The Advocate 07-02-2026 by The Advocate

WORLD CUP: U.S. TOPS BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 2-0 1C

Lawsuit over teacher stipend plan dropped

Governor’s

order cuts

$168M from school funds

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Education advocates have dropped their legal challenge to Gov Jeff Landry’s order to pull money from public school budgets to pay for teacher stipends.

The order which took effect Wednesday, cuts $168 million from the state’s main education fund and uses the money to give $2,000 stipends to teachers and $1,000 to school support staff.

The advocates were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to ask

a Baton Rouge judge to block the funding cut, which state lawmakers approved last week. However, on the eve of the hearing, the advocates decided to withdraw their lawsuit.

Katie Baudouin, an Orleans Parish School Board member and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said she and the two other advocates determined that they couldn’t stop the governor’s order before it went into effect.

“The cuts are going to be made,” she said. “Whether or not those cuts could be restored at a later date was unclear.” Earlier this month, the advocates

obtained a temporary restraining order to stop the state from carrying out the governor’s plan. They argued that Landry overstepped his legal authority by effectively reallocating education funding and that the Legislature, which is not in session, should have reconvened to publicly debate the plan rather than voting on it remotely Lawmakers “chose to vote on one of the most important education funding issues in years through an online voting platform while calling

ä See LAWSUIT, page 4A

Clerk’s office errors delay Dunn prosecution

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

BR housing inspections raise red flags

Questionable permit, Cash App payment probed

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

On an October day in 2022, an East Baton Rouge building code enforcement officer inspected three small homes renovated through a federally funded housing deal — the ﬁnal step before the developer could receive occupancy permits. All three failed.

The inspector said the homes renovated by local developer Jason Hughes — lacked running water, electricity and heat, according to documents obtained by The Advocate. The inspection also turned up hazardous wiring and missing insulation.

But the very next day, a different inspector approved all three homes, declaring them ﬁt to be lived in.

“I cannot think of any reasonable explanation that would justify passing these inspections.”

BILL POUSSON, East Baton Rouge Parish permitting official

The timing of the second inspection raised red flags among city-parish officials, who began investigating, records show They went back and found 11 deficiencies serious enough to bar the three properties from receiving a permit, documents show “I cannot think of any reasonable explanation that would justify passing these inspections,” said city-parish permitting official Bill Pousson in a December 2022 Department of Development memo.

City-parish ofﬁcials promptly put the inspector Grayson Washington, a chief code enforcement ofﬁcer at the time — on leave, requiring him turn in his government-issued phone.

Upon examining its contents, they found evidence that he received a payment to his personal Cash App account from a permit applicant on a different property, records obtained by The Advocate show Ofﬁcials suspected he improperly let that property pass inspection after being paid, according to a letter they wrote to the Louisiana Board of Ethics.

ä See HOUSING, page 5A

Prosecutors say the East Baton Rouge Parish clerk of court has three times failed to issue a subpoena bringing East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr into

court for his arraignment on corruption charges, causing a high-profile investigation to stall for more than a month Dunn was scheduled to enter a plea on Wednesday, but did not appear because he was not served papers informing him of the court date, ofﬁcials

said. “Judge, this is the third arraignment date that the state requested notice be sent,” said a frustrated Joseph LeBeau, prosecutor for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s ofﬁce. It is unclear why subpoenas were not issued for Dunn. But the missteps have

Subpoena not issued for Metro Council member ä See ERRORS, page 4A

questions about

Grand jury probe adds to N.O., state feud

Simmering hostilities between AG, local leaders flare up

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Weeks after Louisiana Attorney General

Liz Murrill threatened to remove seven New Orleans leaders from elected ofﬁce, simmering hostilities between the Republican attorney general and Democratic local leaders are ﬂaring to new heights.

Murrill now faces an Orleans Parish criminal grand jury probe, several sources told The Times-Picayune | The Advocate on Tuesday The panel is said to be review-

ing whether Murrill broke laws in May involving intimidation of public officials, based on when she wrote to Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams and other local officials and threatened to remove them from office if they did not walk back calls to elect a new court clerk.

On Wednesday, Louisiana’s top lawyer gave a measured response when asked about the possibility that she might face criminal charges.

“I can’t explain why they do things in New Orleans the way they do them, but I

would say I’m not surprised,” she said at a news conference called in Baton Rouge to discuss the arrests of people accused of bilking Medicaid programs. To some longtime courtroom watchers, news of the criminal grand jury investigation seemed to highlight just how far the debate between local and state ofﬁcials has spiraled off the rails.

“This is an absurd continuation of the silliness between these grown-ups a few months ago,” said Dane. S. Ciolino, a law professor who specializes in ethics at

ä See FEUD, page 5A

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

A row of homes developed by Jason Hughes’ Hughes Consulting Group is at the center of

housing inspections.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Gov. Jeff Landry holds an executive order that calls for taking money from public school budgets to fund teacher stipends after signing it on June 2.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE Attorney General Liz Murrill answers questions at a news conference on Wednesday.

1 dead, 4 hurt after Greece firebomb attack

THESSALONIKI, Greece

One person died and three others were injured in three pre-dawn ﬁrebomb attacks that struck the homes of members of Greece’s governing conservative New Democracy party, authorities said Wednesday

The attacks between 4 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. outside apartment buildings in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki used crude explosive devices made with camping gas canisters All the injuries were sustained from the last of the three attacks, where cars and motorcycles were set ablaze, police said.

One of the cars reportedly was owned by a parliamentary candidate for the New Democracy party Afroditi Nestora. Nestora suffered burns but her mother succumbed to her burn injuries in an intensive care unit. Two other residents in the apartment building were also hospitalized, police said.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who also heads New Democracy, traveled to Thessaloniki to visit the injured in hospital Wednesday afternoon. Mitsotakis called the death conﬁrmation of the “blind violence in public life.”

Attacks by shadowy Greek militant groups against symbols of power or the property of politicians, police or other authority ﬁgures are relatively frequent. Most cause material damage but no injuries.

Actor Danny Glover has Alzheimer’s disease

NEW YORK Actor and activist Danny Glover best known for starring as an easygoing police ofﬁcer in the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, has revealed he has Alzheimer’s disease.

The four-time Emmy Award nominee, who turns 80 on July 22, told “Today” and People magazine that he was diagnosed with the progressive, memory-destroying disease three years ago.

“I’m still not accepting in my mind all parts of it,” he told People magazine. “There are the moments that you keep remembering that validate the fact that you can remember stuff. And there are moments I’ll never forget.”

More than 6 million people in the United States and millions more around the world have Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.

Glover earned four Emmy Award nominations and an honorary Oscar in 2022. Other awards came from the NAACP and Black Entertainment Television, and he received nominations from the Screen Actors Guild.

Glover also served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998 to 2004. It focuses on poverty, disease and economic development in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Administration sues Calif., Va. over gun laws

WASHINGTON The Trump administration sued California and Virginia on Wednesday over new laws in both states that restrict the sale of semiautomatic ﬁrearms.

The two separate lawsuits ﬁled by the Justice Department in federal court say the laws violate the Second Amendment.

“The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a news release announcing the lawsuit against Virginia.

Virginia’s Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, signed legislation earlier this year banning the sale and manufacture of certain semiautomatic firearms. The law, which took effect Wednesday, is facing at least four other lawsuits challenging its constitutionality

The California law prohibits gun shops from selling certain handguns that can easily be made fully automatic.

Attorneys general in both states vowed to defend their gun laws.

AP reconstructs deadly strike

Pentagon remains quiet on bomb that killed over 100 children

BY JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

JERUSALEM Itwasthedeadliestreported strike in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, and most of the victims were children. Yet over four months since a U.S. missile struck anIranian primary school, there is no ﬁnal accounting of what happened.

The Trump administration has not directly accepted the blame, though the military possessed evidence almost immediately that the site had been struck, a U.S. ofﬁcial with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously to discuss an ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press.

Drawing from interviews with U.S. ofﬁcials, human rights workers and Iranians in direct contact with rescuers and families of victims, the AP reconstructed the strike and its aftermath to reveal new details of what happened Most requested anonymity for fear of retribution against them and their sources.

Details remain elusive. When asked last week about the strike, President Donald Trump said he had seen nothing to make him believe the U.S. was responsible. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to the AP’s request for comment.

Teachers called parents Skies over the city of Minab

were clear the morning of Saturday, Feb. 28. Students jostled into the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, one of many across Iran established for children of families tied to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard or other state institutions, said Shiva Amelirad the international representative for an Iranian teachers union who taught in Iran for 18 years and has been in contact with people in Minab.

Though most schools in Iran operate within guidelines proscribed by the Islamic Republic, the Shejareh Tayyebeh schools were more explicitly oriented toward reproducing and reinforcing the Guard’s worldview, she said, adding: “Regardless of the students’ family backgrounds, children are civilians and any attack targeting a school is unequivocally condemnable.”

The building lay within the same compound as a Guard base, according to an AP assessment of satellite imagery It was a Guard building before it was fenced off and converted over a decade ago.

Some of its students were the children of Guard officers. Others were local kids from an area populated by people of a majoritySunni ethnic minority known as the Baluch, often repressed by the Iranian government, said a local rights group.

Hundreds of students were inside when bombs began falling on

Tehran. School staff began calling parents, summoning them for an early pickup, said two people.

One father living nearby rushed to pick up his son, said the resident of Minab, who relayed several families’ stories He noticed young relatives waiting for their parents, said the resident. They declined his offer of a ride home.

Ten minutes later, bombs hit at least five buildings in the compound, according to satellite imagery At least one collapsed the neighboring school.

The father raced back to the chaos at the school, where men pawed through smoking rubble to dig out the bodies, according to video of the aftermath circulated by state media. He saw burned bodies he believed were his relatives.

Bodies arrived at the local hospital in pieces, said the Balochistan Human Rights Group. By the end of the day, doctors at the hospital estimated they had at least 108 bodies, but cautioned that it was likely an undercount, said the resident of Minab. Soon, state media was reporting a toll of 168.

Clues buried in archives

Racing to document the ongoing bombardment, journalists and rights groups struggled to verify details from Minab. Government restrictions in Iran prevented

most foreign journalists from entering the country Iran had shut down the internet. The Strait of Hormuz became a major battleﬁeld. All branches of Iran’s military deployed heavily in the area, said the resident, heightening fears among families of the victims about speaking out.

With details of the death toll elusive, researchers homed in on the question of responsibility Iran blamed the U.S. Trump blamed Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was investigating. Internally, the U.S. military knew more than it initially let on.

After the blast, the U.S. military knew they had conducted strikes in the vicinity though it took time to verify Iranian claims that a school was struck and begin an investigation, said the U.S. official. It appears that the building housing the school was identified as such by one analyst as early as seven years ago, but that discovery was not sufficiently made known across different intelligence and military staffs and agencies; the building was not known among target developers as a school, revealing potential systematic shortfalls in the target analysis and review process, they said.

Much of the investigative work has been completed and the military is currently reviewing the ﬁndings.

Still, there is no full list of the dead.

Authorities: Rescued youths were ‘almost feral’

16 children recovered from dilapidated conditions

BY JULIE CARR SMYTH and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

HAMDEN, Ohio Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday Some of the children discovered Tuesday were unable to speak and one — an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled could not even write her name, investigators said.

“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. “Just a disgusting scene.”

The children’s parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said Ofﬁcials emphasized the case involved one family Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation,

“serious physical harm.”

Gary Siders Jr Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set bond at $300,00 for each.

They have not yet been assigned lawyers.

Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s ofﬁce, would not say whether all of the children are siblings or how they were related.

Neighbor saw no kids

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a news conference.

Ofﬁcials said it seemed as if no one outside the family knew about the children, who weren’t enrolled in school.

“We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there,” said Wilson, who was nearly at a loss for words in describing what ofﬁcials found in the tiny village of Hamden that sits in one of Ohio’s poorest counties.

“It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he said.

‘Feral animals’

The sheriff said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet. He didn’t disclose how the kids were

kept inside the home, but said authorities didn’t ﬁnd any cages in the house.

The children ranged in age from 11/2 years to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, officials said. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were ﬂown by helicopters. One was in critical condition on Tuesday while some of the others were admitted for care, Wilson said.

“They looked like almost feral animals,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.”

The children were in temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said the four adults were charged with seconddegree felony child endangering because it involves

West Nile virus season hits earliest, worst start since 2004

CDC urges people to prevent mosquito bites

BY DEVI SHASTRI AP health writer

Health ofﬁcials are encouraging people to use bug spray and mosquitocontrol efforts as West Nile virus season is off to its earliest and worst start in over two decades.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that it had conﬁrmed at least 48 cases 38 of them severe as of June 30. Since 2004, the average number of cases reported to the CDC by the end of June is around 10. Federal health ofﬁcials said 23 states have report-

ed ﬁnding West Nile virus, the most in 10 years.

“These findings serve as an important reminder that mosquito season is well underway,” said Dr Erin Staples, a CDC expert on insect-borne diseases. “As families gather outdoors to celebrate Independence Day, we encourage everyone to enjoy their holiday while taking simple steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from mosquito bites.”

Most of the cases have been in Arizona. Of the state’s 32 total cases, 29 are in Maricopa County

The county, which includes Phoenix, has also recorded four deaths from the virus so far this year Officials there asked people to wear bug spray

containing DEET, patch up broken window screens and get rid of standing water, where mosquitoes often breed.

“Even an overturned bottle cap can hold enough water for mosquitoes to breed,” said Melissa Kretschmer, a county health department official. “It’s important that we remove these breeding sources that can form after rain or watering plants.”

The CDC also recommends people wear long, loose-ﬁtting clothes when outside to make it harder for mosquitoes to bite them. Experts also suggest people avoid being outdoors around dusk and dawn, when the mosquitoes that carry the virus are most active.

The house where the children were found sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden.

The closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush, but the house is easily visible from the road.

An open door revealed bits of trash inside while a wooden deck and the backyard were ﬁlled with discarded tires, a high chair and other debris. Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided setting up medical and government records.

“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Wilson said.

Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any children’s services agencies in the past.

Neighbor Joseph Stewart, 60, said he saw “no kids at all” since the family moved in three houses down and that he could clearly see the house and yard when passing by “It’s a sad situation,” he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIE CARR SMyTH

The dilapidated home where authorities say they removed 16 children and arrested four adults remains blocked off by crime scene tape on Wednesday in Hamden, Ohio.

21 arrested in La.Medicaidfraud investigation

Providersaccused of falseclaims

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Attorney General Liz Murrill on Wednesday announced 21 arrests relatedtoMedicaid fraudand abuse of patients that arepartof astate and nationwide crackdown on fraud in the program. Many of thearrests relate to Louisiana providers accused of submitting false claims toreceive Medicaid reimbursement forservices they did not actually provide according to arelease from Murrill’sofﬁce. The releasesays the frauds involve sums ranging from $500 to $100,000, though most are

between $5,000 and$10,000.

“One of my topprioritieshas beenrooting out fraud and holding accountable individuals and companies who trytocheat the system,” Murrill said during anews conference at the State Capitol. “Every dollar that is stolenbyfraud is adollar that is taken away from a child, asenior or a family that relies on these critical services andsupport.”

“These individuals are trying to proﬁt at theexpense of hardworking taxpayers, and while Louisiana is notimmune to these schemes, we’remaking it clear that we won’t

tolerate them,” she added.

The arrests stem from investigations performed by Murrill’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. That unit is being turnedinto astandalone division within the Louisiana Department of Justice, Murrill announced. It is led by Matt Stafford.

The FBI, theDrug Enforcement Administration andother federal partners helpedinthe operation, which was part of acoordinated national investigation, Murrill said.

Otherarrestsinvolve cases where people allegedlyfalsified documents in response to Medicaid-related audits, such as CPR investigations. Some concern workersaccused of abusingpatientsin their care.

In twoadditional cases being

prosecuted at the federallevel, providers in Louisiana allegedly defrauded Medicaidfor between $800,000 and $28.4 million, per the release.

Thosearrests areinaddition to related indictments Murrillhas obtained since taking ofﬁce, during which timeshe “has indicted, arrested, or charged95individuals for programmatic offenses, includingMedicaidfraud and abuse and neglect in residential facilities,” the release says. “She has alsosecured 105 convictions andover $73 million in ordered restitution.”

The Louisiana Department of Health hasalso been apartnerin rooting out fraud, according to ofﬁcials.

“LDH has completely changed ourparadigm on fraud detection, prevention and recovery in the last year or so to better police spendinginthe Medicaidprogram,” said agency head Bruce Greenstein, whoappeared alongside Murrill at the newsconference.

The Health Department created an in-house Medicaid fraud detection unit in 2024 and has been able to audit many more tips andprogram anomalies than it has in previous years, Greensteinsaid, adding that someofthose cases were referred to the attorney general.

Murrill’sMedicaid fraud unit received about $13.3 million in funding during the ﬁscal year that ended Wednesday,according to the release, which says that $10 million came fromafederal grant and$3.3 million came from the state.

U.S.,Iranholdseparatemeetings, agreetocontinuetalks

Pakistanimediators, host Qatarreporting ‘positiveprogress’

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, UnitedArabEmirates

U.S. and Iranian negotiators met separately on Wednesday with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, with “positive progress made,” and they agreed to continue discussions, host Qatar said. The next meeting will be scheduled “at the earliest possible time” after the funeral of Iran’sprevious supreme leader,the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Majed al-Ansari, aspokesman for Qatar’sForeign Ministry, said on X. The funeral is set to start Saturday in Tehran

U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,U.S. President Donald Trump’sson-in-law,were in Qatar for talks seeking a permanent end to the war along with Iran’stop negotiator,KazemGharibabadi.

Negotiators aim to nail down specifics to pave the way fortop leaders to seal an agreement, though differences overthe Strait of Hor-

Agroupofpeople stands in shallowwater as acargoship appears anchored in the

Iran, on Tuesday.

muz and Lebanon loom large. Ashipran agroundin the straitwhile using aroutenot approved byIran, statetelevisioninTehranreported Wednesday.The vessel was identiﬁed as aforeign container ship,with no other details. The report appeared aimed at underliningTehran’sclaims to control the strait, which theworldhas longconsidered an interna-

of Hormuzoff

tional waterway.Afifthof alloil andnatural gas passed through it in peacetime.

Sincethe U.S.and Israel launchedthe war against Iran on Feb. 28, Iran has usedits ability to choke off the waterwayasakey source of leverage,disrupting global marketsfor energy and other critical goods. Strait akey sticking point Iran and theUnited States

Filing showsTrump took in about$1.2billion from crypto

He also earned millions on Bibles

BY BERNARD CONDON Associated Press

NEW YORK President Donald Trump took in nearly $1.2billion from his crypto businesses lastyear, afederal ﬁling released Tuesday shows, locking in profits while his investors were sockedwith losses.

Mere startups when he took the oath of ofﬁce, the new ventures havenow eclipsed in revenue much of his vast property portfolio that took him decades to accumulate. Fueling their rise were billionaire investors and Trump’sown move to quash afederalcrackdown on the industry

Trump gotmorethan $500 million from his World Liberty Financial business selling new crypto products, including “governance tokens,” according to the required annual disclosure report with the OfﬁceofGovernmentEthics It also showed another crypto business, CIC Digital LLC, tookinmore than $600 million from sales of souvenirtype “meme” coins stamped with his face. Both the tokensand the coins have plunged in value since the sales.

Trump also took in millions last year from selling Trump-branded Bibles, sneakers and other small items in another unprecedented move for the presidency.The sale of Trumpbranded watches alone brought in $4.7 million.

The 927-page disclosure formpaints astark, if incomplete picture of the massive growth of the president’s wealthsince taking office last January through aweb

of business interests —many of which have benefited from the policymoves of Trump’s owngovernment.Trump has insisted that his sons direct his financesbut the arrangement rejects theconflict of interest protections that his recent predecessorsinoffice hadinstituted.

Forbes estimates Trump’s net worthat$6billion, up from $2.3 billion in 2024. Business growingabroad Theriseofcryptorelative to Trump’spropertyis especially noteworthy because he first rode to office boasting of his property wins. It’salsoremarkable because that mainstay business also boomed lastyear Trump tookintens of millions in fees from aflurry of new hotel, resort and condo dealsoverseas that amounts to the biggest property expansion ever in the century since the family business was founded

Many of thosecountries were negotiatingwith the U.S. over tariffs, military aidand otherimportant matterswhile the family business wasstrikingthe deals Aproperty in theUnited Arab Emirates generated $10.4 million for the Trump business last year. Onein Saudi Arabia being built by areal estate developer close to theruling family sent the president’scompany$9million. And one in Bucharest, Romania, and another inQatar senthim $5 million each.

One of his prominent domesticproperties, Mar-aLago in Florida, notched big growthlast year,too.

Trump tookin$77 million from theproperty, a50% jump from the year earlier whenhewas just another citizen,asheadsofstate and business people ﬂocked to it

in his new term.

The disclosure report doesn’tgive profit figures, just revenue, so it’s impossible to know how much he is earning.

Billion-dollarcryptoman

TrumpsaidWednesday thatmost of his gains last year came from the stock market and he’sjust riding along with everyone else.

“We’re allprofiting,” he said.“I’mproﬁting because Ihavea lotofmoney anda lot of cash.”

But crypto was clearly the big revenue generator last year in part due his own moves since taking ofﬁce pushing policies friendly to theindustry and reversing a Biden administration regulatory crackdown.

The regulatorsare still worried.Before Trump’s World Liberty beganselling “governance tokens,” they issuedwarnings aboutthis newkind of crypto asset, saying thatunlike stocks, the tokens offer no ownership stakeinthe issuingcompany just voting power on certain corporate policies, andare difﬁcult to value.

Buyers pounced anyway, including aChinese billionaire who spent $75 million on the tokens and $200 milliononthe souvenir coins In February last year,afederal lawsuit charginghim withduping investors was pausedbefore being settled for a$10 million ﬁne.

The billionaire, Justin Sun, has repeatedly denied his spending on Trump businesses had anythingtodowith his federal case, while World Liberty has dismissed the notionofaconﬂict of interest. Meanwhile, investors have seen thevalue of their Trump-tied holdings drop signiﬁcantly

agreed as part of an interim deal to allowships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. ButTehran insisted it must control the routes of thevessels and later charge fees forpassage,upending decades of practice in the waterway

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab statessay they won’t agree to the charges. An effort by Oman and aU.N. agency to launch anew route near Oman’sshore sparked attacks acrossthe Mideast last weekend, highlighting the tensions. Iranianstate TV on Wednesdaysaid the ship “ran aground withits cargo because of shallowwaters along the route it had chosen andwas unabletocontinue sailing.” It saidshippers needed to follow the instructions of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the strait

The Guard’snavy has repeatedly warned that “any entry or exit through routes other than the ‘Route of Authority’ in the Persian Gulf could lead to irreparable incidents.”

The report did notmention the twoships Iran attacked in recent days fordaring to head outthrough the strait without Tehran’spermission, including one carrying crude oil from Qatar Qatarmeets both sides Witkoff andKushnermet Wednesday with Qatar’s rulingemir,Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin AbdulrahmanAlThani,according to astatement by the Qatari government.

Discussions included details related to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters in the United States.

“Obviously,we’re worried about the nuclear issue,” Vance said.“We’re going to start talking about that.”

Sheikh Mohammed also metwith Gharibabadi and other Iranian ofﬁcials, with Pakistanimediators also on hand. Gharibabadi saidthe Iranian delegation had no direct talks withthe American side,and itstalks withme-

diators dealt with Lebanon and plans to return someof Iran’sfrozen assets, Iranian state media reported. Lebanon remains athorny issue in the negotiations. Iran has insistedthatall ﬁghting end betweenthe Iranianbacked militia Hezbollah and Israeli military forces there. Iranalso hascalledfor Israel to give up the landit now occupies in southern Lebanon. Israel insists it must hold theterritory and have afreehandtoattack Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks into northern Israel.

More shipsget outofstrait

While ship traffic in the strait dropped after the weekend attacks, more countries say their vessels have gotten out.

TheThai Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that 10 outof 11 Thai-flagged vessels or vessels chartered by Thai operators have departed the strait safely.South Korean ofﬁcials say all but two of the country’s26vessels that werestranded have left safely

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AMIRHOSEINKHORGOOI

Strait

Bandar Abbas,

Murrill

Venezuelans question earthquake rescue efforts

BY REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — Angélica

Mundrain wants the bodies of her son, niece and nephew to be pulled from the rubble of her ﬂattened beachfront apartment. She has spent every minute of the past six days waiting for the heavy machinery needed to remove the slabs of concrete and twisted metal that trapped them.

So have other Venezuelan earthquake survivors.

They, like others across the northern state of La Guaira, have the same question: Who is in charge? Venezuela’s selfdescribed socialist government, which long prided itself on being protector and provider, has been neither when it mattered most, many said.

The powerful back-to-back earthquakes on June 24 have brought to the forefront the inability of the party that has ruled the country for 27 years — now with acting President Delcy Rodríguez at the helm to carry out basic governmental functions.

“We’ve been abandoned,” Mundrain said, sitting in a chair on the street Tuesday in front of what remained of the 11-story building she once called home. “We feel helpless. What we have seen is a lack of organization, a lack of empathy, a lack of everything.”

In the critical 72 hours after residential buildings, food joints, pharmacies, hotels and convenience stores imploded in La Guaira state Caracas and surrounding regions, the on-the-ground response was primarily focused on directing trafﬁc, with police ofﬁcers, intelligence agents and members of the armed forces manning intersections

Residents take on rescue Civilians, mostly alone and some with the help of foreign rescuers, searched for loved ones among piles of rubble. Ambulances were stuck in miles-long traffic jams Hospitals were undersupplied and understaffed Emergency personnel responded with little to no equipment.

A week later many residents in coastal communities of La Guaira were attributing most rescues and recoveries to fellow Venezuelans

LAWSUIT

Continued from page 1A

no witnesses, accepting no public testimony and allowing no transparency in the process,” said Mike Faulk, a former school superintendent and one of the plaintiffs, in a statement.

On Monday, Judge Richard “Chip” Moore of the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge lifted the temporary restraining order and disqualified the plaintiffs’ law firm, Baker Donelson, ruling that the firm had a conflict of interest because it was representing the state in a separate case.

The plaintiffs hired new attorneys and were scheduled to return to Moore’s courtroom Wednesday to argue for a preliminary injunction, before deciding to pull their lawsuit.

Landry issued the executive order June 2, the day after lawmakers adjourned without allocating

ERRORS

and foreign teams with know-how and equipment like thermal cameras and sound detectors as well as trained dogs. They also pointed out that while civilians and foreign rescuers worked, men and women in Venezuelan uniforms stood watching and state workers took selﬁes.

Tulane University professor David Smilde, who has studied Venezuela for three decades, said the tragedy has made clear that the stunning Jan. 3 capture of thenPresident Nicolás Maduro by U.S forces was not a one-off “in which the Venezuelan state was not able to defend itself at all.”

“It also can’t do anything like get started with digging people out,” he said, adding that it should be a worrying concern for Rodríguez, who was sworn in after Maduro was deposed and taken to New York to face drug trafﬁcking charges.

money for the stipends. In recent years, the Legislature has allocated about $200 million annually to give teachers onetime payments instead of permanent raises Under Landry’s plan, that money will be taken out of the roughly $4 billion the state sends to schools.

Landry and lawmakers say schools can afford the roughly 4% reduction in state dollars by tapping their rainy-day funds. Landry also argues that the money is staying in education because it is going toward teacher pay

“Not a single dollar is being taken away from public education,” he said in a social media post Tuesday “We’re investing in teachers, not bureaucracy.”

The order says the cut should not come out of funding for classroom instruction, security, transportation or food services. But school system leaders have warned that the funding reduction could result in programs or

Smilde said the dismal response is linked to the huge numbers of people who have left the public sector because of extremely low pay as well as corruption, such as the many people who are included in the government’s payroll but who have not worked in months or years. In a functioning government, he added, people have speciﬁc duties to design protocols spelling out procedures in case of emergencies, including earthquakes.

“It’s like trying to have a baseball team with three people on the field. You’re not sure who’s going to be the pitcher, who’s going to be catching, and who’s going to be outfielder,” he said of the government’s lack of organization. Some get help Wealth and government connections also influenced the government’s response, with some sites given preferential treatment.

positions being eliminated, especially in small and rural districts where money already is tight.

After the Legislature approved Landry’s order, Ouachita Parish schools announced several costcutting measures, including a freeze on nonclassroom hiring, library book purchases and nonemergency maintenance projects. A district spokesperson said the steps are temporary while a longer-term plan is being developed.

Baudouin said that even if classroom spending is spared from cuts, student learning still could be impacted.

“It’s naive to think that this will not be felt in the classroom,” she said, arguing that noninstructional staffers, such as reading coaches and attendance counselors, also contributed to New Orleans students’ recent academic gains. “I really fear these cuts are going to slow, or even begin to reverse, that progress.”

When one collapsed building was teeming with police and military school students, people accurately guessed that ofﬁcials or politically connected individuals must have lived there. The police officers from a neighboring state were indeed searching for a captain, while the students and a few members of the national guard were hoping to locate a major general.

A telescopic crane, like the one Mundrain needs for the recovery of her family, was parked for several hours in what was that building’s entrance. The relatives of the well-off families who lived in the building were able to rent it. Mundrain cannot.

“I think that if there were someone in a position of authority in each of these apartments, there would be a well-oiled machine working like they have in other residences,” Mundrain said pointing to her building.

People’s anger over the response has also led to altercations between residents and machine operators. In one instance, when a government-provided excavator tried to leave the site of a ﬂattened public housing building, people blocked trafﬁc to keep it in place and even pulled the operator from the cab.

The government reported Wednesday that 2,295 died and more than 11,200 were injured in the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck June 24. Thousands more have been reported missing.

“We continue to support the affected families and directly oversee the care and recovery efforts in La Guaira,” Rodríguez posted on X Wednesday “I know that many Venezuelans feel pain and frustration; I deeply share those feelings.” Rescuers on Tuesday continued to free some survivors from mountains of debris, offering anguished families a sliver of hope even as the likelihood of finding people alive diminished with each passing hour The desperation led two women to fight late at night, one dragging the other to the mud right next to a flattened building after one of them refused to be quiet while rescuers tried to listen for signs of life among the rubble.

The ﬁrst 48 to 72 hours after a natural disaster are crucial to rescue efforts, though survival can be extended if people have access to food and water

Electrician Daniel Castillo was able to pull his mother and son alive from their second-ﬂoor apartment in a collapsed public housing building in La Guaira just hours after the earthquake struck The body of his brother remained inside for another day until he could reach him.

On Tuesday, he decried the government’s response while he waited in line to get a free bag of hygiene products, including toilet paper and soap, from a tent staffed by the Venezuelan armed forces.

“You see the guards, and their uniforms are spotless, not dirty at all,” Castillo said, contrasting members of Venezuela’s National Guard with dust-covered civilians and foreign rescuers who have dug through rubble for days “The government did nothing.”

Continued from page 1A Dunn

now delayed court proceedings for more than a month in a high-profile case involving a sitting elected official. Reached Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Clerk of Court’s Office said the repeated issue appears to have been a sim ple clerical error

“The court did order the subpoena to go out but there was no subpoena ever created,” LeBeau said. Wednesday’s arraignment was supposed to be held in Commissioner Nicole Robinson’s courtroom. She also expressed frustration with the matter — and said the same issue has occurred in other recent

cases too. The court record lists scheduled arraignments for Dunn on June 2 and July 1. Robinson set a new arraignment date for July 9 and asked the prosecutor to go straight to the clerk’s ofﬁce upon leaving her courtroom and ﬁgure out what the issue is.

Dunn was indicted in February on a slew of charges including conspiracy, bribery, theft and money laundering. He is one of five defendants in a case involving alleged contract fraud related to the Baton Rouge transit system. He is accused of steering a $50,000 Capital Area Transit System contract to Jay Colar, who was also charged in the case.

Colar then paid more than 90% of the contract to Dunn as a kickback, according to arrest warrants Also indicted were former CATS administrator Pearlina Thomas and contractors Terral “TJ” Jackson and Erica

Jackson, who are married. All five face charges related to alleged improper contracts.

Colar, Thomas and the Jacksons have all appeared in court. TJ Jackson pleaded not guilty in court Monday Like Dunn, Erica Jackson had not been served to appear at her scheduled arraignment Wednesday but she showed up anyway and pleaded not guilty Thomas and Colar entered not guilty pleas at their arraignment in February, making Dunn the only defendant who has not been arraigned.

After appearing before Robinson on Wednesday LeBeau immediately went to the clerk’s ofﬁce and personally watched as new subpoenas were issued for Dunn to appear on July 9. LeBeau told staff he would have Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents serve Dunn in addition to the regular attempts by sheriff’s deputies

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIANA CUBILLOS

Residents search Tuesday through the rubble of a building that collapsed in the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela.

Loyola University

The battle ratchetedupthis spring when Louisiana’sRepublican-controlled Legislature approved bills to reshape two typically sleepy public offices: New Orleans’ clerks of civiland criminal court

Legal, political fight

Supporters cast the legislation, which eliminated the criminal clerkship and placed itsduties under the Civil Clerk’sOffice, as a needed reform. But New Orleans leaders slammedthe move as unnecessary incursion, slamming the legislation as retaliationagainst Calvin Duncan, aformer prison lawyer who spent decades behind bars before ajudge found him innocent of a1981 murder Duncan won the criminal clerkship last fall with 68% of thevote despite opposition from Murrill and other conservatives. The measure tookeffectfourdays before he was to assume theoffice, at which point Williams and Moreno pressedthe City Council to call aspecial election for the newly melded seat. They argued thelegislationhad createdanew position that must be filled by voters.Murrill fired off her letters threatening to remove them from office.

Calvin Duncan, aformer prison lawyer whospent decades behind bars beforeajudgefound him innocentofa 1981 murder,won the Orleans Parishcriminalclerkship last fall with68% of the vote.

“The public intimidation statute requires athreat of violence or an unlawful demand,” Craig Mordock, aveteran defense lawyer, wrote on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.“Murrill threatened to enforce alaw the LA Supreme Court said she read correctly.Ifthat’sa felonythen half the lawyers in this state are looking at hard time.”

Operatinginsecrecy

Judge Leon Rocheisoverseeing Williamsand several City Council members did not respond to phone calls.

Murrill hinted at reports of interest surrounding the allegations of agrand jury investigation as she opened her news conference Wednesday in Baton Rouge. “Everyone is here for the sole reason we’rehaving anews conferenceonMedicaidfraud, right?” she asked, laughing.

She said she first heard of the grand jury investigation whena reporter contacted her on Tuesday to ask about it. Asked if she had an opinion of White’sreported appointment as aspecial prosecutor, Murrill said she would hold her tongue.

HOUSING

Continued from page1A

Washington later resigned.

The Central Road inspections raise more questions about aprojectthat already has drawn the eye of investigators after its original costs soared from $220,000 to nearly $500,000, with the feeHughes wastobepaid as the developer more than doubling.

In March 2025, Office of Community Development Director Kelly LeDuff hired by current MayorPresident Sid Edwards —discussedthe Hughes project with federal agents, according to emails obtained through arecords request. Federal prosecutors subsequently subpoenaed the city-parish for documents related to Hughes and his company,Hughes Consulting Group LLC. The status of that probeis unclear.Aspokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’sOfficein Baton Rouge said Monday the office “does not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.” Neither Hughes nor Washington responded to requests for comment. ACashApp payment

The inspector who originally failed the three Central Road homes wrote that electrical wiring, plumbing and new air conditioning units wereinstalled buthadn’t been separately inspected andpermitted as required. Emergency escape openings in bedrooms did not meet zoningrequirements, theinspectionreport said.

That December, when cityparish ofﬁcials investigated the questionable approvals, they visited the unoccupied homes and saw that none had power,running water or heat yet, and that windows hadbeen replaced without required permits.

When theylooked at Washington’sphone, they found an issue with the other property,records show

In June 2021, Washington created awork order to conduct three inspections at a home on El Scott Avenue in Baton Rouge. According to the cityparish letter to the Ethics Board, Washington messaged the property’sowner the morning of the day he was to inspectittoask for the address. He then sent his personalCash App account information on the day of inspection, and afterwardthe property owner sent ascreenshot of proof of a$100 payment to Washington’saccount, records show Development Director Rachael Lambert noted issues with Washington’sinspec-

Then sources told The TimesPicayune this week that agrand jury wasweighing evidence against Murrill, reigniting the tensions.

“The matter wasultimatelygoingtoberesolved by theLouisiana Supreme Court, not by absurd cross-accusationsofcriminal conduct,” Ciolinosaid

Many questionsremain unanswered about the grand jury’sfocus and how far its investigation has progressed. Details such as how many witnesses thepanel has called and what evidence it may be consideringaren’tclear

Also unclear is howmuch criminal exposureMurrill could ultimately face. The letters she sent

Democrats and someRepublicans alikecalled the move an overstep, and both sides seemed to calm their rhetoric following that blow-up. On June 1, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued aruling upholding thestate law that cut Duncan’sposition. It seemed the ﬁght hadebbed.

tions at El Scott Avenueand highlighted theCashApp payment in theletter

“It is alleged thatMr. Washingtonfraudulently passed these inspections and violated state ethics codebypotentially taking compensation for services,” Lambert wrote.

The evidence cited by the city-parish included GPS locations of Washington’s vehicle and data fromhis work phone— including the Cash App payment

“Mr.Washington has created afalse reality around thestate of thebuildings he was supposed to inspect,” Lambert wrote. “Byknowingly certifying buildings that havenot been inspected or buildingswith known code violations, Mr.Washington has falsified public documents, which is agrave and seriousmatter.”

Accordingtothe letter, city-parish ofﬁcialsalso believed Washington had contactedEntergy to authorize an emergency after-hours reconnection at another property —even though there wasnoemergency and the reconnection had not been paidfor In December 2023, the Board of Ethics subpoenaed city-parishrecordsrelated to Washington for its own investigation, according to documentsobtainedbyThe Advocate.

Theboard did not respond to arequest for commenton thestatusofthe case.

East Baton Rouge Parish First AssistantDistrict Attorney Tracey Barbera said Tuesday that the district attorney’sofﬁce was not made aware of the matterinvolvingWashington.

When Edwards took ofﬁce as mayor and learnedofinvestigations into city-parish housing deals, including potential problemsinpermitting, he ordered areview He said Monday that the city-parish has enhanced oversight with regularﬁeld ride-alongs with chief inspectors, increased rotation of assigned inspector territories and expanded GPStrackingof inspector vehicles.

Edwardssaidmaintaining integrity in permitting is a “top priority” for his administration

“While many of the poli-

to local officials claimed the fivemember City Council majority was helping to “usurp” Clerk of CourtChelsea Napoleon’s authority,citing astatute that makes it amisdemeanor to assume office without authority or to interfere with apublic official.

At leastsome City Council members have been called to testify, sources said.

The council members had “put your own offices in jeopardy,” Murrill wrote. She directed them to “rescind or suspend” theresolutions, alleging they had“opted to aid and abet in the usurpationof theofﬁceholder.”

Some legal veterans areskeptical that acriminal case built around the correspondence would pass muster

cies designedtoprevent fraud were already in place, we have takenadditional steps to strengthen oversight and ensure those safeguards are being consistently followed,” Edwards said in astatement.

Questionable projectcosts

In early2022, the cityparish awarded Hughes $220,000infederalgrant money from theU.S. DepartmentofHousing and Urban Development to rehabilitate threesmall homes, one just under1,000 square feet and two under 700, on Central Road in Scotlandville.

Six months after the initial award, the agreement with Hughes was amended and his public funding increased to $480,000.

City Halllater started raising concerns about the overall costofHughes’ project and the amount of money he was being paid for developing it.

In January 2023, the cityparish’spurchasing director at the time warned that Hughes was taking work away from the project’scontractor and doing it himself. Kris Goranson wroteina memo that Louisianalaw explicitly says aconstruction contract made with an unlicensed contractor is null.

“Wedonot even have a valid contract with Hughes Consulting,” he wrote.

Hughes has never been listed as alicensedcontractorwith the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.

It is unclear from thedocuments who did the work cited in Hughes’ failed inspections.

City-parish ofﬁcials have noted other concerns related to theproject’sﬁnances.

In a2024 internal audit by the ﬁnancedivision of thecity-parish Office of Community Development, Hughes’ project wasselected from asample of housing dealsfor review

Theinitial agreement between Hughes and the city-parish allowed for developerfees —his compensation for theproject —totaling $33,000.

Theagreementwas later increased to allowfor $72,000 in developer fees But uponcompletion, the audit says, Hugheswas ac-

Mugs, shirts,hats, posters, books. Something for everyone at the Advocate Store!

Grand juries, whichatboth thefederal andstate court levels weigh evidence to decide whether prosecutors have probable cause to criminally indict adefendant, typically meet with the utmost secrecy.But twosources told The Times-Picayune that the probe appears to have been initiated by the grand jury itself,a rare step the panel may take under state law Sources also toldthe newspaper that Williamsrecused himself from the probeand that former criminal court judge and veteran defense attorney Laurie White is handlingthe matter as aspecial prosecutor White declined to comment Wednesday on the grandjuryinvestigation, saying only that there was “secrecy” surrounding the matter. She leftthe benchin2023 amida courtemployee’ssexualharassment complaint, whichWhite denied at thetime. Afederal judge in 2023 dismissed alawsuit from theemployee. Whitealso previously represented Duncaninhis criminalcase before theInnocence Project, now known as Innocence andJustice Louisiana, took it over Morenodeclinedtocomment Wednesday on thegrand jury proceedings, whichCriminalDistrict

tually paid $135,000.

Last year,HughestoldThe Advocate the ballooningdeveloper fees were amistake by city-parish ofﬁcials and not his fault.Asfor the total cost of theproject increasing by 118%, Hughes cited soaring construction material prices duringthe COVID-19 pandemic.

Hughes’ Central Road renovation project is one of several contracts that federal and stateprosecutors have scrutinized during awidening probe into alleged corruption in East Baton Rouge

Parish government.

“I wouldn’tspeak to it out of respect forthe process, however muchImay have thoughts about it or disagree with it,” she said. “I won’ttalkabout it until we see what happens. Now,when we see what happens, Ican assure you that Idohavethoughts, andIwill express them.”

Recordsshowretired JudgeCalvin Johnson, who the City Council tapped as an interim clerk when it calleda specialelectioninMay,ﬁled acomplaint with the state bar commission againstMurrill on June 17.

The document accusesMurrill of “unethical andunprofessional conduct,” naming as examples the letters she sent Johnson,Moreno, Williams and the ﬁve council members. In herletter to Johnsonatthe time, Murrill warned that he could face “imprisonment” even as she said he “appears to be an innocent bystander” to the dispute.

Staff writersJohn Simerman, Andrea Gallo and Meghan Friedmann contributed to this report.

In December,another Baton Rouge developer was accused of bank fraud related to a$6million federally fundedprogram knownas “Housing for Heroes” following aprobe conducted by the Louisiana Attorney General’sOfﬁce. The developer Bradly Brown, also faces charges of falsifying public records related to the deal to build affordable housing in Scotlandville. The investigations have yieldedeight arrests, including three current or former

BatonRouge public ofﬁcials. Among them is sitting Metro Council memberCleve Dunn Jr., former transit official Pearlina Thomas and CourtneyScott, who was an aide to former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. Agrand jury is continuing to investigate alleged corruption in Baton Rouge governmentunder theBroome administration. Broomewas subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury in April but has not yet done so. The former mayor has denied any wrongdoing.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By CHRISGRANGER

Kroger buying regional grocer Giant Eagle

Kroger said Wednesday it plans to buyregional grocer and pharmacy retailerGiant Eagle in adeal valued at $1.65 billion.

Giant Eagle, which is privately held, has 197 supermarkets and11standalonepharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.They would continuetooperate under theGiant Eagle nameunder the termsofthe deal.

Kroger,which is the largest U.S. supermarket chain, has 2,685 storesin35statesand the District of Columbia. Its storesoperate under various brand names, including Ralphs, KingSoopers,Smith’sand Fred Meyer

The transactionincludes $1.25 billionincash and the assumption of approximately $400 million in outstanding liabilities, the companiessaid Wednesday

“Giant Eagle is awell-run, high-quality regional grocer with astrong reputation for fresh products, pharmacy,private labeland customerloyalty,” Kroger CEO Greg Foran said in astatement.“We evaluated theopportunity carefully and thestrategic ﬁt is clear.” Foran, aformer Walmart executive,was named Kroger’s CEO in February French company to buy FedEx’slogisticsarm

NEW YORK French container shipping company CMA CGM Group said Wednesday it will buyFedEx SupplyChain, the third-party logistics subsidiary of FedEx for $1.4 billion, as it works to expand in the U.S CMA CGMGroup said the acquisition willtriple the size of its own logistics arm,CEVA Logistics and helpbuild its presence as acontract logistics providerinNorthAmerica.

In 2025, CMA CGM pledged to invest $20 billion in its U.S warehousing, aircargo and logistics over four years. The two companies said they expected to enter intomultiyearair and ocean freight commercial agreements as well. Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of CMA CGM Group, said the deal will “reinforce our long-term commitment to investinginthe United States and supporting theresilienceand efﬁciencyof its supply chain.” FedEx, based in Memphis, Tennessee, has been spinning off some businesses to focus on itsdelivery business, focusing on higher-marginbusinessto-business deliveries for the healthcare, automotive, aerospaceand data center industries. It completed its spinoff of FedEx Freight,which transportsheavy and bulky shipments, on June 1. AOL’s owner hits Wall Street with $1.7BIPO

NEW YORK Theowner of AOL and other tech businesses hit Wall Street with a$1.7 billion initial public offering Wednesday Bending Spoons priced 58 million shares at $29 apiece. The company is getting $1 billioninproceeds, while the rest is going to shareholders. The stocksurged 41% shortly after it started trading under the symbol “BSP”onthe Nasdaq, giving it amarket value of $25.5 billion. Among the company’swellknownholdingsare the event creation and ticketing company Eventbrite, and the video hosting service Vimeo. AOL, formerly America Online,isa more recent acquisition for the company.The email and search engine service dates back to the dawnofthe internet age. AOL itself went public in 1992 and wasa vanguardof technology and communication. It reached amarketvalue of $164 billion in 2000 shortly before merging with Time Warner.Itthen crashed alongwith the rest of the industry following thebursting of the dot-com bubble. It has been boughtand sold several times overthe last two decades.

BUSINESS

Warshsignals focusoninflation

or households thought theFed wouldacceptinﬂationabove 2%, “I guessthey’d be disappointed We’re going to deliver price stability.”

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON— New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warshsaid Wednesday that the centralbank would remain independent and seek to bring down inﬂation, likely foreclosing the rate cuts President Donald Trump has sought In remarksata central bank conference in Sintra,Portugal, Warshsaidthat if businesses

The Fed typically combats inﬂation by raising borrowing costs. Whenaskedabout Trump’softrepeated desire forlower rates, Warsh underscored the Fed’sindependencefrom day-to-day politics

“We’vebeen an independent central bank for avery long time,” he said.“We’regoing to be an independent central bank at this moment and you’re going to see no changes to that.”

Such commentssuggest that Warsh has shifted his views since

replacing Jerome Powell as chair May 22. He calledfor lower rates last year as he essentially campaigned forthe job. Sincebecoming chair,however,Warsh hasappeared to move away from that stance and instead hassignaled afocus on getting inﬂationdown.

But on Wednesday he declined to saywhatsteps the Fed would take to achieve that goal, consistent with his opposition to socalled “forward guidance,” in which central bank leadersforeshadow their next policymoves.

“I’m not going to make ajudgmentnow,” he said during the panel discussion withother central bankers. “The tactics, the

strategy, andthe rest,that’sstill to come,” he lateradded.

At his ﬁrst news conference last month, Warsh also emphasized his goal of getting inﬂation back down to target. Wall Street investors expect the Fedcould hike its keyinterest rate as soon as in September,fromits current levelof about3.6%toroughly 3.9%.

When the Fed last met June 16-17, nearly half of the 19 policymakers signaled that they supported higher rates this year while eight supported no change and one penciled in acut. Warsh did notsubmit aforecast because of hisoppositiontoproviding guidance.

U.S.,Canada, Mexico beginbumpy negotiations to renewtrade pact

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON— Tourists from Chattanooga check into beach resorts in Cancun. Canadian auto parts feed factories in the American Midwest— and vice versa. Happy hour revelersraise glassesofMexican tequilaand mezcal at bars in Seattle. It adds up.The United States trades$1.9 trillion ayear —$5billion aday —worthof goods andservices with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico. They have supplanted China as America’stop two trading partners. So thestakes arehigh when it comes to ﬁddling with the rulesthat govern trade between the three countries. And after ayear of President Donald Trump’schaotic tariff policies,many U.S.,Canadian and Mexican businesses wouldwelcome the return of stability across North America. They are not likely to get it

Theregional tradepact —the U.S.-MexicoCanada Agreement or USMCA —that Trump negotiated and boasted about in his ﬁrst term came up for renewal Wednesday, starting a

process that is likely to last months, maybe longer And the path forward is lined withlandmines

“There’sgoing to be alot of drama this summer,” DiegoMarroquínBitar,a fellow in the America’sprogram at theCenter for Strategic and International Studies, said last week at aUSMCA forum sponsored by the Cato Institute.

The U.S. is making demands that could effectively force Canada and Mexicotosurrender someautomaking productiontothe United States.Thatmight bring more auto factory jobstothe UnitedStates.But it would also upend established supply chains and would push up U.S. prices fornew cars thatnow average nearly $50,000 at atime when American consumers are alreadyfurious about the high cost of living Trump, characteristically,has added to the tension by threatening topull out of his own agreement altogether In 2020, theUSMCA replacedthe 1994 North American Free TradeAgreement, which tore down mosttrade barriers be-

tween the three North American countries. Trump and other critics had called NAFTA ajob killerbecause it encouraged U.S. companies to move factories south of the border to take advantage of low-wage Mexican labor, then ship goods back to the United States duty free.

His USMCA ended up being similar to NAFTA— though it pressured factories to payhigherwages andmakesure that moreof what they made originated in North America in an effort to prevent Chinese products from slipping across regional borders duty free TheUSMCAincluded anovel provision requiring thepact to be renewed everysix years. Thatdeadline wasWednesday,and the three countries metvirtually.But U.S. TradeRepresentative Jamieson Greer said in astatement that the United States was not ready to renew the pact as it is for another16 years—which would have been until 2042. The United States wants changes to the agreement to reduce its trade deﬁcits with Canada and Mexico and to resolve speciﬁc disputes overissuessuchasCanada’sprotection of its dairy industry

Congressmanseeks probeof‘rent now, paylater’companies

BY KEN SWEET AP business writer

NEWYORK— ADemocratic member of Congress is calling forthe federal government to investigate the growing “rent now, paylater” industry, saying Americans may not understand thefees and cost structure of these productsas the services becomemorewidely available Rep. MaxwellFrost, D-Fla., sent aletter toConsumer Financial Protection Bureau Acting Director Russell Vought urging thebureau to investigate rent now, pay later companies andholdthem accountable forpotentialviolationsoffederal consumer ﬁnancial protection

laws. In the letter,obtained by The Associated Press, Frost also asked thebureautoexplain what it is doing to protect renters and whether landlords are steering tenants towardrent-ﬁnancing products. “Rent now,pay later” companies allow renters to split theirmonthly rent into smaller paymentsover the course of amonth.A renter with a $1,000 monthly rentbill might pay in four weekly paymentsof$250 or twopayments of $500. First elected to Congressin2022 at the age of 25, Frost said he frequently used buy now,pay later services to furnish his ﬁrst apartment in Washington, which put him heavilyintodebt. In an interview, Frost saiditwas only because he

made ahealthy salary as amemberofCongressthathewas recently able to paythosedebtsoff He said he believes his experience is likely the same as other young Americans.

“Americans should know they have rights when using these buy now, pay later products,” Frost said. “This is why the CFPB was created in the ﬁrst place.” Frostlookedinto using his credit card to payrent, but “thank God thatdidn’thappen,” he added. Companies suchasFlexand Livble saybreaking rent intomultiple payments can help renters manage cash flow.The buy now, pay later companyAfﬁrm has also done limited trials that allow its

customers to split rent into multiple payments. But several of these payment plans can comewith high fees and ﬁnance charges. In February,the AP reported on how users of these services werepaying as much as $50 amonth to split their rent. These RNPL companies differ from companies like Bilt, which allows somerenters to pay rent through its credit card and rewards platform. Bilt says it has more than 5million members, and its customers have historically usedits service to earn rewards points on rent payments. RNPL companies are more focused on allowing customers to ﬁnance large rent payments across multiple payments.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By EDUARDO VERDUGO An

City.

Disability advocateswarnagainst Trump’sactions

Hard-foughtrights couldbeeroded underadministration

BY ANNIE MA AP education writer

WASHINGTON For decades, disabled people have fought for their rights to go to schooland live alongside peerswithout disabilities— rights that some fear could be losing ground under the Trump administration.

Last month, the Department of Educationannounced it would shift oversight of special education to the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose comments on the limits of disabilities suchasautism have drawn sharp rebukesfrom advocates and lawmakers.

Meanwhile, after aWhite House push to police homelessness, the Departmentof

Justice released guidance that loweredthe barrier to institutionalizing anyperson with adisability

Taken together, theactions signal aworryingreturnto areality where people with disabilities are pushed to the marginsofsociety,advocates said “It’sadirect, frontal assault on therightsofpeople with disabilities to livetheir livesthe way that people who are nondisabled live their lives,” said Selene Almazan, legal director for theCouncil of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. “I can’t imagine that as acountry, thatwould be something that we wouldagree we should go back to.”

Move away from confining

Since the1960s, legislation andcourt decisions haveexpandedsupports and protectionsfor peoplewithdisabilities to go to school with nondisabled peers and to

liveand work in theircommunities. Before that,people with mental illnessesor developmentaland intellectual disabilitieswere largely conﬁned to institutions.

Advocates have pushed backonwhatisknownas the “medical model,” where an individual’sdisability is viewed as adefect to be cured. Instead, under a“social model”ofdisability, differences can be accommodated andsupported, as people withand without disabilities learn and work alongside each other Families andadvocates have warned thatmoving special education toahealth department marks areturn to themedical model. They alsohave been angered by Kennedy’sattemptstolink vaccines to autism, going against decades of research that show no such link, and hisframing of autism as a debilitating disease.

Kennedy’scomments last

year,where he said children withautism would never writeapoem, pay taxes or hold ajob, raised questions about how he would oversee an agency meant to help studentsdevelop thoseskills. Kennedylater saidhewas referring to people with“severe autism” or those who are nonverbal.

“Many of the things he said autistic people will never do,(specialeducation)is in charge of making sure students withdisabilities have theopportunitytodo,” said ZoeGross,directorof advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. “Will he execute that faithfully,or does he consider disabled students alost causeuntil we ﬁndsomemedical cure?”

SupremeCourt weighs in In 1999, theSupreme Court ruled thatsegregating disabled people who are otherwise able to live in their community with

propersupports was aform of discrimination. The Olmstead v. L.C. decision led to requirements that government agencies provide disability services in the most integratedsetting possible —inmainstream schools, homes and workplaces.

But in amemo issuedin June, the Department of Justice’sOfﬁce of Legal Counsel upended that guidance. It argued that neither the Americans with Disabilities Act nor Section 504, two major disability rights laws, requires states to provide services in the mostmainstream setting. While the memo does not change the law,itsignals how federalagencies mayinterpret and enforce civil rights issues related to the topic. It could emboldenstates or school districts to decline to support people with disabilitiesinmainstream environments.

The WhiteHouse has already acted on asimilar phi-

losophy.Lastyear,President Donald Trump issued an executive order on homelessnessthatendorsedcivil commitment, where acourt orders individuals into involuntaryhospitalizationor treatment programs. Trump directed HHS to reduce barriers to institutionalizing people with mental illnesses. In its memo, the Justice Department acknowledged its interpretationofthe SupremeCourt’sOlmstead decision is “outofstep” with the common understanding. TheRepublican administration’ssteps ﬁt aworldview in which the government has no obligationtosupport people with disabilities, said ClaudiaCenter,legal director at Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. “It’sdark, andit’sawful,” Center said. “And Ithink it’scontrary to themajority view in our country It’s outoftouch withwhere our society is.”

BY SAM METZ Associated Press

JERUSALEM It was shortly after 1a.m. WednesdaywhenAbdelrahman Badr said he heard footsteps outside his home in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Soon Israeli forces were at his door,hesaid. They were looking for his wife. The forces took ItafBadr, who serves on the board of aprominent health charity,and said she was wanted for questioning, driving her away in the deadofnight, according to Abdelrahman

She was one of ﬁve Palestinian women detained by Israeli security forces across the West Bank on Wednesday.The early morning raids targeted multiple cities,including Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus

and Bethlehem,the women’s families and Palestinian rightsgroups said.

Formost of Israel’sdecades-long occupation, Palestinianmen and boys haveborne the brunt of the military’seffort to enforce it, and have been swept up in mass detentions or spent yearsinjail for throwing rocks at Israeli troops.

Butsecurity forces are detaining more women and girls, said Abdullah Al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, anongovernmental organization thatsupportspolitical prisoners in Israeli jails. He saidgender is no longer adistinguishingfactor in who the group believes Israel is targeting, from political activists to student leaders at Palestinian universities.

More womenarrested Womennow make up asmall but growing share of the roughly 9,300 Palestinianscurrently in detention, accordingtoIsraeli rights group Hamoked,which gets data

from theIsrael Prison Service.

The number of Palestinian women and girls in Israeli detention has more thandoubled since the start of theIsrael-Hamas war and increased 80% since thestartof2026. Fifteen have been arrested since the beginning of June,bringing the total to 99, according to Prisoners’ Club data.

Some of them were arrested afterposting messagesonsocial media,including ones that were critical of Israel’s occupation of the West Bankorthe war in Gaza. Others weremembersofPalestinian politicalparties’student branchesattheir universities, AlZaghari said.

Many have been imprisoned withoutformal charges under Israel’sadministrative detention policy,which allows authorities to hold Palestiniansfor renewable periods of up to six months.

Last month, Israeli soldiers arrested at leastfive other young women, including four members of the Palestinian national soccer

team anda 20-year-old PalestinianAmerican, SamaSaif.

The military said those women were suspected of “promoting terrorist activities.” At least onehas since been released. Theothers havenot yet been charged, according to their attorneys. Saif’s arrest hasdrawn criticism from several U.S. senators,who have demanded her immediate release.

On Wednesday,the Israeli militaryreferred questions about the arrests in Ramallah and Nablus to Israel’sBorder Police, which also operatesinthe West Bank. It said it was checking forinformation on thearrest of Itaf in Hebron but did notrespond to arequest for commentonwhy she was detained.

Whytheyweredetained

Therelatives of the women who were detainedearly Wednesday said they were unsure why they were taken away In Nablus, Wael al-Faqih said his wife, Maiser al-Faqih,was arrested

at home by Israeli forces. She is a former detainee and, like Itaf, was previously involved with the Union of Health Work Committees,a charity that provides medical care in low-income communities.

Israel hasaccused thegroup of ties to the Popular Frontfor the Liberation of Palestine, whichithas designated aterrorist organization. The charity denies the allegations.

“Westill don’tknowwhatitwas about,” Wael said in an interview

He said Israeli forces searched him and his son and then asked Maiser to put on her hijab before whisking her away Abdelrahman saidhebelieved his wife Itaf’s work with the charityput heratrisk. He told asimilar story about her arrest.

First,she was taken outside and then handcuffed in the street.

“I looked at them from the window,they shouted at me and my son,” he said. Then, “they grabbed her,blindfolded her and put her in the military vehicle.”

Challengers score victories against Arkansas’ restrictions

Federal judge rules extra conditions on ballot initiatives violate free speech

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

A federal judge in Arkansas has thrown out a handful of state laws that put extra restrictions on citizen efforts to gather signatures for ballot initiatives, agreeing with challengers that they violated the constitutional free speech rights of voters.

The decision handed several victories to the League of Women Voters of Arkansas and other plaintiffs, which sued last year amid efforts in various states to make it harder for regular citizens to make laws or amend their states’ constitution through ballot initiatives.

One such measure required someone signing a petition to show photo ID. That and other additional ballot-initiative restrictions were imposed by Arkansas’ GOPcontrolled state government after election ofﬁcials cited a legal technicality to reject petitions submitted by abortion rights supporters in a 2024 effort to legalize abortion in the conservative state.

One of the plaintiffs, Protect AR Rights, called the decision an “important victory for the people of Arkansas and their constitutional right to direct democracy.”

The decision, issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks, also rejected some challenges by the league and its fellow plaintiffs, while Brooks sent three other disputes to trial.

The defendant, Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester, a Republican who had defended the laws in court, said in a statement that his ofﬁce plans to appeal Brooks’ decision and “will ﬁght tirelessly for common sense safeguards like voter ID.”

Among the laws Brooks struck down are 2025 measures requiring canvassers to verify a petition signers’ identity through a photo

ID and to read the ballot question aloud or require a petition signer to read the entire ballot question before signing it. The ballot questions are often hundreds of words long

Requiring a petition signer to possess and present a photo ID

“before engaging in core political speech” plainly violates free speech laws, Brooks wrote, and noted that the Arkansas secretary of state’s ofﬁce reviews every signature to conﬁrm that the petition signer is a registered voter

The ID requirement regulates what a registered voter “must do before signing a petition and what a canvasser must do before allowing them to,” Brooks wrote. “This impedes supporters of a measure from expressing their views by signing a petition.”

State ofﬁcials had contended that requiring a reading of the ballot question before anyone can sign a petition was necessary to prevent a canvasser from misrepresenting the ballot question

But Brooks wrote that the state had refused to prosecute reported cases of such canvasser misconduct, and that it should enforce its existing laws before it chose a more restrictive alternative of “imposing burdensome speech

codes on good and bad actors alike.”

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., allow citizen-initiated ballot measures, according to the nonproﬁt Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

In March, the center reported that it had found a “sharp escalation” by lawmakers in both the number and severity of anti-democratic attacks on the ballot measure process over the past several election cycles.

Sponsors of such efforts, it wrote, framed them as steps to improve election integrity, administrative efﬁciency or voter protection.

One of the most common methods is making it harder for initiatives to qualify for the ballot by placing restrictions on where, when and how signatures are collected, it wrote. It singled out efforts in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma.

Another common method of restricting ballot initiatives, it said, is requiring a larger majority of voters, rather than a simple majority to approve a referendum, thus making it harder to pass. It cited efforts in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, North Dakota and Ohio.

New autopsy of a baby killed by police deepens outrage

Mississippi family is challenging claims about the shooting

BY HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press

A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving car offered evidence Wednesday that they say challenges the officers’ account of being in danger when one opened fire.

A preliminary autopsy requested by the family of Kohen Wiley suggested the baby was shot from the side of the car, not the front, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said, disputing officers’ claims that the car was heading toward them. Kohen’s mother who was holding her baby in the passenger seat, says her friend was driving away from the ofﬁcers.

Kohen and his mother are Black, and the June 14 shooting has sparked protests and outrage in the small town of Senatobia. Residents point to a string of troubling encounters with police in recent years. Crump said the child was killed after police were called to a Walmart parking lot about diapers that may have been shoplifted.

“We’re going to try to continue to demand transparency,” Crump said. He spoke from the pulpit of Senatobia Church of Christ, surrounded by more than a dozen people including the baby’s grandparents, some of them holding “Justice for Baby Kohen” signs.

However, Crump repeatedly emphasized that the pathologist did not have access to complete information He said the family won’t rest until authorities release the police body camera and dashcam video, as well as Walmart surveillance video.

A spokesperson for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is in charge of the ongoing inquiry, declined to comment Wednesday Tate County Coro-

ner Ernie Lentz said in an email the ofﬁcial autopsy report is not complete. An email was sent to Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford seeking comment. An email was also sent to a Walmart spokesperson seeking comment.

On display at the church were photos and diagrams of Kohen’s body and a photo of the car The passenger window was shattered and an apparent bullet hole pierced the windshield on the passenger side. The other woman in the car was badly wounded, authorities said.

The broken passenger-side window indicates a bullet was ﬁred into that side the car, Crump said The preliminary findings, Crump said, show the bullet entered the baby’s torso on his right side and exited on his left. Crump said that assessment is supported by the clusters of cuts on the right side of his chest and abdomen that would have been caused by the broken tempered glass.

“That’s very important as we try to solve a puzzle,” he explained, adding: “The reason that we’re having to try to solve the puzzle is because they won’t release the video.”

In an initial account of the shooting, state investigators said: “Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene.”

Investigators will try to ﬁgure out the vehicle’s position, how everyone was sitting inside, and where the ofﬁcers were standing, said policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina. They will need to look at damage to the car as well as bullet wounds, because people can move around.

“We need to know a lot more before drawing ﬁrm conclusions based on bullet wounds alone,” Adams said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ANDREW DEMILLO

Manarguesself-defenseinshooting

Gunfire killed one, left teen injured

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

ABaton Rouge familysat divided

across acourtroom aisle Wednesday as the trial began in ashooting that left 39-year-old Norris Robinson Jr.dead and his 17-year-old daughter wounded.

Terrell Walker,23, an extended

family member of thevictims, is accused of gunning down Robinson in the front yard of aresidence during afamily gatheringinApril2024. Walker is chargedwithone count each of second-degree murder,attemptedsecond-degree murder and illegaluse of aﬁrearm.

According to Walker’s attorneys, afeud between their client

andRobinsonhad been going on before theshooting. At the gathering, averbal argument began after Walker failed to properly greet Robinson, and that escalated to the fatal result,attorneys said.

But other factors brought up in opening argumentsfurther complicate the case, including that an autopsy revealed methamphetamines in Robinson’s systemand thathe had aﬁrearmofhis own.

AssistantDistrict Attorney Jim

Perrilloux set thescene in his opening statement: an evening family gathering on April 12, 2024, at aresidenceonSycamore Street with both Walker and Robinson in attendance.

NorrisRobinson Sr., stood in front of Walker.Robinson Sr.told Walker to leave and walkedhim back to his vehicle in the front driveway

Aheated verbal altercation between Walker and Robinson began in the front yard; prosecutorssaid the reason for the ﬁght is unknown. Other family members exited the house to break things up.

Robinson’sdaughter stood in frontofhim,while her grandfather,

“Big Norris thinks it’sover.He thinks the defendant’sleaving,but the defendant doesn’t leave,” Perrilloux said. “He goes back to his vehicle and he comes back around thefrontofhis car witha .45-caliber handgun, and he starts shooting.”

CURB APPEAL

Aconstruction worker hammers apost while removing aframe as sidewalk constructioncontinues under thehot afternoon sun during part of the Florida BoulevardCorridor Enhancement and Resurfacing Project in BatonRouge on Monday

Sheriff: Toddler dies afterfalling into pond

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

Atoddler died after falling intoa pond near an apartment complex on Tuesday night, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. Deputies responded to TheWaters at Bluebonnet apartments at 3445 Bluebonnet Blvd. at 8:17 p.m. The child was taken to ahospitalfor treatment, where they later died, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁcesaid.

The victim was identiﬁedas2-year-old Amar Guidry

The investigation is ongoing. Police seekcar connected with shooting injuries

The Baton Rouge Police Department is asking for the public’shelp in ﬁnding avehicle that is believed tohave played apart in theshootingand injuring of ﬁve juveniles, ages 11 to 17, on June 17. The victims were outside an apartment complex in the 2100 block ofLobdell Boulevard alittle after 7p.m. when avehicle pulled up and someone began

Rep. Firmentannounces candidacyfor U.S. House

Ruralcentral La Republican seeks seat Letlow vacating

BY TYLERBRIDGES Staff writer

StateRep.GabeFirment, aRepublicanfrom rural central Louisiana, announcedWednesday that he’ll run for the 5th Congressional District seat that U.S. Rep.Julia Letlowisvacating.

Firment, who lives in Pollock in Grant Parish,has built asolidly conservative voting record during his six years in the state House.

who was appointed by Gov.Jeff Landry to chair the state BoardofRegents.

StateSen.Stewart Cathey,R-Monroe, is expected to announcehis candidacy in thecoming days.

“Louisiana’s5th District deserves afighter who will stand firm and deliver results,” Firment said. “I’m ready to take that ﬁght to Washington.”

Firment joins arace that alreadyincludes one state House colleague, MichaelEchols,R-Monroe, andanother Republican from Monroe, MistiCordell,

Echols and Cordell have been running for the seat for months, giving them a head start in raising money and winning over key people in thedistrict. The three are nowrunning in adistrict that was quickly redrawn by the state Legislature in Mayafter the Supreme Courtruled the state’s congressional map wasunconstitutional. The newmap turned the 6th Congressional District, represented by Cleo Fields, a Black Democrat from Baton Rouge, intoaWhite-majority district

The reshaped 5thCongressional Districtincludesall or parts of 24 parishes —stretching from Monroe south to Avoyelles and Rapides parishes and east to the Florida Parishes. It was designed to elect aRepublican.

BY AVERYWHITE Staff writer

Build EBR took to the community this week for input on new redevelopment plans for north Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authorityhostedmeetings in Scotlandville andthe Dixie neighborhoods, inviting residents to provide feedback on plans to redevelop lots in theareas andtointroduce newideas for retail and housing opportunities. Part of the proposals are new

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

School marks new chapter as LSU New Orleans

UNO changes name with celebration and a big sign

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

It’s official: The University of New Orleans is now LSU New Orleans.

The name change and return to the LSU system marks a new chapter for the nearly 70-year-old university, ofﬁcials said during a ceremony Wednesday attended by hundreds of students, faculty alums and local leaders, including New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno. The event culminated with the unveiling of a large LSU New Orleans sign in purple and gold.

“Today we unveil a new sign, but what we are really unveiling is possibility,” said Jeanette Weiland, the school’s interim chancellor and chief administrative officer She added that the revamped university is aiming for higher enrollment, stronger academic programs, expanded research and more community partnerships.

Last year, alarmed by dwindling enrollment and precarious ﬁnances at the University of New Orleans, Louisiana lawmakers began the process to shift the university back to the LSU system, which governed the university from its founding until 2011. Supporters hope the shift will ﬁnancially stabilize and attract more students to the university, where enrollment fell to 5,700 students last fall, down from a peak of 17,000 students before Hurricane Katrina

Ahead of the ofﬁcial shift, there have been other signs of the coming change on campus.

Banners marking LSU New Orleans recently went up along Elysian Fields Avenue and purple and gold decals wrapped around the exterior of the library. Ofﬁcials also took steps they said were necessary to address a budget shortfall and put the school on a new path.

They hired a slew of new administrators, including Weiland; closed the liberal arts building; cut some academic programs; and raised tuition.

LSU President Wade Rousse, who earned a master’s degree from University of New Orleans and credited the university for inspiring his love for economics, said the changes have put the university on stable ﬁnancial footing.

11 people in Kenner accused of exploiting minors online

One suspect’s legal name is Santa Claus

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A weekend sting by the Kenner

Police Department concluded with 11 arrests of suspects accused of exploiting minors online, including a man from New Orleans whose legal name is Santa Claus, according to Kenner police.

Claus, 75, was taken into custody Friday on the Kenner lakefront where he arranged to meet up with a 15-year-old boy that he met on the dating app Grindr, according to court records.

In text message exchanges, Claus discussed showering with the teen and engaging in various sex acts, court records showed. The 15-yearold was actually an undercover Kenner police detective.

Claus arrived at the planned meeting wearing a red shirt, red jacket and red pants. He also had a white beard.

“His physical appearance indicates he does take on the persona of the Santa Claus, which is alarm-

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Continued from page 1B

are the 3.3-acre lot on the corner of Plank Road and Choctaw Drive in the Dixie community and a 6.5acre site in Scotlandville on 76th Avenue and Scenic Highway adjacent to Southern University. Survey results circulated by Build EBR showed that residents in both areas wanted to see more access to grocery stores, restaurants, health services and youth programs. While the project managers are taking their wants into account, they explained to those in attendance that planners also have to take data from the surrounding areas into account to guarantee long-term success.

“We can ask for a lot of things in a community but if the data is not there to support that in that community, it’s going to be extremely hard to get a developer to come in and do those types of things,” said Paragon Advisors co-founder Shane Hooper, a developer on the project.

The redevelopment authority uses a land bank to retain vacant lots and blighted properties through tax adjudication, donations or partnerships. The land is then redeveloped for economic improvement. The goal is to transform the property — bringing in new retail, housing opportunities and civil infrastructure‚ to improve economic viability in the neighborhood.

ing considering he was attempting to have sex with a boy,” Kenner police said in a statement Monday evening.

Police arrested Claus and booked him on charges of computer-aided solicitation of a minor and indecent behavior with a juvenile. He was being held without bail Monday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.

Investigators uncovered images showing the man had worked at some point as a “Santa Claus.”

Police couldn’t solidly conﬁrm his employment history or where he might have performed those services, according to Kenner Police Deputy Chief Mark McCormick, who said the case is still under investigation.

Agents did confirm that Claus legally changed his name to match the Christmas ﬁgure, though investigators said they don’t know when and where he did so. Claus has no prior criminal convictions under his current or former name, according to authorities.

“We preach daily about the vulnerability of our children on social media and gaming platforms, and now we have arrested a person who

Project leaders said the success of the developments relies on community engagement.

“We’ve seen a lot of great ideas, great development ideas not happen because the community wasn’t engaged,” said Gaudet and Associates founder and project consultant Jay Gaudet. “If I live in a community, it could be the greatest idea, but if I can’t digest what you’re trying to tell me that you’re going to do in my community Chances are I’m going to say, ‘No, I don’t want it.’”

Plans for the Dixie development are for 20 single-family homes and 12,000 square feet of commercial space split among eight retail units and an anchor retail space.

While residents showed interest in the plans, some expressed concern for the affordability of the new housing.

“There’s no way to drive or bring up the income of your residents that are there,” Dixie resident Sonyja Thomas said.

Robert told residents the housing units would be mixed-income housing with potential for tax credits, leaving room for families that may need help and subsidies.

Mayor-President Sid Edwards stopped in on the morning meeting in Dixie, expressing support for the project.

“Where my feet are today, goes right into where my heart’s at, and it’s in this community,” Edwards said. “This is what I want to see be lifted up. I want to see new things.”

dresses up as Santa Claus, inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said in a statement “This is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians.” The other 10 suspects arrested by Kenner police were booked on similar charges, including indecent behavior-grooming, Kenner police said. Those arrested include: n Carlos Lopez-Reyes, 29, of Kenner n Christopher Fava, 45, of Metairie n Faustino Salanicsam, 57, of Kenner n Francisco Amaya Paguada, 48, of Baton Rouge n Jamal Landry, 34, of New Orleans n Johnny Pierre, 31, of New Orleans n Jonathan Akers, 31, of New Orleans n Mario Herrera Zeledon, 44, of Kenner n Michael Lousteau, 23, of Luling n Melvin Walker, 43, of Pascagoula, Miss. Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

Plans for the Scotlandville tract feature 17 single-family homes and a single 12,000-square-foot retail hub, providing for different opportunities. With a focus on middle-class families and income to recruit more retail ventures in the future, Hooper said.

Metro Council member Anthony Kenney, who represents Scotlandville, said the plans were the next step in improving Scotlandville.

“It’s time to materialize and execute development plans in our community,” Kenney said. “This is deﬁnitely a huge leap towards solving a lot of the problems in Scotlandville, housing and grocery store access.”

Scotlandville residents were happy to be involved in the planning process, resident Pat McCallister-LeDuff said.

“I think it’s the right direction,” McCallister-LeDuff said. “If you come to Scotlandville with a plan you think we want, you could very well leave with your tail tucked We want to be involved.”

Build EBR leaders emphasized the plans were not set in stone, but rather jumping-off points for more community feedback; plans for the sites will continue to be developed. Leaders say they hope to see major developments on the projects late this year, with the project wrapping up in the ﬁrst quarter of 2028.

“I see a lot of hope and new beginnings for our area,” Dixie resident Lisa Simpkins said.

told the crowd. “That is a critical legacy worth keeping.”

Students in yellow LSU New Orleans shirts cheered and waved glittery pompoms as attendees arrived at Wednesday’s celebration.

Kamille Isom, a graduate student and president of the Student Government Association, said she was hopeful the event’s high energy and optimism would be a permanent feature of LSU New Orleans.

“We had a lot of people come out,” she said. “Seeing all those people just made me really excited for what’s to come.”

Chris Summa, a professor and president of the Faculty Senate, said he was nearly moved to tears by a promotional video that highlighted faculty members’ commitment to New Orleans. He noted that the university has endured ﬁnancial hardships since Hurricane Katrina, but said he is optimistic that the new leadership will help the school function more seamlessly

“This is a chance to get our mojo back and get to doing what we do best,” he said. “It’s exciting to see this many people excited about LSU New Orleans.”

He added that the school will contribute to LSU’s mission to educate students from across the state and prepare them for the workforce.

But the university will also remain a research institution rooted in New Orleans, Rousse said.

“LSU New Orleans must remain committed to serving as a catalyst for social mobility for ﬁrst-generation students, working students, adult learners and veterans,” he

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

ﬁring shots at the juveniles, police said.

Two of the victims were 15, while the others were 11, 14 and

FIRMENT

Continued from page 1B

Candidates will qualify for the seat on Aug. 5-7. The open primary is on Nov 3. If no candidate receives above 50%, the top two ﬁnishers will advance to a December runoff.

Letlow is giving up the seat to run for the U.S. Senate.

Firment 55 received an undergraduate degree from Louisiana Christian University and an MBA from Louisiana Tech and is a deacon and Sunday school teacher at his church.

A leading conservative voice on insurance issues, Firment chairs the House Insurance Committee, an assignment he received from the speaker both because of his indepth knowledge of the subject and his leadership abilities. Firment spent most of his career as an insurance adjuster He now works as a consultant helping home and business owners with disputed insurance claims.

In 2023, in the ﬁnal year of his ﬁrst

SHOOTING

Continued from page 1B

The first shot passed through Robinson’s wrist, striking his teenage daughter in the chest, Perrilloux said. That prompted Walker to chase Robinson and shoot at him again, this time fatally Brooke Alexander, Walker’s attorney, set a slightly different scene in her opening statements. She said her client acted in selfdefense against a bigger assailant who was clutching a gun of his own.

“This happened in seconds, and this happened in chaos,” Alexander said. “This happened when a 229-pound man on methamphetamine, fentanyl, amphetamine, who’s armed with a gun, who is following my client to his car, who’s twisting his own daughter around trying to get to my client, who’s angry and who is trying to fight my client. That’s how this case happened.”

Alexander characterized the fact that her client shot the teenage girl as being due to the fact that Robinson “shoved” past her to get at Walker East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark testified that a toxicology test on Robinson came back positive for amounts of all three drugs, including an amount of methamphetamine that defense attorneys argued was well above

Arian Verrett, a New Orleans native who enrolled at UNO after moving back to the city to care for her family said she appreciates the university’s close-knit community, though she wouldn’t mind seeing more students on campus She believes the school can maintain that sense of community even if it’s now called LSU New Orleans.

“It doesn’t matter if they change the name,” she said. “It’s still the same people. It’s still the same school.”

17, police said. The victims were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Anyone with information about the vehicle or its whereabouts is asked to contact BRPD’s Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-4869 or Capital Region Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

term, Firment sponsored a measure to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth that thrust him into the middle of perhaps the most controversial issue of that year’s legislative session. Conservative activists hailed the legislation, while critics said it maligned a small, vulnerable population.

The Republican-controlled Legislature approved the measure, House Bill 648, then-Gov John Bel Edwards vetoed it, and legislators took the exceedingly rare step of overriding the governor to have it become law In 2025, the Legislature passed a bill by Firment that prohibits undocumented immigrants who are injured in car accidents from collecting general damages.

That same year, Firment showed his independent side by criticizing Landry’s effort to pass a bill that put him at odds with Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. In the face of opposition from Firment and other Republicans, Landry had to water down the bill to get it passed. Firment voted for the ﬁnal version.

the range that could cause aggressive or irrational behavior In the cross examinations of Clark and multiple Baton Rouge police officers, Walker’s attorneys asked repeated questions about Robinson’s firearm: where it was found in relation to his body, if it had blood from the victim’s hand wound on it and why an officer failed to properly store it in an evidence bag when it was first found at the scene. Prosecutors argued that Robinson’s gun was never drawn, and could have potentially fallen out of his pants when he hit the ground. Since Walker’s case rests on an argument of self-defense, the question of who drew first, if at all, could be central to his case. The trial is scheduled to continue Thursday

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Wade Rousse, LSU system president and a University of New Orleans graduate, center pats the back of Jim Dalton, chancellor of LSU Baton Rouge, as they stand by the new sign for LSU New Orleans that was unveiled on Wednesday.

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St.MarkCatholic Church in Gonzales,LAat11am.

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Sicard, Raymond St.Mary’sCatholic Church at noon.

Obituaries

James, Cornelius

Cornelius James, born on December 26, 1948, passed away on June 25, 2026.Viewing, Friday July 3, 2026 form 5PM -7PM and on Saturday, July 4, 2026 from 8AM until funeral service at 9AM at Mt Calvary Baptist Church, 8969 LA-18 St. James, LA. Rev. Dr. Samuel Jones, officiating

And while she sleeps a peaceful sleep, Her memory we shall always keep. Talyn Maliyah was born on Wednesday, March 4, 2015, to Helen De'Shay Jones and Tolley Ray Milton. Talyn passedaway in her sleep from arare form of Brain Cancer, DIPG, on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at the home of her great aunt, Dana Leron Jones. Talyn loved cheering, dancing, swimming, women's wrestling, arts and crafts, card and board games, and football. Talyn loved the character, "Stitch." Talyn adored her family and friends. She attended EpiscopalSchool of Baton Rouge from Pre-K3 through 5th Grade, and was amember of Greater Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. TalynMaliyah is remembered by her mommy, Helen De'Shay Jones; father, Tolley Ray Milton; "daddy " Marvin "Junior" Queen; grandparents, Mario Jones, (Brenda) and Ingrid Willis (Bobby); great grandmother,Mary Mitchell;uncle, Maril J. Jones, II; great aunt and Godmother, Dana Leron; Godmother, Hilda Taylor (all of BR, LA); and great-great uncle, Patrick (Gloria) Jones (Dallas, TX). Talyn Maliyah is now in Heaven with her great grandparents, Mary Louise Jones, Tolley Gaten and Everlean Milton; great uncle, Corbett Jones; great-great aunts, Helen and Deborah Kay Jones; great-great uncles, Warren and Henderson Jones, Jr.; cousin, Thalani Jones; and close family friend, Marvin Rogers. Visitation is from 4:007:00 p.m. at Jordan Stone B. C., 8523 Thelma St. on Thursday, July 2, 2026, and from 8:00-9:45 a.m. at Greater Olive MBC, 3155 Victoria Dr on Friday, July 3, 2026. Religious Service starts at 10:00 a.m. Charles

Our belovedJanakiRao was truly an angel on earth. Shewas lovelyand kind and had averybeautiful heart. Jana was bornin London,EnglandonJune 12, 1937, to her parents Leontine (Boo)Weimerand Dr.Mugar Ranga Rao Suba Rao, and passedaway peacefully into the loving arms of JesusChristand her parents on June 29, 2026.They livedinIndia forthe first 10 yearsofher life and,after theuntimely death of her father, Jana andher mother returned to the UnitedStatesand lived in Baton Rouge where she becamethe delight of her mother's largefamily. She was also fortunate to have the love of her stepfather, Q. A. Hester, who made sure that Jana was loved and well educated. She graduated from LSU and becamea devoted schoolteacherfor many years. From her mother, grandfather,and auntsand uncles, Jana learnedthatthe love of family is the most important giftthata person can have. Godwas goodtoJana and, through his divine intervention and the help of hercousinJodi SandersRollins, she was reunited with her brother Ramu, who lived in India, in the twilight of both of their lives. It was atime of greatjoy forJana to have the opportunity to also meet her brother'sdaughter,Vidya and her husband and their children,Anita and Sarika,and to know that she had theirlove. Shewas so proud to know that her brother and his family had happy and successful livesand that they knew that she was part of their family.

Jana is survived by so many who love her, it is impossible to name us all Those of us who knewand loved her,havebenefited greatly by her presence in our livesand we aregrateful

Sheispreceded in death by hermother,father and stepfather and her brother, Ramu Rao, her grandfather George Weimer,Sr.,her UnclesGeorgeWeimer, Lowell Weimer,Cliff Weimer,B.M.Dixon, Sr. and Irvin Head and herAunts Verda Weimer, Lorna Weimer, Mrs. Irvin (Winnie) Head and Mrs. B.M. (Fadra) Dixon, her cousins B.M. Dixon,Jr.,Cindee Parsons, Charlie Dixon, Allen Sanders, and alarge extended family who welcomedher intoheaven withopen arms. Herfamilywouldlike to thankCarrieMcBridewho took excellent care of Jana formany years. Visiting will be at RabenhorstFuneralHome, 825 Government Street, 9am to 11amwith funeral services at 11am. Pallbearers willbeCurtis Dixon, Jr.,Barrett Dixon, Braden Dixon,Billie Dixon III, TomWeimer,Dan Weimer,Nick Weimer and Kyle Mautner. Honorary Pall bearers willbeJames Dixon, BradDixon, Curt Dixon,Sam Dixon,Clifford Weimer,Greg Weimer, Dean Weimer andSamuel Jowers. Interment will be in Roselawn Cemetery 4045 North Street,nextto her beloved mother and stepfather.Thank you, Jana,for allthe thingsyou did forall of us. Youwill never be forgotten and will alwaysbeloved.

Jones, Talyn Maliyah 'Liyah'

Louisiana’syearslong struggle to properly respond to the victims of alleged sexual assaultshas beenwell documented. Whetherit’sa lack of personnel to perform exams, abacklog in handling ofrape kits, or strugglespursuing criminal charges,the problemshavebeen persistentand intractable.

Andevenwith recent efforts to addresssome of the issues, anew report bythe Louisiana Legislative Auditor notesthatplenty of work remains to be done.

The audit identified major gaps in theefforts to respond to sexual assaults. Amongthe findings: The various agencies, which include law enforcement, advocacy groupsand healthcare providers, often don’tcoordinateontheir response;some regions of the statedonot have responseplans thatmeet therequirements of state law and, even whenthey do, some arein need of significant improvement; some of those plans have not been approved by coroners, as they are required to be; at leastfourparishesdo not have an accredited sexual assault advocacy center;and many victimsdonot have accessto Sexual Assault NurseExaminers, or SANEs.

One advocate told this newspaper’sMeghan Friedmann that the state’sbiggestproblem boils downtoinconsistency of services andresponse “Everything is siloed,” said Morgan Lamandre, CEOofSexual Trauma Awareness &Response The report comes as some legislators in recent years have taken stepstotackle the problem. Threeyears ago, Sen.BethMizell, RFranklinton, authored abill thatcreated asystemtotrack rape kits in the process of analysis.

This year,abill authored by Rep. Annie Spell, R-Lafayette, sought to centralize and strengthen oversight of the statewideresponse to sex crimes Spell’s bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry,creates anew position in the attorney general’sofﬁce tasked with getting a statewide picture of the responses. The person will also help direct resourcestoareas where it is lacking, Spell said. The law also creates a mobile SANE team, requires regional health ofﬁcials to submit annual reportsonthe response and sets up apanel to create statewidestandards

We believe all of these measures are positive. We also agree withLamandre that the new rules need to include accountabilityfor the ofﬁcials responsible.

“Weneed more teeth behindthings,” Lamandre said. “Weneed consequences.”

The auditor’sreport also noted some needed additional steps,includingﬁnding consistent fundingfor advocacycentersand improved oversight.

All of these seem like good ideas to us. For years, the old system has toofrequently failed theverypeopleitwas supposed to help. Louisianaisalaw-and-order state; therights andprotection of sex crime victimsshouldbeatthe top of the priority list.

What are we celebrating, really?

Adivided country? Limited freedom for aselect few? No equal/voter’s rights? ADepartment of Injustice? Exhausting our resources through selfserving means? An indecisive war? Strained economy? What?

Absolutely nothing in theConstitution of the United States of America, theDeclaration of Independence and theBill of Rights matters if we have aCongress willing to oppose we, the people, who put them in ofﬁce. How do we, and Iquote, “form amore perfect union, establishjustice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure theblessings of liberty to ourselves and posterity,” when our very own legislation, both Senateand House of Representatives, supportsthe dysfunctional behavior of thelegislative, executive and judicial branches?

There’snosovereign or governing body held responsible. Addinsult to

Who’sgoing to tell him?

That theaffordability crisis is real news —not fake news —and needs attention.

That thepurpose of the presidency is not to enrich oneself and one’sfamily

That preoccupation with aballroom that redeﬁnes ostentatious and an arch that mocks taste and proportion is not helping Americans.

That shotgun tariffs,implemented based on grudges and bullying, hurt Americans.

That apoorly planned war based on false premises (theregime will be overthrown) will hurt us economically in the short run, militarily in the intermediate term and politically in the long run.

injury,Congress has failed the people of the United States when they allowed an insurrectionist to hold office against Amendment XIV Sec.3. Our legislative, executive and judicial branches have all been tarnished. So, Isay,“What are we celebrating, really?” Ourflag has been replaced by theConfederate flag. This is not America, landofthe free, homeofthe brave. America needs legislators of strength. It’s one thing to speak up, but it’sonly beneficial when you act on behalf of everyone. Americansbelieve our government to be better than that. America attracts immigrants because we’re acountry all other countries strive to be. The best way tocorrect something is to call it out. America should use this July 4, Independence Day,the 250th anniversary to get re-vested in whywe’re here in thefirst place. Time to save America.

IRMA SMITH Opelousas

Republican voters of Louisiana, it’stimetovote forwhat is best for the people —not simply forthe letter “R” or “D”next to acandidate’s name. Our elected ofﬁcials should be judged by their character,leadership and results, not by their political party

Toooften, we reelect politicians whose primary goal seemstobe staying in office and following party lines rather than solving the problemsfacing our state. Louisiana has long been considered ared state, yet we continue to rank near the bottom in manyimportant measures, including education, health outcomes and economic opportunity.Ifwewant better results, we must be willing to hold every elected official accountable, regardless of party affiliation.

We need to demand moretransparency from those whorepresent us. Toomany decisions are madebehind closed doors, and too manypromises are madeduring campaigns that are never fulﬁlled once candidates are elected. This cycle of disappointmenthas gone on too long.

Our communities deserve leaders whofocus on real solutions —improving schools, creating good-paying jobs, strengthening infrastructure and ensuring access to quality healthcare. These are not partisan issues; they are Louisiana issues that affect every family in our state. Our voices are powerful. We should use them to support leaders whoput the people of Louisiana ﬁrst and are committed to improving the lives of all our citizens.

WENDELL DUPUY Gonzales 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

That repeatedly insulting and dismissing our long-term allies will leave us isolated and scorned by theworld.

That cozying up to autocratic leaders who share his penchant for thearbitrary acquisition of free and independent countries is wrongheaded.

That letting ascience- and evidenceaverse attorney direct American healthcare is atravesty.

That being insecure about one’smasculinity is not aqualiﬁcation for heading the Defense Department.

That promising to remove“theworst of theworst” does not mean indis-

criminately arresting asylum seekers, shooting Americans whoprotest, separating 100,000 children from their parents, nor shipping nonviolent offenders to El Salvador or the Congo.

That aJustice Departmentthat exists primarily to exact revenge for perceived slightsand disloyalty to one person is an anathema to its mission.

That pardoning criminals whoconfessed or were convicted by juries of crimes on Jan. 6, 2021, is unconscionable, and compensating them is unimaginable.

That promises matter Who’sgoing to tell him?Weare, on Nov.3,2026.

CHARLES ZEANAH Metairie

By now it is very clear whyBill Cassidy lost his reelection bid. He is atraitor to his party and his constituents. We really no longer care what he thinks or care to see newspaper articles about his thoughts or opinions. He needs to just go away BUTCH PENO Baton Rouge

STAFF FILEPHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Protesters march down astreet toward Williams Boulevard in Kenner on Jan. 10.

AMERICA250

Joyeux anniversaire et merci

Closetiesbetween France andLouisiana stretchbacktobeforeRevolution

By Rodolphe Sambou

ON THECALENDAR

Istill remember it vividly On asunny Saturday morning in December 2011, Iarrived in Louisiana for the ﬁrst time Dropped off in the heart of the French Quarter,in front of an old bookstore, Iheard ayoungstreet musician playing “La Vie en Rose.” Aroundmewere balconies that reminded me of those in my mother’s Basque village. It may sound like acliché, but I immediately felt at home.

partnerships are being created every year

In that moment, Irecognized something familiar: aEuropean heritage that so many French people —and Europeans more broadly —can still feel in Louisiana today Since then, Ihaveencountered thatconnection throughoutthe state.

Ihave seen it in Louisiana’s French immersion schools, where studentssometimes surprise their parents by speakingFrench with their grandparents, or even greatgrandparents Ihave felt it in Lafayette, in its music, literature andtraditions. Ihave discovered it through the works of EdmondDédé and through the remarkable history of L’Union, the ﬁrst African American newspaper in theSouth,published in French. Isee it in Mardi Gras celebrations, in thelove of food, culture andcommunity, and in the countless Louisianians seeking to reconnect withtheir French roots.

This heritage is not simply about preservingmemories. It is about building opportunities. Learning French opens doors to education, careers, traveland cultural understanding. It prepares future generationstothrive in an interconnectedworld. And this friendship is notmerely cultural. France is today amongLouisiana’sleading foreigninvestors and foreign employers. Bilateral trade has nearly tripled over the past ﬁve years, approaching$3 billion annually.More Louisianians are studying French,more French visitorsare discovering Louisiana and more economic

The relationship between France and Louisianaisnot alegacy of the past; it is a living partnership, growing stronger every day.The New OrleansSaints game in Paris this fall is proof that even after three centuries, our story continues to be written. This year,wecelebrate the 250th anniversary of the relationship between France and theUnited States. I often joke with my fellow French diplomats in Washington that, compared with the centuries-old ties between France and Louisiana, it is still arelatively recent story.Yet it is aremarkable one.

When Imeet Louisiana veterans wholanded on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day,Iamalways struck by asimple thought: The alliance between France and the United States is not an abstract diplomatic concept. It was built by menand women willing to cross an ocean —and sometimes to sacriﬁce their lives —sothat others could live in freedom. Some of the veterans are Cajuns. Onetold me that theFrench of his childhood wasonce often overlooked, but hadbecomea source of connectionand pride. Regardless of what they spoke, France remains profoundly grateful for their sacriﬁce.

From Lafayette and RochambeautoNormandy,our alliance was forged in decisive moments when liberty,sovereignty,democracy,and human dignitywere at stake. Those values remain just as relevant today Theworld has changed since 1944. Yetthe fundamental question remains thesame: Howdo free nations preserve peace, security and human dignityinan increasingly unstable world?

We face immense challenges: climate change, economic uncertainty,regional conﬂicts and growing geopolitical tensions. Warhas returned to Europe with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. France’ssupport for Ukraine is rooted in asimple principle: Bor-

ders cannot be changed by force, and nations have theright to determinetheir own future. These principles matter not only for Europe, but for thestability of the international system as awhole. France alsobelieves that today’s challenges —whether climate change, maritime security,public healthoreconomic stability cannot be solved by any country acting alone. Cooperation among allies and within international institutions remains indispensable. Take coastal erosion, which threatens communities in Louisiana just as it threatens parts of France. On issues like these, cooperation is not ideological; it is practical. We can share expertise, innovation and solutions. The United States has played, since 1945, adecisive role in the securityand stability of Europe. We are grateful for that commitment. At thesame time, France has consistently advocated for Europe to assume greater responsibilityfor its own defense, thereby strengthening thetransatlantic partnership rather than replacing it.

Louisianaoccupies aspecial place in this story. It is where French,American, African, Caribbean and Native inﬂuences came together to create something unique. It is aliving reminder that identities can be enriched rather than diminished through openness to others.

As America 250 approaches, may we remain faithfultothe legacy of Jefferson and Lafayette, and inspired by thecourage of those who crossed the Atlantic in bothdirections to defend liberty. May we also remember thesoldiers who landed in Normandy and all those, throughout the world, who have risked everythinginthe nameoffreedom and democracy We owe it to them. We owe it to ourselves. Andweowe it to future generations. Merci, Louisiana, for keeping that friendship alive.

Rodolphe Sambou, acareer diplomat, is consul general for France in New Orleans.

Thereare several events around Louisiana to celebrate the 250thanniversaryofthe adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Here is alist of somegoing on now.

For afull list, go to america250la.org

n The Historic NewOrleans Collection, 520 Royal St., NewOrleans, is featuring the exhibit,“American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition,”where visitors can immerse themselvesin3Dinteractive reconstructions of keymoments in Americanhistory. This free, interactiveexperience,which runs through Jan. 17, utilizes360-degree augmented realityto immerse visitors in 20 defining moments of the nation’sfounding,from thesparks of theBoston TeaParty to the victoryatyorktown.The “American Revolution” wasproducedand designed by Histovery withpromotional supportfrom NewOrleans & Company and Louisiana America 250.The exhibition offersa fresh, technologically driven waytoexplore the American story. For more, go to hnoc.org

n The Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo, 701 ChartresSt.,New Orleans, is featuring the exhibit, “Gálvez and Louisiana in theAmericanRevolution, which explores the life of Spanish Gov. Bernardo de Gálvez and the diverse people of Louisiana who fought forAmerican independence.Through May15, 2027. louisianastatemuseum.org

n Louisiana’sOld State Capitol, 100 NorthBlvd., Baton Rouge, is featuring the exhibit,“Bought fora Song: Ayoung Nation Expands,”whose only artifact is the French exchangecopyofthe convention between the Republic of France and theUnited States that finalizedthe Louisiana Purchase.Through July 11. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org

ABOUTTHISSERIES

Throughout the year,the Opinion pages are featuring columns and conversations from historians, scholars, politicians and others about what this 250thanniversaryofAmerica means.To read previous pieces, go to the Opinion section of our website.

PROVIDED PHOTOByHISTOVERy

An imagepromoting‘American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition’ designed by the French firm Histovery,iscurrently on display at the Historic NewOrleans Collection.

UV index is at the very high level.

Seabirddie-offslinkedtowarming oceans

BY JULIE WATSON Associated Press

SAN DIEGO Within minutes of walking on aSan Diego beach,marine ornithologist Tammy Russell found the featheredcarcasses one after another Some were mixed in with washed up kelp. Others were under rocks. Each month, scientistsand volunteers conduct surveys of dead seabirds and find what Russell describes as agrim assessment of the impact of amassivemarine heat wave that has lingered for months off parts of the California coast. Thesurveysthat have beencarried out by various organizations for decades help builda baseline of information on beached sea life to detect threats and their impact.

Many seabirds, includingCalifornia brown pelicans, loons and grebes, starved to death in recent months as record-setting ocean temperaturesdecreased theband of cold, nutrient-rich surfacewater where krill, anchovies and sardines thrive near the shore, said Russell, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

“We’ve been seeing cormorants walk to shore andthenjust diewithin the hour.Imean one time it happened within 15 minutes, and I’ve never seen that before,”Russell said. “That has been heartbreaking for me and we’re seeing this happening across the wholecoast.” Scientists fear the die-off could worsen with the recently formed El Nino,the natural warming of parts of thecentral Paciﬁc that alters weather worldwide and spikes global temperatures.

Die-offs happeningmore

The U.S. National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration in June conﬁrmed an El Nino formed and it is expected to grow to historic strength.

Die-offs of seabirds occur periodically,and not all the seabird deaths off California this year aretied to the marine heat wave, scientists and wildlife ofﬁcialssay But such die-offs are becoming

more frequent as the planet warms andoceansheatup.

Already amarineheat wave has persisted offparts of the West Coast for the pastyear,marking onlythe thirdtimeonrecord that suchalarge section of coastal waters stayed warm forsolong, accordingtoNOAA.

Scrippsmeasures daily ocean temperaturesat10coastalstations alongthe California coast, where their records stretch back over a century.This year, saw three stations break records for 40 days or more, said thedirector Melissa Carter, whoruns the program. The samplesare takenina varietyof ways, includingoff piers by dropping aninsulatedbucket,orbylifeguards in the earlymorning surfor researchersoff rocky shorelines.

Robotic underwater gliders with sensors operating out at sea also recorded high temperaturesoffshore and at depth during the spring. Dan

Rudnick, whoruns the Scripps gliderprogram, said the warm temperature anomaly off Southern California this spring was comparable to that during thelastElNino in 2023. And that was before the formation of this year’sElNiño,which could stretch into2027.

As cold-water species move deeper andfarther north, themarine heat wave coupled withElNino could further disrupt food webs for sea life from gray whales to seabirds. Asimilar pattern happened a decade ago.

“Wedon’tknow how bad this is going to get,” said Russell, who has writtenabout ﬁve species of Booby that are nowcommon offCalifornia because of warming ocean temperatures.

Seabirds seekingfood Wildlife rehabilitation facilities treated hundreds of emaciated

birds this spring whenthe marine heat wave intensiﬁed.

“It’snot abnormal to see dead birds on the beach,but the quantity of dead birds is unusual,”J.D Bergeron, the CEO of International BirdRescue, aglobalwildlife conservation organizationthat runs two aquatic bird rehabilitation centersinCalifornia, said in an interview in May Brownpelicansare turning up in inland lakes, Bergeron said.

“Whenbirds starve, especially thepelicans, theystart to look in unusual places for food,” he said. “They will chasefishing boats, they will go to piers andyou end up withbirds with ﬁshing line and ﬁsh hook injuries.”

Many dead or debilitated seabirds examinedthis year have beenyoung and emaciated, and mosthave tested negative for avian ﬂu, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Some had opportunistic infections linked to malnourishment. Krysta Rogers, asenior state environmental scientist, said there may be factors besides warmocean temperatures. High mortalityrates amongyoung Brandt’s cormorantsand commonmurres began after arobust 2025 breeding season,peaking post-winter,and appeared to coincide with themarine heat wave Those deathsmay be mostly due to chicks simply not surviving on their own, she said.

But she does not discount the marine heat wave affecting some seabirds,considering an increase this spring in reported deaths from other species and not just young ones.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which collects data from the dead seabird surveys and others, said theydonot have acomprehensive report ready yet. Notall birdswashashore

In 2013, awarmwatermass nicknamed “the blob” developed off Alaska and stretched south, lingeringfor years as it wreaked havoc on marine ecosystems allthe way to Mexico’sBaja California peninsula. One of the strongest El Niños on recordoverlappedwith it in 2015.

Carcassesofemaciated common murres showed up on beaches in whatbiologists say was the largest seabird die-offrecorded in the world’soceans.

Common murreslooklikethin penguins. They can flymiles in search of schools of finger-length fishand can dive and swim nearly 600 feet deep to capture them. However,the birds’ high metabolism means they have to eat alot. If they don’teat prey matching 10% to 30% of their body mass daily,they can use up fatreserves and drop to acritical threshold for starvation within three days. Studies show that only afraction of birds that die at sea wash ashore. It took years forscientists to confirm that more thanhalfof Alaska’spopulation of common murres, an estimated 4million birds, died during “the blob,” according to a2024 study in the journal Science. The species is still struggling to recover

‘More than a baseball coach’

LegendarySouthern baseball coachCador remembered as ‘great man’

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

The first time Southern baseballcoach

Chris Crenshaw met Roger Cador,the 14-year-oldCrenshawshook hishand, and Cador made apromise to his father

“He told my dad, ‘I’ll hold his hand and make sure he does the right thing,’”Crenshaw recalled Tuesday

The last time Crenshawsaw hisformer coach, on March19, Crenshaw’s40th birthday,Cador looked at him and said,“I’mstill holding your hand.”

Tears ﬂooded from Crenshaw’seyes Tuesdayonthe news that the iconicSouthern coach passed away at theage of 74athis sister’shome in Baton Rouge twoyears after undergoing surgery for abrain tumor He got the news while driving to Florida to see his son play baseballand hadto pull off of I-10 to grieve.

Crenshawrecounted, as he wept,what Cador meant to him. Hiswords spoke for hundreds of other Southern players whom Cador guided through college baseballwhile building Southern into an HBCU baseball powerhouse.

“He was the man; if he didn’tknow he was going to help you ﬁgure it out,” said Crenshaw,who playedfor Cador in 2006-07. “My dad (Greg)played at Southern. There wasn’tmuch recruiting.Healways said I was going to be aJaguar.When it was time for me to be one, Itook the opportunity.He was such agreat coach and agreat man.” Cador didn’tonly leave amark on his former players. In many respects, he was Southern baseball. He coachedfor 33 years (1985-2017) and compiled a913-597-1

SCHEINUK

STAFFFILEPHOTO By HILARy

Former Southernbaseball coachRoger Cador walks on the field beforeagame against LSUonApril9,2019, at Lee Hines Field.

SWEET16

BY JOSHDUBOW AP sportswriter

SANTACLARA, Calif. Folarin Balogun scored his third goal of the World Cup beforebeing sentoff with ared card in the second half, and Malik Tillman converted on afree kick to give the10-man United States squad a2-0 winoverBosnia-HerzegovinaonWednesday nighttoadvance to theround of 16.

Balogun dominated the first half withhis goal and several other chances that helped theU.S.control the match early,but the Americans had to scramble down aman afterhis foulagainstTarikMuharemovic in the 64th minute. Tillman helpedseal thewin when he scored on afree kick from just outside the box in the82nd minutewith a shot off the hand of goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. That gave theU.S. justits second World Cup knockoutround win. The Americans made it to thesemifinals in thefirst tournamentin1930 by winning their group and won around of 16 matchup against Mexico in 2002.

ä See CADOR, page 5C ON TO THENEXTONE: Belgiumrallies to beat Senegalinextra time |Kanelifts Englandto Roundof16|Mexicosnaps 40-yearknockoutdrought to advance, Page 4C

Thewin over Bosnia in theround of 32 in this year’s expanded tournament sets up amatchup on Monday in Seattleagainst Belgium as the U.S. hopes to makeadeep run on homesoil.

The gamewas played less than 20 milesfrom the site of the ﬁrst U.S. knockout round gameofthe modern era, when the Americans lost 1-0 to heavily favored Brazil at Stanford Stadium in 1994.

TheU.S.was favored this time around forthe ﬁrst time on record in aknockout round match and didn’tlet down thelarge contingent of red-white-and-bluecladfansat Levi’sStadium who were chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” in the closing minutes.

Thewin snapped a10-gamelosing streak forthe U.S. against European teamsdating to atie against England in the2022 World Cup. It marked the ﬁrst wininthe World Cup forthe Americans against aEuropean team since a win over Portugal in the 2002 opener.They were winless

ä See WORLD CUP, page 5C

TheAdvocatewinsLSWA awards,including tophonor

Staff report

Georges Media publications, including The Advocate, Times-Picayuneand Shreveport Bossier-City Advocate, piled up along list of honors in the 2025 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Annual Contest, including one staff member who was named Sportswriter of the Year

The awards were handed out Sunday during aceremony in Natchitoches, honoring the best the state has to offer in print, television and media relations.

Roy Lang of The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate was named SportsWriter of the Year for his coverage of the LSU-Shreveport baseball team on its undefeatedrun to an NAIA national championship, his writing following the tragic death ofa member of theCalvary Baptist Academy softballteam and his work after apair of Shreveportarea natives performed well at last year’sU.S Open. “2025 was meaningful for me,with orwith-

out anyawards. I’m honored to be apart of theAdvocate team we have in Shreveport andacrossthe state,” Lang said of hishonor Five other Georges Media employees pickeduptop individual honors. Wilson Alexander,who served as the LSU football beat writer forThe Advocate, claimed Beat Writer of The Year after taking the topspot in theCollege Event andCollege Feature categories. As aSaints beat writer for The TimesPicayune, Luke Johnsonearnedﬁrstplace in the Pro Event and Pro Feature competitions. In thePro Column category, Times-Picayune veteran columnist Jeff Duncan landed thetop spot. For his coverage of the Division Istate football championship game between Edna Karr and St. Augustine, Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune took ﬁrst place in the Prep Eventgroup. Michael JohnsonofThe Advocate came outontop in the Photography category.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByMARTIN MEISSNER

United States’ Malik Tillman celebrates after scoring on afree kick during aWorld Cup match against Bosniaon WednesdayinSanta Clara, Calif. The United States won2-0

Krejcikova upsets Andreeva at Wimbledon

BY MATTIAS KAREN Associated Press

LONDON Barbora Krejcikova

needed seven match points to knock French Open champion Mirra Andreeva out of Wimbledon in the biggest upset of the women’s tournament so far, winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Andreeva faced six match points when Krejcikova the 2024 Wimbledon champion — served for the match at 5-3 and saved them all before ﬁnally converting her fourth break point in a marathon game.

The ﬁfth-seeded Russian teenager handed her opponent a seventh match point when she sliced a backhand wide in the next game, and this time Krejcikova converted with a bit of luck. Her shot hit the net cord and bounced in and Andreeva could only return it long.

Andreeva, coming off her ﬁrst Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, threw her racket away in disgust and later smashed it into her bag before leaving Centre Court.

“What a match,” Krejcikova said, trying to sum it all up. “What a match.”

Earlier No. 1 ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner both advanced in straight sets, with Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka also reaching the third round.

Krejcikova is a two-time Grand Slam winner, also taking the 2021 French Open title, but has struggled with back and knee injuries and has fallen to No. 38 in the rankings.

Andreeva had shown signs of frustration throughout the third set including when her bead bracelet broke during a point at 1-1 and she had to spend a few moments picking beads out of the grass along the baseline and throwing them toward the back of the court.

Two ball kids and the chair umpire joined her in cleaning up before play resumed.

There was also some loud cheers during the third set that had nothing to do with tennis. Some in the Centre Court crowd had half an eye on England’s World Cup match against Congo and celebrated both

of Harry Kane’s goals and the ﬁnal whistle.

Gauff came from a break down in the third set and then won the last six points of the tiebreaker to beat Solana Sierra 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7).

Gauff was two points away from losing the match when Sierra served at 5-4 in the third set but won three straight points to break back In the 10-point tiebreaker, she trailed 7-4 but didn’t lose another point, sealing the win with an ace and then screaming out loud with both ﬁsts clenched.

“When she had to serve for the match I just reminded myself that I’m a great returner as well,”

Gauff said. “I was just trying to be positive and I think that showed.”

Gauff had her breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2019 when she reached the fourth round as a 15-year-old, beating Venus Wil-

liams in the ﬁrst round. But while she has won both the U.S. Open and the French Open since then, she has yet to make the quarterﬁnals at the All England Club despite two more trips to the fourth round. As it happens, that win over Williams also came on July 1 on No. 1 Court.

“It was kind of my breakout moment, and playing against one of my idols was insane,” Gauff said.

“Every time I walk down this hallway I get deja vu and I just remind myself, like, if I could do that (seven) years ago I’m deﬁnitely a better player since then. So I deﬁnitely can do it now.”

Osaka showed off a new look again before winning her secondround match.

Osaka, whose fashion reveals have become an event of their

own at Grand Slam tournaments,

wore a less elaborate outfit for her walk-on than the “Kill Bill” inspired kimono she sported for her opening-round match on Monday

It still drew plenty of attention as she made the walk from the locker room to No. 2 Court, trailed by photographers and fans wanting to take their own photos.

This all-white outfit featured a wide belt and a long train that trailed behind her, which the fourtime major winner took off as she began warming up for her match against qualiﬁer Anastasia Gasanova.

She went on to quickly dispatch Gasanova 6-3, 6-2.

“I’m just trying to mix it up a little bit,” Osaka said about her outﬁt, adding she had been worried that a loss might have ruined her daughter Shai’s third birthday on Thursday

“I just wanted to be here for longer, I didn’t want to make her get on a plane on her birthday,” Osaka said.

Sabalenka soon followed her into the third round, beating McCartney Kessler 6-1, 7-6 (9) on No. 1 Court.

Sinner, the defending champion who came from a set down twice to win in five sets in the first round, had a more comfortable victory Wednesday Sinner beat Nuno Borges 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the first match on Centre Court.

It wasn’t entirely straightforward for the Italian, though, as he had to break back for 5-5 when Borges served for the second set, before winning in just over 2½ hours.

“Second set was very, very tough,” Sinner said.

Other winners included French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli, No. 8 Daniil Medvedev, No. 17 Frances Tiafoe and No. 21 Tommy Paul. Next up on Centre Court Novak Djokovic taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas.

On Tuesday Serena Williams returned to Centre Court but lost in three sets to Maya Joint in her ﬁrst singles match in nearly four years. Williams, who tweaked her knee in the match, still hopes to play doubles with sister Venus later in the week.

Serena Williams wins praise from fellow pros

BY ANDREW DAMPF AP sportswriter

LONDON There were still serves beyond 120 mph. Plenty of heavy groundstrokes landing within inches of the baseline, too.

Serena Williams won plenty of praise about her game from her fellow players at Wimbledon a day after her ﬁrst singles match in nearly four years.

The 44-year-old Williams was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-yearold Maya Joint of Australia in the ﬁrst round on Tuesday but showed she could be competitive after being away for so long.

Coco Gauff ended her dinner early to ﬁnd somewhere to watch Williams.

“I think Serena’s level was insane,” Gauff said Wednesday. “It proves even more how she’s the GOAT despite age and all that. I don’t know how she can play that level not playing for four years. I was already nervous not playing two weeks before this tournament. I couldn’t imagine four years.

“I just love her I love her ﬁght And the serve is unbelievable,” Gauff added after her second-round win. “You just look at her and you think, ’This is like 10 years ago.’ It’s really insane. I think it was cool for the sport.”

The 87th-ranked Joint was in the top 30 earlier this year

“Maya played top-10, top-5 tennis. Obviously she’s a great player,” Gauff said. “She seems like an even, chill girl. I do think if anyone was ready for the moment, it would be her.” Williams announced on Wednesday that she tweaked her right knee toward the end of the ﬁrst set but said she still hopes to play doubles with sister Venus later in the week.

Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion who won seven of her titles at Wimbledon, did not ask for medical treatment during the

match and did not meet with media afterward.

“Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the ﬁrst set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” said Jill Smoller, Williams’ agent. “She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week.”

Williams confirmed the injury on Instagram and added, “It felt so good to be back on the grass (at) Wimbledon I’m incredibly thankful for the wild card — and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.

“Congratulations to Maya Joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old,” Williams added.

Serena received wild card invitations from Wimbledon organizers to play both singles and doubles with Venus.

Serena has said that having her two daughters off from school inspired her comeback and it marked the first time that her youngest daughter, Adira, who is almost 3, saw her play singles Adira sat next to her 8-year-old sister, Olympia in the front row of Serena’s players’ box.

Alexis Ohanian, Williams’ husband, wrote on social media: “Our little family is so proud of you (at) serenawilliams — even though it wasn’t the outcome you wanted, you’re an inspiration. We love you” He added that the kids “are also happy they got to stay up a bit past their bedtime.”

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka also paid tribute on so-

RHP Smith transfers to LSU from South Florida South Florida transfer and righthanded pitcher Kaden Smith is transferring to LSU baseball, he announced on Wednesday Smith posted a 4.24 ERA in 46 innings this past season, his only with the Bulls. He spent his freshman year at TCU and had a 5.25 ERA in 12 innings. At USF, Smith had 52 strikeouts and walked 25 hitters. Control was sometimes an issue for him, as he hit 17 batters, but he also has starting experience. He started eight games for the Bulls.

Smith is the seventh player LSU has added out of the portal, joining Notre Dame outfielder Bino Watters, Tulane outfielder Jason Wachs, Texas State infielder Dawson Park, Southern Cal pitcher Diego Velazquez, Florida second baseman Cade Kurland and Gonzaga pitcher Landon Hood.

Rangers’ Seager back on IL with back inflammation CLEVELAND — Corey Seager is back on the injured list.

The Texas Rangers shortstop was placed on the 10-day injured list before Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians because of lower back inﬂammation.

Seager was in the lineup for Tuesday’s game but was removed before his ﬁrst at-bat when his back ﬂared up during warmups.

He returned from the IL on June 25 after missing 12 games because of a concussion he sustained in a home plate collision with Kansas City catcher Carter Jensen on June 11.

Seager is batting .182 with 10 homers and 25 RBIs in 50 games. The ﬁve-time All-Star went 1 for 10 but walked ﬁve times in 15 at-bats since returning from his concussion.

WTA Finals moving from Saudi Arabia to Indian Wells LONDON The WTA Finals, the elite season-ending event in women’s tennis, is moving from Saudi Arabia to Indian Wells, California, this year The 2026 finals, which the top eight singles players and doubles teams qualify for, are scheduled for Nov 8-15.

The women’s professional tennis tour and Saudi Arabia had signed a three-year deal in 2024 to stage the event in Riyadh. The agreement provided a big increase in prize money There were concerns about going back to Saudi Arabia due to military conflicts in the Middle East. Indian Wells also hosts the BNP Paribas Open for both men and women in March.

Sony

Open flips over to PGA Tour Champions

HONOLULU The golf season in Hawaii again starts at Waialae Country Club next year as a PGA Tour Champions event that will be called the Sony Championship. The PGA Tour and Sony on Wednesday announced the change, which had been expected since April when the tour said it would not be returning to Maui for The Sentry, which since 1999 had preceded the Sony Open.

The Sony Championship will be Jan. 14-16 — ending on a Saturday — at Waialae, which had hosted a PGA Tour event since 1965. The prize fund will be $3 million. Past champions at Waialae now on the 50-and-older circuit include Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Zach Johnson and Jerry Kelly

Nationals RHP Cavalli apologizes for remark

cial media: “I really wonder if Serena and Venus know how much they mean to us,” Osaka posted. Then after winning her secondround match, Osaka discussed watching Serena play

“The montages that they had before the match started made me really emotional because I feel like I’ve watched her growing up,” Osaka said. “Now I feel like I’m grown up and I get the privilege of watching her again. So it was really cool.” Fellow American Tommy Paul watched, too.

“It’s pretty impressive at her age,” Paul said. “She was striking the ball pretty well, returning pretty well. I thought she was going to go after it a little bit more. I think it would have helped her a lot to have maybe a match of singles before coming out to Wimbledon. But she’s Serena. She can do whatever she wants.”

BOSTON Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli apologized Wednesday for shouting “sit down boy” at Boston Red Sox ﬁrst baseman Willson Contreras while instigating a benches’ clearing scrum a night earlier

“I’m extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived,” Cavalli said. “Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that.” Cavalli shouted at Contreras after striking him out looking with a full-count pitch in the fourth inning of the Nationals’ 8-1 victory over the Red Sox.

“My teammates know me, my family knows me, this organization knows me,” Cavalli said. Cavalli said he hadn’t apologized to Contreras yet, but he hopes he hears his explanation.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRIAN INGANGA

Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic celebrates her victory against Mirra Andreeva of Russia following their second-round singles match on Wednesday at the Wimbledon Championships in London.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAJA SMIEJKOWSKA

Serena Williams plays a forehand against Maya Joint of Australia during their singles match at the Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday in London.

U.S. Senior Open demands precision rather than power

Cink has won the first two majors this year on PGA Tour Champions

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

Stewart Cink has won the ﬁrst two majors this year on the PGA Tour Champions, though isn’t thinking about the Grand Slam this week at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. He just wants the U.S. Senior Open title that he fell just short of last year

“The way I think about it is I would rather just have won the U.S Senior Open than have it be part of some series of events like the Grand Slam,” he said. “It means a lot to me that this is a big tournament. It’s certainly one of the biggest tournaments of the year on my schedule, and that’s why we’re here, to compete and win.”

The 52-year-old Cink has four wins in nine starts this year, including the Senior PGA Championship and the Tradition. It is the second straight year that a player has won the ﬁrst two majors. Cink will try to avoid

the fate of Angel Cabrera, who did not make the cut in last year’s Senior Open.

Cink leads the tour in driving distance, but that might not be an advantage beginning Thursday, because Scioto’s layout is more about precision than power

“It does take the driver out of your hand in places, a lot of places, but power translates all the way through the bag. So power is an advantage coming into the greens, too.

It’s not just about hitting the driver far,” Cink said. “I think the biggest challenge here is just going to be to remain yourself and not try to be someone you’re not. The golf course has got a lot of challenge out there.

I don’t think it really ﬁts one type of player It’s just a really good overall golf course.”

Cink ﬁnished second in last year’s U.S Senior Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as Padraig Harrington won his second Senior Open title by one shot. Harrington, who also won in 2022, is trying to join Miller Barber as the only three-time champions in the event’s 46-year history

“There always seems to be something in front of you that you kind of have to layup off. Most of the

ﬁeld will play from the same posi-

tions on pretty much every hole, so it will be a second-shot golf course, approach shots. And the greens are very good, so the standard of putting should be very high this week,” said Harrington, who is in the middle of a stretch of playing eight straight weeks.

Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson are among the 50 golfers in the 156-player field making their first Senior Open start.

Besides the usual challenge of a USGA championship, another factor will be temperatures near triple digits. Cink feels like he is ready for whatever is thrown his way.

“It’s going to be a grind and a test, and stay hydrated and stay rested But really just stay kind of in the present and just be myself,” he said.

“I think the way the year or so has gone, I’ve proved to myself that it’s enough just to be pretty ordinary And I don’t mean that in a negative sense. I mean being ordinary in extraordinary circumstances like these is enough and just to remember that.”

This marks the third time Scioto has hosted the U.S. Senior Open. Gene Sauers won in 2016 and Dale Douglass in 1986.

Baseball players propose limiting optional assignments in minors

BY RONALD BLUM

AP sportswriter

NEW YORK Baseball players proposed optional assignments to the minor leagues be cut from a maximum of ﬁve per season to three and those sent down get more pay and service time, aimed at reducing roster churn that teams use for their bullpen back ends in an era when relief pitchers throw an increased portion of games. During a bargaining session Wednesday with Major League Baseball, the union proposed that a pitcher optioned after an outing of at least nine outs or 50 pitches during the seven days before the break be given major league pay and service time up until his team’s fourth game after the break.

In addition, a pitcher who is optioned at any time after a game or the next day after an outing of nine outs or 50 pitches would get major league pay and service time for the four days following the appearance.

There often is a wide disparity of pay for players with so-called split contracts. While the major league minimum is $780,000 this year, the minimum in the minors for those with split contracts is primarily $127,100 — and $63,600 for those signing a ﬁrst big league deal.

Teams have averaged 4.2 to 4.3 pitchers per game in each season since 2022, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last season under 4 was 2014 at 3.98.

Players also asked that active rosters be increased to 28 from 26 during the ﬁrst 15 days of each season, including a maximum of 14 pitchers that would be up from the current 13.

Players also proposed the 60-day injured list open at the time of the November tender deadline rather than the ﬁrst day players can report to spring training The change would allow teams to protect more players from the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings because players on the 60-day IL do not count against the 40-

man roster limit. The union asked that MLB agree to accelerate eligibility for the Rule 5 draft, restoring the ages in place through 2005. A player 18 or younger on the June 5 preceding his signing would be eligible for the fourth succeeding draft rather than ﬁfth and a player 19 or older would be eligible for the third rather than the fourth.

Players also want to ensure the draft will be held this year, even if management locks out the union after the current ﬁve-year labor contract expires Dec. 1. It also wants pitchers to be credited with major league service time if they are optioned to the minors during the All-Star break or after a game in which they meet speciﬁed performance thresholds.

Players also want a guarantee of access to team performance and video data that is not proprietary Owners have proposed a salary cap for the ﬁrst time since the 199495 strike that led to the ﬁrst cancellation of the World Series in 90 years.

Liberty RB Broussard, Stephens look to build on last season’s success

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

When first-year coach Devyn Baker joined Liberty this past spring, he looked for a leader

He got two in senior Jaxon Broussard and junior Abednego Stephens.

The running back duo immediately stood out to Baker with their leadership and talent on a young Patriots squad that graduated 32 seniors. The pair looks to help build off Liberty’s ﬁrst playoff appearance at the 5A level last year

“They’re the corner of the team,” Baker said, adding that they are both “extremely” talented.

The duo enters the 2026 season following the footsteps of Zaiden Foster, who ran for more than 2,000 yards and was a catalyst for the Patriots’ ﬁrst winning season in four years.

Foster may be gone, but Stephens and Broussard are hungry to keep building a culture of winning at Liberty

Setting the tone

As Baker began his tenure, Broussard jumped to the forefront.

Baker said he may not be the most vocal guy on the team, but his presence commands respect.

“Jaxon has this leadership capability that you rarely see in kids these days,” Baker said. “When he speaks, they listen. When he walks into a room, they listen. He commands a room without having to be that loud, ra-ra guy His leadership strikes my attention every day I walk into this building.”

Abednego brings a more vocal leadership style.

“When he speaks, they listen, but you’re going to hear him versus Jaxon,” Baker said. “Both of them are great human beings at their core.”

Talent to match

Along with their leadership, the running back duo has the talent to match.

Broussard has strong agility as a dual-sport athlete. He runs the 400 in track, and also adds strength, squatting 300 pounds and benching 225.

“No person my size can really in a one-on-one scene, can really compete with me, and I’m good at ﬁnding the holes in defense,” he said. “I’m not the most technical route runner but I’m good at ﬁnding the gaps and getting open.”

At running back is where Broussard feels most at peace.

“When you’re in the hole, and you’re running, the world just is quiet,” he said. “It’s the loudest place in the world, but it’s extremely quiet.” When he’s at his calmest, he looks to ﬁnd holes to gash defenses for big plays.

For Stephens, he looks to his work ethic and ability to ﬁnd ways to make plays.

“My effort is always there,” Stephens said. “I’m physical, vision,

footwork, it’s all there, I’ve got the whole package. I’m going to grind for everything I do. I’m going to give it my all.”

Stephens flashed last season, backing up Foster, breaking out for 152 yards and two touchdowns against Scotlandville.

He hopes to use this upcoming season to garner college offers. When scouts come to watch other teams, he hopes to be the one who steals the show

“We’ve got a lot of hard teams,” Stephens said. “I know these teams are deﬁnitely going to have colleges coming up to the games, looking at them, and if I ball out, they’re going to look at me too.”

When Baker watches Stephens play, he knows he has a special talent on his hands.

“Man, he reminds me of Reggie Bush,” Baker said. “He just does things that the average athlete can’t do.”

He knows both players can make something happen anytime the ball is in their hands. Baker has already started working on packages with his offensive coordinator to include both of them on the ﬁeld.

“It’s going to be a two-headed monster,” Baker said. “They complement each other well. Abednego is going to be that power, shifty back, and Jaxon is going to be that speedy, shifty back.”

Ready to prove themselves

Broussard and Stephens enter the year with lofty expectations. Each hopes to run for more than 1,500 yards and surpass doubledigit touchdowns.

On top of that, they want last year’s playoff appearance to become a regular occurrence, and neither is satisﬁed with last year’s ﬁrst-round exit.

“We come into the season with a lot to prove,” Broussard. “We’ve got a lot of competition this year, and we plan on being in the playoffs.”

Broussard knows he can’t take a play off with the younger players watching him. He wants to do whatever it takes to help his team be prepared by the time the calendar turns to Week 1.

“I can’t have that on my conscience, knowing that I caused us to be behind,” Broussard said. “I give it 110% every time I can.” Broussard said he hopes a deep playoff run can set a foundation for underclassmen so they can keep building the program. He knows the road ahead will get tough, but he hopes to push his team to its full potential.

“I try to encourage a lot of my teammates around us because we can compete,” Broussard said. “We don’t let anyone push us around. It’s going to be very hard to beat Liberty this year.”

Baker understands the challenge of year one in a difﬁcult district, but with his running backs ready for the challenge, he’s ready, too.

“If they’re up for the challenge,” Baker said. “Let’s rock and roll.”

Wings star Bueckers approached this WNBA season differently

BY MYAH TAYLOR The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

DALLAS When Paige Bueckers

strolled into the Dallas Wings’ training camp after an offseason full of excursions, it was clear she’d also made time for the weight room ahead of her sophomore year in the WNBA. The guard, historically slight, gained 15 pounds of muscle on a regimen that included three-hour lifting sessions ﬁve to six days a week and a new diet. She no longer looked like the freshfaced rookie from the year prior, but someone built to take on the physicality of a league that she’s already become a face of.

“Unfortunately, a lot of times throughout college I was always rehabbing something in the summer,”

Bueckers told The Dallas Morning News. “This was my ﬁrst long offseason where I really got to hone in.” Added time in the gym has seemingly paid off for Bueckers, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year She’s averaging 19.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists for the new-look Wings, who ﬁnished 10-34 overall in 2025 and are currently 11-8 near the midpoint of the 2026 season. The 24-year-old ranks top 10 in the league in points and assists, and recently achieved 1,000 career points.

Bueckers became the fourth-fastest player in history to reach 1,000 points and the fastest to reach 1,000 points and 250 assists, but these feats can’t all be attributed to work in the gym

Though physically more built, Bueckers has also strengthened her mind.

“I believe in the power of positive thinking. I’m probably delusionally positive,” Bueckers said “Situations could be 99 percent negative and I’ll try to ﬁnd that 1 percent.”

That mindset has made Bueckers a beloved teammate. It’s also helped her navigate the weight of responsibility and the pressure of being in the public eye. And she’s still learning how to ﬁght against the perfectionism that comes with that role. Time in the gym made her even more elite on the court, but life in the spotlight has taught Bueckers being a leader doesn’t negate her own humanity

Humble teammate, leader

A big sister to three siblings, Bueckers has long been a connector

That warmth is part of what’s made Bueckers a household name in

the sport, though she often deﬂects the spotlight away from herself and on to her teammates.

While she can take over a game, she has more of a pass-ﬁrst mindset.

When Bueckers has a great performance, she’ll credit a teammate for creating space. You won’t see her placing blame on anyone.

“I ride for my teammates. Good, bad, ugly, win, loss, whatever,” Bueckers said. “Everybody’s important No person’s bigger than the other.”

During her time at UConn, where she became one of the top NIL earners in women’s college sports, she often included her teammates in NIL deals and used her inﬂuence to create pathways for minority content creators and advertisers. Bueckers also left additional money on the table.

“At the beginning of that NIL thing, I remember saying to her

‘All right, listen, we’re going to sit down and talk about how much money we’re going to give you,’ “ longtime UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said during a recent media availability “And she’s like, ‘I don’t want it.’ “ When Auriemma pushed her on it, Bueckers’ answer remained the same. Bueckers credits the 12-time champion coach, along with high school coaches and veteran players, for much of her growth in that area.

“Holding people accountable and calling people out is really just calling people up,” Bueckers said. “It’s really a respect thing If you think your teammate is capable of better and you think we can be better as a team — that’s what leadership is.”

PROVIDED PHOTO Liberty football running backs for 2026, from left, are Abednego Stephens and Jaxon Broussard.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By FRANK FRANKLIN II

Stewart Cink hits from the first fairway during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 15 in Newtown Square, Pa.

WORLDCUP 2026

Belgiumconverts late penalty to beat Senegalinextra time

BY ANDREW DESTIN

AP sportswriter

SEATTLE Downtoits ﬁnal last-gasp chances, Belgiumcame through with goals —three of them.

The Red Devils overturneda two-goal deficit with two scores in the ﬁnal minutesofregulation time and then added athirdin the ﬁnal seconds of extratime to somehow claw back into thegame and beat Senegal 3-2Wednesday in the round of 32 at the World Cup.

YouriTielemans scored the equalizing goal in the89th minute and then converted from the penalty spot in the ﬁfth minute of stoppage time in extra time for the latest goal in World Cup history.He was fouled with onlyseconds to go and with apenalty shootout looming, and the refereeawarded the spot kick after avideo review “I do not want to interpret the decision. We all have different interpretations when it comes to awarding apenalty,”Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said. “I’d rather not comment,not interpreting the referee’sdecision.”

The win for Belgium markedthe second timeinthe last 11 World Cups that ateam trailed bytwo or more goals in theknockout round and advanced. Belgiumalso did so in a3-2 victory overJapan in the round of 16 at the 2018 tournament.

Many of the key players from that Belgium team, which ﬁnished in thirdplace in Russia, were instrumental to Wednesday’svictory Striker Romelu Lukaku, who leads his nation in goals scored, came off the bench to getBelgium back into the match by scoringin the 86th minute, setting the scene

4p.m.

Sunday Brazil vs.Norway,3p.m. Mexico vs.England, 7p.m.

Monday United States vs.Belgium, 7p.m.

for Tielemans to force extra time.

“It is acruel loss, as we were good in thegame,”Thiaw said.“We had the advantage. We were leading 2-0. However afootball match is not an 85-minuteone.Belgium cameback, and we werenot able to dealwiththat. We must congratulate Belgium as they progress.”

Belgium is back in the round of 16 for the third time in four tournaments. The team reached the quarterﬁnalsin2014 and the semiﬁnalsin2018 but failed to getout of the group stage four years ago in Qatar

TheBelgians will next face either the United States or BosniaHerzegovina on Monday in Seattle.

Ismaïla Sarr scored his fourth goal of the World Cup, and one of the most beautiful of the tournament, to give Senegal a2-0 lead in the 51st minute. He made aperfect ﬁrst touchoff hischest on along ball from Moussa Niakhaté and then sent his shot past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois Senegal, whichwas withoutgoalkeeper Édouard Mendy because of akneeinjury,took thelead on Habib Diarra’sgoal in the 25thminute. Courtois, whoisplayinginhis fourth World Cup, then made three key saves to keep Senegal from increasing its lead. It’s the second time this year Senegalhas been hit with alate penaltyinabig game.

In the Africa Cup of Nations finalonJan.18, Senegal’splayers left the field in stoppage timeafter having alate goal ruled outbefore Morocco was awardeda potentially game-decidingpenalty.There were scuffles between rival playersbefore Senegal coach Pape Thiaw led mostofhis players off thefield. They returned after about 10 minutes later and playresumed with Morocco midfielder Brahim Díaz having his penalty saved by Mendy Senegal midfielder PapeGueye then scored theonly goal in extra time, butthe victorywas takenawayin March by the governing body of African soccer andMorocco was awarded a3-0 default victory In Wednesday’s match,Senegal defender PathéCiss went down with an injury directly on top of the penaltyspot in an apparent protest as his teammates argued with thereferee. Cissonlymoved once it wastimefor Tielemansto takethe shot

LATE TUESDAY

Kane liftsEngland to Roundof16after winagainst Congo

BY JAMES ROBSON AP soccer writer

ATLANTA— England handled the pressureand is nowheadedto Mexico City

Harry Kaneensured England avoided an earlyexitfrom the inaugural 48-team WorldCup by scoring two second-half goals in acome-from-behind 2-1win over Congo in theround of 32 on Wednesday

The late victory,England’ssecond ever at theWorld Cup after conceding theﬁrst goal,earned the 1966 champions aspotinthe round of 16 and amatch against co-host Mexico.

“It was just about pounding the rock, keep pounding the rock and our moment would come,” Kane said after scoring his fourth and ﬁfth goals of the tournament. “We spoke about people having hero moments. It can be anyone in the team …Whoever it is, we have hero moments, and formeitwas theday.”

That team’snext match will be playedatthe Azteca Stadium, thesite of Argentina great Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God”goal that eliminated England fromthe 1986 World Cup quarterﬁnals. Getting there didn’tcome easy against aCongo team that nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsetsinWorld Cup history England’sonly other World Cup victory after trailing 1-0 came in the1966ﬁnalagainst West GermanyatWembley Stadium

“That’s agood sign. It just shows youthe levelofdetermination andthe level of belief and alsothe level of focus,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “I didn’tfeel the weight on their shoulders and Ifound that we played it with the exactly right attitude andwetrusted ourspirit

“The goalkeeper kept on saving

incredible saves but this team todaydid notaccepta defeat as an outcome.”

Kane made sure the early deﬁcitwasn’ta problemWednesdayatMercedes-Benz Stadium by extendinghis record as his country’s leadingscorerintournament history to 13. He has a record 84 goalsfor the national team in total.

His ﬁrst goal came in the 75th minute. Substitute AnthonyGordonlifteda crossfromthe left anddespite Congogoalkeeper Lionel Mpasi getting ahand to Kane’sheader,hedidn’tstop it from nestling into the bottom corner Eleven minuteslater,Kanesent his shot into the top corner to put the thoughts of an upset to rest.

“Whenyou gettothe knockouts, the pressure and the risks are so muchhigher.But from an attacking point of view, that was easily our best game of the tournament,” Kane said. “Sometimes you just have to grind wins out andwedid exactlythattoday.I toldthe boys to enjoy it.We’re through, andwegoagain in four days.”

BrianCipenga hadput Congo in the lead in the seventh minute after collecting across on the left of the box and shooting lowpast England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at the near post.

Mpasi did his best to keep that 1-0lead alive.Hedenied Jude Bellingham on three occasions blocking two close-range headers before halftimeand then clawing away another deﬂected effort after the break.

Kane nearly made abreakthrough late in theﬁrsthalf, but Mpasi blocked apowerful shot at the near post. And the keeper was also caught up in acollision with Kane in the box. England thought it should havebeen awarded apenalty,but referee

BYCARLOS RODRIGUEZ

AP sportswriter

MEXICO CITY The 40-year wait is over.Mexicans had learned to live with defeats in the knockout stagesofthe World Cup. On seven occasions,ElTri fans wereleft heartbroken at thisstage.

Not anymore

Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored within anine-minute span in the ﬁrst halfand Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night to breakafour-decade drought in the knockout stageand progress to the round of 16.

Quiñones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Jiménez added agoal in the 31st for the Mexicans, who had not won aknockoutstage match since defeatingBulgaria in the round of 16 when they hosted the tournament in 1986. Mexicocoach Javier Aguirre was one of the starting midﬁelders in that ‘86 team.

“It means alot to me because Iamone of those who could not progress in the knockout stage,” Aguirre said. “Weare in the round of 16 anditishappeningagreat connection with the fans. We are

like afamily.It is spectacular.”

Mexico lost seven consecutive timesat thatsamestage from 1994 to 2018 and didn’tadvance past the group stage in 2022

Aguirre, who returned as Mexico’shead coach in August of 2024, was an assistant in 1994 and was the coach in 2002 and2010.

“Wewill be on highalert from here untilSunday. We will tryto have the players recover from this and we will seeifweare able to win again,” Aguirre said.

In theexpanded, 48-teamWorld Cup, there’sanextra round in the knockoutphase—theroundof32was insertedforthistournamentbetween the group stage and the round of 16. Quiñones goals

Athird goal in the tournament makes QuiñonesElTri’ssecondhighest scorer in World Cuphistory behind Luis“Matador”Hernández and Javier “Chicharito”Hernández, who scored four each. Quiñones, who was thescoring leader in theSaudi Pro League last season, has become the spark in the attack that Mexico lacked in previousWorld Cups.

“I am just happy with the result,

that is all that matters now,” said Quiñones, whoisplayinginhis ﬁrst World Cup withMexico. The 29-year-old forward arrived in thecountryfromColombia at age 17 and became anaturalized citizen in 2023. “Life is about struggle and ﬁght

until you get what you want,” he said, “and Iamtaking full advantageofthe opportunity that Igot.” Jiménez scored his second goal of the tournament and has 47 with thenational team to break atie withJared Borgetti.Heisfive away from tying “Chicharito”

Hernández as the all-timeleading scorer forMexico.

Mexico will play another home match Sunday againstthe winner of Wednesday’s match between England and Congo. Playing at the iconic Azteca Stadium, the Mexican squad boasts an undefeated record across 10 World Cup matches. Mexico has just two ofﬁcial lossesatthe venue —the last being aWorld Cup qualifying defeat to Honduras on Sept. 6, 2013. With thewin, Mexico extended itsunbeaten runto12games,dat-

to afriendly loss against

Mexicoalso became the first

side to eliminate a team from

in aWorld

match. Teams from

won the previous

meetings. The match startedone hour after the original scheduled timedue to athunderstorm It wasthe second match of the tournament delayed by weather Astorm during the France-Iraq match at Philadelphia on June 22 caused a2-hour,11-minute suspension at the end of the ﬁrst

PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

the WorldCup Round of 32

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SILVIA IZQUIERDO

Mexico’sRaul Jimenez celebrates with teammates after scoring agoal during the WorldCup Round of 32 match against Ecuador on Tuesday in Mexico City. Mexico won2-0

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByBUTCH DILL England’sHarry Kane celebrates after scoring agoal next to his teammates Jude Bellingham, center,and AnthonyGordon, right, during the Round of 32 match against CongoonTuesday in Atlanta.

The Associated Press

Add Norman Powell to thelist of this past season’sAll-Stars who are changing addresses this summer in NBA free agency

Powell has agreed to atwo-year deal that could be worthupto$45 million with the ChicagoBulls, a person with knowledge of thetalks said Wednesday.Powellalso had received some interest from the DetroitPistons, said the person, whospoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymitybecause the contract cannot be ﬁnalized until July 6atthe earliest

ESPN and Chicago Sports Network were among those who ﬁrst reported the agreement between Powell and the Bulls, whowill hold ateam option for 2027-28. Powell spent this past season inMiami, where he became an All-Star for the first time and averaged 21.7 points in 58 games with theHeat. Miami will have avery different look this coming season, after the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpoinatrade that sent Tyler Herro and others to Milwaukee. Powell will be joining his ﬁfth team, after past stints withPortland, the LosAngeles Clippers, Toronto and theHeat.

All-Starsonthe move

Powell is among ﬁve —and there likely will be more —All-Starselections from 2026 alone to be on the move this offseason.

He joins Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee to Miami), Kawhi Leonard and Brandon Ingram (the headliners of atrade that brings Leonard back to Toronto and sends Ingram to the Los AngelesClippers), and LeBron James (who is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers for ayet-to-bedecidedteam).

Of the 62 players with at least one All-Star selection inthe last ﬁve years, just over half —32of them —have changed teams at least once in that span.

Robinson to Boston

Mitchell Robinson, the Chalmette High School alum whohelped the New York Knickswin an NBA championship in June, hasfound a new team.

The 7-foot centerhas reacheda deal with the BostonCeltics, according to an ESPN report.

free agency heatsup

Thedeal was reachedonWednesday, the second day teams were allowed to negotiate with free agents.

Robinson spoke abouthis free agency last Thursday when he was in Chalmette for his annual camp and aparade that was held in his honor for winning theNBA championship.

“I’m just going to see what’sout there and we’ll see what happens,” Robinson said.

He has agreed to athree-year, $47.4 million deal with the Celtics. The deal hasaplayer option in thethird season, according to the report.

Drafted by the Knicksinthe secondround of the 2018 draft,Robinson had been with the Knicks longer than anyone else on the roster. He averaged 7.5pointsand 8rebounds in his timewith the Knicks. He was akey reserve for a team that won itsﬁrst NBA championship in 53 years. His ability to reboundand protectthe game made him one of the most coveted bigmen in this year’sfree agency class.

He was instrumental throughout the playoffs, including the job he didagainstSan Antonio Spurs’ center Victor Wembanyama in the Finals.Robinson was guardingthe San Antonio star when Wembanyama missed apotential game-winning shot in Game 2. And it was Robinson’sclutch rebound on aSpurs’ missed free throw that

clinchedthe seriesinGame 5.

Now Robinson heads to play for one of the Knicks’biggestrivals, the Boston Celtics. He will help ﬁllthe void left by center Nikola Vucevic,who agreed to adeal with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. CelticsstarBrown to 76ers

The BostonCeltics are trading 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Browntothe Philadelphia 76ers for PaulGeorgeand aslew of draft capital in yetanother blockbuster offseason move in the NBA, aperson with knowledge of theterms said Wednesday.

Bostonalso gets two ﬁrst-round picks andtwo second-round picks, according to the personwho spoke to TheAssociatedPress on condition of anonymitybecausethe trade hadnot received the required league approvals.

ESPN first reported the trade agreement,and theterms were later conﬁrmedbyThe BostonGlobe. It brings Brown’stenuretoBoston to an endafter ﬁve All-Star appearances in a10-season run that sawhim play in more wins —when counting bothregular season and playoff games —than any other player in theleague over that span.

Vucevicreturns to Orlando

Nikola Vucevic is headed back to the Orlando Magic, agreeing on aone-year deal for just under$4 million,aperson with knowledge

of those talks conﬁrmed.

Vucevic is second all-timeonthe Magic list in rebounds, third in points andfourth in games played. The35-year-old center has been in the league for15seasons, nine of those with Orlando —and now joins ayoung core ledbyPaolo Banchero and Franz Wagner Orlando needed another post option after losing Moritz Wagner in free agency to Brooklyn —and Vucevic, whostill has ahome in central Florida, was the natural ﬁt. Moritz Wagner, the brother of Franz Wagner, is signing atwoyear deal with the Nets.

Vucevic averaged 15.1 points this past season for Chicago and Boston.

Also Wednesday,the Magic resigned forward Jonathan Isaac. He was waivedlast weekinaprocedural move, only to be brought back as expected forwhat willbe his10th season with the club (including two he missedwith injury).

SmarttoHouston

Marcus Smart, theNBA’s defensive player of the year in 2022, is about to join his fourth team in a span of 17 months after agreeing with theHouston Rockets on a two-year deal worth about $12.7 million,aperson with knowledge of those talks told the AP Smart was withMemphis as recently as February 2025, then was sent to Washingtontocomplete that season and spent this past season with the Lakers. He averaged 9.3 points and started 54 games for the Lakers in 202526.

HarristoSan Antonio

The Western Conference champion Spurs gotanother veteran, adding Tobias Harris on atwoyear deal worth about $15 million this coming season and about $16 millionin2027-28, aperson with knowledge of the agreement told theAP.

Including playoffgames, Harris has played in 466 victories over the last decade —the sixth most of anyplayer in the league over that span.Harris, whoturns 34 later this month, averaged 13.3 points this past season for Detroit.

CollinstoDetroit

Forward JohnCollins is chang-

ing teams again, afteragreeing to athree-year contract withthe Pistons, apersonwith knowledge of those negotiations told the AP ESPN reported the deal is worth $51 million.

The Pistonswill be Collins’third team in as many seasons. He started his career in Atlanta, then spent two seasons in Utah (until 2024-25) andplayedfor theClippers last season.

Lakers reload

The Lakers are thoroughly retooling their roster following James’decisionand Smart’s departure. After agreeing to amajor trade to acquire center Walker Kessler from Utah,theyadded forward Sandro Mamukelashvili and guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton in free agency,aperson with knowledge of those talks told the AP Mamukelashvili, abulky power forward with an outside shooting touch, played his way into a multiyear deal with the Lakers by scoring acareer-high 11.2 points pergame andhitting 38.9% of his 3-point attempts forToronto last season andthenopting outofhis contract.

Grimes is aformer Dallas teammate of Luka Doncic who provides strong on-ball defense andversatile offensive skills. Grimes posted aphoto of himselfasa child wearing Lakers gear on social media Wednesday Sexton has been aconsistent scorer throughout his first eight NBA seasons with four teams. He averaged 15.4 points and 3.3 assists per game last season for Charlotte and Chicago.

OubretoIndiana

The Indiana Pacers, who played in theNBA Finals in 2025 andexpect to be aplayoff contender againthis coming season,have agreed to terms with Kelly Oubre Jr.onatwo-year deal. ESPN and The Indianapolis Starreported it to be worth around $17 million. Oubre averaged 14.1 pointsfor Philadelphia this past season. AP Sports Writers Kyle Hightower in Boston and Greg Beacham in Los Angelescontributed to this report. Rod Walker contributed to this report.

Here’s an Alexandriainspired steaksandwich recipe from thenew ‘MyEgypt’cookbook

BY MICHAELMINA Voracious

Not far from the Cornichealong theEastern Harbor in Alexandria, Egypt, there’s El Fallah, atiny place that only makesone thing: liver sandwiches.

Yousay liver sandwich in Alexandria and people know you’re talking about thisspot —it’ssofamous that the owner has dozens of pictures of himself posingwithEgyptian celebrities.

The reason the sandwich works is the meat is cut paperthin and is generously seasoned with spices. That liver sandwich inspired this recipe in my book “My Egypt,” made with rib-eye, which applies similar ﬂavors to steak sliced super-thin (as in, Philly cheesesteak thin).

If you’d rather make the sandwich with beef liver instead of steak, slicethe liver in half horizontally,season generously with salt and pepper,and brush with the garlic butter used in this recipe. Broil the liver for 1to2minutes or until brown on the outside and slightly pinkinthe center Letitcool for acoupleofminutes,thenslice it crosswise and add it to thebowl with the cooked shallots and otherﬁxings.

Youcan make the garlic butter aheadand refrigerate it with the garlic cloves inside. This recipe makes more garlic butterthan youneed, but the extra keeps, sealedinan airtight container,for amonth,readytobe pulled out and used to make many other things, like garlic bread or scampi.

Flavor to remember

AJuly Fourth coleslaw with freshmangoes

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Ilook forward to mangoseason,when perfectly ripe, sweet mangoes are easy to ﬁnd in themarkets. Their juicy,tropical ﬂavor adds arefreshing twist to everyday dishes. Tossed into a quick coleslaw,mango brings atouch of natural sweetness and vibrantcolor,transforming it into alight, satisfying vegetariansalad that’s perfect for awarm evening. Here are some tips on how tohandle a mango. Mangoes continue to ripen afterthey arepicked. Keep them at room temperature until they yield to gentle pressure. To speed up theripening, place mangoes in acovered bowl or paperbag Addasweet twisttoyour

See COLESLAW, page 2D

Red Beans and Rice

Makes 8-12 servings. Recipe is from the cookbook “Cooking Up aStorm:Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans,” edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker

rthur,the first named storm of 2026, made landfall in Texas, churning up theGulf waters and tropical moisture into southeast Louisianaearly on June 18. The local meteorologists were less concerned about Tropical Storm Arthur’swinds thanthe possibilityofasignificant amount of rain. Iwent to bed wondering if we would wake up to flooded streetsora few puddles. Early in themorning, the unmistakable shrill ring of the emergency alert system warning of apossible tornado jolted me out of bed. Iturned on thelocal news station to watch theweather and the familiar feeling of uncertain angst during hurricane season in Louisiana hit me. In New Orleans, and manyother cities along the Gulf Coast, summertime hurricane preparation and conversation are ever-present elements of the culture. Inevitably,stories about Hurricane Katrina resurface, and withit thephysical destruction and communal loss that residentsstill grapple to comprehend.

Liz Faul ANOTHER RECIPE

ä Frank Brigsten’s Marinated Crab Claws with Green Onion Sauce. PAGE 2D

1pound dryred kidney beans ½pound fatty ham or another seasoning meat, such as salt meat, or smoked ham 1medium onion, chopped 1or2stalks of celery, chopped 1green bell pepper, chopped 1clovegarlic, minced

1largebay leaf 1to2teaspoons Creole seasoning Salt to taste Black peppertotaste 2tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or more to taste ¼cup choppedgreen onions (green partonly) Hotcooked rice forserving Hotsauce forserving

1. Pick over the red beans to remove any stones or brokenbeans. Soak overnight in alarge bowl with about 3inches of water to cover.Drain the water,rinse the beans, drain again, and set aside.

2. Render the ham or seasoning meat in aDutch oven over mediumheat to obtainthe fat, then remove the meat andset aside.Saute theonion, celery,bell pepper and garlic in the rendered fat, adding alittle oil if needed, until softened. Add the beans, return the meat to the pan, and pour in 8to 10 cups of water,orenough to covereverything by at least acouple of inches. Bring to aboil. Add the bay leaf and the Creole seasoning to thebeans, then reducetoasimmerand gently cook, uncovered, for about 1½ hours, or until the beans are tender.Add morewater while cooking if necessary

3. Toward the endofthe cookingtime, mash some beanswitha spoon againstthe side of thepot to makethe mixture creamier,ifdesired, and add the salt and pepper to taste, the parsley and the green onions as agarnish. Discardthe bayleaf and serve in bowls over white rice. Pass the hot sauce.

PHOTOSByLIZ FAUL

Red beans and rice

VORACIOUS PHOTO By JOHN LEE Alexandria Steak Sandwiches, Recipe 2D

Serves4.Recipe is excerpted from “My Egypt” by Michael Mina.

GARLICBUTTER: ¼pound unsalted butter

5garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

¼teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

SANDWICH:

4soft French sandwich rolls, cut in half and toasted cut side up

2bonelessrib-eye or New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces)

1teaspoon vegetable oil

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2tablespoons unsalted butter

3shallots, thinly sliced

1small hot pepper (Anaheim or jalapeño), thinly sliced crosswise

½teaspoon ground cumin

½teaspoon ground turmeric

½teaspoon paprika

1lime, halved

1handful cilantro sprigs

1. To make the garlic butter,ina small saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic overmedium heat, about2 minutes. Season with salt and afew pinches of pepper and let cool to awarm room temperature, about 10 minutes.

2. Using apastry brush, lightly coat the cut side of the sandwich rolls with the garlic butter, about 1tablespoon per roll.

3. Trim some of the fat fromthe steakand save to render in the pan. Cut away any gristle. Slice each steak in half crosswise, then slice thinly across the grain into 3- to 4-inch-long pieces (try to get as close as you can to Philly cheesesteak thinness with theslices).

MangoColeslaw

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by LindaGassenheimer

4. In alargeskilletover medium-high heat, render thesaved beef fat for 1minute,thenremove(it’sOKif notmuchfat comesout). Add the oil and heatfor afew seconds, thenadd the sliced steak andsear brieﬂy, turning the pieces once or twice andseasoning with afew pinches of saltand agenerous pinch of pepper,until the beef is cooked through, about 2minutes.Transfer the beef and any juices to aheatproof bowl and keep warm.

5. In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, hot pepper, cumin, turmeric and paprika and cook until theshallotshave softened slightly, about2minutes. Add to the bowl withthe steak and stir together well. Squeeze thelime over the bowl,thenmix again, adding moresalt if needed.

6. Divide the steak and shallots among the sandwich rolls and ﬁnish withcilantro sprigs. Slice thesandwiches in half before serving.

Shamingguestsnot the flex youthink it is

Dear Miss Manners: My daughter was recently married —asecond marriage bothfor her and for her new husband. They had alovely ceremony and invited close family and good friends —well, some good friends. Three of my daughter’sfriends workwith her new husband’sex-wife. The couple received neither cards nor gifts from this trio. She feels they have been manipulated by the ex. What should she do?

But we have aproblem

Three, actually

First, the trio breached no rules of etiquette or good taste —atleast nothing that you have related. Wedding gifts are not, you will be surprised to hear, mandatory.Sowe have nothing to charge them with.

1. Add the cabbage, scallions, red onion, greenbell pepper,red bell pepper and walnuts to alarge bowl.

2. Add the canola oil and toss to make sure all vegetablesare coated with the oil. Add theapple cider vinegar,sugar,mango cubes and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well.

TNSPHOTO By LINDA GASSENHEIMER MangoColeslaw

3. Add the mayonnaise and mix all together 4. Divideinhalf and serve on two dinner plates. NUTRITION INFOPER SERVING: 564calories(64 percent from fat), 40.2 gfat (3.0 gsaturated, 12.8 gmonounsaturated), no cholesterol,16.4 gprotein, 44.1 gcarbohydrates,12.7 g ﬁber,153 mg sodium

COLESLAW

Continued from page1D

Aquick way to cube mango ﬂesh is to place the mango on acutting board upright with the narrow side

facingyou. Sliceoff each sideofthe mango as close to the seed aspossible. Hold the mango half in thepalm of yourhandskin side down. Score the fruit in acrisscross pattern through to the skin. Bend the skin backwardssothat

Frank Brigsten’sMarinatedCrabClaws

thecubes pop up. Slice the cubes away from the skin.

HELPFUL HINTS:

n Ripepeaches can be used instead of mangoes.

n Pecansoralmonds can be used instead of walnuts.

n Anytype of onion can be used.

with Green OnionSauce

Makes 8servings. Recipe is from thecookbook “Cooking Up aStorm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-PicayuneofNew Orleans,” edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker

1tablespoon paprika

½teaspoon

CUCUMBER CUPS: 3large, wide cucumbers(Sliced in 2-inch-thick pieces)

1. Forthe green onion

CULTURE

Continued from page1D

The preservation of recipes is akey way of retaining cultural identity. This is even more the casewhen the culture is essentially built around the food and recipes of the region. In New Orleans, Mondays meanred beans, cold snaps conjure cravings for spicy gumbo and spring means crawﬁsh. And when New Orleanians leave home, they dream of their favorite foods cooked in neighborhood restaurants. After Hurricane Katrina, when residents werescattered all overthe country, readers of The Times-Picayune and Nola.com wrote to ask the food editor,Judy

sauce: In afood processor, combine theegg yolk, green onions, salt, blackpepper andwhite vinegar.With the processor running, slowly addthe vegetable oilina thinstream until fully incorporated. Refrigerated until ready to serve. 2. For the marinade: In a mixing bowl,combine the red wine vinegar,Creole mustard, paprika, garlic, salt, oregano andsugar Slowlyadd theoliveoil, whisking constantly until fully incorporated 3. For thecucumber cups: Trim theends off thecucumbers and cut them so you have atotal of 8slices, each 2inches thick. Fromone end of each slice,hollow outthe

Walker,and co-author Marcelle Bienvenutocompile abook of manyauthentic New Orleansrecipes so they could cook their favorite comfort foods while the city was beingrebuilt and revived. This is how“CookingUpA Storm:Recipes Lost andFound from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans” came to be apopular cookbook that holdsimportantfood history This summer,food writers for TheAdvocate| The Times-Picayune were assigned to cook recipes from “CookingupaStorm.” For July,Imadeadelicious summer appetizer,Frank Brigtsen’s marinatedcrab claws with green onion sauce, astaple of thepopular seafood platter that is served at Brigtsen’s,his restaurant in the Riverbend

seed toform acup.

4. For the marinated crab claws in cucumber cups: Marinatethe crab claws for 15 minutes. Remove from the marinade and drain. To serve, spoon 2tablespoons of green onion sauceinto each cucumber cup. Place 3 crab claws in each cup.

NOTE: If you are short on time, the marinated crab claws are asimpleappetizer that is madeinadvanceand best served cold in thebowlwiththe marinade sauce. Thecucumbers withgreen onion sauceisa delicious addition thatcan be added if you have time, but not necessary to enjoy these tasty marinated crab claws.

neighborhood of New Orleans. This recipe is easy to follow at home and will be a crowd-pleaser at asummer party. Ialways say,“When I don’tknow what else to do, cook apot of beans.”Red beans and rice is my favorite New Orleans dish. It was not surprising to me at all that red beans and rice was theﬁrst nomination of recipes to add to this archive of New Orleanscooking. Ialso learned in “Cooking Up aStorm” that Louis Armstrong signed his letters“Red Beansand Ricely Yours.” So listen toyour favorite Louis Armstrong album —mine is “Ella and Louis”(1956) —and make this red beans and rice recipe. Youwill taste, hear and feel what New Orleans is all about.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

1. Should she not send a thank-you note to them?

2. Should she just send a notethanking them for attending and celebrating?

3. Should she send acard thanking them for attending, with aP.S. such as, “I fear your card/gift was lost”? She does not value thefriendship of these three ladies and wantsto shamethem for their lack of class and manners.

Gentlereader: Beforewe get to thehow,Miss Manners wantstobesure she understands the goal, which is to “shame” three guestsatyour daughter’s wedding for their “lack of class and manners,” presumably while having your daughter display her own

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday July 2, the 183rd day of 2026. There are 182 days left in the year

Today’shighlightinhistory: On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed intolaw asweeping civil rights bill passed by Congress prohibiting discrimination and segregation based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin.

Also on this date:

In 1776, theContinental Congress passed aresolution saying that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought tobe, free and independent States.”

In 1881, President James A. Garﬁeld was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Washington, D.C., railroad station; Garﬁeld died the following September.(Guiteau was hanged in June 1882.)

In 1917, rioting erupted in East St. Louis, Illinois, as White mobs attacked Black residents; at least 50 and as many as 200 people, mostofthem Black,are believed to have died in the violence.

In 1937, aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make thefirst round-the-world flight along the equator

In 1962, theﬁrst Walmart

Second, you do not send thankyou letters simply because someone attended your wedding; thanking them forattending would therefore not demonstrate your daughter’sfamiliarity with etiquette, but rather,the reverse. This eliminates one of your proposed courses of action. Third, shaming (or extorting) guests is aserious breach of etiquette. This eliminates another proposed course of action. To answer your question then, if your daughter wants to demonstrate her good manners, she should forget about this trio and enjoy her honeymoon.

Dear Miss Manners: Afew years ago, my mother-inlaw,anamateur painter, gave my husband and me a large portrait of ourselves. Idon’twish to judge the skill of the artist, but will say that it was “not our

TODAYINHISTORY

store opened in Rogers, Arkansas.

In 1976, the U.S. SupremeCourt, in Gregg v. Georgia, ruled 7-2 that the death penalty was not inherently cruel or unusual.

In 1979, the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin was released to the public.

In 1986, ruling in apair of cases, the Supreme Court upheld afﬁrmative action as aremedy forpast job discrimination.

In 1990, morethan 1,400 Muslim pilgrimswere killed in astampede inside apedestrian tunnel near Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

In 2018, rescue divers in Thailand found alive 12 boys and their soccer coach, whohad been trapped by ﬂooding as they explored acave morethan aweek earlier

In 2020, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell wasarrested in New Hampshire on charges that she had helped lure at least three girls —one as young as 14 —tobesexually abused by the late ﬁnancier Jeffrey Epstein. (Maxwell would be convicted on ﬁve of six counts and sentenced to 20 years in prison.)

In 2022, the police chief for the Uvalde, Texas, school district stepped down from his City Council seat amid criticism of his response to the mass shooting at an elementary school in which 19 students and

thing.” We thanked her profusely and hung it up forafew years in aremote corner of the house. We have since moved to asmaller place without the space to display it, so it’s been packed away in acloset. Nowmyhusband wishes to get rid of it altogether Setting aside the question of whether any secondhand store would even want it, what is the appropriate etiquette? We are likely never to hang up this painting again, but Ifeel guilty disposing of aheartfelt, homemade giftthat’s so personal in nature. Gentle reader: Paintings can be removed from their frames, rolled and shoved into atube at the back of acloset. This way if you absolutely have to produce it at alater date, you can claim that it wasin storage while you thought about reframing it. Consider yourself lucky your mother-in-law did not take up sculpting.

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

two teachers were killed on May 24 of that year

Today’sbirthdays: Former Philippine ﬁrst lady Imelda Marcos is 97.Racing Hall of FamerRichard Petty is 89. Former White House chiefofstaff and former New Hampshire governor JohnH.Sununu is 87. Writer-directorcomedianLarry David is 79. ActorWendy Schaal is 72. Actor-model Jerry Hall is 70. Former baseball playerJoseCanseco is 62. Race car driverSam Hornish Jr.is47. Former NHL centerJoe Thorntonis47. SingerMichelle Branch is 43. Retiredﬁgure skater Johnny Weir is 42.ActorsingerAshleyTisdale is 41. Former professional soccer playerAlexMorganis37. ActorMargot Robbie is 36. SingerrapperSaweetie is 33.U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist RyanMurphy is 31. ActorCaitlin Carmichael is 22.

HOME-DELIVERED EVERYDAY

VORACIOUS PHOTO By JOHN LEE Alexandria Steak Sandwiches

cAncER (June 21-July 22) It's mind over matter; if no one minds, it doesn't matter. Reset your schedule to meet your needs and pursue what excites you most. Utilizeyourstrengths,connectionsandcash flow to set your plans in motion.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) A broad-minded attitude will open doors to new people and experiences.Whatyoudiscoverwillhelp you secure and stabilize your prospects and lifestyle. Let your uniqueness shine through with unfiltered truthfulness.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Keep your ears and eyes on high alert. What you see and hear will indicate your best move. Someone may exaggerate, but don't let that deter you from gathering the facts yourself and making a move that is fair.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Talks, incentives and living up to your promises will keep you in the conversation. What you offer will have an impact on someone eager to make a change or a difference. Take a stance, and set the record straight.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Adversity and emotional turmoil will surface. If you compromise and meet others in the middle, it will help you put unfinished business to rest and maintain a healthy relationship.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Go for it. The stars are aligned, and your timing is impeccable if you are confident and refuse to let hesitation or second-guessing stand between you and what you want.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be careful not to overextend yourself physically or

WonderWord

financially. You owe it to yourself and those you deal with to pursue what's feasible instead of chasing a dream.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Push forward withenthusiasm,andyou'llflourishemotionally. Test out your surroundings and make adjustments that are conducive to what you enjoy doing most. Don't embellish anything.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Initiate only necessary change. Refuse to be bullied or pushed into something you know little about or have no interest in. Discipline will be necessary where money, emotions and entertainment collide.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Network and thrive. Step into the spotlight and let onlookers see what you can do. Your intelligence and enthusiasm will lead to an offer you cannot turn down. Rise to the occasion.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Keep life, conversations and domestic situations simple and within your means. Refuse to agreetosomethingyouknowlittleabout. Consider the advantages and disadvantages that might result if you proceed.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Don't spread yourself too thin. You have plenty to gain if you concentrate on what's important and most likely to get you where you want to go. A passionate presentation will help others.

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: G EQuALs A

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

BaBY BLueS

Bridge

By PHILLIPALDER

Steven Wright, acomedian whospecializes in deadpan delivery, said,“Right nowI’m having amnesia and dejavuat thesame time.”

Castyourmindbacktoyesterday’scolumn. Then look at this one. Maybe you will have aSteven Wright moment West is defending against fourhearts. Heleadsoffwiththeclubace:six,queen, nine. How should he hope to defeat the contract?

Thebidding is instructive.North is right to makeatakeout doubleover one club. True, if Southdoes not have afivecardmajor,theensuing4-3major-suitfit might be worse thana 5-3 or 5-4 diamond fit. But agood South will have afive-card major. Eastmadeapre-emptive jump raise to three clubs, promising fiveor more clubs and aweak hand. With gameinvitationalorgreaterstrength,hewould have responded withanartificial two notrump. (When responder hasa big balanced hand, he starts with redoubleover an opponent’s takeout double.) South cue-bid four clubs to show astrong twosuiter. (With agood one-suiter, he would have jumped in that suit.)

Note East’s play of the club queen. When adefender cannot win atrick, he plays top of touching honors.

wuzzles

Now West should seefourdefensive tricks:two clubs, the heart king and a diamond ruff. At trick two, not later, Westmust shift to his singletondiamond. He thengetsin with the heart king, underleads his club king to give East the lead, and receives adiamond ruff. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Wordsthat acquire four lettersbythe additionof“s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAy’s WoRD oBLIQuELy: oh-BLEEK-lee: Indirectly.

Average mark 16 words

Timelimit 30 minutes

Can you find 25 or more words in OBLIQUELY?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —soJouRnER

today’s thought “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who [is] on the Lord’s side?[let him come] unto me. Andall the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.” Exodus 32:26

loCKhorNs

Areyou on the Lord’s side?Can He count on you? G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

view bids,download, and receivebid noticesby email, your com‐pany/agencywillneed to register at www.central bidding.comprior to the deadline.** Anybid received after thespeciﬁed time and date will notbeconsid‐ered.The sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloudat10:00 a.m. on the15thday of July 2026, at theCouncil Chambers,St. Gabriel City Hall located at 5035 IbervilleStreet,St. Gabriel, LA 70776. Com‐pleteBid Documents, In‐structions to Bidders,Bid Form,Contract, Plans, Speciﬁcations, and Formsofthe BidBond, PerformanceBondand PaymentBond, andother biddingdocuments may be downloaded from the City of St.Gabriel Plan Room as hosted by

ThereShall Ther Shal beaLibrary! beaLibrary! bea brary!

Thank you!

TheLibrary MillageContinuation Proposition was approved by voters on June27, ensuring thatthe East Baton Rouge ParishLibrarycan continue providing the services, resources, and programs our community relies on every day

With the millage approved, the Library can restore complete funding for booksand Pay-As-You-Go Capital Improvements Plan. This allows us to move forwardwithplanned renovations and improvements at the Central, Zachary,Delmont Gardens, Bluebonnet Regional, and Carver branches.

Library Director Katrina Stokes shared, “On behalf of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library,I wish to expressour gratitude to our community.Wegreatly appreciate your approval of our 10year dedicated millage,asyou have every 10 years since1986. Thank you for providing us with the means to continue keeping the promises we made for the past 40 years.”

Library BoardPresident Candace Temple added, “The Library belongs to the people of East Baton Rouge Parish, and we take seriously our responsibility to be careful stewards of the public’sinvestment. We remain committed to transparency, accountability,and serving residents of all ages and backgrounds. Thank you for your trust.Welook forwardto continuing our mission of enriching lives, strengthening communities, and expanding opportunities forfuture generations.”

We aredeeply grateful to everyone who supported the Library! Theencouragement, advocacy,and enthusiasm we received from our community meant so much to us.

We remain committed to responsiblymanaging taxpayer dollars and to providing outstanding library services that educate, inspire, and connect our community for years to come!

AT THELIBRARY

Join the East Baton RougeParish Library this summer as wecommemorate America’s 250thanniversary with special displays, hands-on activities, and patriotic crafts for all ages! Stop by anylibrary location to view displays featuring copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase.

Stars and Stripes Rockets Make& Take

July 2-3 |2:00pm -4:00pm| Ages 2to11 Main Library at Goodwood

Stop by the Main Library’sChildren’sRoom to make apaper rocket ship as we celebrate America250! While supplies last.

July 3|5:30pm-6:30pm Main Library at Goodwood

Take astep back in timetolearn historicaldancesincelebration of the 250years since America was established.

AVery SpecialEditionofour Summer Movies on the Plaza Series: America 250: Apollo 13!

July3|6:30pm -8:00pm Main Library at Goodwood

Celebrate America’s 250th birthday witha special screeningof Apollo 13!Bring your blankets and chairs, enjoy food trucksand popcorn, then stickaround for oursignatureAfter Movie Dance Party. Moonwalksencouraged.

Get creative witha patriotic-themed artjournaling session celebrating America’s 250th!Explore guided prompts, mixed media, and creative expression while making aone-of-a-kind journal. Designed for adults of all experience levels. Teens arewelcome with an adult.

Summer Fun theLibrary! at Reading PROGRAM Summer

SummerReading

Now through Saturday,August15

Main Library at Goodwood

Bring your curiosity and let yourimagination grow thissummer! Thereisstill time to join the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s2026 Summer Reading Challenge,PlantaSeed,Read! We have FREE programs, workshops, storytimes, concerts, and performancesfor all ages across the Library system.Watch yourlove of reading bloom and discover somethingnew along the way! Learn moreaboutour summer events at ebrpl.com/ summerreading

Track your reading and earn rewards! It’s easy!First, sign up at your local Library location or online at ebrpl.beanstack.org,Then, read booksand log them into yourBeanstack account to earn virtual badges and completion rewards, aswellasentries for weekly prize drawings! Thereare reading challenges and incentives for kids, teens, and even adults! We’ll see you atthe Library this summer for excitingevents and reading rewards!

Linder Challenge II: Linder 2041

Now through Saturday,August 15

Main Library at Goodwood

SummerCinema

TheWild Robot (Rated PG)Ages0to11

Friday,July 310:00am -11:00am 2:30pm -3:30pm

Trolls (Rated PG) Ages 0to11 Monday, July 10 10:00am -11:00am 2:30pm -3:30pm

Monsters vs Aliens (Rated PG)Ages0to11 Friday,July 17 10:00am -11:00am 2:30pm -3:30pm

Dog Man (Rated PG) Ages 0to11 Friday,July 24 10:00am -11:00am 2:30pm -3:30pm

FilmCampPremiere

TheLinder Challenge is backfor Summer 2026—now reimaginedas LinderChallenge II: Linder 2041! Inspired by the Linder Family’s spontaneous2024 journeytovisit every library location in asingle day, this challenge invites participants to startatany branch and visit allothers either in one day or throughout the summer,now through August 15. Pick up amap at yourfirst stop,collectstamps at each location, and once your map is complete,present itatyourfinal librarytoearn your Certificate of Achievementand— new this year—your official Proof of Lindering (PoL)!

Thursday,July 30 |6:00pm -7:00pm MainLibrary at Goodwood

Everyone is invited to join us for the premiereofall eight ﬁlms made at thisyear’s Teen Summer Film Camps!Photos will be taken, awards will be handed out, and general merriment will ensue!

Teen End of SummerParty Wednesday,July 29 |2:30pm -4:00pm Main Library at Goodwood

Summer is almost over! Celebrateasummer wellspentwith video games, crafts, door prizes, and more! Learn moreaboutour summer eventsat ebrpl.co/events

MainLibrary at Goodwood

VirtualAuthorTalks Something for Everyone.

Small Towns and Big Secrets: In Conversation with Bestselling Author Karin Slaughter

Tuesday,July 14 |6:00pm -8:00pm

Joinusfor athrillingeveningwith acclaimedauthor KarinSlaughter aswe chatabout her North Fallsseries, consisting of We AreAll GuiltyHere, in which two teenage girlsvanish in ruralGeorgia, and herupcoming sequel, TheSecrets We Hide. See redcircle below for QR Code.

Migrant Heart: TheHidden Cost of the American Dreamand Healing Through Storytelling with ReynaGrande

Thursday,July 16 |1:00pm -3:00pm Inher ambitious new memoir,Migrant Heart: Essays About Things ICan’t Forget, beloved bestsellingauthor ReynaGrande illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complexjourney of healing thatfollows survival.See redcirclebelow for QR Code.

Libby Reads LIVE: Q&Awith John Kenney

Thursday,July 23 |11:00am -12:00pm Darkly funny, heartfelt, andunexpectedly uplifting ISee You’ve Called In Dead by John Kenney is the next featured title in theLibby Reads program.FromJuly 9–23, readers can borrow the ebook and audiobook with no waitlists or holds through the Libbyapp.Scan the QR code to register to attend the live Q&Awith author John Kenney to talkabouthis writing style, favorite reads,the inspiration behind the book, and the meaning of life.

ThePower of Connection: Creating Lasting Friendships in an Increasingly Lonely World with Dr.Marisa Franco

Tuesday,July 28 |1:00pm -3:00pm

Joinusinvirtual conversation with bestselling author Dr.Marisa Franco,one ofthe world’sleadingexperts in human connection. Her book, Platonic: How the Science of Attachment CanHelp YouMake–And Keep–Friends,explores thescience of different attachmentstyles and how they impactour relationships–ofteninwayswe don’t realize!. Go to libraryc.org/ebrpl or scan this QR Code:

Preserving Your Voice; Remembering the GreatFlood of 2016: Book Your Appointment Now! MainLibrary at Goodwood

In August, we will rememberthe 10th anniversary of the GreatFlood of 2016, acatastrophe thataffected everyone in our region. Thelibrary would like to help you preserveyour recollections of that day for posterity.Inorder to do so,the library is offering the opportunity for you to schedule an appointment with us to sitwith an interviewer (orrecordyourself alone) to recordyour authenticvoice: your experiences, the aftermath, rebuilding, community andconnections made or severed,and how it continues to inform how you go aboutyour daily life.

“Unlock thePower of AI” presented by TDM Technologies andSponsored by the MedicareExperts at Humana July30| 10:00am -11:00am MainLibraryatGoodwood

Your real voice, no expectations, no nudges Your perspective, articulatedbyyou. Thesegrassrootsoralhistories of thatevent will be compiled into an archiveofvoices and recordingsthatwillbemadeavailable for all, forever.

Scan the QR code to makeyourappointment today or contactingusat programs@ebrpl. com.Aninauguralprogram

“Voices from theFlood” will be heldduring our Week of Remembrancein August.

Join our exciting AI Tech Classand discover how Artiﬁcial Intelligenceis shaping the worldaroundus. Learn how toolslikeChatGPT,Google Gemini,and Microsoft Copilot canhelp with everyday tasks—fromwritingand research to organization and creativity.Seniors will enjoy hands-on demonstrations, real-life examples,and practicaltips forusing AI safely and effectively

Your Canadian Journey July21| 6:00pm-7:00pm MainLibraryatGoodwood

Join Genealogy Servicesfor aprogram that willprovide education and guidanceon researching family historyusing historical records, immigration archives, censusdata, birthand marriage certiﬁcates, military documents, andother genealogical resources.

Learn how to identifyand document ancestral connections to Canada andbuild accuratefamily trees. FREE. No registration is required.

Filmmaker Forum

July 22 |6:00pm -7:30pm MainLibrary at Goodwood

TheMain Library at Goodwood will hosta BRUFFFilmmakerForumonWednesday July 22ndat6pm. This networking event will giveattendees achance to meet other local creatives interestedinthe ﬁlmmaking industry. TheBaton Rouge UndergroundFilmFestival will presenta panel of industryprofessionals discussing the stateofthe ﬁlmindustry andhow to getfurther involved in the craft.

BLINGO: Play,Discover,Connect

Wednesday,July 15 |10:00am -11:00am

Join us for BLINGO,a fun, socialbingo program for adultsages 50+.Alongthe way, you’lldiscover library servicesand surprisesyou may not know we offer,all in arelaxed,mid-morning settingwith prizes, conversation,and alittleextra library magic. Registration is required. ScantoRegister: