbyist money.”

At 1:12 p.m. on Thursday: “Fleming is afraud who can’t be trusted ” At 3:06p.m.onFriday: “John Fleming bragged aboutworking side-bysidewith Dr.Fauci on the

edgedonSundaythathe misfired on his final poll, saidFleming’scampaign aimedinthe runoff to receive two-thirds of the Cassidy voters from the primary —but collected only 45%

“The Cassidy vote concludedthere wasn’ta dime’s difference between the two runoff contenders,sothey split their vote,” he said. Roy Fletcher,Fleming’s campaign strategist, knew thathis candidate had to take an early lead when the ﬁrst batch of returns were released on Saturday night just after the polls closed at 8p.m.Those ﬁgurestallied the early voters who, Rigamer’spollshowed,had given aslight advantage to Fleming. Instead, Letlow took an immediate lead Fletcherwas sitting in Fleming’s suite at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in BatonRouge “I said to myself,‘That ain’twhatit’ssupposedto be,’ ”Fletcher recalled on Sunday. “I knewthenthat it wouldn’tgoright. Iwalked to get twooatmeal cookies. Ithought it wastime for sugar.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Julia Letlowaddresses the crowd after winning the runoff in the Republicanprimary for U.S. Senate at awatchparty in Baton RougeonSaturday.

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Iberville eyes reviving Bayou Grosse Tete

Parish wants to preserve its critical drainage role

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

For all but a handful of her 84 years, Jeannie David has lived beside the bayou, the one locals say Louisiana’s founder, Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, named for a friendly man they say had an unusually large head — or, as the French put it, a “Grosse Tete.”

David’s screened porch overlooks Bayou Grosse Tete, where

State joins push to study psychedelic treatments

Lawmakers support clinical trials for the drugs

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

For retired Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis, the former top ofﬁcial at the Louisiana National Guard, it was the headaches and cloudy thinking caused by a neck injury, traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. And for his son Nicholas Curtis, it was the vertigo, light sensitivity and memory problems stemming from two head injuries.

That suffering — and their hope for an elusive cure — spurred the father and son to travel to Mexico together in early 2025 to take the psychedelic drug ibogaine after the younger Curtis heard about it on a podcast with Joe Rogan.

Both men said their symptoms disappeared after the treatment and haven’t returned since.

Inspired by the transformation, the father-son duo launched a nonproﬁt to help military veterans access ibogaine, psilocybin and ayahuasca to treat mental health conditions. But the drugs are largely illegal, and opportunities for clinical trials using them have been scarce. Now, as a movement to increase access to psychedelic-assisted therapy has gained steam across the country, Louisiana is joining a growing list of states working to expand the use of the drugs to treat addiction, PTSD and other conditions. State lawmakers this spring unanimously approved a measure to cultivate research into psychedelics and support clinical trials.

A growing body of research shows that psychedelics can help address problems like trauma, addiction and depression, which can lead to suicide, and that’s especially relevant for struggling veterans, said Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, who sponsored Senate Bill 43, now Act 956.

“I believe it will save lives,” McMath said of the new law “Shame on us as legislators in this state if we don’t do everything that we can to create the regulatory pathways to safely administer this type of therapy.”

Psychedelics like ibogaine, psilocybin and MDMA are illegal under federal law, and are Schedule I drugs, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s most restrictive classiﬁcation

While they can’t be prescribed in standard medical treatment scientists with a special Schedule I license can study the drugs in research trials.

Some of those studies have produced “a really remarkable effect,” said Kevin Murnane, a professor of pharmacology, toxicology and neuroscience and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at LSU Health-Shreveport

“Many times the outcomes are really, really profound,” he said For example, people with conditions like treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorder or PTSD experienced remission for months or in some cases years after

she and her husband watch the constant hum of life. They count turtles sunning on logs, sometimes dozens at once. Fish jump, water snakes glide over the surface and herons wade. Alligator eyes crest then disappear

“I just have a love for the bayou. It’s so pretty when it’s muddy, when it’s ﬂowing,” said David, a former alderwoman for the village of Grosse Tete. But the real origin of the bay-

ou’s name comes from its past as a “big shipping head,” she said. Steamboats once passed through, and merchants docked house to house, selling everything from produce to furniture. On Sundays, she was told, a church boat made its rounds. Later, she remembers people using the bayou to water ski. Now, in some stretches during summer, the water dwindles to a trickle.

“It was a lot better and cleaner at

one time,” David said. On a broiling day shortly before Tropical Storm Arthur soaked parts of Louisiana, John Clark pushed his flatboat off a launch near David’s home. As Iberville Parish’s director of environment and economic development, he has spent two decades trying to restore both the bayou’s health and its recreational draw often alongside David.

“What we have can be the backyard playground for the capital region,” he said. “We would like to see more recreation, more people

getting out on the water like they used to in the past.”

Clark is overseeing a nearly $1 million project to clear debris from the bayou. According to Parish President Chris Daigle, the work is part of a never-ending effort to keep the region’s primary drainage artery functioning, while also improving access for recreation.

“What we’re trying to do is maintain a long-term drainage plan,” he said. “In the past, they were very

Auto Attention

ABOVE: Lee Jones, left, shows his 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air to Harris Bellard during the inaugural Summer Showdown Car Show on Saturday at the Corner Bar in Lafayette. All proceeds from the $20 per car registration fee went to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

LEFT: Car enthusiasts view entries in the show.

La. ICE detention guard sentenced for sexual abuse

Man gets 36 months of prison time

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility guard in Louisiana who sexually abused a female detainee, whom he claims he was in love with, was sentenced Friday to 36 months in prison. David Courvelle of Ville Platte was a contract employee at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile managed by the GEO Group when he began sexually abusing a Nicaraguan ward at the detention center Courvelle, prior to sentencing

Friday in Lafayette before U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays, repeated earlier claims that he was in love with the woman.

He pleaded guilty in December to one count of sexual abuse of a ward or individual in federal custody

Attorney Elbert Guillory, who represents Courvelle, asked the judge for mercy

“He’s made one mistake and that was falling in love in the wrong place,” Guillory said. “In this case, there is no victim.”

The woman, who has been deported to Nicaragua, allegedly wrote to the court asking for mercy for Courvelle, according to Guillory who requested six months probation and no re-

quirement to register as a sex offender Federal prosecutor Thomas Johnson requested Courvelle serve 18 to 24 months in prison considering Courvelle was entrusted to protect the woman and sexually abused her instead. In the woman’s initial interview, Johnson said, she told ofﬁcials that Courvelle would force her to provide him with sexual favors in a janitor’s closet at the detention center If Courvelle was not sentenced to time in prison, Johnson said, it would send a message to law enforcement ofﬁcers across the state that such behavior is taken lightly “I don’t see this as a victimless case,” Summerhays said.

Someone under control of an authoritative ﬁgure like a guard, he said, cannot consent. The woman’s handwritten statement suggests she did not consent in full, he added. Summerhays said sentencing guidelines in this case, 18 to 24 months, is insufﬁcient under the circumstances. He sentenced Courvelle to 36 months in a federal facility as close to his home in Ville Platte as possible. He must serve three years of supervised release and register as a sex offender Courvelle is to report to the U.S. Marshals Service in Lafayette on Oct. 2

Contact Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

ä See IBERVILLE, page 4B

YOUR VIEWS

AMERICA250

As we celebratethe 250thbirthdayofour country, we askedreaders to weighinonwhatare some of thequintessential

received severalletters aboutwhatthe commemorationmeans to you.

From Declaration’s promiseto

MLK’sspeech, fightfor equality waslong

The Declarationof1776outlined the Founders’moral vision of afree society; its most important statement: “that all Men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

Although the word “slavery will not be found in the Declaration, it dominated much of the debate among our Founders, as slavery drove the economic engines of the Southern states and required several compromises in drafting the U.S. Constitution in 1788.

Article I, Section 2ofthe Constitution as originallydrafted stated that “Representatives and Direct Taxes shallbe apportioned among the states accordingtotheir respective numbers, which shall be determined by the number of free Persons.” The Southern states wanted toinclude slaves, whereas the Northern states wanted them excluded.The heated compromise was to count only 3/5ths of the slaves, butthey hadtobe called “other persons” as the North didn’twant to validate slavery nationally.

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson called for alaw banning the importantion of slaves. Congress passed it, and it went into effect in 1808. However,slavery continued to grow in the South.

In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that Black people were notcitizens, but were inferior

In 1861,the Civil Warerupted. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that slaves in states in rebellion would be free. By 1865, the war was over and all slaveswerefree (but notyet equal).

The battles to make the new freemen equal would take place over the following 100-plus years, highlighted by Martin Luther King Jr.’s1963 address calling for anation in which his children would not “be judged by thecolor of theirskin, but by the contentof their character.”

STEVE GARDES Lafayette

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

To honorU.S., work together to fulfill nation’s promise

We are one nation —although sometimes that may be in doubt

We will soon celebrate 250 years of freedom and prosperity.Itisimperative that we honor our past by renewing our commitment to our founding principles: “Wehold these truthstobeself-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, andthe pursuit of Happiness.”

My parentsimmigrated to this country to pursue thehope of abetter life for themselves andtheir children. This is adream that is shared by each of us today.Itisthe bond that holds us together

Division never makes us stronger.The chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Every opportunity that Ihave been blessed with has its roots in the kindness and support of others. It is adebt that Iowe and an obligation that Icarry to help thosearound me.

On thethreshold of this auspicious occasion, let us ﬁnd common ground and a commitment to work together to moveeach and every one of us forward to reach new heightsand fulﬁll thepromise that lies within each of us.

If not, our wish for abetter future foryour children and mine will never come true.

STEVENELSON, M.D Mandeville

Founders putour Constitution aboveanythingelse, so should we

In 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart coinedthe phrase “I know it when Isee it” to describe his threshold testfor obscenity.That phrase has populated my thoughtsfar too often lately as we jointly experience the effects of our current political environment.

America’s greatness is reborn in the dreams of newcomers

In light of the president signing the bill thatgivesanadditional $70 billiontosupport his immigration anddeportationagenda, it bears remembering words from one of President Ronald Reagan’slast speeches in January 1989:

“... Aman wrote me and said:

‘You can go to live in France, but youcannotbecome aFrenchman. Youcan go to live in Germany or TurkeyorJapan,but you cannot become aGerman, aTurk or a Japanese. But anyone, from any cornerofthe Earth, can cometo live in Americaand becomean American’. This, Ibelieve, is one of the most important sources of America’sgreatness. We lead the world because,unique among nations, we drawour people —our strength —fromevery country andevery cornerofthe world. And by doing so,wecontinuously renewand enrichour nation.

“While othercountriescling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, andthe world follows us into tomorrow.Thanks to each wave of newarrivals to this land of opportunity,we’re anationforever young, foreverbursting with energy andnew ideas, and always on the cutting edge,always leading the world to the next frontier

Washington recognized this 230 years ago! He understood the precious and fragile nature of our new republic. He fought forit. He bled for it.Hesacriﬁced for it in ways few can dare compare to. He,aswell as the other Founding Fathersand “the people,” put their lives on the line “to form amore perfect Union,” not for any political party I, and all citizens, owe anever-ending debt to those who enabled our Union to exist. Iam aregistered Republican. Thatmeans nothing compared to my allegiance to the Constitution,toall of “the people” and to those who paid thedebt before me. Iowe no debt to any party.

Speak up against those damaging our democracy.Who are they? Stewart was correct —you will know it when you see it.

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER, SCAN HERE

I’moccupied by thoughts of corruption, incompetence, criminalityand discrimination under the oversight of unprincipled,dishonorable“leaders.” The examples aretoo numerous to outline here, but in thewords of Stewart,Iknow it when Isee it. GeorgeWashington, in his farewell presidential address,offered his thoughtsonpolitical parties, stating that “. they arelikely, in the course of time and things, to become potentengines by which cunning, ambitious andunprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government .” Does that feel familiar?

As we approach the250th anniversary of the founding of our nation, areading of George Washington’sfarewell address would help. In it, he expresses concerns that national divisions caused by political parties could lead todespotism.

He writes:

“The alternate domination of one faction [political party] over another,sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horridenormities,isitselfafrightful despotism. But this leads at length to amore formal and

STEVE PEARCE Mandeville

permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek securityand repose in theabsolutepower of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevationonthe ruins of public liberty.…[T]he common and continual mischiefs of thespirit of party are sufﬁcient to makeitthe interest and duty of awisepeople to discourage and restrain it.”

NORM STAFFORD Madisonville

“This quality is vital to our future as anation. If we ever closed the door to newAmericans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost ” SUE SABRIO

Metairie

U.S. is notreally 250years old yet, butwho’s counting?

On July 4, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. But it will not be our nation’s250th birthday There was no American nation in 1776. The Declaration was an act of the Second Continental Congress, speaking on behalf of 13 independent British colonies in North America.

If we want to give adate forthe birth of the United States, 1788 would be abetter choice. That was when the Constitution wasratiﬁed, and the Constitution madethe United States.

It is important to commemorate milestones in our nation’shistory,but we need to get our facts straight.

SANFORD W. WOOD Eunice

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

U.S. flags areplanted in a field near the Washington Monument on June 22 in Washington.

Republicansaren’tdeadyet

By anumber of conventional measures,the Republican Partyshouldbe headed forahuge lossinthisNovember’sHouse midterm elections. But some experts think the results will be much closer than originally thought. The problem for Republicans is that those experts still think the GOP will lose, just not in an old-fashioned blowout

The traditional factors seem to pointinslightly different directions.

Pointing toward ablowout is PresidentDonald Trump’sjob approval rating —longa predictor of aparty’sperformance in midterms. At the moment, Trump’sapproval is 40.4% in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. In 2018,Trump’sﬁrst midterm, his approval rating wasinthe low40s, and the Republican Partylost 40 House seats. Moregenerally,defeat is usuallyinthe cards when apresident’sjob approval dips below 50%.

But what kind of defeat? In the 2022 midterms, President Joe Biden’sjob approvalwas in the low 40s, andDemocrats lost just nine Houseseats. To Biden’sdismay,that was enough to lose theHouse. Now,with today’ssuper-thin GOPmargin in the House, even if Republicans were to lose, say,ﬁve seats, that would be enough to lose controlof thechamber

Then there is the direction of the country.Inthe RealClearPoliticsaverage, 59.3% of respondents saythe country is going in the wrong direction, while 34.6% say it is going in the right direction. That sounds bad, but remember that most people, most ofthe time, saythe country is going in the wrong direction. The current numbers areugly, butthey’re not the worst —inJuly 2022, during aparticularlyawful stretchof the Biden presidency,75.5%saidthe country was going in the wrong direction. That was terrible. And yetBiden still lost just those nine seats.

Then there is the most potent issue: theeconomy.Inarecent CBS News poll, just 31% rated the condition of the economy as very good or fairly good, while 63% said it was very bador fairly bad.Thatnumberisquite close to the RealClearPolitics average for Trump’sapprovalrating on handling theeconomy: 35% approve, 61.3% disapprove. There’snointerpretation

of those numbers that is good for Republicans.

Then there is history.The president’s party almost always loses House seats in midterm elections. Since the 1930s, that has been thecase in every midtermexcept two —the ﬁrst time in 1998, during Bill Clinton’simpeachment, and thesecond in 2002, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. If the predictive value of that bit of historyisfading,ithasn’tfaded much. There isone more traditional measure that seems to point towardaRepublican loss butnot ahuge one. The genericballot is the general question, “Ifthe election for Congress were held today,would you votefor the Republican candidate or theDemocratic candidate?” Today,Democrats lead Republicans by 4.8 points, 47.9% to43.1%, accordingtothe RealClearPolitics average. That’sa solid but not overwhelming lead. Back in 2018, heading intothe defeat that cost Republicans 40 seats, Democrats led the generic ballot by 7.3 points. In 2010, ahistoric blowoutinwhichRepublicans won 63 seats, the GOP lead was 9.4 points. Today, things seem much closer Puteverythingtogether,and it seems to mean anon-massive Democratic victory is on the way.Why not ablowout? There are plenty of reasons that some of the moreserious Republican

problemslisted above might not be devastating to the partythis year The biggest of those is the voting public’slow regard for Democrats. In theRealClearPolitics average, the Democratic Party’sfavorability rating is just 36.5%, while its unfavorability rating is 56.1%. For Republicans, the numbers are 38.6% favorable and 55.3% unfavorable —not much better than Democrats, but better.Soeven if Republicans are headed for aloss, the public’sgreater dislike of Democrats could limit the margin.

Given all this, one can see 1) why theﬁnal result might be closer than somethink, and 2) why Republicans fought for every possible seat available through redistricting. It probably still won’tbeenough for theGOP to win, but it will make the election closer

Right now,the indicators still seem to point towardaHouse controlled by Democrats, but by asmall margin say,10orfewer seats. Maybe the coming election will be aglimpse of the future, when thebig wipeout midterm is something that happens less and less often.

Butfor Republicans and for President Trump, in particular,life will still be miserable with aDemocratic House, even if the margin is small.

Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.

Separation of powers mightbeworking

Thejournalistic adage “wedon’t report planes that land safely” means that what is deemed newsworthyoften involves dysfunction and folly.Now, however,comes evidence that “good news” is not always an oxymoron.A judicial ruling has prompted twosenators to prod the legislativebranch to curtail certain executive branch mischief.

Texas Republican TedCruzis, figuratively speaking, to the right ofthe soup spoon. Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden is to theleft of the salad fork Their bipartisan anxiety concerns First Amendment speech rights. Their proposed legislation would inhibit government“jawboning,” defined (byMerriamWebster) as “the use of public appeals (as by apresident) to influence the actions especially of business and labor leaders.” Theadjective “public” is underinclusive. One of the senators’ objectives is transparency about hitherto secret pressure During the pandemic, executive branch officials in the Biden White House, FBI and elsewhere frequently hectoredsocial media platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) to adopt particular policiesof“content moderation.” In plain language, censorship was the officials’ goal and,often, their achievement. (During the2020 presidential election, the platformsalso, absent government pressure, censored speechabout Hunter Biden’s laptop.) The Bidenadministration thought that content on the platformswas promoting “vaccine hesitancy” and doubts about “social distancing” andshutdowns generally.The officials wanted to suppress theories aboutCOVID-19’s origin (the lab-leak theory,now widely considered plausible). Twostates and five individual socialmedia users sued dozens of executive branch officials and agencies, seeking an injunction against them for pressuringthe plat-

formstoviolate their speech rightsby removing, obscuringorotherwise discriminatingagainst their posts.

In 2024, the Supreme Court struck down (6-3) an appellate court’sruling that federal pressurecaused the censorship andtherefore transformed it into governmentaction.

Here’swhat Big Oil is not telling students about its CCS program.Itisn’tpretty Like manyhere in Louisiana, Iwas not shocked to read that our state had invited the oil industry into our schools to “educate” young minds, teaching them that capturing carbon emissions at their reﬁneries and storing them under our land is an example of their commitment to stop climate change.

But that had me wondering

Imagine we’re back in 1964 and the surgeon general just concluded that smoking cigarettes causes cancer.But the cigarette industry offers this solution: There’snoneed forthe governmenttoendorse reducing or banning smoking, we’ll just capture the secondhand smoke and bury it. Oh, and we’ll get the taxpayers to foot the bill —even those whodon’tsmoke.

That’swhat the fossil fuel industry is trying to pull off with its version of CCS. It’s one of the greatest shell games and grifts in polluting history Because what they don’ttell students, or us, is this: While capturing emissions at their smokestacks, they will continue to makeand promote the use of their products, resulting in manytimes the volumeofemissions that they can ever capture, continuing to fuel the rapid increase in climate change impacts —including the drowning of the coastal homes of these students.

They are not really addressing their responsibilities forour climate crisis, simply extending the lifeoftheir industry at our expense.

Here’swhat else they don’tmention.

They are not doing this forfree. They are being paid billions of dollars in taxpayer grants and morebillions in tax credits to capture some of their own emissions. And they are making healthy proﬁts. Imagine getting paid by those you harm to stop harming them —something the Maﬁa used to do.

They still spend hundreds of millions to electt friendly members of Congress —$219 million in 2024 cycle alone —who’ll stop regulations that could slow climate change and makethe air healthier forus. They do this to protect their proﬁt margins.

They continue to support President Donald Trumpand his congressional acolytes in awar on clean energy,scaling back or killing grants and tax breaks that were helping speed atransition from fossil fuels to clean energy

Writingwith characteristic precision and caution,Justice Amy Coney Barrett held that the court need not rule on themerits of the plaintiffs’ argument because theplaintiffs lacked standing to sue. They failed to establish acausal relation between what the government demanded and what the platforms did. The platforms,being private entities, can enforce whatever editorial policies they choose, and plaintiffs did not establish that governmentclearly coerced the platforms’choices.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined in dissent by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch, said, correctly, that federal ofﬁcials pursued a“covert scheme of censorship.” They “continuously harried,” “implicitly threatened” and “persistently hectored” the platforms with “virtual demands” backed by crediblethreats of punishment

Speciﬁcally,Alito wrote, internet platforms are “far morevulnerable to government pressure than other news sources.” Apresident cannot put a hostile newspaper out of business. But socialmedia companies “are critically dependentonthe protection” provided by Section 230 of a1996 statute that shields them from civil liability for contentthey disseminate. Government pressureincluded implicit but clear threats to repeal Section 230.

It is proper,indeed aduty, for the executivebranch to explain to the public its preferences. And explanation cannot bedisentangled from advocacy

But as Alito stressed, government ofﬁcials who pressured Facebook were not speaking to thepublic. They were

advancing acovert scheme using surreptitious demands revealed only later by plaintiffs’ discovery and acongressional committee’ssubpoenas. Someexecutives of these platforms were ideologically disposed to obey the Biden administration. Others, when exposed to government pressure, had spines as limp as cooked linguine. Alito tartly writes that Facebook representatives “whimpered” their promise to be morecompliant.

The Cruz-Wyden bill is aresponse to executive misbehavior,and to judicial judiciousness, that requires Congress to legislate. Their bill affirms theprinciple that thegovernment may not do indirectly (e.g., censor speech) what it is forbidden to do directly.The bill: Would require government tomake public certain kinds of communicationswith social media companies, artificial intelligence companies and broadcasters. Andwould establish that plaintiffs must prove only that governmentattempted censorship, not that its pressure by itself succeeded. And would provide for money damages, instead of mere injunctions, for plaintiffs when an offending official left office while acase wended its way through courts. So, crude and sneaky overreaching by theexecutive was followed by the SupremeCourt’saustere (and reasonable) refusal to overreach by ignoring principles of standing. This has prompted two lawmakers to respond. If Congress makes that responsea law,there will have been aminuet of actions and reactions driven by each branch’sprerogatives, responsibilities and incentives. The separation of powers will have functioned as intended. The governmental plane will have landed safely.Given recent history, that is newsworthy Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

They support Trump’sattempt to repeal the 2007 SupremeCourt ruling that greenhouse gases are air pollutants, the legal unpinning for all climate regulations. If successful, it will end any hope of slowing climate change this century,and makeour air moredangerous forall of us and deadly forpeople with breathing issues and heart disease.

If fossil fuel makers wereseriously concerned about the future of the planet instead of making those they injure protect their bottom lines, they would be using their billions to support the transition to clean energy.All they are doing now is looking forways to extend the future of fossil fuel consumption, which means the future of their high salaries, regardless of the crisis it will cause future generations.

It’s easy to equate today’sfossil fuel companies with the cigarette manufacturers of an earlier age. Our use of their products has caused this crisis, but their own research warned them of this decades ago, just as the tobacco industry knew about the deaths it was causing 40 years before admitting it.

But Big Oil is even worse.

In 1998, the tobacco industry settled with states forlegal immunity by pledging billions to address the damage it had done.

Big Oil is getting its immunity forfree.

Gov. Jeff Landry recently signed abill that prevents Louisiana residents from seeking compensation from the industry forthe damage it has done to their lives and futures. Meanwhile, the state laid out the welcome mat for Big Oil to enter our schools and spread its misleading story to our children.

But is that really asurprise in the sad state of Louisiana?

BobMarshall, aPulitzerPrize-winning Louisiana environmentaljournalist,can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, and followedonX,@BMarshallEnviro.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCECENETA

President Donald Trumpspeaks after touringthe newly designated AirForce One presidential aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Md.,last week.

Bob Marshall

George Will

Byron York

reactive.”

History and hydrology

As Clark idled upstream, some of the largest oak trees in the state arched over the water Cloaked in verdant resurrection ferns, their branches cast a dense, much-needed shade. Though the 58-year-old Clark describes himself as more woodsman the burly former Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality biologist is also a practiced naturalist. Along the banks, he pointed out bright pink hibiscus blooms standing beside buttonbush, whose white, pincushionlike ﬂowers once drew abundant tiger swallowtails.

Before the Great Flood of 1927, Clark explained, Bayou Grosse Tete functioned as a distributary of the Mississippi River, fed by overﬂows that delivered fertile “commerce silt” to the region’s sugar cane fields But as levees were built along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, the bayou came to rely largely on rainfall and overflow from the False River. As a result, its freshwater input dropped sharply

“You hear stories about how they used to catch so many fish,” Clark said, though catﬁsh, gar and crappie still remain. “They still have some that run nets, but this was a big game ﬁsh deal a long time ago.”

Many residents, including David, also point to Babin Cut as a culprit. The channel diverts water into the Port Allen Lock, an alternate route to the Intracoastal Waterway constructed in the 1950s and ’60s. By diverting water away from the bayou, it is accelerating sediment buildup south of the channel, David said.

“Once they dug the Intracoastal Canal and cut Babin Cut, they literally ruined Bayou Grosse Tete,” she said. Even so, the bayou’s high

STATE

Continued from page 1B

taking psychedelics with the right preparation and in a monitored clinical setting, he said. At the same time, the field of psychedelic medicine is still in its early stages, he said, and most experts view the findings thus far as “promising but not definitive” due to the limited scientific research and clinical trial data that’s available.

“More research needs to happen,” he said, “but the potential is immense.”

Murnane cautioned that each psychedelic carries its own risks and potential harms. For example, MDMA could affect the supply of blood to the heart, while ibogaine can make patients extremely physically ill and impact the heart’s rhythms, and some drugs carry psychiatric risks like manic states or suicidality if used improperly, he said.

Psychedelics can also put people in a vulnerable, compromised mental state, he said, and he does not recommend taking them independently outside of a clinical setting.

Murnane is the principal investigator for two ongoing clinical trials with psychedelics, one studying psilocybin to reduce relapse in methamphetamine addiction and another studying a psilocybin-like compound to treat adjustment disorder triggered by a traumatic or major life change like a terminal diagnosis.

He said he hopes to expand the research to include ibogaine and MDMA at the clinical trials ofﬁce at LSU Health-Shreveport, which built out a psychedelic dosing room with input from experts.

Murnane, who gave advice on some aspects of Act 956, said the law will position Louisiana to be a national leader in psychedelic research. Legislation

banks remain critical Today, it serves as a primary drainage route for Pointe Coupee, Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes, eventually carrying water to the Terrebonne coast. It is still possible to paddle from the False River to the Gulf if you can navigate some lock systems and all the debris, Clark said.

Much of that debris comes from Hurricane Francine and a series of tornadoes that tore through bayou communities in 2024, toppling trees into the water

In the aftermath, Daigle secured about $700,000 in federal Emergency Watershed Protection funding, with the parish agreeing to match 25%, to address the buildup. The project spans 23 miles, from the Pointe CoupeeIberville parish line south to where the bayou meets the Intracoastal. Though the parishes aren’t formally coordinating, Clark said, the timing worked out. Pointe Coupee recently wrapped up a multimillion-dollar clearing project on its portion of the bayou.

“Now that they’ve done all

ed Therapy Initiative will be housed in the Office of Behavioral Health at the state Health Department and led by Dr Vanessa de la Cruz, the office’s chief medical officer The program is tasked with identifying academic health centers conducting clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy helping identify potential study participants, and securing funding for the studies, including from Louisiana’s $600 million pot of money from a 2021 settlement with pharmaceutical companies over the opioid epidemic.

Academic health centers in Louisiana can now partner with drug manufacturers to develop clinical trials for psychedelic medications like ibogaine, psilocybin and MDMA to treat addiction and mental health conditions.

The measure became law this month without a signature or veto from Gov. Jeff Landry

A national movement

Louisiana’s effort is part of a broader movement across the country to expand access to psychedelic drugs and to medicalize ibogaine for mental health treatment

Blue states like Oregon, Colorado and California have passed laws expanding access to psychedelics for healthcare, but several red states including Texas, Tennessee and others are also following suit, according to data on state-level legislation compiled by the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. And in April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at speeding up research and development for psychedelics.

“Psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, show potential in clinical studies to address serious mental illnesses for patients whose conditions persist after completing standard therapy,” the order says. Murnane said both the Louisiana legislation and the

of that, all that water that they got has to come to us. It’s coming on us quicker,” he said.

Contractors have cleared roughly half the 354 targeted trees, Clark said, but new ones fall constantly, forcing parish crews to keep up.

“As soon as they get a mile down Grosse Tete Bayou moving south, there is a new tree that has already fallen,” Daigle said. “We’re going to do our best to remove it ourselves.”

The boat passed an abandoned flatboat, overgrown with shrubs; its deck looked more like a garden bed. Farther along, the channel narrowed into an impassable floating mat of limbs and trash: coolers, aluminum cans, old Jim Beam bottles. Clark said most of it was decades-old trash that had accumulated in brush upriver, then washed down to Iberville when Pointe Coupee Parish cleared its banks. He also has found cow and hog carcasses, as well as an old bottle containing what looked like voodoo writings.

“Because this drains mostly rural areas, you see crazy things,” he said.

president’s executive order

provide a valuable counterweight to the “cultural baggage” psychedelics have.

“It’s helpful when you’re conducting research trials or trying to advance them as medicine to be able to say that very responsible, ethical and credible people believe this is worth researching and studying,” he said.

At a news conference last week celebrating the new law, McMath said he first heard about ibogaine a few years ago talking to military veterans about PTSD, and then he learned more about it from an interview on the Rogan podcast with W. Bryan Hubbard, an ibogaine treatment advocate who has been gaining a national profile in recent months.

“We should probably start a Joe Rogan caucus,” McMath said jokingly “There’s been a decent amount of legislation that has come from that show.”

Hubbard, a lawyer and former executive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, joined McMath at the news conference at a veterans wellness center in New Orleans.

“We are in an existential struggle for the survival of this country,” Hubbard said. He pointed to things like the opioid epidemic ongoing military conﬂicts since Sept. 11 and the high suicide rate among veterans.

Hubbard works with former Texas Gov Rick Perry

LOTTERY

Slow work

The concern isn’t that Bayou Grosse Tete will overflow (it has never flooded to Clark’s knowledge) but that blockages could prevent floodwaters in the north from draining into it. Daigle said the project is meant to prevent the kind of flooding seen in Avoyelles Parish after Tropical Storm Arthur, when intense rainfall overwhelmed local waterways. “That could have very well been Iberville Parish,”

running Americans for Ibogaine, a national nonprofit group promoting medical and therapeutic use of the drug.

“Having recognized that the heart of trauma and addiction is profound spiritual afﬂiction, mighty Texas has committed $100 million to achieve the moonshot of our time, the medicalization of ibogaine within the United States in order to serve and exalt the primacy of the human soul,” he said.

He said he is working to change state and national policy on ibogaine because “we have a profoundly broken mental, behavioral and addiction health treatment system.”

Hubbard and Rogan were at the White House and stood together behind Trump the day he signed the recent executive order on

Daigle said. “When those types of unannounced tropical storms come in and sit over an area, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

Recent heavy rains have complicated the work. Downstream, Clark ducked beneath low bridges where sparrows had built hanging mud nests. He then cut the engine at another impasse, where a ﬂoating barge and excavator sat idle Beneath the surface lay trees slated for removal, he said. The

president responded that he would be supportive of FDA approval.

Trump said he got on board with the idea after asking U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Dr Mehmet Oz, who runs the Medicare and Medicaid programs, about the psychedelic.

project began in May and was expected to be completed by August, but high water has halted the progress twice, and Clark is now seeking a federal extension.

“They’re having to ﬁsh for the logs that would normally be across the channel,” he said. “It essentially shut down the work, so we’re in a holding position.”

The water was an opaque olive, clouded by nearby tillage. Agricultural runoff, including fertilizers and pesticides from sugar cane ﬁelds and bacteria from pastureland, reduces oxygen levels and is one of the bayou’s most persistent problems, Clark said. He added that farmers have been cooperative, adopting practices like conservation tillage and vegetative ditches to catch runoff. But at the end of the day, the region’s intensive agriculture will always affect water quality

“There is only so much you can do with that,” Clark said. “It’s part of the heritage.” Still, he believes a revival of the bayou is possible, if not due. The parish has added trails along the water and is investing in selfservice kayak launches. He envisions vendors setting up shop along routes stretching toward the Gulf for paddlers to stop and catch breaks. A broader ecotourism and drainage master plan is in development for Iberville, Clark and Daigle said. David believes it is as simple as providing a source of fresh water Proposals once existed to divert water from the Mississippi and False rivers, but concerns about ﬂooding have stalled them.

“All we need is a little fresh water ﬂowing down it all the time,” she said. “And I think more people would use it for canoeing and stuff.” Near the launch, a group of teenagers stood neckdeep in the water waving and hollering as the boat passed.

Clark smiled at what seemed to be a rare sight.

“You seen any alligators?” he asked.

“I ain’t worried about that!” one shouted back.

The next week, the FDA for the ﬁrst time authorized a clinical study of an ibogaine derivative to treat alcohol use disorder

The FDA also said it was fast-tracking studies by three companies studying psilocybin and another MDMA-like drug to treat depression and PTSD.

PHOTOS By JOHN BALLANCE

Barges haul trees downed in Bayou Grosse Tete, some of the estimated 350 clogging the waterway

John Clark, Iberville Parish’s director of environment and economic development, talks about the downed trees that block Bayou Grosse Tete.

Andthe winner is

TheRabbyschronicle thegood, badand expensiveofLSU’s athletic year

The 2025-26 LSU athletic year is over

Ithink everyone whois at LSUorfollows LSU can be very glad aboutthat. Now that thisyear has slipped thankfully into the history books, The Rabbys are hereto make sense of it all

Usually,this is atime and placetoreward and remember the great achievements of thepast 12 months.

This time, mostly what is needed and deserved are condolences and calls of “good riddance.”

How bad was it? By at least acoupleofmeasuring sticks: historically bad.

This was the first time LSU ever fired its football coach, its athletic director and its men’sbasketball coach all in the same athletic year.That figures,becauseitwas also the first time in 50 years, since 1975-76, that LSU’s football, men’sbasketball and baseball teams all had losing Southeastern Conference records in the same year About the only thingthat saved the Tigers, other than some deep pockets that supplied thebuyouts for Brian Kelly,MattMcMahon

and Scott Woodward (totaling close to $70 million), wereLSU’swomen’s sports teams. OK, someofthe men’steamslike golf, tennis, track andswimming and diving also had good to great seasons, but this was the women’syear to shine.

Not that it was much of ahorse race. There were no championships won, but teams likegymnastics, women’sbasketball, softball and tennis morethan held up their end as the most successful programs on campus in an otherwise dismal year.Collectively,those four programsdeserve The Golden Rabby —ifthere were such athing. We do have sometraditional awards to hand out, starting with:

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

STMsafetyOrtte

BYMIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Landen Ortte is capable of lining up anywhere on the football ﬁeld for theSt. Thomas More defense. That versatility anda high levelofproductivity helped Ortte, athree-yearstarterat free safetyfor the Cougars, earnanoffer from the UL Ragin’ Cajuns that the seniorto-be accepted with arecent verbal commitment

“Tobeable to startasasophomoreisa rare feat, and to be able todoitatfreesafety shows thetype of athleticism and hardnosed football player he is,”STM offensive coordinator Shane Savoie said of Ortte

“He’sagreat tackler withgreat instincts.”

As ajunior,Ortte(6-foot-2, 195 pounds)

registered 100 tackles (50 solo) with two interceptions and 10 pass break-ups for the Cougars, whoare moving up to the local Class 5A district with teams such as Acadi-

ana, Lafayette and Southside.

“He hasplayed back safety,inside linebacker and outside linebacker,” Savoie said of Ortte, who is also on thebasketball team

“He can do awhole bunch of things.

“Thatgivesusthe freedom to makesure we have the players we need. Against Acadiana, we might need him closer to theball.

When we play Barbe, ateam really good in space, we’ll need him in space.”

Nicholls State, Incarnate Word, Northwestern State and Brown of the IvyLeague all offered Ortte,who made his commitmentonthe ﬁrst round of UL ofﬁcial visits, aweekend thatproduced multiple pledges from 2027 prospects in early June.

“Itfeels really good,” he said of joiningthe Cajuns’ recruiting class. “It’sinthe backyard, so Ifeel like I’malready at home. I love the coaching staff. Ibonded with them Ifelt agood connection with them.

“I’mexcited togothrough this senior season and get on campus eventually.”

WorldCup knockout stageset

As matchesheatup, some teamsmight feel like they’vedrawn shortstraw

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP sportswriter

FIRSTIN: Co-host Canada stuns SouthAfrica to advanceto Roundof16 for firsttime, Page 3C

MIAMI GARDENS,Fla. If theWorldCup was theNCAAbasketball tournament, then teamslike Morocco andthe Netherlands would have some serious angertowardthe selection and seeding committee right now England, Mexico, Portugal and Spain might not be all that happy,either Lionel Messi and Argentina, on the other hand, probably wouldn’tcomplain muchabout their potential path to the World Cup final four Thebracket is set for the knockout stage of the World Cup. There was no selectioncommittee; slots were predetermined —Group Awinner on this line, Group Drunner-up on this line, etc. —soitwasn’t exactly like how the NCAA tournaments go. And FIFA doesn’treseed like some sports, so acouple of lower seedsare certaintoget into at least the Round of 16. So, when taking the 32 qualifiers forthe knockout stage and rankingthem like it’sanNCAA tournament—essentially seeding the field 1to32 basedonthe FIFA live rankingsentering Sunday—it’seasytosee why some“regions” might be tougher to navigate than others.

Abreakdownofthe World Cup bracket: Foxborough Region

Quarterfinal: July9 •Foxborough,Massachusetts.

Round of 32 matchups: No.12Germany vs. No. 27 Paraguay,No. 2France vs. No.26Sweden, No. 29 South Africa vs. No.25Canada, No. 7Netherlands vs. No. 6Morocco. Outlook: Netherlands vs. Morocco in the Round of 32 means that at least one of the seven highest-ranked teamsleft in the tournament won’teven get to the Round of 16. France and Germany —perennial European powers —could meet in the Round of 16. And Canada, who beat South Africa 1-0 on Sunday,

Defensive coordinator JimSalgado handledmuchofOrtte’srecruitment for theCajuns, with head coach Michael Desormeaux and recruitingcoordinator TimLeger also working to reel in his commitment for the Cajuns, whoare up to 14 verbal pledges in the 2027 class. “I truly feel Ican play anywhere on the field,” Orttesaid. “If we didn’thavetwo truly good linebackersinWalkerPugh and Tristan Klock, Ifeel like they would put me at linebacker.” Ortte visited other schools but didn’tfeel the vibe that he experienced at UL “I’ve been to other places, but Inever felt thatkind of love,” he said. “Everybody knew who Iwas. And it’sSouth Louisiana —the hospitality is unmatched.”

As asenior,Ortte said it’sa“championship or bust” mentality for the Cougars, who have

with consecutive

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

St. Thomas More safety Landen Ortte,left tackles Cecilia runningback Braylon Calais on Aug. 29 at the73rd Annual Kiwanis Jamboree. Ortte is one of eight verbal commitments so far for theRagin’Cajuns.

AP PHOTO By MARK J.TERRILL South Africa midfielder SphepheloSithole, left,and Canadaforward Jonathan David

Jannik Sinner of Italy returns the ball during an exhibition match against Cameron Norrie of Great Britain on Wednesday at the Hurlingham Tennis Club in London.

ASSOCIATED

Reigning champ Sinner ramps up training

BY KEN MAGUIRE Associated Press

LONDON Jannik Sinner said he changed his physical workload after his French Open meltdown, when he felt ill and dizzy in a second-round loss.

So, he’s taking it a bit easier?

Wrong.

“Much longer sessions — both in the gym and on the court,” he said. “We did everything together but without any breaks. Now we’ll see how I react on the court.”

Sinner spoke Saturday in English and Italian — at Wimbledon as he prepares to defend his singles title. He opens against Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court on Monday, when the temperature is expected to be 77 degrees.

With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by

a wrist injury, Sinner is the leading favorite — just like he was in Paris — to win at the grass-court major

Following his early exit at Roland Garros, Sinner did take a week off — and did some testing.

“General tests to see healthwise how I was, to be sure that all is OK with the body, which is. All tests were really good,” he said.

And then it was back to work.

Sinner, who has struggled with heat and cramps in the past, said, “We need to practice in hotter conditions. I feel like everywhere where we play is going to be very hot. Every year is getting warmer and warmer It is a very important topic.”

At the French Open, Sinner came within one game of concluding his second-round match in straight sets when he led 5-1 in

the third. But amid a Paris heat wave, he struggled with dizziness and was beaten by Juan Manuel Cerundolo 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.

There’s no quick ﬁx, he added.

“We are happy at the moment with what we are doing. The result we’re not going to see here. It’s a long process. There’s no magic behind it.

“I’m very happy with the work we did in the last two and a half weeks,” Sinner added. “Very long days. I feel well prepared.”

He spoke in Italian about the longer training sessions but added: “I don’t like to talk too much about exactly what we changed, but we changed the physical workload a bit.”

No warmups needed

This week, Sinner said it was always his plan to not do warmup

tournaments ahead of Wimbledon.

“If you play a tournament before here, maybe it’s not going the way you would like to, you come here with some doubts,” he said.

“If you don’t play any tournament, you don’t have these doubts. You just go and play

“Last year I lost second round in Halle. I came here and I played very well,” said Sinner, who beat two-time champion Alcaraz in the Wimbledon ﬁnal.

Benefits of being a champion

A perk of being a Wimbledon champion is getting an All England Club membership.

“It’s a great honor for me. As I’ve always said, it’s the best tournament we have, the most prestigious, and so having this thing for my whole life is very, very nice,” Sinner said.

Ski star Vonn understanding of Serena’s comeback

BY ANDREW DAMPF Associated Press

LONDON When Serena Williams played her ﬁrst professional tennis match in nearly four years recently, another elite female athlete in her 40s was on hand for the occasion.

Skier Lindsey Vonn has a special understanding of what Williams is going through as she prepares to play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon at age 44.

After making her own comeback, Vonn was the top World Cup downhiller last season at age 41 until her horriﬁc crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February left her with a severely fractured left leg.

“There is an increasing shift in what women can accomplish at later stages in their careers or life,” Vonn told The Associated Press. “I feel like we are in the same boat, where we don’t need to prove anything to anyone but we still have the ability to compete at an elite level. She (Williams) also told me that I played a role in inspiring her to come back, so that of course was meaningful to me.”

Vonn talked with Williams after the tennis standout’s doubles victory with partner Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club in London, having watched the match from one of the VIP balconies.

“She was in great spirits. She’s having fun which I loved seeing, even more than her tennis,” Vonn said in a written response. “If it’s bringing her joy to play, I say play as long as you want!”

Vonn has undergone eight surgeries following her Olympic crash which nearly led to a leg amputation — and needs at least one more to repair a torn ACL in that same knee. But she’s back in the gym and has resumed physical training, while still assessing whether she’ll compete again. After nearly six years away from skiing Vonn returned in December 2024 with a partial titanium replacement in her right knee. She had two victories and seven podium results last season. On Centre Court at Wimbledon on Tuesday, Williams will play

Williams arrives to practice on Sunday, one day ahead of the start

in London.

her ﬁrst singles match since 2022 against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia. Then she’ll play doubles with older sister Venus Williams later in the week.

So what does Vonn expect from Williams at Wimbledon?

“It’s her first major singles tournament since retiring so I would expect for her to play well but not show all her cards yet,” Vonn said. “I’m sure she can still win, but I wouldn’t put any expectations on her She’s the GOAT (greatest of all time) no matter what happens.”

Indeed, Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion in singles and has won 14 more Grand Slams in doubles all with Venus as her partner Vonn’s 45 World Cup downhill wins are the most by a male or female skier

“It was kind of like riding a bike,” Williams said Sunday of her ﬁrst practice sessions back at the All England Club. “Obviously when I play I might have a lot of things come up.”

Lindsey Vonn concentrates ahead of an alpine ski downhill

on Feb 6 at the Winter Olympics in Cortina

No matter the outcome, Williams shares Vonn’s credo of setting the bar high to create new standards.

“You have to believe in yourself and go for any dream,” Williams said, “no matter how wild it may be.”

Hornets continue shakeup, send Bridges to Suns

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets are continuing their offseason overhaul.

The Hornets have agreed to trade forward Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round draft pick and a 2027 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Grayson Allen, forward Royce O’Neale and a 2033 ﬁrst-round pick, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

The trade comes on the heels of the Hornets sending star point guard LaMelo Ball to Minnesota as part of a deal that brought them Naz Reid, draft picks and pick swaps. The 6-foot-7 Bridges, 28, was the longest-tenured player on the Hornets roster, joining the team as a ﬁrst-round draft pick in 2018 out of Michigan State.

Reeve ties coaching wins record as Lynx beat Wings ARLINGTON, Texas Cheryl Reeve tied the WNBA record for career coaching wins as the Minnesota Lynx beat the Dallas Wings 85-77 on Sunday Reeve, who already owns the WNBA’s record for playoff wins, tied Mike Thibault for the most regular-season wins in league history at 378. Reeve was inducted Saturday night into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Natasha Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Olivia Miles added 21 points and eight assists for the Lynx.

Howard went 9 for 17 from the field and added three steals for Minnesota (15-4), which improved to 9-1 on the road and 3-0 against Dallas this season.

Rangers put Langford on IL with strained hamstring TORONTO The Texas Rangers put outﬁelder Wyatt Langford on the 10-day injured list Sunday because of a strained left hamstring and activated outﬁelder Evan Carter off the IL.

Langford had homered seven times in 20 games since returning from the IL on June 5 after missing 39 games because of a strained right forearm.

Langford is batting .278 with eight homers and 20 RBIs. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Langford will likely be out until after the All-Star break. Langford felt sore after beating out a double in Friday’s 5-4 win and was scratched from the lineup Saturday

S. Korea coach quits after criticism from president

South Korea coach Hong Myungbo resigned Sunday after the team’s quick elimination from the World Cup drew a harsh condemnation from the country’s president, who called the coach “incapable” and ordered a complete review of the national team program.

South Korea won its opening match against Czech Republic, then lost its next two Group A matches to South Africa and Mexico. The quick exit for a team that expected to advance left the national team program in turmoil and drew a sharp rebuke from President Lee Jae Myung. He leveled pointed criticism at the coach.

“As a former honorary professional football club chairman and, at heart, a member of the Red Devils, I feel not just surprise but deep bewilderment at this unexpected result,” the president said.

Raducanu withdraws from Wimbledon due to injury

LONDON Emma Raducanu withdrew from Wimbledon on Sunday because of a stress fracture in her right leg leaving the tournament without its highest-proﬁle British player

Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, announced the decision on Instagram on Sunday evening. She had been set to open play on No 1 Court on Monday against Antonia Ruzic.

She had been dealing with the injury since a run to the ﬁnal at Queen’s Club this month, but said earlier Sunday at a news conference that she still hoped to play at the All England Club.

Raducanu has not won a tourlevel tournament before or after her surprising run to the U.S. Open title as a qualiﬁer at

of 18.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG

Serena

of the Wimbledon Championships

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARCO TROVATI

training

d’Ampezzo, Italy.

WORLD CUP

will have to change time zones twice on its way to the quarterﬁnals, while Germany, Paraguay, France and Sweden will all be in either Massachusetts, New Jersey or Pennsylvania in the Rounds of 32 and 16.

If the seeds hold: France would play Morocco in the quarterﬁnal.

Inglewood Region

Quarterfinal: July 10 • Inglewood, California.

Round of 32 matchups: No. 8 Portugal vs. No. 13 Croatia, No. 3 Spain vs. No. 18 Austria, No. 14 United States vs. No. 30 Bosnia and Herzegovina, No. 10 Belgium vs. No.

17 Senegal

Outlook: The U.S. gets one of the lowest-ranked teams left in the tournament to open the Round of 32 and would remain in the Pacific time zone until the semifinals. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal did not get an easy draw at all, with Croatia right off the bat and then potentially Spain in the Round of 16 (Can’t imagine Spain is too thrilled with this, either.) Belgium vs. Senegal is in Seattle, and the winner will stay there to play the U.S match winner; that’s a big break for weary legs. If the seeds hold: Spain would play Belgium in the quarterfinal.

Miami Gardens Region

Quarterfinal: July 11 • Miami Gardens, Florida.

Round of 32 matchups: No. 5 Brazil vs. No. 16 Japan, No 24 Ivory Coast vs. No. 19 Norway, No. 9 Mexico vs. No. 20 Ecuador, No. 4 England vs. No. 28 Congo.

Outlook: Mexico and England will be heavily favored in their Round of 32 matches, then would be in line to go head-to-head in the Round of 16 in what would be a road game at Mexico City for England. And Mexico is one of only two teams not to surrender a goal in the group stage, with Spain being the other Brazil gets a bit of an easier path to the quarterﬁnals, opening with Japan and then if it wins drawing the Ivory Coast-Norway winner

If the seeds hold: Brazil would play

UL

Continued from page 1C

crowns in 2023-24.

“That’s how we think around here,” he said. “We want to make it to the Dome at all costs and just want to go out with as much effort as we possibly can.”

Savoie said the Cajuns like the fact that Ortte could either be a safety or linebacker in college.

“That’s the beauty of the modern secondary,” he said. “Schools will take a lot of long athletes who can bulk up frame-wise if they need and move closer to the ball.”

Ortte is one of 15 current UL commitments.

Joining Ortte on defense are

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

Team of the year

LSU likes to call itself DBU, NILSU or the capital of strange things at tailgate parties that taste like chicken. In recent years, it really has become Gymnastics U. In April, the gymnastics Tigers came within one of Mike VII’s whiskers of winning their second NCAA championship in the past three seasons, falling just shy of Oklahoma. Still, a No. 2 ﬁnish, matching LSU’s preseason ranking, is nothing to be despondent about. Not considering some of the performances we saw from Jay Clark’s team (more on that later) throughout the 2026 season

One of the best things for LSU is that the Tigers can be expected to be right up there again as a national contender in 2027.

England in the quarterﬁnal.

Kansas City Region

Quarterfinal: July 11 • Kansas City, Missouri.

Round of 32 matchups: No. 1 Argentina vs. No. 31 Cape Verde, No. 22

Australia vs. No. 21 Egypt, No. 15

Switzerland vs. No. 23 Algeria, No. 11 Colombia vs. No. 32 Ghana.

Outlook: Again, there is no “selection committee,” but if there was, it would have gotten this one right by putting the best goalscorer in Argentina’s Lionel Messi against the tournament’s best story in Cape Verde in the Round of 32. And Messi gets to be at home in Miami Gardens, a few miles from Inter Miami’s stadium for that matchup. Australia or Egypt awaits the Argentina match winner, Switzerland-Algeria has potential for a lot of goals, and Colombia faces a Ghana team with nothing to lose. If the seeds hold: Argentina would play Colombia in the quarterﬁnal.

Inside the bracket

Tidbits about the Round of 32 matchups: France, Mexico and Argentina were the only teams to escape group play with 3-0-0 records.

There are four Round of 32 matchups between unbeaten teams: Netherlands (2-0-1) vs. Morocco (2-0-1), Belgium (1-0-2) vs. Senegal (1-0-2), Brazil (2-0-1) vs. Japan (1-0-2) and Argentina (3-00) vs. Cape Verde (0-0-3).

Expect some goals in France vs. Sweden (combined 17 goals in the group stage), Netherlands-Morocco (16), Belgium-Senegal (14), Brazil-Japan (14) and U.S.-Bosnia and Herzegovina (13).

On the ﬂip side, the ﬁrst goal of Mexico-Ecuador might be that match’s decider Mexico wasn’t scored on in group play and Ecuador surrendered only two goals in those three matches

The semifinal matchups are the winner of the Foxborough quarterfinal against the winner of the Inglewood quarterfinal (at Arlington, Texas on July 14) and the winner of the Miami Gardens quarterfinal against the winner of the Kansas City quarterfinal (at Atlanta on July 15). The final is at East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19

defensive lineman Kobe Smith of Avoyelles, University High’s defensive lineman Maison Smith, linebacker Camron Alakija of Crawford, Texas, linebacker Omo Ayemere of Elkins High in Texas, safety Gavin Cooper from Rummel, safety Jabriran Blake of Wylie High in Texas and cornerback Caleb White of Summer Creek High in Texas. The offensive commitments include tight end Bryce Coleman, tackle Adarius Hines of East View High in Texas, tackle Noah Ernst of Angleton High in Texas, tackle Philip Cenac of Vandebilt Catholic, wide receiver Robert Taylor of Ferriday, quarterback Tam Anderson of West Brook High in Texas and wide receiver John Walker of Plaquemine High.

Canada defender Stephen Eustaquio celebrates scoring a goal against South Africa on Sunday during the World Cup round of 32 match in Inglewood, Calif

Canada beats South Africa

1-0 in first knockout match

With win, co-host advances to its first WC Round of 16

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

— Stephen Eustáquio scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, and Canada beat South Africa 1-0 on Sunday for its ﬁrst knockout match victory in a World Cup.

A tense match at SoFi Stadium appeared to be headed for extra time until Eustáquio — who plays professionally for Los Angeles FC several miles away — put a stunning volley from outside the penalty area into the bottom corner of Ronwen Williams’ net.

Co-host Canada hung on with strong defensive play in the ﬁnal minutes of the tournament’s ﬁrst round of 32 match. Coach Jesse Marsch’s team advanced to face the Netherlands or Morocco in Houston on Saturday, July 4.

Marsch gathered his players in a huddle after the whistle and gave a spirited speech, declaring, “You guys are Canadian heroes! Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport. This sport has a big future because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so proud of this game.”

Canada played its first three matches at home in Toronto and Vancouver while appearing in only its third World Cup, but was forced to become the ﬁrst World Cup host to play on the road when

World Cup round of 32 soccer match against South Africa on Sunday.

it lost 2-1 to Switzerland last Wednesday

The Canadians were still the clear crowd favorite in the Los Angeles area between their traveling fans and thousands of supportive locals, including several in Eustáquio’s LAFC shirt who couldn’t have imagined the day they were about to enjoy

“We never stopped believing,” Eustáquio said. “And I think the goal is really something that we deserved.”

Williams made five saves for South Africa, which played with remarkable heart while hanging in until the ﬁnal moments in search of another historic win for the team known as Bafana Bafana. Canada had the best chances all day but underdog South Africa stayed ﬁrm defensively and created a handful of excellent chances itself.

“We lost the game because there

ﬁrst Tiger to do so in consecutive seasons since 2008

Coach of the year Clark would be an easy choice, but his trophy case is already full of Rabbys. This year, we’re going with a deserving new recipient: LSU women’s tennis coach Taylor Fogleman. In four years coaching the Tigers, Fogleman has led them to four NCAA tournament appearances, including consecutive appearances in the NCAA team championships. That’s the equivalent of making it to the College World Series or gymnastics nationals or the Elite Eight. Cadence Brace earned AllAmerican honors, becoming the

Athlete of the year

Is there any choice but Kailin Chio? The Tigers’ super sophomore gymnast got shafted by not winning the Honda Award as the nation’s best gymnast, but she most deﬁnitely deserves The Rabby here.

We start with her 13 perfect 10s, including three in one meet against Arkansas in the only three events she did that night, a perfect 30.0 score.

“If you’d put her in on bars,” assistant coach Garrett Griffeth told Clark, “she’d have gotten a 40.” Her 13 10.0 marks were one off the all-time single-season NCAA record, and by far led the nation. She won 44 individual titles in all, including the SEC all-around crown. And Chio was named SEC

gymnast of the year beating out OU’s Faith Torrez, who beat her out for the NCAA all-around title and, unjustly, the Honda Award. LSU’s Kaliya Lincoln also had a perfect 10 on ﬂoor in the NCAA Baton Rouge regional. There were 45 perfect scores across NCAA gymnastics this year, meaning 31% of them were by Tigers. That’s a wow for sure. Headliner moment of the year

It could be Chio’s three 10s against Arkansas, but we’ll go off the ﬁeld for LSU’s hiring of Lane Kifﬁn in late November

It caused a huge kerfufﬂe nationally and folks at Ole Miss have spent the entire offseason sticking pins in little Lane voodoo dolls. But what a coup by new LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry Rarely do schools land their ﬁrst choice for a big job like

this remember Nick Saban wasn’t Alabama’s ﬁrst choice 20 years ago. But LSU got its man, shrugging off the slings and arrows of its critics and clearly doing all it can to return to national contention.

Kifﬁn recently declared LSU would win a national championship on his watch. For certain, everyone is watching.

Surprise of the year

I’ll admit, I like a lot of folks ﬁgured even when things got rocky for Kelly midseason, there was no way LSU was going to have the means or the will to pony up $54 million to buy him out. He would be back as coach in 2026. We were all proven wrong on Oct.

was a lack of power and speed in our team when I compare that with our opponent,” South Africa coach Hugo Broos said. “We had a difficult game, certainly But when we look back, we can be fairly satisﬁed with what we did. We are disappointed, and we wanted to win, but we don’t have to be too much disappointed. What we did was good, and I’m very happy and proud of my team.”

Canada finally broke through when Alistair Johnston’s long pass into the box was cleared directly into the path of Eustáquio, who chested it down, struck it purely and started to celebrate almost immediately After finishing second in their respective groups, both South Africa and Canada were playing for their nations’ first knockout victories at a World Cup when they opened knockout play with the only match of the day Canada got a boost in the 75th minute when star defender Alphonso Davies came on for his first World Cup action. The playmaking Bayern Munich defender missed group play after injuring his hamstring last month for the third time this year, but finally returned in the same stadium where he tore a knee ligament in March 2025 in CONCACAF Nations League play Davies immediately made the best pass of the day to set up Promise David for a golden chance, but the forward hit it wide. South Africa reached the knockout rounds for the first time with a 1-0 victory over South Korea last Wednesday, arguably the highest moment in Bafana Bafana’s checkered international history

26, when Kelly was ousted a day after LSU’s 49-25 blowout loss to Texas A&M in Week 8. LSU ridiculously tried to wiggle out of paying Kelly for a time, claiming it had ﬁred him for cause, but the Tigers are back on the hook for the full amount. That was followed by Kifﬁn’s $91 million, seven-year deal and the reported $40 million (reported by Kelly, of all people) LSU spent to build this year’s roster

The real biggest surprise of all: When LSU wants to ﬁnd the money, it ﬁnds the money

Surprise of the year: silver medal That would be bringing back Will Wade as men’s basketball coach. The same Will Wade LSU ﬁred (for cause) four years earlier That is the most LSU thing ever invented. Newcomer of the year Bronze medalist for surprise of the year was MiLaysia Fulwiley transferring from hometown South Carolina to LSU in women’s basketball. She immediately paid dividends, starting only one game but coming off the bench to lead the Tigers with 14.6 points per contest. Her game reminds one of the Tasmanian Devil in the Bugs Bunny cartoons, a whirling dervish of points, steals and turnovers. But you

look

Fulwiley put the capper on

ﬁrst year as a Tiger by teaming with LSU’s Mikaylah Williams and two other players to win the 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Cup gold medal.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Wade

Kelly

Fogleman

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRE PENNER

AP PHOTO By MANU FERNANDEZ Canada coach Jesse Marsch reacts after winning a

TO OUR READERS: We have made a change to our comics pages after Big Nate’ cartoonist Lincoln Pierce decided to end his daily comic strip on short notice.We have replaced it with ‘Rosebuds.

Fit for the world stage

A look at the design of World Cup uniforms where national pride meets breathable mesh

BY CLAIRE RUSH

Associated Press

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Heat Moisture. National pride.

These were top of mind as Nike designed its uniform kits for this year’s World Cup including for football powerhouses France and Brazil as well as the U.S and Canada in their role as host nations.

In a tournament that has seen storm delays and temperatures hovering around 90 degrees Fahrenheit in some locations, the ﬁrst step was to ensure players’ performance and comfort.

Phil McCartney, chief innovation, design and product ofﬁcer for Nike, said the company worked with athletes, coaches and football federations to understand how uniforms affect the game.

“We also talk to fans — so what does it mean to wear a Uruguay jersey, what does it mean to represent France, what does it mean to play for Canada?” McCartney told The

na, host nation Mexico and Colombia, also unveiled cooling gear for the tournament. Puma designed the kits for Portugal as well as Morocco and Senegal, the two ﬁnalists at the most recent African Cup of Nations.

While the three companies are behind most of this year’s kits, some teams are sporting uniforms designed by other apparel makers. Thermal chambers and robots

On a recent morning, McCartney spoke from the sports research lab at Nike’s headquarters just outside Portland, Oregon, where experimentation helped the kits come to life.

Associated Press “We take that and we merge that with all the science and the innovation to make sure that we have beautiful designs.”

Adidas, which designed jerseys for defending champion Argenti-

The indoor facility includes a 219-yard track, a small football pitch and a basketball court, with hundreds of motion-capture cameras placed throughout Thermal chambers replicate the effects of heat and humidity on apparel

ä See UNIFORMS, page 6C

A month-old pony moves to a 4th-ﬂoor apartment in Croatia. Neighbors don’t mind

By The Associated Press

ROVINJ, Croatia A month-old

pony named Mile is the newest resident of an apartment building in the northern Croatian coastal town of Rovinj. Mile has moved in temporarily to his owners’ fourth-floor ﬂat because his mother rejected him at birth. He also needs round-the-clock care after undergoing an operation for a lifethreatening infection in neighboring Slovenia, where people donated to cover the costs of his treatment.

“Every two hours, we warm up his milk and feed him,” owner Andjelka Josipovic said. “If we forget to feed him, he wakes up, comes to us and rouses us up.”

Josipovic lives in a one-bedroom ﬂat with her partner Kristijan Jelenic, her two sons, a dog and now Mile.

The unusual newcomer has drawn attention in the neighborhood, but no one has complained.

Josipovic is hopeful Mile will recover fully as he now eats well and has gained 2.2 pounds. He seems cheerful with a “strong desire to suckle, eat, and ﬁght,” she said.

“The first night, the vet thought there was no hope and wanted to put him down,” she recalled. “I said, let’s try until the morning.”

The family runs a small ranch and a playroom for children in Bale, some 9 miles from Rovinj, with llamas, pigs, horses, and sheep.

Mile spends his days with the other animals at the ranch, but he returns to Rovinj — one of Croatia’s most popular tourist resorts in the evening. The pony rides in the back seat of the family car At the apartment, he sleeps on either a mattress or a sofa. The family lives in a residential part of Rovinj, away from the main tourist zone in the old town, which is famous for its ä See PONY, page 6C

The Owens family curse strikes next generation in ‘Practical

BY TRACY BROWN Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES The Owens family curse strikes again and this time it’s here for the next generation. In the new trailer for “Practical Magic 2,” released June 24, Sally’s (Sandra Bullock) daughter Kylie (Joey King) learns about her family’s legacy and curse after her paramour is involved in an accident.

“It’s true, we’re witches and the curse is real,” Sally tells a tearful Kylie who along with her sister (Maisie Williams) grew up being told stories where everyone who fell in love died. But the siblings didn’t believe they were actually cursed.

“I will never trust you again,” Kylie responds. Directed by Susanne Bier, the sequel of 1998’s “Practical Magic” will follow Sally and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) as they chase after Kylie who has set off to “ﬁx the curse,” which will put her on a dark path Along the way, the sisters encounter a mysterious “scholar of the craft” played by Lee Pace. The trailer also offers a glimpse into Sally and Gillian’s present lives — with the latter teasing the former’s

ä See 'MAGIC', page 6C

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON United States’ Weston McKennie dribbles with the ball during a World Cup Group D soccer match between the U.S. and Australia in Seattle on June 19.

AP PHOTO By CLAIRE RUSH

Phil McCartney, chief innovation, design and product officer for Nike, holds up the away jersey for France that the company designed for the World Cup.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Owner Andjelka Josipovic poses with a pony named Mile at a ranch in Bale, Croatia.

Cast members Sandra Bullock, left, and Nicole Kidman of the upcoming film ‘Practical Magic 2’ speak during the film’s Warner Bros. presentation at CinemaCon on April 14 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHRIS PIZZELLO

Seasonal affective disorder canhit in thesummer

Dear Doctors: WhenIhear about seasonal depression, it hasto do with winter.Supposedly it’s because of the shorter days and the lack of daylight. But Ifeel the start of depression whenever summer comes, which can’tbe about the light.Why would that happen? What can Ido?

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

Dear reader: It’strue that when people talk about adownward emotional shift tied to achange of seasons, winter is most often the culprit. As you point out, the shorter days and longer nights play abig role. The steady decrease of daylight hours is believedtoaffect levelsofmelatonin and serotonin. These are brain chemicals that affect mood and sleep. With colder weather, more time is spent indoors. This can lead to fewernatural social interactions andcontribute to feelings of isolation. Repetitive wintertasks, likeshovelingsnow or dressingand undressing just to step outside, can each add a measureofstress.Socan simply being cold. While notascommon as winterbased seasonal depression, the summertimeblues you are experiencing are indeed areal thing. It is part of acondition known as

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday,June 29, the 180th day of 2026.There are 185 days left in the year

Today’shighlight in history:

On June 29, 2007, the ﬁrst version of the iPhone went on sale to the public; over 2.3 billion iPhones have been sold to date.

Also on this date: In 1613, London’soriginal Globe Theatre, where many of William Shakespeare’s plays were performed, was destroyed by afire sparked by acannon shot during aperformance of “Henry VIII.” In 1767, Britain approved theTownshend Revenue Act, which imposed import duties on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper and tea shipped to the American colonies (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament to repeal the duties on each of the products —except for tea.) In 1776,the Virginia state constitution wasadopted, and PatrickHenry was made the state’sgovernor In 1967, Jerusalem was reunified as Israel removed barricadesseparating the Old City from the Israeli sector In 2006, theSupreme Court ruled,5-3, that President George W. Bush’s plan to try GuantanamoBay detainees in military tribunals violated U.S. andinternational law In 2009, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff received a150-year sentence for his multibillion-dollar fraud.(Madoff died in prison in April 2021.) In 2022, R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison forusing hisR&B superstardom to subject young fans to sexual abuse. The singer and songwriter was convicted of racketeer-

seasonal affective disorder,or SAD. As with its wintry cousin, summertime SADismarked by symptomsthat can include anxiety,irritability, low energy disrupted sleep and feelings of sadness or hopelessness. And because summer is supposed to represent acarefree and joyful stretch of time, people with summer SADare sometimes also weighed down by guilt.

As with winter SAD, summertime depression is believed to involve bothphysiological and lifestyle triggers. Longer days mean later twilights. For somepeople, this can affect sleep cycles and contribute to the onset of depression. Longer days often also disrupt theroutines that got us through thewinter.These changes can be stressful. So can heat

ing and sex trafﬁcking the previous year Today’sbirthdays: Songwriter L. Russell Brown is 86.

Singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys is 83. Actor Gary Busey is 82. Former actor and politician Fred Grandy is 78. Rock musician Ian Paice (Deep Purple) is 78. Singer Don Dokken is 73. Rock singer Colin Hay (Men At Work) is 73. Actor Maria ConchitaAlonso is 71. Actor Sharon Lawrence (“NYPD Blue”) is 65. Actor Amanda Donohoe is 64. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is 63. Producer-writer Matthew Weiner is 61.

Actor Melora Hardin is 59.

Actor Brian D’Arcy James is 58. Rap DJ and record producer DJ Shadow is 54.

Actor ZuleikhaRobinson is 49. Rock musician Sam Farrar (Maroon 5) is 48. Actor Luke Kirby is 48. Singer and TV personality Nicole Scherzinger is 48.

UNIFORMS

Continued from page5C

donnedbypeopleorrobot mannequins.

“Wetake motion-capture to see how they’re moving in the kit, how the kits are responding,” McCartney said.“We also usethe thermal chambers that we have to test the kit’sbreathability to test wicking and moisture management.” For the World Cup kits, Nike engineered anew fabric that it says is more breathable and made from fully recycled materials. Theway the jerseysare knit,withmeshstitching in certain areas allowing more air ﬂow,helps “get that thermal regulation that all the players have been asking for,” McCartney said. Despite all the testing, the rollout of the kit was still a bit bumpy During matches earlier this year,bulgescould be

‘MAGIC’

Continued from page5C

have fallen in love with members of the Owens family have been cursed to die. Even after things take aturn with the tragic accident,it’s clear that their sisterly bond

seen in the shoulder seams on jerseysfor teams including France and Uruguay,the Guardian reported.

When asked by AP,Nike saidit wasabletoidentify the issue before the startof the World Cup, and worked with federations “to ensure kits show up as intended.”

Symbolsofnationalpride

While akit’sphysical attributesare important for athletes, its appearance isjust as signiﬁcant for fans who sport thejerseys and want to feel connected to their team

“Wetakeinspirationfrom lots of different places, from the past, from art, from music, from culture, so anythingthatgetsusconnected to the countrywereally want to harness,” McCartneysaid.

France’saway kit, for example, is alight green akin to the Statue of Liberty, which France gifted to the U.S.inthe late 19thcentury The interior tag features the word “Liberté” inside asil-

remains strong.While Sally seems worried about her daughters inheriting her powers, the clip also hints that theremight be some happier times ahead Also returningfor thesequel are Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing,who play Sally and Gilly’saunts Jet and Franny Owens. In the original film, Jet and Fran are the witchy,eccentric aunts who took intheir nieces after their parents

houette of themonument’s crown.

On thefront of thejersey there’s arooster —anemblem of the national team and thecountry itself and twostars representing France’stwo previousWorld Cup victories.

France’shome kitfeatures acollar —asdoes Uruguay’s. The decision to use collars comes from the federations, Nike said, with France leaning intoits historyasa fashion capital and Uruguay looking to evokea more classicfootballlook.In previous decades, many uniforms included collars.

Key national symbols were also considered when designing kitsfor theU.S. and Canada. The home kit for the U.S.featureshorizontal red andwhite stripes reminiscentofa waving American ﬂag, while Canada’sdisplays aprominentmaple leaf.

“Especially in an event like the World Cup, we really play intonational pride,” McCartney said.

died.The “PracticalMagic 2” cast also includesXolo Maridueña,who plays Kylie’sseemingly ill-fated love interest, and Solly McLeod. Written by Akiva Goldsman,Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel, “Practical Magic 2” is based on the2021 novel “The Book of Magic,” the fourthand finalinstallment of authorAlice Hoffman’s “Practical Magic” series. “Practical Magic 2” will hit theaters Sept. 11.

and humidity.For somepeople, being included in —orleft out of —summertime group activities can trigger social anxiety.Genetics may also play arole. Studies of identical twins have found that siblings often shared similar patterns of seasonal changes in mood andbehavior.Newer research, still in theearliest stages, has identiﬁed gene variants that may alter how serotonin affects the brain. Auseful ﬁrst step in steadying your summertimemood is to safeguard your daily routine. Trytosticktothe samesleep, meal andexercise schedule you follow therest of the year.With later sunsets and early sunrises, thesleep part of the equation can becomeachallenge. That makes blackout curtains forthe bedroom

aworthwhile investment. And try to steer clear of heat stress. Useair conditioning and fans as needed in the house. When you can, save exertion and outdoor activities forthe cooler parts of the day.There is also evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in managing seasonal mood swings. It’s aform of talk therapy that helps people ﬂag and change harmfulmental habits. The good newsisthat even small lifestyle adjustments can help ease the summertimeblues. Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

So-calledfriends keep cancelingplans

Dear Miss Manners: What is the correct way to deal with being stood up for social plans?

Over the years, people have said thingstomesuch as, “I’mgoing to break off our lunch plans for today,OK? I’m going to lunch with someone else.”

wholeaned heavily on manners, social skills and all matters of social responsibility

Or,“Ican’tmeet you for breakfast on Saturday like we’d planned; I’m going to go and play golf withDolores.” Or,atthe last minute, “I can’tgotosee the play with you this evening. My boyfriend says we’re going someplace else.”

After being treated like this, my tendency is to view the situation as the ball now being in their court. The only person whose behavior Ican control is my own. Isay and do nothing further and remain polite, but at arm’slength. Inolonger reach out to them with friendly gestures and efforts until they can prove that it is agenuine, mutual, courteous friendship.

ing up —ornot showing up, if one has declined. There is something you can say to those lastminute offenders: “I wish you had bailed out earlier; Iwould have madeplans of my own.”

Dear Miss Manners: Please explain how to administer aCut, aDead Cut, and a Cut Absolute.

Sometimes people simply fail to show up for plans madeinadvance, without aword of apology or explanation, ever.Upon next seeing them, they behave as though nothing had ever happened. If I gently inquire about what happened, they engage in defensive, manipulative behavior,gaslighting and offering non sequiturs.

At such moments,Ihave always said kind and polite thingstothese people, but Ihave difﬁculty in understanding them. Iwas brought up withparents

PONY

Continuedfrom page5C

winding, Mediterraneanstyle stone streetsdominated by achurch.

Jelenic said having Mile at home at the moment is no different from having adog or anyother petbecause he is still relatively small, weighing just 35 pounds.

“Inabout 20 days, this probably will no longer be possible,” Jelenic said.

“I hope he will be strong enough by thentobeable to stay at the ranch.”

Perhaps this is agood waytoscreen forfriendships.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Any suggestions concerning what I could or should be doing?

Gentle reader: Socializing with people whorespect you?

They are increasingly hard to ﬁnd, Miss Manners realizes. The idea has gotten around that it is charming to be spontaneous in one’ssocial life, unbound by the rigid code that required making or declining commitments, and then following through by show-

Gentle reader: ACut is pretending not to see someone who is obviously within sight. ADead Cut is staring right at the person without any acknowledgment. And aCut Absolute is whipping around upon seeing the person and walking away Miss Manners hopes that she is not fueling feuds by providing these deﬁnitions. She attaches to each of them alabel that says, “Caution! Highly dangerous socially,with difﬁcult side effects. To be used only in extreme cases.”

Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO

Owner Andjelka Josipovic feedsaponynamed Mile at aranch in Bale, Croatia, on June 13.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By CLAIRE RUSH

WorldCup uniformkits designed by Nikeare displayedatits headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., on June 22

YE ARS

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Take your time, getthe lowdownand hedge your bets before you make amove. It's up to you to ask questions and to barter on your behalf. An opportunity looks good if you areopen-minded.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attentiontohow youpresent yourself and your ideas. Having confidencewill encourage otherstolistenand contribute suggestions that are easy to implement. Show your leadership ability in order to highlight your profile VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Refuse to let anyone pushyou to change somethingthat isn't in your best interest. Collect your thoughts, talk to experts and offer a heartfeltreason why you prefer to take theroad that offers you somethingin return.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) If you are agood listener, you'll avoid interference. Knowing what'sexpected of you and delivering what'snecessary will help ward offcriticism.

ScoRPIo(oct. 24-nov. 22) You're in abetter positionthanyou realize. Speak up. Refuse to let what othersdodeter you fromfollowing your heartand doing whatworksfor you.

SAGIttARIuS(nov.23-Dec. 21) Achange will do you good. Invest time and money in yourself.Refuse to spend what you don't have or be tempted by afast-talking salespersontrying to scam you or separate you from your cash.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan.19) Keep what youcherish andget rid of what no lon-

germatters.Lettinggoisyour ticket to anew adventure. Shake off the old, revitalize what you plan to keep and head forwardwith arenewed faith in yourself AQuARIuS (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Keep your eyes wide open and your finger on the pulseofwhatever you pursue. It's up to you to be the driver of your prospects. Stop waiting for someonetodothings for you.

PIScES(Feb. 20-March20) Motivate yourself to get involved in acause that concerns you, and someoneyou connect with will help you make adifference. Havingdiscipline will encourage you to change your lifestyle.

ARIES (March 21-April19) Be careful not to upstagesomeone who can influence your reputation or status.Getting along will be anecessity if you want to get ahead. Listen carefully.

tAuRuS (April 20-May20) Devise aplan and budget that add to your convenience and comfort. Stretch your imagination, but don't let anyone tempt you to spend more than you can afford.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Putpressure wherenecessary, and positive change will evolve. Don't hesitate to do the work yourself.You will make adifference to the outcome of whatever you are trying to achieve.

McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy'S cLuE:I EQuALS R

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Francis Bacon,anEnglishman who a few believe wrote Shakespeare’s plays, said, “Truth comes out of error more readily than outofconfusion.”

After abridge deal in which your partnermade amistake, you hope that he sees thereason for hiserror; you do not want him confused. In today’s deal,Southisinthree notrump after West has overcalled in spades. Westleadshis fourth-highest spade. How should South plan the play after taking this trick with dummy’s queen, the honorfrom theshorter side first?

North’s double was negative, promisingfourhearts(andmaybe five or six if too weak to respond two hearts). His three-spade cue-bid asked South to bid three no-trump with aspade stopper. South has eight top tricks: onespade onediamondandsixclubs.Hecangethis ninth winner from hearts or diamonds, butthere is ariskthatthe defenderswill run the spade suitfirst.Since trick one indicates thatWesthas thespade ace, South must work to keep East off the lead

At first glance, this might suggest takingtwo diamondfinesses. However, thatisconfused thinking. If East has theheart ace, the defenders can always triumph. After adiamond finesse loses, West can shift to aheart, andEast can push through aspade, resulting in down two. If West has theheart ace, though, the contract is safe regardless of thediamond position. Thesimplest approach is to cross to hand with aclub, then to lead theheart four toward dummy.

By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzleisawordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InStRuctIonS: 1. Words mustbeoffour or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional

a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’S WoRD cAnoED: kuh-NOOD: Traveled in alight narrow boat propelledbypaddling.

Average mark 12 words

Time limit 20 minutes Can you find 17 or more wordsinCANOED?

SAtuRDAy’S WoRD —FRAGILIty