A New Orleans grand jury returned a 16-count felony indictment Thursday against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, charging her with malfeasance and intimidation, adding criminal allegations to an already-raging legal and political battle between the Republican state official and Democratic local leaders.
PAGE 7A
The grand jury handed up the indictment at New Orleans’ criminal courthouse after meeting for weeks to weigh bringing criminal charges against Murrill. The attorney general faces eight counts of malfeasance and another eight counts of intimidation.
Former Judge Laurie White, appointed as a special prosecutor in the case, confirmed the charges against Murrill in a news briefing outside the courthouse Orleans Criminal
District Judge Leon Roche issued a warrant for Murrill’s arrest, setting bail at $400,000. The grand jurors reviewed evidence about whether the state attorney general sought to intimidate local New Orleans public officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams, White confirmed. Murrill told the officials in May that they had imperiled their jobs by pushing back on a new law to combine the city’s criminal and district clerks of court.
Special prosecutor Laurie White announces the indictment of Attorney General Liz Murrill outside the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court building on Thursday.
STAFF PHOTO By
White was tapped to handle the probe after Williams, who was involved in the city leaders’ dispute with Murrill at several turns, recused himself. A former Orleans Criminal Court judge, White told reporters that the grand jury “chose to investigate” Murrill at the end of their six-month term.
“Aren’t we a little tired as New Orleanians having everyone in
ä See MURRILL, page 6A
BR car emissions tests remain ‘a gray area ’
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
“Louisiana looked at this as a prime opportunity to showcase the Louisiana that people don’t know.”
RACHEL SHIELDS chief engagement officer for Louisiana Economic Development
A showcase for the state
Beads, rice and go-cups part of Louisiana’s tent at Washington’s Great American State Fair
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON At the center of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration, the Great American State Fair on the National Mall has endured several rocky days — including about 10 states not showing up — but that’s going largely unnoticed at Louisiana’s exhibit
“It’s interesting because Louisiana looked at this as a prime opportunity to showcase the Louisiana that people don’t know,” said Rachel Shields, the chief engage-
ment officer for Louisiana Economic Development, which is in charge of the state’s pavilion.
Between handing out Mardi Gras beads and bags of Louisiana rice, the state is using its spot in the festivities to show off all the economic development opportunities in the state.
“We would hope that every state in the union would take advantage of that opportunity. It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime deal,” Shields said.
Gov Jeff Landry visited the Louisiana exhibition on Tuesday,
including filming a segment with Fox News on the grounds
“Looking forward to a great celebration of American exceptionalism all week long,” he wrote on X, before dropping by
Described by President Donald Trump as “a giant patriotic festival” at the June 24 opening, crowds have been sparser than at similar events on the National Mall. Visitors who came over the weekend had to hunker down when a violent thunderstorm passed. Electrical problems kept the Ferris wheel from operating full time. Ice cream supplies melted. A main sponsor withdrew when
ä See SHOWCASE, page 4A
You can no longer get a ticket for not having a state inspection sticker on your windshield after Louisiana put an end to the vehicle safety checks. But since that law passed, a question has lingered for drivers in the Baton Rouge region: What do we do about emissions tests that are still required under specific federal rules for the area? Shops that handle inspections said they and many of their customers — are in the dark about how to proceed.
“Right now, it’s a big gray area,” said Slater Nall, manager at 360 Automotive Solutions, a tire and auto repair shop in Baton Rouge.
Slater said that, after seeing news reports and having informal conversations with state employees who get work done at the shop, he doesn’t think the state will roll out a new process for handling emissions tests until December But he’s
State inspection stickers no longer needed ä See EMISSIONS, page 5A
Eyes on water as Gulf shark population grows
Experts say swimmers have little to fear
BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer
The growing crowds on Gulf Coast beaches are beginning to confront an uneasy truth: They are now sharing the water with more sharks than they have in decades.
After years of conservation work, the population of many shark species that live near the coastline and out at sea are returning to levels not seen since the 1970s.
Their return is helping restore nature’s delicate balance. It is also raising new safety questions as record numbers of visitors arrive to swim and fish across Alabama and Florida.
“People are just going to have to get used to seeing sharks,” said Dean Grubbs, an associate
ä See SHARK, page 5A
STAFF
PHOTO By MARK BALLARD
Rachel Shields, the chief engagement officer for Louisiana Economic Development, stands in the state’s pavilion at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall last week.
SOPHIA GERMER
STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE Attorney General Liz Murrill answers questions at a news conference on Wednesday.
Olympian indicted over alleged vandalism
WASHINGTON A former Olympian was indicted Thursday on a felony charge in what President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a renovation project he launched has been riddled with problems.
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C., court. District of Columbia U.S Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more than $1,000 in damage. She accused him of “forcefully and violently” pulling up the bottom liner “with both hands” and acting belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop.
“This is a case with tremendous evidence,” she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanor arrests. In a statement, Democracy Defenders Fund co-founder Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group, said that they represented Hearn and that the charges were “outrageous and should be alarming to every American.” Eisen and Dohrmann construed the case as representative of “the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative.”
Hearn didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment. He previously told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool on June 19 to examine the newly peeled coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.
Last-minute problem delays satellite rescue CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A rush rescue mission to save a NASA space telescope remains grounded, this time because of a last-minute launch problem
Northrop Grumman’s rocketlaunching plane took off from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific on Thursday, following weather delays all week. While in flight, the team observed a warning in the stream of data and decided against releasing the Pegasus rocket strapped to the plane’s belly, the company said. It was not immediately clear whether the warning came from the rocket or the plane.
The rocket holds a threearmed robotic spacecraft built by Katalyst Space Technologies to capture the Swift Observatory, which will come crashing down by October if no help arrives. No new launch date has been set.
NASA paused Swift’s science operations earlier this year to preserve its orbit as long as possible. It has detected thousands of gamma ray bursts and exploding stars since its launch in 2004, tipping off other telescopes for more detailed observations.
Anxious to continue Swift’s scanning of the universe, the space agency hired Katalyst Space last September for the $30 million salvage operation
U.N.: Widespread peace deal violations in Congo
DAKAR, Senegal All parties in eastern Congo’s worsening conflict are violating peace terms and committing abuses, U.N. experts said in a report seen by The Associated Press Thursday The Congolese army and the M23 rebel group, along with its Rwandan backers have failed to implement a December peace agreement initiated by the Trump administration that aimed to end the decades-long conflict, the experts said They said that the Congolese army continued to cooperate with a Hutu rebel group, known by its acronym FDLR, which includes fighters who participated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and escaped to Congo. The government in Kinshasa had promised to cease cooperation as part of the December agreement. Rwanda has repeatedly sent troops and backed armed groups in eastern Congo, saying it was acting to neutralize Hutu fighters and protect its security Congo and the U.S. government have accused Rwanda of using the rebels as a pretext to gain access to the region’s mineral wealth.
Drug proposal could save $1.1B
Administration presents new rule for Medicare patients
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is proposing a new rule on Thursday to keep hospitals from charging markups on discounted drugs for Medicare patients and says that could save consumers $1.1 billion next year, according to estimates obtained by The Associated Press.
The rule would apply to hospitals that serve low-income patients under what is known as the 340B program, which lets hospitals buy outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. But in many cases, hospitals can bill insurers at rates that exceed those costs, allowing hospitals to keep the difference and resulting in higher costs to patients.
Under the proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would change the for-
mula for what hospitals participating in the program can get reimbursed, in an effort to cut costs for patients.
The Republican administration has sought to show during an election year that it is tackling the challenges of affordability for U.S. families at a time when rising healthcare costs are driving financial strains for households and the government alike. While the administration has taken several steps it says will save money on medical treatment, it is unclear how much savings might ultimately materialize based on the complexity of the country’s healthcare system
The American Hospital Association said the proposed rule would compound the financial pressures its members face.
“These proposals will undermine the ability of hospitals to maintain essential services and protect af-
fordable access to care for those who depend on the 340B program,” said Ashley Thompson, the group’s senior vice president for public policy analysis and development.
There is the risk that hospital systems could see their revenues decrease, which could have consequences in the communities they serve. The 340B program was initially designed as a way for healthcare providers to stretch scarce federal resources to better serve more patients. But it has long been at the center of a lobbying battle between hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, with each side attempting to enlist lawmakers in maintaining or changing the benefit.
The agency estimates that the average older adult with Medicare Part B coverage who is administered one of these drugs would save $800 a year in co-payments. That would work out to a total sav-
Explosive device goes off in cafe in Syria’s capital
No group immediately claims responsibility for attack that killed at least 9
BY GHAITH ALSAYED Associated Press
DAMASCUS Syria An explosive device
was detonated Thursday in a cafe in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing at least nine people, Syria’s Health Ministry said.
The explosion near the main courthouse complex left 20 others wounded, the ministry said as reported by Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya network.
No group immediately claimed responsibility Security forces rushed to the cafe and cordoned off the area as they investigate the attack
The Interior Ministry is set to announce its initial findings soon, said Damascus Gov Maher Idlibi. Idlibi said the device appeared “primitive” and vowed that the perpetrators will be held to account
A video circulating on social media showed several wounded people lying on the ground, with police officers nearby Ambulances later rushed to the scene, treating people on site and taking the more severely wounded to hospitals in the Syrian capital. The cafe was frequented by
lawyers who worked in the neighborhood.
Jalal Aljanani, who owns a restaurant next door, ran toward the cafe when he heard the explosion and was horrified by the sight of the bodies on the floor
“We carried the victims to the cars until the traffic police arrived,” he told The Associated Press, his shirt covered in blood. “Many of them had suffered severe impact injuries, and almost all of them were bleeding.”
Since overthrowing the Assad dynasty and taking power in a lightning insurgency in December 2024, Syria’s new rulers have cracked down on militants from the extremist Islamic State group in an attempt to thwart attacks in and around the capital.
During the uprising-turned war in Syria that began in 2011, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al Sham group, formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, but since coming to power has vowed to protect Syrians of all backgrounds, especially religious and ethnic minorities.
Al-Sharaa has reasserted the government’s full authority across the vast majority of the country, wresting control back from extremist groups or Kurdishled forces. However he still contends with security concerns as he tries to stabilize the country
Carney says northern British Columbia tanker ban will stay
Canada pursues pipeline from Alberta to Pacific Coast
BY ROB GILLIES Associated Press
TORONTO Canadian Prime Minister
Mark Carney said Thursday that a proposed pipeline to carry Alberta oil to the Pacific Coast would preserve a longstanding ban on oil tankers off northern British Columbia, as his government addresses environmental concerns and seeks to ease separatist tensions in oil-rich Alberta.
Carney’s government has made expanding pipeline capacity to the Pacific a priority as it seeks to diversify Canada’s oil exports beyond the U.S. market while responding to long-standing complaints in Alberta that his predecessor hindered the province’s energy industry and fueled separatist sentiment. Alberta is holding a public vote in the fall on whether to hold a referendum on leav-
ing Canada. Getting a pipeline built would alleviate some separatist sentiment.
British Columbia and some First Nations are against a pipeline through northern British Columbia.
“The tanker ban will remain in place. We will be protecting the northern coast of British Columbia,” Carney said.
Carney also said Thursday he will compensate British Columbia for environmental risks if a pipeline is built in the southern part of the province.
A previous memorandum of understanding Ottawa and Alberta included an adjustment of an oil tanker ban off parts of the British Columbia coast, but British Columbia Premier David Eby also said Thursday he secured a commitment to keep the northern tanker ban in place, protecting the province’s pristine northern coast Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade and has said a pipeline can reduce the price discount on current oil sales to U.S. markets.
ings of $1.1 billion for everyone with that coverage.
The savings over 10 years could total about $20 billion, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the rule before the official announcement. The official said the proposed rule was not previewed for hospital groups before the release. In a policy draft of the rule, the administration gave a specific example of how the current system works for the prostate cancer drug Lupron Depot. Hospitals under the 340B program can acquire a dose for roughly $700, but they can receive about $4,000 in Medicare reimbursement for administering it and an additional $1,000 from the patient co-payment. The proposed rule would cut by roughly 40% that amount that hospitals in the discounted drug program could be paid through Medicare programs. If approved, the rule would go into effect at the start of next year
ICE arrests spike; 10,000 arrested in 5 days in June
BY REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press
WASHINGTON Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 10,000 people over a five-day period at the end of June, marking a major push by the agency tasked with carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations agenda. The arrest numbers, obtained from a person familiar with the information who spoke anonymously to discuss data that has not been publicly released, comes after the agency shifted its approach from high-profile arrest sweeps in major American cities to quieter ways to reach President Donald Trump’s deportation goals. The figures indicate that while the administration is no longer cracking down on individual cities, the arrests continue and are surging.
The total number of arrests during the five-day period starting Friday and
ending Tuesday translates into roughly 2,000 arrests per day. It was not clear where the arrests had taken place. The spike in arrests was first reported by The New York Times.
“Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists,” said the Department of Homeland Security in a statement. “Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.” The arrests news also comes as the number of people entered into ICE detention facilities climbed in June to roughly 39,000 after hovering around 30,000 per month since February, according to information obtained by The Associated Press.
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Syrian security inspects the site after an explosive device was detonated in a cafe near the main courthouse complex in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday
Responders clingtohopeafter miraculous rescue
BY REGINA GARCIA CANO, MEGAN JANETSKY and FERNANDAPESCE Associated Press
CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela The stench of decomposing bodies hung heavy over streets of flattened buildings Thursday as rescue missions to find survivors of Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes increasingly turned to the recovery of corpses.
Desperate forgood news, Venezuelan and international emergency workers celebrated the near-miraculous rescue of a43-year-oldsecurity guard found alive after almost eight days under the rubble.
National broadcasters reran footage all day of the exuberant moment he was pried free from the collapsed mall and lifted onto astretcher as crowds, including rescuers from 10 countries, embraced one another and cheered. Trapped in an air pocket beneaththe concrete, Hernán Alberto GilFlores survived on the food and water that rescuersmanaged to pass him through the crevices.
But elsewhere acrossthe hardest-hit state of La Guaira, where thousands remain missing, an air of hopelessness was setting in. The port city of Catia La Mar teemed with officials carrying body bags and stacking caskets.
aid for
Thursday. The government has counted at least 2,295
The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, whose responsetothe earthquakehas been widely criticized as slow and disorganized, has counted at least 2,295 people killed by the earthquake and more than 11,000 injured
With thousands sleeping in crowded shelters or outside, doctorshavevoiced concern that the fallout could pave the way for awidening medical crisisofuntreated injuries and infectious diseases in ahealthcare system alreadyonthe brink.
Uncertaintyoverleadership
Faced with complaints that foreign crews and civilians have shouldered most of therescue efforts, Rodríguez sought to defend the government response a daybefore the extension of her 180-day mandateasactingleader was set to expire.
Rodríguez served as deputy to former President Nicolás Madurountil he wasousted by the United States in January.She became interim leader with thebacking of theTrumpadministration.
With little transparency by Venezuelanofficials, it was unclear what would happen once the deadline passes on Friday Under Venezuela’sconstitution,temporaryabsences are to be filledbythe vice president —which was Rodríguez’sformer role —for up to 90 days. These interim appointments can be extended by the national assembly for an additional 90 days.
The Venezuelan leader has strong supportfrom lawmakersand theTrump administration. TheNational Assembly,controlled by Rodríguez’sparty,can triggera snapelection if lawmakersdeclare the post
permanently vacant U.S. supportunder fire Since theU.S. capture of Maduro,the Trump adminis-
tration has expanded its role in Venezuelan affairs —a seismic shiftinrelations between the long-adversarial nations.
The U.S. has thrown support behind Rodríguezand largely turned itsback on opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who this week accused Rodríguez’s government of blocking her return to her country.Washington has also sought to remake Venezuela’s lucrative energy industry and opened the door for Venezuela’s state oil company to sell fuel to U.S. companies.
John M. Barrett, the U.S. chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, said Wednesday that revenue from Venezuelan oil production, controlled by the U.S. Treasury since Maduro’sseizure, is also being made available for relief efforts.
While the U.S. hascommittedover $300 millionin assistance to the response, theState andTreasury Department teams were working “to makesure that those funds aremadeavailable for this specific reconstruction effort, including forshelter, sanitation,health andenergy generation,” Barrett said. Venezuela’soil andgas production was not directly impacted by the earthquakes, he added, and said production continues to increase. Oversight of where that money flowsiscrucial,said Laura Cristina Dib, Venezuela program director at the independent human rights organization Washington Office on Latin America. Whenasked about growing criticism over the Venezuelangovernment’srelief efforts, U.S. officials have been vocal in their support forRodríguez.
Shipscould face a ‘forcefulresponse’
BY JON GAMBRELL and DAVIDMCHUGH Associated Press
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Iran’sjointmilitarycommand warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a“forceful response,” ratcheting up tensions again over awaterway crucial for international energy supplies.
The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, hasemerged as one of the top issues in negotiations seeking apermanentend to the Iran war.The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command,reported by Iranian state television, comes afterboth U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators Wednesday in Qatar Iran is preparingfor the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war’sfirst moments in February.OnThursday night,
Iranian statemediabroadcast images of what it said was the casket with Khamenei’sremains arriving at the ImamKhomeini Hussainiya, forthe farewell ceremony
Hundreds were seeninthe footage, prayingand grievingnear the casket covered with agreen cloth. The weeklong officialfuneral is expectedtostartonSaturday It wasn’tclear what sparked Iran’s warning Thursday about oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz. However,the U.S military’s Central Command hadput out astatementabout ameeting withofficials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said “leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flowofcommercethrough” the strait
That could have been the phrase that angered Iran.
“Anyfailure to comply, deviationfromthe designated route, or disregard for the navigationprotocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz willbemet with an immediate and forceful responsefromthe armed forces, endangering the security of theviolating vessels,”
the Iranian statement said. It also said that interference by U.S. forces in the strait “will be met witha rapid and decisivereaction.” Iran and theUnited States 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 manyGulf Arab states saythey won’t agreetoIran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and aUnited Nationsagencytolauncha new route near Oman’sshore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend, highlighting the tensions. Despite the attacks, ship traffic in thestraitcontinuedtorebound. At least258 ships transited the waterway last week, aperiod that includedIranian strikes on two commercial vessels, according to marine data and analysis companyLloyd’s ListIntelligence. That’s up from 138 shipsthe previous week.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATIAS DELACROIX Rescue workerssorthumanitarian
earthquakesurvivors in La Guaira, Venezuela, on
peoplekilled by the earthquake.
an image of the Confederate flag was displayed at the North Carolina exhibit, which is privately funded.
North Carolina is one of 10 state governments that declined to participate, citing high costs — between $100,000 and $500,000, according to news reports when the states dropped out. Before the fair opened, about half the musical acts withdrew upon learning the event was part of Freedom 250, a public-private partnership with the Trump administration that sidelined the federal government’s organizers.
The Great American State Fair is about 10 blocks long between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, surrounded by tall fences with tight security screening of visitors Don’t think deep-fried Oreos, meat on a stick, and jambalaya that are ubiquitous at the Louisiana state fairs taking place in Baton Rouge and Shreveport.
There is a small pen for a minirodeo, corn dogs and plenty of merch available. In the middle of the event is a Ferris wheel and a mockup of the controversial arch that Trump wants to build between the Lincoln Memorial and the gates of Arlington National Cemetery
But the centerpiece of the fair is exhibits where states tout their culture and hometown heroes.
Mardi Gras vibes
Visitors entering the Louisiana booth received beads and were greeted by a bust that usually would be on a Mardi Gras float.
Shaka Zulu, Big Chief of the Golden Feather Hunters Mardi Gras tribe, said he presented a lecture at the pavilion Saturday explaining the elaborate costumes that combine African and Native American traditions. He displayed a queen’s suit to illustrate his talk.
Chief Zulu said crowds circulated through the pavilion as he spoke. Many audience members paused to listen to his talk and lingered afterward to ask questions. Some already had knowledge of the masking culture, but not its complexities, he said.
“A lot of people know it’s part of Mardi Gras,” he said. “But the presentation clarified a lot of things for them.”
Chief Zulu said he was told 4,000 people passed through the Louisiana pavilion on one day Shields says the exhibit is really focused on economic development
opportunities. About 80 companies were represented in the booth, Shields said. “Every corner of the state is represented over these 16 days in their spirits and in their
products,” she added.
About 50 volunteers from private businesses, trade associations and state government agencies are manning the booth only a half a dozen at a time, the space isn’t that large — throughout the event’s run, which ends July 10.
Lanier Thibodeaux, of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership in Shreveport, helped tourists take selfies in front of the presentations. Harrison Crabtree, from the World Trade Center in New Orleans, chatted up visitors while handing out swag.
“Louisiana has a tremendous amount of opportunity right now; a tremendous amount of momentum when we think about infrastructure, when we think about global investments coming into Louisiana. We think about workforce development, education, and our incredible people,” Shields said. “This is our chance to marry that with the Louisiana that most people know: Mardi Gras, culture, food, heritage, all those things, all the things people know and love about Louisiana.” Mississippi touted Elvis Presley, who was born in Tupelo but lived in
Memphis, and Florida claims Jimmy Buffett, who lived in that state as an adult but grew up in Mississippi. Georgia had a Waffle House menu and Tennessee allowed visitors to take their photo with a Grand Ole Opry microphone.
Louisiana displayed a tall photo of Louis Armstrong blowing his trumpet.
All the state-themed booths have swag. Michigan handed out little boxes of cereal. Tennessee had gourmet crackers. Louisiana handed out pound bags of rice and plastic cups that fill kitchen cabinets across the state, but are rare in Washington and points north. Louisiana in 1776
The fair celebrates America’s birthday 250 years ago. At the time, French-speaking Louisiana was actually a Spanish colony France gave Louisiana to Spain as part of the 1762 Treaty of Fontainebleau. The colony was returned to France in 1800, then sold to the United States in 1803. The original Louisiana Purchase Treaty signed by Napoleon, is on display at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, in a different 250th Anniversary celebration.
Louisiana was the 18th state admitted to the union and the first one that had been ruled as a colony of a European nation other than Great Britain. Spain aligned with the American war effort in 1779, but had few engagements — save a successful effort by then Louisiana Gov Bernardo de Gálvez to oust the British from a fort situated about where the RiverCenter is now located in Baton Rouge.
That July 1779 battle is remembered with statues of Gálvez near the U.S. Department of State and at the entrance of the Spanish Embassy in Washington. His statue also is prominently displayed in his hometown of Málaga, Spain.
“When we think about French culture; when we think about Spanish culture; and everyone else in between, we’re bringing that all together under this banner,” Shields said “We wanted to show up, showcase our state for the beauty and the wonder and the amazing things that we’re doing.”
Staff writer Doug MacCash contributed to this article.
Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.
gotten no formal communication from officials about how to handle it in the meantime.
“They didn’thave an answer,” Slater said about reaching out to the state for clarification. “They’re trying to figure out what to do.”
What do stateofficialssay?
Drivers in five parishes in the Baton Rouge area —Ascension, East Baton Rouge,Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge have to get yearly emissions tests to ensure that their vehicles are not putting out too much pollution into the atmosphere and that the region meets federalstandards in the Clean Air Act.
The requirement stemsfrom the early 2000s, when the area had too much ground-level ozone, aharmful air pollutant.
The Department of Environmental Quality,which overseesemissions testing, did not respond to questions, such as whether drivers can now get an emissions test without completing the state safetyin-
SHARK
Continued frompage1A
director of researchat Florida StateUniversity, who has studied the animals formore than two decades. “And they’re goingtohave to take precautions.”
Florida Panhandle residents were rattled earlier thissummer whenashark attacked and severely injured aman swimming near aU.S. Navy installation in Panama City.Days earlier, authoritiesnear WaterColor, Florida, temporarily closed 5miles of beachfront amid reports of apossibleshark bite after achild emerged from knee-deep water with aleg wound.
The incidents made harrowing headlines for the first time since2024, when sharks bitthree tourists in one day at beaches along Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A.
But researchers say beachgoers have little to fear Sharks are already swimming in their midst, and the chances of being attacked are almost infinitesimal.
“If everybody knew how close they swam to sharks, they’d be terrified,” said Gavin Naylor,director of a shark research program at the Florida MuseumofNatural History,which manages adatabase of shark attacks around the world.
“If the sharks really wanted to target people, we’d have about 5,000 shark bites aday,” he added. “But the fact that we see so few of them means the sharks are doing their level best to avoid these people.”
Sharkresurgence
It is difficult to track precisely how many sharks are living across the Gulf. But researchers know the population of many species dropped when the U.S. opened trade with Chinain the1970s, whichgavefishermen access to international sharkfinmarkets.
Fisheriesmanagement plans that began in the 1990s started to help populations
spection and how drivers should demonstrate compliancewiththe federal test.
The Office of Motor Vehicles confirmed that emissions testing is still required in the five parishes andcosts $8 each year
Confusionatinspectionstations
Employees at several Baton Rouge-area businesses that offer safetyinspections and emissions tests said they haven’treceived any information from the state about new procedures and have
“Ifthe
bounceback. Now,the resurgenceisposinga complex new question formany fast-growing beachcommunities: Are humans ready to live with sharks?
Some governments arealreadyresponding. President Donald Trumplast week signed legislation backed by Alabama Sen.Katie Britt creating aprocessfor sendingemergencycellphone alertstobeachgoers near any past sharkattacks.The bill is known as “Lulu’sLaw in honor of Lulu Gribbin, an Alabamateenager who survived the 30A attack in 2024. “The timing of this law couldn’tbebetter,”Britt said last week, “as countless Americans are enjoyingour nation’sbeaches this summer.”
Researchers say the return of sharks, which Gulf Coast visitors sometimes spot from condo balconies overlooking thewater,can keepother species in check. Scientists have documented the number of baby bull sharks in Mobile Bay,Alabama, has grownbyfivefold over the pasttwo decades as waters warm there. Great white sharks are migrating thousands of miles from the northeast UnitedStates to the Gulf each winter,though most stay milesfromshore.
The shift is also forcing fishermen to adapt. One angler wasbit last monthafter he hooked abull shark near Pensacola, Florida. Congress is considering establishing afederal taskforce thatwould help anglers solvethe pesky and growing problemofsharks snatching fish from their lines.
And scientists are con-
been unable to getanswers to their questions.
As thesafety check is phased out,High Tech Car Carebusiness manager Keith McAllister said “it’sunclear” how the state wants inspection stations to handle emissions testing.
McAllister said that, without new instructions, his Baton Rouge repair shop will continue to offer inspections following thesame process they’ve used in years past, completing both thestate safety inspection plus the federal emis-
fronting asurge of questions as they race to understand howclimate change will impact sharks’ behavior in the future. Researchersbelieve some shark species are now swimming closer to Gulf Coastshoresearlier in the year andstaying there longeraswater temperatures warm. Butthey are still studying howsharkhabitats might change and what species will prove mostresilient as climate change intensifies.
“Itisagiant unknown,” Grubbs said.
Rare attacks
Twenty-three unprovoked shark attacks have been reported over thepast 25 years in thewaters between southeast Louisiana andthe FloridaPanhandle,according to theFlorida Museum of Natural History’sdatabase. Justone has been fatal: A bull shark killed a14-yearold from Gonzales, who was boogie boarding about100 yards offshore from abeach near Destin in 2005.
Researchers say such tragedies are often the result of confusion. John Carlson, who researches sharks for theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told WJHG-TV in Panama City Beach that the recentattackthereprobably involved abull shark in murkywatersthat may have confusedthe victim with asea turtle.The man was hospitalizedand remained in intensive care last month
“It’savery sad situation,” Carlson told thenews outlet. “It was alikely mistake.”
Many Gulf Coastbeach cities already monitor their waters for dangerous marine life andflypurple flags at beaches to warn visitors of animals, including sharks, stingrays andjellyfish. Scientists say precautionary steps —like avoiding swimming near fishermen or in cloudywaters —could becomemore important over thenext decade.
“Everybody’salways saying there’s so manysharks around,” Naylor said. “Their numbers are coming back to where they should be.”
sions test.
“At this point, we’re six months out from the new requirement,” he said. “I don’tsee it as amajor problem, nothaving received acommunication from the state. I’msure it will come.”
Nallsaid his shopistaking two approaches while waiting formore direction.
For customerswho come in and need an inspection done butdon’t ask any questions, Nallsaid they’ll continue to do the state safety inspection plus the federal emissions testand issue asticker,just like they’ve doneinprevious years.
But for those who do ask questions, Nall saidheadvises them based on whatshopemployees themselves have decided to do: Hold off on testingand getting a new sticker until December when they have guidance on how to handle emissions.
“There’snoreason to do it now unlesstheywantpeace of mind,” he said. Under thenew law,law enforcement officers can’tissue citations fornot having asticker,but the requirement to get asafety inspectiontechnically doesn’tofficially go away until Jan. 1.
“In accordance with thenew law, Louisiana state troopers are not issuing citationsfor violationsofthe current motor vehicle inspection sticker law,inits entirety,during this transition period, which runs from nowuntil Jan.1,” Sgt. Jacob Pucheu, aLouisiana State Police spokesperson,said in responseto questions about enforcementof federal emissions testing requirements.
Pucheu noted the legislation prohibits law enforcement from issuing citations for not displaying a stickerorhaving an inspection certificate from June 30 to Jan. 1. NewOrleans area
Separate from federal emissions testing, the cities of NewOrleans, Kenner and Westwego have independent local safety inspection programsthat were launched before thestatewide requirement and are not affected by the new state law
Aspokesperson forMayor HelenaMorenosaidagain this week thatNew Orleansisstill “evaluatingthe lawand itspotentialimpact on operations within Orleans Parish to determine how the city will proceed.”
the state kicking New Orleans?” White said in anews briefing on the courthouse steps. “Whywould we want people to be afraid to run for office if they’re goingtobeintimidated?”
Murrillsaid in astatement lateThursday that she’sfiling an emergency request for the Louisiana Supreme Court toreview the indictment,adding that it’s“no surprise the status quoislooking for ways to stop me” over her efforts to fight crime and corruption in NewOrleans. If the indictment moves forward, Murrill would likely be required to turn herself in and face an arraignment.
“This unprecedented action and thecorrupt indictments spawned from it are retaliatory,meritless, and unconstitutional,” Murrill said. “After confidential information wasillegally leaked to members of the pressbythe grand jury or the improperly appointed, unqualified special prosecutor,there are now indicationsthat the court handcuffed and locked out members of themedia—and threatened them with contempt —inclear violation of Louisiana law.” White wasinand out of Roche’s courtroom Thursday before the judgeclosed it to the public and thegrand juryreturned the indictment. Reporters were threatened witharrest if they entered the courthousewhile theindictment washanded up. At least onereporter was handcuffed bysheriff’s deputies.
Murrill’sattorney,Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue, called the indictment “embarrassing”and said Roche also prevented her from returning to the courtroom after he issuedMurrill’sbail.
“This is acomplete misuse of the criminal justice system for various reasons,” Rodrigue said White said the court had issues withseveral reporters “looking intothe grand jury room” andthat reporters who “failed to obey” orders to leave were handcuffed.
“When there are securityissues, security is tantamount in this building and also anonymityfor the grand jury,” White said Murrill disputed White’s reasoning for closing the courtroom.
“It is beyond ironicthatthe improperly appointed special prosecutor,who called my office and
violated the confidentiality of the grandjury proceedingsherself, claimsprotecting confidentiality justified closing thecourtroom,” Murrill said. “And thegrand jury that leaked information like asinkingshiphardlyseemed concerned aboutprivacy.”
Judicial Administrator Rob Kazik referred questionsabout the court security’shandling of the episode to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, which oversees security at the courthouse. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson KeithLampkin didnot respond to arequest for comment.
Gov.JeffLandry,along with other high-profileRepublicans, took to social mediatoexpresstheir support forMurrill shortly after news broke Thursday that she’d been indicted. He said he would orderState Police to investigate the grand jury’salleged improprieties.
“I would like to inform thegreat citizensofLouisiana whocare aboutthe rule of law, that our fabulous (Attorney General Liz Murrill) will not havetoworry about having her reputation tarnished by this kangaroo grand jury or the Orleans Kangaroo court as Iwill pardon her as fast as the law allows,” Landry said.“The criminal justice system is acircus at its finest in Orleansand we will not have any of that!”
Asked about thegovernor’scomments, White said afterward in a news briefing: “Good, let’s get her convicted and then he can pardon her.”
White left thecriminal court benchin2023 amid acourt employee’ssexual harassment complaint, which she denied at the time. A federal judgethatyeardismissed alawsuit from the employee, and Murrill’soffice represented White
in aseparate lawsuit theemployee filed in state court that was also dismissed.
Moreno, meanwhile, said Thursdaythather focusremains on building momentumtoimprove New Orleans.
“Today’s development involving the attorney generalisamatter for thecourts,” the mayor said.
The criminalchargesrepresent astunning escalation of the back-and-forthcity-versus-state feudthateruptedlast fallduring thecity’smunicipal election cycle and reached newheights during this spring’sstate legislative session in Baton Rouge. Murrill, a hard-chargingconservativewho has sought criminalindictments of aslate of public officials across Louisiana, nowfaces charges of herown in acourthouse where just monthsago she secured an indictment of New Orleans’ outgoing sheriff.
Louisiana’slaw barring public intimidation and retaliation, revisedstatute 14:122, says it can be appliedintwo ways: Breaking the statute can involve “violence, force,extortionate threats, or true threats” against publicofficials “withthe intent toinfluence his conduct in relation to his position, employment,orduty.”
The law also says it can involve retaliation againstpublic officials when “violence, force, or threat is related to theduties of the elected official,” or when theactionsinvolve“retaliationorretribution for actions taken by theelected official as part of his official duties.”
The law says convictions can carry afine of up to $1,000 or five years in prison. The malfeasance in office statute,whichinvolves employees intentionally failing to performtheir duties,can carry a
fine of up to $5,000 or 10 yearsin prison. The fight that seemed to yield Thursday’scharges revolves around apower struggle between city andstate leaders. The structure of New Orleans’ courts had triggered the latest fissures.
An early inflection point came when Murrillwaded into thecity’s municipalelection last fall, sending cease-and-desist letters to acandidate for thecriminal clerk of court position, former lifeprisoner Calvin Duncan.The attorney general warnedDuncan,aprisonlawyer freed from behindbars when a judge found him innocent of murder,tostop calling himself “exonerated” on the campaign trail. After mounting acampaign that drew national headlines, Duncan defeated a powerful incumbent in the runoff by securing 68% of the vote.
Williamswas also pulledinto the election-cycle brawl. In herletter to Duncan’s campaign, Murrill accused Williams of having represented Duncan as adefense attorneyyears before Williams became aprosecutor and his office negotiated Duncan’srelease from prison, andoffailing to recuse himself during those negotiations. Williamscalled the accusation a fabrication.
Months later,Louisiana’sRepublican-controlledstate Legislature created and passed alaw eliminating Duncan’sposition.
The law did nothing to combine New Orleans’ separate civil and criminal courts themselves, which are unique among court systemsin thestate. But supporterscalled it aneeded reform forthe only local government withseparateclerks’ offices for civil andcriminal matters.
White, the special prosecutor in Murrill’sindictment, also once represented Duncan in his criminal case before the Innocence Project,now knownasInnocence and Justice Louisiana, took it over Thelegislation,which Landry ushered through the Capitol and signed days before Duncan would have assumed the criminal clerkship, spurred furious pushback from local activists andelected leaders, including Moreno and Williams. Thetwo city officialsin early May asked the City Council to trigger aspecial election, arguing the votersmust fill thenewlymelded office.
Murrill responded with her May 13 letters to Williams, Moreno andfive CityCouncil members
who voted to trigger the election, warning them they wereatrisk of “usurping” the authority of ChelseaNapoleon,the formercivil clerk who assumed the duties of the combined clerk job after the newstate lawtook effect. The Louisiana SupremeCourt has since issued aruling upholding that law MorenopostedanInstagram video hours after receiving the letter in May warning Murrill that the letters might violate the antiretaliation law
“It is surprising that the attorney generalput allofthisina letter, considering there is also acriminal law that prohibits intimidating or threatening apublic official in an effort to try to influence their decision or change their position,” Morenosaidthen. “Bottom line: I’mnot going to be threatened, I’m not going to be intimidated, and I won’t back down.”
The Times-Picayune |The Advocate brokethe story this week that Murrill’sletters had become the focusofagrand jury probe at the criminal courthouse on Tulane Avenue and South Broad Street. While somelegal watchers have questioned the extent of criminalexposure Murrill might face over the letters, the indictment thrusts upon astate Republican from Lafayette the uncomfortable prospect of facing ajury in one of Louisiana’sfew Democratic strongholds.
At aThursday evening news conference on abalcony on the corner of Toulouse and Decatur streets in theFrench Quarter,former New OrleansMayor Marc Morial called the grand jury indictment an instance of New Orleanians pushing back on an unnecessary state incursion.
He called Murrill and Landry to “lay down their arms” and cease their “attack” on NewOrleans. And he also said the relationship between city andstate canberepaired.
“Itcan always be repaired,” Morial said. “Wecan workthings out. But it takes twototango.”
Meanwhile, Dane S. Ciolino, an ethicsattorney andlaw professor at Loyola University,said manyin New Orleans dislike what some perceive as bullying from statewide officials.
“But at the end of the day,this is alegal issue,” Ciolino said. “A grand jury can always indict the proverbial ham sandwich.” StaffwriterJoniHesscontributed to this report.
ChaoseruptsinN.O.court as Murrillindicted
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
While agrandjury returned acriminal indictment Thursday against Louisiana’sattorney general in aclosed New Orleans courtroom, chaos erupted in the hallway as securityofficers placed anewsreporter and an attorney in handcuffs afterthey questioned why ajudge booted onlookers from the proceeding.
The episode ended with combative, duelingnews conferences on the courthouse steps. The special prosecutor assigned to the probe lamented that she had taken the case; defenselawyers forAttorney General Liz Murrill decried asystem of “kangaroo courts” in New Orleans.
The special prosecutor, former Orleans criminal court Judge Laurie White, walked into Judge Leon Roche’scourtroom minutes before thebrouhaha. White had been in and out of the courtroom all day,and it seemed that an indictment of Murrill, which The TimesPicayune reportedonTuesday had been under review for several weeks, could be imminent.
Around 2:45 p.m., Roche ordered the room sealed so thegrand jury couldmake its returns in secret though he didn’texplain his reasons for ushering spectators out. Louisiana law says grand jury indictments handed up in state courts “shall be returned in open court.”
Ahalf-dozen or so news reporters there to cover the indictment waited in the hallway for Roche to reopen the proceeding. WWL-TV reporter DannyMonteverde called aFirst Amendment
lawyer,Elana M. Beiser Beiserarrived minutes later with what shetitleda “motion to open courtroom for room of indictment” and bangedon the door
The document quoted the state law that says grand jury returns must occur in open court Roche, however,did not reopen his courtroom.
Half an hour after he shuttered the proceedings, about adozen Orleans Parish Sheriff’sOffice deputiesflooded thehallway.They shoutedat reporters to walk away from the door and stand at the end of thehall.
(Later on the courthouse steps, Whitewouldaccuse reporters of tryingtoidentify the grandjurors.)
As several reporters pressedthe deputies about why they were being barred entry to the courtroom, a man who didnot identify himself cameout from the courtroom. He warned that if reporters didnot leave, they would face contempt of court charges. Beiser wastrying to hand copies of her motion to court staff when deputies started moving to detain people.
“I’mgonna start cuffing people if y’all don’tmove,” one OPSOdeputy told a Times-Picayune reporter Monteverde and Beiser were cuffed. When aTimesPicayune reporterleft the building, thentried to reenter several minutes later,a deputy told the reporter that media representatives were notbeing allowed back inside.
Monteverde and Beiser emerged from thecourthouse at 3:22 p.m.“Iwas just handcuffed for 20 minutes,” said Monteverde, who was handcuff-free by then Judicial Administrator RobKazik referred questionsabout courtsecurity’s handling of the episode to theOrleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, which oversees securityatthe courthouse. Sheriff’sOffice spokesperson Keith Lampkin did not respond to arequest for comment.
White walked down the courtroomsteps aboutthree minutes later.“YouOK?” she asked Monteverde. “I’m angry,” he replied.
“I knowall of youmedia were very unhappy that the
judgeclosedoff thecourt,” White toldthe gaggle of reporters. “I wasn’tthe judge for that. I’mthe prosecutor.”
When Monteverde and Beiser were detained, White said she “helped get them out of the arrest.”
“You all were handcuffed by sheriff’sdeputies because you wouldn’tobeyan order,” Whiteadded. “You all weren’twilling to walk outwhenyou were asked to do so.”
Whitethen outlined how thegrand jury had returned a16-count indictment against Murrill for violating anti-intimidation laws. The charges, she added, stemmed from letters the attorney generalsent to Mayor HelenaMoreno, District AttorneyJason Williams, retired Judge Calvin Johnson andfive City Council members threatening to remove them from office if they did
not walk back support for electing anew court clerk.
White also said she wished shehadn’ttaken thespecial prosecutor assignment.
“This will teach you not to sayyes when people call and ask you, ‘What’re you doing today? Can you come into town? Ihave something you’d be great for, she said. “Don’tever let people tell you you’re good at something. Thenyou might show up and your ego gets you into the middle of this.”
While White addressed reporters, Murrill’sattorneys, LauraCannizzaroRodrigue and Blake Arcuri, walked into the courthouse behind her.When White finishedher remarks,theysteppedtothe row of mics.
Rodrigue said she, too, was barredfromthe courtroom by Rochewhenshe tried to enter She then reeled offa litany
of allegations —ofconflicts of interest by Roche, whom she noted was handling cases being prosecuted by Murrill’soffice,and by White, who is represented by the Attorney General’sOffice in acivil lawsuit in which she’s accused of sexual harassment; and of unspecified communicationsbetween grand jurors and the public.
“That will affect the integrity of every indictment that came outofthatgrand jury,” Rodrigue said. Within afew hours, Murrill herself chimed in on social media, calling the indictment “retaliatory, meritless and unconstitutional.” She said she would be making an emergencyfiling to the Louisiana SupremeCourt.
“Hopefully this will be sorted out quickly,” she said. Email James Finnat jfinn@theadvocate.com.
WBR rollbacks could save taxpayers $5M
Officials say they’re largest in decades
BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
tax rates after the Parish Council voted June 25 to roll back more than 6 mills, the largest rollback decision in at least a decade.
Parish officials said the move will save taxpayers about $5 million in 2027 compared with what could have been collected under the full voter-approved millages.
“Taxpayers
services. Based on current assessments, that would amount to roughly $25.6 million that the parish stands to receive in 2027. After Thursday’s decision, the government will take in 25.82 mills, or around $20.6 million.
Those millages help fund
Fire marshal offers tips for holiday weekend
STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
TOAST TO HISTORY
Formation Credit Union expanding operations
STAFF PHOTO Formation Credit Union is building a drive-thru with interactive teller machines and an ATM near its headquarters at 10289 Airline Highway.
works don’t change:
n Use fireworks in open areas at least 200 feet from buildings, vehicles and flammable materials, the Office of State Fire Marshal says.
n Never allow children to handle fireworks; consider safer alternatives such as glow sticks or public displays.
n Never use homemade, altered or illegal fireworks and always follow label instructions.
n Do not use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
n Light one firework at a time and keep a hose or bucket of water nearby
n Soak used fireworks before disposal and never place dry fireworks in the trash.
n Check local burn bans and avoid fireworks during dry or windy conditions. Regulations on home fireworks in area parishes include: n East Baton Rouge: Prohibited in the parish and in the cities of Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary, Central and St. George.
BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer
A Prairieville man has been found guilty of manslaughter in the 2022 shooting death of his girlfriend’s exboyfriend, bringing to a close a case that included a successful appeal over the defendant’s right to claim self-defense. The Ascension Parish jury returned the verdict June 26 against Jerome Lilly, 41, after a trial before Judge Cody Martin in the 23rd Judicial District Court. Lilly originally was charged with second-degree murder in the July 2022 death of 40-year-old Tarrence Williams. The trial came after the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of
Louisiana Old State Capitol director Mary Durusau raises a glass during the toast to the Lee Resolution on Thursday.
LSU cuts 25 administrative positions
Savings will go toward faculty, research
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
LSU eliminated 25 staff positions in administrative offices Thursday to put more money toward faculty and research, LSU system
President Wade Rousse said in a statement
“Louisiana deserves transformational change
from LSU,” Rousse said. “I committed to streamlining operations and finding efficiencies so the university can focus on, and afford, the faculty needed to become a top 50 research institution.”
The employees affected worked in the communications, student engagement and executive departments, an LSU spokesperson said.
Rousse went on to say the cuts would enable the university to restructure and direct savings toward faculty and research. He has stated LSU will need to
hire more faculty to reach its goal of being a “top 50” research university, a distinction based on the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey, which tracks how much each university spends on research It’s not the first move LSU has made to get closer to the top 50. Earlier this year the Board of Supervisors approved a systemlevel restructuring to bring the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, two
health science centers and LSU AgCenter under the umbrella of the flagship campus in Baton Rouge for the purpose of counting research dollars altogether
The changes ruffled feathers outside of Baton Rouge as some advocates for LSU Health Shreveport worried about the medical school losing autonomy
The president and the Board of Supervisors have said ranking in the top 50 will make LSU eligible for more grants and increase its academic prestige.
ROLLBACKS
Continued from page 1B
and 911 dispatch. The Parish Council is also constitutionally required to levy millages for the parish general fund. With the exception of the 911 dispatch center, the general fund and the West Baton Rouge Museum, those services will receive less taxpayer funding than they could under current property values.
for West Baton Rouge taxpayers over the past six years — or conversely, $20 million less that could have gone to parish services. Before 2020, Stephens said parish governments always collected the maximum amount.
“This was not a thing that was done in the past,” he said “I would venture to say (this year’s rollback) was the highest ever.”
Cantrell’s defense attorneys’ schedule cited as reason
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
A federal judge this week delayed LaToya Cantrell’s corruption trial until the spring of 2027, citing defense attorneys’ packed schedule during a summer filled with high-profile trials at the federal courthouse on Poydras Street. The former New Orleans mayor had been set to face a jury on wire fraud, obstruction and conspiracy counts starting on Oct. 19 a date
that had already been punted repeatedly following her August 2025 indictment. She is charged alongside her New Orleans Police Department bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie with spending taxpayer money on romantic liaisons, then lying and destroying evidence to conceal signs of their alleged romance. Their new trial date is March 15, 2027. In an order signed Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter of Louisiana’s Eastern District cited the “arduous trial calendar” facing Vappie’s attorneys for the delay
resents federal defendant Sean Alfortish, a former Kenner magistrate set for an August trial on murder, wire fraud and witness tampering. Alfortish is the alleged leader of a yearslong scheme by local lawyers and fixers who staged car wrecks with bigrig trucks, snagging millions in bogus insurance payouts. Vitter, too, has presided over a packed docket of late: She oversaw the marathon March jury trial of two personal injury lawyers convicted of wire fraud and obstruction for their role in the staged-wrecks scheme.
Orleans Police Department officer Christian Claus, found guilty of wire fraud and lying to the FBI in an art-insurance scam.
The postponement of Cantrell’s trial comes weeks after The Times-Picayune | The Advocate reported that the case’s lead prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, was placed on leave amid an internal Department of Justice probe into allegations that he concealed a workplace relationship with a subordinate in the local U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A longtime public corruption prosecutor, Ginsberg had been promoted this spring to lead all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s criminal prosecutions. Ex-N.O. mayor’s federal trial delayed again
One of the defense lawyers, Shaun Clarke, also rep-
In June, Vitter ran the twoweek trial of a former New
Police: 7-year-old dead, woman injured in fight
Staff report
A 7-year-old girl died Wednesday after being found unresponsive in a home where there had been a fight between a man and a woman, the Addis Police Department said. Officers responded to a 911 call about the girl from a home in the 8000 block of La. 1 south in West Baton Rouge Parish, shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday The police officers initiated lifesaving efforts for the girl before she was taken to a hospital She died later that evening, A
CONVICTED
Continued from page 1B
to present a defense” and sent the case back to the district court for trial. The jury convicted Lilly of the lesser charge of manslaughter Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 14. Lilly faces up to 40 years in state prison if sentenced to the maximum penalty for manslaughter According to the Ascen-
FIREWORKS
Continued from page 1B
n Ascension: Allowed in unincorporated areas but prohibited in the city/town limits of Gonzales, Donaldsonville and Sorrento.
sion Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on Cherry Creek Drive in Prairieville after receiving a report of a shooting. When deputies arrived, they encountered Lilly, who had called 911 Investigators said he told deputies he had gotten into an altercation with Williams, his girlfriend’s ex, before shooting him. Williams was found lying in the entryway of the residence with multiple gunshot wounds and was pro-
ddis Police said in an online post.
A woman was also taken to the hospital with injuries she received in a physical altercation with a man, who was identified to police by witnesses.
“Detectives continue working with the appropri-
nounced dead at the scene.
During the investigation, detectives determined Lilly and Williams had engaged in a heated phone conversation regarding Williams’ minor children before Williams went to the home to pick them up.
Although investigators found no evidence that the argument became physical authorities said Lilly fired multiple shots, striking Williams. He was arrested at the scene and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.
n Livingston: Allowed in unincorporated areas but prohibited in Denham Springs and Walker n West Baton Rouge: Allowed in unincorporated areas. Allowed in the town of Brusly, from 3 p.m to 1 a.m. Friday through Sunday Allowed in the town of Addis from through Sunday Fireworks are prohibited in the city of Port Allen.
n Iberville: Fireworks allowed throughout the parish.
n East Feliciana: Fireworks allowed throughout the parish. n West Feliciana: Fireworks are allowed in unincorporated areas, but are prohibited in St. Francisville.
ate investigative agencies to determine the circumstances surrounding the child’s death and any potential criminal charges,” the police department said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Addis Police Department at (225) 687-2222.
For example, voters approved 7.2 mills for parish drainage services, but the Parish Council voted to roll it back to 5.7 mills, meaning it will receive roughly $1.17 million less than voters allow The Council on Aging received a similar 1.5-mill rollback The library and community center were rolled back by 1 mill, while the health unit was rolled back by 0.5 mill.
Stephens said the rollbacks followed a yearly review of each fund’s balance sheet and discussions with the council. The strong financial position of those funds allowed the parish to lower the rate at which property taxes are collected.
“We have the funds where you could roll back,” he said. “It’s a constant up-and-down, catand-mouse game figuring out where you can take cuts one year where you can’t, and maybe flip them the next year.”
The rollbacks also put the rates below the stateadjusted maximum millage, which aims to keep revenue neutral and is calculated every four years after property reassessments. That means the community center, health unit, drainage, library, Council on Aging and recreation will all see less tax revenue than they did in 2026.
Stephens said the parish has approved increasingly larger rollbacks since 2020, resulting in more than $20 million in savings
With the exception of East Baton Rouge Parish millages dedicated to BREC, Stephens said no other surrounding parishes — Pointe Coupee, Iberville, West Feliciana or East Feliciana have made similar rollbacks in recent years.
“We are unique, and we want to stay unique, if we can,” said Parish Council Chair and District 6 representative Carey Denstel, who praised the council’s work and the financial stewardship of Manola’s administration and the prior administration. Denstel added that the rollbacks will not affect the quality of services or the parish’s ability to carry out capital outlay projects.
“We definitely wouldn’t roll back things to where we couldn’t do our services or capital outlay,” he said. “But there is no use in building a big savings account and letting it sit there, or spending it just to spend it. Our goal is to be good custodians of the people’s money.”
Jones, Talyn Greater OliveMBC,3155 Victoria Dr.at10:00 a.m.
Russell, Nina Unity Church of BatonRouge,15255 JeffersonHwy.at11am.
Cangelosi, Aline Geraci Francis
Aline Francis Geraci
Cangelosi, anative and life -long resident of Baton Rouge, La, passed away peacefully on June 28, 2026 at the age of 95 years old. She was abeloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. Aline is survived by her three loving daughters, Fran Cangelosi Hampton (Mark), Lafayette, LA; Terri Cangelosi Tuminello (Patrick) Madisonville LA; Dana Cangelosi Cannon (Ace), Watson, LA; 10 grandchildren, Blake Hampton, Hannah Hodgins (Grant),Carly Rankin (Mark), Stephen Rice, Brandon Tuminello (McKensey), Brent Tuminello, Joseph Tuminello (Mariana),Amber McFee (Roger), Amie Anderson (James), Anna Watkins; 9
great-grandchildren, Hampton Hodgins, Porter Hodgins, Covey Rice, Patrick Tuminello,TheoRose Tuminello, Samuel Tuminello, Madison McFee, Heath McFeeand Declan McFee,brother,John "Bubba" Geraci,and many loving extended family members. Shewas precededin death by her lovinghusband, Frank Cangelosi; son,DarrelMichael Cangelosi, parents, Rossand Francis Piazza Geraci;sisters, Rose Caruso, Lena Bourgeois,GenevieveJordan and Louise Branum. Aline was arealtor for 45 years, retiredwhen she was 85 yearsold. She was acknowledged for many valuable contributions, including Million Dollar Agent in 1995and Realtor of the Year in 1997. She loved cooking and shared her Italian traditions. Spaghetti-meatballs was her signaturedish served every Sunday afterchurch. Sheenjoyedplaying cards, dancing, shopping, and Casinos. She was alady of strength and class.Aline was adevoutCatholicand washonored to be partof thelegacy of St.Thomas More CatholicChurch. Visitation willbeatSt. Thomas More CatholicChurch, on Monday, July, 6, 2026,from 10:00 am until Mass time of 12:00pm. Interment will immediately follow at Greenoaks MemorialPark. Pallbearersare Blake Hampton, StephenRice, HeathMcFee,Brent Tu-
minello,Joseph Tuminello and Randy Corsentino Lieu of flowers, thefamily requestedthatdonationbe madeinher memory to Dementia Society of America.
Henson, Samuel BakerFuneralHome, 6401 Groom Road in Baker, at 2p.m Howtoplace an
Monk, Ruth Powers
"Her children rise up and call her blessed;her husband also,and he praises her." Proverbs 31:28
RuthPowers Monk, age 87, passedaway peacefully on Wednesday, July1, 2026. She wasborn on April 6, 1939, in BatonRouge, Louisiana.
Ruthwas adevoted wife, loving mother, cherishedgrandmother and great-grandmother, and a faithful servant of theLord. She livedalife marked by unwavering faith, unconditional love,and selfless devotion to her family.Her kindness,strength,and
EMAIL: obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FORMORE INFORMATION: 225-388-0289
An In Memory Of”ad, is away to pay tributetoyourloved one.Thisremembrance is oftenprinted on theanniversary of aloved one’sdeath.Thedeadline is twodaysprior to the dayyou want your ad to appear TO PLACEAMEMORIALAD GO TO: obituaries.theadvocate.com clicksubmit an obituaryand select create amemoriam.
gentle spirit touchedthe livesofall who knew her leaving alegacy that will continue for generations. She is survivedbyher belovedhusband of 68 years, Harold Monk; her children, Harold and Marlene Monk, Suziand Will Parchim, Darryl and Lisa Monk, her grandchildren, Melodyand JasonRay, Megan and KyleMallett, Macy and TannerRoss, Leah Parchim, Jonathan and AddieMonk, Morgan and Noah Lanier,Colton and Megan Monk; and her great-grandchildren, Nathan and LukeRay,Harlan and Hansen Ross, Adler, Case,Dolly,and Jesse Monk, and Slade Monk. Visitation willbeheldat GreenwellSprings Baptist Church on Friday, July3, from5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Asecond visitation willbeheldonSaturday, July4,from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.,with the funeral servicebeginning at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be madetoGreenwell
Springs Baptist Church or TheCarpenterHouse Hospice in Baton Rouge Louisiana.
Thefamilywould like to express theirheartfelt gratitude to thecompassionate caregivers at St Joseph's Hospice andThe CarpenterHouse for the exceptional care,comfort, andlove they showed our motherduringher final days. Aspecial thankyou is also extendedtoSheryl Schafer for hersteadfast
friendship, loving support, andfor walkingalongside ourfamilythroughout this journey.
On the Fourth of July,our nation will commemorate the 250thanniversary of its founding charter: the Declaration of Independence. Adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress, the document, which was then titled “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America,” announced to the world that the 13 colonies were free from the rule of Great Britain. The declaration arose from aperiod of profound strain between the colonies and the crown led by aking many colonists considered to betyrannical and prone to putting his thumb on the scales of justice. The authors set forth 27 grievances against the king of Great Britain, asserting that his actions had undermined representative government andthe fair administration of justice.
principleboth bold and enduring: That when agovernment becomes destructiveofthe people’s rights, thepeople possess the authority to alter or abolish it. The 56 delegates who affixed their names to thedocument, at least 25 of whom were attorneys, understoodtheir act was considered high treason, punishable by tortureand death.Benjamin Franklin quipped, “Wemust all hangtogether,ormost assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
In doing so, they articulated a
At atime whenmonarchies ruledovernations,the United Statesput its faith in thecitizens to govern themselves. In theyears that followed independence, the ideals announcedin1776 were woven into the fabric of our constitutional structure.InThe FederalistNo. 78, Alexander Hamiltonmetaphoricallydescribed the judiciary as the “least dangerous”
branch of government, possessing neither the swordofthe executive nor the purse of the legislature. The judiciary’sauthority,heexplained, rests in neither force nor will but in judgment alone. At the same time, Hamilton emphasized thatanindependent judiciary is absolutely essentialtopreserving liberty as acheck upon the political branches. Over the course of two and ahalf centuries, theDeclaration has becomeone of the most widely circulated and influential political documentsinhuman history. Its assertion that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” has echoed far beyond our shores, bothattracting new citizens and influencing other countries to emulate these principles.
Abraham Lincoln,our nation’s 16th president, regarded thedeclaration as the moral standard to which theUnited States must
Before La.joinedthe U.S., N.O. nuns hadquestions
Today,it’snot easy to imagine New Orleans as anything other than part ofthe UnitedStates.
But it wasn’t always so,and anexchange of letters in 1804 between the Ursuline sisters of New Orleans and American President Thomas Jeffersonremindsusof an important reality: New Orleans became an American city in adistinctive way —bygovernance quickly,but by culture much more slowly
This year,wecelebrate 250 years of the political independenceofthe United States of America aswell as the development of the distinctive American political worldview, which includes two key principles: arespect for adiversity of religions in society and aseparation between the institutions of government and religion.
“Therewas no comfortable place for the Ursulines in this changed world,”she wrote in her book “MasterlessMistresses: The New Orleans Ursulines and theDevelopment of aNew World Society, 17271834.”Theywereneither Protestant nor wives andmothers. Whatwas the place of unmarried women as property holders?
continually aspire. He viewed it as aprism through which the Constitution should be understood and applied. He relied on the principles of theDeclaration of Independence in his Gettysburg address, calling the United States anation “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Lincoln also wrote about a“government of the people, by the people, and forthe people[.]”
To preservethe principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence, ourfounding citizens adopted an intricate system of checks and balances in the Constitution providing each branch with separate powers, checked and balanced by the power of theother branches. The role of thejudiciary is to resolve issues which those before the court cannot resolvethemselves, not by declaring “winners or losers,” but by applying the rule of law as enacted by the legislative branch,
tempered by the fundamental law of the Constitution. The judiciary must remain above the fray and resolve matters fairly,justly, impartially and independently without partisanship, personality or politics. All stand equal before acourt of justice.
As we celebrate this 250th anniversary,werecognize not only a historic document, but the lasting principles it sets forth: liberty under law,equality in dignity and agovernment accountable to the people. The Declaration of Independence continues to stand as areminder of the courage and conviction of those whosigned it and of their belief that justice must rise above power.Aswereflect on its words, we must renew our commitment to the ideals that shaped our nation and that continue to guide it today
John L. Weimer is the chief justiceofthe Louisiana Supreme Court.
HBCUshelpAmerica do unfinishedworkoffreedom
This summer,America turns 250 years old. Across the country,communities are marking theoccasion with celebrations and ceremonies. Flags will fly,speeches will be given and the nation will pause to marvel at two and ahalf centuries of the American experiment.
These two points were at issue when Sister Therese de Saint Xavier Farjon wrote with her sister nuns to President Jefferson. Simply put, the Ursulineswere notconfident that their convent wouldbe recognized as their property undernewly established American rule.
The cultural context of the day made their concern justified. These French nuns would have remembered two very different revolutions. The AmericanRevolution of 1776 was not asectarianone.Christians in English colonies of all denominations or none joined in opposition to English rule from London.
The Ursulines also had the powerful memory of the French Revolution of 1789, whichwas arevolution against both the king and the Roman Catholic Churchin France. Convents and other religious communities were destroyed, disbandedor confiscated in reaction to the privileged position held by the Catholic Churchin French society The same year,the American Constitution had become law,soon after including the First Amendment and its famous first words “Congress shall make no lawrespecting an establishment ofreligion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” In Americanlaw,noparticular church would hold aprivileged position.
For the Ursulines, these memories would cause concern about their future under American rule. Their Frenchexperience of democratic anti-royalism wasthatitwas violently anti-church In addition, frequent recent regime changes in New Orleans —injust 40years from French to Spanish,back to French, then American —caused angstabout the legitimacy of property claims. The historian Emily Clark notes thatyoung America was broadly Protestant andemphasized women’splace in the home aswives and mothers.
The Ursulines quickly showed savviness and courage by courtinggood relationswiththe new American governor,W.C.C. Claiborne, successfully seeking his support with the American president.Their letter to Jeffersoncarries this coreassertion: “thatthe treaty of cession, and the sense of justicewhich marks the character of the United States, would have secured to them[the Ursulines] the property theynow possess …”
The nuns’ argument is about morality, notonly about propertyrights, citing their seclusionfromthe world, shunning of wealthand commitment to “the causeof the orphan, of the helpless child of want.”
In their Catholic worldview,the nuns speak not about individual rights but rather about thecommon good and carefor those mostvulnerable. By this measure, their worldview is not yet American. Jefferson’sreply was reassuring.
“The principles of the constitution and government of the United States area sure guarantee to you thatitwill be preserved to you sacredand inviolate, and thatyour institutionwill be permitted to govern itself according to its own voluntary rules, without interference from thecivil authority,” he wrote.
In thenuns’ Catholic tradition, liberty of conscience allowed religious errorto grow, andseparation of church and state was condemned. Jefferson’sacceptanceof religious diversityand assurance that the nuns wouldoperate “without interference from civilauthority” was new to them indeed.
This exchange of lettersabout property reveals much about differences in worldviews.The Ursuline sistersand other Catholicsinearly America had to grow comfortable over timethat theirchurch couldthrive in this democratic republican context
Today, you can seeareplica of President Jefferson’s letter at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum in the French Quarter, but theoriginal document remains part of the Ursulineorder’sarchives—now located at BostonCollege,aCatholic institution in acity that was ahotbed of the American Revolution.
ChristopherWisemanisthe executive director of the Catholic Cultural Center of New Orleans.
Twohundred and fiftyyears of democracy is, by any measure, an extraordinary achievement. Anation that began as abold experiment in self-governance has grown into the world’slongest-standing constitutional republic, proving to be abeacon of progress and inspiring movements for freedom and liberty across the globe.
While this milestoneiscause for celebration, it is also amoment forhonest reckoning —asking ourselves which chapters of our story we have told in full, and which we have too longconsigned to themargins
America’sfounding promise —that all men arecreated equal —was adeclaration thenation had not yet earned,“the promissory note” referred to by Dr.Martin Luther King. The work of earning it has been thegreat,unfinished labor of every generation since. The emancipation of enslaved people and the century-long struggle of their descendants to claim full citizenship rightsrepresent perhaps the mostprofound achievement in that ongoing project of liberty.And historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)were built precisely at the hinge of that achievement, making it possible for Black Americans to pursue lives of dignity, purpose and full citizenship.
The story of HBCUs is one such chapter.And it belongs not at the footnotes of American history,but at itsvery center Borninthe aftermathofthe Civil War, HBCUs were created out of necessity.A shattered nation, reconstructing itself,refused to open the doors of higher education to Black Americans. Andwith the assistance of generous and committed friends, Black Americansbuilt their own. Against immense opposition, HBCUs emerged first as institutions of learning that soon became engines of Black self-determination and, in turn, pillars of American democracy itself.
Consider what that moment demanded: not only the courage to imagine freedom, but thediscipline to build the institutions that freedom requires. Schools. Libraries. Laboratories.Lecture halls. HBCUs provided theeducational infrastructure and thought leaders for apeople emerging from bondage.
The principles of justice, service and democratic citizenship that were cultivated on HBCU campuses didnot remain confined to classrooms and yards. They took root in studentsand alumni whocar-
ried those values into the wider world. From the suffrage movement to the Civil Rights Era, HBCU students and alumni have been at the forefront of every major campaign to redraw the moral and legal architecture of American democracy They organized sit-ins and freedom rides. They registered voters in counties where doing so required extraordinary courage. They argued cases before the SupremeCourt, wrote the legislation, preached the sermons and paid the prices that madethe Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act not just possible, but inevitable. When we speak of the legal victories that transformed this republic, we are speaking, in no small part, of men and women shaped on HBCU campuses. This legacy did not end with the passage of landmark legislation. It endures. Today,HBCUscontinue to produce adisproportionate share of Black professionals in law,engineering, medicine, education, the sciences and public service. Across every industry and in every region of the country,the fingerprints of an HBCU education are visible proof of what an equitable higher education system can produce —and what this nation is capable of when it invests in all of its people. There is atemptation in moments of national celebration to flatten complexity and tell the story of America as astraight and unbroken line from promise to fulfillment. But the truer and, Iwould argue, the more patriotic story is the one that acknowledges how much each generation has had to fight forthe ideals the founders declared. It is the story of arepublic perpetually reforming itself,perpetually reaching toward and securing amore perfect union.
HBCUsare apart of the American story in its deepest sense. They did not merely respond to injustice. They modeled the possibility of abetter day.They said, in brick and mortar and curriculum and community,that Black intellectual lifewas not aconcession to be granted but atruth to be celebrated, agifttothe nation —and that the American project of liberty could not be complete without fulfilling its promise to all. As the nation raises atoast to 250 years, we would do well to remember: Our democracy endures because every generation has had the courage to demand that its promise extend further —toinsist that liberty is not agift bestowed on some, but aright belonging to all. HBCUshave carried that promise forgenerations. This is not afootnote. That is the story of American progress.
Dr.Reynold Verretispresident of Xavier University of Louisiana.
ISSUE OF THE WEEK AMERICA 250
As the nation celebrates itssemiquincentennial on July 4, the focus hasturnedtoour founding documentsand what they meantoday.Has America lived up to the promise in itsDeclaration of Independence? What lessons should we takefrom history? Hereare twoperspectives:
Celebratinga milestone withoutbeing chauvinistic
Even with semiquincentennialcelebrations and anniversary essays in the air,and with readers alreadysaturated with commentaries on American democracy and 250 years of independence, there’sgood reason to linger,ifjust for amoment, on what Gerald Ford had to say when the country,exhausted by the Vietnam Warand besieged by Watergate, marked its bicentenniala half-century ago Ford deliveredremarks even perfectly suited to his time, andall time, including and especially our own. What the country wouldn’tgivetohear speeches like these now.Whatthe country wouldn’tgive to believe speeches like these in this era The president began his July 2, 1976, remarks by reminding his listeners that July 4may not reallybethe beginningof American independence. But theFounders, those sages in powdered wigsand knee breeches, did what editors do to columns like this one: They read andrereadwhat Thomas Jefferson haddrafted, offered some suggestions, made some adjustments. “They took two moredays to debate and to approvethisdeclaration and announcement to the world of what they had done and the reasonswhy,” Ford explained. Standing in the National Archives, the home of America’s cherished founding documents, Ford reminded the country that the Declaration of Independence was far more than the beloved melodic opening language, withits “self-evident truths” and ‘unalienable rights” and its high-minded goals toachieve“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” that have been memorized by American school pupils for generations. He pointed to the document’slist of grievancesthe onetime colonists deplored (obstructing justice, establishing an “Arbitrary government,” and “cutting off ourTrade withall parts of theworld”) andurged Americans to read what hecalled the “dull parts.” Twodays later,atMonticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson,Ford used a naturalization ceremony to expandhis thoughts.
(“Men maybetrusted to govern themselves without amaster”) and saying, “This was the most revolutionary idea in theworld at that time. It remains themost revolutionary idea in the world today.”
Thebackgroundthatmade theRevolutionpossible
David Shribman
This is aspeech that’scelebratory without in any way being chauvinistic. It is afundamentally optimistic view,but Fordwasn’t issuing an apology for America. He was simply saying thecountry had unfinished business and must overcome ahistory that in many ways wasn’t the history we wished it were. It’s important to remember that this speech was issued after the country came through Watergate’ssevere test of our founding and thenation’sdefining values. He then went on to speak of the contributions of America’simmigrants, saying that their “transfusions of traditions andcultures, as well as of blood,”have enriched the country and transformed America into “a new kind of people.” In today’senvironment, it is worth quoting Ford at length: “Foreigners like Lafayette, VonSteuben, and Pulaski cametofight in our Revolution because they believed in its principles that they felt were universal. Immigrants like Andrew Carnegie came as poor boys and created agreat steel industry, then gave his fortune back to America for libraries, universities and museums. Maria Francesca [Ste. Frances Xavier] Cabrini came as amissionary sister to serve the sick and the poor Samuel Gompers worked in asweatshop, spent his lunchtime helping other immigrant workers learn toread so they could become citizens.Wehave gained far,far more than we have given to the millions whomade America their second homeland.
Usingthe metaphor of Jacob’smulticolored coat to describe themodern United States, he cited “the rich treasures you brought from whence you came, and let us shareyourpride in them.”
As we near the250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, let me share acouple of reflections on the background of how this extraordinary,unprecedented and daring event succeeded.
Twodecades ago, Iset out to write abook about the events known as theGlorious Revolution of 168889. Isuspected that this revolution —the ouster of the Catholic King James II of England andthe installation of his Protestant son-inlaw (and nephew) William III and daughter Mary I—was helpful, perhaps anecessary precursor of the American Revolution.
He spoke about independence —not onlyabout independencefrom Great Britain but also from governmental tyranny “Jefferson and his colleagues very deliberately and very daringly setout to construct anew kind of nation,”Ford said, quoting the Declaration’sauthor
Hardly anyone at the time pointed to these speeches as especially eloquent. They were delivered by an accidental president whose eloquence was in his simple appreciation of the achievement of theFounders. So think of this time as more than the 250th anniversary of American independence. Think of it as the50th anniversary of two remarkable speeches.
Email David Shribman at dshribman@ post-gazette.com.
ects, starting in NewEngland and New York, was to abolish the colonial legislatures. William III reinstated the legislatures, leaving them to tussle with royal or proprietorial governors or lieutenant governors. Over the next 75 years, these political arenas were schools of practical politics and philosophic principle, whose star pupils included Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Iwas convinced then and am moreso now that the events of the Glorious Revolution and their reverberations over the next three-quarters of acentury madepossible thesuccess of the American Revolution
First,because the ouster of one king with aclear hereditary claim, the exclusion of his male heirs, and the installation of three foreign successors left acloud over thetitle of whoever held the monarchy James and his Stuart son and grandsons were Catholics, unsuitable forProtestant England.
William was aDutchman, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic; his English wife, Mary,was subservient and died six years into his reign; they were childless and succeeded by thevery English Queen Anne. After her one survivingchild died of smallpox in 1700, Parliament passed the Act of Succession barring Catholics (and anyone who married aCatholic) from the throne, and when Anne died in 1714, she was succeeded by George I, elector of Hanover,who spoke no English.
George Ispoke to his ministers in French,the lingua franca of continental courts; his son George II spoke English with aGerman accent, and both weresuspected of caring more for their German lands in Hanover than for England. Only in 1760 did England get aplainly English king, theyoung George III.
The clouds on thetitles of both the Stuart pretenders and the Hanover incumbents left room for philosophers to concoct theories of resistance to kings.
At thesame time, English monarchs, aware of their arguable illegitimacy,avoided the fashion for absolutist government pursued and championed by Louis XIV in France, Charles III in Spain, Joseph II in Austria and Frederick III in Denmark.
James II’staste for absolutism was apparent before his ouster.One of his proj-
Progressive historians portrayed the legislatures as devices forlongestablished rich people to hold on to their money.But property was widely held in the colonies, and with manpower always scarce, the older legislative leaders were always on the lookout fortalented young men.Both Washington and Jefferson were given important assignments while still in their 20s.
The colonies were founded at different times, were of different heftand the product of diverse religious traditions after a century of wars centered on religious differences
Franklin’sidea that the colonies, for all their particularities, shared common interests had consequences in 1774 when grievances in afew colonies prompted the summoning of aContinental Congress and its continual meetings during the Revolutionary War.
The American Revolution was achancy event, unsure of success at every turn, and, at the sametime, of enormous possibility: Franklin and Washington contemplated that the American republic could be the world’slargest and strongest nation. It was the product of extraordinary individuals, whose clustering genius at one time and in one place is reminiscent of Periclean Athens or Renaissance Italy
But background circumstances also contributed. Without alightly governing king-in-parliament, unwilling to press for absolutist rule; without locally elected legislatures, leftlargely to their owninitiatives and devices; without the willingness to perceive common interests despite differences in religious belief and cultural folkways that had been so recently the stuff of violent disagreement and war without all these advantages, it is hard to see how the Revolution whose Declaration we celebrate this week, of which we are the fortunate, if often also the querulous heirs, could have been so largely,though imperfectly,successful.
Happy Fourth!
Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.
Michael Barone
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJEN GOLBECK
The Great AmericanState Fair on the National Mall is seen through an American flag in Washington.
BUSINESS
BRIEFS FROM STAFFAND WIRE REPORTS
TopEUcourtdismisses
Google antitrust appeal
BRUSSELS Judges at theEuropean Union’stop court dismissed an appeal by Google over alandmark, $4.5billion antitrust fine imposed for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice throughthe dominance of its mobile Android operating system.
The case has been tangled up in courts since the European Commission announced the fine in 2018. But the EuropeanCourt of Justice dismissal on Thursday marks the end of that process.
“The appeal brought by Google and its parent company Alphabet against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed,thereby confirming the penalty imposed for Google Search’sabuse of a dominant position in the context of the Android operating system,” the Luxembourg-based judges wrote in their ruling.
Google previously argued free and open-source Android has resulted in low-cost phones and driven competition with its chief rival, Apple. Android is the most popular mobile operating system, beating even Apple’siOS.
The fine is one of three antitrust penalties totaling more than$8 billion that the EuropeanCommissionslapped on Google between2017and 2019,putting the 27-nation bloc at the forefrontof the global push to rein in tech giants. Since then, the commission has widened its crackdown on digital giants with more antitrust investigations targeting Amazon, Apple and Facebook and sweeping new rules aimed at clamping down on the biggest digital companies.
Average U.S. mortgage rate falls to 6.43%
Theaverage long-termU.S mortgage rate fell this week to its lowest level since mid-May, easing borrowing costs for prospective homebuyers.
The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 6.43% from 6.49%last week,mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.67%.
The average rate has been mostly hovering around 6.5% goingbacktomid-Mayand trending higher overall in the months since the war between the U.S. and Iran began in lateFebruary, disrupting the flow of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That’ssentoil prices sharply higher,helping drive up inflation, bond yields and mortgage rates. Despite the modest decline from last week, the average rate is now at its lowest level since May 14, when it was 6.36%.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing ahome loan,alsodeclined this week. That average ratefell to 5.79% from 5.84% last week. Ayear ago, it was at 5.8%, FreddieMac said.
U.S. filings forjobless aid fall to
215,000
WASHINGTON U.S.applications for jobless aid inched downlast week as layoffsremain at historically healthy levels. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits in the week ending June 27 fell by 1,000 to 215,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.That’s fewer than the 225,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyedby the data firm FactSet. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits areconsidered representative of U.S.layoffs and areclose to areal-time indicator of the health of the job market. The government also released its morecomprehensiveJune jobs report on Thursday,aday earlier than usual duetothe July 4holiday That data showed that U.S. employers pulled back on hiring last month, adding only 57,000 jobs. That’s less thanhalf the previous month’stotal and asign companies remain cautious. Theunemploymentratedropped to 4.2% from 4.3% in May,though that decline is mostly due to the fact that manyout-of-work people gaveup looking for jobs and werenolonger counted as unemployed.
WorldCup fans sueStubHub
Customers file lawsuitoverticket cancellations
BY MICHAELR.SISAK Associated Press
NEW YORK After weeks of complaints fromfrustratedfans, StubHub is being sued by customers who say theticket reseller’sinability to fulfillorderscrushedtheir dreams of going to World Cup.
Julia Reeker Moghal and Reuben Renteria, both of California,sued the ticketing giant this week in federal court inNew York, alleging that “false andmisleading” sales practicesleftthem withoutthe tickets they purchased for group stagematches last month.
The lawsuit, which seeks to become aclass action, says Moghal andRenteriaare among hundreds or even thousands of World Cup fans who purchased ticketsonly to find out thatthey “did not exist, were revoked withoutany forewarning,orhad been erased” be-
cause of what thetournament’sorganizer,FIFA, deemed “poor digital infrastructure.”
In additiontomonetary damages, Moghal andRenteriaare asking thatStubHub be barred from selling World Cup ticketsand that any profits from those sales be given to affected customers.
StubHub declined to comment on the lawsuit but said in astatement that its“singulargoal is to get fans into events.”
If anything goes wrong, “our FanProtect Guarantee provides replacement tickets or afull refund,” thecompany said. “The World Cupisnodifferent,and theissues fans have experienced are largely driven by problems with the event organizer’sown ticketing infrastructure.”
FIFAencourages fanstobuy tickets through its own marketplace, where it adds a30% surchargeto every resold ticket —15% each from the buyer and seller.
In astatement, the organization said it “has no visibilityover, or control of, secondarymarket ticket transactions carried out on
third-party platforms” and“rejects any suggestion that thefunctional issuesbeing experienced by users of third-party platforms” are the result of FIFA’sticketing infrastructure
For weeks, fans have been complaining on social media about tickets that never arrived from resellers, orders that were canceled at the last minute and hours they spent trying to sort out problems between FIFA’sticketing system and outsideresale platforms.
According to the lawsuit, Moghal paid $1,905 for threetickets to the June 18 Switzerland-Bosnia and Herzegovina match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California,but never received them and never got arefund, whichwould violate the company’sguarantee.
As thematch approached, Moghal wasgivenconflicting information about the status of her order,first receiving anoticethat the tickets were ready, then learning that StubHub had canceled her order,then being misledinto thinkingher tickets wouldbedelivered after all, the lawsuit said.
After the initial cancellation, Moghalspent hours on the phone withStubHub, whichsaidthe order would remain canceled but then reversed course and promised her that they wouldbedelivered an hour before thematch, the lawsuit said. Moghal drove to the stadium and waited in line, but never received hertickets,the lawsuit said. She was then promised arefund but never got one, the lawsuit said. Had she known“that StubHub was eitherunable to deliverornot authorized to deliver her World Cup Tickets to her, she neverwould have purchased them,” the lawsuit said.
Similarly,Renteria paid $2,294 for two tickets to the June 18 Mexico-SouthKoreamatch in Guadalajara,Mexico,but never received his tickets, the lawsuit said.
Like Moghal, Renteria received a notice that his tickets were ready, only to find that StubHub canceled the order, the lawsuit said. He was only refundedafter“significant complaints to StubHub,” but had to eat the cost of traveling to Mexico, the lawsuit said.
Dowhitsrecordasmoststocksrise
ButslumpingAIstocks keep indexesmixed
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEW YORK Most U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, and theDow Jones Industrial Average rallied to another record, but more drops for computer chip companies and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom kept indexes mixed.
TheS&P 500 finished theday virtually unchanged and edged up by less than0.1%, even though sevenout of every 10 stocks within the index rose. The Dow jumped 594 points, or 1.1%,while theNasdaq composite dropped0.8% after erasinganearly gain.
Stocks broadly got some helpfrom areport showing that U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs to their payrollslast month. That’s growth, which is good for the economy,but it was also short of the 100,000 jobs that economists expected and aslowdown from May’s hiring pace
Thebright side of the weaker-than-expected result is that it could keep pressure off inflation, which has been accelerating worldwide becauseofjumps in oilpricescaused by thewar with Iran. Andnow that oil prices are back below where they were before the war,ifinflation slows in upcoming months, theFederal Reservemay feel less need to raise interest rates several times this year
That would be arelieffor investors,who tend to love lower interest ratesbecause theycan givethe economy aboost by making it less expensive for U.S. households and businesses to borrow money andspend. Lower ratesalsotendtopushupwardonprices for stocksand other investments
The yield on the10-year Treasury got to 4.50% in the morning, up from 3.97% just before thewar.But after the release of the U.S. hiring data, it immediately fell back to 4.46% before drifting to 4.48%.
Traders now seean82% chance that the Fedand its new chairman,Kevin Warsh, will not raise the federal funds rate at its next meeting later this month. That’supfrom the 71% chanceseen aday earlier,according to
BY CARSON HARTZOG
The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)
How much betterdoes aTVhave to work before shoppers are willing to spend upward of $1,500 to replacethe one already hanging on their walls?
That’sthe questionfacing Minnesota-based Best Buy as it becomes theexclusive nationalretailer for anew generation of premium TVs that promises brighter colors, deepercontrastand less glare than today’smodels.
After several sluggish years for consumerelectronicsfollowing the pandemicbuying boom, executives andWall Street analysts believethe TV market may finally be on the verge of along-awaited replacement cycle.
Best Buy is betting that improved picture quality —combined with millions of aging TVs purchased during COVID-19 —will finally persuade shoppers it’stime to upgrade.
datafrom CME Group.
“The labor market isn’toverheating,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at AnnexWealthManagement. He said the data could allow the Fed to wait through the summer to get more clues abouthow inflation is behaving before having to decide on hiking rates On Wall Street, the companybehind LaCroix sparkling waters climbed 7.5%after National Beverage said it will pay aspecial dividend of $3.25 for each share that investorshold.
DollarTree rose 2.4% after the retailer said it approved aprogram to send up to $2.5 billion to its shareholders by buyingback its stock.
Stocks of companies in the crypto industry were also strongafter theprice of bitcoin rose roughly 2%,aday after dropping near itslowestlevel since2024. Robinhood Markets rose 3.8%, and CoinbaseGlobal gained 3.9%.
Incoming CEO Jason Bonfig has said Best Buy is “notjust aretailer anymore,” but itsstores remain central to thecompany’sstrategy andgenerate most of its revenue. Expanding into categories such as Lego andtrading cardsispartof that evolution, butthe electronics chainstill relies on newphone and TV releases to drive storetraffic.
“For us,it’salways been about making sure we servecustomers across every price point,” Bonfig said in an interview at the Richfield store. “When new technologycomes in, that absolutely helps our business. But at thesame point in time, it’sour jobwith our vendors to tell them what customers want.That’s really when our model works best.”
BestBuy is thenational retailer withexclusive rights for one year selling RGB LED televisions from leadingmanufacturersincluding Samsung, Sony,LG, TCL and Hisense The setsare positioned above con-
But moredrops for computer chip companies weighed on indexes. They’ve come under pressure because of worries that their stock prices shot too high in the frenzy around AI and that all the spending on chips and data centers may notresult in as much profit and productivity growth as hoped. Memorymaker Micron Technology erased an early gain to drop 5.5%, aday afterplunging 10.6%. Nvidia fell1.4%, and Lam Research sank 10.2%. They were some of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 because they’ve grown so huge in size amid AI mania. Nvidia hasatotal value of nearly $4.7 trillion, for example, which means that its stock’smovements have moreweight on the S&P 500 than any other All told, the S&P 500 rose 0.01 to 7,483.24 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied594.83 to 52,900.07, and the Nasdaq composite sank 207.36 to 25,382.67.
ventional LEDmodelsand compete with OLED televisions, withprices ranging from about $1,000 to more than$30,000 fora115-inch screen
Thechallenge is convincing shoppers thetechnology is worth the premium. Bonfig believesseeing theTVs in personwill make the difference —atagline Best Buy hasembraced withits “Believing Is Seeing” marketing campaign.
“There is really something very powerful about whenpeople get an opportunity to see it,” he said. “Or some people say, ‘Oh,it’samazing, butI actually need something in this price range.’ We have that covered as well.”
Unlike traditional LED televisions, which use awhite backlight, RGB LED sets use separate red, green andblue LEDs, producing brighter colors, stronger contrast and lessglare in sunlit rooms.
Bonfig said innovation also has returnedtoamore “normal” pace since thepandemic,when compa-
nieswerefocused on producing “as much productaspossible,” ashift he said hashelpedimprove sales trends across categories, including TVs.
Best Buy has struck similar deals before.In2023, it became the exclusiveretailerfor Roku-made TVs. Afew years before that, it partnered with Amazon on amultiyear agreement to sell Toshiba and Insignia TVs.
That wasn’tthe case when OLED TVs entered the market. In 2013, Best Buy became thefirst U.S. retailertosellLGOLED TVs, but it didn’thave the kind of marketexclusivity this deal provides.
“It’snot about just asking foran exclusive,” Bonfig said. “The exclusive meansthat we’re going to represent the products in away thevendors want.We’regoing to show the technology like nobody else can.We’re going to trainour employees (and) have the digital resources.”
DREW Specialist Gennaro Saporito works June 26 on the floor of the Newyork Stock Exchange.
UNITED STATES VS. BELGIUM • 7 P.M. MONDAy FOX
Soft-spoken Tillman delivers loud statement with World Cup goal
BY JOSH DUBOW AP sportswriter
SANTA CLARA, Calif. Malik Tillman is soft-spoken off the field with his interviews often given at a volume just above a whisper
He spoke loudly with his bloody right foot at one of the biggest moments of the World Cup for the United States.
Still feeling the affects of being stomped on by an opponent’s studs, Tillman scored the first free kick goal in a World Cup for the Americans in 32 years to seal a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday night that sent the U.S. into the round of 16. Tillman celebrated the biggest moment of his young career with a smile and a scream as he ran to celebrate with his teammates in front of the large contingent of American fans at Levi’s Stadium.
“I’m a different type of person on the pitch,” he said
after the game. “Of course maybe you don’t really see my emotions, but then if you score a goal like this, I think also you guys saw my emotions. It’s a great feeling.” Tillman showed off his bloody sock perhaps the most famous in American sports lore since Curt Schilling’s in the 2004 baseball playoffs for the Boston Red Sox — after the game, saying he was still in a bit of pain. But the discomfort was lessened by pure joy as the U.S. now prepares to play Belgium on Monday night in Seattle with a chance to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
Tillman’s goal came with the U.S. protecting a one-goal lead and down a man after Folarin Balogun was sent off with a red card early in the second half Balogun scored his third goal of the tournament in the first half but Tillman delivered the game-sealer in the highlight of what has
ä See WORLD CUP, page 5C
MOVING ON: Oyarzabal fires Spain past Austria to World Cup Round of 16 | Portugal, Ronaldo survive late scare from Croatia, Page 4C
Son of legendary Saints RB is a two-sport standout
BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer
Curtis McAllister cradled the football
New NCAA 5-for-5 rule could
BY JON BLAU Staff writer
At first blush, it doesn’t appear that last month’s change in NCAA eligibility rules will affect LSU football all that much.
There are just four true seniors who can now return for a fifth season in 2027 because college athletes have five years to play five. And those four players, defenders Whit Weeks, Princewill Umanmielen and Ty Benefield and wideout Jayce Brown, each find themselves one big season away from NFL draft-worthiness.
Plus, LSU’s seven redshirt seniors, by the letter of the law, aren’t eligible to return for a sixth year
But there are ways the NCAA’s attempt to simplify its eligibility rules could factor into Lane Kiffin’s build of LSU next offseason and beyond. The pool of players available via high school recruiting, roster retention, and transfer portal acquisitions just changed.
NFL or bust … but not totally
If anything, the likes of Weeks, Umanmielen, Benefield, and Brown don’t have to go pro after this season.
But some are more likely than others to consider a fifth year
Benefield, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound transfer from Boise State, seems like a long shot. He’s been listed by ESPN experts as a topfive safety in the 2027 draft class.
Umanmielen, the Ole Miss transfer, just
ä See NCAA, page 3C
BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer
United States midfielder Malik Tillman takes a corner kick during a World Cup match against Bosnia on Thursday in Santa Clara, Calif. The United States won 2-0 to advance to the Round of 16. AP PHOTO
By EAKIN HOWARD
MICHAEL DEMOCKER
Clark to start third straight WNBA All-Star Game
NEWYORK Caitlin Clark was voted to start her third straight All-Star Game and will be joined by Indiana Fever teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, the WNBA announced Thursday
Anisimova avoids upset in tiebreaker
BY KEN MAGUIRE
AP sportswriter
LONDON Amanda Anisimova served three of her 20 aces in the deciding tiebreaker to hold off Sofia Kenin 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) and reach the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday as Kate, the Princess of Wales, visited the All England Club Anisimova, who was consoled by Kate a year ago after being routed by Iga Swiatek in the final, trailed 3-1 in the third set before she broke back in the sixth game against her fellow American.
“Some moments were really awful. I’m just so happy through to the next round,” Anisimova said on No. 2 Court.
“I never thought that I’d be saying this but thank you to my serve today,” she added. “I’m
not an amazing server Now, I can finally say I can serve pretty good.”
The sixth-seeded Anisimova whacked her racket on her leg at one point in the deciding set
“I was down 3-1 and I told myself to just keep fighting and this might be your last moments at Wimbledon just try and maybe have fun and enjoy it,” said Anisimova, who will next face 26thseeded Madison Keys. “I try to remind myself, just have fun, you are playing at Wimbledon. I do get hard on myself sometimes.”
Swiatek, who beat Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 for the 2025 title on Centre Court, needed just 70 minutes to get past 2021 Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3.
The reigning champion gets Filipino rising star Alexandra Eala, who rallied to beat Maya Joint
3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the third round.
On Tuesday Joint spoiled Serena Williams’ singles comeback.
Fritz emulates Tiafoe
A well-dressed Taylor Fritz impressed again, beating compatriot Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.
Fritz’s white blazer and NBAstyle warmup pants for his walkon at No 2 Court drew attention but his play wasn’t bad either — he fired 19 aces and avoided getting pushed into a fourth set
The sixth-seeded American, a semifinalist last year, emphatically pumped his right fist when he broke Kypson to convert his fourth match point.
Fritz also won his opener in straight sets and had worn a similar outfit with tear-away warmup pants — designed to easily un-
button as you pull them off in one tug.
“I took it off slowly in the first round. I kind of actually made a mess of it,” Fritz said in his press conference. “It’s actually just a lot easier to just rip them off. I saw a video of Frances (Tiafoe) doing it. I was just trying to copy him today ” Later, an equally dapper Tiafoe showed how it’s done earning applause for quickly pulling off the bottoms before his match against Jan Choinksi.
Naomi Osaka’s fashion statements have made her court walkons must-see viewing at Grand Slam tournaments — Wimbledon included.
Also Thursday, both secondseeded Alexander Zverev and fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur recorded straight-set victories.
Cink, Wi share U.S. Senior Open lead after opener
BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter
inside right around 10 feet or less birdie putts.” The 53-year-old Cink has four wins in nine PGA Tour Champions starts this year, including the Senior PGA Championship and the Tradition. The last player to win the Senior PGA, Tradition and U.S. Senior Open in the same year was Jack Nicklaus in 1991. Scioto, the Donald Ross course hosting its third U.S. Senior Open, is where Nicklaus learned to play the game. Simon Griffiths, Freddie Jacobson and George McNeill were tied for third at 68. Defending champion Padraig Harrington was among a group of 10 players at 69.
“Of course it’s tough, we know that, so once you get through that, the golf course itself is playing nicely,” Harrington said Cink is also attempting to be-
come the fifth player to win the event after being runner-up the previous year Fred Funk was the last to do it in 2009. Cink was part of the seventh afternoon group to tee off from the first hole and played in the tough-
est conditions of the day when the temperature reached 95 degrees midway through his round and a heat index of 103 according to the National Weather Service.
“The heat is a factor for sure. It affects your focus and your en-
It’s the second time in four years that three players from the same team were chosen to start the game, with Las Vegas doing it in 2023. Clark and Mitchell will be joined this year in the backcourt by Dallas’ Paige Bueckers and Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles. It’s the fourth consecutive year that a rookie was chosen as an All-Star starter Bueckers played last season.
A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, Natasha Howard and Gabby Williams were selected for the frontcourt for the game that will be played in Chicago on July 25.
St. John’s forward Freeman to miss next season
NEW YORK St. John’s forward Donnie Freeman will miss next season with an Achilles injury after getting hurt during a workout.
It’s a significant blow to the Red Storm, who landed Freeman in the transfer portal from Syracuse this offseason and were expecting him to be a top player on the 2026-27 team.
The rising junior was injured Monday and had surgery on his right Achilles tendon, the school announced Wednesday night.
“Donnie had a non-contact injury in a workout and will miss the season,” Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino posted on social media.
The 6-foot-9 Freeman averaged 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in 37 games over two seasons at Syracuse.
Raptors agree to multiyear contract with coach Rajakovic
TORONTO The Toronto Raptors have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with coach Darko Rajakovic, who will soon lead a team featuring Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors announced the agreement on Thursday, days after making a blockbuster deal to bring Leonard back the franchise he led to the 2019 NBA title.
Rajakovic led Toronto to 46 wins last season, guiding the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 before losing in Game 7 of an first-round series against Cleveland. He helped the Raptors bounce back from winning 30 or fewer games the previous two seasons under him. Rajakovic is 101-105 over three seasons with the Raptors.
Congo coach suprised to share news of father’s death
ergy level Sometimes even the simplest shots just kind of it’s easy to fall asleep at the wheel when the conditions are like that,” he said.
Cink tied Wi with a birdie on the par-4 18th. Cink’s tee shot found one of the bunkers on the left hand side, but he got a great lie. His second shot landed within 2 feet near the front of the hole, and made for an easy putt. Wi was at even par through his first 11 holes before his string of birdies on holes three through seven holes. Wi made a double bogey on the par-4 eighth before ending his round with a par Wi thought his best shot came on the par-3 fourth, when he hit his tee shot within a couple feet with a 5-iron on the 205-yard hole.
“I hit the ball pretty solid today made a couple of putts. It was a hot day I just made sure that I stayed in the ballgame, meaning like mentally, because you could easily lose it out there,” he said.
Wi’s run of bridies ended on the eighth hole when his second shot went left and into the water near the green. He is the 14th player in the 46-year history of the Senior Open to have at least five straight birdies in a round. The last time it happened was in 2022 when Thongchai Jaidee birdied Nos. 5-9 at the Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, during the third round.
The 54-year old South Korean player has nine worldwide professional victories — including five on the Korean Tour — but none on the PGA Tour or Champions circuit
ATLANTA The death of the father of Congo coach Sébastien Desabre was revealed at a media conference after his team was eliminated from the World Cup, an announcement in public that appeared to startle the Frenchman.
Desabre had just finished taking questions from the media after Congo’s agonizing 2-1 loss to England in the round of 16 on Wednesday
The team’s spokesman then closed the session by saying in French “the coach has lost his father Sincere condolences.”
Kalemo Ngoy said Thursday the passing of Desabre’s father had been known to him before the game.
The 49-year-old Desabre has coached Congo for four years.
Horse racing great Dettori injured in car accident
NEWMARKET England Frankie Dettori, one of the most successful jockeys in horse racing history, sustained “several broken ribs and a broken thumb” in a car crash and is undergoing further tests in hospital, his representatives said Thursday
The 55-year-old Dettori was driving a car that was involved in a collision with another vehicle in Newmarket, a town in eastern England regarded as the country’s home of horse racing, H Talent Management said in a statement.
“Frankie was taken to hospital, where he was found to have sustained several broken ribs and a broken thumb,” the agency said. The Italian jockey, who famously went through the
with
winners in
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATT SLOCUM
Stewart Cink hits from the 10th fairway during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 15. Cink shot a 3-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead in the U.S. Senior Open on Thursday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRIAN INGANGA
Amanda Anisimova returns the ball to Sofia Kenin in a second-round singles match at the Wimbledon Championships on Thursday in London.
Brown still processing being traded to 76ers
BY DAN GELSTON AP sportswriter
PHILADELPHIA Jaylen Brown said
he was still processing how the trade agreement went down that will send the former Boston Celtics star to one of its most storied rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brown the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer this past season — is getting traded by the Celtics to the Sixers, a person with knowledge of the deal’s terms said Wednesday Boston is getting Paul George, along with a slew of draft capital that could become two first-round picks and two second-round picks, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade does not yet have the required league approvals.
“I’m still processing how this all went down,” Brown wrote on social media Thursday. “I’m excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge.
The relationships I built here, the battles we fought together the championship we brought to this city, and the connection I shared with the fans, I’ll carry on with me.”
Jayson Tatum missed most of this past season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear that happened during the 2025 playoffs, meaning Brown had to carry even more of the load for Boston — and he wound up with careerbest averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game It seemed, though, that Brown has felt underappreciated, espe-
Wednesdayn.
cially after it became known that Boston had included him in trade talks with Milwaukee when Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the market.
“Saying goodbye isn’t easy when you’ve invested your heart into something,” Brown wrote.
The Sixers have another star to pair with two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid — and the true franchise cornerstones in All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and second-year standout VJ Edge-
combe — after new team president of basketball operations Mike Gansey pulled off a whale of a move in his first month on the job.
“I’m excited for what’s ahead and grateful for the opportunity to join Philadelphia,” Brown wrote.
“Every city has its own identity, its own passion, and its own expectation. I respect that, and I’m looking forward to earning that respect the only way I know how, through the work.
“Philly — throw the ball up let’s get it!”
LSU steals 4-star DB James from Texas
BY JON BLAU Staff writer
LSU didn’t have a defensive back commit in its 2027 class.
Until the Tigers got “Greedy.”
On Thursday, Lane Kiffin and Co. reached into the state of Texas to flip four-star Karnell “Greedy” James from a commitment to the Longhorns. The Manvel, Texas, native had pledged to his in-state program in December James, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound defensive back, is the 15th commit in the Tigers’ 2027 class, including
McALLISTER
Continued from page 1C
“Maybe they just want me to go play football at Ole Miss or something like that,” McAllister said. “I may I may not. I’m not sure.” Given his father’s career — a first-round pick out of Ole Miss who ended his Saints career as the franchise’s rushing leader many assume football is the obvious path.
“On the football side of it he’s an SEC football player, period,” Powell said. “He can play Saturdays in that league — Saturdays in the Big Ten. Now, of course, you never want to project anything past that.” He also has a future in basketball after participating in last week’s Nike Elite 100 camp in St. Louis, Missouri, an event for the nation’s top prep players.
“He knows that he’s got a chance to do something special in either sport,” Country Day basketball coach Mike McGuire said. “He may grow another inch or two (and choose basketball). He may get like Deuce 15 more pounds of muscle. If that happens, he’s going to pick his sport.” Basketball, like football, is in the bloodlines. McAllister’s mother, Danielle McAllister was a defensive-minded standout at Flint (Mich.) Northern High School in the 1990s and played on two SWAC championship teams at Alcorn State in the early 2000s. On the basketball court, McAllister plays more like mom than dad
“She says that I get all my defense from her,” McAllister said with a smile.
His aggressiveness and physicality are most like what she brought to the floor she said.
“Always on his toes, shuffling his
the third on the defensive side of the ball. LSU already has top-50 national prospects KJ Green and Chris Whitehead in the fold at defensive end
If James has his way, the Tigers could add another five-star recruit.
He was asked during his 274Sports commitment livestream if he’s recruiting anyone to come with him to Baton Rouge, and James pointed to one of the Longhorns’ current receiver commits.
“Definitely my dog, Easton Royal, for sure,” James said of the fivestar wideout from New Orleans,
feet, active hands,” Danielle said.
“Playing the passing lanes. Making sure you have the right angles.”
It was McAllister’s play on defense that put him in the starting lineup late in his freshman season.
“He’s just so disruptive,” McGuire said. “And he’s real long longer than most people think.”
McAllister ended that season with the LHSAA outstanding player award for his 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in the state finals victory over top-seeded Calvary Baptist.
He keyed another title run last season, scoring on a one-handed put-back dunk that helped carry momentum in a last-second semifinal win against Dunham.
“He’s gotten so many and-1s at the rim,” McGuire said. “And then his dunk — that turned the whole momentum of the game.”
McAllister gets plenty of direction at home with two former athletes as parents. His younger brother, Emory, is a skilled point guard entering seventh grade. Older brother Kaleb won a high school powerlifting state title in Mississippi and is now a defensive lineman at Tuskegee University.
“There’s a lot of teaching going on,” Danielle said “I don’t know if he always likes it. Not a lot of letting things go when you’re not doing something right.”
Deuce’s guidance has him focused on the here and now
“You want to keep your head down and work,” Deuce said. “If you’re being honest about it, you’re proud and pleased and thankful for the success you have. At the end of the day, it’s really just understanding and knowing if you’re going to be successful a long time, every day you’re getting one percent better.”
McAllister has been into basketball for as long as he can remember He first dunked during
Central football star safety Joseph commits to Houston
BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer
Central safety Marvin Joseph sat at a table in the high school’s student union with three college pennants in front of it: Houston, Kansas State and Arkansas State.
At Joseph’s commitment ceremony, a video began playing behind him with messages of support from his family and coaches. At the end of the video, the senior revealed to those in attendance where he planned to spend the next three to four seasons: the University of Houston.
“It feels great to make my decision,” Joseph said. “It’s been a long journey, but a long process. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, now I’m home so I feel great.”
Joseph, a 6-foot, 180-pound safety, is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He joins his teammate, wide receiver Marcus Watson, and former teammate DK Mays in Houston. He was a member of the Wildcats squad that won a Division I nonselect state title in 2024. Joseph also earned second-team All-District 4-5A honors last season on a Central team that went 10-3 and made it to the quarterfinals.
Shortly after donning a Houston hat, Joseph was met with applause from those in attendance.
It was an emotional day for him after his uncle gave a speech, highlighting the work his nephew has put in.
“My uncle didn’t get to see me play,” he said. “He told me I was going to be special, so really, just doing it for him. It’s a lot of emotion that comes with it, but I use that emotion. It’s really just toughness.”
Joseph said he felt settled on the Cougars after Houston safeties coach PJ Hall visited him at his house He remembers Hall talking about the opportunity to enroll early and getting that chance to make an early impact.
Marvin Joseph poses for a photo after announcing his commitment to the University of Houston on Thursday at a ceremony at Central High School.
with the coaches and got a family feel from them.
Mays, who is already playing for Houston, also played a part in Joseph’s recruitment.
“His message was to really just give it all up to God,” Joseph said. “If it feels right, then come. If it doesn’t, then go to another one, but I knew it felt right.”
When describing what he can bring to Houston, Joseph said he offers a high work ethic.
“I bring energy, passion and pride,” Joseph said. “You’ll get a hard worker I’m going to show up every day, ready to work. I’m just ready to work. I’m ready to play.”
He hopes to make an impact early The coaching staff told him that if he shows he’s ready to play in his freshman year, then he’ll get his chance to show it on the field.
“When I get up there in January, just focus in, lock in, learn the plays, and make a name for myself,” he said.
who is ranked as the No. 6 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite. “We’ve always been talking. James is an intriguing prospect himself with a reported 6-6 wingspan. He has the length and range to play safety, which is where he has predominantly lined up at Manvel High in 2025, but James also has the versatility to play cornerback.
As a high school junior, James posted 53 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups, as well as two punt return touchdowns.
warmups before a sixth-grade game. His first in-game dunk came in an eighth-grade game at Country Day
“I like the pace and how one player can control the entire game,” McAllister said. “I like shooting the ball, scoring, a lot of that. It’s fun.”
McAllister has always been taller than most kids his age. He played defensive end, linebacker and running back in his first season of tackle football in seventh grade—eventually moving to wide receiver and defensive back, where he could put his high reach and ranginess to good use.
He also has potential in track and field. McAllister tried the triple jump as a freshman and fell three inches short of qualifying for the state meet — without any training.
“The coaches just threw me in the event and said, ‘Go try and jump,’” McAllister said, recalling how his “technique was terrible. I think I was landing on my butt and everything.”
Come August, McAllister’s attention turns fully to football. With two high school seasons still ahead, there’s still time before any college decision becomes official.
“If Deuce calls anybody (and says), ‘My son wants to play football, give him a scholarship,’ he’s going to get a scholarship,” McGuire said.
Deuce is not looking to speed up the recruiting process
“Recruiting, it’s good and bad,” Deuce said. “You see so many kids, so young they have opportunities, and they forget what got them those opportunities. I want him to be a kid as long as he can.”
Whatever he chooses, it will be his decision.
“We’ll see,” McAllister said.
Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com
“That really played a big factor because that was the first time a coach has ever done that for me,” Joseph said. He also visited Houston’s campus. He felt the love from the Cougars coaching staff from the moment he stepped on campus. Joseph quickly built a connection
NCAA
Continued from page 1C
ranked third in the SEC with nine sacks last season, along with 13 tackles for loss. If the edge rusher stacks productive seasons, he’s likely to be a Day 1 or Day 2 pick at what NFL teams regard as a premium position.
But in this era of name, image and likeness (NIL) and revenuesharing pay, athletes with a Day 3 grade could realistically earn more money playing a fifth year in college than they would manning an NFL practice squad. This could factor into decisionmaking for not only the quartet of true seniors on LSU’s roster but also fourth-years across the country, which should have ripple effects in the player market Kiffin and Co. will pull from in Year 2.
There may be an uptick in fringe NFL players aiming to play a fifth season elsewhere, either because they want to maximize their earning potential or their current program decided to allocate scholarship and NIL resources elsewhere.
LSU, which acquired 40-plus transfers this offseason, hasn’t been shy about adding college veterans. And the Tigers could continue to be aggressive if their 2027 recruiting class, which currently has 15 commits, remains on the smaller side.
Whether it’s bringing back a senior or two for a fifth year or collecting transfers from elsewhere, LSU could increase the average age of its roster, hoping to increase its odds of winning in the near term.
Recalibrating the development timeline
There’s no change for the 22 redshirt juniors on LSU’s roster because they still have one season to play in 2027, barring some unforeseen lawsuit where redshirted athletes argue they were unjustly sidelined and a court grants them a sixth year Without dispute, LSU has 12 true juniors who not only have
Joseph is excited to be reunited with one of his former teammates in Mays and keep playing with Watson. Although he’ll be leaving the state, he knows Houston will still feel like home.
“Just going up there with them, and balling with them,” Joseph said, “it’s just going to feel like nothing new.”
this year to play but two more after that. There are 12 true sophomores who have four seasons remaining, and there are 17 true freshmen who don’t have to worry about the four-game redshirt rule anymore.
The latter was important to coaches because rosters will be hard-capped at 105 players once walk-ons grandfathered into the House settlement depart. Freshman availability is essential for depth, while sophomores and juniors now have more time to develop.
Sophomore safety Faheem Delane, who played his freshman season at Ohio State, still has four years to chase greatness similar to his brother, Mansoor Sophomore receiver Winston Watkins, who came from Ole Miss, has four years in Kiffin’s LSU offense. Junior defensive tackle Dominick McKinley, who just started flashing his five-star potential in 2025, has three seasons left to reach his ceiling.
That’s not to say any of these players, specifically will stay all five years. But several fifthyear seniors could decide to stick around in the coming years, sort of like athletes with added eligibility from COVID, which will have a similar downstream effect. There will be fewer scholarship opportunities for high school athletes if current college players stick around longer Schools, however, will have more seasoned athletes if coaching staffs identify talent correctly and maximize all five years of development.
For example, Lamar Brown, Deuce Geralds, and Richard Anderson were probably going to be turned loose for LSU’s D-line in 2026 regardless, but there’s no need to wonder if one will be shut down after four games to preserve a redshirt There are no redshirts.
From week to week, the best players can play — regardless of whether they are on a three-, four, or five-year development track.
The 5-for-5 rule has certainly changed a coach’s calculus.
Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown drives to the basket in a first-round playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 21 in Boston. Brown was traded to the 76ers on
PHOTO By MICHAEL BACIGALUPI
Central High School safety
WORLDCUP 2026
Argentina forward Lionel Messi trains ahead of aWorld Cup match against Cape Verde on MondayinKansas
Messi, Argentinaawait Cape Verdeinround of 32
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP sportswriter
MIAMI GARDENS,Fla. Argentina
hasthe WorldCup titles, arguably the best playerofall-time in Lionel Messi, the rich history and aroster filled with stars.
Cape Verde has none of that.
Soccer’sversion of David vs.Goliath happens Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium, where defending World Cup champion Argentina faces aCape Verde squadwith absolutely no burden of expectations going into the round of 32 match
“I believe we can do agreat thing here,” Cape Verde backup defender Ianique dos Santos Tavares, who goes by the name Stopira, said through atranslator on Thursday.“And this is no exception.This match is no exception.”
Awin by Cape Verde would be oneofthe most stunning upsets in soccerhistory,maybe even sports history. Thinkofitona “Miracle on Ice” scale from 1980,when the youthful U.S. hockey team stunned the supposedly unbeatable Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Olympics and went on to win the gold medal. This would be aMiracle on Grass, without question.
The Argentines mean no disrespectwhen they say this, butwhen the draw for the tournamentcame out they thought Spain or Uruguay would be waiting for them in this round. It wasgoing to be the Group Jwinner —three-time champion Argentina —against the Group H runner-up,and most people would have picked Spain or Uruguay for that spot.
Enter Cape Verde, the tinyisland nation with a40-year-old goalkeeper,the tale of how his mother need-
July7 TBD,11a.m. TBD,3 p.m.
GLANCE
Goliath, so to speak —awaits.
“The most importantmatch in ourhistory,”CapeVerde coach Bubistasaid. “So, we arebeing responsible andalsotrying to enjoy the match. We did notreach this stage by chance. It was on ourown merits andwewant to show the worldour qualities, ourvalues and that there’salot of qualityinCape Verdean football.”
Cape Verdehasn’t yetwon a match at this year’sWorld Cup, makingitthe only team to reach theround of 32 without avictory It hadthreedraws in the group stage; Argentina won all three of its matches, with Messi starring in each of them.
They’re even now. It’s winorgo home.And it’s no fluke that Cape Verde is here,Argentina coach LionelScalonisaid.
“Weare not surprised, to be honest,”Scalonisaid. “Theyare a good team. And they arenot here by chance.Wemust respect them. And that’swhat we will do.”
Oyarzabal’s2 goals send dominant SpainpastAustria
BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
INGLEWOOD,Calif. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twogoals and Spain beat Austria 3-0onThursdayfor its first World Cup victory in a knockout matchsincewinning the title in 2010. Pedro Porro added agoal in the secondhalf for Spain, which put on itsmostimpressiveperformance of the tournament while dominating possession and demonstrating the offensive creativity across its vaunted lineup. Spain also hasyet to allowa goalatthis year’s World Cup. Unai Simón didn’thave to make asavewhile keeping his fourth consecutive clean sheet,since Austria failed to get ashoton target.
“I’m happy to have helped the team for us to go through another round,”Oyarzabal said. “Now just rest andget readyfor the next one. It wasa complicated match. We knew that it was going to be difficult against avery physical team,but we had avery good dayand played agood match.”
La Roja will next face thewinner of Portugal’smatch against Croatia in DallasonMonday in the round of 16. Lamine Yamal hadfour of Spain’s10shots on goal while getting wild cheers from the proSpanish sellout crowd at SoFi Stadium. The 18-year-old Barcelona sensation played hislongest stretch of the tournament before coming off in the 85th minute, moments after Austria defender David Alaba deflected Yamal’s hard shot off the goal line.
Spain got its marquee offense
from Oyarzabal, theRealSociedad captain who doubled his goal totalatthis year’s World Cup by opening thescoring in the36th minute and clinchingthe victory in the 89th. Marc Cucurella had assists on both of Oyarzabal’s goals, demonstratinganexcellent connection from the left side.
“The great teams step up when it’sneeded,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. “Weplayed agreat match. We came close to perfection, but we mustkeep improving. There is always room for improvement, because every upcoming match will be very difficult.”
Goalkeeper AlexanderSchlager made sixsaves in an outstanding performance for Austria, which reached the knockout rounds of its first World Cup since 1998 by squeaking out alate draw with an injury-timegoal against Algeria. Coach Ralf Rangnick’s team hasn’twon aknockout match at the World Cup since 1954.
After an unbeaten group stagethatstill didn’tquietthe questions aboutthis star-laden team’s championshippotential, Spain is firmly back in World Cupcontention forthe first time sincewinning it all in South Africa 16 years ago. Spain lost two knockout matches and got eliminated in the group stage over the past three World Cups. Spain is now unbeaten 35 straight competitive matches since March2023. La Roja won the 2023 Nations League and the 2024 European Championship in that stretch, but also lost the 2025 Nations League final on penalties to Portugal.
BY LEXIE LINDERMAN Associated Press
ed help to get tothe U.S.towatch some of the group stage, andhow one of thelongest long shots in the tournament grabbedeveryone’sattention by playingSpain to adraw in its opening match.
“The truth is that when thedraw was decided,the group that we would (have) to face. therewere two world champions there,” Argentina midfielder Rodrigo de Paul said.
Spain, the 2010 champion, got through the group stage. Uruguay, atwo-time World Cup winner, did not. Cape Verdedid, anda showdownwithMessi —the 5-foot-7
Cape Verde insists it hasa plan for Friday night. It wants to be aggressive on setpieces. It wants to try to control possessionas much as possible. It will rely on adefense that yielded only two goals in three group matches and kept Spain scoreless.
Andit’lltry to be ready for Messi, though no team in the world ever really seemstobeready for Messi.
“Wehave our own strategy, not only against Messi, but the whole team,” Bubistasaid. “We know theyare the current world champions, one of thebest teamsin the tournament. And we will play against the whole team, not just Messi.”
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJAE C. HONG
Spain’sMikel Oyarzabal celebrates after scoring hisside’sopening goal during aWorld Cup match against Austria on Friday in Inglewood, Calif. Spainwon 3-0 to advancetothe
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL
City,Kan.
WORLD CUP
already been aproductiveWorld Cup for the 24-year-old.
“Obviously he’sbeen playing so well,” captain TimReam said. “I’d argue he’s,otherthan Balo’s goals, he’sone of our best players. Everywhere on the field, doing the dirty things, making the hard things easy.Ithink it is just that He just wanted to feel like he had aplace. He’sa quietkid, but he’s justcomeonleaps and bounds.”
Tillman is the son of an American servicemanand German mother and grew up in Germanyplaying on the Bayern Munich youth squad and the German national youth team before making the switchtothe U.S. team in 2022.
His big moment came last summer in the Gold Cup when he scored two goals against Trinidad and Tobago and another against Haiti in the group stage. Hethen missed apenalty kick in the first halfofthe quarterfinals against Costa Rica before making one in the penalty shootoutthat sentthe U.S. to the semifinals.
“The Gold Cup was reallyhuge for him,” Ream said. “I think the adversity of the Costa Rica game, the penalty was really big for him. Now you lookathim and he looks like he’sjust playing such an easy game. It’sincredible to see. He’shad that in him all this time. It was justamatter of him finding theconfidence and him believing in himself ” This past year wasn’teasy for him after he moved from PSV Eindhoven to BayerLeverkusen in atransfer worth areported $41 million. He had sixgoals and one assist in 29 gamesin the Bundesligaand scoring two more in the Champions League. His biggest goal came Wednesdaynightwhen he becamethe first American mantoscore off afree kick in aWorldCup since Eric Wynalda in the 1994 opener against Switzerland.
“It was amazing,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “I think Malik is an amazing player, full of talent. We knew that he has the talent to do what he did. I’m so happyfor him. Toughseasonfor him in Leverkusen but Ithink now he’senjoying and we are enjoying and the fans are enjoying his football.”
Ared card meanstrouble,controversy
BY JIM VERTUNO AP sportswriter
The Americans are seeing red over the most controversial and consequentialred card so far in theWorld Cup
While the United States celebrated a2-0 win over BosniaHerzegovina, fans andplayers were angry andfrustratedbya second-halfred card that sent off star striker Falorin Balogun. It will sidelinehim for the next match against BelgiumonMonday
Thepenalty,calledafter thereferee watched avideo replay,ignited debate over whether it was too harshand whetherother players, most notably Argentina’sLionel Messi, have unfairlyavoided similar punishment
What is ared card
Red cards are the most serious form of punishment in areferee’s pocket.Ared card does more than just senda playerout of the game. It also means theteamcan’t replace them andmust play shorthanded. The ejected player is also suspendedfor the next match— and sometimes longer depending on theoffense.
The red and yellow card system of disciplinewas invented after the 1966 World Cup by former referee Ken Aston,who cameupwith thecolor-coded level of discipline while stopped at atraffic light
“I thought,‘Yellow,take it easy; red, stop, you’re off’,” said Aston, whodied in 2001.
Much is lefttothe referee’sdiscretion in the heat of play. Aplayer whoreceives asecond yellow card during agame is automatically ejected with ared card. Direct red cardsusually result from more serious offenses, such as dangerous tackles andviolent play
Under FIFArules, “Any player wholungesatanopponent in challengingfor theball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers thesafety
ferred during aone-year “probationary” period. Ronaldo missed only a9-1 winover Armenia. Arestarplayers gettingcalls?
Criticshavebeen raising this questionsincethe start of tournament as some of the topplayers have been entangled in questionable plays, mostnotably Messi.
In Argentina’s first match, Messi’sstuds-up challenge from behind caught Algeria defender Aissa Mandi on the calf and Achilles tendon. It leftMandi rolling on the ground and clutching his leg. Messi immediately put his arms up like he didn’tmean to hack Mandi’sleg.Algeria wasawarded afree kick but the tournament’s biggest star wasn’tbooked, stayed in the gamefinished with ahat trick.
Video clips of the Messi foul beganflying around social media by the next day,and caught fire again after the Balogun red card.
American defender Weston McKennie calledthe red card againstBalogun “disappointing.” Balogun is thetop scorer forthe U.S. with three goals.
“I think there’sbeen many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players that acard wasn’tgiven at all,” McKennie said.
of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.”
Balogun’s redcard sparked adebate over whether thefoulshould have been deemed intentional or just ahard tackle that would have justifiedawarning with ayellow card.
“It never was intentional,”U.S coach Mauricio Pochettino said.
“If theintention is to damage the opponent, OK, Iunderstand. But that neverwas.Itwas anormal action in footballthatyou arefighting forthe ball andyourfeet land.”
Theuse of videoreview
The referee has thechallenge of watching allthe action allthe time. In atangle of bodies, something could be missed. FIFA introduced the use of VideoAssistedReview, or VAR, in theWorld Cup in 2018.
In Balogun’scase, Brazilian referee Raphael Claus didn’t initially signalacard. But an order from theVAR officials to review thereplay in slow motion resulted in the red card.
That sparked another debate of whether the play looked worse and moreintentional in slow motion.
Former France striker Thierry Henry, now astudio analystfor the WorldCup with Fox Sports, criticized the red card.
“You need to have somecommon sense,” Henry said. “Where is the playersupposedtoput his foot there in that situation?”
Thereisnopathtoappeal
As it stands, Balogun will miss thenext gamebut could return for the quarterfinals if the U.Sbeats Belgium to advance.
There is no appeal forared card suspension unless FIFA assesses apenalty of more than one game FIFA could increase the ban if it believes the challenge deserves a harder punishment.
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo avoided missing games in the World Cupafter aseriousred card incident in qualifying. FIFA instead determined two games of athree-match ban would be de-
WelcometoWorld Cupcontroversy
TheAmerican aren’t the first to howl over ared card and won’tbe the last. The complaints come after send-offs and no-calls alike. In 1998, England’sDavid Beckhamwas dismissedinthe second half of around of 16 match against Argentina fortrippingDiego Simeoneinretaliation.In2006, England’sWayne Rooney wassent offofa quarterfinallosstoPortugal after he stomped prone Portuguese defenderRicardo Carvalho in the groin.
The mostfamous World Cup red card sent France legendZinedine Zidane outofthe 2006 final after he headbutted Italy’sMarco Materazzi. Italywould win on penalty kicks Themost famous non-callcame in the 2010 final when the Netherlands’ NigeldeJongwasn’tsent offfor his studs-up kick into the chest of Spain’sXabi Alonso in the first half.Spain would wininextra time.
PATRIOTISM, POPAND MORE
Trio to usherin Fourth of July at the Manship
BY JOHN WIRT
Contributing writer
The Victory Belles transport audiences to the1940s,during World WarII, whenUSO shows boosted morale for American soldiers,sailors and Marines serving in thefight against fascism. Through their songs, choreography,fashion and between-song patter,The National WWII Museum’sVictoryBelles —and Victory Swing Orchestra andVictory Band —recreate the war years’ music and patriotic spirit.
“Welike to call ourselves the living history portion of the museum,” Victory Belle Andrea Pizza said.“We’re still teaching history,but the fun part of it.”
Inspired by the United Service Organizations, akaUSO, the Victory Belles first deployed at the museum’sBB’s Stage Door Canteen in 2009. TheBellescurrently headline thecanteen’s “SalutetoHope” show,atribute to that indefatigable entertainer of U.S. militarypersonnel, Bob Hope.
Shelby Donovan, from left, Andrea Pizza and Gabrielle Treas will take the stageatthe Manship Theatre in Baton Rougefor aFourth of July Eveconcert.
Friday,Fourth of JulyEve,the Victory Belles will join the sixpiece Victory Band at theManship Theatre in BatonRouge. While the museum in New Orleans is theBelles’ homebase, demand is such that more thana dozen singers perform as Belles, making250 appearancesayear, at the museum, in the New Orleans area and as far afield as Hawaii and Normandy,France
“We’re busy,” Pizza said. “DuringChristmas, sometimes this feels like afull-time job, because there are so many gigs to go around. We’re always up for it.”
Enlistment in theVictory Belles requires vocalists to sing three-part harmony of the kind famously crooned by the Andrews Sisters(“Boogie Woogie BugleBoy,” “Don’tSit Under theApple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)”). Every iteration of the Belles contains asoprano, second soprano and alto. At the Manship, Pizza is singing altoalongside sopranos Shelby
THE VICTORYBELLES
7:30 p.m. Friday l Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge l $30-$50 l manshiptheatre.org
STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Rockin’ Dopsie Jr.gets thecrowd readyfor the 4 Generations of the Dopsie Family band during Festivals Acadiens et Creoles at Girard Park in 2025. Dopsie will bring his Zydeco Twisters to perform5 p.m. Saturdayat theAmerica 250 on the River concertinBaton Rouge.
BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer
Touchesofred,white andblue have been popping up on homes and businesses in Baton Rouge forweeks. Louisiana’scapital city is doing it up big, joining the rest of the country forthe America 250 commemoration. The series of patriotic events marksthe 250th anniversary of the signingofthe Declaration of Independence and celebrates the people, places andevents that shaped the nation’shistory
Thebiggest of theparties is the America 250th on theRiver concert on Saturday,startingat2 p.m.inRepentance Park between Louisiana’s Old StateCapitol and the Raising
Amanda
performduring the America 250th on the River concert at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Cane’sRiver Center in downtown Baton Rouge. Patriotic music is the order of the day with performers including:
n The U.S. Marine Corps Concert Band, 2:15 p.m.,performing patrioticfavoritesand honoring the nation’smilitary heritage through a stirring musical tribute.
Float riders throwbeads and candyas the annualKenilworth Independence Dayparaderolls throughthe namesakeneighborhood last year
n Amanda Shaw, 3:30 p.m., with Louisiana’scelebrated fiddler,singer and songwriter blending Cajun, rock,country and pop music.
n Rockin’ Dopsie Jr.& TheZydeco Twisters, 5p.m a high-energyshow from the internationally acclaimed ambassadors of Louisiana zydeco music.
n JohnSchneider, 6:30 p.m. The actor/producer/singer whoformerly called Louisiana home hashad asuccessfulcountry musiccareer,whichincludes multiple No.1hits.
See BOOK, page 2D ä See BELLES, page 2D ä See EVENTS, page 2D
BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer
Sandra Smith, LSU graduate and former track and field star, loves America and loves talking about America. That made theFox News anchor anatural for “AllAmerican Patriotism: Celebrating 250 Years of America’sGreatness.” In the newbook by Rachel CamposDuffy,Smith and29other TV news personalities offer their insights on what
duo kicked off the weekwith live stories from the nation’s capital, broadcasting from the National Mall. Returning to New York, they’llbecoveringthe parade of 40-plus tall ships on the Hudson River on Friday as part of the America 250 celebration.On
PROVIDED PHOTO
VictoryBelles
STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LEFT:
Shawwill
Fireworks erupt over the riveraspeople gather near the Sing the River Sculpture on River Road for Fireworks on the Mississippi in 2025.
John Schneider will performat the America 250 on the River concert.
STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON
EVENTS
n Wayne Toups, 8p.m., the Grammy Award-winning musician widely recognized as the “King of ZydeCajun,” has been fusing Cajun music, zydeco and rock for more than four decades.
The eveningwill culminate at 9p.m. with the Visit Baton Rouge and WBRZ Fireworks on the Mississippi, lighting up the downtown skyline.
The fireworks also will streamonWBRZ+, WBRZ. com, and WBRZ News2’s YouTube Channel
The concert is hosted by theLouisianaAmerica 250 Commission and Officeof the Lieutenant Governor in partnership with the Office of the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and Visit Baton Rouge Admission is free.
America 250th on the River is only the beginning of the many celebrations in and around Baton Rouge on Independence Day.Note that all events take place on Saturday unless otherwise noted.
Aneighborhood tradition
The Kenilworth Civic Association again starts off the Independence Daycelebration aday early with its annual parade at 6:30 p.m. Friday. With the theme “Celebrating America’s250th,” the patriotic procession starts and ends at McKinley Senior High, 7600 Boone Drive, and runs almost 2miles through the Kenilworth neighborhood.
Mary and Mike Surman areresidentsofthe year, and Jay Dardenne is the parade grand marshal. For more info, go to kenilworthneighborhood. com/parade.html.
Partywithaview
Tsunami’sTerrace Bash runs from 6p.m. to 10 p.m. on the rooftop of the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. Kick back with music by DJ MEOWMIX. Aseparate bar service will be available on the terrace, also agreat place to stick around to watch Fireworks on the Mississippi.
BELLES
Continued from page1D
Donovan and Gabrielle Treas
“That makes the sound so full, and Ilove it,” she said of the close harmonies.
Concertgoers canexpect pop and swing music, patriotic selections and asalute to the U.S. Army,Navy and Marines.Selections include vintage hits by the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney and more.
Pizza, like most of theVictory Belles, comes fromthe New Orleans area, specifically Slidell. Before the Belles, she studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City and appeared in theater productions at LSU while pursuing adegree in mass communication.
Pizza was at LSU when she learned the WWII Museum
General admission tickets are$31.51 and availableat eventbrite.com
Call it an extravaganza
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, 100 NorthBlvd., will host aday of family fun from 9a.m.to5 p.m.There will be games, karaoke, crafts and exhibits. Also check out the original Louisiana Purchasedocumentsigned by NapoleonBonaparte. On loan from the National Archives andRecords Administration, Washington, D.C., the documentwill return to its home onJuly 11.Free Raiseaglass
Jointhe Do TheRed, White, &BrewPub CrawlatSomewhere Neighborhood Bar, 214 Third St., from 4:30 p.m. to 9p.m. Look for contests andprizes. No tickets will be sold at the door.Order them ($24.43) at eventbrite.com. Strike up theband!
Would it really be the Fourthof July without the BatonRouge Concert Band? Onceagain,thelongtimecommunity symphonic band will perform in theoutside plaza of the Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd.
The free 7p.m. concert, expected to last 21/2 hours, also celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary “Bringyourchairs,refreshments and patriotic spirit for anight filled with uplifting tunes,”statesa newsrelease. “This free, family-friendly eventwillfeature arousing selection of American classics,marches andtributes thatcelebratethe enduring spirit,history and prideof theUnited States Can’tmakeittothe concert? Watch live onlineatfacebook com/ events/1016735014281755.
Betonthis
L’Auberge Baton Rouge will host its annualFireworks Extravaganza on Saturday,offering live music, food, and afireworks show. Lawn viewing is free of charge. Soulful BatonRouge singer and former “American Idol” finalist Jovin Webb will perform. Webb’s second album, “Son of aSinner,”is due out Sept.18.
was holding auditionsfor singers who could perform 1940s music.
“Because myvoicehas thatsound and Ilovethis music,” she said, “Ithought, ‘That’s me.’” Pizza made her WWII Museum debut in thecast of “Let Freedom Swing,” the inaugural revueatBB’s Stage Door Canteen.“Saving Private Ryan”starTom Hanks, the museum’smost famous supporter, was inthe audience.
Pizza’slove for 1940s musicdates to watching the 1954 moviemusical “White Christmas” on TV with her family when she was5 years old. Bing Crosby,Danny Kaye, RosemaryClooney and Vera-Ellen star in the film classic, singingsongs by Irving Berlin.
“I wanted to watch ‘White Christmas’ all day,every day,” Pizza said. “I wanted to learn all the songsand the
Moreinfo at lbatonrouge. com.
Westside fun
FourthFest will return to the Mississippi River levee in Port Allen from 4p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Activities include face painting, magicians, clowns,space walks for kids, food anddrinks, live entertainment anda watchspotfor Fireworks on the Mississippi. Partyinthe park
The City of Walker’s250th Celebration in the Park will run from2 p.m. to dark at SidneyHutchinsonPark, 13750 Ball ParkRoad.
The free, family event will include:
n Vendor market
n Food trucks
n Children’svillage
n Livemusic
n DJ entertainment
n Hot dog eating contest
n Watermelon eating contest
n Fireworks finale at dark.
“Bring your lawn chairs and spend theday with family and friends,” aFacebook post states.
Free parking will be available on the BallPark Road lot, Field Five parking lot and Challenger Field parking lot.
Handicap parkingwillbe at the pond parking lot only
The Community Gym parkinglot on CorbinAvenue will be designated as VIP parking for $25.
Also in Livingston
DenhamSprings: Fireworks, 9p.m., NorthPark, 30372 Eden Church Road
Livingston: Celebration, 5p.m.-dark, Johnny Sartwell Memorial Park,29405 S. Range Road. Kickball tournament,watermelon eating contest, live music by United We Jam and fireworks.
Maurepas: Boat parade, 9a.m., from Canal Bank Club to BlindRiver Bar
Satsuma: Grand opening, 11:30 a.m.-dark, Patriots RV Park,16912 Spring Ranch Road. Concert,fireworks. Free.
Watson: Parade, 7p.m.
Starting from Live OakJunior High along La. 16 to Janelle Driveand back to LOJH
Features writer Robin Miller contributed to this report.
dances. It started there and kept snowballing for me.”
Amother of three, Pizza worksasa voicetherapist by day.Nights and weekends, she’sa Victory Belle.
“I started this job as a waytohelpmeget through school,” shesaid. “Now it’swhat Idofor fun, and allthese girls are my best friends. It’s ajob,but it’s so fun.Ifeelblessed thatthis is still part of mylife.”
EricaJensen,the Boband Dolores Hope Foundation’s director of entertainment at The National WWII Museum, says Pizza andthe other Victory Belles have an important mission.
“The songs they share remind us of theresilience, sacrifice and joy that helped carry anation through wartime,” Jensen said in amuseumstatement. “TheVictory Belles help ensure that thestories andspirit of the 1940s are never forgotten.”
FRIDAY
DAKTHE MARTIAN:
Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6p.m
MATT HOLT: Rio VerdeMexican, 6p.m
KIRK HOLDER: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6p.m
KENDALL SHAFFER: Just Wingin It,6 p.m.
MIKEHOGAN: BLDG 5, 6p.m
VICTORYBELLES: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
BILLYVS. ELTON— A TRIBUTE TO BILLY
JOEL AND ELTON
JOHN: L’Auberge Event Center, 8p.m
HENRY TURNER JR.
&ALL-STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m
VIC &THE BOYS: Fred’sonthe River, Prairieville, 9p.m
CHRIS LEBLANC
BAND: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9p.m
TRUE SPIN: Icehouse TapRoom, 9p.m
N’TUNE: The Showroom, 9p.m
JAKE ROUNDS: Moonlight Inn, French Settlement, 9p.m
SATURDAY
DOWN SOUTH: Fred’s on theRiver, Prairieville, 2p.m
U.S. MARINE CORPS
CONCERTBAND: Repentence Park
2p.m
BACK ALLEY BAND: Archibald’s Dockside Bar,Plaquemine, 3p.m
ROCKIN’ DOPSIE JR.: Repentance Park
BOOK
3:15 p.m
AMANDASHAW: Repentance Park, 4:45 p.m
SUBFLUENCE: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 6p.m.
WAYNE TOUPS: Repentance Park, 6:15 p.m
2DOMESTIC 1IMPORT: Curbside Burgers, 7p.m.
JOHN SCHNEIDER: Repentance Park, 8p.m.
SAVANT: The Basin MusicHall, 9p.m.
TRUE SPIN: Fred’s on the River,Prairieville 9:30 p.m
SUNDAY
ERIC BASKIN: Watermark Hotel,10a.m.
JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior GrillMidCity, 11 a.m.
3RD STREET BAND: Fred’s on theRiver
Continuedfrom page1D
Saturday,Smith and Bill Hammer will co-anchor two morehours of live programming, again covering theparade of ships.
“So it will be averyeventful250 for allofus,” Smith said by phone last week Not surprisingly,the interviewdrifted to talkabout America, its greatness, beautyand how she’sinstillingher passionfor the nation in her children.
The interview has been edited for clarity and length. Sandra, in your words, what makesAmerica great?
Obviously, freedom is No. 1for all of us. And on America’sbirthday we stop and we think about all those who sacrificed before us so that we could have thefreedoms that we have today It’ssomething Italktomy childrenabout so often. It’sjust so important that we stopand we remember all thathas happened to make America what it is today.SoInever takemy freedoms as an American for granted.
In yourpassage in the book, you mention Mount Rushmore. Tell us about your memoriesofvisiting the historic site.
So we didn’tgotoDisneyland or Disney Worldgrowing up; we didn’tdothose kind of vacations or go to the Caribbean islands. My dadwas really big about
Prairieville,3 p.m
I-10
BOUNDBAND: Boondocks Bar, French Settlement, 3p.m.
HEATHRANSONNET: IcehouseTap Room, 4p.m.
SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe,5p.m.
LUCY YOES: Pizza Byronz, 5p.m.
OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville,7 p.m
MONDAY
CHRIS LEBLANC: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6p.m.
TUESDAY
EDDIE SMITH: On The HalfShell, Prairieville,6:30 p.m
WEDNESDAY JEFF BAJON: La Divina Italian Cafe
building ourfamily trips around learning American history. Andatthe time Iwas kind of like, “Can’t we just go to ahotel with a pool?” But looking back, it had aprofound impact on me as achild. And now as an adult, Ilook back at those memories as extremelyspecial. We would go to historical sites and learn as much as we could. It helped develop my deep appreciation for this country and to build my historic understanding of our nation.
It’sone of those things, you’ve seen it in pictures so manytimes, but if you stop, you are wowed by it (Mount Rushmore). It is quite remarkable to see in person.
Youalso discuss your fly-fishing hobby. Didyourdad teach youto flyfish as well? No, actually Ilearned through my husband. Ideveloped through fly-fishing such adeep appreciation for America’sgorgeous rivers and streams and all that we do to protect them, to keep them clean, to help them thrive. Icould fish all day and not getmad thatIdidn’tcatch anything because fly-fishing is super particular.You have to be matching your dry fly exactly to mimicthe fly that may or may not be hatching right thenorabout to hatch. And then the purpose of that delicate casting is to mimicthe flight of that fly and the delicate landing on topofthe waterso that you hope that that fish
6p.m.
BRENT ARMSTRONG: Danny’s Dive Bar, 6p.m. LSU JAZZ JAM: ClassicVinyls,6p.m.
KIRK HOLDER: Bin77, 6:30 p.m
SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC WITH HEATH
RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7p.m.
ANDYPIZZOTRIO: HayrideScandal, 7:30 p.m
OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8p.m.
THURSDAY
PATRICK, DOC &BILL: La Divina Italian Cafe,6 p.m
KYBALION: El Paso 6p.m.
DON POURCIAU& KONSPIRACY: La Carreta, Denham Springs,6 p.m
2DOMESTIC 1IMPORT: Thai Kitchen, 6p.m.
RALPH DAIGLE: Rio VerdeMexican, 6p.m.
comes up, rises up to take abiteofthat. But it hasto all come together.There’sa true science behind it. You’re standing there and the water’sblowing through your legs as you’re wearing waders and you look up, you see bald eagles, birds, flying tadpoles.It’slikea really therapeutic experience. Since yougrew up going on these history kind of trips with the family, are you nowfollowingthroughwith that withyourkidsand do they appreciate it like youdo? Ishouldprobablytake themmore on trips like that, but Icertainly do. And wherever we go, we learn thehistoryofthatlocation Ithink Charleston would be aa good example of that. Someofthese places you can go visit areequally beautiful, have access to top chefs and culinary delights. But you could also go follow alot of history So Ialways makeapoint to do that. But Ialso think what I’mdoing at homeis aresult of howIgrewup always learning American history,isIdo, while the kids are reading on their own, obviously,and they have theirnovels andtheir fantasy stuff and all this kind of stuff. Idomake it a point to always have abook going with them on history, American history,world history,sothat we’re reading that together
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.
PINKAPERFECT BIRTHDAY!”:
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Pinkalicious gets her birthday wish and accidentally turns all of Pinkville into apinkwonderland. Familyanimated special presented by LPB andPBS Free. manshiptheatre.org.
FREE FIRST SUNDAY: Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road; Old Governors’ Mansion, 502North Blvd.; Magnolia Mound Museum + Historic Site, 2161 Nicholson Drive; LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St.; CarySaurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St.; and LSU Center for RiverStudies,100 Terrace Ave. Free admission to all exhibits and installations, plus reduced-price entry to LASM’s Irene Pennington Planetarium shows
“BACKROOMS” +SHORTFILM
“TICK”: 2p.m.-4 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100Lafayette St. In “Backrooms,” atherapist’s patientdisappears intoa dimensionbeyond reality,and she must ventureintothe unknown to save him. In “Tick,” producedbyLSU students,a troubled night guard’s shift at amysterious antique shop goes awry when he is forced to confronthis regrettable past. $8.50. manshiptheatre. org.
TUESDAY
RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:
3p.m. to 6p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.
BATONROUGE CHESS CLUB:
6p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. Achance to playand learn; all levels welcome. Free.
TUESDAY, THURSDAY
TWILIGHT TOURS: 6p.m.-
7:30 p.m., BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo, 3000 ZooCircle. Take a tram ride through thezoo in the cool of the evening, enjoy anarrated ride through the zoo, an animal encounter at the Wildlife Safari Theatre and an evening snack. Adults and teens, $16; children ages 2-12, $13; registration required. https://brzoo.org/.
WEDNESDAY
RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:
9a.m. to noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook com/redstickfarmersmarket.
STAN ROUTH ARTRECEPTION:
6p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Café, 3535 Perkins Road,Unit 360. Hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting and music. ladivinaitaliancafe.com.
DIALOG ON RACE AND THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE: 6p.m.-
7:30 p.m., River Center Branch Library,250 NorthBlvd. In conjunction with the Old State Capitol exhibit, “Bought for aSong: AYoung Nation Expands,” displayofthe Louisiana Purchase, through July 11. Register free at givebutter. com.
THURSDAY
RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:
8a.m. to noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.
(with accompanying adult) can listen toafew themed books,engage in short rhymes and songs, and interact with an education animal. swampevents@brec.orgor (225) 757-8905.
OUTDOOR COMMUNITY YOGA: 6p.m. to 7p.m., pavilion by thepond, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Drop-in; noregistration required; bring your ownmat. Free, butdonationswelcome. lsu.edu/hilltop.
“SPIRITED AWAY”: 7:30 p.m.9:35 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. Screening plus happy hour setbyDJ Buktooth +short film. In this animated featurebynoted JapanesedirectorHayao Miyazaki, 10-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) and herparents (OnYoung-sam, LeeSunjoo)stumble uponaseemingly abandonedamusement park. $5. manshiptheatre.org.
WEEKLYSOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7:30p.m., Geaux Ride, 601 Laurel St.Free. geauxridebikes.com.
KARAOKE, TRIVIA, BINGO AND MORE: 8p.m. to 11 p.m., BrickyardSouth Bar +Patio, 174 SouthBlvd. Presented by BarFly Entertainment. Free to play.acebook.com/brickyardsouth.
ONGOING
ANN CONNELLYFINE ART: 1670 LobdellAve.Hours are 9a.m.to5 p.m.Wednesday throughSaturday. Free.(225) 927-7676 or annconnelly.com.
ARTGUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd “Workshop Show,” July10Sept. 9. Life Drawingsessions 6p.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays $15 per session; openstudio; no instruction. Classesare held at AGLPark Studio, 2490 Silverest Ave.
BATONROUGEGALLERYCENTER FORCONTEMPORARYART: 1515 DalrympleDrive. Works by Mitchell Gaudet, MarkJane Parker and BrandonSurtain through July 26. Hours: noon to 6p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. batonrougegallery.org.
CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. FourthSt. “Wethe People,” aliving portrait of 21st-century American identity through nearly 200 paired photographs by Steven G. Smith shownacrosstwo giant screens, together measuring about 12 feet high and36feet wide, through Jan.2,2027. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org
THE GALLERY AT MANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “TheMonstersWeSometimesBecome,” multimedia art exhibition featuring originalworks of artist Nathaniel A.J. Landry withanoriginal musical score and liveperformance by Monoblack, throughAug 14. Hours are9 a.m. to 4p.m. Monday, 9a.m. to 10 p.m Tuesday-Thursday, 9a.m. to 11 p.m.Friday, 10 a.m.to 11 p.m.Saturday and 11 a.m.
to 5p.m.Sunday.
LOUISIANA ART&SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Then, And Now, And Always: The Artwork of Nick Bustamante,”through July 19, SoupConGallery; “Pinpointing the Stars,”through Aug. 1; and “Crossroads & Connections: ACenturyof the Railway in Baton Rouge, through Oct. 1. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.
LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center forthe Arts, 100 Lafayette St.“ReVision: Women in Photography,”through Aug. 30. “South Arts Southern Prize &State Fellowships forVisual Arts, through Sept. 6. “The Folk ArtGallery,” through June 30, 2027. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.
LSU TEXTILE &COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building,TowerDrive,LSU campus. “Quilts &Fashion,” exploring the enduring dialogue between quilt making and dress, through Jan. 15. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu. edu.
MAGNOLIAMOUND MUSEUM
+HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive. Guided and selfguided tours. 10 a.m. to 4p.m Monday-Saturdayand 1p.m to 4p.m.Sunday. brec.org/ facility/MagnoliaMound.
MANSHIP THEATRE JONES
WALKER FOYER: 100 Lafayette
St.“Look up: APhilosophy for Birding and Life”byGail Suberbielle. Free and open duringregular ShawCenter building hoursunless thereis aprivate event.
OLDGOVERNOR’SMANSION: 502 North Blvd.Open for tours. 9a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Friday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.
OLD STATECAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. 10 a.m. to 3p.m Tuesday-Saturday, plus Free First Sunday.Exhibitsinclude “Bought foraSong: AYoung NationExpands,” display of theLouisiana Purchase, through July 11; and “Excursions, Expeditions, and Discoveries: AYoung NationExpands &ReimagingAmerica: The Maps of Lewis &Clark,” through Dec. 18.Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.
USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of avariety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and navalmilitaryhistory.Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com.
WEST BATONROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. Travelexhibit “Awkward Family Photos,” through Aug. 9. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.
Compiled by Judy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote? Emaildetails to red@theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5p.m.Friday for the following Friday’s paper
By The Associated Press
Today is Friday,July 3, the184th day of 2026. Thereare 181 days left in theyear Today’shighlight in history: On July 3, 1863, the Civil WarBattle of GettysburginPennsylvania ended in amajor victory for theNorth as Confederate troopsfailed to breach Union positions during an assault known as Pickett’sCharge.
Also on this date:
In 1775, Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1944, during World WarII, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk from the Germans.
In 1950, thefirst carrier strikes of the Korean Wartook place as the USS Valley Forge and theHMS Triumph sent fighter planes against North Korean targets.
In 1971, singer Jim Morrison of The Doors died in Paris at age 27.
In 1979, Dan White, convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan presided over agala ceremony in New York Harbor that saw therelightingof therenovated Statue of Liberty
In 1988, theUSS Vincennes shot down an Iran Airjetliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
In 2011, Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon, beating defending champion Rafael Nadal.
In 2012, Andy Griffith who made homespun American Southern wisdom his trademark
TODAYINHISTORY
as the wise sheriff in “The Andy Griffith Show,” died at his North Carolina home. He was 86.
In 2015, Andre Borschberg landed his solar-poweredaircraft in Hawaii aftera 4,000-mile flight of nearly 118hours from Japan,claiming the longest nonstopflight harnessing the sun’s energy.The SolarImpulse 2had 17,000 solarcells spanning wings wider than aBoeing 747’s.
In 2022, aman opened fire at amallnear CopenhageninDenmark, killing threepeople,believing the victims were zombies. Twenty-threeotherpeople were injuredinthe attack andthe rush to flee; the man, who was notidentifiedduring the trialbecause of court rules, was laterconvictedofmurder andotherchargesand sentenced to asecure medical facility
Today’sbirthdays: Attorney Gloria Allredis85. ActorKurtwood Smith is 83. Country singerJohnny Leeis80. Humorist Dave Barry is 79. Actor Betty Buckleyis79. Talk show host MontelWilliams is 70. Country singerAaron Tippin is 68. Rock musician VinceClarke (Depeche Mode,Yaz,Erasure)is66. ActorTom Cruise is 64. ActorConnie Nielsen is 61. ActorYeardleySmith is 62. Actor-singerAudra McDonald is 56. Hockey Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne is 56. WikiLeaksfounder JulianAssange is 55. Actor PatrickWilsonis53. Former mixed martialartist WanderleiSilva is 50.ActorOlivia Munn is 46. Formula One driverSebastian Vettelis39. Rock singersongwriterElle King is 37 ActorMia McKenna-Bruce is 29. ActorSaraWaisglass is 28. Dancer andactor Corinne Joy is 19.
STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
Jaguar Jennyvocalizes in the directionofher cub,Lacumba III, as she explores her exhibit in April 2025 at the Baton RougeZoo. Visit thezoo duringa cooler part of theday duringTwilightTours on Tuesdayand Thursdays. Registration is required.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Be careful what you share andwith whom; not everyone will be sincere. Let your imagination wander, and you'll discover obscure options that help younavigate your way through any uncertainty youface.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Youmay have to juggleafew things to reach your goal, butthe time and effort it takes will be worthwhile. Set your sights on what's important to you, and don't deviate from your plans until you satisfy your soul.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Takeamoment to observe. Don'tlet anyone talk youinto something youdonot want to do.Your best opportunities will be theonesyou deviseyourself.Take control of your destiny.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) It's time to have some fun, learn through experienceand engage in events that push youtomake new friends and explore what life hasto offer. Practicing clear communication will encourage you to participate.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Takeyourtime. If you rush into something, you will have regrets. Emotions will be hard to disguise. Take amoment, think matters through and keep your thoughtstoyourself while observinghow othersreact.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Participate in events that motivate you to take better care of yourself. Paying attention to how youpresentyourself to othersand what youshare will make adifferenceinhow others treat you.
CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Share your concerns, and know when to walk away
frompeople andsituations that you find sketchy or unreliable. Concentrate on home improvements that will make your life easier andyourrelationships less tense.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Participate in something exhilarating. Achange of pace, scenery or people will be uplifting. Physical activity will touch your soul.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Refusetolet what others choose to do ruin yourplans. Getting outand socializing will help you gain insight into whatand who makes your day worthwhile. Emotions will be close to thesurface.
ARIES (March21-April 19) Takepride in what youdo. Discipline coupledwith innovation andenthusiasm will help you make your way forward in whatever manner you applyyourself. Refuse to let criticism stifle your dreams
TAURUS(April20-May20) Trustyour instincts. Follow therules, andvouch for what'striedand true.Know your limits andstrengths, andparlay what youdo best into gettingwhat youwantand lettinggoofwhat's holding youback.
GEMINI(May 21-June 20) Let your inquiring mind leadyou on aresearch mission. Satisfy your soul by engaging in what interests youand exploring howyou can reach your objective.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created fromquotationsbyfamous people, past and present. Each letter in thecipherstands foranother TODAy'SCLUE: NEQUALS A
CeLebrItY CIpher
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Jef Mallett, the “Frazz” cartoonist, said, “Writing well means never having to say, ‘I guessyou had to be there.’”
When the defenders play perfectly, declarer is sometimes unable to make his contract. On other deals,though, adefender will fail to find the killing play. Then declarer needstotakefull benefit. In this deal, West cashes threeclub tricks against four hearts. He then shifts to adiamond.How should South continue?
Afour-heart openingbid usually indicates an eight-cardsuit. However, South decided to tell asmall whitelie because he was nonvulnerable and the opponents were vulnerable. West wondered if his sidecould do well, but he had too few points to act at the four-level. North and East had easy passes.
When Westhad to guesswhich suit to lead at trick four, he decided that South would be more likelytopre-empt when very short in the other major. Hence his diamondlead. (Asyou can see, aspade switch wouldhave been lethal.)
Now let’s look at South’s predicament. He needstotake threepointed-suit trickstogowith his seven trump winners. Should he finesse in spades or in diamonds?
Either is apure guess. But he can slightly improve his chances. He should winwith dummy’s diamondace, ruff a diamond in his hand, cash the heart ace, play ahearttodummy’s nine and ruff another diamond.
Here,the king comes tumbling down So Southcan draw trumpsand claim Butifthe diamond king does not appear, declarer can run his trumps, planning to fall back on the spade finesse.
Each Wuzzleisa word 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. Words that acquire four letters by the additionof“s,” suchas“bats”or“dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
Thereisnoone likethe Lord.Stand in aweofHim. G.E. Dean
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
policyholder’s surplusas shownbysurety’smost recent financial state‐ments filedwiththe LouisianaDepartmentof Insurance. TheBond shallbesignedbythe surety’s agentorattor‐ney-in-fact APRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD Monday July 13 2026 10:00AM RiverbendHall (SoutheastCorner) 109Gateway Center Lane Baton Rouge LA70803 Bids shallbeaccepted from Contractorswho arelicensedunder LA R.S. 37:2150-2163 forthe classification of ME‐CHANICAL Bidder is re‐quired to comply with provisions andrequire‐mentsofLAR.S.38:2212 (A)(1)(c).Nobid maybe withdrawnfor aperiodof thirty (30) days afterre‐ceiptofbids, except under theprovisionsof LA.R.S.38:2214. TheOwner reserves the righttorejectany andall bids forjustcause.Inac‐cordance with La.R.S 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), thepro‐visionsand requirements of this Section,those stated in theadvertise‐ment forbids, andthose required on thebid form shallnot be considered as informalitiesand shall notbewaivedbyany public entity When this projectis fi‐nanced either partially or entirely with StateBonds or federalfunds, the awardofthisContractis contingent upon the granting of linesof credit,the sale of bonds by theBondCommission or thecommitment of federalfunds. TheUni‐versityshall incurno obligationtothe Con‐tractoruntil theContract Between Ownerand Con‐tractorisfully executed 192136 June 26, July 3, 10, 3t $200.79
NO.2026-xxx TO DECLARETHATCER‐TAIN REAL PROPERTY OWNEDBYTHE CITY IS NO LONGER NEEDED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES,AP‐PROVETHE SALE THEREOF, ANDPROVIDE FORRELATED MATTERS WHEREAS, Lavo Lane,an approximately392.50 foot long,60foot wide roadwayright-of-wayon theeastsideofHigh‐landia Road that dead ends privateproperty whichisadjacenttoIn‐terstate 10; and WHEREAS, the“back por‐tion”ofLavoLane, ap‐proximately188.82 feet in length,isadjacenttoand only serves oneproperty; and WHEREAS, theentire length of theLavoLane Roadway, from High‐landia Road to Buyer’s property,isinpoor con‐dition andinneed of sig‐nificant repairs; and WHEREAS, R.S. 33:4712 A. provides that amunic‐ipalitymay sell property that it hasdeterminedis no longer needed for public purposes to pri‐vate personsata private sale;and WHEREAS, theowner of thepropertyadjacent to the“back portion” of Lavo Lane (the “pro‐posedbuyer”) is inter‐estedinpurchasingthat portionofLavoLane; and WHEREAS, ArticleVII, §14ofthe LouisianaCon‐stitutionrequiresthat theCityreceive fair mar‐ketvalue forthe portion of Lavo Lane beingsold; and WHEREAS, theCity hasobtainedanap‐praisalofLavoLane, and theproposedbuyer is willingtocompensate theCityfor that amount by repairingand main‐tainingthe 203.77 foot long portionofthe road‐wayitisnot acquiring; d
y q g and WHEREAS, priortoits passage, in accordance with R.S. 33:4712 B.,this ordinancewas published in TheAdvocatethree timesin fifteen days,one week apart. NOWTHEREFORE,BEIT ORDAINED by theSt. George City Council, StateofLouisiana,asfol‐lows: Section1: Thefollowing portionofLavoLane, that only serves one property andcannotbe extended throughthat property duetoInter‐state10, is hereby deter‐minedtobenolonger needed forpublicpur‐poses: Acertain tractorparcel of ground beinginHigh‐landia Subdivisionin Section57, Township 8 South, Range2 East GreensburgLandDistrict, East BatonRouge Parish Louisianaand being identified as theLavo Lane right-of-way con‐tained in thefollowing calls: Beginningonthe northern Lavo Lane rightof wayline, 203.77-feet Northeastofthe inter‐sectionofthe eastern right-of-way line of High‐landia Drivealong the northern right-of-way line of Lavo Lane,then proceed Northeastalong theLavoLaneright-ofway-linea distance of 188.72-feet;thenproceed Southeastalong the easternLavoLanerightof-way line adistanceof approximately60.0-feet to theperpendicular Lavo Lane right-of-way line,thenproceed South‐west adistanceof 188.72-feet;thenproceed Northeasta distance of 60.0-feet to thepoint of beginning.
Section2: Thesaleof theabove describedpor‐tion of Lavo Lane is hereby approved subject at theprice andpursuant to theterms setforth in theRealEstatePurchase Agreementattached hereto as ExhibitA
Section3: Conflicts Thespecificterms and conditions of this Ordi‐nanceshall prevail againstother ordinances of theCitytothe extent that theremay be any fli f h
CITY OF ST.GEORGE ORDINANCE NO. 2026-020
TO AMEND TITLE 7, UNIFIEDDEVELOPMENT CODE, TO UPDATE REGULATIONS FORSIGNS AND BILLBOARDS AND PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS
WHEREAS, on July 23, 2024, the St. GeorgeCity Council adopted Ordinance No. 2024-002, in part, adopting the EBR Unified Development Code (with some changes) as the City’sinterim Unified Development Code (“UDC”); and
WHEREAS, the UDC has been incorporated into the St. George Code of Ordinances as Title 7; and
WHEREAS, the City,inOrdinances Nos 2024-002 and 2025-038 established and extended amoratorium on the installation of new billboards in the City; and
WHEREAS,the City’splanning staffhas studied the size and placement of signs and billboards in the City and has recommended the updates and changes to the sign and billboardregulations attached as an exhibit to this Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, apublic hearing was held on the proposed changes on June1,2026, beforethe City of St. George Zoning Commission; and WHEREAS, the Zoning Commission recommended approval of the text amendments.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the St. GeorgeCity Council, State of Louisiana, as follows:
Section 1: That the deletions and additions to the UDC set forth in Exhibit 1attached hereto arehereby adopted.
Section 2: That the moratorium on new billboards established and extended in Ordinances Nos 2024-002 and 2025-038 is hereby declared expired.
Section 3: The specificterms and conditions of this Ordinance shall prevail against other existing ordinances of the City to the extent that there may be any conflict.
Section 4: Severability. If any provision of this Ordinance is declared invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, the other provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 5: Effective Date. This ordinance shall be effective upon publication.
This ordinance having been submitted to avote; thevote thereon was: For: Cook, Edmonds, Himmel, Monachello, Murrell, Talbot Against: Absent: Dellucci
Adopted this 23rdday of June, 2026
Signed this day of 2026 Delivered to the Mayor on the day of 2026
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk Approved:
Received from the Mayor on the day of 2026
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Adopted Ordinance published in The Advocate on the day or 2026 EXHIBIT
Defined Anonconformity shall be any use, lot, improvement, or structurethat was legally established but, as aresult of adoption of or amendments to this ordinance UDC, does not meet the current standards of the ordinance UDC.
C. Nonconforming Structure.A nonconforming improvement or structure shall be any legally established building or structurethat fails to meet current ordinance UDC standards for setback, height, or similar factors.
D. Nonconforming Improvement.Anonconformingimprovement shall be any legally established improvement, including but not limited to landscaping, parking, lighting, and signs, that does not meet the current standards of the UDC.
Sec. 7:7.4. Nonconforming Uses A. Continuation ***
3. Anonconforming billboard: a. Shall not be structurally altered beyond 50% of its replacement value; and b. May be rebuilt if it is destroyed by an act of God such as astorm, hurricane, or otherwise.
Sec. 7:7.7. Nonconforming Improvements Anonconforming improvement may remain andcontinue, subject to the following:
1. No action shall be taken which increases the degreeorextentofthe nonconformity
of
public and destructive to adjacent property values and the purposes of this section. It is understood that these conditions
prevented, and often eliminated through planned and properly enforced regulations, thereby resulting in the overallenhancement of the general health, safety,and welfareofthe peopleofthe City of St.George. The purposes of this section areto:
1. Promotethe reasonable, orderly,and effective display of billboards while remaining consistent with the national policy to protect the public investment in the Interstate and Federal Aid Primary highways; 2. Promotethe safety and recreational value of public travel;
3. Promoteand enhance the beauty,order,and attractiveness of the City of St.George to residents, tourists, and visitors;
4. Positively influence the economic prosperity of the area; and 5. Supportand complement the land use objectives of this UDC.
B. Permit and Inspections Required.Abillboardpermit with inspections is required beforeany billboardiserected or replaced. If electrical work is involved, aseparate electrical permit is required. An applicationfor abillboardpermit:
1. Shallbesubmitted to and decided upon by the Building Department;
2. Mayonly be submitted by alicensed billboardcompany;
3. Shallinclude:
a. A site plan;
b. Engineered structural drawings;
c. Alighting plan; and
d. Property owner consent;and
4. For anew billboard, may only be approved if an existing billboard is removed, with the existing billboardpermit surrendered prior to issuance of anew permit. If the surrendering party does not have alocationready to build, the surrendered permit will be held as a credit by the permitoffice forfutureuse for 36 months. If notused within this timeperiod, the credit will expire.
C. WhereAllowed and Prohibited
1. Allowed only in the base zoning districts indicated in Table
when also within 200 feet of an:
a. Arterial that is designated as amajor streetonthe MajorStreet Plan; or
b. Interstate; and
2. Prohibited, as measured in astraight line from the billboardpole, within:
a. 2,000 feet of another billboard;
b. 500 feet of an interstate on- or off-ramporcontinuous interstate ramp; and
c. 200 feet of: (1) The propertyline of any propertydeveloped with aresidential use; (2) Any school, public park, or public building; (3) The Mississippi River levee right-of-way; (4) Any historic site, district, or place; (5) The following Overlay Zoning Districts: (a) City Center Character Area Overlay; and (b) Bluebonnet Overlay; (6) The following roads: (a) Highland Road west of I-10; and (b) River Road; (7) The following waterways: (a) Amite River; (b) Bayou Manchac; (c) Comite River;and (d) Mississippi River; and (8) The following areas; (a) Bluebonnet Swamp (Figure7:9.2.5.A);and (b) Manchac Swamp (Figure7:9.2.5.B)
D. Standards 1. Design and Construction. Billboards shall:
a. Be designed to meet applicable building codes, including for wind pressureand dead load;
b. Be securely fixed upon asubstantial surface;
c. Notcontainany mirror-like surfaces greater than two (2) square inches or that createa traffichazard;
d. Notcontain, depict,orprovide adigital link to obscene material; and
e. Notemitsmoke, vapor,particles, or odor
2. Setbacks, Minimum. Allthe following minimum setbacks shall apply,which shall be measured from the extremities of the billboardexcluding embellishments:
a. Yard requirements of the base zoning district;
b. Distance from residentiallyzoned or used property, when the billboardface is: (1) Less than 275 squarefeet, 110 feet; (2) 276 to 378 squarefeet, 165 feet; or (3) 379 or moresquarefeet, 250 feet;
c. Ten(10) feet from aright-of-way; and
d. Distance from electrical utility lines or other facilities in compliance with appropriate and applicable codes and regulations, including the National Electrical SafetyCode, with additional clearance required on acase-by-case basis.
3. Height and Clearance. No portion of abillboard, including embellishments, may be:
a. Higher than 50 feet above the nearest road centerline; or
b. Closer than ten (10) feet to the ground, excluding the structural pole.
4. Size
a. Surface area, per billboardface, is: (1) Minimum 72 squarefeet; and (2) Maximum,excluding embellishments, for: (a) Static billboards, 1,100 squarefeet; or (b) Digital billboards, 672 squarefeet.
b. Maximum face dimensions, per side, including embellishments, are: (1) Height, 25 feet; and (2) Width, 52 feet.
5. Stacking. No billboardmay be stacked or placed one above another
6. Faces a. Abillboardshall have no morethan: (1) Two(2) faces; and (2) One (1) face per side.
b. Allbillboardfaces shall be, in relationtothe road upon which they front,either: (1) Perpendicular; or (2) No less than a45-degree angle.
c. When abillboardhas two (2) sides: (1) Bothsides shall be the same size and shape, except for embellishments, so that no substantial portion of the back of the opposing billboardshall be visible; and (2) Those sides shallbeeither,inrelationtoeach other: (a) Parallel and separated by no morethan 48 inches; or (b) No morethan a45-degree angle and separated by no morethan 36 inches at the apex.
7. Embellishments.Embellishment may be added as atemporary
of 250 dollars per day may be imposedupon the record owner of the billboarduntil the date of removalaswellasany costs of removalincurredbythe City of St. George 3. SeeChapter 6– Enforcementand Chapter 7– Nonconformities of this UDC.
Figure7:9.2.5.A. Bluebonnet Swamp
Figure7:9.2.5.B. Manchac Swamp
Sec. 7:9.2.56. Cemetery/Columbarium/Mausoleum ** * [Renumbersubsequent sections andcorrect references to the renumberedsections, including in the SpecificUse Standardscolumn of Table 7:9.1.3.A.]
CHAPTER10–GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
Article 10.6. Signs andGraphics [Delete the contents of this article (Secs. 7:10.6.1to7:10.6.2) andreplace with the following, whichisnew but is not underlined for ease of reading.] Sec. 7:10.6.1. Purpose andFindings A. Purpose The purpose of this article is to:
1. Ensurethatthe constitutionally guaranteed righttofreespeech is protected;
2. Promote andprotect the public health, safety andwelfare of residents andvisitors to the city andparish;
3. Enhanceeffective visual communications;
4. Protect property values;
5. Createanattractive economic andbusiness climate throughout the parish;
6. Enhanceand protect the physical appearance of allareas of the parish;
7. Improve pedestrianand vehicular safety by reducing distractions, obstructionsand hazards caused by the excessivenumber, excessivesize or height, inappropriate means of illumination or movement, indiscriminate placement, overconcentration, or unsafe construction of signs; and 8. Enablepeople to identify destinations andlocations.
B. Findings. The St. George City Council finds that:
1. Unlike oralspeech, signs may cause harm by taking up space, obstructing views, distracting motorists, displacing alternative usesofland, andendangering the safety of persons or property The City hasa substantial andcompellinginterest in:
a. The purposesset forth above; and b. Regulating signs in such away thatthe harm caused by signs might be reduced andmitigated;
Regulation of the size, height, number, structure,
f. Promote industry andcommerce;
g. Eliminate visual clutterand blight;
h. Provide an aesthetically appealing environment;
i. Provide ample, meaningful opportunitiesfor personswho desiretodisplayinformation by meansofa sign to have their information seen andunderstood; and
j. Provide for
signs in the office, commercial and industrial districts, and alimited variety of signs in other districts, subject to content neutral standards requirements and limitations; and 2. Establish standards, requirements and limitations, and apermit system that honor constitutional rights and requirements.
B. Permit Required
1. Asign permit shall:
a. Be required to erect, substantially modify,orrelocate all signs permitted by this article; and b. Not be required for: (1) Temporary signs forany use in aresidential base zoning district; or (2) Repainting, cleaning, or other normal maintenance to prolong the life of asign as originally permitted.
2. In addition to asign permit, the following permits shall also be required forany sign: a. Requiring electricity,anelectrical permit; or b. Located in the public right-of-way,alicense agreement in accordance with Sec. 7:10.6.8.
3. When asign requires footings, it shall requireafooting inspection which may only be performed by an individual with the appropriate state license.
4. An applicant shall submit acomplete sign permit applicationtothe Building Official, who shall be the deciding authority
C. Standards All signs shall comply with the allowances, standards, and prohibitions in:
1. Permitted Sign Types and Allowances in Sec. 7:10.6.4;
2. Standards for All Signs in Sec. 7:10.6.5;
3. Standards for SpecificSign Types in Sec. 7:10.6.6; and
4. Prohibited Signs in Sec. 7:10.6.7. Sec. 7:10.6.4.Permitted Sign Types and Allowances A. Sign Types. Types of permitted signs include:
1. Permanent. Signs that arepermanently installed in the ground or affixed to astructure, and erected for an extended period of time (generally years).
2. Temporary.Signs that arenot permanent.
B. Allowances. See the following Tables:
1. 7:10.6.4.A. Permitted Sign Types, Maximum Number;
2. 7:10.6.4.B. Freestanding Sign Maximum Dimensions;
3. 7:10.6.4.C. Attached Sign Maximum Dimensions; and
4. 7:10.6.4.D. Directional and Temporary Signs Maximum Dimensions. C. Notes to Tables 7:10.6.4.A,7:10.6.4.B, 7:10.6.4.C, and 7:10.6.4.D
1. Per street frontage, except for subdivisionentryways which shall be, for:
a. Residential districts, at each subdivisionentrance; or b. Nonresidential districts, for every 1,000 linear feet of street frontage.
2. Notpermitted in the City Center or Urban Character Area Overlays or the MX-1, MX-2, or B-1 base zoning districts.
3. Per establishment, except for:
a. Projecting signs, in the City Center Character Area Overlay,per street frontage per establishment; or b. Suspended signs, per exterior wall per establishment.
4. No maximum number,provided maximum sign area is not exceeded, which shall include signs on the wall surface,signs affixed to the wall parallel and in the sameplane as the wall, signs on awnings or canopies, window signs, door signs, signs on the lower slopes of roofs or canopy roofs, and signs on parapets above roofs.
5. Per structure, but only permittedwith aconditional use permit on buildings of 80 feet or morein height in Regional Centers and Employment Centers as designated on the futureland use map.
6. No maximum.
7. One (1) freestanding
that obscures the view of the sign message.
C. Illumination
1. Any sign, except not temporary signs, may be illuminated in a manner that:
a. Avoids glareorreflection which in any way interferes with traffic safety; and
b. Is notdetrimental to adjacent residential property,asdetermined by any artificial light greater than two (2) footcandles falling eight (8) feet outside the boundaries of the property wherethe illuminated sign is located.
2. Unless otherwise permitted by thisUDC, signs shallnot be illuminated by moving lights, flickering lights, or astring of lights placed around the sign.
D. Changeable Copy,Manual or Electronic
1. Changeablecopy shallbeallowedonly on signs, except not roof signs, that are:
a. For anonresidential use in aresidential zoning district;or
b. In anonresidential zoning district.
2. The area of asigndevoted to changeable copy shall, for:
a. Electronic changeable copy,belimited to no morethan 100 percent; or
b. Manual changeable copy,be: (1) Limited to,in: (a) Residentialzoning districts, no morethan 50 percent; or (b)Nonresidential zoning districts, no morethan 80 percent; and (2) Protected by alocked, vandal-proof cover
3. Changes of message shallcomplywiththe following:
a. Each message shall be displayed for at least, in: (1) Residential zoning districts, twenty (20) seconds; or (2) Nonresidential zoning districts, eight (8) seconds.
b. Changes of message shall: (1) Be accomplished withintwo (2) seconds; and (2) Occur simultaneously on the entiresignface.
c. No flashing, dimming, or brightening of message shallbe permittedexcept to accommodate changes of message.
4. Electronic changeable copy shall:
a. Nothave displayed copy that is animated, blinking, chasing, or flashing, or has other moving effects;
b. Be programmed with astaticdefault message or image so that if amalfunctionoccurs, the default message shall freeze the electronic changeable copy in one position;
c. Have high-definition resolution displays that do not pixelate;
d. Either: (1) Have an automatic dimmer that limits the brightness based on ambient light conditions; or (2) Be adjustable to complywith the 0.3-footcandle measurements; and
e. Notincrease night-time ambient illumination by morethan 0.3 footcandles when measured perpendicular to the electronic changeable copy face at adistance (feet) equal to the square root of the sign area (squarefeet) multiplied by ten(10) (Distance in feet =sqrt(SignAreainsquarefeet) *10) using an illuminance meter set to measurefootcandles accuratetoat least two (2) decimals, with the burden of proving compliance with this standardonthe property owner
Sec. 7:10.6.6. Standards for SpecificSignTypes
A. Permanent, Freestanding Signs. Each sign may have up to two (2) sign
faces.
1. Monument
a. Shallhave plantings: (1) Covering the area withintwo (2) feet from the sign base on sides paralleltothe face; and (2) Maintained in good condition, and free and clear of trash and weeds.
b. For subdivision entryway use: (1) Shallonly be allowed: (a) At the entry to the development; and (b) Within ten feet of public right-of-way that serves as internal access to the development; and (2) For nonresidential subdivisions, shall be for aunified development, as demonstrated through an approved recorded nonresidential subdivision, adevelopment plan, or approved site plan(s), even if the property has various owners.
2. Pylon. See Table 7:10.6.6.A for minimum setbacks.
B. Permanent, Attached Signs
1. All An attached sign and itsstructureshall:
a. Notbecloser than two (2) feet, measured in horizontal distance, from the curb line of any street;
b. When above any space that may be used by apedestrian, bicycle, or vehicle, have avertical clearance of seven feet six inches to the ground; and
c. When in apublicright-of-way: (1) Extend no morethan five (5) feet into the right-of-way; and (2) Require alicense agreement approved by the Engineering Director in accordance with Sec. 7:10.6.8.
2. Projecting Shallnot extend:
a. Above the topofthe wall to which it is attached, except that a sign 18 inches or less in width and perpendicular to such wall may extend up to two (2) feet beyond the topofthe wall; and
b. Into arequired front yardmorethan six (6) feet 3. Wall a. Awning. Only one sign allowed over each door or window,and: (1) Shallbe flat against the surface of the awning; and (2) Maycover up
maintain,ordisplaythe following signs: 1. DilapidatedorDamaged.Signs thathave missing or broken panels, broken or damaged supports or frame, or otherwise display inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment
2. Illegal. Signs that have notreceivedrequired permits, do not comply with avalid permit, andothersigns that fail to comply with this article.See Sec. 7:10.6.10.
3. Located in Public Right-of-Way Except as expressly allowed in Sec. 7:10.6.8,all signs, including supports, frames, and embellishments, thatare in apublic right-of-way,whetherontheir own sign structure or attached, affixed, or painted on anyobject. These prohibited signsshall be consideredlitter.
4. Obscene. Signs containing, depicting, or providing adigitallinkto obscene material.
5. Obsolete. The structurefor asign thatisnot allowed if such structurecannot be usedfor alegal use or doesnot comply with the height, size, or other physical requirements of this UDC, unless the sign structure is associatedwith anonconforming sign.
6. Portable Signs designed or intendedtobereadily relocated and not permanently affixed to theground or to abuilding, including “A-” or “T-” frame signs, signs on wheels, trailers, truckbeds, or anyotherdevice intendedtobemovedfromone location to another, unless allowed as an exempt sign.
7. Rotating. Signs thathave rotating or moving parts thatrevolve morethanseven (7)revolutions per minute.
8. Unsafe SeeSec. 7:10.6.10.A.3
9. Windblown or Inflated. Fluttering, spinning, windblown, or inflated devices, such as balloons, feather flags, pennants, andpropeller discs, whichdonot conformtothe requirements of this UDC, unless associatedwith apermittedtemporary sign
10. All Other Unlisted. All othersignsthatare notexpressly permitted by this article
Sec. 7:10.6.8. SignsinPublic Right-of-Way
A. The following signs may be allowedinthe public right-of-way:
1. Awning, marquee, projecting andsuspended signs; 2. Moveablesigns on sidewalks; 3. Emergencywarning signserected by agovernmentagency, utility company,ora contractor doingwork in apublic right-of-way; 4. Public signs erected by or on behalf of anygovernmentalentity; and
5. Signs erected pursuanttoatemporary use permit issuedbythe Engineering Director,subject to such ordinances or regulations as may apply
B. When the sign is apermanentsign,itshall requirealicense agreement approvedbythe Engineering Director
Sec. 7:10.6.9. NonconformingSigns SeeChapter 7–NonconformitiesofthisUDC
Sec. 7:10.6.10.Enforcement, Violations, andPenalties
A. Enforcement. The Building Official shall have the authority to enforce this article andtoorder themaintenance or removalofasign or its supporting structurewhichconstitutesa hazardtosafety, health,or public welfare if theBuilding Official finds that the sign is:
1. Inadequatelymaintained, dilapidated, or damaged (e.g. faded, torn, broken, or weathered);
2. Abandonedorobsolete, including anysign which:
a. For aperiod of 60 days or more:
(1)Remains without amessage; or (2)The use of whichhas been discontinued; b. Pertainstoatime,event, or purpose whichnolongerapplies; or c. Remains after:
(1)Demolition of aprincipal structure; or (2)The business to which it pertains is no longer in operation;
3. Unsafe,including but notlimitedtosigns:
a. Preventing free ingress to or egress from anydoor,window,or fire escape;
b. Located in sight triangles;
c. Containing reflective materials whichmay cause glare; or
d. Which obstruct the view of or may be confused with atraffic control or safety sign; or
4. Illegal.
B. Violations and Penalties. SeeChapter6– Enforcementofthis UDC.
CHAPTER16–SIGNSRESERVED
[Delete the contents of this chapter (Secs.7:16.1 to 7:16.7.5)and reserve the chapter.] ***
Billboard: alarge-formatoutdoor advertisingement (typically 300 square feet) structuredesignedtoattract attention to goods, services, or messages whichare not located on the same lot as the structure.for whichrentischarged according to:
A. The amountoftrafficthatpasses its location;
B. Itsvisibility; and;
C. Its size.
Billboard, Digital: abillboard that displays digital imagesthat are periodically changedbya computer.
BillboardEmbellishment (forpurposes of Chapter 16, Signs,only): the area of design made as acutout that extends beyond thebasic rectangularspace of an advertising signbillboard.
Height, Building: the vertical distance from grade to (a) thetop level of a flat roof; (b) the deck lineofamansardroof, or (c)the averageheight between eaves andridge for gable,hip andgambrel roofs.
Height, SIgn: the vertical distance from grade, street pavement, or building facade,asapplicable,tothe highest point of the sign
Height, Tower: the distance from grade to the top of the towerstructure or anyattached wireless transmission or relayequipment
Obscene Material: material thatappealstoprurientinterests, is patently offensive,and lacks serious literary,artistic,political,orscientific value, as set forth in Louisiana RevisedStatutes14:106. ***
Pennant: asign,withorwithout alogo or words, made of flexible material thatissuspendedfromone or twocorners andtypically usedin combination with othersuchsigns to attract attention.
Prurient Interests: abnormal, unhealthy,shameful, or morbid interest in sex, nudity,orexcretion,asdefinedbythe U.S. SupremeCourt in Millerv.California,413 U.S. 15 (1973), when the material: 1. Appealstothe prurient interest, applyingcontemporary community standards; 2. Depictsordescribes sexual conduct in apatently offensive way; and 3. Lacks serious literary,artistic, political, or scientificvalue
Sign: anywords, lettering, parts of letters, figures, numerals, phrases, sentences, emblems, devices, structures, designs, trade names, or trademarks by which anything is made known, usedtodesignate,or usedtoattract attention to an individual, firm, association, corporation, profession, business, commodity,orproduct thatislegible from any public right-of-way or adjacent property,including thestructure(other thanawall) on whichthe sign message is displayed. This definition does not include flags or trade dress,architectural features identified with aproduct or business, or billboards Sign, Abandoned: asign or sign structurethat remains in astate of disrepairoronwhich the sign face remains without content for a period of six months. Such signs shall be removedorrepairedwithin
Sign
Sign, Marquee: asign attached to or painted on amarquee.
building.
Sign, Monument: afreestanding sign, generally having alow profile wherethe base of the sign structureisnomorethan 12 inches above the lowest point of the ground adjacent to the sign, creating the appearanceofasolid baseand and opaque base extending to the ground or integrated into landscaping creating the appearance of a solid base
Sign, Portable: any sign designed or intended to be readily relocated and not permanently affixed to the ground or to abuilding, including “A-” or “T-”frame signs, signs on wheels, trailers, truck beds, or any other device intended to be moved from one locationtoanother
Sign, Projecting: asign attached to abuilding and extending away from the building face by morethan 12 inches, generally visible at right angles to the building.
Sign, Pylon: afreestanding sign that is supported by uprights, braces, columns, poles or other vertical members that arenot an integral part of abuilding or structure.
Sign, Roof: is asign that is wholly or partially fastened to and supported by or on the roof of astructureand which extends above the highest point of the roof line or parapet.
Sign Setback: the horizontal distance between any property line and the outermost point of asign or sign structuresituated on premises.
Sign Structure: any structure that supports, has supported or is capable of supporting asign,
is not awall sign.
Sec. 7:19.2.5. Signs
Article 19.2. Measurements
and emergency equipment;
3. Provide adequate safeguards to limit obnoxious or offensive emissions of smoke, gas, vibration, light, noise, glare, dust, and odors, or other noxious or offensive fumes or spilled liquids; and 4. Be posted with signs at multiplelocations clearly visibletothe public providing the phone number of a24-hour manned hotline.
D. Structures used forbulk storage:
1. Shallcomprise no morethan fifty (50%) percent of the total site area; and
2. Shallbelocated at least three (3) times the minimum distance required by NFPA 30 from all property lines; and
June 1, 2026,beforethe City of St. George Zoning Commission;and WHEREAS, the Zoning Commission recommendedapproval of the text amendments.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the St. George City Council, State of Louisiana,asfollows:
Section 1: That the deletions andadditions to the UDCset forth in Exhibit 1attached hereto arehereby adopted.
Section 2: The specifictermsand conditionsofthis Ordinanceshall prevailagainst otherexisting ordinances of the City to the extent thatthere may be anyconflict.
Section 3: Severability.Ifany provision of this Ordinance is declared invalid by anycourt of competent jurisdiction, theother provisionsshall remain in full force andeffect
Section 4: Effective Date. This ordinanceshall be effective upon publication.
This ordinance havingbeen submitted to avote;the vote thereon was: For: Cook, Edmonds, Himmel, Monachello, Murrell, Talbot
Against: Absent: Dellucci
Adoptedthis23rdday of June, 2026.
Signedthis day of 2026
Deliveredtothe Mayor on the_ day of 2026
LorraineBeaman,City Clerk
Approved:
Dustin Yates, Mayor
Received from the Mayor on the_ day of 2026
LorraineBeaman,City Clerk
AdoptedOrdinancepublished in TheAdvocate on the day or 2026
EXHIBIT 1
NOTE:Underlined text is new. Strike-through text is deleted.[notes provide instructions]
CHAPTER 13 –TRANSPORTATION
E. Wall Area for Wall Sign Allowance. See Figure7:19.2.5.E Figure7:19.2.5.E Wall Area Illustration CITY OF ST.GEORGE ORDINANCE NO. 2026-019
TO AMEND TITLE 7, UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE,TO ESTABLISH STORAGE OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALINBULK AS AUSE WITH STANDARDSAND PROVIDE FORRELATED MATTERS.
WHEREAS, on July 23, 2024, the St. GeorgeCity Council adopted Ordinance No. 2024-002, in part, adopting the EBR Unified Development Code (with some changes) as the City’sinterim Unified Development Code (“UDC”); and
WHEREAS, the UDC has been incorporated into the St. GeorgeCode of Ordinances as Title 7; and
WHEREAS, thereare numerous locations in the City where, as legal nonconforming uses, hazardousmaterials arestored and further recognizes that the bulk storage of hazardous materials is necessary for some uses; and
WHEREAS,the City has determined that the UDC does not regulate the storage of hazardous materials in away that adequately protects the public health, safety,and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City’splanning staffhas recommended the changes to the UDC attached as exhibits to this Ordinance; and WHEREAS, apublic hearing washeld on the proposed changes on June1,2026, beforethe City of St. George ZoningCommission; and WHEREAS, the Zoning Commission recommended approval of the text amendments.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the St. GeorgeCity Council, State of Louisiana, as follows:
Section 1: That the deletions and additions to the UDC set forth in Exhibit 1attached hereto arehereby adopted.
Section 2: The specificterms and conditions of this Ordinance shall prevail against other existing ordinances of the City to the extent that there may be any conflict.
Section 3: Severability.Ifany provision of this Ordinance is declared invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, the otherprovisions shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 4: Effective Date.This ordinance shall be effective upon publication.
This ordinance having been submitted to avote; thevote thereonwas:
3. Maybelisted as available for the storage of morethan one (1) hazardous material, provided that all listed materials are compatible.
E. Any applicationinvolving the bulk storage of hazardous materials shall:
1. Include: a. Asite plan demonstratingcompliance withthis section;
b. Alist of materialsfor each storage container,referenced to the site plan and certified correct by an authorized safety officer listing the: (1) Chemical name; (2) U.S. Department of Transportation HazardClass; (3) UN/NAIdentification Number; (4) Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Number; (5) NFPA 704M HazardRating (health, flammability,reactive and special hazards); and (6) Maximum amount to be stored in the container; and c. If the use requires any state or federal air emission or water discharge permit, proof of applicationfor the permit;and 2. Be reviewed by the St.George FireDepartment, which shall have the authority to deny the application when the bulk storage of hazardous materialswouldpresent an unacceptable risk to public health and safety or cause unacceptable adverse impact to the environment or property
Sec. 7:9.2.3435. Vehicle Storage, Wrecked
[Renumber subsequent sections and correct references to the renumbered sections, including in the SpecificUse Standards column of Table 7:9.1.3.A.]
CHAPTER 19 –DEFINITIONS ANDMEASUREMENTS
Article 19.1. Definitions
Sec. 7:19.1.2. Defined Terms
Hazardous Material: any toxicorhazardous substance, material,or waste, or any pollutant, contaminant,infectious, or radioactive material,including but not limited to those regulated now or in the futureunder any of the following, and any and allofthose substances included in the definitions of “hazardous substances,” “hazardous materials, hazardous waste,” “toxic substances,” “hazardous air pollutant,”or“solid waste” in the following:
1. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and LiabilityAct of 1980 (CERCLA),42U.S.C. §9601, et seq.
2. Hazardous Materials Transportation Act,49U.S.C.§1801, et seq.
3. Resource Conservation and RecoveryAct (RCRA),42U.S.C. § 6901, et seq.
4. §311 of the Federal Water Pollution ControlAct, 33 U.S.C. §1321.
5. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act,7 U.S.C.§ 136 et seq.
6. ToxicSubstances Act,15U.S.C. §2601 et seq.
7. AtomicEnergy Act,42U.S.C. §2011 et seq.
8. Nuclear Waste Policy Act,42U.S.C. §10101 et seq.
9. Occupational Safetyand HealthAct (OSHA),29U.S.C. §651 et seq.
10. Clean Air Act,42U.S.C. §7401 et seq.
11. National FirePrevention Code, NFPA 1. ***
Storage, Hazardous Material in Bulk: storing, or the ability to store(e.g. existing tanks for hazardous material storage not in use or empty), hazardous material not under active shipping papers:
1. In the following cumulative amounts: a. Gases with aliquid capacity equal to or greater than five thousand (5,000) gallons; b. Liquids or slurries equal to or greater than ten thousand (10,000) gallons or one hundred thousand (100,000) pounds; or c.
Sec. 7:13.5. Street name change procedures A. Street Name Change Application.Oncea finalplathas been recorded andstreetsdedicated, an application to change the name of astreet shall be required. Theapplication may be initiatedbyowners of property fronting the street or by the City Council. Suchapplications shall be submitted to thePlanning Department andshall include: 1. The currentstreetname; 2. The proposednew street name; 3. Amap identifyingthe street segment to be renamed; and 4. The petition described in subsection Bbelow B. Petition of Owners along Street Apetition of amajority ofat least twothirds (2/3)ofproperty
property owner signatures.
C. Fees 1. The designatedapplication feeshall be paid to the Planning Department. 2. The applicantshall be responsible for thecost of replacing existing street signs. If therequest is approved, thecost,whichshall be determined by the Engineering Department. Property owners will be responsible for
the Planning Department shall also notify thefollowing agenciesofthe proposed street re-naming: FireDepartment, PoliceDepartment, Sheriff’sOffice U.S. PostalServices, andutility companiesservicing the City of St. George 2. The Planning Department will advertise anddisplayalegal notice of the proposed street re-naming in the Official Journalofthe City of St. George at least tendays prior to thepublic hearing.
E. Public Hearings
1. Planning Commission ThePlanning Commission shall hold a public hearing on the proposed street re-naming. The Planning Commission shall forward its recommendation to the St. George City Council.
2. St. George City Council. The proposed street re-namingshall be placed on the agenda of the St. George City Council for public hearing introduction and will thenbeheardatthe next regularly scheduled St. George City CouncilZoning Meeting. Final action on re-naming of anypublic and/or private street rests with the St. George City Council upon completion of public hearing. The City Council mayapprove, via ordinance,the street renaming only afterdetermining: a. The petition hasbeen completedasrequired by subsection B above; b. The renaming will not adverselyimpact public safety or municipal infrastructure; and c. The proposedstreetnamecomplieswiththe street name standards of Sec. 7:13.4 of this UDCand anyParish regulations regardingstreet addressingsystems.
F. If the street name is changed, thePlanning Department shall notify the agencies as listedinSec. 7:13.5.D.1,ofthe newstreet name *** APPENDIX B– APPLICATION FEESCHEDULE
Description Processing Public Notice
MISCELLANEOUS ***
Street NameChange $2001,000
WHEREAS, on July 23,
OF ST.GEORGE ORDINANCE NO. 2026-018 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AMAJOR CHANGE TO THE FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR ASMALL PLANNEDUNIT DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDEFOR RELATED MATTERS. (Kenilworth Scienceand Technology Academy) WHEREAS, application hasbeen made (Case No. PD-26-0004) for amajor change to FinalDevelopment Planfor SPUD-4-13 adding an additional ~2.9 acreparcel to the existing ~7.2 acresite;and WHEREAS, contingent on approvalofthisordinance, applicanthas also appliedfor approvalofasite plan for Phase 2ofthe Kenilworth School Development addingthree (3)modularbuildings totaling 11,857 sq. ft anda newsecondary campus accessdrive on PerkinsRoad; and WHEREAS, apublic hearing washeldonJune1, 2026, beforethe City of St. George Zoning Commission at whichthe ZoningCommission recommendedapproval of thechange to the Final DevelopmentPlan subject to improvements to accessbarriers at SiegenLaneand Perkins road andapproved the site plan for Phase 2ofthe Kenilworth School Development,conditionedonthe approvalofthe change to the Final Development Plan. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by theSt. George City Council, State of Louisiana,asfollows: Section1: That the property thatisthe subject of this Ordinanceis legally described in Exhibit Aattached hereto andmade apart hereof. Section 2: That the previously approvedFinalDevelopment Planfor
5.
Monachello, Dellucci,Talbot, Murrell
NAYS: None ABSENT:
6. Presentation to StaffSeargent DaralinAcevedo of Proclamation recognizing June 14thas251st birthday of the US Army
7. Presentation by Scot ByrdonMonthly Activity Report
8. Motion by Council Member Edmonds, seconded by Council Member Murrell to add introduction items.
II. New Business (Itemsfor Public Hearing and Action)
(1) Motiontodefer by Murrell, seconded by Himmel Zoning Commission Case No.Z-26-0001 Amendment -ToRezone Tract
X, Lots LRK LLC-1, LRK LLC-2, LRK LLC-3, LRK LLC-4, 9-A, 9-B and 9-C of the of the LeonR Kleinpeter property from C-2, C-1 and Rtothe New Base Zoning Districtand to provide for related matters.
Public comment was opened with the following speakers: Paul Plauche
(2) Motion by Council Member Murrell,seconded by Council Member Himmel to move Ordinance to create, equip, maintain, operate and support aMunicipal Library System; To Establish the St.George Municipal Library BoardofControl;Toprovide for authority,governance and to provide for related matterstoend of the agenda.(Murrell)
(3) Motion by Council Member Monachello, seconded by Council Member Cook to approve Amending Title 4, Chapter 1relative to the service of notice in advance of an Administrative Hearing within the Division of Administrative Adjudication. (Cook)
Publiccomment was opened withnospeakers: Sherry Tucker
(5) Motion by CouncilMember Himmel,seconded by Council Member Monachello to approve Ordinance to Adopt the 2026–2027 General Fund and Special Revenue Fund Budgets
Publiccomment was opened withthe following speakers: Brandon Boylan
(6) Motion by Council Member Talbot, seconded by CouncilMember Monachellotoapprove Resolutionselecting the Advocateto continue as the official journal for publication of notices required
by lawand to provide for relatedmatters
Public comment wasopened with no speakers.
AYES:Cook, Dellucci,Edmonds, Monachello, Talbot
NAYS:Murrell, Himmel
(7) Motion by CouncilMember Murrell, seconded by Council Member Edmonds to approve Resolution to authorizethe Mayor to appoint Kenny Hooks as AD HOC HearingOfficer
(8) Motion by CouncilMember Edmonds, secondedbyCouncil Member Himmeltoapprove Resolution authorizingthe Mayor to appoint 5members to the Construction BoardofAppeals.
(9) Motion by CouncilMember Talbot, secondedbyCouncil Member Himmeltoapprove Resolution to approve the selection of contractor for Post-Disaster Roadway Clearing Services (PUSH) andauthorizing theMayortoexecute acontract andprovide for relatedmatters
Public comment wasopened with the following speakers: Melinda Kyzar
(10)Motion by CouncilMember Himmel, secondedbyCouncil Member Monachello to approve the selection of contractor for EmergencyCatering Services andauthorize the Mayor to execute acontract andprovide for relatedmatters.
(11)Motion by Council Member,seconded by Council Memberto approve Ordinancetocreate, equip, maintain,operate andsupport aMunicipalLibrary System; To Establish theSt. George Municipal Library BoardofControl; To provide for authority,governance and to provide for relatedmatters to endofthe agenda. (Murrell)
Public comment wasopened with the followingspeakers: Morgan Lamondre, MarleneGuitner, Steve Irving, Michael Mercantile Ronnie Pearce, Ryan Bauman, Shawn Luke, Joann Comaga, Michael Lola,Julia Daudreedaughter, AYES:Cook, Himmel, Dellucci,Edmonds, Monachello, Talbot, Murrell
