The Advocate 06-30-2026

Judgelifts blockofteacher raiseplan

Law firm representing educationadvocates disqualified

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Gov.Jeff Landry’splan tocut public school budgets to pay for teacher stipends can proceed after ajudge on Monday lifted an order blocking the plan, which is setto take effect Wednesday

JudgeRichard “Chip”Moore, of the 19th Judicial DistrictCourt in Baton Rouge, alsogranted a motion by the state to disqualify Baker Donelson,the law firmrepresenting education advocates who sued to stop the funding cut. Lawyers for the state argued, and the judge agreed, that the firm should be disqualified because it is representing the state in afederal court case while at the sametime representing plaintiffs suing the state in the school funding case. Under Landry’splan, which

lawmakersapproved last week, the state will reducefunding for public schools by $168 million this school year,and insteaduse the money to give $2,000 stipends to teachers and $1,000 to school support staff.

In astatementMonday,state Attorney General Liz Murrill praised the judge’sruling, andsaidthe state had canceled itsexisting contracts with Baker Donelson.

La.leading research on GLP-1drugs

“A law firm cannotrepresent thegovernorinone courtroom andsue him in anotherwithout proper consent,” she said, adding that, with the court order lifted, “I am hopefulwecan all move forward with thepay raise that ourteachers deserve.

Greg Beuerman, aspokespersonfor the plaintiffs, said they plantoswiftly review

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

GLP-1 medicationslikeOzempic and Wegovy have been hailed as near-miracledrugs that have revolutionized how people lose weight

The drugs mimic ahormoneproduced by the body that manages blood sugar and triggers afeeling of fullness. People who take the medication generally lose between 15% and 25% of their bodyweight in ayear,studies found.

But what about thedrawbacksthatcan come with such dramatictransformations?

In addition to short-term side effects like nauseaand constipation, some pa-

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Louisiana should create amore cohesive system for responding to sexual assault cases tocomply with state law,and it lacks the resources to consistently provide adequate services to victims, areport from the Legislative Auditor’s

tients experience muscle loss and aslowingoftheir metabolism. With astateobesity rate of 40%,more andmore Louisiananswillhavetomanage those outcomes.

One potential solution might lie at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center,where Dr.Eric Ravussinisboth measuring the extent to which the medications affect muscle mass andexploring away to prevent the drugs from decreasing patients’ metabolic rate.

“Theyhavespectacular weight loss,” Ravussin said. But pharmaceuticalcompanies “want to know,whatdoesitdoto

Office found. The study, released Monday, was the resultof abill passedin2025 that required thestate to audit sexual assault services.

In Louisiana, organizations such as lawenforcement agencies, healthcare providers andadvocacy centers are all involved in responding to reports of sexual as-

your body composition, andwhat does it do to your energy expenditure?”

His study will track theresting metabolicrate,orthe number of calories burned while at rest, and muscle mass while participants receive aweight loss drug.

Theresearch tackles what’sknown as “metabolic adaptation,” asurvival mechanism to protect the body from starvation that can cause some people using the medications to plateau in their weight loss.

As people lose weight on thedrugs, the body becomes very “energyefficient, Ravussin said —too efficient to continue

ä See RESEARCH, page 5A

sault.The report found that alack of coordination between such entities createsa fragmented system of care for survivors.

Each of thestate’snine Louisiana Department of Health regions hasaRegionalSexual Assault ResponsePlan, auditors said, adding that they “identified instances wherethe SARplans do not comply with state law and could be improved to better respond to survivors of sexual assault.”

their options with the hope of potentially taking action before Landry’splan goes into effect Wednesday “I think they’re going to be deciding very,very quickly whattheir next moveisgoing to be,” he said, adding that the advocates believe Landry’sorder raises important legal questions about the governor’s authority to reallocate education dollars. “I would be surprised if there’snot more to be played out

ä See JUDGE, page 5A

High court upholds overturning of death sentence

Duncan is 10th

prisoner

freedover

discreditedtestimony

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Louisiana’sSupremeCourt on Monday affirmed alower court decision overturning aOuachita Parish man’s death sentence, ruling that the man’s conviction 28 yearsago rested on discredited science that “no rational juror” would use to reach aguilty verdict today

The 33-page high court ruling in favor of former death row prisoner Jimmie“Chris” Duncan represents apotential landmark victoryfor supporters of apost-conviction law Louisiana approved in 2021. The law sought to give prisonerswho obtain fresh evidence of their innocence easier paths to jettisoning unjust sentences.

PennedbyJustice Cade Cole,the rulingexcoriatesstate prosecutors’ use of “bite mark analysis” during Duncan’s1998 trial,which ended withDuncan’s conviction on firstdegree murderfor the death of his former girlfriend’s23-month-old daughter,Haley Oliveaux.

Adistrict court judge in north Louisiana, Alvin Sharp, vacated Duncan’s sentencelastMay afterfindingthere were “notsufficient grounds” to have prosecuted him forfirst-degree murder.Duncan was freed on bail in November after 27 yearsondeath row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Prosecutorsfromthe 4thJudicial District Attorney’sOffice asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to reinstate Duncan’scapital sentence. But the high court’sdecision Monday, which came in response to that request, broadly affirms Sharp’sorder Duncan proved “by clear and convincingevidencethatnorational

ä See OVERTURNS, page 7A

Some plans do notmeet astate requirement that they be approved by the coroner —and, even when they technically comply with the law,the plans often lack detail aboutwhich entitiesare responsible for implementing state requirements. The report also found that four parishes werenot served by an accredited sexualassault advocacy center. Under state law, survivors areall supposedtohaveaccessto such facilities, but “gaps and challenges” limit that access.

ä See REPORT, page 5A

Ravussin

Beuerman

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Zelenskyy condemns Russia’s‘horrificattacks’ KYIV,Ukraine Russian missiles and drones killed at least 12 civilians and injured 40 others in Ukraine on Monday in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “horrific attacks.”

Since Russia launched its allout invasion of its neighbormore than four years ago,its forces have conducted bombing in an effort to destroy Ukraine’sinfrastructure and sap morale. More than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to the U.N. ARussian missile targeting infrastructure struck the central city of Dnipro, killing six people and wounding 29, Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said. Russian drones also hit apassengerminibusin the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing three and wounding six, including achild, Zelenskyy said on social media.

Russian drones also killeda 69-year-old woman and a77-yearold man in the northeastern Sumy region, National Policesaid. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov saida daytimeRussian strike killed one person and wounded five others in the city Other deadly attacks occurred in at least six otherregions of Ukraine, authorities said.

Israeli strikes kill at least 8inGaza, officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli strikes in southern and central Gaza on Monday killed at least eight people, including two children, and wounded at least 20 others, according to health officials and emergency services.

In Khan Younis, astrike hit a tent in the Al-Mawasi neighborhood after awarning call, killing a23-year-old mother and her 1-year-old daughter west of Khan Younis, according toNasser Hospital Another strike on the townof Qarara, northwest of the city earlier in the day killed a31-year-old man, according to Nasser Hospital. Thehospital said he hadmarried onlya few months ago and left behind apregnant wife.

In aseparate incidentinthe same area, astrike hit atent sheltering displaced people along the coastal area of Khan Younis, killing two people and wounding 13 others,according to Nasser hospital and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The wounded were transferred to afield hospital run by the Palestinian Red Crescent in Al-Mawasi.

In central Gaza, adronestrike hit atent in Deir al-Balah, killing at least three Palestinians, including an 8-year-old boy and his grandfather, medical officials said.

Director sentencedin fraud case over show

NEWYORK Hollywood writer-director Carl Rinsch was sentenced Mondayto21/2 yearsinprison after being convicted of defraudingNetflix out of $11 millionfor anever-finished sci-fi series. Supporters including Keanu Reeves hadasked the court to show him leniency Rinsch, best known for the 2013 samurai fantasy film “47 Ronin,” was convicted in December of federal wire fraud andother charges. According to prosecutors and trial testimony,hetold Netflix he needed $11 million to finish ashow called “White Horse” but diverted the money into apersonal accountand ultimatelyspent whopping sums on luxury cars, watches,clothes andhousehold goods, including $638,000 on two mattresses Rinsch, 48, and his lawyers told thecourtMondaythathis behavior was fueled by mental health struggles and medication problems, which they said he is nowaddressing with anew care provider

CORRECTION

Anarticle on the Louisiana StateHistorical marker for Fort Bute in the June 28 edition of The Advocate did not includethe full nameofthe local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The group’sproper title is the Baton RougeChapterLouisiana Society of the Daughters of theAmerican Revolution. The Advocate regrets the error.

U.S. andIranpause strikes

Butboth disagree over next steps on talks

BY JON GAMBRELL and JOSH BOAK Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

The UnitedStatesand Iran on Monday separately announcedthey will send delegations to Qatar thisweek, though Tehran insisted it hasnot agreed to meet with the U.S. “at any level” after attacks across the Persian Gulf overthe weekendchallenged negotiationstoend the war

U.S. President Donald Trump said the Islamic Republic had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts and that they planned to convene Tuesday in Doha, Qatar

Butone of Iran’ssenior negotiatorsdeniedtalks had been scheduled. Andthe spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran wassending itsdelegation to Qatar,a key mediator in thenegotiations, to discuss terms of the interimdeal without involving the U.S.

The U.S. president has tried to preservea fragile interimdeal, but hostilities mounted in recent days in the Strait of Hormuz, through which afifth of the world’soil hadbeen shipped before war began. After four days of trading strikes, bothsidesappearedtopause

Women talk in front of abanner withagraphic

theywait forthe green light to cross an intersection Mondayindowntown Tehran, Iran.

their attacks Monday

The U.S.and Iran agreed to an interim deal earlier this monththat calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium. It also waivesU.S.-backed sanctions on thecountry opens the StraitofHormuz and gives each side 60 days to hammer outbroader agreements Confusionmounts

AfterTrump said Mondaymorning on social mediathatthe U.S. andIran plannedto meet, White Housepress secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News’“Fox &Friends” that special envoy Steve Witkoff andJared Kushner, the

president’sson-in-law,were flying to Qatar Pakistan, also akey mediator,had said talks between Iranand the U.S. would resumeTuesday ButKazem Gharibabadi, asenior negotiator for Iran, said in comments publishedbyIranianstate media that no talks had been confirmed. And Esmail Baghaei,spokesman for Iran’sForeign Ministry, said thatits delegation was traveling to Qatar this week to discuss the planned release of frozen Iranian assets andother issuesrelated to the deal.

“There arenonegotiation meetings withthe U.S. side at any levelscheduledin

the coming days,” Baghaei said.“ThefactthatU.S.representativesare traveling to Qatar has no connection with the visit of the Iranian delegation.”

Tensioninwaterway

During thewar that beganFeb.28, Iran’s attacks and threats stopped cargo ships and tankers from movingthrough theStrait of Hormuz, creating aglobal energy crisis.

In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels in the strait —including a tanker filled with Qatari crude —following efforts to open Oman’sterritorial waters to both inbound and outbound traffic from the

Persian Gulf. The attacksdrewretaliatory American airstrikes and raised concerns that negotiations to reach aformalend to the war could be disrupted. Iranlaunched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain andKuwait on Sunday

The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite its location in Iran and Oman’sterritorial waters.

TheTrumpadministration wasoperating Mondayonthe understanding that the U.S. and Iran are standing downafter the recent back-and-forth strikes and that vessels can move freely through the Strait of Hormuz, said aU.S. official who requested anonymity to discuss thesensitive negotiations.

$6 billion coming to Iran

The U.S. official also said thatQatarplannedtorelease $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets that would be used to purchase U.S. food products forthe Iranianpeople. IranianPresident Masoud Pezeshkian had announced the expected release of funds earlier Monday in comments published by the state-run IRNA news agency.Hecalled it “a great victory forthe Iranianpeople.” Pezeshkian, areformist within Iran’stheocracy,is the highest-ranking official within Iran to reference the release of the funds held by Qatar,akey mediator along withPakistan in thenegotiations.

Venezuelanssearchmoreearthquakeruins

Attentionturns to humanitarian crisis

BY JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela With the window forfinding survivors shrinking fast, Venezuelans combed Monday through more ruins of buildings toppled by last week’s powerful back-toback earthquakes,and attention turned to the country’shumanitarian crisis that could persist for years.

Relieforganizations say thefirst 72hours after anatural disaster is the most crucial time period forrescues,thoughsurvival can be extended if peoplehaveaccesstofood and water.Five days after thetwinquakes, questions loomed about whether the cash-strapped government will be able to coordinatethe effortneeded

to carefor thousands of people who have been left homeless.

In other developments, a 4.6 magnitude aftershock rumbled throughthe disaster zone in the northern stateofLaGuaira.

Thedeath tollstood at more than1,700people, according to the government, which has long retained tight control over coverage of major events by Venezuelan news outlets

Facing criticism that authoritieshavedonetoo

little, too slowly, governmentofficials aggressively promoted theirrecovery and rescue efforts.

In aspeech Monday, JorgeRodríguez, the leader of theVenezuelan National Assemblyand brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, saidelectricity hadbeen restored to 90% of the hard-hit state of La Guaira.Hesaidauthorities were racing to evaluate damaged buildings that still posed adanger and

Firefighters killed in wildfire tried to shield themselves from flames

BY TY ONEIL, MATTHEW BROWN and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

BEAVER, Utah Threefirefighters killed over the weekend in awildfire along the Colorado-Utahborder were tryingtoshieldthemselves from flames by deploying tent-like shelters when they were overcome, authorities said. They were part ofa specialized crew that goes into remote areas to quickly put out newand rapidly escalating wildfires, federal officials said Monday TheirdeathsonSaturdaycamealmost13years to theday since an elite crew of 19 wildland firefightersdiedwhen they were trapped in asteep canyon in Yarnell, Arizona.

Like this weekend’svictims,the meninArizona hadtried to deployemergencyshelters that are a “last resort”for firefighters whenthere’s no other way out. Investigators didn’tblame anyone in the deaths but did citeradio communication problems that contributed to the Granite Mountain Hotshots becoming trapped. Arizona’sworkplace safety commission also finedthe state’sforestrydivision for not pulling them out. Wildfires have erupted over the past week all acrossthe West, fueled by monthsofdry weather anda record lackofsnow this past winter in some places. Wildfire experts have been warningfor months that extremefire dangers are likely this summer

With morethantwo dozen large fires burning, almost 8,000 wildland firefighters anddozensoffirefighting helicopters have been deployed. About half the largestblazes arein Alaska while the rest are mostly in Western states Evacuations wereordered near seven fires, including in Arizona,Washington state, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. The U.S. ForestService identified thefirefighters killedasEmily Barker 38,ofClintonTownship, Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona; andSydneyWatson, 26, of Warrior,Alabama. Twoothers whowere with them suffered burn injuries. Federal authorities would not release any information abouttheir conditions.

had set up 15 temporary encampments for displaced people.

Many Venezuelan news reports have avoided politically delicate questions related to the earthquake, suchas the widespread collapse of buildings, sticking instead to safer storiesabout heroicrescues. Delcy Rodríguez,who came to power in January after President Donald Trump’sadministration seized formerPresident NicolásMaduro,shared footage Monday of emer-

gency workers lifting aman out of the ruins to applause after a43-hour search effort.

“Each lifesaved is avictory for hope,” she wrote on X. Butsuch bright spots are rare at the quake’sepicenter, wherefamilieskeep vigil at search sites.

“Wehavetostay strong, even without food, withoutsleep,” saidAna Rada, watching as civil defense workers looked forher brother.“Until Isee the body,I still have hope.”

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByVAHID SALEMI

depicting the slainIranian Supreme

Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei kissing the head of the late commander of Iran’s RevolutionaryGuard expeditionaryQudsForce, Gen.Qassem Soleimani,who was killed in aU.S.drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, as

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATIAS DELACROIX

Residents watch rescuers’ efforts to reach survivors on Mondaybeneath the rubble of abuilding that collapsed in the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela.

SUPREME COURT RULINGS

Justices uphold most of Trump’s firings

But high court says Fed’s Cook can keep her job for now

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power, upholding President Donald Trump’s firings of the heads of independent federal agencies with one important exception: the Federal Reserve. The justices allowed Fed governor Lisa Cook to stay in her job while she fights the Republican president’s effort to fire her over allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied.

expanded presidential power, upholding

Cook

But other than at the nation’s central bank, with its role of setting interest rates, the court held that presidents have free rein to fire agency heads at will, despite federal laws that require a cause for such dismissals and a 91-year-old decision that had

Trump’s firings of the heads of independent federal agencies

the Federal Reserve

limited executive authority

With the six conservative justices in the majority, the nine-member court jettisoned its unanimous decision in Humphrey’s Executor that had limited when presidents can fire agencies’ board members — in part to try to ensure decision-making free of political influence

“We hold that such protection from removal is contrary to the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court

The justices ruled in the case of former Federal Trade Commission member

Rebecca Slaughter, whom Trump fired without cause despite a provision of federal law that requires a reason. The logic of the decision extends to other agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, where Trump also has fired board members.

Trump voiced his approval

in a Truth Social post. “It is such an Honor to be the sitting President who won this Historic and Unprecedented Ruling, one of the most important ever given with respect to Presidential Powers,” he wrote.

The court already had signaled its support for the Trump administration’s position, over the liberals’ objection by allowing Slaughter and the board members of other agencies to be removed from their jobs even as their legal challenges continued.

No president before Trump had sought to wrest control of the agencies that regulate wide swaths of American life, including nuclear energy, product safety and labor relations. But at arguments in Slaughter’s case in December, the six conservatives, including three appointed by Trump, seemed more concerned about issuing a ruling that would endure than handing too much power to Trump.

Their rhetoric was reminiscent of the presidential immunity case in 2024 that allowed Trump to avoid prosecution for his efforts to undo his 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The court is writing a decision “for the ages,” Justice Neil Gorsuch said then.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent she summarized aloud in the courtroom, said the ruling could lead to “submission, instability, and even oppression.”

“The president, to be sure, emerges with more power than ever before. That power was given to him by six justices on this court, not the people or the Constitution,” Sotomayor said.

In Cook’s case, the court voted 5-4 to reject the Trump administration’s effort to

get Cook out of her job now Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the three liberal justices were in the majority Allowing Cook to be ousted now, Roberts wrote, “would allow the President to remove a member of the Federal Reserve at any time, for any reason, without any notice before, and without any judicial check after That would turn for-cause protection into little more than atwill employment.”

Roberts did include a footnote in his opinion noting that nothing forbids Trump from “trying again” to fire her provided she is given proper notice and a chance to contest it.

Trump suggested he would take Roberts up on the offer, saying on Truth Social that “we will take appropriate action immediately to make sure that someone who has committed wrongdoing will not be making vital decisions concerning the Welfare of the United States of America!”

Cook, who was nominated to the Fed’s Board of Governors by Biden, can continue in her post at least as long as her lawsuit challenging her firing goes on, the court said. The Trump administration is appealing a lower-court ruling in her favor

Ruling allows states to count late-arriving mailed ballots

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day, a persistent target of President Donald Trump. The 5-4 decision rejected a Republican-led attack on laws in more than half the states and the District of Columbia that permit mailed ballots to arrive and be counted some number of days after the election, provided they are postmarked by Election Day The outcome spares officials the headache of changing their ballot rules just a few months before the 2026 midterm congressional elections. In just over half those states, the more forgiving deadlines apply only to ballots cast by military and overseas voters.

ple must choose it through their elected representatives,” Barrett wrote.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the court’s majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices. Federal laws setting a single Election Day “leave open when those votes must be received,” Barrett wrote. Congress could change the law, she said. “If varied deadlines for ballot receipt similarly call for a national solution, the American peo-

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the dissent for four justices. “Not only is today’s decision inconsistent with statutory text, legal context, historical practice, and precedent; it also threatens to produce lamentable consequences,” Alito wrote. “The majority’s holding spawns a slurry of troubling election-law questions and risks further undermining Americans’ confidence in election integrity.”

The legal challenge was part of Trump’s broader attack on most mail balloting, which he has said breeds

Court rules privacy protections apply to cellphone users’ location history

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court held Monday that constitutional privacy protections extend to cellphone location information, ruling in the case of a bank robber whose identity was discovered through a geofence warrant.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the 6-3 court that people don’t forfeit expectations of privacy even when they opt into Google’s location history

fraud despite strong evidence to the contrary and years of experience in numerous states. Trump has repeatedly claimed that his loss to Joe Biden in 2020 resulted from fraud even though more than 60 court decisions and his own attorney general said that argument had no merit.

Trump called the court ruling a “tremendous loss” and renewed his call for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which has made it through the House of Representatives but not the Senate. “There is only one reason to oppose — CHEATING!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Among other changes, the legislation would limit who is able to receive a mail ballot and impose a documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement for registering to vote.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote in dissent that Okello Chatrie had no expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turned over to Google.

The decision is the court’s latest effort to apply a constitutional provision ratified in 1791 to technology the nation’s founders could not have envisioned Police obtained a geofence warrant after a bank robbery in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia, and used it to locate cellphones that were near the bank around the time it was robbed in May 2019. One of those phones be-

“A cellphone user is not to be viewed as sharing private information with third parties — which then can be freely passed on to the government — just by doing the ordinary things cellphone users do,” Kagan wrote.

longed to Chatrie, who had eluded the police until they turned to the powerful technological tool.

The warrant kick-started the investigation. After determining that Chatrie was among those near the Call Federal Credit Union in Midlothian at the time, police obtained a search warrant for his home. They found nearly $100,000 in cash, including bills wrapped in bands signed by the bank teller

Chatrie pleaded guilty to robbing the bank and was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison. His lawyers argued on appeal that none of the evidence should have been used against him.

President’s push to toss $5M verdict in E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case rejected

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push by President Donald Trump to throw out a jury’s $5 million finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her The high court declined to take up the case in a brief, unexplained order, as is typical. There were no noted dissents. Trump also plans to appeal another $83.3

million verdict awarded to Carroll by a different jury after a second defamation trial, his lawyers have said. The decision comes as the court hands down its biggest opinions, including a ruling that expands his firing power over the federal bureaucracy with the exception of the Federal Reserve

Trump called the decision to pass on the Carroll case surprising” in a social media post, and he said he would continue to fight the defamation claims. “This Case is really against the United States

of America, and all it stands for,” he wrote.

Trump’s lawyers had argued that allegations leading to the verdict were propped up by “highly inflammatory” evidentiary rulings, including those that allowed the testimony of two other women who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago. Trump has denied all three women’s allegations.

Trump’s attorneys argued the judge broke federal evidence rules in the case. They framed it as a distraction from Trump’s unique duties as president, though the verdict came before his return to the White House.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB

The Supreme Court on Monday

President Donald

with one important exception:

Carroll

Sweltering Midwest heat cancels outdoor plans

BY HANNAH FINGERHUT and KATHY MCCORMACK Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa Summer camp and other outdoor activities were canceled or delayed Monday as a heat wave held its grip on the Midwest and spread eastward Communities opened cooling centers and urged people to take it easy and stay hydrated.

“Overall, we’re looking at just a really hot and humid pattern. It’s going to be with us through most of the week,” Andrew Ansorge, a meteorologist in Des Moines, Iowa, said of the first prolonged period of heat this summer

Much of Iowa and big chunks of the Midwest were under an extreme heat warning through at least Tuesday Temperatures were forecast to reach the 90s, with heat index values, or “feels-like” temperatures, expected to top 100 degrees in the region, Ansorge said.

Visiting Des Moines with family, Rachel Washburn searched for things to do with kids during a heat wave. They landed at a water sprayground before lunch, where her children

played tag in the cool water to escape a heat index forecast to reach 109 degrees.

“My kids were quite shocked at the heat and humidity,” said Washburn of her seven children ages 18 months to 17 who are used to more temperate weather in Bemidji, Minnesota. “We were hoping for some good weather, but we’ll make do.”

Some of the worst conditions are expected by

Thursday and Friday as the heat moves through the Ohio Valley, the Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast, with the potential for some record-high temperatures, said Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. On Monday morning, Tom and Cindy Youngblood walked around an outdoor sculpture park in Des

Democrats in half of states sue over Medicaid work rules

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

NEW YORK Democrats in 25 states and the District of Columbia on Monday sued the Trump administration over its recent guidance on new Medicaid work requirements, arguing the strict rules will prevent eligible Americans from accessing the care they need.

The attorneys general and governors who filed the lawsuit allege that an interim final rule released earlier this month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversteps the text of the law last summer that set in motion the changes to Medicaid.

They claim the Republican administration’s narrow interpretation of parts of the statute, including new limits to a medical frailty exemption, will create harmful coverage barriers and chaos in states that have been rushing to implement new systems by the January deadline.

“Added administrative burdens will cause individuals who are eligible for Medicaid to lose or be denied coverage,” the plaintiffs write.

“People with disabilities, patients in the middle of cancer treatment, or those struggling with another serious or complex health condition, shouldn’t be at risk of losing the care that helps maintain their health.”

Spokespeople for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and CMS, the agencies named in the lawsuit, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has promoted the new rules as commonsense measures to eliminate government freeloading and preserve benefits for those who need them most

The new Medicaid restrictions, which Democrats have criticized, were part of Trump’s big tax and policy law in 2025. The change affects those covered through an expansion in most states that gave more lower-income people access to the government’s safety net healthcare program.

Starting Jan. 1, expansion enrollees age 19 to 64 will have to show that they work or do community service at least 80 hours a month or are in school at least half the time. There are exceptions for those considered medically frail or in addiction treatment programs, among others.

This month’s announcement from CMS caught states off guard with a new definition of medical frailty The law had said medically frail people include those who have substance use disorders, disabilities or serious medical conditions. But the CMS rule went further, saying someone’s condition

must “significantly impair” their ability to work, volunteer or attend school at the rates required in the law for them to be granted an exemption.

In 2027 and once in 2028, the patient can attest that they meet this definition. But when they try to renew coverage in 2028, they’ll need to prove it. Health analysts and state Medicaid directors have said they aren’t clear on what existing documentation could prove that point.

In the lawsuit, states allege that this change came “contrary to months of regular communications with CMS and preliminary guidance materials upon which Plaintiff States based their implementation plans.” They say CMS has still not provided states with enough clarity on how they can update their systems appropriately

Kinda Serafi, a partner at the legal and consulting firm Manatt Health who is working with states to make the changes, said the administration “moved the goalposts” with its rule on medical frailty

“By going beyond the clear language of the statute, CMS opened the door to this court challenge,” she said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the Democrats suing the administration, said the new rule puts thousands of her state’s residents at risk.

District judge delays federal trial in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s

slaying

Moines, enjoying brief moments of shade and a helpful breeze The couple, both 67 and from Rogers, Arkansas, returned from a camping trip in Wisconsin and chose a hotel over their camper van Sunday

“We did not want to camp last night because we knew it would be too hot,” Cindy Youngblood said.

Kleebauer said one of the center’s biggest recommen-

Man

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON A law professor known for his expansive views of presidential power and for decades-old memos that justified harsh interrogation techniques after the Sept. 11 2001, terror attacks says he will be advising a team of prosecutors investigating whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Donald Trump. John Yoo confirmed in an

dations is to stay hydrated and have access to shady areas and air conditioning.

“It just so happens to be coinciding with a time frame where a lot of people are away and a lot of people are going away for vacation” during the Fourth of July holiday week, he said.

Extreme heat has also taken its toll in Europe, where temperature records were set and many heat-related deaths were reported in France.

People can be caught off guard by the first heat wave of the year, said Dr Roy Elrod, chief of staff at DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital.

“You’re happy winter’s gone, you’re ready to enjoy the summer, you’ve just been aching for it,” Elrod said.

“And so, I think we slip into kind of a position where we think it’s got to be OK.”

But heat-related injuries can happen in a matter of minutes, especially to those who don’t prepare for the weather by hydrating, wearing light clothing, avoiding the hottest times of the day and minimizing exposure to the sun, he said.

“We’re just not always prepared for it and it just takes an incident that rattles you

and shakes you up that you understand that it can get serious very quick,” he said. In the Midwest, some camp programs on Monday rearranged their schedules. Other outdoor activities, like a farmers market in Michigan and a drive-in theater in Minnesota, were canceled on Monday because of the heat. In Flint, Michigan, the city activated four cooling centers through Wednesday, with the potential to extend operations if the heat persists.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison said it was closing 23 buildings to the public starting Tuesday, allowing only limited access to 11 others. It was relocating some summer classes after a broken water line at its cooling plant earlier this month severely reduced the ability to provide air conditioning across campus. Temperatures approaching 90 degrees and high humidity didn’t stop Toni Kreutzer, 28, from taking a walk along the shores of Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin, with her 13-yearold dog Chester “I like it hot,” Kreutzer said. “I just don’t like the humidity.”

emailtoTheAssociatedPress on Monday that he would be assisting Joe diGenova in an ongoing investigation into whether officials who over the last decade scrutinized Trump participated in a criminal conspiracy against the Republican president.

“He’s a lawyer He’s going to be helping us,” diGenova said in a brief telephone interview about Yoo. DiGenova served as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia between 1983 and 1988 and was enlisted in April to return to government as a counselor to the attorney general. A law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Yoo was a senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration who served as an author of the so-called “torture memos” that government officials used to justify using “enhanced interrogation” techniques on potential terror suspects. The Justice Department later rescinded the memos.

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK, LARRY NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

NEWYORK Luigi Mangione’s federal trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson will now begin in January instead of the fall, a judge said Monday at a hearing that started late because Mangione got stuck in a courthouse elevator U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said she was postponing the federal trial so Mangione’s lawyers can focus on his state murder trial, which is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8. Jury selection in the federal case will begin on Jan. 5, instead of Oct. 13, followed by opening statements and testimony on Jan. 25, instead of Nov 4, Garnett said at a hearing in Manhattan.

Garnett said she will not release the questionnaire that prospective jurors will be required to fill out until after the panel is chosen.

Having it circulating online for months before jury selection “would only make what promises to be a difficult task more difficult,” she said

Wearing a beige jail suit, Mangione looked bemused as a pair of deputy U.S Marshals led him into the courtroom about 20 minutes after the hearing was supposed to start. He briefly gazed at the courtroom gallery, where about two dozen of his supporters were sitting

“Mangione was late due to elevator problems,” the court said in a statement It was the second mishap involving Mangione’s arrival to a court hearing in recent weeks. A June 16 hearing in the state case was delayed a day after prosecutors failed to inform his jail that he was needed in court.

Garnett said she had hoped “with perhaps undue optimism” to hold the federal trial in the fall but that “we can no longer wait to see

what happens” in the state case.

“In my view it’s simply impossible to be moving through the jury selection process in this case while the defendant and his counsel are fully occupied by conducting the state trial,” Garnett said.

Mangione’s lawyers declined to comment to reporters afterward.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the Dec. 4, 2024, killing. He could spend his life in prison if convicted in either case.

The 28-year-old Ivy League graduate appeared energetic and engaged during Monday’s brief hearing. He watched intently at times, knitting his fingers and resting his chin on them. He spoke animatedly with his lawyers, Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo, before the proceeding began, gesturing with his hands as he sat between them at the defense table.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HANNAH FINGERHUT Children play at a water sprayground on Monday in Des Moines, Iowa

shaving off pounds

“You lose maybe 20% over six months, then the next three months you lose only 2% of your weight, and the rest of the year you stay stable, or you even regain,” Ravussin said. “Part of the regain is due to the lowering of your metabolism.”

But other substances, like caffeine, speed up metabolism, which is why Ravussin is experimenting with adding to theGLP-1 mixture (though he emphasized he wouldn’trecommend caffeine specifically).

He also seeks to study the effect on muscle mass. The public and many scientists believe the drugs decrease muscle mass profoundly without truly measuring that impact, he said.

“The hypothesis is you don’tlose as much muscle as people think because we don’tmeasurethe muscle,” Ravussin said.“To measure the muscle, you need to do an MRI.” Baton Rouge General physician Drake Bellanger,who specializes in obesity medicine, said doctors spend alot of time with patients debunking myths or exaggerations around GLP-1s, including fears about muscles deteriorating. He said that if patients eat enough protein and exercise, muscle loss is less of an issue than it’sperceived to be by the public.

“If you’re above 80 gramsof protein per day,you’re in the safe zone,” Bellanger said. “As long as you’re doing some exercise,some resistance training, making sure your musclesare stimulated, you should lose aminimal amount.”

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on that constitutional front.” School boards and superintendents have argued that reducing state funding by more than 4% would wreak havoc on their budgets,and could lead to program cuts and even layoffs.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, astatewide educators union, saidmost of itsmembers support the stipends but oppose Landry’splan to pay for them by slashing school budgets, according to arecent survey Moore put the plan on hold earlierthismonth after agroup of education advocates filed alawsuit challenging Landry’sexecutive order.They argued that Landry oversteppedhis legal authority by effectively reallocating education funding, which is controlled

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Alack of consistent access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners —specialized nurses who conduct forensic medical examinations of survivors —represented another challenge forLouisiana’ssystem of care, according to auditors.

“The biggesttakeaway is what we already knew that everything is inconsistent,” said Morgan Lamandre, CEO of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response, aLouisiana nonprofitadvocacy centerfor victims of sexual assault. “Everything is siloed.”

The state Legislature has already taken steps to address some of the problems raisedinthe report. This year, lawmakers passed House Bill 1247,now Act 724, which creates the position of aSANE coordinator within the AttorneyGeneral’sOffice. That position willberesponsible for getting a statewide picture of how the sexual assault response system is working, identifying regions that lack resources and reviewing sexual assault response plans, said state Rep. Annie Spell, D-Lafayette, who authored the bill. Spell, who was elected to the Legislature in the spring of 2025, is aclinical psychologist who said she formerly volunteered with Hearts of Hope, asexual trauma center in Acadiana. In that role, she saw the state needed a

Pennington Biomedical Research Centerisone of ahandful of institutions around the worldthat ownmetabolic chambers, where participants of

Eric Ravussin’sstudywill spend 23 hours at atime to calculate their metabolism.

He sees the short-term side effects show up more regularly,with about 1to2out of every 10 patients reporting nausea, he said.

Ravussin’sstudy will last 11/2 years and make use of Pennington’s metabolic chamber, aresearch environment that tracks the inhabitant’soxygen consumed

and carbon dioxide expelled to provide sophisticated data on how manycalories they are burning andwhat kind.

Pennington is oneofahandful of institutions around the world to own metabolic chambers, which cost millionsofdollars. ParticipantsofRavussin’sstudy will

spend 23 hours at atimeinthe chamber to calculate their metabolism.

“It means we do studieswith or without thedrug andmeasure your energy expenditure doing basically nothing for24hours in ametabolic chamber,” Ravussin said.

Minimizing the impact on metabolism and muscle massare key questions for the next generation of GLP-1s, he said. “Is there away to lose the least possible muscle mass, and is there away not to drop your resting metabolic rate, or your basal metabolic rate, too much?” Ravussin said.

by the Legislature and the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. They also contended that theLegislature’s approval of the plan is invalidbecause lawmakers, whoare notcurrentlyinsession, submitted ballots electronically without apublic hearing. The temporary pause expired Monday,when plaintiffs were settoask the judge to indefinitely halt the funding cut. However,the judge ended the hearing immediately after disqualifying the law firm anddissolving the temporary restraining order Landry’sJune 2order calling for the school funding cut did not even comeupfor debateMonday.Instead,the hearing focused entirely on the law firm’salleged conflict ofinterest. Since2024, Baker Donelsonhas represented Louisiana inaclass-actionlawsuit arguing that thestate’s fos-

more “robust” system for helpingsexualassaultsurvivors that would ensure access to forensic exams, she said.

“It was one of the reasons why Iran” foroffice, Spell said.

Spell’slaw createsa mobile SANE team, requires regionalHealth Department medical directors to submit annualreportsthat identify gaps in access to the forensicexams and establishes apaneltohelp create statewide standards for sexual assault response services. The panel, known as theLouisianaSexual Assault Oversight Subcommittee, will be asubcommittee of the Louisiana SexualAssaultOversight Commission.

But Lamandre said the Legislatureneeds to pass laws that add “accountability” to enforce the standards the state is setting for sexual assault services, and feels Spell’slegislation didnot go farenough.

“Weneed more teethbehind things,” she said. “We need consequences.”

Forexample,all sexual assaultsurvivors are supposed to be allowed to have accredited advocates present at medical exams, so longas they are available.

The auditrecommendsthe state do more to ensure that happens Spell said shewill likely bring more legislation to strengthen care for survivors, but that she believes it needs to be done “wisely” —and after a“statewide framework”isinplace.

Theaudit also recom-

tercare systemhas failed the children in its care. The firm entered apleadingdefending the state as recently as June 12, according to the motion by stateattorneys to disqualify thefirm

On June 18, clients represented by Baker Donelson sought arestraining order to stop Landry’sproposed school funding cut. The plaintiffs in thefunding case are Katie Baudouin, an Orleans Parish School Board member; Belinda Davis, a former BESE member;and Mike Faulk,aformer school superintendent BakerDonelson attorneys said a2023 “waiver of conflicts” allowedthe firm to represent clients taking legalaction against the state while alsodefending the state in separate cases. The waiver was signed by Landry,who at the time was Louisiana’s attorneygeneral.

The firm has represented clients opposing the state in

mendsthe Legislature consider finding aconsistent funding source for sexual assault advocacy centers, strengthen oversight of the state’ssexual assault response systemand centralize that system.

“Louisiana should assign clear statutory authorityand responsibilities at the state level to one or more entities to overseeand strengthen thestate’sresponsetosurvivors of sexual assault,”the report says.

Theparts of thestate where people are less likely to have access to accredited sexualassault victim advocatesinclude Catahoula Winn, LaSalle and Concordia parishes, according to the audit, which says those parishes aren’tserved by accredited advocacy centers. Still, they have some of thestate’shighest rates of forensic medical examinationsbeing performed, the report says.

The state also ought to consider improving access to medical exams performed by SANEs as opposed to other medical providers, as it is considered best practice when those specialists collect rapekits, even increasing the odds for prosecutors, auditors said.

Rape kit collection often takes over four hours and must be performed in away that properly preserves evidence, per thereport.

Between 2024 and 2026, theLafayette and New Orleansareas had the lowest percentagesofexams conducted by SANEs,according to thereport.

morethan 50 legal matters since 2023, but the state has not accused BakerDonelson of aconflict of interest until the school funding case, the firm said in acourt filing.

Barbara Irwin, an attorneyrepresenting Baker Donelson, told the judge Mondaythatthe firmhas been “forthcoming” and “professionalatall levels” in dealing with the state.She also argued thatthe school

funding lawsuit and foster care casesare unrelated, adding that there would be no “cross-contamination” between them.

Butattorneysfor the state said BakerDonelson is clearly conflicted and arguedthatthe 2023 waiver is no longerbinding. In a message to the firm quoted in acourt filing, Murrill saidBaker Donelson “cannotpossibly believe that an advancewaiverofunknow-

able future conflicts is viable,” adding that awaiver signed by the prior attorney general “is obviously not binding.” Moore, aRepublican who was reelected to the bench in 2020, sided with the state on Monday “You have to go andget a new waiver from the governor if youwanttosue the governor,” he said before disqualifyingthe firmfrom the case.

PHOTO PROVIDED By PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER

Dr

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Price of corndrops ahead of USDAreport

Corn tumbled as traders looked past potential crop stress from the building heat dome to aU.S. Departmentof Agriculture reportdue Tuesday that’s expected to show the largest American stockpile since 1988.

The agency is set to publish quarterlystocks data along with annual acreage data showing how much U.S. farmers were able to plantinthe spring. While growers pared back on corn planting in favor of soybeans,existing supplies of the yellow grain are seen 17%higher than ayear ago after arecord autumn harvest, according to aBloomberg survey of analysts.

The excess supply has contributedtoabearishsentiment on corn with the growingseason offtoarelativelysmooth start prior to the arrival of warmer-than-normal temperaturesthis week. Still, even with hot conditions that are boosting energy demand, there still couldbeprecipitation to benefit fields.

Corn for December delivery fellasmuch as 2.5%, the biggestintraday decline in about sixweeks,toa freshcontract lowof$4.305 abushel July is considered the most crucial month of the U.S. corn crop’sdevelopment.

Warner exec is one of highest-paid CEOs LOS ANGELES Even before Warner Bros. Discovery’ssale to Paramount Skydance Corp. closes, David Zaslav has already madeabig payday His executive compensation package —which includes stock options, salary, bonuses andotherperks —was valued at $165 millionlast year,placing himasthe eighth-highest-paid CEO for alarge U.S. publicly traded company,according to research firm Equilar Tech companies dominated the list led by Tesla Chief ExecutiveElon Musk with apay package worth nearly $132.3 billion. RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian, the Irvine-based EV truck company,came infifth with$402.6 million.

Zaslav has previously ranked amongAmerica’shighest-paid CEOs and that was truelast year,when his total pay was morethan three times whathe earned at the company in 2024, Equilar said.Hewas the only Hollywood executiveonthe list of the 10 highest-paid CEOs in 2025.

“If he were an animal, he’d be aCheshirecat with this biggrin ear to ear,” said Lloyd Greif, chief executive of the Los Angelesinvestmentbank Greif & Co. “It’sunprecedented. It’sa huge payday.”

WhatsApptoallow usernames as handles

LONDON WhatsApp users will soonget theoptionofgoingby usernames instead of phone numbers,the company said Monday announcingplans to address aprivacy blind spot.

The app said it has started allowing users to reserve unique usernames, which can be used to contactWhatsApp users whenthe feature is launched laterthis year WhatsApp, which says it has more than 3billion usersglobally,has until now allowed users to be contacted by anyone who hastheir phone number

Theapp,owned by Meta Platforms, said in ablog post that over the “coming months” users will get theoption to be found and contacted only by their username, and nottheir number.Itwasn’tmore specific about the timeline.

“Wehave designed this as a core privacy feature,” Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s vice president of product, told reporters There won’tbea directory of usernames on the app, and the app won’t suggest names as you type

“People will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time,” shesaid

Stocks rise,recover from alosingweek

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEWYORK U.S. stocks rose Monday and recovered some of their lossesfromararelosing week.

The S&P 500 climbed 1.2% and broke afive-day losing streak. It was coming off just itssecondlosing week in the last 13. The Dow Jones Industrial Averageadded 306 points,or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied2.1%.

Several stocks boosted by thear-

tificial-intelligence boom rose after Samsung Electronics andSKHynix saidthey will invest roughly $518 billion in anew chipmaking hub in South Korea, as its president hopes to capitalize on surging AI demand. AppliedMaterials,whose equipment helps make semiconductors, rallied 10.8% to vault its gain for the year so far above 170%.

AI stocks have been on arollercoaster ride recently after soaring to tremendous heights. They’re underpressure because of wor-

riesthat their profits can’tpossibly keep pace with the huge gains for theirstock prices.And the moves have an outsizedeffectoninvestors because AI stockshave become some of Wall Street’slargest and mostinfluential, giving them more weight on indexes than others. Nvidia wasone of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500,for example,after its stock rose 1.3%.

That’sbecause it’sWall Street’s biggest stock with atotal value of morethan $4.7 trillion.

SpaceX, which ownsthe xAI business along with rockets, has alreadybecome worth more than$2 trillionafter itsstock’s ballyhooed debut on the Nasdaq earlier this month, with sharp risesand falls along the way It’s become big enough thatNasdaq said Elon Musk’scompany will join the Nasdaq 100 index before trading begins on July 7, which will force funds tracking the index to buy the stock.SpaceX climbed 7.2%.

Comcastplans to splitinto twopubliccompanies

It will spin off NBCUniversal andSky

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and MICHELLECHAPMAN AP business writers

NEW YORK Communications giant Comcast is planning to split itself intotwo: one mediacentered business that would include brands like NBCUniversal andSky andaseparate company focused on broadband and wireless services.

In aMonday announcement, Comcast said the breakup will put bothofthese operations in abetter position to pursue their own prioritiesand growth. Themovearrives as communications companies continue to wrestle with years of cord-cutting, and shifting habits in how consumers now buy subscriptions for anything from their phone plans to streaming budgets more broadly

“The worldischanging fasterthanever,”

Comcast Chairman and co-CEO BrianRoberts said on aMonday call —adding thatit “has becomeclear”the company’s technologyand media businesses each “have compelling opportunities in front of them that are distinct in nature and best pursued with dedicatedfocus.”

Upon thespinoff’scompletion, both businesses would becometheir own publicly traded companies. Comcast saiditexpectsto complete the process in aboutayear,pendingregulatoryapprovals and afinal greenlight fromits board.

Thatmeans consumers shouldn’tfeel immediate impacts. Butahostofmajor brands currently sit underComcast’sumbrella from internet and wireless provider Xfinity to streamingplatform Peacock, NBCNews and Universal Studios. And analysts areeyeingwhatthose businessescould look like further down theroad.

“In theshort term, bundles, pricing, and distribution will likely hold,” saidMike Proulx, avice president and research directoratmarket research firmForrester.For NBCUniversal —set to head themediacentered company Comcast is spinning off —the split in itself carries little effect on its currentbusiness,henoted, and is “more to do with what it becomes longer term.”

Proulx is bracing for future acquisitions in this space, adding that “Comcast is following aplaybook we havealready seen.”

He pointed to WarnerBros. Discovery, which announced itsown intention to split just last June —beforebecoming atakeover target that eruptedintoa messytug-of-war betweenNetflixand Skydance-ownedPara-

BY KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press

SEOUL, SouthKorea SouthKorean tech giantsSamsung Electronics and SK Hynix said Monday they will invest acombined $518 billion in building anew computer chipmaking hubinthe country’ssouthwest region,capitalizing on surging artificial intelligence-driven demand PresidentLee Jae Myung joined the companies’ chairs Mondayin announcingthe plan, which dovetails with the government’sefforts to expand investment beyond the greater Seoul metropolitan area, thecountry’s economic center and heart of its semiconductor sector

The southwest hasbeen aparticularfocus, as it lacks major industrial hubs and has historically trailed in economic development.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByGENE J. PUSKAR

‘The worldischanging faster than ever,’ ComcastChairman and co-CEO Brian Roberts said Monday—addingthat it ‘has become clear’ the company’stechnologyand media businesses each ‘have compelling opportunities in front of them that are distinctinnature and best pursued withdedicated focus.

mount. Paramount eventually became victorious, and is now edging closer toclosing its $81 billionbuyout of Warner’sentire company Comcastexecutiveshaveappeared to so far dismiss the possibility of heading toward asimilar fate. Whenasked on Monday’scallwhether investors should view theseparation as astep toward “potential strategic transactions” for either business, Roberts said: “Absolutely not.”

Hisco-CEOMikeCavanagh— whoisset to becomethe chief executive of the NBCUniversal spinoff —echoed that sentiment. Cavanagh reiterated plans to “build andinvest for growth” withmorefreedom as astandalone business. Still, analystslike Proulx speculate that even if NBCUniversaldoesn’tbecomea takeover target, “it’ll likely be thecompany doing theacquiring.”

“As it stands, traditional TV is dying, and Peacock alone isn’tenough to compete at scale against the biggest streaming services,” Proulx saidvia email. “One way or the other,NBCU’s entertainmentbusiness will look different within the next couple of years.”

Like other companies, Comcast in recent yearshas shifted itsbusinessemphasis away fromtraditional cable toward streaming and

othersources of revenue,suchasits movie studio, theme parks and home wireless and internet services.

NBCUniversal includes that theme parks division, Universalfilm andtelevisionstudios, NBC and Telemundo networks, Peacock, and Bravo —and with the spinoff, European media business Sky will also be part of that portfolio led by Cavanagh.

Meanwhile,Philadelphia-based Comcast will continue providing internetservices to residential and business customers. Comcast’sformer Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis will becomethe CEO of that company following its separation.

Comcast has split off assets before. Monday’smove arrives just months after the company officially completed its separation of Versant Media Group —which, as first announced in November 2024, is the new home of networks like USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and GolfChannel, as wellasCNBCand MSNBC (now MS NOW). Movie ticketing platform Fandango and the Rotten Tomatoes movie rating site werealso included.

Once the latest split is complete, Comcast shareholders will ownshares in both Comcast and NBCUniversal.

Comcast expectstokeepa stake of up to 19.9% ownership positioninNBCUniversal for up to one year after the spinoff is complete.

Lee JaeMyung

Theregionhas long been apolitical base for Lee’sliberal Democratic Party Samsung and SK Hynix, which together produce about two-thirds of theworld’smemory chips, said they will each build two fabrication plants in thesouthwest, expanding beyond their existing manufacturing complexes in Gyeonggi Province, southofSeoul.

Samsung Chairman Lee Jaeyong said thecompany’snew fabs will be builtinthe southwestern cityofGwangju, where experts have proposed several potential sites, includingthe groundsofa militaryair base slated for relocation

The companies didn’tspecify when thefabsinthe southwest regionswould be completed.SK Hynix’sChairmanChey Tae-won

said the project would be acomplex,large-scale effort requiring “vast sites, along with sufficient power,water andskilledworkers.” He said it took nine years for SK Hynix to establish its major manufacturing cluster in Gyeonggi Province. Still, asignificant expansion of manufacturing facilities is needed forthe company to keep up with global demand, Chey said. Government officialsdismissed questionsabout whether the southwest has enough power and water to supportmajor semiconductor fabs. They said the region’s strength in renewable energy would givethe chipmakers an edge as they face growing global pressuretouse cleaner sources of electricity Samsungand SK Hynix have reported record profits in recent monthsassoaring global investmentindata centers and other AI infrastructure has fueled demand for memory chips.

Government officials andbusiness experts expectAI-driven demand to continue increasing as the technology spreads to AI-powered industrial robots and autonomous vehicles. The chipmakers’ existing semiconductor complexes in Gyeonggi Province may reach capacity sooner than expected,they say

During Monday’sevent, government officials outlined plans to build what they called anationwide semiconductor ecosystem, with existing manufacturing hubs in the southeast expanding production of chip components and materials, the centralChungcheong region specializing in chip packaging, while data centers are built across the country “Wemust establish the core building blocks of artificial intelligence faster than any other country.Semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers are the three pillars of our next great leap forward,” the president said.

IsraelitroopsfaceresistanceinsouthernSyria

Tensions over buffer zone have flared into violenceinrecentdays

BY OMAR SANADIKI and GHAITH ALSAYED Associated Press

ABDIN, Syria As Israeli troops and vehicles entered thetown of Abdin in southern Syria,residents blocked the roads with rocks, and some young men and boys threw stones to push back the military patrol.

Tensions in this part of thecountry created by abuffer zone occupied by Israeli forces have flared into violence in recent days, leaving residents anxious thatmore escalation is coming. Residents of Abdin, located neara U.N.-patrolled buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops, tried to resist against amilitaryincursion Sunday

Residents said Israeli troops fired warnings shots at walls and between the angryprotesters, before firing artillery rounds at the village. No one was harmed in the exchange, but most residents fled, andmostwerestill tooafraidto return on Monday.Many fear that there will now be more intense incursions andraids followingthe skirmish.

“They come into the village regularly,every few days,” said resident Mohammad al-Hassan, standing not far from agroup of children looking at an exploded shell. “They come in armored4x4

Twoboyswalk along aroadnear adamaged building in the villageofAbdin, Syria,onMonday.Local residents said Israeli forces carried out an incursion into the

vehicles, they roam around the villageand search some houses, they knock on doors andifpeople don’tanswer the door theybreak it down andenterthe houses.Women and children start screaming, it’s aterrifying thing, themcoming here.”

Israel seized control of aU.N.patrolled buffer zone in southern SyriainDecember 2024, following theousterofformerSyrian President BasharAssad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially described themove as temporary to protect their bordersfrom militant groups, but more recently top Israeli officials have said they plan to occupy thebuffer zone in Syria indefinitely

The Israeli militarypresence in southern Syria is part of ashift to amoreaggressive strategy by Israel after thedeadly October 2023 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel.The Israelimilitary took over large portions of Gaza as part of abroad invasion, and later seized control of chunks of Lebanon —where theHezbollah militantgroup has fired missiles anddrones across theborder andSyria.Israel calls these areas “buffer zones” andsaystheyare needed to prevent future attacks by militantgroups.

There have been no cross-border attacks from Syria intoIsrael since Assad’souster,except for two rocketsfromalittle-known mili-

Burnhampledges powertolocal

BY ALASTAIR GRANT and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

MANCHESTER, England Andy Burnham, likely the next U.K. prime minister,pledged Monday to give away achunkofhis power by handing greater autonomy tolocal leaders in a“circuit-breaker” for the sclerotic Britishstate.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester also said he would

OVERTURNS

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juror would have found him guilty beyond areasonable doubt of first-degree murder had the new evidencebeen presented at trial,” Cole wrote.

Duncan admits to leaving Oliveaux in abathtub the morningshe died,but has denied any otherrole in her death.

“An innocentman,Mr. Duncan endured unimaginable traumafrom a deeply flawedconviction built largely on unreliable forensic evidence andexpert testimony that has now been thoroughly discredited and undermined,” said Duncan’slegal team in astatement. He was represented by lawyers from theInnocence Project,the Mwalimu Center for Justice and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

“Although nothing can restore the decades stolen from Mr.Duncan, this ruling provides some brief solace for Mr.Duncan,his family and friends,”his lawyers added.

Fourth Judicial District

Attorney Robert “Steve” Tewdid not respond to a phone message Monday Chief Supreme Court

Justice John Weimer in a concurrence to Cole’s ruling likened the use of bite mark analysisto“trialby water” —apre-Enlightenment practice of bindingand throwing accused witches into lakestosee whether they had demonic powers that would enable them to float.

“Wenow look back at those practices as asinine and absurd,” Weimer wrote. Duncan’svictory before the state Supreme Court comes alittle more thana year since Louisiana used nitrogen gas to perform its first execution in 15 years, part of apush by Gov.Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill to hasten the pace of executions in the state.

move part of the prime minister’s officefromLondon’s10Downing

St.tonorthwest England as part of

“the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen.”

“Growth cannot be ordered from the topdown. Instead, it can only be nurtured from the bottom up,” Burnhamsaidinaspeech aimed at bringing voters, Labour Party colleagues andfinancialmarkets up to speed with hiseconomic vision.

Burnham is thestrong favorite

to replace PrimeMinisterKeir Starmer,who announced his resignation last week.

“If councils can’tfix potholes, what chance do they have of bringing forward major regeneration schemes to get growthgoing?”Burnham said. He set out a 10-year plantoget “good growth in everypostcode,” in acountry wherewealth and power are concentrated in London and the south of England.

tantgroup. But Israel’smilitary incursions into southwestern Syrian townshavesometimes sparked resistance by residents that has spiraled into deadly clashes.

Syria’s interim president,Ahmad al-Sharaa, has called on Israel to withdraw from the area that the U.N. says is 91 square miles.

TheSyriangovernmentalso condemned the Israeli incursion and shelling in Abdin.

Theclashes in Abdin were the second outbreak of violence in less than 24 hours. Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military announced that it had killedarmedmen in southern Syria without giving details.

An Israeli military official said Monday that Israeli soldiers had

killed twomilitants whowereplanning on attackingIsraeli troops Theofficial whospoke on condition of anonymity under military briefing rulesdid notspecify where in Syria the incident took place.

The mayor of the Syrian village of Hadar said twounknownpeople driving apickup truck just south of the village were killed in an attack, and that their bodies were taken by the Israeli military

“There wasthe sound of an explosion when it happened,” Imad Hassoun told The Associated Press. “They weren’t fromHadar If they were, we would immediately know.”

Regarding the incident in Abdin, the Israeli official said armed militants opened fired against one of the Israeli military’sstrongholds but nobody was harmedinthe attack, without giving further details.

People in Abdin were initially hopeful that US-mediatedtalks between Israel andSyria in France aimed at reaching asecurity agreement would diffuse tensions, but the talks appear to have stalled.

Fearing theunstable security situation and struggling to cope with alack of jobs and services, many residents who have lived in these towns areleaving elsewhere.

The closest government security checkpoint to Abdin is some 6 miles away,and those who choose to stay are struggling with water and electricity shortages.

Sobhi al-Tawlbi, 66, says farmers have struggled to access their yield and sources of water

He said he would reverse almost twodecades of low growth since the2008financialcrisis through an approach dubbed “Manchesterism” —harnessing private and public money to invest in areas like transport, housing and infrastructure. He also pledgedtocreate newindustrial jobs and better educational opportunities, and to reform the U.K.’sinefficient and expensive privatized water and energy utilities.

During the speech at the People’s History Museum in the city where he spent nine yearsasmayor, Burnham said anew government office in Manchester –dubbed “No. 10 North” —would oversee regional development and become “the nerve center of arewired Britain,” tasked with equalizing living standards across the country.Regional mayors would getmorepower over housing, welfare and educationaspartofhis plannedreforms.

Duncan’scase, Weimer wrote in his concurrence, “demonstrates we cannot be toocareful in determining whether thedeath penaltyshould be implementedincases such as this case because of thefinality of thesentence and theimpossibility of rectification.”

“Such an irreversible and tragic consequence is inimical and deleterioustoour system of justiceifcarried out based on evidence that is devoidoflegitimacy,” he wrote.“Thelaws of post-conviction relief have served the purpose of preventing the inappropriate application of the ultimate punishment.”

The“bite mark” analysis prosecutors usedtoconvict Duncan duringhis trial cameunderscrutiny followinginvestigations by several news outlets into the practice, which forensic expertshaveincreasingly recognized as basedonshoddy science.

After respondingtothe sceneof Oliveaux’s death at Duncan andhis thengirlfriend’sWestMonroe apartment,authorities sent the littlegirl’sbodyto Jackson, Mississippi, for forensic examination bypathologist Steven Hayne. Hayne told detectivesheobservedbite marks on herbody, aclaim he supported by consulting

an odontologist, Michael West West and Hayne have since been widely discredited and sanctioned by various medical boards. The Supreme Court’sruling noted West was captured on video pushinga mold of Duncan’s teeth onto Oliveaux’sbody amethod only he was known to have used, accordingto expertscited in the order, andone that destroyed evidence and “created marks” on Oliveaux’sskin.

Duncan is the 10th death row prisonerfreed in part due to thetwo doctors’ nowdiscreditedtestimony,according to the news services andthe nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center Hayne had alsodetermined that Oliveaux suffered sexualassault anddiedfrom forcible drowning, which multiple other experts later refuted.

Duncan’s attorneys noted in theirstatementMonday thatTew,the district attorney in Ouachita Parish, has promised to retry theirclient.

“IfMr. Tewchooses to pursue anew trial,our team will continue to standalongside Mr.Duncan and will not stop pressing forwarduntil he is fully andcompletelyexonerated,” they said.

Email James Finn at jfinn@theadvocate.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByOMAR SANADIKI

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Wargraves connectus to history

My husband and Ispent arecent Sunday afternoonlooking for the dead. The idea had been rattling around in my headfor weeks. Baton Rouge was the site of a Revolutionary Warbattle.Somewhere in the city,Ifigured, asoldier from that war had to be buried. Iwanted to find the oldest marked grave in the city and, if possible, pay homage to asoldier of the American Revolution.

Idid my research and knew that Highland Cemetery was home to theoldest known markedgraves in Baton Rouge, but Iwanted to visitasmany of the old places as possible to see for myself.

So, we started at Baton Rouge National Cemetery on North 19th Street. The grounds were immaculate —white headstones in long, even rows, orderly as amilitary formation. We read names and dates —soldiers from war after war but notthe Revolution

From there, we drove to Sweet Olive, then Magnolia, then Lutheran. We found old grave sites, still beautifuland moving, but not as tended as the first —still no Revolutionary Wargraves. But we did find something else. In one family plot, Isaw the marker forthree youngsiblings who died withindays of each other in 1858. Then we noticed thesame year again. And again. Ihad known about the yellow fever epidemics the waymost people know history,but standingthere, Icould feel tracesof the grief so many must have experienced then. Iconsidered the parents whose sorrow seemed present all these years later.

The “Old American Cemetery” near the State Capitol was still marked on some maps. We lookedbut did not find it. Later, Ilearned why we never found the American Cemetery In the earlydays of Baton Rouge as aEuropean settlement, it was likely the first burial ground. Over the years,it felltoruin. Around 1931, the land was cleared for Huey Long’s new State Capitol, and many of the graves weremoved to other cemeteries.

We saved Highland Cemetery forlast.

On our way,wedrove through LSU’scampus and past the Indian Mounds —earthworks older than the pyramids.

When we reached Highland, a small cemetery in aresidential area, we foundwhat we were looking for Armand Allard Duplantier served as aide-de-camp to the Marquis de Lafayette during the Revolution. Years after carrying thegeneral’sorders, Duplantier helped welcome Lafayette to Louisiana on the hero’sgrand tour.Duplantier was Lafayette’s host.

Nearby lay Pierre Joseph de Favrot,who fought in the Revolutionary1779 Battle of Baton Rouge —when Spanish governor Bernardo de Galvez, alliedwith theAmerican cause, captured British-heldforts in the area. Favrot’sstone notes 42 years of servicetoFrance and Spain.

We also found lots of Kleinpeters —awhole dynasty of them, names and dates stacked acrossthe better part of two centuries.

Some will call this astrange way to spend aSunday. Ithought so too, at first. But somethinghappened that afternoon. History wasn’tjust somethingIread about.I could feel it.

Revisedproposalgetshearing

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

Aproposed subdivisioninGonzales that was unanimously rejected earlier this year by theAscension Parish Planning Commission will return for another public hearing next month.

Ahearingisscheduled for July 8on Harvest Fields, aproposed 112-homesubdivision on approximately 38acres alongthe west side of La. 44 southofBertville Road

Theproposal hasdrawn oppo-

sition formonths. More than 100 residentsattended aplanning commission meeting in Januaryto voice concerns about the subdivision, prompting commissionersto defer thevote until February Commissioners voted5-0 in February to deny the preliminaryplat following strong opposition from nearbyresidentswho raised concernsabout trafficcongestion, flooding anddrainage. Residents from neighborhoods including Cotton Field Avenue andthe Woodland Shire subdivision spoke against thedevelopment

Adjacent property owners recently received notices informing them of the July 8hearing. According to the notice, agenda materials,public drawings and other documents related to the proposal will be made available one week before the meeting.

Theapplication was submitted on behalf of Dantin Bruce Development by MR Engineering and Surveying, according to thenotice. Neither could be reached for comment.

Bill Guidry,aresident on Cotton Field Avenue, operates the Stop

Harvest Fields Facebook Group. Guidry said he expects many revisions to the plan but doesn’tthink the changeswould be significant enough forthe commission to approve the proposal.

“Tomyunderstanding, they had to have madesubstantial changes to it. What that means? We have no idea,” he said. “But none of ourobjections change.A questionable property with questionable elevationand failingtraffic studiesbetween thetwo main

TUNEUP

Threearrestedin 2023 killingofteen

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

Three men have been arrested in the December 2023 fatal shooting of aGonzales man, markinga significant development in the case that has remained unsolved for nearly three years. A23rd Judicial District grand jury returned indictments last week against Jalon Brown, 22, of Gonzales; Krynicki Baker,23, of Phoenix,Arizona; and Bradly Walker,21, of St. Helena Parish, in the death of Craig Haynes Jr Hayneswas fatally shot Dec. 8, 2023, while traveling on BurnsideHighway near Big River in Gonzales.Hewas 18. In June 2024, police identified Brown as aperson of interest. Brown was chargedwith countsofprincipal to seconddegree murder,principal to assault by drive-by shooting and principal to aggravated damage to property.Hewas arrested

Tuesday by theGonzales Police Departmentand booked into the Ascension Parishjail. His bail was set at $550,000. Baker was charged with countsofsecond-degree murder,assault by drive-by shooting andaggravated damage to property.Hewas arrested Wednesday by thePhoenix Police Department in Arizona and is awaiting extradition to Louisiana.

Walkerfaces chargesofsecond-degreemurder, assault by drive-by shootingand aggravated damage to property.Hewas arrested Friday in Livingston Parish and is nowinthe Ascension Parishjail. Police have not released additional details about thecircumstances surrounding the shooting or thealleged roles of the three suspects. “This case is the result of countless hours of dedicated

Four people wereinjured and one manwas killed Saturday afternoon when shots rang out in the 3500 block of OsceolaStreet. Baton Rouge police officers responded about 3:35 p.m.Saturday to reports of a shooting on Osceola Street with five victims. On arrival, officers located a 49-year-old man dead on scene with multiple gunshotwounds. The victim was identified as Randall Holmes. The otherfour were transported to ahospital for treatment of their injuries.

Earlyreports sayanargument betweenteenagersescalated to a fight,then to gunfire. No suspects have been identified, accordingtoa Sunday afternoon news release from the Baton Rouge Police Department. Mandiesinearly morning shooting, police say Aman wasfatally shot early

Monday morning in Zion City,Baton Rouge police said. AnthonyTyler, 35, was shot in the 5900 block of Cadillac Street shortly after 2a.m., the departmentsaid in anews release. It wasthe second fatal shooting Monday.Another manwas fatally shot while in his vehicle outside his apartment shortlybefore 6a.m. on Southfork Avenue, theEast Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’sOffice said. Anyone withinformation about theshooting is asked to callthe BatonRouge PoliceDepartment’s Violence Crimes Unit at (225) 3894869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Pedestrian killed on Plank Road; motorist at large

The motorist who hit a66-yearoldpedestrianonPlank Road early Sundaymorning, killing her, is still at large, Baton Rouge police said Sunday evening.

Officersrespondedtothe 6000 block of Plank Road just after

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Aworker from Jack B. Harper Electrical carries anew trafficsignal pod to be installed on Plank Road at J.H. CooneyStreet on ThursdayinBaton Rouge.

$100,000 Powerball ticket unclaimed

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

A $100,000 Powerball prize remains unclaimed after a winning ticket was sold at a Donaldsonville convenience store.

The ticket was sold at Murphy USA, 36500 La. 3089, on Wednesday, according to the Louisiana Lottery Corporation. The winning numbers were 13, 14, 16, 21, 38, and the red Powerball number was 14 with a 2x Power Play

The ticket holder has until Dec. 12 to claim their prize. The Louisiana Lottery advises players who believe they hold a winning ticket to sign the back of the ticket immediately, keep it secure and treat it as cash.

Players who believe they have a winning Powerball, Mega Millions or Lotto jackpot ticket are encouraged to contact Louisiana Lottery headquarters at (225) 2972000 to schedule an appointment.

State settles bridge chemical spill suit

Energy companies to pay small fee for new span

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

Two petrochemical giants will chip in a tiny percentage toward the overall cost of building the new Lake Charles Interstate 10 bridge after the state quietly settled a lawsuit earlier this year over a decades-old chemical spill at the foot of the current bridge. The confidential settlement agreement, which The Advocate | The Times-Picayune received through a public records request, called for Phillips 66 and Sasol to pay $2 million to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development — roughly .06% of the price tag for the new bridge. The payment ended a lawsuit the state filed against the two companies over an infamous 1994 spill of ethylene dichloride near the bridge.

The companies spilled millions of pounds of ethylene dichloride, or EDC, during an underground transfer pipeline failure, they acknowledged in legal filings. Federal agencies intervened with cleanup orders, soil and water sampling and a restoration plan.

But hundreds of workers who cleaned up the EDC said they became sick and said they were not properly informed of the hazards of working with the chemical, nor provided the appropriate protection while working

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified EDC as a “probable human carcinogen,” and the chemical is used to make plastics, pipes and PVC. Dozens of claims against the companies quickly turned into a class-action lawsuit with hundreds of workers receiving confidential settlements.

State officials said the effects of the chemical spill were even more wide-ranging than health and safety concerns, and that the contaminated ground around

the bridge would make it significantly harder and more expensive to build a new one. When the state filed suit against the companies in 2008, they argued that the EDC spill upped the new bridge’s cost by $235 million. The state wound up recouping a far smaller sum. In a January joint motion, the state and petrochemical companies agreed to dismiss the lawsuit filed in Calcasieu Parish’s 14th Judicial District Court, with each party paying its own legal and court fees.

In addition to the $2 million payment, the companies agreed to continue working with the DOTD on site access, right-of-way matters and utility relocation for the replacement bridge project, according to the settlement agreement. The settlement, which both sides signed last December, did not affect other aspects of cleanup orders for the two companies.

Both have ongoing environmental remediation obligations under the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and other agreements related to the plugging and abandonment of wells.

The EDC spill happened so long ago that both companies involved have since changed names. At the time of the spill, the state argued that ConocoPhillips, now known as Phillips 66, and Vista Chemical, now Sasol, should have to pay for project costs Hazardous waste from the chemical spill migrated into the subsurface soil at the planned project site, state officials argued The migration meant the state’s old plan to use pilings to support the Sampson Street interchange portion of the new bridge could not move forward because of the risk of spreading the chemical deeper into the soil State officials also worried about EDC spreading into the Chicot Aquifer, which provides drinking water to a large portion of the state, according to the lawsuit.

Taxpayers, meanwhile, helped foot the bill for figuring out how to build the new bridge. State officials argued that they spent 10 years designing the new bridge before

LAKE CHARLES

they realized the EDC had migrated to the site on which they hoped to build it.

In legal filings, Phillips 66 acknowledged that the company accidentally released EDC from its pipeline. When the spill was discovered, Phillips 66 said it started emergency response and cleanup efforts that were to continue until 2025, with DEQ overseeing them.

Phillips 66 and Sasol argued the state did not own or have a servitude interest in most of the property where they planned to build the new I-10 bridge. The companies said the state did not have the right to take action against them for contamination of the property or construction delays.

A toll on a new bridge

The $2 million settlement will go directly toward the replacement project, as outlined in a 2019 state law meant to expedite the bridge project. It’s a paltry sum for the $2.3 billion project, which is mostly being paid for through a public-private partnership and will include a toll for drivers upon its estimated completion in 2031.

A DOTD spokesperson did not comment directly on the settlement, but acknowledged the construction delays were largely due to environmental, location and funding concerns.

“This project has been a priority for DOTD for several years, and there are several steps involved,” said the agency’s John Guidroz. “The environmental process had to be completed, the necessary funding had to be obtained and then also navigating just the challenges or complexities of the location of the project — that all takes time.”

Attempts to reach attorneys who represented the state agency and both companies during the litigation were largely unsuccessful.

Attorneys who filed civil lawsuits against the companies on behalf of workers affected by the EDC said they could not share the terms of their settlements. They

noted, though, personal injury settlements differ from those impacting governmental plans, property and infrastructure.

Greg Marceaux, a Lake Charles lawyer who handled personal injury claims for dozens of workers involved in the EDC cleanup efforts, said he was surprised to learn of the state’s settlement when contacted by a reporter

“That seems low,” Marceaux said. “I don’t know the facts of the case well enough to be able to give a real opinion. It just seems low to me because it was such a substantial amount that was leaked, and surely they had to redesign the bridge and change the design of the bridge because of that.”

Marceaux said the toll for the new bridge is unpopular in Calcasieu Parish, especially among those familiar with how the EDC spill delayed construction and increased costs.

“If it increased the cost by $200 million, then why didn’t the responsible party have to pay that money?” Marceaux said.

Former Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach, a former state representative, said he was recently reminded of the lawsuit with the groundbreaking this spring of the new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge.

“I was saying just the other day that I wish I had more information about that,” Roach said. “I wondered what happened, how that worked out, what the terms and conditions were.”

Roach, who was mayor from 2000 to 2017, said he and the southwest Louisiana delegation encouraged both sides to resolve the lawsuit and move forward with the bridge project during his tenure. “They had to wait until they really had a handle on the extent of the contamination underneath the bridge and how it would really affect the proposed route for the bridge,” Roach said. “That was still in progress when I left office because of the nature of it It’s hard to clean up a spill underneath the ground.”

N.O. judge slated for removal sues over cuts

Legislature votes not enough to slash bench, justice claims

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

New Orleans Criminal Court Judge John Fuller has sued Gov Jeff Landry and other officials over recent cuts to the city’s criminal bench, arguing that state lawmakers failed to reach a required two-thirds vote before Landry signed a law to nix three judicial seats. But Sen. Jay Morris, RWest Monroe, who sponsored the legislation, said Fuller’s legal claim doesn’t overcome a hurdle Louisiana lawmakers carved out specifically for Orleans Parish back in the 1970s.

Landry signed Act 748 into law this month, days after the Louisiana House signed off on a slate of 11th-hour tweaks to the measure on the final day of the session. That came by a vote of 62-34 with nine state representatives absent. But the state constitution requires two-thirds supermajority votes from both the House and the Senate to change the number of judges in any judicial district, Fuller argued in his petition for an injunction Fuller says only

the state Senate reached the supermajority mark of 26 votes on April 20, when that body advanced Morris’ bill to the House for consideration.

“At no stage of the legislative process did the House of Representatives adopt any version of Senate Bill No. 217 by a two-thirds vote of its elected members, and the conference committee text that became Act 748, including the abolition of Sections A, E, and J, was never adopted by a two-thirds vote of the elected members of either house,” attorney Jerome Matthews Jr wrote in the petition, filed Monday in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.

Morris said Monday he researched the path to passage when he drafted the legislation. The supermajority requirement cited in Fuller’s lawsuit is outlined in Article V, Section 15 of the state constitution. Morris said that provision didn’t apply because of an exception delegates carved out specifically for Orleans Parish courts and municipal offices during Louisiana’s 1974 Constitutional Convention.

The exception, found in Section 32 of the same judicial bylaws, made the courts “subject to change by law” with a majority vote.

“I did my research ahead of time to make sure it doesn’t require a supermajority vote, and it doesn’t,” he said Mon-

day.

While Morris argued the covenant made at the 1974 convention trumps the supermajority requirement, Fuller and his attorney say the exception doesn’t “excuse” the need for a twothirds vote.

“The contrary construction would make Orleans Parish the only judicial district in Louisiana whose number of district judges may be reduced without the constitutional protection Article V, Section 15(D) affords to ‘any judicial district,’” the lawsuit states.

Fuller, one of three judges the new law eliminated, collected 65% of the vote in a May 16 special election to secure his Section J seat, earning the right to finish the last seven months of retired Judge Darryl Derbigny’s unexpired term.

But when the term ends Dec. 31, Fuller will be ousted along with fellow judges Simone Levine and Rhonda Goode-Douglas. Levine presides over Section A while Goode-Douglas handles the court’s Section E docket.

One of the late changes to the legislation put GoodeDouglas on the chopping block to the consternation of Landry

Judge Leon Roche was previously slated for removal as part of a “last-in, first-out” approach that had been used in selecting the three sections

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

Three hours among the dead made me feel more connected to Baton Rouge than plenty of afternoons spent chasing what’s new Once home, I kept thinking about the names — especially the Kleinpeters. I wondered whether Graham Kleinpeter the 17-year-old son of a friend, had ever visited Highland Cemetery Stories can travel a long way down a family, or they can thin and disappear from one generation to the next. Graham is entering his senior year at St. Michael High School in August. He told me he knew some of his family’s story, but he wasn’t “real clear on the details.” I told him I’d like to go with him to Highland Cemetery sometime. I wondered whether standing there would change something for him. Whether seeing Johann George Kleinpeter the German settler who arrived in 1784 — or reading about generations that followed would make family stories feel less abstract. Even though he’s in the throes of senioritis and focused on getting ready for this fall’s football season, I have a feeling seeing it all in person may do to him what it did to me. History can be handed down, but sometimes it’s pieced together

HEARING

Continued from page 1B

intersections.” According to a planning staff analysis attached to the agenda in February, the Harvest Fields plat met “all guidelines for a major subdivision per current ordinance.” Staff noted, however, that drainage and off-site drainage impacts would require additional study and approval before development could proceed. A separate engineering review conducted by CSRS, the engineering firm contracted by Ascension Parish, found the development generally met drainage requirements but said the design needed revi-

sions to ensure no increase in water surface elevations would occur during storm events. The traffic impact study also recommended improvements to the turn lane at the subdivision’s entrance.

Ascension Parish has long faced pushback from residents about new subdivisions as it has evolved from a largely rural region to a highly populated, traffic-prone area with multiple flood zones. In 2021, the Parish Council passed a moratorium on new subdivisions that lasted into 2022, and no new subdivisions were proposed until late 2024. Harvest Fields is the second subdivision proposal since the moratorium was lifted.

of court to be ousted, but the Legislature ditched that seniority approach on the eve of the session’s end. Lawmakers have offered little explanation for the late swap.

Fuller and his attorney are asking a state judge to nullify Act 748, which they claim was “never validly enacted.”

They also want a judge to order elections officials to keep the removed judges’ names and sections on the ballots for the upcoming Nov 3 races.

A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately return a comment on Monday. Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill, Secretary of State Nancy Landry and Orleans Clerk of Court Chelsey Richard Napoleon are listed as defendants.

A rep for the Secretary of State declined to comment. Napoleon could not be reached for comment.

Murrill’s office issued a statement late Monday

“The state constitution has special exemptions for Orleans Parish that permit the legislature to legislate in the ordinary manner. The Court just affirmed the legislature’s power to do so regarding the clerks. I’m sure this matter will also be resolved quickly,” the statement said.

Baton Rouge Judge Tarvald Smith was assigned to handle the lawsuit. He hadn’t yet set a date for a preliminary hearing on the matter

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

midnight Sunday after reports of a vehicle striking a pedestrian. The victim was later identified as 66-year-old Carolyn Evens. Investigators determined on-scene that the vehicle was traveling north on Plank Road when it struck the pedestrian, then fled the scene. Witnesses have described the car as a black sports-style vehicle, police said.

Anyone with identifying

ARRESTED

Continued from page 1B

investigative work and strong partnerships among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies,” Gonzales Police Chief Sherman Jackson said in a statement. “While today’s arrests represent a major milestone, our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of Craig Haynes Jr., who have waited more than two years for this day.” Police said the investiga-

information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Ex-officer accused of domestic abuse

A former volunteer officer with the Zachary Police Department was arrested by East Feliciana Parish sheriff’s deputies Sunday on counts of domestic abuse. Troy Viccellio was booked into the East Feliciana Parish jail on two counts of domestic abuse battery and one count of false imprisonment, Zachary police said.

tion remains active. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Randy Dufrene Jr at (225) 647-9580 or Capital Region Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

STAFF PHOTO

By JAN RISHER

Grave marker of Pierre Joseph de Favrot, who fought in the Revolutionary 1779 Battle of Baton Rouge

at 12pm.

Knox, Carolyn Immaculate ConceptionCatholic Church,1565 Curtis Street,Baton Rouge at Noon.

Thomas,JoAnn Miller& Daughter Mortuary in Zacharyat11a.m

Obituaries

Jr., Sidney Albert 'Bubbie'

Sidney Albert Blanchard, Jr., known as "Bubbie", passed awayathis home in Port Allen, on Friday, June 26, 2026,atthe ageof 78. He was anative and lifelong resident of Port Allen. He was the retired owner and operator of Thompson Sign Company Visitation willbeatHoly Family Catholic Church in Port Allen, on Tuesday, June 30th, from 9a.m. until Mass of ChristianBurial at 11 a.m., celebrated by Rev. Jerry Martin and Rev. David Allen. Entombment in St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Mausoleum in Brusly. Pallbearers will be his sons, grandsons and nephew, Brian Anderson. Sidney is survived by his wife of 55 years, Valerie Susan "Sue" Sarradet Blanchard, their twosons and daughters-in -law, Damon and Stacy Landry Blanchard, and Troy and Ashley Riggs Blanchard; six grandchildren that lovingly called him "Pop", Grant, Griffin, Gage, Brayson, Brooks and Elizabeth Blanchard; sister,

Verna BlanchardAnderson and husband Gary;sisterin-law, Beth Becnel Blanchard. Sidneywas preceded in death by hisparents, Sidney Sr.and Verna White Blanchard; sibling, Michael Blanchard. Sidney was a former Port Allen Town Council member.Hewas a volunteer with the Port Allen Fire Departmentfor over 25 years.Sidneywas aWBR Sheriff's DeputyDepartment Flotillamember for47years.Hewas member of Red Stick ModelA Club and aparishioner of Holy FamilyCatholic Church. Sidney enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time on hisboat in Madisonville in hisfree time.The family wouldlike to extend specialthanks to Dr. Phil Padgett, KaylaRichoux, Bridgeway Hospice and Virginia Beverly. Memorial donations may be made to HolyFamily CatholicChurchora charity of your choice.

Against her wishes, we are writingtotell you that our mom, Annette Marino Brabetz, has died at the ageof86.

Shespent 28 years workinginthe Emergency Room at The Baton Rouge General forced intoretirement at 80 aftera fall. Throughouther time at both BRGMid-Cityand later BRG Bluebonnet, Ms. Annetteprovidedcomic relief to the doctors, nurses, staffand the patients she admitted.It's fitting that she returned thereone last time,indramatic fashion, on Friday, June 26, 2026 whereshe took her final breathsurrounded by her family and former coworkers.

The Baton Rouge Gener-

al ER providedsome of her closestfriends and alifetime of stories. She loved working thenight shift at Mid-City, sometimes missing family gatheringsbecause there was never a dull moment in theER.

Wickedly smart,she attendedSt. Joseph's Academy all12years and was a proud member of theclass of 1957. Until her death, she wouldfondly recall walking to SJAfromher home on SteeleBoulevard, pickingupher friend Elise on Westmoreland before crossing thegravelroad that is now Acadian Thruway.She laterstudied English at LSU.

Known to her grandchildren as Nanette,nothing brought hergreater joy than spendingtime with Willand Walker Ridge, Claire,Edwin, David and CatePerrault.Because of her sight,she was unable to drivethe last years of her life and lovedbeing picked up by her grandkids.She'd hop in and out of their trucks and jeeps like ateenager and treat them to breakfast at her favoritespot,New York Bagel on Jefferson.

Tiny in stature, you'd never knowthatshe ran entirelyonfast food,Lucky Charms, Calvin's chicken salad and "Coca-Cola." She lovedSaturday mornings at SuperiorGrill, Sunday breakfast at Frank's and an afternoon drive to Sonny's BBQ.

Avoracious reader, she lovedtrue crime, historical scandals and quality celebritygossip.We're certainthatshe willspend her first minutes in heaven finding out who killedJonBenét.

Our childhood memories are filled with thesound of classiccountry, thescent of Aqua Net, jauntstoK&B forthe latesttabloids and visionsofher zipping around in that red Mercury Cougar.

The onlything that slowedher downwas her battle withmacular degeneration. She would frequentlyharass her doctors at VRILouisiana aboutcorrecting her sight so she couldget back behind the wheel. They didtheir best. So did she.

She wascaredfor and lovedbyher children Dr. TomGarland (Linda), Greg

Garland, Jenny Ridge (Billy), Julie Perrault (Michael), her six grandchildren, her siblings PhyllisMcKay and Charles Marino (Dale) and numerous niecesand nephews.

Gone before her were her husband Edwin Brabetz,her longtime companion Dr. Jim Choate, her parents Charlieand Josie Marino and her brother-inlawJohn McKay.

She has donated her body to LSUMedical School. She hatednothing morethanattending funeralsand has spared you from going to hers. Her family willhavea private mass in her honor. You can remember her with adonation to St.Joseph'sAcademy, theBaton Rouge General Foundationora Capri Slim cigarette and alatenightTaco Bellrun.

Schudmak, Evelyn Grace Evelyn CorneliaGrace Schudmak, lovingly known as Connie, entered eternal rest peacefullysurrounded by love onesatOur Ladyof theLake Hospital in Baton Rouge Louisiana, thecity where she was born on October27, 1948. Connie was proceeded in death by her parents, John Mallory Grace Sr of Plaquemine, Louisiana and EvelynCornelia Williams of Natchitoches, Louisiana; herolder brother,James Henry Grace of BatonRouge and brother-in-law Raleigh Lawrence OhlmeyerJrof NewOrleans. Connie was married 56 years ago on December27, 1969 to the love of her life,Mel Schudmak, and theirfamily was complete when they became parentstotheir son, Charles Edward Schudmak (Daisy Obier) of Port Allen and were soon blessed with twoawesomegrandsons, Charles LeonSchudmak and Parker Holden Schudmak, who called her Lollie.Connie was the cherished sisterofAlicia OhlmeyerofNew Orleans and her brother, John Mallory Grace Jr. of Walker, Louisiana and sisters-inlaw, Ann Keoghand Rachel Austin Grace of Baton Rouge. Connie held aspecial place in thelives of her nieces and nephews, Alison Sample (Greg) of Atlanta, Raleigh OhlmeyerIII of NewOrleans, Caroline Ohlmeyer Blanchard (Richard) of Lafayette, Indiana, Sarah Grace Brooks (Lester), JamesHenry Grace Jr, of BatonRouge, John Mallory Grace of Gret-

na;and hergreat nieces andgreat nephews, Lindsey Sample,HaydenSample, GraceOhlmeyer, MattiePark, Mallory Brooks, Aston Grace, MacyGrace andJohnMallory GraceIII Connie wasa longtime parishionerand valued member of OurLady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in WhiteCastle whereshe served as aEucharistic Minister and was amember of thePapal Equestrian Orderofthe Holy Sepulcher. She could always be counted on to volunteerwhenneededincluding teaching Sunday school, RCIA, catechism, providing seasonal church decorationsand church suppers for seniors.She always lookedforward to herbible studies and prayer meetings. Shedevotedher life to faith, family andservice.Connie's life wasmarked by love,generosity anda deep commitment to others.A 1970 graduate of St.Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge she received an ElementaryEducation degree from LSUin1974 and a Master's Degree in ReligiousEducation from Loyola University in NewOrleans. Connie enjoyed playing tennis, attending plays at theSaengerTheater in NewOrleans, spending time at thecondo in Destin, Florida, deep sea fishingoff Grande Isle andcruisingon"Sweet Times" up anddown the Florida coast in thesummer. Conniemade many close anddear friendships throughout herlifeincludingPeggyand George Alonzo,Loren Espinosa, Elaine Abadie, Tanya Giroir, Mona Perrin,Monica Tobin,Carol Marquardt, KevinO'Connell,Martha

Elkin, Mary Obier,Mylinda Broussard, Stephanie Bourg and Lyn Flotte. Her familywould like to thank thestaff and caregivers of OurLady of theLake Hospital for keeping hercomfortable during herfinal days. Andtopersonally thankeveryonewho prayed for Connie,for their love andsupport including Harry Batiste Jr.for beinga loving caretaker.Also thank herhomecarenurse Kendra andher sitterLore. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to OurLady of Prompt Succor Church,32620 Graham St., WhiteCastle, La 70788. Familyand friends are invited to thevisitation to be held on Thursday, July 2nd at 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Wilbert's Funeral Home 24120 Railroad Ave, Plaquemine.A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at OurLady of Prompt Succor at 11:30 a.m. with burial following in theWhiteCastleCemetery. "Welldone, goodand faithfulservant." Matthew 25:23

Blanchard

Brabetz, Annette Marino

When Daniel Cressy rang thebellonJune 22 at Manning Family Children’s in New Orleans, his long fight was complete as thefirst person declaredfunctionally cured from sickle cell diseaseinLouisiana. But for many others, the road to recovery is just beginning.

Cressybenefited from atransformational gene-editing technology that sawdoctorsharvest his own stem cells, ship them offtoageneticslab in Scotland, which modified them to protectfrom the disease, then reintroduce the cells into his body.Itisone of asuite of sickle cell gene therapies thatischanging thefuture for these patients.

It’sthe kind of thing that would be thought of as science fiction not too long ago,but the rapidly evolving science is provingtobeeffective in the real world. That has given newhope to thousands of patients with sickle cell disease, achronic conditionthatcauses unpredictable, debilitating pain that prevents many frommaintaining jobs or performing basic tasks

For Cressy,the disease waspreventing him from living out his dream to becomea pilot. But now,the doors of opportunityare open to him. He said he plans to get back to flight training, and he hopes to be abeacon for other sickle cell patients We congratulate Cressy andthe team of doctors at Manning FamilyChildren’s whohave seen this processthrough to theend.Their dedication and skill will no doubt drawmore patients to Louisiana seeking treatment. It is fitting that Louisiana’s largest children’shospital should be pioneering these breakthrough therapies. Louisiana has one of the highest ratesof sickle cell disease in the country,and it affects Black children disproportionately We also note that the cost of treatmentis something that the state will have to grapple with. The bill can run from $2.2 millionto$3.1 millionper patient, depending on thetherapy The state is using aregistry to find outhow many patients could benefit. In the meantime, we are gratefuland awed by the scientific advancements that we areso fortunate to witness,makinga differenceinour lives today.Once, so many familiesofchildren born with thedisease livedwithlittle hope.But they persevered, dreamingofaday when their sons or daughters could livelives freeofpain. Now that day is here. We canonlyimaginetheir joy and relief. To those familieswho lostloved ones to the disease before thisday arrived, the only comfort is in knowingthatinthe future, no one needs to suffer as they did Such alife-changing medicalintervention should be availabletoasbroad apopulationas possible. We hope that officials in our state and nation will work to make that happen.

Iattended bothmeetings of updates on the LSU Lakes and the City Park project.Both meetings were very well attended, attesting to the overwhelminginterest that our community has in this area of Baton Rouge.

What Icame away with is “Wow!”

This is our Audubon Parkmoment. We have theopportunitytocreate somethingeven better than Audubon Park, because we have two beautiful lakes rather than alagoon. These two projectscreate acenterpiece for Baton Rouge, now and for generations to come.

Both park plans preserve thegolf course, although slightly altered from a2,300-yard, nine-hole course to a 1,900-yard, nine-hole course with expanded practice facilities.

The argument to keep thegolf course is moot. The real fight is against change.

The vision of what thecitizens of Baton Rouge gain is worththe fight. In one plan, there is apedestrian bridge over Dalrymple Drive that would enable families to walk safely over to the

other side.

Walking paths, multiple amenities and the newly envisioned Baton Rouge Gallery will offer so much morethan we have now

The gallery will notonly have our talented local artists, but space for fabulous traveling art shows. It could becomeour New Orleans Museum of Art. Baton Rouge needsadestination park. The World’sIndustrial andCotton Centennial Exhibition in 1884-1885 sat on the siteofAudubon Park. Citizens could have left the old buildings and pathways, “preserved” them and missed thegreat park that they created from St. Charles Avenue to the Mississippi River Iamsure that some neighbors in 1885 wanted to keep the old buildings, but fortunately,most citizens bought into thenew vision, andfor generations, we have benefited. Baton Rouge —this is our opportunity. Let’sseize it and go forward.

BARBARA CAREY Baton Rouge

I’ve been following atroubling pattern in our local justice system,and Ithink Baton Rouge residents deserve to know about it.

Imagine sitting in jail for months —recovering from surgery,inpain, cut off from your medication —only to learn later that you’d already served more timethan the law allows forthe charge against you.

Imagine being told you can go home, but only if you pay money to someone whoisn’teven the person aprotective order was meanttoprotect.

Imagine pleading guilty just to makeitstop, even though the thing you’re pleading to doesn’t legally exist. This isn’tahypothetical. It’s happening, right now,topeople in our community —and it should alarm anyone whobelieves that liberty shouldn’tcome with a price tag payable to aprivate party.This happened to me.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone 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 A LETTER, SCANHERE

The recent discussion about redesigning CityPark should start with a simple truth: The golf course is avital and historic part of Baton Rouge that continues to serve our community well.

For generations, it has provided an accessible place for families,students and seniors to learnand enjoy the game, and it remainsone of the few affordable public golf options left in our city.Itiswhere Ifirst learned toplay golf while in high school.

At atime when Baton Rouge already has fewer public golf opportunities than in the past, removing or reducing this course would only add pressureto theremaining facilities and limit ac-

Pleaseleave the East Baton Rouge Parishlibrary system alone. My friends throughout theU.S. areenvious of our fabulous offerings.

Ilive in St. George, but thelibrary on Bluebonnet Boulevard is within

cess for residents. The course is not underused —itis active, valued and part of abroader network that supports local recreation and youth programs. It was carefully designed by Tom Bendelow in 1926, anditcontinues to offer challenges to golfers. We can continue to improve and invest in the park while preserving as-is the golf course that has been acornerstone of this community for nearly acentury Baton Rouge should build on this legacy —not erase it.

FRANKLIN J. FOIL state senator,District16 Baton Rouge

walking distance of my house and the SouthPark Branch is about 3miles away.Let’snot destroy one of our treasures.

JANE HONEYCUTT

St. George

When protective orders meant to shield one specific person becometools forsomeone else entirely to trigger arrests, something has gone badly wrong.

When discovery —the evidence behind acriminal charge doesn’treach adefendant’sattorney formonths, while that person sits in acell, something has gone badly wrong.

And when aperson’sfreedom is conditioned on paying back a private debt, we have built, in practice, the very debtor’sprison our Constitution waswritten to forbid.

Idon’twrite this lightly.These aren’tabstractions to the people living through them —they’re months of their lives, their health, their livelihoods.

Ihope our district attorney’s office, law enforcement and our courts will take ahard look at how often this is happening and to whom.

No one should have to choose between their freedom and someone else’sbank account.

MICHELE GUIDRY Baton Rouge

Shrinkingthe electorate a solution in search of aproblem

America was born from asimple but powerful principle: Government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed.

That principle inspired our Declaration of Independence, shaped our Constitution and has beendefended by generations of Americans willing tosacrifice everythingtopreserve our right toelect our leaders. Louisiana families have sent their sons and daughters tofight in every major conflict in our nation’shistory to protect asystem in which citizens choose their representatives andgovernmentremains accountable to its people.

That is why Louisiana’srecent experiencewith closed congressional primaries should give us pause. When voters had an opportunitytoweigh in on the U.S. Senate racein 2022, approximately 1.4 millioncitizens participated. When they next had that opportunity in 2026 under the state’s new closed-party primarysystem, participation fell to approximately 746,000 voters. Nearly half the electorate disappeared.

Many factors affect turnout,and no single election tells the whole story Butthe question deserves an honest answer: If our goal is to maximize citizen participation in the selection of our leaders, where did those voters go?

For more than 50 years, Louisiana’s open primary system represented one of the most democratic election models in America. Every voter received the same ballot. Every candidatecompeted before the sameelectorate. Republicans, Democrats, independents andunaffiliated voters all participated in acommon contest. Candidates were required to persuade not only their most loyal supporters, but voters from across the political spectrum. In many respects,itwas the purest form of free-market politics in Americatoday Success depended on building broad coalitions. Theskills required to win were the same skills required togovern, producing remarkable results. Consider the results of Louisiana’s open primarysystem. Today,the state’scongressional delegation includes both the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the House majority leader.This is thefirst time in American history that both

topleadership positions belong to the same state—anextraordinarydistinction for astate of Louisiana’ssize.

Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise were both elected and reelected under theopen primary system. Whatever one’spolitical views, their rise to national leadership demonstrates that Louisiana’smodel rewarded candidates who could build diverse coalitions, earn the confidence of abroad electorate and ultimately gainthe trustoftheir colleagues in Congress. Louisiana should be proud of thatrecord.

TheUnited States Constitution never mentions political parties. The Framers envisioned representatives chosen by the people. While parties emergednaturally over time, they werenever intended to become the primary gatekeepers between citizens and their elected officials.

Closedprimaries make them exactly that. Butwewere warned. In his farewell address, President George Washington cautioned that the rise of political parties “will enable subverting the power of the people and to usurpfor themselves the reins of government.”

Overly empowering political parties through distorted electionsdisempowers voters. Under the system Louisiana used thisyear for U.S. Senate, voters were divided into separate partisan contests before they ever reached ageneral election.

Instead of having thefreedom to vote for whichever candidate for everyoffice, voters were restricted to one party’sballot. Andwhile theunaffiliated voters could participate, there were widespread reports of voter confusion. In aclosed party primarysystem, candidates are incentivized to appeal first to their partisan base—the nar-

row slice of voterswho determine the primaryoutcome —rather than to the broad constituency they will actually representifelected. That misalignment mattersbecauseelected officials do not representpolitical parties once they takeoffice. They representeveryone in their districts, regardless of party registration.

Louisiana voters are rightfully frustrated.Each disruption gave them another reason to feel alienated from the veryprocess meanttorepresent them. Within ashortspan, U.S. Houseprimaries yo-yoed from open to closed, back to open,and now set to be closed again in thenext election cycle.

In addition to theunderstandable confusion and chaos that created, thenew closed primary system is expected to cost taxpayers $135 million over 10 years —money that I’d argue would be better spentonactual priorities like flood protection and traffic problems Throughout my time in Congress, Ifielded thousandsofrequests, but wasting taxpayer funds, adding bureaucracy and reducing legitimate voter participation werenever among them.

Thereisalsoatelling inconsistency. Many legislatorswho spent years campaigning under Louisiana’straditional open primarychose not to apply theclosed-primarymodel to their own state and local races. That decision speaks volumes. If the open primary system remains effective for selecting state legislatorsand local officials, why abandon it when we are choosing thepeople who representLouisiana in Washington?

No election system is perfect.But at atime when Americans increasingly distrust institutionsand question theintegrityofelections, asystem in which primary participation drops by nearly half demands serious scrutiny The question is notwhich party benefits; it is whether dividing Louisiana votersinto separate partisan electorates serves our state better than our system that guided us for more than half acentury For nearly 250 years, Americans have fought to preserve the principle that authority flows from the consent of the governed. The answer to our political challenges is not fewer voices. It is more consentfrom thegoverned.

Garret Graves served five terms in the U.S. Congress, representing Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District from 20152025.

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’sbid to become the Republicannomineefor U.S. Senate kicked off in January notwith herown announcement, but with asocial media post fromPresident Donald Trump.

Yes, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist picks recently knocked off some Democratic incumbentsinNew York City.They includedsurprising defeats, especiallythat of Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Espaillat lost to Darializa Avila Chevalier,whose social media swims with past calls to abolish the police, free prisoners and stop deportations forany reason, presumably including murder

take the presidency from Trump two years later

TheDemocratic left soldthese results as athumbs-up for itsradical agenda. Butthosesame views —things like defunding police andobsession with transgender issues —turned off themiddle America voterswho gave Biden his win in 2020.

scribed thedangers New York’s far left posetothe Democrats’ future. As an anchor at Spectrum News NY1, he has interviewed them all.

It’snot like Espaillat’sdistrict was dominated by theyoung professionals who flocked to Mamdani. His electorate is 52% Hispanicand includes such non-hipster neighborhoods as Harlem, Washington Heights andparts of the Bronx.

Nonetheless, Mamdani may have seriously misread the national mood when he said right before the primaries: “When does the racefor 2028 begin? It starts now.” That was an awesome display of grandiosityfor aguy who didn’tget even50% of the vote even though he was the official Democratic candidate in avery Democratic city

The New York primaries may indeed be kicking off the presidential contest in 2028, but not in away Democrats would like. Look at recent history Backlash against Donald Trump’serratic governing style returned control of the House to the Democrats in 2018. Similar forces helped Joe Biden to

Twoyears later,Republicans retook theHouse majority by weaponizing the dumbest things left-wingershad said. Similar dynamics powered Trump’s return to the presidency in the 2024 election. It is dangerous to assume thatdisgustwithTrump translates into adesire to stop immigration enforcement.

The recently elected Mamdani, meanwhile, is enjoying an overly long honeymoon.The realityissure to overtake the massive publicityhe attaches tothe smallestofachievements. New Yorkers are noticing that there are still no free buses,aspromised. The rents are not frozen. And universal childcare has not happened. Mamdani has also antagonized thefinancial business leaders, jeopardizing the prospects of theyoung grads seekingwhite-collar jobs, that is, much of his base.

Democrats seeking victories in the heartland should fear having theexcesses of coastal socialists hanging around their neck.The veteran New York political analyst Errol Louis de-

“They’ve got some ideas that will not sellinDes Moines or in, you know, Cleveland,” Louis said. Their strategists tellhim that they’re “gonna fight, fight,fight get themselves arrested, introduce legislation, whether or not it has achance of getting ahearing or ever becoming law.”

Barack Obama understands well the radicals’lack of appeal outside choice urban corridors. He’scalled out affluent progressives who think they earn halos by pushing polices deemed to help theless fortunate but end up costing Democratsatthe polls.They can embrace left-liberal politics without personally paying aprice, Obama said lastyear.“Youcould still make alot of money.You could still hang out in Aspen and Milan and travel and have a houseinthe Hamptons and still think of yourself as aprogressive.”

Democrats have fine hopes that this year’s midterms will deliver at least a House majority.The growing dislike of Trump putswind in theirsails. Come the2028 presidential contest, however,Trump will presumably not be running. Butthe Democrats’ aggravating radicals will still be at it.Ifthe race for 2028 starts now,Democrats should be concerned.

Froma Harrop on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

Saturdaynight, as she claimed her spot in the fall general election, Letlow started her victory speech offbythanking Trump for recruiting herinto the race —and, forgood measure, calling him “the greatestpresident this country has ever had.” And thus, the primary season endedasitbegan,asacase study in just hownationalized ourpoliticshavebecome. The months of campaigning amongGOP hopefuls —including incumbent andthird-place primary finisherBill Cassidy,who Trump neverforgave forhis 2021 vote to convictfor inciting the Jan.6 attack on Congress, and state TreasurerJohn Fleming, Letlow’srunoff opponent —amountedtolittle more thana contest to prove who wasthe most loyal. Campaigns areoften unserious, but this one was especially so,with misleading accusations flying aboutwho wasmorewoke, even if woke was nowhereonthe GOP ballot. Other than Fleming’sattempt to inject carboncapture politics into the conversation, the campaign could have happened in any state with alarge pro-Trump base anda party primary systemthatamplifiedthat base’s overallvoting power In Louisiana,this wasasignificantchange;itwas the first party primary forCongress since2010, when aprevious shift from open primarieswas so unpopular that it was quickly reversed. Thatmay well happenthis time too. In the meantime, it worked as its proponents intended.

Gov.JeffLandry,aneager Trump disciple, was the lead architect of the newvoting rules, andhewas alloverLetlow’scampaign. Most othermembersofthe party establishment linedupwith her, too, including Attorney General Liz Murrill and several fellow members of Congress. Trump may be the greatest disruptorinmodern American politics, but the GOP’ssupposedinstitutionalists here, like elsewhere,are fully on board. And with allvoters no longerable to choose amongall candidates, the turnout wasrelatively select.Only registered Republicans andno-party voters could participate in the two-stage GOP selection process, and not that many did. Letlowwon the runoff Saturday night with support from roughly 180,000 votes, outofabout 1.8million who were eligible to take part.

There was aDemocratic primary runoff, too, andfarmer JamieDavis easily won that one, so he’ll be Letlow’sgeneral election opponent in aNovember midterm election that’sshaping up as anationalreferendum on the second Trump presidency.InLouisiana, that and overallvoting patterns give Letlow amassive edge She doesn’treally need to, but it would be niceifshe spent the next four months putting herself outthere andtrying to build a broader coalitionthan the MAGA-dominated onethatgot herhere. She could try to counter arguments thatshe’s indebtedtoTrump and Landry,asevensomeinfluential Republicans, suchasradio hosts Moon Griffon and Newell Normand, have charged. She could expound on what she means when she says she’ll always put Louisiana first. She could even agreetoa televisiondebate, something she avoided during primary season.

The truth is thatifshe wins comefall, there will be plenty of time for hertomove from underTrump’sshadow.He’sgot just two years left; aSenatetermruns six, and Letlow,at45, could be in Washingtonmuch longer.Atsome point, she’ll answertomorethanone person, or even 180,000 of them.

Now’sasgood atime as any to getstarted. Email Stephanie Grace at sgrace@ theadvocate.com.

Froma Harrop

Stephanie Grace

Garret Graves GUEST COLUMNIST

FILEPHOTO By BILL FEIG

Aworker pulls signs as voting machines aresortedfor deliveryfrom astorage warehouse in Baton Rouge.

Letlow

Newest Pelican took long path back home

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

Long before Jaron Pierre wanted the NBA life, he simply wanted aT-shirt. So when he would attend New Orleans Pelicans games in the Smoothie King Center as akid, his sole missionwas to catch one of the souvenirs launched from the T-shirt cannon during timeouts.

One night, he got lucky and snatched one.

“The shirt was asize 3X, down to my feet,” Pierre said. “I was dancing so hard.I wasn’teven watching the game anymore. Iwas just happy Ihad ashirt.”

But the joy from his childhood doesn’t come close to the joy Pierre had Monday morning at his introductory news conference whenhestood beside Joe Dumars and held up his No.10Pelicans jersey

“I almost dropped atear,”Pierre said of when he got the news of hisselection. “It felt surreal.”

Pierre, drafted with theNo. 58 overall pick Wednesday,isaPelican now

This time, his Pelicansgear doesn’t drape down to his feet. It fits perfectly, which is just how Dumars expects the nearly 24-year-old guard from SMU to fit on the roster.Dumars, heading into hissecond season as the executive vice president of basketball operations, had just one pick in this year’sdraft.

“We’re trying to hit on every pick that we bringinhere,” Dumars said “Wedon’ttake any of them for granted There’sacertain type of player that we are looking for.Weare looking for guys who are competitive. We are looking for guys who have toughness. And we are looking for guys who really wanttobe here in New Orleans. Jaron checks the box for all of those.”

The city of New Orleans made Pierre whom he is today. That’sevident by the shiny chain with the glistening “5” dangling around his neck. That five represents the 5th Ward, the part ofthe city that raised him. He wore that number at St. Augustine High School. He alsowore that number at SMU, where he averaged 17.6 points,4.9 rebounds and2.1 assists during his one season playing with the Mustangs Now that kid with the big dreams from the 5th Ward is back in his hometown. His road to the NBA was along and winding one, with stops at four schools in six years. When he graduatedfromSt. Aug in 2020, he first attended Southern Mississippi.Hewore No.55thereboth seasons in Hattiesburg. From there,he transferred to Wichita State and then Jacksonville State beforefinishing up at SMU.

SPORTS

THE NEXT STEP

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSUwill have transfers alloverthe field in 2026, but most of them will be concentratedonoffense —the unitLaneKiffin overhauled once he began his tenure as headcoach.

As forthe defense? That side of the ball managed to keep alarge chunk of its coachingand roster talent intact duringthe transition from coach Brian Kelly to Kiffin.Third-yeardefensive coordinator Blake Baker is back. So, too, are starters Whit Weeks,DJPickett, Tamarcus Cooley,PJWoodland and Dashawn Spears.

Each played akey roleona unit that improvedfrom61stamong FBSteams in totaldefense in 2024 to 25thin2025. The group could take another step forward in 2026, especially if afew newcomersstep into roles alongside the returners and enjoy productivecampaigns for aunit that’s come alongway since itsdisastrous 2023 season.

“Blake does agreat job,” Kiffin saidin April. “The players play really hard for him. He’s agreat motivator,soIreally like that because it creates acompetitive atmosphere outthere.”

Let’shighlight four transfers expected to play important roles in 2026 as LSU tries to break back into theupperechelon of FBSdefenses.

STyBenefield

Benefield, asafety from BoiseState, was one of the clear standouts of spring practice, and Kiffin said in arecent appearance on Tyrann Mathieu’spodcast that he was “gonna be one of those legends to playhere.”

That’slofty praise for Benefield, the former All-Mountain West Conference senior who’sexpected to man one of LSU’s starting safety spots.

“He’swiredright,”Kiffintold Mathieu.

“Unbelievablerange,great ball skills.I’m like, ‘You gottaget him up here to meet you,’just to connect it. Like, you’re gonna be (one of)these iconic names, hopefully.”

Benefield started at safety next to Cooley in spring practices, but he also could

spend some time at the Star spot —the hybrid defensive back-linebacker position that Spears, ajunior,played throughout those sessions.

At Boise State, Benefield excelled around the line of scrimmage. He recorded 8.5tacklesfor loss last season, which led all Mountain West defensive backs. DE Princewill Umanmielen

It’s no secret that Baker wantshis defenses to create havoc. It’sjust difficult to accomplish that goal consistently without acapable four-man passrush

That’swhy Umanmielen was one of LSU’s mostimportant signings during the transfer-portal cycle. At Ole Miss

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

NBAfreeagencyin2010: Ev-

eryone waited for LeBronJames to makeadecision.

NBAfreeagencyin2026: Ev-

eryone is waiting again for James to make adecision. James was the biggest domino to fall in theNBA’s offseason player movement period16years ago when he decidedtojoinMiami, and he may be thebiggestdomino to fall —atleast in free agency this summer as well. Free agency opens in the NBA on Tuesday evening, with James’future atop the listofmost intriguing storylines that will be solved over the coming days and weeks

It seems like retirement isn’t happening yet, which would mean theNBA’s all-timeleader in points scored,minutes played and games played coming back fora record-

extending 24th season and potentially —whenincluding playoff contests— appearing in the 2,000th game of his career

His options would figure to includestayingwith theLos Angeles Lakers, returning to Miami or Clevelandoreventhinking about moving elsewhere such as Golden Stateand teaming up withlongtime friends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to chase one more title. Green —who is not expected to leave Golden State —onMonday declined his$27.6 million option for next season,doing so to give the Warriors moremaneuverability to addplayers in the coming days, a personwith knowledge of thesituationtold The Associated Press.

“When the time comes, you guys will know what Idecide to do,” James said whenthe Lakers were eliminated this spring by Oklahoma City in a4-0 sweep.

The time is coming. Thewindow when teams can begin talking with free agents other than the ones on their own team, those talks could begin when theNBA Finals ended—opens at 5p.m. on Tuesday,and deals could be flying not long afterward. In most cases,any newdeals cannot be executed until at least the end of the offseason moratorium next Monday.

“This period we’re in right now, kind of from mid-Maytomid-July, it’s atwo-month sprint through the draft, combine,freeagency,Summer League,all that,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.saidearlierthis month. “We’re superbusy right now. Butit’sa fun time of year.This is where we gettomakedecisions, shapethe roster,doall that stuff.” The NBAfinalists —champion

STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON

before adrill at spring practice on March26atthe LSUfootball practicefacility.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By ROGELIO V. SOLIS

Ole Miss linebacker Princewill Umanmielen looksfor aSouth Carolina ball carrier on Nov. 1inOxford,Miss. Umanmielen is nowatLSU

Hovland beats Scheffler in Travelers

They played one playoff hole in delayed conclusion

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

CROMWELL,Conn. Viktor Hovland got all the validation he needed Monday that his game was on track again, and a whole lot more.

He beat Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at the Travelers Championship, had both parents from Norway watch him win for the first time and even did the “row” with the Norwegian soccer fans who cheered him all the way to the surprising end.

Hovland capped off a gritty rally when he made a 7-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole and won the Travelers when Scheffler missed a 4-foot birdie putt.

“Winning in the playoff against Scottie best player in the world — that was pretty satisfying,” said Hovland, who won for the first time since the Valspar Championship in March 2025.

The surprise was Scheffler going from a big advantage — an 8-iron to 4 feet on the 18th on the first playoff hole to missing a hard-sliding putt on the high side that made Hovland a winner

“Maybe I hit it a little firmer than I intended to,” said Scheffler, whose putt caught the left edge and rolled out some 7 feet by the hole. “It looked like it got pretty far by the hole and I was playing it outside the hole, so I hit it down my line, just maybe the speed was a touch off.”

It was a big disappointment for Scheffler who on Sunday made an 8-foot par putt on the 72nd hole in near darkness to force the playoff He was first to hit from the 18th fairway and some 3,000 fans on the hillside around the green erupted in cheers Hovland responded, just like the 28-year-old Norwegian had done on the back nine Sunday when he rallied from a two-shot deficit.

Hovland’s birdie putt was snapping off to the right when it curled in the right side and he let out a big fist pump.

“It’s one of those putts that if I

make mine, his gets significantly tougher, and if I miss, he probably will make his,” Hovland said.

“Yeah, it was definitely no gimmies there, so to put the pressure on him was awesome.”

It was the first Monday finish on the PGA Tour since The Players Championship in 2025, which involved a three-hole aggregate playoff won by Rory McIlroy. This turned out to be one hole and 15 minutes, but it did not lack for drama, or atmosphere.

There was lively banter for the playoff. A group of Norwegian fans who had been in Boston for the World Cup, wore their soccer jerseys and chanted, “Hov-land!” as he approached his golf ball in the fairway The Americans began the “Scot-tie Scheff-ler!” chants to drown them out.

The Norwegians also brought the “row,” which has gone viral in the stadium and subway stations and wherever they go. They sit shoulder to shoulder, arms out and then forcefully pull them in. Hovland had never seen it in person until Saturday When it was over, he sat with his

people and they showed him how it’s done.

“You definitely get adrenaline from it,” he said.

Hovland had plenty of that Sunday afternoon when he returned from a 90-minute rain delay and made three straight birdies to catch up to Scheffler and eventually get into the playoff He closed with a 69, while Scheffler had a 68. They finished at 21-under 259.

Hovland is rarely satisfied with a swing that has given him a reputation for making solid contact. He felt it gaining momentum with a third-place finish in Canada, and even in the U.S. Open despite missing the cut. There was always one bad swing that allowed doubts to creep in. Those were gone at the TPC River Highlands, particularly at the end. He was first to hit in the playoff and drilled it down the middle, just as he had done all week.

“I’ve been playing golf with Viktor for a long time. We’ve had some good battles in college and out here as a pro,” Scheffler said “He’s a guy that has a lot of talent and works really hard. So those

are the types of guys you like to see have success.”

For Scheffler, it was his fourth runner-up finish this year after opening his season with a victory at The American Express in the California desert. But he felt a little momentum, even in a playoff loss, as he gets ready for a three-week stretch that includes the British Open, the final major of the year

“Ball striking is definitely in a good spot. That was some of the best I hit it all season,” Scheffler said. “Obviously, I think just a little disappointed with the results of today But, yeah, I did a good job of keeping myself in the tournament last night, made the nice putt to close out last night, and so trying to remember that one.”

Hovland headed home for Norway with his parents. As for his throng of flag-waving, rowing supporters? Norway plays Ivory Coast on Tuesday in Dallas, the hometown of Scheffler

“That was probably more coincidental,” Hovland said with a laugh. “That should be a good game.”

Van Gisbergen seeks improvement on ovals

Driver known for road, street racing must shore up skills on circular tracks

By The Associated Press

SONOMA, Calif. — NASCAR might sometimes seem like an endless series of left turns, but Shane van Gisbergen can attest that oval racing is filled with variables. The 22 circular tracks on the Cup Series schedule feature different lengths, banking and shapes. For a New Zealand native who raced exclusively on road and street courses until three years ago, it’s been a slog to figure out.

“Some weeks, I can run 10th to 15th pretty easily, and other weeks it’s a battle to run 30th,” he said “As a team, we definitely need to be better and prepare as well as we can. I just need to keep getting better and make no mistakes. I’m still the weak link as a driver but I’ve got good teammates in the other cars, and they’re struggling as well.” With eight races remaining in the regular season, van Gisbergen is the highest-ranked Trackhouse Racing driver at 14th in the standings — ahead of teammates Ross Chastain (22nd) and Connor Zilisch (34th) and in a provisional spot for the Chase.

But to make the 10-race title run that is contested among the top 16 drivers, van Gisbergen knows he’ll need to shore up his results on the left-turn circuit. Sunday at Sonoma Raceway marked his eighth win in 15 career starts on road and street courses, but the final 18 races in 2026 will be held only on ovals.

During his second full season in the Cup series, van Gisbergen is improving In 14 oval starts this

year, he has an average finish of 20.9, up from 24.8 in 30 oval races last year. He earned his first topfive oval finish with a fifth at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31.

Noting that van Gisbergen has finished in the top 15 the past three races when he started in the top 10, crew chief Stephen Doran said the team is focused on qualifying well with the No. 97 Chevrolet

“If we can qualify up there, we can stay up there all day,” Doran said. “That’s just the last piece of the puzzle with the ovals is to qualify good I feel like we have the speed to maintain that.” Because stage points are awarded to the top 10 twice during each

race, it’s also easier to build a Chase cushion by starting toward the front and increasing the chances of a clean race.

Mistakes that led to crashes have factored into van Gisbergen’s six finishes outside the top 30 on ovals this season.

“I’ve still got a long way up the hill to go,” he said. “I’m getting there, and I see the glimpses, and I feel them, and I know it’s coming, but I still need to get a lot better, and I still have a lot to learn.”

Sweet home Chicagoland

For the first time in seven years, NASCAR will return this weekend to Chicagoland Speedway, and

Kyle Larson has runner-up finishes in the two most recent races at the 1.5-mile track in Joliet, Illinois. The reigning Cup Series champion, who lost a bruising last-lap battle to Kyle Busch in 2018, finished fourth at Sonoma to earn his fourth consecutive top-five finish — his longest streak in more than a year

“It’s definitely the best we’ve been all year,” said Larson, whose winless streak stands at 42 races, the longest since he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021.

Old new track

NASCAR held a test session in April at Chicagoland and has spent more than $5 million to refurbish the facility which has been dormant since the pandemic, aside from a SuperMotocross event in 2023. There were 38 drivers in the June 30, 2019, race at Chicagoland. Of those 38, there are 18 who will be in Sunday’s race at a track that still has its original 2001 asphalt surface. Cody Ware, who will be making his Cup debut at Chicagoland, will be one of many relying on driving simulators to navigate the layout.

“The sim tells us where the bumps are and how to attack the track,” the Rick Ware Racing driver said. “Every little angle of your steering, your arc on corner entry and how aggressively you’re picking up the throttle, all those things matter.”

Points bubble

Team Penske’s Austin Cindric holds the 16th and final provisional spot in the Chase, 12 points in front of Erik Jones and 25 ahead of 2012 champion Brad Keselowski. Three-time champion Joey Logano is 31 points behind in 20th and in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

IN BRIEF

LSU baseball signee Davis takes name out of draft LSU signee and outfielder Nathaneal Davis has decided to withdraw his name from the 2026 MLB Draft and come to school, he announced on social media Monday Davis, a center fielder at Bishop Moore Catholic High in Orlando, Florida, is the No. 125 player in ESPN’s draft rankings and the No. 138 player on MLB.com’s list. He’s a left-handed hitter with excellent speed, stealing 78 bags during his high school career

He’s projected to be a center fielder at the next level and is known for his athleticism. One scout who spoke to The Advocate compared him to Chris Stanfield. “First time I saw him, I was like, ‘This guy is toolsy as all get out,’” another scout told The Advocate. “He can run, he can throw Very interesting guy.”

Sanders feels like old self one year after surgery

BOULDER, Colo. — Deion “Coach

Prime” Sanders says he feels like his old — and younger — self again a year after undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous bladder

“I consider myself cancer-free,” thanks to robotic surgery that also reconstructed his bladder using part of his intestine, Sanders told The Associated Press after getting a tutorial in the surgical system that was used in his operation.

“I was fighting” last year at this time, the University of Colorado football coach recalled. “I was walking out on the property with a bag of blood and also urine and trying to get back But this expedited the process. Last year at this time I was in a whole different place, and I’m just thankful.”

Lions release CB Arnold after kidnapping charges

The Detroit Lions on Monday released cornerback Terrion Arnold, only days after his arrest over allegations that he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men who prosecutors believe he wrongly suspected of having stolen goods and $100,000 in cash from him.

The announcement came the same day a Florida judge set Arnold’s bail at $1 million. Prosecutors say the three victims, including a man who worked as a driver for Arnold, were robbed while being held at gunpoint in a Tampa apartment in February Prosecutors had wanted Arnold held without bond on the eight felony charges. But Chief Circuit Court Judge Christopher Sabella granted bond. He won’t be required to wear an ankle monitor because it would prevent him from taking the field for games and training.

Blue Jays shut down OF Barger due to back injury

TORONTO Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger will be shut down for several more weeks because of a stress reaction in his back, further delaying his return in an injury-plagued season.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Barger experienced back pain while hitting at the team’s spring training facility in Florida. Barger came to Toronto for an MRI, which revealed the stress reaction, a bone injury that leads to swelling and irritation.

Barger, out since May 10 because of a sore elbow, has played just nine games this season. He’s batting .045 with no homers and two RBIs. He had one hit in eight games in March and April before missing 29 games because of a sprained left ankle.

Czech Republic coach resigns after early Cup exit

PRAGUE Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek resigned on Monday after the team’s early exit from the World Cup. The decision was mutual, Koubek and Czech Football Association head David Trunda said in a statement.

“The coach offered me his position at a personal meeting today and I decided to accept his offer after an open and fair debate,” Trunda said. Koubek said he was responsible for the poor results at the World Cup, where the Czechs lost to South Korea and Mexico and drew with South Africa. The Czechs finished on the bottom of Group A with one point.

Koubek’s resignation followed the retirement of team star Patrik Schick just hours after elimination.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JESSICA HILL

Viktor Hovland holds the Travelers Championship trophy on Monday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEFF CHIU

Shane van Gisbergen performs his traditional victory celebration by punting a rugby ball into the stands after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Two former NBA players indicted on gambling charges

JOHN ANNESE New york Daily News (TNS)

NEWYORK Former NBA players

Malik Beasley and Ed Davis were indicted Monday on federal allegations related to a sports gambling scheme that focused on at least four games during the 202324 season, making them the latest players to face charges in a widespread sports betting scandal.

Beasley, 29, most recently a guard with the Detroit Pistons before the gambling investigation derailed his free agency last year, and Davis, 37, are charged alongside four others with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy

Beasley is accused of fixing three games in 2024, when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. Davis, a former teammate of Beasley on the Minnesota Timberwolves, acted as his “gatekeeper,” and Beasley owed him gambling debts, according to federal prosecutors. Davis last played in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022. The two decided which games Beasley would underperform and overperform in when it came to statistics such as rebounds and points scored, according to the indictment. In exchange, Beasley’s debts would be reduced or paid off, the indictment alleges.

“Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting. Everything else they got the edge,” Davis told Beasely in a text message exchange on Dec. 29, 2023 about a month before he agreed to tamp down how many rebounds he would get in a Jan. 25, 2024, game against the Cavaliers Davis then asked to take the conversation to Snapchat, explaining: “Better to talk on there. We can make some good money,” the indictment alleges.

The indictment names four other suspects who were allegedly in on the bets: William Brown, 39, of Nebraska; Robert Gorodtesky 34, of Illinois; Ernesto Plascencia, 39, of California, who’s pals with Davis and other NBA players; and Paolo Zamorano, 39, a former Division I men’s college basketball player and Davis’ former agent.

“As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, bribing then-NBA player Malik Beasley to fix his performance in multiple games in order to place fraudulent wagers, enrich themselves and cheat legitimate

Continued from page 1C

New York and runner-up San Antonio — both will have moves to make in the coming days, though they are expected to keep their cores largely intact.

Plenty of decisions and rostershaping already has happened around the league, either by trades (such as the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster) or teams re-signing or extending their own players (such as Trae Young’s $212 million deal with Washington and Austin Reaves’ $185 million deal with the Lakers).

Miami will land Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis in a trade that sends Tyler Herro, other players and draft capital to Milwaukee, but that won’t be finalized until that moratorium date passes But in the interim, the Heat will look to add shooters — Tim Hardaway Jr., whose father’s number is retired in Miami, and longtime Antetokounmpo favorite Khris Middleton make a lot of sense.

The Heat will keep Andrew Wiggins, who on Monday exercised

sportsbooks,” U.S. attorney Joseph Nocella said Monday

Four of the suspects have been arrested, while two others, Beasely and Zamorano, are not yet in federal custody

“An indictment is nothing but a probable cause one-sided charging document. It is not evidence and Malik maintains his presumption of innocence,” Beasley’s attorney, Steven Haney, said Monday “We ask that people reserve judgment until all the facts are known.”

The conspirators placed tens of thousands of dollars on bets that Beasley would underperform on rebounds in the Jan. 26, 2024, game. He ended up tallying three points, one assist and three rebounds, the indictment says. The oddsmakers had set Beasely’s betting line at 3.5 rebounds.

Almost a month later, Plascencia asked Davis when Beasley would next fix a game for them and Davis responded, “Whenever I say Just going to chill tonight but after this it’s go time,” the indictment says.

They waited for a game that wasn’t nationally televised the Feb. 27, 2024, game between the Bucks and the Charlotte Hornets, when Beasley agreed to get fewer points and grab more rebounds, the indictment alleges.

The gamblers collectively profited about $100,000 on that game, the indictment says.

Things didn’t go as smoothly the third go-around, when the Bucks played the L.A. Clippers on March 10, 2024, according to the indictment.

Beasley agreed to overperform when it came to getting rebounds but some of the co-conspirators mistakenly thought the plan was for him to underperform.

He played 39 minutes, scoring 17 points with one assist and four rebounds clearing the 3.5 rebound betting line with 1.1 seconds left in the game.

The scheme fell apart on March 21, 2024, when Beasley failed to underperform on rebounds as planned in a game against the Brooklyn Nets, the indictment says.

Plascencia demanded Davis either compensate the losing bets or make Beasley fix more games, according to the indictment.

Davis agreed to keep fixing the games — but news got out that Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was under investigation for fixing games so he abandoned that plan, the indictment alleges.

his $30 million option for this coming season and, according to a person familiar with the talks between the sides, has agreed in principle on a $34 million deal for the following two seasons — with 2028-29 at his option.

More trades could be coming, with a person familiar with the negotiations confirming to the AP that Toronto has spoken with the Los Angeles Clippers on the possibility of Kawhi Leonard — who led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title — returning to Ontario next season And Boston is still believed to be holding talks about the possibility of trading 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who was the centerpiece of the Celtics’ ultimately futile offer to land Antetokounmpo in trade discussions with Milwaukee.

“Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago,” Brown posted on social media over the weekend.

He’s right: The Celtics have won 523 games with Brown in the lineup, including playoff contests, which is six more than Denver has won with Nikola Jokic over that span.

Blazers acquire Morant from Grizzlies in trade

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

Ja Morant is headed to Portland after the Trail Blazers and Memphis agreed on a trade Monday that sees the Grizzlies starting anew and gives the two-time AllStar a chance to revive his career, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press.

Portland is sending forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies as part of the deal. It’s a big swing by the Trail Blazers and could suggest Portland — with new owner Tom Dundon, whose Carolina Hurricanes just won the Stanley Cup — might not be done making moves. Morant adds to a logjam at point guard right now for Portland, with Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard and Scoot

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C

There’s a simple message in his resilience.

“Never giving up,” Pierre said. “Staying the course. Keeping my head down and working.”

It’s a path that former NBA guard and St. Aug alum Avery Johnson knows well.

“I’m incredibly proud of Jaron and all his hard work and tenacity,” Johnson said.” Like Jaron, I transferred colleges before finding my home at Southern University Sometimes, the journey isn’t a straight line. But good things come to those who grind.”

That’s’ what Pierre did to make it this far And for him the grind will continue. He worked out for the Pelicans last year and then again this year He felt like he did well in his pre-draft workouts. Besides being a player who can score at all three levels, Pierre also believes his leadership can be an asset.

“Being an older guy, I’m very seasoned already,” Pierre said. “I bring a lot of things. Defense. Toughness. Competitiveness. Energy. I bring a lot of things to the table that I know (Dumars) wants to see.”

Pierre has leaned on the advice of another Louisiana guard who made it to the NBA — Gretna native and former Pelican Elfrid Payton. Payton’s advice to him has been simple.

“Stay consistent Stay level-headed. Keep the distractions out. Stay locked in and your time will come.”

For Pierre, his time came last week when he got the phone call letting him know he was being drafted by the Pelicans. He admits he started getting a bit nervous the longer the draft lasted. Only two players were drafted behind him at picks No. 59 and 60, but Pierre doesn’t mind. He just wants to make the most of this opportunity to play in the Smoothie King Center just 3 miles away from his high school at 2600 A.P. Tureaud Ave. Instead of being the fan trying to catch T-shirts, Pierre gets to help provide the entertainment.

“It means everything,” Pierre said. “From watching those games when I was young to now

Henderson also on the current roster Morant has averaged 22.4 points for his career but has played only 79 games over the last three seasons because of injuries and suspensions — including a 25-game banishment after he was seen on a livestream holding a gun while he was in the passenger seat of a vehicle That came not long after an eight-game suspension for flashing a gun in a Denver-area nightclub, also captured on social media.

The suspensions, combined, cost Morant who was Rookie of the Year after being the No. 2 selection in the 2019 draft — about $9 million in lost salary He said in April 2025 that he’s made his peace with being a lightning rod for constant criticism.

“I’m kind of used to it,” Morant said at that time. “I was pretty

much a villain for two years now Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it’s going to be out there. So, yeah. I don’t care no more.”

Grant averaged 18.6 points last season for Portland and will join his sixth team by going to Memphis. Murray averaged 5.8 points per game this past season for the Trail Blazers. In the 2021-22 season, Memphis win 56 games, tying a franchise record. That team was built around a young core four — Morant, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson and Desmond Bane. Now, they’re all gone. Brooks played only one more season with the Grizzlies after that and has changed teams twice since; Bane was traded to Orlando last summer; and Jackson was traded to Utah in February

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BRANDON DILL

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant plays against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 21 in Memphis, Tenn.

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars gives Jaron Pierre his jersey during a news conference on Monday. The Pelicans drafted Pierre in the second round last week.

St. Aug graduate Jaron Pierre poses with his family after his introductory news conference Monday.

WORLDCUP 2026

Paraguay stunsGermanyinupset

By The Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. José Canale

wasn’tinthe starting lineup in either of his previoustwo appearances for Paraguay in this World Cup. He made his first starta memorable one.

Canale scoredonthe first sudden-death penalty kick, Orlando Gill made two key saves in the shootout, and Paraguay beat Germany 4-3 on penalties Monday to earn the biggest upset ofthe 2026 World Cup.

It was amajor triumph forthe landlocked South American country of 7million people that’ssurrounded by soccer giants like Argentina and Brazil.

“I think we deserved one more game, to be honest, considering everything that was said, everything we went through,” Canale said “What Iwant to highlight from our team is how united we are. Today was agame we really needed to show our true colors.”

Germany missed threeofsix tries in the shootout, the last by Jonathan Tah, who blasted his attempt high over the crossbar in the first sudden-death round, setting up Canale for the winner.Tah’s miss followed asave by German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer of Fabian Balbuena’sattempt that would have won it for Paraguay Paraguay was without defender Omar Alderete,who left with an injury in the second halfofits 0-0 draw against Australia. Canale started in his place.

The round of 32 match ended 1-1 after extra time. Paraguay took the lead when Julio Enciso scored on aheader late in the first half, but Kai Havertz equalized in the 52nd minute for four-time cham-

and GustavoGomez

ROUNDUP

pion Germany. Germany had won six of seven penaltyshootouts in majortournaments, including six straight since losing to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final.

“It’snot enough for German football,” coach Julian Nagelsmann said.

BRAZIL 2, JAPAN1: In Houston,Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal late in injury time to give fivetime champion Brazil awin over Japan.

Martinelli, who had comeonas asecond-half substitute, scored in thesixthminuteofstoppagetime as the match appeared to be headed to extra time.

“Above all elsewewanted to freshen up the field because Martinelli hasa lotofintensity as a

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By ETHAN CAIRN

Belgium’sRomelu Lukakucelebrates his goal duringa game against NewZealand on FridayinVancouver,BritishColumbia.

Belgiumstriker ‘happy to be here’

BY OWEN CAMEROS Associated Press

SEATTLE Belgium striker RomeluLukaku’sfitness remains aconcern as the team prepares to take on Senegal in the round of 32 at the World Cup on Wednesday The 33-year-oldLukaku, wholeads his nation in goals scored, withdrew from Belgium’sfriendlies in the United States in the spring to gethealthy.He missed the majority of the club season because of a hamstring injury.Lukaku appeared only seven times across all competitionsfor Italian club Napolilast season. “I’m going with the flow Itrain hard,and in the end, I’m happy to be here,” Lukaku said Monday in French. “Especially when you see where Icome from. Itry to have my impact when Ineedto.” Lukaku started Belgium’ssecond group match against Iran and struggled

to keep up with the tempo. He did not register ashot, picked up ayellowcard and was replaced after 73 minutes. However, in his two substitute appearances against Egypt and New Zealand, Lukaku fared muchbetter.The strikerforced an own-goaljust23seconds afterentering ina1-1 draw againstEgypt andaddeda goal and an assist in acameo againstNew Zealand. “When I’monthe bench, I have alot of timetoanalyze everythingthat’shappening on the field,” Lukaku said. “Helping the teamis the most important thing for me.”

Lukaku’scontract with Napoli expires in June 2027.Hehas had astrained relationship with theclub, includinga March training absence that prompted Napoli to consider punishing the player.

The two sides held constructivetalksafew weeks later, and Lukaku reaffirmed his desire to stay

withNapoli through next season.

Senegal, Belgium’s looming opponent, finishedthird in Group Iwith three points and aplus-2 goal differential. The African team navigated one of the toughest groups in the tournament, onethatfeatured favorite France andthe Erling Haaland-led Norway Senegalfinishedasthe eighth-best third-place team —the lastofthe thirdplace finishers to reach the round of 32.

“Weknow it will be a tough match. Senegal has alot of top-levelplayers, and the coach (Pape Thiaw) is, too,” Lukaku said. “I think it’s50-50. We really shouldn’tunderestimate them.” At 33, Lukaku could be playing in his finalWorld Cup. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, 35,and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, 34,each could sit out the 2030 World Cup as well —apossible endtothe team’s “Golden Generation.”

BY DAVID BRANDT Associated Press

player,”Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said through atranslator.

“Whenhegoes in the match, he’s always on his top game.”

Brazilwillnext face either the Ivory Coast or NorwayonSunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey,in the round of 16.

“Wecan never be content with what we’re doing,” Ancelotti said.

“We’re doinga good job. We are performing. But you can never be contentbecause we want to play

better.Wewant to play at the highest level.”

Casemiro hadearlierequalized for Brazil on aheader in the 56th minute off an assist from Gabriel Magalhães afterjust missing another chance twominutes earlier

Theshot sailed just out of reach of the outstretched hand of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and into the net.

Kaishu Sano stoleamisplaced pass at midfield andtook it down the field before aright-footed shot from above the half circle put Japan ahead in the 29th minute.

“There is not making mistakes because nobody is perfect,” Ancelotti said. “But you have to overcome it,and youhave to push it forward. Theteam did agood job of that in the second half.”

Vinícius Júnior,who has scored four goals so farinthisyear’s tournament,had achancetoput Brazil on top in the58th minute but his shot from the left box was deflected by Suzukiand went off the farpost.

Casemiro leftinthe first minute of second-halfstoppagetimewith what appeared to be aleg injury Brazil great Neymardidn’tplay Monday after making his first appearance forthe team since2023 in the last game against Scotland. He played only 14 minutesinthat 3-0win after missing the first two group matches at the WorldCup with aright calf injury

“I was seriously considering putting him on the pitch,” Ancelotti said. “In the end, we did not need him.”

Japan has never wona knockout match at the WorldCup,going 0-4 in the round of 16 —including also taking the lead thepasttwo times in 2018 and 2022 before losing.

didn’t seeit, butcalledita “surreal”moment for the squad.

Formidable France is back on the field for the World Cup round of 32, welcoming itscoach back to the sideline after aone-gameabsence. So is Norway,which rowed into North Texas for itsfirst knockout match in 28 years. Meanwhile, host Mexico hopes araucous home crowd andplaying at altitude can helpitprevail in MexicoCity Elimination games continue on Tuesdaywith three matchups: France-Sweden, Ivory Coast-Norway and Mexico-Ecuador Coach DidierDeschamps is back with France after traveling to Europe for his mother’sfuneral. Assistant Guy Stéphanled LesBleus to a4-1 win over Norway in Deschamps’ absence.

Starstriker Erling Haaland scored four goals in Norway’s first two groupstagegames beforesitting out the losstoFrance. He will try to lead his country to awin over Ivory Coast.

Mexicowill have the home crowdbehinditatEstadio Azteca after winning all threeof its games in Group A. Norway rows into Texas

Arested Norway was greeted by abouta dozenlocal law enforcement officials making arowing motion on thetarmac when the team landed in Dallas ahead of itsroundof32game against Ivory Coast.

Haalandwas among 10 regulars notinNorway’s starting lineup for itsgroupstage finale. While some fans were disappointed, the loss to France was only four days after a3-2 winover Senegal, and Norway had already secured aspot in the knockout stage forthe first timesince 1998.

“Wehave to do what’sbest forthe team.And themanager was clear and we agreed with him, that we hadareally tough game before and we have areally hard game tomorrow,and we had the chance to rotate alittle bit,” team captainMartinOdegaard said Monday before a training session. “Wehave to think about ourselves, how we can go as faraswecan in this competition.”

“Some rest, Ithink that was the sensible thing to do. So I’m very,very happy we did that,” midfielder Patrick Berg said.

Ivory Coast, in its fourth World Cup, will play its first knockout game.

France seeksdeeprun

Deschamps learned of his mother’sdeath the day after France’swin over Iraq on June 22, which clinchedadvancement.

“I’m here. I’m good, and it’sgoodtobebusysince Fridayevening when Iarrived back in the United States,” DeschampssaidMonday through an interpreter

since1998, joinedbyArgentina andMexicoasthe only nations to win all three games. Seeking their third title after 1998 and 2018, Les Bleuswould face Paraguay in the round of 16 if they get past the Swedes.

France strikerMarcus Thuram won’tbeavailable against Sweden because of acalfinjury,and midfielder N’Golo Kanté is uncertain. SwedendefenderIsak Hien will miss the match with ahamstring injury that forced him from last Thursday’sgame against Japan in the 37th minute.

Mexico’s advantage

Mexico’sbestWorld Cup performances camewhen hostingthe tournamentin 1970 and1986, reaching the quarterfinals both times. The current squadwill play Ecuador, aiming to win its first knockout-stage match sinceJune 1986, when it defeated Bulgaria in the round of 16.

“I don’tknowifwe’re favorites, but playing at home and with our fans behind us, we want to do things right,” left back Jesús Gallardo said Monday

The Mexicans also benefit from thealtitude —7,350 feet above sea level —afactor that has helped the team lose onlytwo matches in its history at Estadio Azteca.

Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said he wasonthe wrongside of theplane and

“Wehave a90-minute match ahead of us, plus extra time and possibly penalties, so we shouldn’tfocus on the altitude but rather on playing football the way we have so far,”Gallardo said. France,Norway,

Franceswept itsgroup matches for the first time

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByCHARLES KRUPA

FabianBalbuena,left,

celebrate after Paraguaywon the WorldCup round of 32 match against GermanyonMondayinFoxborough, Mass.

Sinner survives upset in five sets

BY ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriter

LONDON Defending champion Jannik Sinner had to come back from a set down twice and regain his composure after a worrisome tumble to the grass in a five-set victory over 50thranked Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday A month after his French Open meltdown, the top-ranked Sinner produced a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 win that lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes in the opening match on Centre Court, which by custom is reserved for the past year’s men’s singles champion.

Sinner said he was “a little tight in the beginning,” noting that it was his first grass-court match of the season.

“I’m happy that I turned it around,” Sinner said.

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, remains the only Wimbledon men’s singles winner in the professional era (since 1968) to lose in the first round the next year The Australian was defeated by Ivo Karlovic in his 2003 opener In another Centre Court match, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic had Bad Bunny cheering him on during a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 102nd-ranked Wu Yibing that ended with the retractable roof closed and the lights turned on due to darkness. Djokovic improved to a perfect 21-0 in the opening round at Wimbledon.

Serena Williams will play her opening match on Tuesday against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia marking the first time she

competes in singles in nearly four years.

Sinner hadn’t played an official match since he struggled with dizziness during a heat wave at Roland Garros, where after being within one game of concluding his second-round match in straight sets, he was beaten by Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five.

The match with Kecmanovic was played in ideal conditions, with sunny skies and the temperature 75 degrees.

Sinner is a big favorite to repeat as Wimbledon champion since his main rival Carlos Alcaraz, who he beat in last year’s final, is missing the championships due to a right wrist injury

Sinner felt the pressure from the honors reserved for the defending champion.

“It was a very, very different feeling,” he said “There’s a lot

of nerves when you go down the stairs behind the court. Also mentally knowing it’s such a prestige court and such a historical court.”

Early in the third set, Sinner drew a loud applause when he executed a sliced stop-volley drop shot that was so good Kecmanovic didn’t even run for it. But in the same game, Sinner then fell hard to the grass when he lost his footing trying to change directions. He went down on his knees and fell backwards grimacing in pain as he grasped what appeared to be his left hip area. But he quickly got up and resumed playing.

As the match wore on, Sinner appeared to be bleeding through his right shoe.

“I’m good,” Sinner said. “It just seems much worse than it is. It’s just a nail.”

Gleason offers support to ex-NFL RB

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Steve Gleason wants Chris Johnson to know he is not alone.

The former New Orleans Saints standout and global advocate for ALS patients issued a statement Monday in response to the news that the former NFL running back has been diagnosed with ALS.

“Chris is my NFL brother, but more importantly, he is my fellow human,” Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 at the age of 34, said in a statement. “When ALS enters your life, it is a tsunami of emotions I want Chris and his family to know they are not alone. We are here for them.

“Every person living with ALS has a story, a family, a purpose, and a future that matters. Chris has spent his life showing strength, speed and heart. Now he and everyone diagnosed with this disease

deserve all of that strength, heart and urgency returned to them.”

Gleason, who is on vacation in the Pacific Northwest near his hometown of Spokane, Washington, also messaged Johnson directly after learning of his diagnosis.

Johnson announced his diagnosis during an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

TheformerTennesseeTitansstandout revealed his battle with the motor neuron disease, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in a sit-down interview with former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who works as a host for the program.

Johnson said he was diagnosed last year when he was 39 years old.

Johnson,40,played10seasonswith the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals from 2008-17.

In 2009, he became just the sixth running back in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season and was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year He also earned three consecutive Pro Bowl invitations during that time.

“There’s no history of ALS in my

Serena’s return creates hot ticket at Wimbledon

BY ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriter

LONDON Anticipation is building at Wimbledon for Serena Williams’ first singles match in nearly four years.

The 44-year-old Williams is scheduled to play an opponent less than half her age, 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia, in the third match Tuesday on Centre Court — the patch of grass where the American standout won seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

“I think everyone’s feeling the same way: Cannot wait to be watching Serena back on Centre Court again,” Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Club, said Monday

Wimbledon organizers took the unusual step of holding up an eighth and final wild-card spot for Williams until she accepted the invitation at almost the last possible moment the weekend before qualifying began.

“We were all sitting there sort of quietly keeping our fingers crossed that that’s what would happen,” Bolton said when asked how anxious the club was while Williams pondered her decision. “She is such an icon of the sport and particularly here at the championship, she’s one of our most special champion. So it really will be the ticket to have to-

morrow when she walks back on Centre Court.”

Whether it was related to Williams or not, the line of would-bespectators camping out overnight for the daily batches of Wimbledon tickets on offer had reached 10,000 people by Monday morning.

“We are advising people if they haven’t already set off to travel, not to travel because the queue is effectively full,” Bolton said. “By comparison to last year it is really busy.”

Williams will also play doubles with older sister Venus Williams later in the week.

Since Serena last won Wimbledon a decade ago, eight different women have won the title

“It was needed a wee bit to kind of reinvent the women’s game,” said Lauren Byrne, a 26-year-old spectator at Wimbledon from near Dublin. “She’s definitely going to bring a bit more excitement back.”

Added Byrne’s father, Anthony: “It’s just great to see her. She still has the appetite, hasn’t she, to play at this level? Age isn’t a barrier.”

Gibran Chenia, a London resident who described himself as “50-plus,” called Williams “a legend.

“And if she’s half as good as she was, she is going to be great for tennis,” Chenia said. “It’s great to have legends back.”

he rotated onto the Tennessee defensive line behind four other pass rushers.

family,” Johnson said during his interview “My doctors believe my case is what’s called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen. That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it.”

Gleason,whoisrememberedandcelebratedforhisiconicblockedpuntthat symbolized the city’s post-Katrina resilience in 2006, founded the nonprofit organization Team Gleason to empower people living with the disease. The foundation has provided tens of millions of dollars in assistive technology, specialized equipment, care services and adventure excursions to help patients live purposeful and independent lives. Gleason’s extensive advocacy work inspired federal legislation specificallytheSteveGleasonAct—to ensure Medicare patients have access to critical communication devices. Gleason is currently spearheading research to learn why professional athletes are diagnosed with ALS 25% more often than the general population in an effort to develop targeted treatments.

in 2025, he recorded nine sacks and 51 pressures — almost as many as the Tigers’ top two edge rushers combined last year (61).

Only two SEC defenders brought down opposing quarterbacks more times than he did.

Expect Umanmielen and the rest of the LSU defensive linemen to be more disruptive than they were in 2025. The group has a nice mix of proven veterans and promising young players.

“We’re a very versatile room,”

Umanmielen said during spring practices in April. “Lot of different guys, lot of different aspects of different games that you can put on the field when it comes to us. I like our room a lot.”

DE Jordan Ross

LSU already had a key role planned for Ross even before redshirt sophomore Gabe Reliford tore his ACL during spring practices, forcing the Tigers to move the Tennessee transfer into an even more prominent position. Now Ross is expected to start at edge rusher opposite Umanmielen. He’ll likely play more snaps than he did in 2025, when

Five-star freshman Lamar Brown could push Ross for snaps, but it looks like the 6-foot5, 246-pound junior has an opportunity to enjoy a career year anyway He’s always had potential. Ross was one of the 25 most highly rated players in his high school signing class, according to 247Sports composite rankings. LB TJ Dottery

Dottery was the leading tackler in the SEC at Ole Miss in 2025. Now he’s expected to start at linebacker next to Weeks to form what has the potential to be a dangerous pairing at the second level of the LSU defense.

There are areas in which Dottery can improve. According to Pro Football Focus, the fifth-year senior missed 16 tackles last season, which was the fourth-most among SEC linebackers who played more than 500 snaps. But the Tigers were looking for an experienced, reliable veteran to replace West Weeks, and they got that in Dottery — a proven SEC defender who’s started 27 games across the last two years. 247Sports said Dottery was one of the 15 best linebackers to enter the transfer portal.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates after winning his match against Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia on Monday at Wimbledon in London.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG

Serena Williams plays a return during a practice session ahead of Wimbledon. Her first-round match is Tuesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIN CHEUNG

Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts after falling down during a match against Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia on Monday in London.

Gleason

LIVING

LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE

Sedges have triangular stems, helping distinguish them from similar-looking grasses,which have round stems.

How can you tell if you’ve got asedge on your hands? Remember this rhyme: sedges have edges. Unlike grasses, which have round stems, sedges have triangular stems. And,ifyou run your fingers through the plant, you’ll feel athird edge in the middle of each leaf. Sedges also make themselves known with arapid rate of upright growththat outpaces turfgrasses. They can colonize an area quickly —and they’re perennial, so theycome back year after year

Some sedge species owe their aggressive nature to avast network of underground rhizomes and nutlike tubers, Blankenship said. This is true of the two most common sedgeswe deal with in Louisiana: yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus), which are sometimes collectively referred to as coco grass or nut grass. Yellow and purple nutsedge can be distinguished by the color of their flower heads, which form in late summer Purple nutsedge is abit harder to get under control,Blankenship said, but he recommends similar management strategies for both species.

BY JOYHOLDEN |Staff writer

Last Saturday,the Mary Leedonut shop on Drusilla Lanewas serving up adifferent kind of sweet treat to their Baton Rouge patrons —the Rukus XNikeDunk Low “Donut,” apinkand chocolate brown sneaker

Shoe collectors and Nike fans stood in line for the special collaboration shoe andmunched on frosted donuts in theshape of the Nike symbol and the Rukus “R.”

Rukus,a26-year-old Baton Rouge skate shop, has gained notoriety in thesneaker world for their Louisiana-themed skateboarding shoes.

See SHOE, page 2D

workers frosted and sprinkled donuts in the shape of the

BR AfricanAmericanMuseummakes return

Curator Jason Robertshangs apictureonthe wall of the BR AfricanAmerican Museum’snew location on St Louis Street in 2023.

BY BRIANNA MEEKS

The Rukus X Nike Dunk Low

‘Donut’ sneakers and theirMary Lee-inspired shoebox

MaryLee

Nike symbol and the Rukus R.

Wise wordsonattirewhenseeking lobstershells

Dear Miss Manners: My husband and Iwere on the coast and stopped at aquaint place for lunch. Iordered alobster tail, which came with the shell on. When Istarted to open it, it suddenly flew off my plate and out into the dining room somewhere. Being an independent and adventurous woman,I decided to go track it down and found myself wandering around the venue, peering sidewise under tables until Ifinallylocated the orangeshell. Ipicked it up and went back to my table where my husband was in convulsions.

acknowledging that it was indeed quite notnormal for people’slunch to fly into the center of adining room.But he said it was not so much thatIwent looking for my lunch, but the deep gooeybrown stain Ihad all over mybackside thathad beenondisplay throughout my search.

Gentlereader: Aren’tyou going to charge entertainment tax? And perhaps request alimony?

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Now mind you, it was summer, so of course Iwas wearingwhite pants. Itried to calm my husband,

By The Associated Press

Horrified,I peered aroundtocheck, and indeed, there was athick gooeydarksubstance smeared all over the seat of my pants. Ithendiscovered additional evidence of there havingbeen brown droppings on the chair where Ihad been seated. Thequestion Iamleft with is: What kind of atip should one be expected to leaveinsuch asituation?

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Tuesday,June 30,the 181st day of 2026. There are 184 days left in the year

Today’shighlight in history:

On June 30, 1934, AdolfHitler launched his “blood purge” of politicaland military rivals in Germany in what came to be known as the “Night of the Long Knives.”

Also on this date: In 1918, laboractivist and socialist Eugene V. Debs wasarrested in Cleveland, charged underthe Sedition Act of 1917 for aspeechinwhich he denounced U.S.involvement in World WarI (Debs was sentenced to 10 years in prison and disenfranchised for life; President Warren G. Harding commuted Debs’ sentence to time served in 1921.)

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding nominated former President William Howard Taft to be chief justice of the United States, succeeding the lateEdward Douglass White.

In 1936, MargaretMitchell’s novel “Gone With the Wind” was released.

In 1958, the U.S. Senatepassed theAlaska statehood bill.

In 1971, the SupremeCourt ruled, 6-3, that the government could not prevent The New York Times or The WashingtonPost frompublishingthe Pentagon Papers

In 1971, aSoviet space mission ended in tragedy when three cosmonauts aboardSoyuz 11 were found dead of asphyxiation inside their capsule afterithad returned to Earth.

In 1985, 39 American hostages from ahijacked TWAjetliner were freed in Beirut after being held for 17 days.

In 1994, the U.S. Figure Skating Association stripped Tonya Harding of the national championship and banned her for life for her role in the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan.

In 2009, U.S. Army Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl went missing from his base in eastern Afghanistan, and was later confirmed to have

been captured by insurgents after walking away from his post (Bergdahl was released on May 31, 2014, in exchangefor five Taliban detainees; he pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before theenemy, but was spared aprison sentence by amilitary judge.)

In 2012, Islamist Mohammed Morsi was sworn in as Egypt’s first freelyelected president. In 2016, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that transgender peoplewould be allowed to serveopenly in the U.S. military,ending one of the last bans onservice in thearmed forces.

In 2019, Donald Trumpbecame thefirst sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea, meeting Kim Jong-un at theDemilitarized Zonebetween North and SouthKorea.

In 2020, then-Mississippi Gov Tate Reeves signed abill retiring thelast U.S.state flag bearing the Confederate battle emblem. Thesame day,Boston’s arts commission voted to remove astatue depictingafreed slave kneeling at Abraham Lincoln’sfeet.

In 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in to theU.S. SupremeCourt, shattering aglass ceilingasthe first Black woman on thenation’s highestcourt.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Nancy Dussault is 90. Olympic track champion Billy Mills is 88. Oceanographer Robert Ballard is 84. Singer-songwriter Glenn Shorrock(Little River Band) is 82. Jazz musician Stanley Clarke is 75. Actor David Garrison (“Married …with Children) is 74. ConductorEsa-Pekka Salonen is68. Actor Vincent D’Onofrio is 67. Actor Deirdre Lovejoy(“TheWire”) is 64. Actor Rupert Graves is 63. Boxer MikeTyson is 60. Actor Monica Potteris55. Actor Rick Gonzalez is 47. Actor Lizzy Caplan is 44. Countrymusicsinger-songwriter Cole Swindell is 43. Singer andactress Fantasia is 42. Olympic swimming champion MichaelPhelps is 41.Baseball player Trea Turner is 33.

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE Sedges are notoriously tough weeds that thriveinboth lawns and landscaped areas.

Leavingaside the marital failing for the moment, Miss Manners can assure you that you needn’tindulge in retrospective embarrassment. Small accidents, although no fault of your own, may cause this.Had you merely walked around peering under people’stables, unkind people may have snickered —and resolved not toorderthe lobster

Butadding thepants display madeitsoawful that no one would have had theemotional freedom to makefun of you. They were all too busy being grateful that it had not happened to themselves.

To answer your question: One should always tip extra when

SHOE

Continuedfrom page1D

Jaylin Ordone, chief executive officer,and his business partner, Devin Chriss, chosethe NikeDunk shoe for aspecial collaboration to tell the Rukus 103 story.The business uses 103 in itsbrand because the police code for adisturbance is 103. The idea of adonut shoe inspired by the connection of police officersand donuts struckachord.

“As soon as we saw that Nike was coming out with adonut dunk shoe, we knew it was aperfect opportunity to tell Nike ourconcept,” Ordone said.

Chriss, Ordone andtheir friend Joey Park brainstormedideas for theshoe, and they came up with theideaofaMary Lee box. The concept expanded from there.

In today’s world of viral unboxingvideos,the Rukus 103 team created aMary Lee-inspired shoeboxthatincludedabevyofbonus goodies —anRdonut plush toy, a donuthat,customRukus stickers and astory card that provides an in-depthlook on the process. The first 50 customers also got acustom keychain.

On Saturday, Rukus showedup with500 pairs of shoes at Mary Lee Donuts, and they sold out in a few hours. The shoes can still be purchased at Nike.com,but they do nothave any of the Rukus and Mary Lee crossover packaging.

“Since Saturday,we’ve been receiving numerous calls and direct messages asking if we’regonna restock,” Ordone said, “but we don’t plan on restocking as of now. We’re on to the next one.”

Louisianalaces

The first Louisiana Rukus shoe debuted in 2014 —the Nike SB Dunk Low Rukus Crawfish.

Park, who is amember of the Sneaker Politicsmedia team in Dallas, said that the Crawfish shoe madeamark because of its details andcustom packaging. ARukus customer sincehewas in high school, Park said sneaker people know Rukus for thatspecificity nationwide.

Chriss and Ordone teamed up to create three Louisiana shoes —the 2023 Rukus XNew Balance Numeric Reveal 440 “Voodoo Doll”

MUSEUM

Continuedfrom page1D

public July 1— operating 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The reopening after RobertsJoseph’smurder took roughly five years of planning, renovations and fundraising by Roberts-Joseph’s children, Angela Roberts Machen and Jason Roberts. Machen serves as CEO and Roberts as curator

Roberts said he spent nearly threemonths constructing the museum’s sharecropper cabin exhibit, often working late nights after finishing hisjob at theIndependence ParkTheatre.

causing extra work. Presumably thestaff will have to clean up that chair —although, how did the messget there? Butthere is another question you should be asking. It is asacred marital duty to rescue one’s spouse from adifficult, not to say ludicrous, situation. What was yours doing while you went lobster hunting? Laughing? Eating his own lobster? Pretending he was not with you?

Dear Miss Manners: Igot in line at the grocery store checkout, quickly followed by another woman behindme. Apparently, she thought she should have gotten my place in line, as she began loudly grumbling about the rudeness of people! When we approached the checkout counter,she still grumbled.

So Iasked her to go ahead of me. She looked startled and shook her head dismissively.I insisted, saying she had only one item, whereas Ihad several. She darted ahead without a word as if I’dinsulted her.My common courtesy ruined her day Gentle reader: Unkind people would condemn this as passiveaggressive behavior.Miss Manners commends it as better than the usual aggressive-aggressive behavior —and moreeffective.

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.

shoe, the 2025 Rukus XNew Balance Numeric 480 “Mallard Duck” shoe and the “Donut” shoe.

“The majority of the collabs that we’vedone in the past have been shining alight on Baton Rouge or Louisiana, whether it’sthe Voodoo or the Mallard. We definitely plan on continuing telling more stories aboutLouisiana, just because we haven’t even scratched the surface yet,” Ordone said.

TheRukus collaboration with Nike was significantfor Ordone, but working with alocal business that he haspatronizedsince he was in high school was alittle sweeter

TheMaryLee connection

Not only have Ordone and Chriss dinedatMaryLee Donutssince they were teenagers, but their friend Parkhad even closer connections. His mom, Susan Park, and aunt, Mija Kang, own two Mary Lee shops —the Drusilla Lane and theHighland Road locations.

Joey Park and Ordone met through Rukus over adecadeago and bonded over their shared love of sneakers. Donuts werealso acommon thread between the friends. JoeyPark worked early mornings during high school, and Ordone would drive to Mary Lee to pick up donuts before school.

This month, Joey Park drove down from Dallas to help facilitate the launch,assisting his mother andhis Rukus friends.

examine them.People dressedin sunny,scarlet and green hues representing African pridewaited in aback room where vintage books satonshelves. Nearby,apainting depictingbrown hands breaking free from chains stretched across ayellow canvas.

Aquote by Martin Luther King Jr.shone from agray plaque on theopposite side of the room:“We mustlearn to live as brothers, or we will perish as fools.”

SEDGE

Continued from page1D

Herbicides are effective —if you choose the correct product. “Really read that label,” Blankenship said. “That’salways important, but you especially want to make sure that sedges are listed on that label underthe ‘weedscontrolled’section.Ifa product is designed just tokill grasses, it won’tkill asedge.” Hand-pulling is another option

Be sure to grab plants at their base and remove as much of the root system as possible. Tryto remove plants while they are still small —and be persistent

“You’re probably going to leave some of thosetubersin theground,” Blankenship said. “That’sgoing to besomething youhave to manage over time, and likely it’sgoingtobeafew years oftryingto pull them up andmaybeeven usingherbicides dependingonwhere they are. It’sgoingtobea long war and not an individual battle.”

“This is our continuation of her dream, her legacy,” Roberts said. Roberts said the sharecropper cabin exhibit was inspired by memories of visitstohis grandfather’s property and wasdesigned to honorhis mother’s childhoodin aMississippi sharecropping family,which now sits towardthe back of themuseum

The gallery features alarge centralspace surrounded by eight or more rooms. No two roomsare alike. Each space reflectsadifferent aspect of African American history,culture and education through artifacts, books,photographs and immersive exhibits.

During the Juneteenth event, antique African tribal wood carvings from themid-tolate 20th century reflected light across the faces of visitors whopaused to

Children stood with their fathers near the entryway as the Hill YouthChoir from Rose Hill Churchsang“Calling on Jesus, including 8-year-old Sydney Louis, whosaid Juneteenth is important because “we are celebrating and supportingour people.”

The celebration also featured asolo performance of “Someday We’ll AllBeFree” by 11-year-old Erin Johnson,asong selected by organizers because it was one of Roberts-Joseph’sfavorites. Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice John Michael Guidry said he had along-standing relationship with Roberts-Joseph, recallingthatshe invitedhim to speak at her Juneteenth programs each year

“This is asafe haven,”Guidry said. “This is aspace where our young people in our community can get their history and know the struggles that brought about the progress, and to inspire them to do even better.”

In the Trailblazer Room, children stood beside adentist chair honor-

“Wecouldn’thave done it without them,” Ordone said of the Parks. Joey Park said his mother and hercrew werepuzzledatthe customers showing up Saturday morning asking about “donut shoes.” While the event didn’tstart until 1p.m., there was already acustomer waiting at 7:30 a.m. Throughout the morning, people cameinto buy donuts, sat down and waiting to buy sneakers.

“By 11 a.m., it was getting pretty full and crazy in there,” Joey Park said. “I was passing out donuts, helping my mom and helping Rukus.”

Rukusonthe resale market

Sneaker collecting is abig business online, and the resale market can get expensive.

As of June 24, there are two Ebay listings, forthe RukusX Nike Dunk “Donuts” —one for $299.99 and another for $599.99 with the packaging and extra goodies. Chriss andOrdone’splan has worked with bringing attention to the Rukus 103 brand.

“That meansalot, especially being from Baton Rouge,” Ordone said. “If it wasuptome, Iwould makehowever manymore pairs to make sure everybody can get them, but considering thatpeopleare willing to pay over retail to make sure they secure them speaks volumes.”

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

ing Dr.Beverly Victor Baranco, a dentistand leader in the desegregation of East Baton Rouge Parish. ACongressional Record honoring the lifeand legacy of RobertsJoseph hung on the wall in the Founders Room as visitors walked through theexhibit.Portraits of Roberts-Joseph lined the room alongside certificates recognizing her contributions to the community Laura Sherman,who said she knewRoberts-Josephfor nearly twodecades, noted that an exhibit depicting cotton picking brought back memories of her mother, Wanda Clark, whogrew up picking cotton. Sherman said the display connected her family’sexperiences to the history preserved throughout the museum Jimmy McKnight, 17, of Zachary, said events like the museum’sJuneteenth celebration help younger generations understand the sacrifices that came before them.

“It’simportant because of how we got to the point thatweare in modern America,” McKnight said, “and all the wonderful things our ancestors did to get us here.”

This story was reported and written by Brianna Meeks, a journalism student at Southern University, withthe support of thenonprofitLouisiana Collegiate News Collaborative, an LSU-ledcoalitionofeight universitiesfundedbythe Henry Luce and JohnD.and Catherine T. MacArthurfoundations.

STAFFFILE PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS

SusanPark smilesasshe hands acustomer abox of freshglazeddonuts at MaryLee Donuts on Drusilla Lane on Nov. 7.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Take the initiative and follow through. Stop putting yourself last and letting others take advantage of you. Put your energy into self-help, health and a lifestyle that makes you happy.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Don't wait for someone else to make the first move. If you look on the bright side and let your smile and positive attitude lead the way, those you encounter will find it hard to resist you.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Engage in activities that encourage you to expand your circle of friends and to participate in a cause that helps you make a difference in your community. Don't make abrupt changes or spontaneous decisions.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Putemotionsaside anddedicatemoretimetofindingoutthe truth and making whatever adjustments are necessary to clear a path forward. Once you display your options, you'll get a sense of what's possible.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Take the high road, speak up for those who can't and make a difference. Protect your reputation and your physical well-being from careless individuals or those contesting your beliefs.

sAGIttARIus (nov 23-Dec 21) Whether it's visiting a place you've never been or reaching out to someone who can shed lightonasubjectyouwanttoincorporate into your life, what you encounter will help build momentum.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Sort matters through before you address issues

involving other people. Choosing the right words will make a difference to the outcome.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Set the tone for what's to come. Speak up, make a to-do list and execute your plans with finesse. The interest you attract will make a difference to how things unfold at home.

PIscEs (Feb 20-March 20) Sittight,regardless of what others choose to do. Pay more attention to self-preservation, health, exercise and overall happiness. Ease your stress, and pick your pastimes to suit your mood and ensure peace of mind.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Rethink your professional strategies first. Keep your dialogue simple, honest and upbeat. The highest return will come from how you present and deliver what you want to pursue.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Choose positive support instead of criticism when dealing with friends, family and colleagues. Offering enthusiasm will help further your agenda and assist those in your personal or professional circles.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Make a powerful statement, and get things done on time. Step outside your comfort zone, try new things and explore unique ways to utilize your skills and personality to reach your heart's desires.

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

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

toDAy's cLuE: P EQuALs s

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Jon Bon Jovi said, “Success is falling nine timesand gettingup10. Success in three no-trump is getting up nine tricks and falling four times.How should South plan to do that in this deal afterWest leads the spade king?

South starts with eight top tricks:one spade,twohearts,fourdiamondsandone club. The extra winner might come from hearts or clubs. In isolation, in hearts, one would cashdummy’s king, then take afinesse; or, in clubs, take twofinesses. The snag is that all of those finessesare intothe West hand, the defender who presumably has long and strong spades (tobeleadingdeclarer’sknownfour-card suit). Is there anythingbetter?

Of course! Southshouldduck the first two rounds of spades to find out if the suitis4-3 or worse. If it is worse,hehad better run hisdiamonds to try to bring pressure to bear on West, then probably hope thatthe heart finesse works. Here, though, spades are 4-3. Now it cannot hurt declarer to take the third spade and return his fourth spade, pitching aheart and aclub from the board. If West shifts to aheart or club, it concedes the contract. So let’s assume he safely leadsadiamond. South takes the trickonthe board and runs the club 10.

That losesand West produces another diamond. Now declarer should play off histwo top hearts. Here, thequeen drops and the contract is home. Butifshe does not appear, after cashing his last two diamond tricks, South should plan on taking asecond club finesse

©2026 by NEA,Inc., dist. By

Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD MEDALs: MED-uls: Small pieces of metal having astamped design. Average mark18words

Timelimit 20 minutes

Can you find 22 or morewords in MEDALS?

sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in theLord,mercy shall compasshim about.” Psalms 32:10

Bridge

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

AREA 2 3BR2BA,16x80 Mobile Home in CentralSchoolDistricton1 acre treed lot, $600 dep, $950/mthrent. Largestorage bldg,LawnService Included.225-603-4395

Zacharycollected an Ad ValoremPropertyTax MillageRatefor 2025 in theamount of 5.070 mills forthe purposeofraising revenue forthe City of Zacharytodefrayex‐penses of operationof thecitygovernmentfor allgeneral purposes WHEREASthe City Councilfor theCityof Zacharyhas made the determinationto fixand to establishthe prevail‐ingAdValorem Property TaxMillageRatetothe Adjusted MaximumMill‐ageRateat5.070 mils for theCityofZachary for theyearof2026, forthe purposeofraising rev‐enue forthe City of Zacharytodefray ex‐penses of operationof thecitygovernmentfor allgeneral purposes to wit:

BE IT ORDAINED,bythe City Councilfor theCity of Zachary, that by affir‐mative vote of theCity Council, that theAd‐justed MillageRateinthe amount of 5.070 millsbe andisherebylevied upon thedollarofthe as‐sessedvaluation of all property subjecttoad valoremtaxationwithin said City andParish for theyear2026, forthe purposeofraising rev‐enue forthe City of Zacharytodefrayex‐penses of operationof thecitygovernmentfor allgeneral purposes,and BE IT FURTHEROR‐DAINED that theAsses‐sorofthe Parish of East BatonRouge shallextend upon theassessmentroll forthe year 2026 the taxeshereinlevied, and thetax collectorofsaid Parish shallcollect and remitthe same to said taxing authorityinaccor‐dancewiththe law. This Ordinanceshall become effectiveatthe expiration of thepublica‐tion by theCityCouncil fortheCityofZachary all pursuant to §2-10(C) of theHomeRuleCharter adoptedbythe electors forthe City of Zachary.

INTRODUCED FORADOP‐TION by theCityCouncil of theCityofZachary as aregular meetingofthe said Councilheldonthis 26thday of May, 2026. ATTEST: DavidMcDavid,Mayor KarenBurdette Clerkofthe City Council Brandy Westmoreland MayorPro Tempore

SUBMITTEDFOR FINAL APPROVAL ANDADOPTED by theCityCouncil of the

nancewas adoptedby thefollowing votes: YEAS: NAYS: ABSTAINED: ABSENT: ATTEST: DavidMcDavid,Mayor

KarenBurdette Clerkofthe City Council

Brandy Westmoreland MayorPro Tempore Ordinance2026-09PRE‐SENTED TO THEMAYOR PURSUANT TO HRC§ 211(A),this_ dayof 2026 at ____: M. KarenBurdette Clerkofthe City Council IDOHEREBYACT TO ADOPT/ ____VETO THIS ORDINANCE, this dayof ____________, 2026 at ____: M, by my signaturebelow DavidMcDavid,Mayor CERTIFICATE Iherebycertify that the foregoing is atrueand exactcopyofthe ordi‐nanceadoptedatthe City Councilmeeting held on the_ dayof _______________,

p or abandon theproperty referenced on theat‐tached Exhibit“A” BE IT ORDAINED,bythe City Councilfor theCity of Zacharythatthe refer‐encedpropertiesbecon‐sideredtobesurplus property of theCity, and as such after anyand all notice,hearing andlegal delaybedisposedof, do‐natedorabandonedor sold at thediscretionof theMayor This Ordinanceshall become effectiveatthe expiration of ten(10) cal‐endardaysafter publica‐tion by theCityCouncil forthe City of Zachary, unless thereferencedor‐dinanceshall specifyan‐othereffective date,all pursuant to §2-10(C) of theHomeRuleCharter adoptedbythe electors forthe City of Zachary. INTRODUCEDFOR ADOP‐TION by theCityCouncil of theCityofZachary as aregular meetingofthe said Councilheldonthe 9thday of June,2026. SUBMITTEDFOR FINAL APPROVAL ANDADOPTED by theCityCouncil of the City of Zacharyasa reg‐ular meetingofthe said Councilafter beingduly noticedand publicized public hearingheldon the23rdday of June,2026 anduponwhich thefore‐going ordinance was read in full, therollwas called on theadoption thereof, andthe Ordi‐nancewas adopted.

ATTEST:

DavidMcDavid,Mayor

KarenBurdette Clerkofthe City Council

Brandy Westmoreland MayorPro Tempore Ordinance2026-11 PRE‐SENTED TO THEMAYOR PURSUANT TO HRC§ 211(A),this_ dayof June,2026 at ____: M.

KarenBurdette Clerkofthe City Council

IDOHEREBYACT TO ADOPT/ ____VETO THIS ORDINANCE, this dayofJune,2026 at ____: _, M, by my signaturebelow

DavidMcDavid,Mayor 192694 June 30,1t $43.51

p p

tionsat24CFR 55.20 Sub‐part CProcedures for Making Determinations on FloodplainManage‐ment

Theproject scopein‐cludes theconstruction of athree-storyaddition to theexisting fire sta‐tion on an approximately 1.25-acre site at 3901 BayouRd, St.Bernard,LA 70085. Approximatecoor‐dinatesare 29.860280, -89.775409. The500-year flood plain(0.2percent annualchance) wasused to define theFFRMS floodplain. Theentire projectsiteislocated in theFFRMS floodplain. Theproposedproject will includethe construction of an approximately 15,643 square feet new fire stationbuildingwith associated access drive, parking, utilities, andac‐cessories. Theexisting fire stationand parking area southofthe pro‐posedproject area will notbedemolished, and theproposedproject will supplement existing fa‐cilities.The proposed projectareaisbounded by LA 46 to thenorth,Fire StationRoadtothe west aconcretelevee wall to theeast, anda gravel drive/parkingareatothe south. Theproposedpro‐ject wouldimpactap‐proximately1 acre of FFRMS floodplainconsid‐eringtemporary work spaceand wouldperma‐nently impact approxi‐mately 0.75 acresof FFRMS floodplain. Based on areviewofNational Wetlands Inventory (NWI)data, theproject wouldimpactzeroacres of wetlands SBPG rejected thenoac‐tion alternativeasit wouldnot improveemer‐gencyresponseand pub‐licsafety in theproject area.SBPGattemptedto identify an area outside of theFFRMS floodplain to locate theproposed fire station, however, all possible areasthat wouldserve theareain need of increasedemer‐gencyresources were found to be located within theFFRMS flood‐plain. Aftercoordination with agencies,reviewing alternatives followingan earlypublicnoticepe‐riod in which no re‐sponseswerereceived, andthe factthatthe pro‐posedworkwould im‐proveemergency re‐sponse andpublicsafety to developmentlocated previously in the flood‐plain, SBPG determined that it hasnopracticable alternativeto floodplain development. Thereare threeprimary purposes forthisnotice. First, people who maybe affected by activities in floodplains andthose who have an interest in theprotectionofthe nat‐ural environmentshould be giventhe opportunity to expresstheir concerns and provide information b h

p abouttheseareas.Sec‐ond, an adequate public notice program canbe an importantpublicedu‐cational tool.The dis‐semination of informa‐tion about floodplains canfacilitateand en‐hanceFederal effortsto reduce therisks associ‐ated with thetemporary impactstothe special areas. Third, as amatter of fairness, whenthe Federalgovernmentde‐termines it will partici‐pate in actionstaking placein floodplains,it must inform thosewho maybeput at agreater or continuedrisk. Writtencommentsmust be received by Tim SoileauatELOSEnviron‐mental on behalf of SBPG at thefollowing address on or before July 15, 2026 during thehours of 8:00 AM and5:00PM. TimSoileau,Project Man‐ager/Environmental Sci‐entist,ELOSEnvironmen‐tal, LLC, 607 WMorrisAve Hammond, LA 70403, tsoileau@elosenv.com (985) 662-5501 192282 June 30,1t $459.27

PUBLIC NOTICE 19thJUDICIALDISTRICT COURT EAST BATONROUGE PARISH

REQUISITION 11297763

OFFICIAL PUBLIC NOTICE OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE AND THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE

Notice is hereby given to all citizens of the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of EastBaton Rouge and to all other interested persons, of the introduction at the regular meeting of the Metropolitan Councilofthe City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, held on June 24, 2026 of the proposed resolutions/ordinances, the titles of which areset forth hereinafter,and that public hearing will be held thereon by theMetropolitanCouncilat4:00 P.M., Wednesday July 22, 2026,inthe CouncilChambers(Room 348) on the third floor of the City-Parish Governmental Building in thisCity,these proposed resolutions/ordinances being entitled as follows:

RESOLUTION

Authorizing Mayor President to enter into alease agreement with Motorola Solutions for purpose of providing new portable radios for Police and Fire Departments. This lease includes the equipment software, upgrades of same, extended warrantiesand other support. Total cost forten years $9,206,273.60. Paid yearly starting 7-1-2027 at $1,000,000.00 till 7-12032, and then $801,568.40 per year for 7-1-2033 to 7-1-2036. By Fire Chief, Police Chief.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to amend of the Raising Cane’sRiver Center Rental Waiver Agreement with Visit Baton Rouge and ASM Global for the period January1,2025 through December 31, 2028 to increase the total rental waivers available to beawarded forcalendar year 2027 by $325,000, to an amount not exceed $725,000.ByMayor President,Visit Baton Rouge, and ASM Global.

ORDINANCE

Amending the 2026 Operating Budget so as to transfer funding in the amount of $50,000.00 from the Planning Commission to the Parish Attorney’sOffice for the purpose of funding salaries to support operations within the Parish Attorney’sOffice. ByParish Attorney &Planning Commission.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalf of the Baton Rouge Police Department, to enter into an operating services contract with Kologik SoftwareInc. to provide softwareservices forthe secure exchange of Integrated CriminalJustice Information System (ICJIS) data, which enables law enforcement personnel access to criminal information/history The estimated compensation for the four (4) agreements will not exceed $48,480.00, paid annually,for atotal not to exceed$193,920.00, effective July 6, 2026, through July 5, 2030. The agreement will be funded by the department’sAnnual Operating Budget, specifically the Police General Fund. By Police Chief.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalf of the Baton Rouge Police Department, to enter into aCooperativeEndeavor Agreement (CEA) with the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS). This CEA establishes terms for reimbursement of BRPD personnel costs associated with the full-time assignment of aschool resource officer (SRO)toEBRPSS (McKinley H.S.) for the 2026-2027school year.ByPoliceChief RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalf of Buildings and Grounds -Building Maintenance Division to execute acontract with Institutional Service &Consultants,Inc. for Replacement Control Panel at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison in the amount not to exceed $62,821.50. Contract term begins 6/1/2026-12/31/2026.(Account #1000-3000-20-3020-00000000-000000-647200-4000).ByBuildingand GroundsDirector

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor President, on behalfofthe DivisionofHuman Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana in the amount of $223,500.00 awarded under the Ryan White Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Program for the grant period March1,2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By HumanDevelopment &Services Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Our Lady of the Lake Hospital,Inc. in theamount of $194,000.00 awarded under the Ryan White Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Program for the grant period March1,2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By HumanDevelopment &Services Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with NO AIDS Taskforce d/b/a Crescent Care in theamount of $196,000.00 awarded under the Ryan White Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Program for the grant period March1,2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By HumanDevelopment &Services Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, Inc. in theamount of $298,000.00 awarded under the Ryan White Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Program for the grant period March1,2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By HumanDevelopment &Services Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Family ServicesofGreater Baton Rouge in theamount of $215,000.00 awarded under the Ryan White Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Program for the grant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Capitol City Family Health Center, Inc. in theamount of $245,000.00 awarded under the Ryan White Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Program for the grant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana in the amount of $253,596.00 awarded under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Part A Program for the grant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the executionofall documentsinconnectiontherewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Our Lady of the Lake, Inc. in the amount of $340,000.00 awarded under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Part AProgram forthe grant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith.ByHuman Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with NO AIDS

Director RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, Inc. (HAART) in the amount of $1,098,373.00 awarded under

Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge in theamount of $959,008.00 awarded under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Part AProgram for the grant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Capitol City Family Health Center,Inc. in the amount of $684,381.00 awarded under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Part AProgram for the grant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with OurLady of the Lake Hospital, Inc. in the amount of $49,508.00 under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Minority AidsInitiative (MAI) Program for thegrant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with Capitol City Family Health Center,Inc. in the amount of $69,354.00 under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Minority AidsInitiative (MAI) Program for the grant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor President, on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services Ryan White Program, to execute asubrecipient contract with HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, Inc. (HAART) in the amount of $228,537.00 under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Minority AidsInitiative (MAI) Program for thegrant period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and authorizing the execution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Presentation of the Public Safety Plan from theOffice of Violence Prevention. By Councilman Darryl Hurst.

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President, on behalf of the Library BoardofControl, to execute the first optional one-year renewal of Contract #800007078 with OOKJanitorial Service, Inc., in the amount not to exceed $720,000, for the period June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027, with oneoptional one-year renewal, for atotal amount not to exceed $1,440,000. By Library Director

RESOLUTION

Amending Resolution 48064, Section 5(B) so as to expand the limit of the number of boards aperson can serve on from two to four.By Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute acontract and engagement letter with Eisner Advisory GroupLLP in the amount not to exceed $61,500 to perform aprocess assessment evaluation for collecting, processing, and recording revenues associated with Baton Rouge City Court and Baton Rouge City Constable’sOffice. By Finance Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to accept and amendment on behalf of the Division of Human Development &Services, Office of Social Services to accept funding from Louisiana Works, Discretionary funds in theamount of $50,003.00, in support of RidetoWork2.0: Pedalingtowards Progress Project for atotal $1,539,479.00 for theFederal Fiscal Year of 2025 grant period October 1, 2025 through September 30th, 2027; and authorizing theexecution of all documents in connection therewith. By Human Development &Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute Supplement Agreement No. 1toanexisting contract for Professional Services with Patch Landscape Architecture, LLC for additional services associated with MOVEBR Enhancement Project Scotlandville Plaza Enhancement Project, being City-Parish Project No.24-EN-AS-0021, in an amount not to exceed $10,250.00, bringing the total contract amount not to exceed $143,250.00. (Account No. 9107800010-4610.00000-0000000000-653900).By Transportation and Drainage Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to execute aSupplemental Agreement for Professional EngineeringServices with Professional Engineering Consultants Corporation,for services associated with the MOVEBR Project Groom Road (LA19toPlankRoad) being City-Parish Project No. 19-EN-HC-0035, in an amount not to exceed $51,166.55, bringing the total contract amount not to exceed $1,531,753.18.(Account No. 92171000764370.00000-0000000000-653240).ByTransportation andDrainage Director RESOLUTION

Rescinding and directing the clerk of court to cancel the Notice to Attend recorded on October 13, 2025, at Original 153 of Bundle 13399, Original 154 of Bundle 13399 and the Decision and Order recorded on December 1, 2025, at Original 156 of Bundle 13407 in the matter of “City of Baton Rouge VS. John Christopher Pilley andClinton T. Francis”Condemnation ProceedingNo. 11691 (5836 Byron St., Lot 13 Sq.2,White Plains Subdivision). Reason for rescission: The property is being sold and renovated.ByCouncilwoman Harris.

RESOLUTION

Authorizingthe Mayor-President, on behalf of the Department of Juvenile Services, to execute arenewal contract with Justice Benefits, Inc. (JBI) to administer theTitle IV-E Federal Foster CareReimbursement Program at arate of twelve percent (12%) of revenue reimbursed to the City-Parish foreligible reimbursement activities. Whereas, the parties desiretorenew andextendthe Agreement for Professional Services dated March 10, 2023 (“Agreement”), so that Justice Benefits, Inc. may continue to provide professional assistance to theCity-Parish in exploring opportunities for Federal Financial Participation,reviewing prospects for the expansion of existing Federal Financial Participation, and securing Federal Financial Participation for theCity-Parish.The Agreement, including all terms, conditions, and provisions, is incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth herein.The Agreement is hereby renewed and extended for an additional one-year period and shall expireonDecember 31, 2026; And authorizing the execution of all documents necessary in connection therewith. By Juvenile Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President

RESOLUTION

Authorizing the Mayor-President to enter into aCooperative

RESOLUTION

RESOLUTION

RESOLUTION

RESOLUTION Authorizing

By Emergency Medical Services Director

RESOLUTION

Authorizing theMayor-President to enter into aCooperativeEndeavor Agreement (CEA) forthe Department of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with The CityofZachary(Zachary). This CEA is forthe City-Parish, through EMS, to lend ZacharyLUCAS (Lund UniversityCardiopulmonary Assist System) automated CPR devices. The City-Parishand EMSwish to improve public healthand provide access to lifesaving equipment throughout theParishofEast Baton Rouge and theCity of Zacharythrough theZacharyFireDepartment.ByEmergency Medical Services Director CONDEMNATION INTRODUCTIONS

Lucille Green Armstrong 2750 70th Ave. (4th Building East of Nottingham St SouthSide of 70th Ave.), Lots33& 34, Sq. 51 Bank AdditionSubdivision -Council District 2-Kenney

Johnny Jones, Frank Oliver Collins,The EstateofAliceEarlJones Bowman, and The Succession of Elvin Jones 4069 TuscaroraSt., Lot 8(Less &Except that PortionSold to Dept.) 9+ (Lot 9& Lot 10 Less &Except;That PortionExpropriatedbythe StateofLA. & Dept. of Hwy.), Sq. 14 -Council District10-Coleman

Watasha Covington and Jamie Covington 1056 Progress St., Lot 55+ (Lots 55 &56), Sq. 2

Progress ParkSubdivision -Council District10-Coleman

Angeli Bergeron 2151 Cedardale Ave.,Lot 26, Sq. 19 UniversityGardens Subdivision -Council District 12 -Racca

PeteT.Cittadino, Jr and Terry Bankston Cittadino 8926 CorlettDr.,Lot 64 Cedar Glen Subdivision -Council District 2-Kenney

Lenora S. Drake

3021 Lorraine St Lot H, Sq. 3

Delmont Place Subdivision -Council District 5-Hurst

Daniel Gabriel Bowman and Latoya Marie Bowman 303 Bon Crest Ave.,Lot 214

Crestworth Subdivision -Council District 2–Kenney

Sateria Annette Tate

3852 Byron St.(House and Rear Garage), Lot 115+ (Lot115 &The East

1/2 of Lot 114)

NorthHighlands Estates Subdivision -Council District 5-Hurst

Wilbert Jones and Wayne Drake

5221 FordSt. (House and AllAbandoned Vehicles), Lot 5+ (Lots 5, 6, 7& 8), Sq. 25

Zion CitySubdivision -Council District5 -Hurst

Ollie Fleming, Stephanie Fleming Trim,MariS.Robillard, Raven Campbell, EdwardFleming, Eric D. Fleming, ChiquitaSeymore, Kimberly Monique RayburnA/K/A Kimberly Monique Terrance, Christopher Rayburn, The EstateofOllie Fleming, and The EstateofVeraFleming 754 N39thSt. (Any and AllStructures and/or RemnantsofStructures Located on Lots21and 22, Square2,Greenville Addition, Regardless of theMunicipal Address Displayed or Used.), Lots21& 22, Sq. 2 Greenville AdditionSubdivision -Council District 7-Harris BennettJ.Virdure, The EstateofLeonardVirdure, The EstateofJuanita Higginbotham Virdure, The EstateofSamuel Fines, and The Estateof Serena Fines 512 SaguaroAve.(All StructuresLocated on theDescribedLots, Situated in theSoutheast Corner of theIntersectionofSaguaroAvenue and Main Street), Lots11, 12 &13, Sq. 11

Morningside Subdivision -Council District 7-Harris

Donnie Northern 4370 EBrookstown Dr.(House +Any and AllAuxiliary Buildings), Lot 66 Kean Place Subdivision -Council District7 -Harris

BCJ Properties, L.L.C. 1215 Eddie Robinson Sr Dr., Lot 4PT+ (N 40thFt. of theS1/2 of Lots4 &5), Sq. 276

SuburbSwart Subdivision -Council District 10 -Coleman

The EstateofJames APayne(S),Srand The EstateofRosa VPayne(S) 1618 N48thSt., Lot 43, Sq. 31 Greenville Extension Subdivision -Council District 7– Harris