The Advocate 07-06-2026

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STAFF FILE PHoTo By CHRIS GRAnGER

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, left, gives a thumbsup to Gov. Jeff Landry as they chat during Washington Mardi Gras in January.

Eyeing reelection, Landry flexes political muscles Campaign reports $10.7M on hand, with no major challengers yet

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

STAFF PHoToS By MICHAEL JoHnSon

ABOVE: Brian Fleming, a reenactor from the 5th Company Washington Artillery, stands next to a bronze cannon during a demonstration of military history at St. George’s America 250 celebration Sunday at the Highland Road Community Park.

TOP: Melorin Vafakhah checks out balloons after getting an American flag painted on her cheek.

Revolutionary War reenactors visited Highland Road Community Park on Sunday for St. George’s America 250 celebration, which featured food, history and music.

Gov. Jeff Landry scored a major victory on June 27 when U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican nomination for the Senate, after the governor aggressively defended her and raised big bucks to back her campaign.

He needed the win.

Only a month earlier, voters had decisively rejected all of the constitutional amendments that Landry pushed, for the second time in a year.

With Letlow’s triumph behind him, the governor is expected to begin ramping up his campaign to secure reelection next year. Landry especially needs to win back Republican voters whom he alienated during the Senate campaign by trashing Letlow’s GOP opponents, Sen. Bill Cassidy and state Treasurer John Fleming.

Landry boasts several strengths: He has announced a record-setting number of big-ticket corporate investment projects. Crime has dropped on his watch, while education test scores have risen. He got the Legislature to

ä See LANDRY, page 4A

ABOVE: Reenactors explain how to load a cannon. LEFT: Melissa Carpenter holds her son Vincent, whose fourth birthday is just days away, while sitting in a St. George fire truck.

Truancy center future a concern as founder retires Center, which Metro Council member, Family, youth Service opened in 2012, was a lawyer and educational to serve as a home outreach coordinator for Service has lost meant base in the capital city for city-parish government.

Now, at 71, she says it’s government agencies and financial nonprofits that help fami- time to move on. support “Everyone should know lies, fight truancy and

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

A one-stop shop that helps Baton Rouge families in distress is at a crossroads after 14 years in operation as its founding director Roxson Welch retires and the remaining leadership mulls its future.

The Family and Youth

WEATHER HIGH 90 LOW 75 PAGE 12A

work to prevent juvenile crime.

From the beginning, Welch managed the 9.3acre campus at 1120 Government St., guiding a steady stream of children and adults to the help they need. Welch came to the job, which she considers the highlight of her professional life, after previously working as a classroom teacher, a

when it’s time for someone younger to step in,” Welch said.

Welch expressed concern that her hard-won knowledge — “I know where every pipe is, I know where every problem is, I know where everything good is” — will disappear without a successor in place.

St. George putting up new street signs Markers ‘visible proof’ city moving forward, mayor says

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

STAFF PHoTo By MICHAEL JoHnSon

Roxson Welch sits in the garden on the campus of the Family and youth Service Center in Baton Rouge. Welch has led the ä See CENTER, page 4A facility as director since its founding in 2012.

In the past few weeks, drivers in parts of East Baton Rouge Parish might have noticed street signs on Siegen Lane or Bluebonnet Boulevard with new colors and an additional logo.

The aesthetic changes are part of a new project in the city of St. George, which is installing 194 new mast arm signs at traffic intersections to improve the city’s visibility.

The new signs, replacing the typical neon blue signs with street names seen across Baton Rouge, are either white or a darker blue and feature the circular St. George city logo next to the street name.

St. George Mayor Dustin Yates said the project is using approximately $200,000 in available city Department of Public Works funds.

Classified .....................6C deaths .........................9A nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3C-5C Living............................1C opinion .....................10A Commentary .............11A Metro ...........................8A Sports ..........................1B

ä See SIGNS, page 3A

102nd yEAR, no. 6

2A ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Delta pilot reports encounter with firework

NEW YORK — A Delta Air Lines flight and a highflying firework reportedly came into contact in the sky above Chicago as the city celebrated the Fourth of July holiday.

The pilot of Delta Flight 1076 notified air traffic controllers just before landing at Chicago Midway International Airport on Saturday night that a firework hit the commercial airliner during its descent. In an audio recording published online by LiveATC.net, the pilot described feeling “a big bang” on the plane.

According to the recording, the incident occurred when the plane was flying at an altitude of 200 to 250 feet. The pilot said the crew hoped the bang “was just a mortar that went off,” referencing the tube that helps launch aerial fireworks.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and Delta said the plane, which had taken off from Atlanta carrying 52 passengers and six crew members, landed safely just after 8:30 p.m. local time.

The incident didn’t result in any onboard injuries, and Atlanta-based Delta said Sunday that mechanics who inspected the Airbus A319 did not find any damage.

The FAA said it would investigate the incident.

It’s unclear if fireworks struck other airplanes on Saturday.

No bids to be sought to repair reflecting pool

NEW YORK — The Trump administration will not seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Sunday as he faced new questions about the troubled project and the taxpayer money involved.

Like President Donald Trump, Burgum said he was 100% sure that vandals caused the damage to the century-old reflecting pool on the National Mall. Trump has charged that a 350-foot gash was cut into the pool’s liner in the midst of recent renovations, while Burgum described it as multiple cuts adding up to that figure. He also said the pool would have to be at least partially drained in the coming week to finish the repairs.

The repairs will not be opened up to new contractors, he said.

“We’ll use the same company, because they did a fantastic job,” Burgum told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Thankfully, the vandalism was small. It was bad. I mean, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair, so then it could fall into a felony ... just like damaging any other government property could.

But the job that was done to fix the reflecting pool was done extremely well.”

Trump this spring pledged to beautify the reflecting pool before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations on July Fourth.

Water was drained and the Republican president directed that the bottom be painted a color he called “American flag blue.” But after the site was restored, the water was plagued by an algae bloom for more than a week, and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.

Lawyer: Doctor held by Israel in critical state

TEL AVIV, Israel — The lawyer for a prominent Palestinian doctor who was seized by Israeli forces 18 months ago said his client has been abused in captivity and is in critical condition, according to the human rights group representing him.

Hussam Abu Safiya, who served as director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, became the face of health workers struggling to treat patients throughout the IsraelHamas war.

He led the facility through an 85-day siege by the Israeli military, releasing videos in which he pleaded for help before he was arrested in December 2024.

He has not been charged.

The Israeli military said Abu Safiya, 53, was being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas.

Staff and international aid groups that worked with him deny the claims.

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Khamenei’s other sons attend funeral Iran’s new supreme leader remains in hiding

BY NASSER KARIMI and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s top officials and brothers of the new supreme leader emerged into public view Sunday to attend funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Their appearance projected unity, defiance and confidence in their safety as Iran pushes back on U.S. demands in negotiations to permanently end the war.

Crowds of hundreds of thousands chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” as they called for revenge over the Feb. 28 attack that killed the 86-yearold supreme leader and other top officials, triggering the war. Some hard-liners called for the assassination of President Donald Trump.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance in the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.

At the height of the war, before an April ceasefire, Israel had targeted top leaders, in at least one case likely using their public appearance to fix their position. It has also threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By ALTAF QAdRI

A boy holds a picture of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei holding a machine gun at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque on Sunday during funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran.

The U.S. is meanwhile pressing ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back its disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war. Talks appear to be on hold until after the burial.

Ziba Naderi, a nurse attending the funeral Sunday, said Iran needed to heed Mojtaba Khamenei’s commands. “I heard the call for revenge, but our leader should say what we need to do,” she said. “And we must listen to him.”

Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shiite cleric, led the prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla for the late

Khamenei and his family members killed in the strike.

On hand were Khamenei’s other sons, Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa, who had not been seen since the war. Revolutionary Guard head Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who was photographed for the first time since the war on Thursday, could be seen in the crowd by Associated Press journalists, flanked by plainclothes security forces and wearing a black baseball cap.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf — who has led the negotiations with the U.S. — and Esmail Qaani,

who leads the elite Quds Force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also attended.

The crowd had grown from the day before.

Mourners dressed in black carried banners and flags honoring Khamenei.

Posters and graffiti at the Grand Mosalla called for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Why is the biggest bastard in the world still alive?”

Mohammad Rasouli, a poet who emceed the event before the prayers, said to the crowd over loudspeakers, referring to Trump. “The world is no longer a good place” for Trump, he added

as the crowd cheered.

“I came here to shout and seek revenge,” said Gholamreza Sabooni, a 29-yearold man who works in a grocery. “They killed our imam. We should kill their leader, Trump.”

The U.S. president was giving a speech at the same time across the world in Washington, D.C., for the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.

“We’ve had tremendous success,” Trump said about the U.S. military. “You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran. We wiped it out, wiped out their military.”

U.S. federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years. The threats stem from Trump ordering the 2020 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who had led the Quds Force. Iran repeatedly has denied plotting to kill Trump, though hard-line propaganda footage long has suggested Trump was in Tehran’s crosshairs.

Trump meanwhile promised to destroy Iran’s civilization during the war, among other threats.

Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq, with authorities planning to drive his casket and others through the streets of Tehran on Monday. Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday as he is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei’s place of birth.

TENNESSEE Trump to meet with leaders of Ukraine and Police: Guard members on patrol Syria at NATO summit fatally shoot man during pursuit

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said. Those discussions will come as Kyiv tries to refocus Trump’s attention on the conflict with Moscow and as Trump has publicly mused about Syria’s role in the Middle East.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed the meetings in a call with reporters while previewing the upcoming summit in Ankara, where Trump also plans to meet with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. Before returning to the United States on Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to have a news conference, Kelly said.

Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy comes as Russia’s war in Ukraine is now

in its fifth year. Both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone calls with Trump on Saturday, congratulating him on the July Fourth commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Zelenskyy said in a statement on X after his call that he and Trump spoke about the situation on the front lines of the war, where analysts say Russian advances have sputtered. Ukraine, has stepped up its attacks on Moscow and demonstrated its ability to strike deeper into Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said there is “a real prospect of ending this war,” and that conversation would continue at the NATO summit in Ankara.

Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that in Putin’s call with Trump, the Republican president reaffirmed his “readiness to help achieve a quick cessation of hostilities and search for peaceful solutions to settle the crisis” in Ukraine.

8 hurt in shooting at July 4 cookout near Coney Island beach

By The Associated Press NEW YORK — A shooting at a Fourth of July cookout near New York’s Coney Island beach wounded eight people, including four children, police said.

One of the victims, a 21-year-old woman, was in critical condition while the others were described as being stable and expected to survive, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday.

The shooting occurred Saturday night in the

courtyard of an apartment building about a block from the famed Coney Island boardwalk and not far from the site of the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest held earlier on the holiday.

The police commissioner said a suspect wearing a black mask fired into the courtyard where a family had gathered for a cookout. The shooter fled but police did recover a gun, Tisch said.

The children shot are ages 6, 7, 12 and 14, Tisch said.

BY JACK BROOK Associated Press/ Report for America

Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned by the Trump administration to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man Sunday who turned toward the soldiers with a gun during a downtown pursuit, authorities said.

The administration has ordered National Guard deployments in Memphis and five other Democratrun cities, including New Orleans and Washington, D.C., to confront what President Donald Trump has described as an outof-control crime wave — though violent crime in dozens of cities led by Democrats is down significantly since a pandemic high. The Guard members in Memphis were part of a troop deployment the administration launched in Tennessee’s second-largest city last fall.

Local leaders in these cities have said they do not believe the federal intervention is necessary, and some have challenged the deployments in court.

The soldiers in Memphis were responding with local police to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they began pursuing an armed man fleeing on foot, the city’s police department said.

The guardsmen opened fire after the man turned towards them with his weapon, the department said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson and said it is investigating the circumstances of the shooting. No law enforcement officers were injured, the agency added.

Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid, Guard spokesperson Lt.

Col Darrin Haas said in a statement.

Johnson’s older cousin, Terracle Nelson, 46, told The Associated Press that he was “as good a boy as can be.” Johnson was living in Nashville, working in construction and taking university classes, she said. He had just had his first child earlier this year, she added.

Nelson was present with other members of Johnson’s family when authorities told them that Johnson had been shot twice in the chest.

Law enforcement authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the number of shots fired. The TBI declined to comment on Nelson’s account of the shooting.

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The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ 3A

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Trump speech mixes patriotism, partisanship Washington July 4 festivities were delayed by weather

BY STEVEN SLOAN and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.”

Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly twohour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honored veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They appeared before flags that symbolized some of the most significant and challenging moments in American history, from the one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln’s casket to the one that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.

Yet Trump also leaned into partisan territory unusual for an Independence Day address, which presidents typically use as a moment to unify the country. Instead, he stumped again for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill that’s encountering challenges even from Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress. He highlighted his support for the Second Amend-

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo

By ALEX BRAndon

President donald Trump speaks at Salute to America, which resumed late Saturday night after the national Mall was evacuated for two hours due to storms.

ment and revived denunciations of communism, which are becoming an increasingly central part of Trump’s message ahead of the November midterms.

The speech capped a holiday that Trump has gone to great lengths to shape to his own tastes. He was introduced by two musical performers who often appear at his trademark rallies, including Lee Greenwood, who performed “God Bless the USA.” The event organizers were largely aligned with the White House, supplanting a bipartisan organization that was launched

by Congress a decade ago.

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By MARK SCHIEFELBEIn

Fireworks explode Saturday during Salute to America, an Independence day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, on the national Mall in Washington.

“We will always be on top,” Trump said. “We will never let our country fall. We will always be the best.”

Trump didn’t talk about himself as much as he does during his normal rally speeches. Still, he still found time to include a joke about seeking a third presidential term

and about World War II’s “greatest generation.”

“They are the greatest generation,” Trump said. “I hate to admit that, but they are.”

Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to re-

flect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own. Organizers of celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.

Trump pardons 11, including former Abramoff partner

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday pardoned 11 people, including a former business partner of Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and nine people identified by the White House as having helped people bypass emissions control systems on vehicles.

The acts of clemency come as Trump has issued a slew of pardons in his second term, particularly for allies, public figures and those seen as politically aligned.

His use of the presidency’s sweeping ability to unilaterally grant pardons and commute sentences is among the ways the Republican’s return to office has featured an expansive use of executive power.

Trump earlier on Friday announced some of the pardons on social media, with-

out identifying any of the recipients by name.

“It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car,’ ” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media network.

“I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!” he said.

In a list provided Friday evening by the White House, Trump pardoned 11 people, including nine who faced charges related to violations of the Clean Air Act by disabling emissions monitoring systems on vehicles or selling devices that enabled emissions systems to be bypassed.

The pardons come after Trump on Monday signed a memo telling the Environmental Protection Agency that Americans can fix their own vehicles as they see fit.

As he signed the memo,

Trump referenced a diesel mechanic he pardoned last year who disabled emissions monitoring systems.

The memo also addressed aftermarket auto parts and would supersede the ability of the California Air Resources Board to evaluate parts that affect vehicle emissions.

The White House, in releasing the list of those pardoned, described Trump having “relieved consumers from these regulatory burdens.”

Beyond the emissionsrelated pardons, Trump on Friday also issued a pardon for Adam Kidan, a former business partner of Abramoff.

Kidan pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud and conspiracy related to the purchase of a fleet of gambling boats, and in 2006 he was sentenced to nearly six years in prison.

The case was part of a broader investigation of the

force Solutions, the White House said.

In March, the newspaper Newsday reported that Kidan was among the hosts of a fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for a Long Island Republican congressional candidate.

A message sent to Kidan’s business seeking comment was not immediately returned Friday evening.

Continued from page 1A

Trump on Friday also pardoned ranch owner Jack Harvard, citing an “upstanding record” post-conviction and praising him for allowing the U.S. military and NATO troops to train on his land free of charge.

The White House did not immediately release additional details about Harvard, including his conviction.

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SIGNS

“These signs are more than markers on the road.

They are visible proof that St. George is moving forward, building its identity and doing the work residents created this city to do,” Yates said.

The mayor emphasized that because the city’s public works model is “operating efficiently,” it can spend money on new signs while also investing in roads and infrastructure.

The city has been putting up the signs for the past three weeks, and the installation should end by next week.

Planning for the project began in March, and the first step was designing the new signs, said Landon Tims, St.

early 2000s lobbying scandal involving Abramoff, Capitol Hill, the Interior Department and members of President George W. Bush’s administration.

After leaving prison in 2009, Kidan began working at a staffing agency, went on to found a staffing business, Chartwell Staffing Solutions, and now serves as president of Empire Work-

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STAFF PHoTo By MICHAEL JoHnSon

St. George has installed new road signage featuring the city’s branding, like this one on Highland Road.

George public works director.

“We currently have multiple beautification projects, roadway striping initiatives and numerous roadway improvement projects underway as part of our ongoing investment in the city’s in-

frastructure,” Tims said.

Similar to this project, in early June St. George also installed its first new welcome signs at four entrances to the city at Bluebonnet Boulevard, Nicholson Drive, Hyacinth Avenue and East Perkins Road.

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4A ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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CENTER

Visitors to the Family and youth Service Center in Baton Rouge are greeted by a large mural in the parking lot.

Continued from page 1A “I need someone else to know it,” she said. “I need to let them know that while I still can.”

Ups and downs

LANDRY

Continued from page 1A

Political pull

Governor claims big wins

Either way, Landry said, “There’s nobody in Louisiana who is looking for a job that can’t find a job if they have the skill set.”

Yet jobs are not appearing in significant numbers, federal government statistics show.

Since January 2025, Louisiana has created about 14,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an increase of 0.6% over that period of time, compared to an increase nationally of 0.7%.

Jim Richardson, a retired LSU economics professor, said the strongest growth has been in construction jobs that will disappear once the investment projects open.

These projects are so automated, Richardson added, the permanent jobs will be fewer than the construction jobs at these sites.

Louisiana had a 4.5% unemployment rate in May, up from 4.3% in January 2025.

Signs of dissatisfaction Landry’s scrappy nature elected him twice as attorney general and once as governor. But it led him to meddle in LSU’s coaching change last year in ways that turned off many college football fans.

His willingness to do Trump’s bidding led him to accept serving as the president’s special envoy to Greenland. But he has softpedaled that role in Louisiana, apparently because of the political dangers of being seen as inattentive to his job as governor.

Landry didn’t notify the

press in advance that he was traveling to Greenland in May. While he said in the interview that he keeps the public abreast of his activities through social media, he didn’t tweet once about Greenland while there. Instead, he tweeted about bill signings, the need for a teacher pay raise and the first dog, Blanc.

Black legislators, particularly those in New Orleans, are still smarting from vetoes that Landry issued following the legislative session that targeted their measures.

“These vetoes were not about policy. They were about punishment,” said state Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans. “Funding for healthcare, early childhood education, housing, homeless youth and other critical community investments was wiped away.

The people paying the price are not politicians. They are working families, children, seniors, patients, nonprofits and small businesses.”

Landry said he based the vetoes on policy, not politics, adding that his predecessor, Edwards, a Democrat, vetoed $500 million of Republican projects during his eight years in office.

A year ago, it was fellow Republicans who felt Landry’s sting. A full 16 of the 17 line-item vetoes that he issued in 2025 targeted spending projects sought by Republican legislators who had supported Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple when he opposed legislation that Landry championed.

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Landry wasted no time after taking office in January 2024 as the first Republican governor with a Republican supermajority in the Legislature.

He got legislators to close primaries for this year’s Senate, Public Service Commission and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education races — a change that posed a barrier to Cassidy’s reelection, since it meant he couldn’t draw votes from conservative Democrats.

Landry and legislators reduced corporate and individual income tax rates, eliminated the corporate franchise tax, made it easier for people on death row to be executed, made it more difficult for people injured in accidents to sue for big damages in an effort to bring down insurance rates and eliminated the unpopular vehicle inspection sticker for most of Louisiana.

Two weeks ago, Landry announced a deal to settle longstanding lawsuits by coastal parishes against ExxonMobil that accused the company’s drilling activities of polluting wetlands and causing the disappearance of coastal marsh.

In the interview, Landry disclosed a few details of the agreement, saying that ExxonMobil would provide close to $200 million to cap many orphan wells in Louisiana.

“We have 1,088 orphan wells,” Landry said, referring to the number along the coast. “We’ll be able to knock out a chunk of those orphan wells with this deal. I think it’s a good deal for the state of Louisiana. It’s a good deal for ExxonMobil.”

That agreement appears to be tied to more than 100,000

acres of land that ExxonMobil controls near Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish that SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space exploration and artificial intelligence company, is believed to be eying as a launch location. Landry said he couldn’t comment on any potential SpaceX deal.

Thanks to Fleming, carbon capture and sequestration projects developed as a flashpoint during the Senate race.

Landry noted that he issued a moratorium on new projects but said he remains committed to the technology.

“We’ve been putting things in the ground in Louisiana for decades in a safe and reliable manner,” Landry said. “What has happened is complete propaganda that John Fleming tried to latch onto. And you can see, it was a complete failure.”

Landry has announced major investment projects, including Meta’s $27 billion data center in Richland Parish, Hyundai’s $5.8 billion steel plant in Ascension Parish and Venture Global’s $18 billion expansion of its liquefied natural gas facility in Plaquemines Parish.

“We have historic investment in the state, right?”

Landry said. “We might get to $200 billion by the end of the year in private investment.

That’s equated to 124,000 new job opportunities.”

Landry has cited that job figure previously, but Kate Kelly, the governor’s press secretary, later said it was actually 95,000 new job opportunities.

r

During his 30 months as governor, Landry has earned a reputation for flexing his political muscles against opponents. That may help him keep the field clear for his reelection next year.

“I don’t believe his strength is based on his popularity,” said Bernie Pinsonat, a veteran pollster and political consultant. “His strength for reelection is that he dominates everything and everybody in Louisiana. He’s out there building a political power base that effectively reduces the opportunity for anyone to come after him.”

The Republican mentioned most often as a possible rival is Garret Graves, who served 10 years in the U.S. House from Baton Rouge until Landry got the Legislature to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries in a way that left Graves without a winnable district. Graves didn’t return a text asking him whether he might challenge Landry.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said he’s not ruling out a possible campaign for governor next year but said he’s focused on running for reelection.

“I get calls every day asking me to run, but I love what I do,” said Nungesser, whose job description includes promoting tourism in Louisiana.

On the Democratic side, John Bel Edwards has told friends that he has little interest in running next year.

State Sen. Jay Luneau from Alexandria is mentioned as a possible candidate.

“I’ve been approached by lots of folks interested in me doing that. The job is what I’d really like,” Luneau said.

“I don’t know if a Democrat can beat a Republican in a statewide race, but you never know. You’d be foolish not to consider that he has a lot of money in his account.”

Roy Fletcher, a veteran political strategist who worked for Fleming’s Senate campaign, said that race exposed fissures in the Republican Party with Landry.

“He has some real accomplishments he can point to.

There’s no question about

that,” Fletcher said. “But he has serious problems that remain with the electorate — serious enough that they had to spend a whole lot of money to defeat John Fleming, who made him an issue in the campaign. He’s kind of alienated the base of the party. He has to go back and repair that. If he runs against a strong Democrat, he can’t let that Democrat get 30% of the White vote.”

One of those alienated conservatives is Mark T. Guillory, a resident of Pineville in central Louisiana who is a key member of Save My Louisiana, a group that vehemently believes that carbon capture and sequestration threatens to pollute waterways and infringe on landowners’ rights.

“In his zeal to bring prosperity, he is trampling on our lives, our liberty and our property,” Guillory said.

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reduce income taxes. He has delivered for social conservatives by tightening Louisiana’s anti-abortion laws even further and getting lawmakers to approve putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

“We have put the data on the board that says we’re winning, and our policies are working,” Landry said during a 30-minute phone interview on Tuesday.

He had accumulated a formidable amount of cash on hand — $10.7 million — at the beginning of this year, when he had to file his latest campaign finance report. No major figure is making moves to run against him, at least not yet.

Beating an incumbent is difficult. No governor has lost his reelection bid in 35 years.

But as the constitutional amendment defeats showed, voters don’t always warmly embrace his pugnacious style. A group has launched a difficult-to-achieve recall effort.

Black voters — who turned out in disproportionately low numbers when he was elected governor in 2023 — turned out in relatively large numbers last month when the constitutional amendments were on the ballot. That election occurred as Landry and legislative Republicans were turning a majority-Black congressional seat into one with a majority-White seat that would favor a Republican candidate.

Meanwhile, Landry angered supporters of Cassidy and Fleming during the primary by showing no hesitance to attack the two men.

He kept that up in the interview.

“John Fleming tried to use a lot of misinformation, disinformation and hype and scare people about an issue,” Landry said, referring to Fleming making his opposition to carbon capture and sequestration a central part of his Senate campaign.

Asked about President Donald Trump’s reaction to Cassidy’s defeat, Landry said, “The president has always been consistent in his displeasure with Bill Cassidy.

It’s Bill’s fault. Bill begged the president for his endorsement, begged him, begged him, begged him. The president gave him everything Bill asked for. As soon as he got sworn in, he turned coattail on the president.”

Three months after winning reelection in 2020, Cas-

sidy voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges of inciting his supporters to assault the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Landry spoke from Washington, D.C., where he was attending festivities marking the country’s 250th birthday.

He posted videos of himself being interviewed on Fox News and attending the Louisiana booth at Trump’s Great American State Fair on the mall.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate.com.

e

The idea for the one-stop-shop grew out of town hall meetings where residents shared ideas of ways to combat an uptick in juvenile crime and high levels of truancy.

Four East Baton Rouge Parish agencies agreed to join forces — the school system, the city-parish, the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office — with each com-

creation of the center persist. The 2016 flood and the COVID pandemic exacerbated them. The latter in particular is credited with a large nationwide increase in absenteeism from school.

Despite the ups and downs, dozens of families come every month seeking help. Welch gets daily satisfaction in helping them.

“This has made changes in so many lives,” Welch said. “It gave kids chances, kids that have since graduated from college that weren’t even going to graduate from high school.”

And she loves working at a place filled with people like her who are ready to help.

“There is a brotherhood and sisterhood of like-minded people here that I’ve never seen before,” Welch said.

Her main regret is that the center had no marketing budget to help it get the word out.

“We do great things here, but nobody really knows what we do,” she said.

As Welch readies to leave, Bonaventure said she’s not far behind her.

“I’m ready to pass the torch, but I‘m not ready to do it until everything is stable,” she said.

al

Common cause

STAFF PHoToS By MICHAEL JoHnSon including Thrive Academy, an inner-city public boarding school The Family and youth Service Center, a one-stop shop that helps Baton that built a permanent home across Rouge families in distress, is at a crossroads after 14 years in operation town on Brightside Drive. as its founding director Roxson Welch retires and the remaining The turnover and vacant space, however, has prevented the center leadership mulls its future. from generating operating income that would allow it to be more selfmitting $100,000 a year for the next Synergy and challenges sustaining. three years to launch the Family Rutledge said several tenants and Youth Service Center. All four Some of the hoped-for synergy relocated staff to the new center, and teamwork of having comple- have come with their own financial which took over a historic campus mentary agencies and nonprofits in problems.

“It seemed like it became a magfor what was the Louisiana School the same location did emerge, but it for the Visually Impaired until that dissipated over time. net for nonprofits whose revenue state-run school moved out in 2009.

“At one point, they were hum- was quite marginal,” he said.

The state-funded Truancy As- ming along pretty good,” Rutledge He recalled one tenant that was sessment and Service Center and said. “I don’t think it happened for nearly evicted because it could not come up with $500 in back rent. the school district’s Child Welfare a long-enough period.”

Rutledge credits Welch for Rutledge and another board memand Attendance Office were key early tenants. They worked with much of that success, saying she’s ber ended up paying the debt out of other agencies to successfully re- been the “glue” that’s helped keep their own pockets.

Rutledge left the school system turn chronically absent children things together through the ups and in 2018. Years later, under a new to the classroom. They worked downs.

“She approached this like it was a superintendent, the school system together on a series of truancy downscaled its commitment to the roundups that employed the threat ministry,” Rutledge said.

Rutledge, however, is not compli- center and moved its Child Welof criminal action against the parents, with specialized assistance mentary of the school building the fare staff elsewhere. He said that to help these children get back on center occupies. While it’s in a good proved a critical loss. track. location that’s easily accessible by “When the school system sort of Domoine Rutledge is a mem- car and bus, the old structure has withdrew, that inhibited the mober of the center’s board. When it been a persistent problem, from mentum,” Rutledge said. started, he was the lead attorney leaks to antiquated wiring.

“If the effort is going to be suc“There were just incessant com- cessful,” he continued, “the school for the school system and helped with much of the early organiza- plaints about all manner of things,” system is going to have to be a cenhe said. tional work for the center. tral part of it.”

Welch said the center has been “It has been a struggle from day one, and to my mind it was a wor- an incubator for several organiza- ‘It gave kids chances’ thy struggle,” Rutledge said. tions that moved on to new homes, The problems that drove the

S

Throughout the past 14 years, Kelly Bonaventure has worked alongside Welch. That’s partly via her day job overseeing juvenile services for East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore, a steadfast supporter of the center.

And partly since she’s served for years as president of the nonprofit’s board of directors.

Bonaventure says longtime partners with the center, including her boss, have been cutting back their financial support and tenants have moved out.

“With different nonprofits and different funding partners losing their budgets, we are up and down as well with our budget,” Bonaventure said.

With Welch leaving, Bonaventure said, the board of directors is scouting for money to hire a consultant to “figure out ways to move forward and figure out the best ways to serve the interests of the parish.”

Welch’s last day was Tuesday, but she said she will continue to work on a volunteer basis while the center sorts out its future.

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Unbearable heat suspected in 19 New Jersey deaths High temperatures give way to thunderstorms

BY COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press

Several days of scorching temperatures are suspected to have caused at least 19 deaths in New Jersey as a heat dome that had settled above parts of the central and eastern United States gives way to severe storms that have knocked out power to close to 1 million homes and businesses.

New Jersey officials said Saturday that they began seeing what they believe are heat-related deaths as early as Thursday with most occurring in the central and northern parts of the state.

“Unfortunately, many of these individuals were found in homes without air conditioning,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Raynard Washington told reporters Saturday. “A few were outside their residences, some on the street and some even in parked cars.”

New Jersey Gov. Mikie

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By SydnEy SCHAEFER

A person shields themselves from the sun at Pier 57 on Saturday during a heat wave ahead of the International Parade of Sail in new york.

Sherrill called the current weather “the hottest stretch we’ve seen in over 14 years.”

“The heat’s hitting all of us, not just seniors, not just with underlying health conditions, people of all ages,” Sherrill said.

On Thursday, LaGuardia Airport in New York set a new record high of 104 degrees, topping the previous record of 101 set in 1966, according to Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and At-

mospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center.

Trenton, New Jersey, reached 101, which broke the record of 100 set in 1901.

Newark’s high Thursday was 105.

Atlantic City, New Jersey,

hit 103 on Thursday, breaking the city’s record of 100 set in 1966, Jackson said.

Atlantic City reached 105 on Friday and 106 on Saturday.

Heat domes can be dangerous and combine very high temperatures with high moisture, Jackson said.

“In a lot of cases they also had direct sunshine,” he said.

“It was relentless. It was multiple days. It was not as cool overnight, as well. The low Friday morning in Atlantic City was 80. The body can’t recover as well. You just have that multiple day buildup and too much added stress on the body.”

But even as the heat moved to the east, lowering temperatures a bit, severe storms blew in with heavy winds that toppled utility poles and split trees, causing their boles and branches to fall onto power lines.

About 900,000 utility customers in parts of the central, eastern and southern United States were without electricity early Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.com.

More than 223,000 customers in Michigan and close to 170,000 in Pennsylvania had lost power.

PPL Electric reported

121,417 without power Sunday morning, including about 47,000 in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area.

Central Hudson in New York state reported that it had more than 430 reported downed wires on Sunday. The utility said about 50,000 customers were affected by the storm and that about 650 still were without power Sunday.

Amanda Vesper was putting her children to bed Friday evening when the first storm rolled through the Detroit area, knocking out her power.

“It didn’t seem that awful.

It got quite windy,” said Vesper, 40, of Commerce Township.

As of late Sunday morning, the electricity still was out.

“We’ve been going back and forth between a hotel and our home because we have dogs there,” she said.

“We really can’t stay there.

I have a small child with autism. Our well runs on an electric pump.”

The outage also ruined the family’s July 4 celebration.

“We had planned on having company over at the house, but had to cancel,” Vesper said. “I went grocery shopping. I’m hoping my freezer holds.”

Prosecutors to lay out their case in Charlie Kirk killing

BY MATTHEW BROWN and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Charlie Kirk’s widow and parents are expected this week in a Utah court where prosecutors seeking the death penalty will argue that the man charged with killing the conservative activist should stand trial for murder.

The five-day preliminary hearing that starts Monday will be the first time members of Kirk’s family are in the Utah courtroom with defendant Tyler Robinson. The

hearing will be livestreamed.

Robinson turned himself in after the shooting. Prosecutors allege that he also sent a text message confession to his partner and left a note saying he had an opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”

He has not entered a plea in the case, however.

Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk, who was addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University. His attorneys have not commented on

his guilt or innocence.

Months of legal jostling leading up to the hearing centered largely on media access. Beginning Monday, the focus shifts to whether there is enough evidence for a trial and if the death penalty is warranted, said Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor and former federal judge.

Cassell said evidence made public to date in court filings suggests prosecutors have “an overwhelming case.”

“This seems like the proverbial slam dunk at this

stage of the case, where the only issue is whether there is a sound basis for moving forward with a trial on the merits,” he said.

A death sentence is an option in Utah only when a crime has aggravating circumstances. Prosecutors will argue in Robinson’s case that Kirk’s shooting endangered others in attendance.

The proceeding will resemble a minitrial, with prosecutors planning to offer DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, testimony from investigators, autopsy

findings, witness statements and video of Kirk’s killing.

They are not required to present all their evidence and can use secondhand information, or hearsay.

After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine if the case should proceed.

Reporters and the public will be allowed to attend after Graf denied a defense request to restrict access.

Kirk’s killing drew backlash from his Republican allies, including President Donald Trump, who first announced Robinson’s arrest

7 OPEC+ countries agree to expand monthly oil production modestly

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Associated Press

NEW YORK — A handful of countries in the OPEC+ oilproducing alliance plan to increase their outputs modestly next month, which would bring more oil online after fuel prices have fallen to levels not seen since before the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies — collectively known as OPEC+ — announced on Sunday that seven countries would expand oil production by a combined total of 188,000 barrels per day in August. It was the fifth consecutive month OPEC+ agreed to raise oil outputs.

The participating countries in Sunday’s decision are

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman.

“The countries will continue to monitor and assess market conditions, and in their continuous efforts to support market stability, they reaffirmed the importance of adopting a cautious approach,” the group of oil producers said in a statement.

In the last month, market optimism caused crude oil prices to tumble before and after the U.S. and Iran reached an interim deal to end their fighting. As part of a broader memorandum of understanding, Iran agreed to allow ships to pass unimpeded through the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. agreed to end its blockade of Iran’s ports.

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in a Sept. 12 interview on Fox News and said, “I hope he gets the death penalty.”

This week prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors have to prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle used to kill Kirk, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle.

Yo

u ar r M ts o He ve re

St

vessels have since transited the strait, which before the war was a conduit for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil. But ship traffic remains below prewar levels, and tensions over the waterway continue.

Iran’s joint military command warned as recently as Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response.”

Oil prices have continued to decline while negotiators for Iran and the U.S. try to reach a final peace agreement. Brent crude, the international benchmark, closed at under $72 a barrel on Friday. That’s close to what it cost before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February — and far below soaring prices that in March climbed to nearly $120 per barrel.

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BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

STAFF PHoTo By JAVIER GALLEGoS

DeAtte Dalrymple holds up her stitching frame to show Elanah Wilson, left, her technique during the 2026 Open Experimental Studio offered in June by the LSU College of Art & Design at Glassell Gallery. The studio invited participants of all ages into a series of hands-on workshops hosted by resident artists Edem Dake and Rachel Parish.

An Asian dessert and drink shop is coming to the Walmart in Prairieville, according to commercial permit records.

Construction is underway to renovate a former restaurant space inside the Walmart, at 17585 Airline Highway, into a BamBu Dessert Drinks location. BamBu Dessert Drinks is a Vietnamese-inspired dessert cafe known for its chè — a layered dessert made with beans, jellies, fruit and coconut milk — along with fruit teas, smoothies, milk teas and specialty coffees.

Permit records show the renovation will convert the 2,270-squarefoot space at an estimated cost of $75,000. The permit application was submitted on May 28.

The business could not be reached for comment about an expected opening date.

Founded in 2008 by four sisters in San Jose, California, the brand now has more than 65 locations across the United States and Canada.

The Prairieville location will be the company’s third in Louisiana.

There is a Mandeville location and one in Metairie, though in a Facebook announcement last week, the Metairie location announced it would close its doors on Sunday.

Report details Chalmette refinery explosion in May Blast shot 13 tons of ‘catalyst material’ into air

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

New details have emerged of a May explosion and fire at a Chalmette refinery that shook homes miles away, with a regulatory report divulging where the blaze began and pollutants released in the incident.

The May 8 fire ignited around 12:51 p.m. in a section of the Chalmette Refining complex where impurities are removed from oil constituents to meet air quality standards, according to the report.

A reactor inside what is known as Retreater No. 1 lost “containment,” causing liquid hydrocarbons to ignite.

“Operations immediately began shutdown procedures and started to isolate the reactor and the heater,” company officials reported to state regulators.

The fire was allowed to burn in a controlled manner, the company said, until a purge with the inert gas nitrogen began about 3:55 p.m.

The fire was out 10 minutes later.

More than 13 tons of a nickelbased catalyst designed to pull impurities from crude oil were “expelled” in the blast and fell to the ground, according to a report. The impurities include things naturally found in crude, such as sulfur and a variety of toxic heavy metals, and they can end up latching onto the catalyst.

The refinery says the fire led to no detectable air emissions that could pose a public safety risk, but one environmental group has questioned that assertion because, it contends, air testing didn’t account for likely dust emissions from the damaged catalyst.

In addition to the 27,027 pounds of this “catalyst material,” Chalmette Refining listed 1.7 pounds of nickel arsenide and 26,371 pounds of a naphtha-hydrogen mixture pollutants that were released — about 13.3 tons in total.

Under the refinery’s air permit, the section of the plant that burned can’t release any catalyst or nickel arsenide into the air and only about a half ton of naphtha annually.

The company told Department of Environmental Quality neither the catalyst nor the naphtha was “extremely hazardous,” though the nickel arsenide was. The refin-

ery’s letter did address potential air emissions of nickel arsenide, telling regulators its dust particles would be too big to inhale.

The environmental group Louisiana Bucket Brigade questioned whether that would occur in an explosive fire.

Chalmette Refining did test for air emissions commonly associated with fires involving petroleum products, including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds, and found none in neighborhoods near the plant, including on the West Bank.

But neither state nor company officials took air readings to determine whether particulates from the discharged catalyst or other aspect of the fire may have been sent into the air.

Fire still under investigation The disclosure of the expelled catalyst came in a “seven-day letter,” which companies must file with the state DEQ a week after incidents. The letters provide a first estimate of what chemicals were released and an early explanation of what happened, though often the cause remains undetermined, as it is in this case.

The Advocate | Times-Picayune obtained the Chalmette Refining report through a request.

In the May 15 letter, the company didn’t fully describe what the catalyst was made of nor what impurities it may have had.

In a one-sentence statement, Chalmette Refining would not say why it didn’t test for particulates nor provide more information about the catalyst’s makeup: “Chalmette Refining is continuing to work with the appropriate agencies on this matter and will update them as required.”

DEQ officials couldn’t say what the catalyst was made of but said the fire remains under investigation.

The refinery did tell DEQ that the catalyst’s chemical active component was made of nickel and that the catalyst had small traces of the chemical byproduct, nickel arsenide. Both nickel and arsenic are metals with toxic qualities that can trigger respiratory problems in acute exposures.

Catalysts often have qualities that remain proprietary for competitive reasons. But reports from PBF Energy, the refinery’s owner, and chemical engineering groups indicate such catalysts often are made of nickel and molybdenum or cobalt and molybdenum. They

STAFF FILE PHoTo By SoPHIA GERMER

A May explosion and fire at the PBF Chalmette Refinery on the Mississippi River in Chalmette shook homes miles away. According to a regulatory report, more than 13 tons of a nickel-based catalyst were ‘expelled’ in the blast. can have an alumina base and can cent federal whistleblower lawsuit be embedded with the impurities alleging poor maintenance in parts they remove from crude. of the complex, though not where the May 8 fire happened, according ‘Doesn’t make any sense’ to state and federal records.

In the past two years, the refinA Louisiana Bucket Brigade chemist says the catalyst was ery has paid $100,000 in fines to likely embedded with heavy met- DEQ and, in late April, agreed to als commonly found in crude oil pay another $160,000 under settleand there “was no way” those met- ments to end dozens of alleged als weren’t sent aloft as tiny bits violations for self-reported emisof dust along with other particles sions exceedances, accidental generated by the fire. leaks, emissions reporting failures “It doesn’t make any sense not and other breakdowns going back to measure all the particulates, to 2017, according to state docuespecially because it is so easy to ments. do, so they should have done that The complex had a fire in its straight away,” said Corinne Gibb, renewable diesel unit in January an air monitoring coordinator for 2023 that an independent fedthe organization. eral safety regulator concluded Dust emissions from catalyst stemmed from a tube rupture. In problems aren’t without precedent 2024, the refinery has had at least at Chalmette Refining. In early three small fires, according to February, a different catalyst for state reports. a different part of the refinery Since 2023, the refinery has also “got into the system,” according had a series of equipment failures to company officials, during a and accidental releases of toxic unit startup and workers reported or highly flammable chemicals seeing dust emitting from a vent. that didn’t lead to fires, includCompany officials told DEQ of- ing a leak of more than 53 tons of ficials the dust emissions weren’t compressed flammable gas over 15 significant enough under regula- minutes in mid-2023.

The company has also received tory standards to warrant further 10 DEQ violation warning letters inquiry, according to a report.

The plant has had chronic al- since February 2024 from alleged leged violations in the past that failures to keep up with equipment have led to costly settlements with maintenance that led to leaks, elthe state. It is also the focus of a re- evated emissions or fires.

In some cases, the company has disputed the breakdowns were preventable and has told the agency it invests heavily in keeping equipment up to date.

The refinery has also been among a handful of facilities along the river that are the focus of frequent community complaints about rotten egg or pungent smells emanating from somewhere in the parish’s industrial zone.

Several of the facilities handle or emit gases like hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide that can create smells. Often state inspectors aren’t able to determine the source, according to state reports.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

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Firefighters killed in Colo. remembered for bravery

BY JESSICA HILL, WUFEI YU and JOHN SEEWER

BY ELENA BECATOROS

BY SAMY MAGDY

CAIRO — A cargo ship came under attack Sunday off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea, the British military said, the latest maritime attack off the conflicttorn Arab country.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the attack

F.G. Clark Activity Center on the campus of Southern University and A&M College at 6pm.

Ascension of Our Lord Mausoleum in Donaldsonville at 11 a.m.

Clark, Christopher

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church at 11 a.m.

Higdon, Robert

Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 3475 N. Sherwood Forest Drive, at 11 a.m.

Sexton, Raymond

St. John's United Methodist Church, 230 Renee Drive, at 12:45 p.m.

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By Ty onEIL

A woman salutes on June 29 during a procession for firefighters who died battling wildfires near the ColoradoUtah border in Grand Junction, Colo. destroyed more than 200 structures as of Sunday, authorities said. National Guard soldiers were sent in Friday to help with staffing checkpoints on roads near the fire zone.

Months of dry weather and a record lack of snow this past winter in some places along with erratic winds have been fueling the fires.

The three firefighters killed on June 27 in western Colorado were members of a Helitack crew that sometimes drops into remote areas by helicopters.

Barker, Hutcherson and Watson and two others who sustained burn injuries were overcome by flames from fast-moving fires in Mesa County. They had deployed emergency protective shelters, which are

considered a “last resort” for firefighters when there is no other way out.

Fennessy, the Wildland Fire Service chief, said Sunday that “the weight of this tragedy is felt way beyond our wildland fire community.”

Photos of the firefighters were set up on the stage at the memorial service alongside flowers and flags.

They worked jobs that require courage, selflessness, strength and heart, said Sarah Fisher, the U.S. Forest Service’s deputy chief for fire and aviation management.

“The work demands long days, heavy burdens and quiet acts of bravery,” she said. “We will remember them, we will honor their legacy and we will carry their light forward.”

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By GIAnnIS PAPAnIKoS

day, according to the Civil Protection authority. The wildfire had burned across an area of 30,000 acres by Sunday, information from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite mapping agency showed.

The EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid said that Spain sent 120 firefighters and 45 vehicles as reinforcements to Portugal on Friday, while three firefighting aircraft from Italy and Spain were also dispatched to help.

By Sunday afternoon, the fire appeared to be abating somewhat, with Portuguese media quoting officials as saying it no longer had major active fronts but that some hot spots remained.

In Spain, a wildfire burning since Friday in the northeastern Girona region had burned nearly 5,400 acres, the EFE news agency said. Catalan Fire Service head of operations Eduard Martinez said the blaze had a perimeter of 25 miles and firefighters may not be able to bring it under control on Sunday, EFE said.

On the other side of southern Europe, in Greece, a

fast-moving blaze at a recycling plant broke out Saturday evening near the Oraiokastro suburb of Thessaloniki, triggering evacuation alerts for three suburbs and a facility housing 157 people with disabilities.

Strong winds fanned the flames, and around 160 firefighters were deployed to battle the flames through the night until water-dropping aircraft could take off at dawn, the fire department said.

Oraiokastro Mayor Pandelis Tsakiris said on Greece’s state broadcaster ERT that several businesses and homes were damaged but a clearer picture would emerge after authorities conduct a full evaluation.

A 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of having started the blaze through negligence by generating sparks with his vehicle that set vegetation near the road alight, the fire department said. He was due to appear before a prosecutor Sunday.

The fire came days after another wildfire in a nearby area killed a 12-year-old boy and his father.

British military says cargo ship reports attack in Red Sea off Yemen Associated Press

Cador, Roger

Cayette, Cinderella

Thick smoke rises above Filothei settlement during a ATHENS, Greece — Hundreds wildfire Sunday on the outskirts of the northern city of of firefighters battled wild- Thessaloniki, Greece.

fires in Portugal, Greece and Spain on Sunday, with Spain and Italy sending reinforcements to Portugal to help with a massive blaze burning for more than three days.

Authorities urged residents in parts of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, to remain indoors and shut their windows and doors due to toxic smoke from a burning recycling plant that was engulfed by a wildfire.

Another major wildfire broke out Sunday afternoon west of the Greek capital, Athens. The fire department said 210 firefighters, backed up by volunteers, specialized teams and 29 aircraft, including water-dropping planes and helicopters, were deployed to battle the blaze burning through pine forest in the Mandra area. Authorities were racing to contain the blaze before nightfall, when aircraft can no longer perform firefighting operations.

In central Portugal’s Vouzela area, more than 1,200 firefighters backed up by nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft tried to put out a blaze that broke out Thurs-

Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 15615 Jefferson Highway, at noon.

St. Thomas More Catholic Church at noon.

Wildfires rage in Portugal, Greece and Spain Associated Press

Amar, Ralph

Cangelosi, Aline

Associated Press

With wildfires burning across many Western states, wildland firefighters gathered Sunday to pay tribute to three of their own who died after they were trapped by flames a week ago.

Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson were remembered for being courageous public servants who left a lasting impact on the communities where they worked.

“They showed up to make order out of chaos day after day with purpose, dedication and heart,” U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said during a memorial service in Grand Junction, Colorado, near where the firefighters died while battling flames on the Colorado-Utah border.

While that fire is now almost entirely contained, nearly 40 large fires are still going strong across the West. Most of the current fires are scattered around Colorado, Utah and New Mexico while there are wildfires in eight other states — from Alaska to Arizona.

Over the holiday weekend, more evacuations in Colorado were ordered across four counties where the Aspen Acres fire had burned about 136 square miles south of Colorado Springs.

The fire had damaged or

Funerals Today

off Hodeida city, which is under control of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

The UKMTO said the ship reported being “under attack by unknown armed assailants” 30 nautical miles southwest of Hodeida.

A skiff approached the bulk carrier and opened fire, forcing security guards to return fire, be-

fore sailing back to a larger ship about 2 nautical miles away with its automatic identification system switched off, the UKMTO said.

The cargo ship and crew were reported safe, the British military said, adding that authorities were investigating.

No group immediately claimed the attack.

Tucker, Winifred

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, 5354 Plank Road, at noon.

Obituaries Cador, Roger

Roger Cador, 75, of Ventress, Louisiana, legendary former head baseball coach at Southern University, passed away on June 30, 2026. A Hall of Fame coach and one of the winningest coaches in collegiate baseball history, Cador led the Jaguars for 33 seasons, compiling 913 victories, 14 SWAC championships, two HBCU National Championships, and 11 NCAA Regional appearances. He was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and National College Baseball Hall of Fame.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Expert and Eunice Cador, and a sister, Mary Jean Cador.

He is survived by his sons, Johnthan Cador of Zachary, Louisiana, Jeremy Cador of Montgomery, Alabama, and a bonus son, Tim Romero of Knoxville, Tennessee; his siblings, Betty Leonard and Henry Cador of New Roads, Louisiana; his aunt, Marie Joseph of New Roads, Louisiana; and numerous family members, former players, colleagues, and friends.

Public viewing will be held Monday, July 6, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the F.G. Clark Activity Center on the campus of Southern University and A&M College, followed by a memorial service at 6:00 p.m. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Hall Davis and Son Funeral Service.

Sign the online guest book at www.hallsinc.net.

lowing a brief illness.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 38 years, Suzanne Fournet Sexton; his sons, David Sexton (Marcia) and Scott Sexton (Anja); his beloved sister, Jessie Sexton Williams; his stepchildren, Jill Roshto and Terence Roshto; his honorary daughter and son -in-law, Jane and Ricky Bearden; and six beloved grandchildren: Robin Sexton, Nicholas and Andrew Roshto; Elizabeth, Anna, and Kate Bearden. He is also survived by his sister-in -law, Kathleen Hains (Johnny); his brother-in-law, Marc Fournet (Karen); his goddaughter, Audrey Ducote Bell; his cherished longtime executive assistant, Alice Diez; along with associates Alesia Ardoin, Blair Naquin, and Blane Wilson.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse Raymond Sexton and Valentine Clements Sexton; in-laws Charles Williams, Walter Fournet III, Jackie and Jim Daughtry and his cherished friend, Jimmy Taylor.

A native of Pineville, Louisiana, Gray was a proud graduate of Centenary College and the Louisiana State University Law School. He practiced law in Baton Rouge for more than 60 years, a profession he loved deeply until the very end. He founded The Law Offices of R. Gray Sexton and served for four decades as General Counsel to the Louisiana Board of Ethics and the Supervisory Committee on Campaign Finance Disclosure. In that role, he represented the State of Louisiana in administrative and judicial proceedings and helped shape Louisiana's ethics and campaign finance laws from their inception. Widely recognized as one of Louisiana's foremost authorities on governmental ethics, campaign finance, lobbying, and public sector law, Gray was especially proud of his role in authoring Louisiana's Ethics Code and Campaign Finance Disclosure provisions.

Throughout his distinguished legal career, Gray earned the respect of judges, attorneys, elected officials, and clients alike for his brilliant legal mind, unwavering professionalism, and commitment to public service. He also remained deeply committed to his alma maters, serving on the Centenary College Board of Governors and as a member of the inaugural class of the LSU Law Center Hall of Fame. He was a member of Bocage Racquet Club, a member of the Board of Directors at The Country Club of Louisiana

where he was a member for thirty-eight years and former President of the CCLA Homeowners Association.

While Gray's professional accomplishments were extraordinary, his greatest joy came from the people in his life. He treasured his family, valued his friendships, and was profoundly grateful to the many mentors and colleagues who influenced his career. He genuinely appreciated Lane Grigsby, who served as his primary mentor and steadfast professional supporter throughout his career. He also valued colleagues Brad Dutruch, Ken Dutruch, Justin Haydel, Ken Jacob, Mike Polito, Dave Roberts, and the Robinson Brothers family, among many others.

Outside of the courtroom, Gray was every bit as competitive on the tennis court. His favorite place was Court Two at the Country Club of Louisiana, where he spent countless hours with his beloved "Fearless Foursome"—Brad Lanehart, Gerald Garrison, and Tommy Jeter and alternates Stephen McCollister and Rusty Jenkins.

Those friendships, forged through years of competition and laughter, brought him immeasurable happiness.

Gray wanted to extend heartfelt appreciation to his dear friend and physician, Dr. Ed Vinci, for his exceptional care and friendship over the years.

He also never missed an opportunity to mention one of his favorite companions, his grand-pup, Scarlett, who always brought a smile to his face.

Gray lived a life defined by intellectual curiosity and loyalty to his friends and family. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy of service to the legal profession, to the State of Louisiana, and to all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Visitation will be Monday, July 6 at St. John's United Methodist Church, 230 Renee Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from 11:00am - 12:45pm, with a Celebration of Life Service at 12:45pm. A private interment will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Centenary College Scholarship Fund, LSU Law Center Scholarship Fund or St. John's United Methodist Church .

How to place an Obituary Notice EMAIL:

obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

225-388-0289

Sexton, Raymond Gray

How to place a Memorial Ad An “In Memory Of” ad, is a way to pay tribute to your loved one. This remembrance is often printed on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. The deadline is two days prior to the day you want your ad to appear.

TO PLACE A MEMORIAL AD GO TO: obituaries.theadvocate.com, click submit an obituary and select create a memoriam.

Raymond "Gray" Sexton passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 2, 2026, fol-

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YOUR VIEWS lll

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/opinions

Congress, states should suspend gas taxes while prices are high

Child abuse is the legacy of a nation that has treated people as less than human I am a licensed clinical social worker and survivor of child abuse who is deeply concerned about the state of child welfare in Louisiana.

As I learned about child abuse through my social work education and career, I discovered that abuse is not rare. I now see child maltreatment woven into the fabric of Louisiana culture, just like crawfish boils, potholes and Mardi Gras.

Those who feel entitled to abuse children have a desire to exert power over another human being. It stems from the belief that children are subhuman property. Just like enslaved people were seen as the property of White people. Just like women were seen as the property of their husbands.

The United States’ culture is a culture of abuse because we are a nation of colonizers who bought and sold people and abused them because we could. Many people today believe they have a right to physical violence against others to exert their control.

The same attitudes that have caused people to attack trans people in bathrooms, to lock away undocumented immigrants in concentration camps, to criminalize homelessness and disability, to beat their spouses, to exploit workers for their labor in exchange for pennies — these are the same attitudes that caregivers have when they abuse their children.

We will never be rid of this problem until we look at how we have been indoctrinated under a culture of abuse and make real efforts for cultural, systemic change. We need to understand that all human beings are worthy of dignity, respect, safety and having their basic needs met. Until then, this problem will persist.

MELANIE MANN Hammond

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are

published identifying name and the writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and To SEnd US A LETTER, phone number SCAn HERE for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.o. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

Since it may be a while before we see gasoline prices come down, how about Congress giving everyone a break for the summer by temporarily suspending the federal 18.4-cent tax on each and every gallon we buy?

The state could kick in its part, too — another 20.93 cents, for a total of 39.33 cents a gallon in Louisiana.

While that doesn’t seem like much, consider that some large SUVs can hold up to 36 gallons.

That driver would save $14 per fillup!

Even a standard SUV with around a 20-gallon tank could save almost $8 each time he pulls into a gas station, which really adds up if you’re driving to a vacation destination.

I feel sorry for the guys with the full-size heavy-duty trucks that hold 48 gallons, but at least they could save almost $19 a fill-up.

For those driving diesel-fueled cars, the Fed’s tax is even higher — 24.4 cents before the individual state piles on its tax.

But it could be worse. We could live in California. Their state tax alone is 70.9 cents per gallon. Illinois came in second with 66.4 cents, based on U.S. Energy Administration figures.

STAFF PHoTo By BRETT dUKE

Workers with Sunbelt Roofs install a fortified roof with impact-rated shingles on a home in Jefferson.

Fortified roof grant demands coverage that is unaffordable

With the flick of a pen, Gov. Jeff Landry has shown recently that he can change policy. My plea is for him to correct the unfairness of the requirements for the fortified roof program and protect many like myself who cannot get wind and hail coverage at an affordable price.

I, too, would like to have a new roof meeting fortified standards. I am willing to pay the difference from the grant.

We are two retired seniors who have always carried wind and hail coverage.

After Hurricane Ida in 2021, our insurer dropped us. We had no claim for that storm and no history of claims other than a small one for Katrina. We were model clients for insurers: Pay the premiums and file no claims. Pure profit for the insurers.

We have been able to secure basic homeowners coverage, but we were told to go to Citizens for wind and hail at the cost of $11,000 a year.

I want to protect my family and home from potential hurricane devastation and have applied for the fortified roof program. But, since I do not have wind and hail coverage, I do not qualify for the grant.

What and where is the logic here?

Requiring wind and hail coverage to qualify seems like a way to guarantee insurers their premiums and reduce payouts since roofs will be stronger. Those without wind and hail are not contributing to their income bucket.

I beg Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple to rethink this program for the tens of thousands who are not able to get wind and hail coverage due to the ultra-high cost. Before being dropped, I was paying $4,000 a year. Afterward, wind and hail coverage cost $11,000.

After all, this is America!

ALAN WEINSTEIN Kenner

BARBARA BABIN LACOUR Harahan

Immigrants who dodge hearings must not have a good case The article “In New Orleans, ‘mega master’ hearings latest tool of Trump administration’s deportation push” asserts hearings in New Orleans are a substitute for the roundups of a few months ago — false.

The hearings are primarily for those who have made asylum claims at the border or a defensive asylum claim after they have entered the U.S. The roundups targeted all illegal immigrants — i.e., those who had no asylum claims, those who committed crimes after entering the U.S., those who were found wanted for crimes committed prior to illegal entry and those with outstanding deportation orders.

The hearings are not a sham, as the proillegal immigration lobby asserts. They should tell the public that most of those who received letters requiring attendance at the hearing have committed a number of crimes

for which they have not been arrested: i.e. illegally working in the U.S., stealing Social Security numbers, lying on the DOJ I9 form claiming to be a U.S. citizen, tax fraud/evasion and conspiring with human trafficking/ drug cartels paying them thousands of dollars to assist them in illegal entry.

Those who don’t show up for hearings do so because their claim is false or weak and believe they will lose and be arrested.

A lawyer cited in the article claims illegal immigrants are not being given due process.

Not only are they getting one or more hearings to plead their case, they are being given a pass for the crimes cited previously, which they committed while living in the U.S. It is Americans who do not have due process: one law for Americans and another for illegal immigrants.

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, takes questions about the war against Iran.

Congress needs to demand answers on Iran With the strongest navy and air force in the world, we destroyed Iran’s navy and whatever air force they had.

Then we put an embargo on their oil shipments and ports. Iran then closed the Strait of Hormuz, and we let them.

Instead of our navy keeping it open, we did nothing. Now, President Donald Trump is negotiating with known terrorists, something the U.S. has never done before.

What is going on? He is acting as though we need Iran.

It is time for Speaker Mike Johnson to act like the speaker of the House, not like the speaker of Trump.

Congress has been dead in the water since Trump was elected. It is time for them to go to work and run the country, not run and go home.

JOSEPH MOLYNEUX Metairie

oil companies need to clean up their mess Marc Ehrhardt of the Grow Louisiana Coalition appeared in a guest column to decry the ingratitude of the people and parishes of Louisiana for having the audacity to bring legal action to compel oil companies to be held accountable for the catastrophic damage they have visited upon our coast.

He complains of the protracted course of litigation without acknowledging the many delays sought by the oil industry’s attorneys.

He suggests that, in deciding where to invest, global energy companies look for a skilled workforce, predictable tax structure and a stable legal environment.

Obviously, they drill where the oil is. They will drill in Angola, Ecuador, Nigeria or any-

where else there are accessible deposits.

Once there, what they actually want is a docile (nonunion) workforce, lax environmental protections and compliant politicians.

Ehrhardt worries about the message this litigation is sending. The message should be the one I received from my mother years ago: “Clean up your mess.”

Let us hope the purely procedural setback of the recent Supreme Court decision doesn’t discourage efforts to obtain funds needed to clean up the mess they have made of our coast.

W. KEITH HURTT new orleans

CLIFF LEONARD Hammond

WInnER oF THE PULITZER PRIZE FoR LoCAL REPoRTInG

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COMMENTARY AMERICA 250

Laurent dabos’ circa 18031804 portrait of napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul of France.

PRoVIdEd PHoTo

By EnGLISH HERITAGE, THE WELLInGTon CoLLECTIon, APSLEy HoUSE

An inconceivable offer Louisiana Purchase was the deal that built our country By nancy Landry As Louisiana’s secretary of state, tate transaction in history.

I have the privilege of overseeing However, in what is now presentour elections, business services, the day Louisiana, the story was more Louisiana State Archives and many complicated. While ownership of our state museums. changed on paper, not every quesThose responsibilities tion was immediately anmay not seem to have swered. much in common, but each Parts of the western side of plays a role in preserving what we know as Louisiana our state’s history and helpbecame part of a disputed area between the United ing shape its future.

States and Spanish Texas. UnThat responsibility carNancy ries even greater meaning Landry able to agree on a boundary as we celebrate our counline, the two nations agreed GUEST try’s 250th anniversary.

CoLUMnIST to a neutral strip of land — a place where neither governWhen most Americans think about the beginning ment exercises clear authorof our country, they think about the ity. It was called “No Man’s Land.”

Declaration of Independence, the The Florida Parishes were anConstitution and the Revolutionother exception. They were not inary War. When they think about the cluded in the original purchase and country’s expansion west, people became a part of the United States often envision covered wagons years later. crossing the plains or railroads beUndefined borders ing built.

But one of the most important As we celebrate America’s 250th moments in American history cenanniversary, it’s worth remembertered on our state. ing that parts of the land beneath Like most people, I appreciate a our feet were once places where no good bargain. Maybe it is purchasone knew exactly where one nation ended and another began. ing a home at just the right time, The lawless territory attracted finding a used car at a great price, or finding a vacant piece of land be- settlers, traders and its share of outlaws. Without a clear governfore anyone realizes its value.

No bargain in American hisment, people often had to rely on themselves and their neighbors. tory compares to the Louisiana This reminds us that America Purchase. It was a deal that nearly doubled the size of our country and wasn’t built overnight or by a single generation. made America a world power with It was built over time by ordinary the stroke of a pen. people who faced uncertainty and Vast landscape established communities and local governments.

President Thomas Jefferson Less than a decade after the Louioriginally sent Robert Livingston and James Monroe to France to siana Purchase, Louisiana entered purchase New Orleans and secure the Union much smaller than its control of the Mississippi River. In- original territory. But our culture stead, Napoleon Bonaparte, in need has remained uniquely our own. of money to finance his war against Louisiana is a gumbo of cultures, traditions and people unlike anyGreat Britain, offered something unimaginable. where else in America.

He offered the entire Louisiana Living history Territory, stretching from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains.

Today, Louisianians have a unique For $15 million, the United States chance to see and experience that acquired more than 828,000 square history firsthand. miles, or roughly four cents an The National Archives has enacre. trusted my office with one of the Adjusted for inflation, the puroriginal Louisiana Purchase docuchase today would have cost around ments signed by Napoleon. It is $438 million, or just $1.17 an acre. now on display at the Louisiana Old Today, that is less than 1% of Louisi- State Capitol through July 11.

While these historic documents ana’s annual budget. Fifteen future states would be created in whole or have returned to Louisiana before, this is the first time in more than in part from that land. Historians two decades they have revisited the describe it as the greatest real es-

state they helped create.

I’ve stood and looked at the document several times since it arrived.

Seeing it in person is different from seeing a photograph in a textbook.

Looking at Napoleon’s signature, it’s impossible not to think about the generations of Americans whose lives were forever changed because of the agreement on those pages.

When people talk about our country’s founding documents, the Louisiana Purchase deserves to be in that conversation.

It changed the course of American history, and its effects continue to shape our lives today.

Preserving these connections to our past is one of the great responsibilities entrusted to the Secretary of State’s Office. Through our free museums and the Louisiana State Archives, we preserve the documents and stories that explain who we are as a state.

Our shared duty I also have the privilege of helping safeguard another foundation of our democracy — our elections.

Preserving our history and administering our elections are deeply connected. While one reminds us of where we have been, the other helps shape where we are going.

President Ronald Reagan once said that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be learned and appreciated by each generation.

Freedom isn’t just something we inherit, but something we must continue to practice.

As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I hope you and your family will take a few hours to visit the Old State Capitol to see the Louisiana Purchase in person. By examining the document, you will be reminded of the journey our country has endured and gain a renewed sense of pride in the American story.

The Louisiana Purchase is one of the defining documents shaping our nation’s history. It is a legacy measured by more than the land it added to a map. It opened the door for a young nation to become the world’s greatest power.

It is our responsibility to continue that growth and ensure our freedom for the generations to come.

Nancy Landry is the 45th secretary of state of Louisiana.

ON THE CALENDAR There are several events around Louisiana to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the declaration of Independence. Here is a list of some going on now.

For a full list, go to america250la.org n Louisiana’s old State Capitol, 100 north Blvd., Baton Rouge, is featuring the exhibit,“Bought for a Song: A young nation Expands,” whose only artifact is the French exchange copy of the convention between the Republic of France and the United States that finalized the Louisiana Purchase.

Through July 11. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org. n The Historic new orleans Collection, 520 Royal St., new orleans, is featuring the exhibit,“American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition,” where visitors can immerse themselves in 3d interactive reconstructions of key moments in American history.This free, interactive experience, which runs through Jan. 17, utilizes 360-degree augmented reality to immerse visitors in 20 defining moments of the nation’s founding, from the sparks of the Boston Tea Party to the victory at yorktown.The “American Revolution” was produced and designed

by Histovery with promotional support from new orleans & Company and Louisiana America 250.

The exhibition offers a fresh, technologically driven way to explore the American story. For more, go to hnoc.org. n The Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo, 701 Chartres St., new orleans, is featuring the exhibit,“Gálvez and Louisiana in the American Revolution,” which explores the life of Spanish Gov. Bernardo de Gálvez and the diverse people of Louisiana who fought for American independence.

Through May 15, 2027. louisianastatemuseum.org.

ABOUT THIS SERIES Throughout the year, the opinion pages are featuring columns and conversations from historians, scholars, politicians and others about what this 250th anniversary of America means.To read previous pieces, go to the opinion section of our website.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the

writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.o. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

To SEnd US A LETTER, SCAn HERE

12A ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Pope begins summer break

both places, Leo aimed Vacation comes after flexing his papal hisInmessage at Europe to upthe dignity of migrants. muscles on international, church stage hold But on Saturday, Leo also re-

BY NICOLE WINFIELD

Associated Press

ROME — Pope Leo XIV began a summer vacation on Sunday, capping a whirlwind finale to the first half of 2026, in which he emerged as a powerful global statesman on issues from artificial intelligence to war and flexed decisive papal muscle to govern internal church problems.

Leo is spending the rest of July at the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican’s historic summer residence south of Rome that the American pope has turned into his weekly getaway for tennis and swimming.

The Vatican said Leo would remain there until July 27, with all audiences suspended, and confirmed speculation that he would move into the Apostolic Palace overlooking Lake Alban, not the smaller villa on the estate where he had spent his days off for the past year.

Leo made that clear upon arrival, appearing from the palace balcony overlooking the town’s main piazza to greet residents and offer a blessing.

“I’m very happy to be here with you, to be able to spend the next few weeks here for a bit of rest, a bit of prayer, a bit of reading and I hope a bit of sport,” he said to laughter in the crowd.

Pope Francis had eschewed the Castel Gandolfo getaway during his 12-year pontificate and had turned the Apostolic Palace into a public museum. But with Leo now spending long periods in the hilltop estate, the Vatican decided that the palace was more appropriate for security reasons and would allow a pared-down Holy See infrastructure to relocate with the pope to keep the Vatican machinery running from there.

Leo spent a few weeks at the estate last summer, using the time away from the Vatican to focus on his new job after his fellow cardinals elected him pope on May 8, 2025.

Then, the reserved former Cardinal Robert Prevost said he hoped to “restore the body and spirit,” with a brief period of rest.

A year later, Leo is leaving town after a remarkable run of papal decision-making that has left Vatican watchers dizzy. After Leo acknowledged early on that he had a big learning curve to do on being a head of state, the last few weeks have shown a decisive governing style where Leo has set the agenda, rather than merely fulfill the appointments set by his predecessor.

“Many people last year would have predicted a quiet papacy on the world stage and a focus on internal reform and governance,” said Austen Ivereigh, who is the biographer of Pope Francis.

“But the first half of 2026 has shown the opposite: ironically, the one area where Leo had least confidence, as international statesman, is where his pontificate has really taken off.”

July 4 spent with migrants Leo spent July 4 — the 250th anniversary of U.S. Independence — on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, praying at a migrant cemetery to honor the thousands of migrants who died trying to reach Europe to find freedom and prosperity.

The visit came after Leo ended a visit to Spain last month with a similar gesture, delivered from a dock in the Spanish Canary Islands that was once known as the “dock of shame” for the dreadful conditions migrants endured during a spike in arrivals.

minded the U.S. that it was founded by immigrants and that Christians have an obligation to welcome, protect and integrate those people seeking shelter from hardship.

For the Chicago-born Leo, who has clashed with the Trump administration over its immigrant crackdown, the choice to spend Independence Day at ground zero of the European migration debate was symbolically significant.

That’s especially true given Leo’s opposition to the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and the April sparring between President Donald Trump and Leo, delivered via Truth Social posts (Trump) and inflight comments traveling around Africa (Leo), that turned the American pope into the poster child of the anti-war movement.

Ivereigh recalled that the Trump administration first perked up to Leo’s pacifist messaging during his January speech to the Holy See diplomatic corps, when Leo denounced how nations were using force to assert their dominion worldwide, “completely undermining” peace and the post-World War II international legal order.

“The January speech to diplomats that alarmed the Trump administration turned out to be the launchpad,” Ivereigh said. “The Iran war and Trump’s reaction to his remarks in Africa propelled Leo overnight to guardian of the global conscience, which was cemented by the encyclical.”

An encyclical on AI It was a reference to Leo’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), which was released to great fanfare in late May. In it, Leo called for robust regulation of arti-

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By ALESSAndRA TARAnTIno

Pope Leo XIV arrives to celebrate Mass on Saturday in Lampedusa, Sicily, southern Italy, during a one-day pastoral visit to the Sicilian island that has come to symbolize the dramatic odyssey of migrants trying to reach Europe by sea. ficial intelligence, especially as the tech industry creates ever more sophisticated methods of remote warfare.

The text declared that it was “not permissible” to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, setting up another flash point between Leo and the Trump administration, which had worked aggressively to deregulate AI development.

But that encyclical contained more than just a manifesto promoting the common good over profit in the AI race. Nestled inside was a historic apology for the Holy See’s own role in facilitating slavery, all the more remarkable since it was delivered by an American pope whose own family history includes both enslaved people and slave owners.

Former popes have apologized for Christians’ involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But no pope had ever publicly acknowledged, much less apologized for, the role that 15th century popes played in giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels.”

Leo called the Vatican’s

record a “wound in Christian memory” and asked “in the name of the church” for pardon — an apology that now opens the question of reparations owed to the descendants of slaves.

‘An enforcer with clarity’ Leo showed similar courage in recent days by taking a decision no pope takes lightly or has taken for the past half-century: With Leo’s clear approval, the Vatican on Thursday declared a traditionalist group of Catholics in schism, or in formal rupture from the Catholic Church, for having consecrated four bishops without papal consent.

The Vatican excommunicated the bishops and priests of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), which celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and opposes the modern reforms of the Catholic Church.

After five decades of negotiations to try to bring the society back under Rome’s wing, the Vatican warned its lay faithful — who by SSPX estimates may number around a half-million worldwide — that they too

risk excommunication for participating in the schism.

“Pope Leo has demonstrated that his emphasis on dialogue does not come at the expense of decisive governance,” said Andrew Chesnut, professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“While the decision undoubtedly deepens the divide with the SSPX, it may ultimately strengthen cohesion among Catholics who accept Vatican authority, even when they disagree about liturgy or pastoral priorities,” he said.

The Rev. Robert Gahl, an ethics expert at the Catholic University of America, said the SSPX episode crystallized how the pope remains the center of the church and a sign of unity — a position that has come into clear focus for Leo in recent weeks.

“With this decree he’s shown that he has the clarity and also the courage to inflict clear penalties on those who violate this Communion,” Gahl said. “So we not only see Leo who is kind and levelheaded, but he’s also an enforcer with clarity.”

SPORTS

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

World Cup fever is epidemic on overseas trip The World Cup came to my country this summer.

I headed overseas.

Not because of the World Cup. It wasn’t something for me to cover, and I wasn’t going to spend a thousand American dollars on a ticket, so my wife Michell and I lit out on vacation. We flew from Scott to London for a few Rabalais here days before making the transatlantic crossing back like our immigrant ancestors (admittedly in much more comfort) on the Queen Mary 2.

I’m fairly certain the first Rabalais who came across from France in the 1730s didn’t have a balcony cabin and private bathroom.

But every stop along the way for the two weeks of our journey, the World Cup was a constant companion. I found myself immersed in the world’s most immense tournament daily, watching from pubs and planes as the drama unfolded in a colorful high-definition spectacle. I may have had to leave home to truly appreciate the World Cup in my home country, but it was well worth the trip.

It may be a bit lost on some American sports fans who are consumed by our brand of football, but the World Cup is the biggest sporting spectacle around the globe — tout le monde. I learned that lesson well from a chance encounter back in 1994, the last time this event visited our shores.

I was on assignment, returning a rental car at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport when I started chatting with the fellow

ä See RABALAIS, page 5B

STAFF PHoTo By SCoTT RABALAIS

A norwegian soccer fan enjoys himself in a pub during a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 on Tuesday.

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M o n d ay, J u ly 6, 2026

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U S A V S . B E L G I U M • 7 P. M . M o n d A y • F o X

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoToS By JULIo CoRTEZ

Referee Raphael Claus shows a red card to United States striker Folarin Balogun, right, during the World Cup round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday.

RED MEANS GO FIFA rules U.S. striker Balogun can play vs. Belgium despite 1-game ban

BY RONALD BLUM and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

SEATTLE — U.S. President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of American star striker Folarin Balogun, whose suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.

Balogun, the American leader with three goals, received a red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday. A red card triggers an automatic onegame suspension.

FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted, triggering praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team.

Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the game asking FIFA to review the red card, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”

Trump said in a statement on social media.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished,” and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s action.

“I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA

Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic, left, reacts after a tackle from United States striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday. the 5th of July was the 1st of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator in an April Fools’ Day comparison. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team, she defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”

Garcia wouldn’t respond when asked about a possible appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or whether he thought Trump affected FIFA’s action.

“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair

ä See BALOGUN, page 5B

Past injuries won’t make Saints center McCoy ‘timid’

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

There are a lot of ways Erik McCoy can sum up his last two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but he opted for brevity with a dash of profanity.

“S*** just happens,” McCoy said.

The Pro Bowl center of the New Orleans Saints is a true differencemaker when he is on the field. He is a technician who is also a supreme athlete. He is the offensive line’s nerve center and a quarterback’s best friend. And he is the unquestioned leader of the most tight-knit position group in the locker room.

Unfortunately, he’s spent more time on the sidelines than on the field the last two seasons. He landed on injured reserve twice in 2024 — first for a groin injury, later for an elbow injury — and played in just seven games. He was limited to seven games again last season when he tore his biceps against the Chicago Bears, landing on seasonending IR. That is why McCoy didn’t want to dwell too much on all the other ways he could describe what the last two seasons were like. He can analyze it from every angle and try

it a million times after that. It just happened to be that impact angle and, you know, it ended my season.

“It was tough. But I’m going to keep doing what I can to mitigate those risks and hopefully I’ll be lucky. Hopefully all of us will be lucky, but I want to be lucky, too.”

This is a lesson he’s had to learn as a pro, and he’s been on both sides of it. He recalled a moment after his fifth season, when he earned his first Pro Bowl honor after appearing in all 17 games. At that stage in his career, McCoy had mostly dodged injuries outside of a few soft-tissue issues.

He did an interview for the team’s in-house magazine ahead of the 2024 season when he was told he was the only player on the offense who stayed healthy for the entirety of the previous season.

“And my answer was, ‘It was STAFF PHoTo By dAVId GRUnFELd the luck of the draw,’ ” McCoy said. “I still stick to that. Healthy, Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler takes a snap from center Erik unhealthy. Yes, there are certain McCoy during a game against the new England Patriots at the Caesars things you can do to prepare, but Superdome on oct. 12. at the end of the day, it’s football, s*** happens, and it’s just the luck to pinpoint what went wrong, or he name of the game,” McCoy said. of the draw.” can accept that sometimes stuff “Last year, the play where I tore That 2024 season started off with just happens. my bicep was something I’ve done a bang. New Orleans scored 91 “It’s hard as an athlete, but it’s the a million times, and I saw people do points in its first two games as Mc-

Coy played an integral role in the team’s new wide zone run scheme.

Then, in Week 3, McCoy hurt his groin and the team’s offense cratered.

New Orleans was better positioned to handle McCoy’s seasonending injury last year thanks to its trade for veteran Luke Fortner during the preseason, but his absence was still felt.

“Erik’s one of the top centers in this league, he’s a really talented player. When he’s on the field, we’re a better football team — always,” coach Kellen Moore said. “... Erik is an important part of this. When he’s out there, we’re a better offensive line, a better offense. So we’re excited to keep building.”

One of the players who is particularly excited to get to work with McCoy is quarterback Tyler Shough, who has yet to take a snap from McCoy in a game setting because he took over as the starter after McCoy’s injury last year.

“He’s been great for me,” Shough said. “Even though we didn’t get to play together we were around each other every single day. We had our sons born within 24 hours of each

ä See SAINTS, page 3B

2B ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Djokovic breaks another record Tennis great sets men’s mark for match wins at Wimbledon

By The Associated Press LONDON — After all the records Novak Djokovic has broken, the latest one left him rather unimpressed — even though he surpassed his great rival Roger Federer.

Djokovic set a men’s record for most match wins at Wimbledon after overcoming a surprisingly tough challenge from 132ndranked qualifier Roman Safiullin on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion screamed out his frustrations at times — later referring to the outbursts as “meltdowns” — before winning 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for his 106th match victory at the All England Club. That puts him one ahead of Federer atop the alltime list for men, although he still trails Martina Navratilova’s 120 match wins.

That’s clearly not the record he’s after at Wimbledon, though.

Not when he’s also trying to match Federer’s eight titles and become the first man or woman to win 25 major trophies.

“Not on my priority list,” Djokovic said. “Didn’t even know about it until after the last match win ... That’s really quite insignificant to me at the moment.”

The win also put him into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the 17th time — one behind Federer’s record. But the Serb acknowledged that he will have to raise his game in order to go further.

“Survive to thrive, that’s how I feel,” Djokovic said when asked to sum up his first week of the championships. “So hopefully the thriving part is coming.”

LSU signee and middle infielder CJ Weinstein flipped his commitment from the Tigers to UCLA, he revealed on social media Sunday.

Weinstein attends Orange Lutheran High in California and is the No. 149 player in MLB.com’s draft rankings. He was one of LSU’s two high school signees who played middle infield.

One scout who spoke with The Advocate described Weinstein as a second baseman whose best trait is his ability to put the bat on the ball.

“He’s a good fit, but he might have a tough time playing (at LSU) because you know how good the roster is going to be,” the scout said.

With Weinstein’s departure, LSU still has 22 players committed to its 2026 recruiting class. The Tigers had 24 signees after the season ended in May, as they have also lost a commitment from lefthanded pitcher Colton Christman.

Yankees LHP Fried faces hitters in simulated game

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By BRIAn InGAnGA

novak djokovic returns the ball to Roman Saffiulin in their fourth-round singles match at Wimbledon on Sunday in London.

In his on-court interview, he apologized for what he called “the outbursts, the meltdowns.”

“I had a few of those today,” he said.

Djokovic, who is renowned for his mastery of baseline tennis, also said he opted to play more at the net than usual after repeatedly being outplayed in long rallies

by Safiullin.

“I don’t get to feel inferior from the back of court with too many players, to be honest, throughout my career,” Djokovic said. “Today it was one of those days where I didn’t want to stay in the rally for too long. So I had to mix things up.

And it worked.”

He quickly seized control in A challenging opponent the fourth set by jumping out to The 39-year-old Djokovic has a 3-0 lead, and then served out the never lost a Grand Slam match match at love.

Djokovic will next face thirdagainst a player ranked as low as Safiullin, or to a qualifier, but he seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, looked in danger at times on Cen- who came through a five-setter against No. 22 Alejandro Davidovtre Court.

Djokovic had to save two set ich Fokina. points when trailing 5-2 in the first set and was warned for apparent- No. 1 Sabalenka falls ly yelling out an obscenity in SerNaomi Osaka defeated topbian on Centre Court when he was ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 broken early in the third. He then (2) to reach the quarterfinals at the drew boos from the crowd when All England Club for the first time.

Sabalenka had beaten Osaka in he hit the ball away in frustration all three of their previous matchafter losing that set.

at the buzzer.

Two minutes before 11, Gauff converted her first match point with a service winner out wide to reach the quarterfinals at the grass-court Grand Slam for the first time.

After beating Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, Gauff tapped her left wrist with the fingers on her right hand to acknowledge the timely ending.

Gauff said it “kind of reminded me of” Kawhi Leonard’s shot for the Toronto Raptors in 2019 that bounced off the rim four times before becoming the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history.

Because if Gauff hadn’t ended it in that game, the match would have been suspended until Monday.

“I was looking at the clock the last service game,” she said. “I was like, ‘I got to hit some big serves and some big shots.’ And honestly, that match point, I was going for a serve and volley because I was like, ‘I need to end the point.’

Gauff’s buzzer-beater “That was probably the most There’s not usually a clock tick- dramatic finish. I’ve never had to race against time. Playing tennis, ing down in tennis.

Yet for Coco Gauff, the All Eng- we’re used to not having a clock. land Club’s 11 p.m. curfew made it But honestly, today I felt the presseem like there was. sure. … Glad I didn’t choose basAnd Gauff hit the winning shot ketball.”

es this year — including at the same stage of the French Open last month.

“On the clay courts I felt like she was pushing me back a lot. I just tried to do it to her first,” Osaka said.

Osaka’s pace and flat groundstrokes overwhelmed Sabalenka.

“Obviously we’re big ball strikers. It’s not like I’m going to start running around the court trying to draw an error from her. I can only focus on my strengths,” Osaka said.

“I just tried to serve really well, because it’s grass. I also tried to get the upper hand in the rallies first.”

Osaka’s power had an even bigger impact than usual as her balls flew through the air faster on the warmest day of the tournament so far: The temperature during the match reached 82 degrees.

“She overpowered me,” Sabalenka said. “I felt like it was incredible level from her.”

Vonn says Sinner’s skiing background helps his agility

BY ANDREW DAMPF Associated Press

LONDON — Clay, grass, hard court — or even snow.

The surface underfoot doesn’t seem to make any difference for Jannik Sinner.

The top-ranked player — who is currently attempting to defend his title at Wimbledon — was one of Italy’s top junior skiers before he turned his attention full time to tennis.

Now Sinner excels on every type of court, and his background as a skier might have helped his tennis game.

Just like an elite slalom skier perfectly shifting their weight back and forth from one gate to the next, Sinner hardly ever seems off balance as he rushes back and forth across the baseline — deVonn spite his 6-foot-3 frame.

Fellow tennis player Casper Ruud agreed that the most impressive thing about Sinner is his movement.

“He’s strong also in balance and flexible to get to certain positions,” Ruud said. “He has good hip movement and knows how to slide (into) both corners.”

Skiing standout Lindsey Vonn also pointed to Sinner’s ability to stay in balance.

“He has an amazing kinesthetic sense, which is an important skill in both sports,” Vonn said. “He is

Baseball signee changes pledge from LSU to UCLA

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By BRIAn InGAnGA

Jannik Sinner slides on the court during a third-round match against Jenson Brooksby at Wimbledon on Friday in London. very aware of his body in space and time, so even though he is tall, he moves fluidly and in sync.”

Sinner won a national skiing championship at 8 and placed second in Italian nationals at 12.

In a 2009 giant slalom won by Sinner, Giovanni Franzoni — the breakout downhiller of last season — finished 12th, four seconds behind.

Franzoni is now the Kitzbühel downhill champion and the Olympic silver medalist.

“I was really good,” Sinner said after his first Grand Slam title in 2024. “But then I had a couple of so-so seasons when I started competing against older athletes in slalom and giant slalom, and when downhill came into the picture, I

weighed too little to compete.

“So I kept on playing tennis,” Sinner said. “In skiing, if you make a mistake you’re out; it’s a dangerous sport and you need to get up early in the morning and venture outside in frigid temperatures. Tennis is a bit more accessible. In the end, I think I made the right choice.”

Vonn, who shares a common sponsor with Sinner, once hit the slopes with the tennis star.

“He skis similarly to how he plays tennis; he is fluid, smooth, and makes it look easy,” Vonn said in written comments. “His knees and hips are always parallel, and he is always in balance.

I really enjoyed skiing with him and I hope to do it again, but after

his tennis career!”

Many elite skiers include tennis in their summer training regimen.

Vonn’s fellow Olympic champion Bode Miller was a state high school champion tennis player in Maine and his family ran a tennis academy in New Hampshire. He once attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open.

“I love playing tennis. It’s good for my footwork, mental strength and general athleticism,” Vonn said. “I know of quite a few skiers who play tennis as a form of cross training. It’s a way to push myself physically and mentally. When you get physically tired, you have to still be mentally strategic and cool under pressure. I love that about tennis.”

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

Ruud, who is Norwegian, also skied as a kid, “but I don’t move as good as him,” he said of Sinner.

“I don’t necessarily believe because he did skiing when he was young, that’s why he moves so well,” Ruud said. “I mean, look at (Carlos) Alcaraz: He didn’t ski and he also moves pretty damn well.”

Ultimately, Ruud suggested, it’s just healthy for kids to try as many sports as they can.

“No matter what it is, whether it’s skiing, running, golf. Doing things that keep you active is great. I have never seen Jannik ski other than videos. Would be fun to do a skiing competition one day,” Ruud said with a smile.

NEW YORK — New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried inched closer to a possible minor league rehab assignment, throwing 36 pitches in his second two-inning simulated game on Sunday.

Before the Yankees concluded a three-game series with the Twins, Fried faced third baseman Ryan McMahon and catcher Ali Sánchez. Manager Aaron Boone said Fried’s next simulated game would likely occur Thursday or Friday with an increased pitch count and pitching in a minor league game could be the next step.

The 32-year-old left-hander has been out since May 13. Fried is 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts.

Brewers RHP Woodruff goes back on injured list PHOENIX — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff has gone back on the injured list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, one day after a drop in velocity led to his early exit from a start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Brewers recalled left-handed pitcher Drew Rom from TripleA Nashville in a corresponding move Sunday.

Woodruff, a two-time All-Star, was removed from the Brewers’ 4-3 loss at Arizona on Saturday in the fourth inning after striking out Adrian Del Castillo on a 75.1-mph changeup.

Although Woodruff struck out the only two batters he faced in the fourth, none of the pitches he threw that inning exceeded 87.3 mph.

White Sox 1B Murakami sent on Triple-A rehab stint

CLEVELAND — White Sox rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami will begin a rehab assignment Monday at Triple-A Charlotte, the slugger’s final step before rejoining Chicago’s lineup after being out with a right hamstring injury.

Murakami has been sidelined since suffering a Grade 2 strain on May 29, when he got hurt trying to beat out a double play grounder against Detroit. At the time of his injury, Murakami was tied for the AL lead in homers and was first in runs.

He’s been traveling with the White Sox and following Sunday’s 7-6 win over the Guardians, manager Will Venable said Murakami will leave to play with the Knights.

If all goes well, it’s possible he could be back with Chicago before the All-Star break.

Gotterup closes with a 62, wins John Deere Classic

SILVIS, Ill. — Chris Gotterup made up a five-shot deficit Sunday by closing with a 9-under 62 to win the John Deere Classic for his fourth PGA Tour title in the past 12 months.

Gotterup avoided a playoff when Ben Kohles, trying to win for the first time in his 120th start, hit his approach to the 18th left and into the water and wound up with a double bogey.

Gotterup next week defends his title in the Scottish Open, where he began his remarkable run to reach the top 10 in the world. He held off Rory McIlroy a year ago in Scotland, and then won the Sony Open and the Phoenix Open this year.

Gotterup received a sponsor exemption to the John Deere Classic in 2022, after he finished his college career at Oklahoma.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ 3B

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Guardians star Ramirez to begin batting again soon

BY TOM WITHERS Associated Press

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By dARREn ABATE

new york Knicks center Mitchell Robinson warms up prior to Game 5 of the nBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on June 13 in San Antonio.

Ex-Knick Robinson clarifies cause of his hand injury The Associated Press NEW YORK — Newly minted NBA champion and Chalmette native Mitchell Robinson said the hand injury that left his status uncertain for the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals opener came after he punched a truck amid concern over his younger brother’s health.

Robinson, who last week agreed to leave the Knicks and sign with the Boston Celtics as a free agent, wrote a Facebook post Sunday that addressed the injury and other mental-health concerns he had during the season.

His injury emerged after the Knicks eliminated Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals and was strange because coach Mike Brown said it didn’t happen on the court. It was originally called a broken bone in his hand.

But Robinson clarified Sunday that it was an injury to his knuckle after he returned from the Knicks’ victory in Game 4 and learned one of his brothers had been hurt in a serious car crash.

“Upon returning to New York, I received an unexpected phone call, and my family members contacted me, informing me that my youngest brother had been involved in a car accident,” Robinson wrote.

“As the eldest sibling, I felt a deep sense of concern, and I immediately went into panic mode.

I began returning calls and texts, and when I FaceTimed my brother, I thought he was deceased. He was wearing a neck brace, unresponsive and not speaking. I broke down in tears, feeling like a failure for not being able to protect my siblings.

Being 910 miles away, I felt helpless.

In a moment of frustration, I banged

my hand on my truck.”

Robinson has a fondness for trucks — one of his was in the Knicks’ championship parade — but said his family was most important to him and referenced challenges that he faced last season while helping lead the Knicks to their first NBA title in 53 years.

“Before judging someone, it is essential to understand their circumstances, which may not be publicly known. Life is unpredictable, and it is how we respond to challenges that truly matters,” Robinson wrote, adding that he consulted with doctors. “So at the end of the day, I battled with so much throughout this season even made a huge sacrifice to not see my daughter as much this season because I needed to focus and lock in so she can have a better future than I did.”

CLEVELAND — José Ramírez has made steady progress in his recovery from hand surgery and the Cleveland Guardians star third baseman will soon start taking batting practice.

The seven-time All-Star has been out since having a portion of the hamate bone in his left hand removed on June 16. Ramírez injured his hand while making a swing against the Detroit Tigers three days earlier.

Chris Antonetti, the Guardians president of baseball operations, said Ramírez has been hitting off a tee and is scheduled to start overhand batting practice “over the next couple days.”

Antonetti said the 5-to-7-week recovery on Ramírez remains unchanged, and the team expects him back later this month following the All-Star break. When the switch-hitting Ramírez had the same procedure done on his right hand in 2019, he returned in 30 days.

Antonetti stressed that Ramírez has more hurdles to overcome.

“It’s really individual specific,” Antonetti said Sunday when asked whether the 33-year-old could be back sooner. “It’s how well the recovery site heals, how much discomfort they have over the surgery site and when they can progress to activity.

“So far, Hosey has met or exceeded all of those checkpoints along the way. So hopefully we’ll be on the shorter side of that. But again, he still has a lot of activity or a lot of boxes to check between now and then.”

One of the AL’s top players, Ramírez, a .278 career hitter, was batting just .239 with 10 homers

and 33 RBIs when he got hurt.

He was leading the league with 24 steals.

The Guardians have managed to stay in contention without their best player. Cleveland entered its four-game series finale against Chicago on Sunday at 4743, one-thousandth of a percent behind the White Sox (46-42) atop the AL Central.

Despite having to rely on numerous rookies, the Guardians have stayed more than competitive. They’ve also been without outfielder Angel Martinez and only recently got back rookie slugger Chase DeLauter from the injured list.

Ramírez, Martinez and DeLauter were all injured in the same game.

“It’s obviously been a lot to overcome,” Antonetti said. “But I think that’s been one of the hallmarks of this group, not only this year, but over the last few years is finding a way to overcome adversity. We know we have our work cut out for us.

“There’s still a ways to go before we get to the break and we know we need to continue to try to find ways to string together some wins. Our pitching staff has done a really good job of giving us a chance to stay in almost every game. We’ve found a way to score just enough to keep our heads above water. Obviously, there’s continued room for improvement on both sides of the ball, but yeah, hopefully we can continue to find a way to win.”

Antonetti said Martinez, who is out with a nondisplaced fracture in his left foot, felt good after taking batting practice and fielding grounders on Saturday. He also is projected to rejoin the club after the July 13-16 break.

Harrington repeats as Senior Open champ

BY JOE REEDY

AP sportswriter

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Padraig Harrington’s first two U.S. Senior Open titles weren’t decided until the final hole.

His record-tying third had no drama by the time he reached the back nine on Sunday.

Harrington became the fourth golfer to defend his U.S. Senior Open title, shooting a final-round 66 to win by four shots at Scioto Country Club.

The 54-year-old Irishman also joined Miller Barber as the only three-time winners in the tournament’s 46-year history.

“I like creating records, and to be part of that is a big deal. It just shows how hard it is,” Harrington said after capturing his fourth senior major. “I’m seeing guys coming along, and I’m kind of realizing there is only a window to win these tournaments.

They have told me and other players that it’s kind of up to about 56-57, then it starts going downhill quickly.

“But I was thinking and feeling that way, that you only have a set period to get your major wins on the Senior Tour because not that you’re getting older but new guys are coming in.”

Harrington also joins Barber (1985), Gary Player (1988) and Allen Doyle (2006) as the only golfers to win the U.S. Senior Open back-to-back.

Harrington — who finished at 12-under 268 — birdied the first two holes and had four birdies with only one bogey. Third-round leader Stewart Cink was runner-up for the second straight year. Cink bogeyed two of the first three holes and struggled with accuracy most of the day, shooting 71 and finishing at 8-under 272.

“It feels great, but there wasn’t the drama we normally provide down the stretch,” said Harrington, who won by one shot in 2022 and 2025. “I knew I had a nice lead, which let me play to the middle of the greens and hit the shots. I hit some big shots coming home to take all the stress out of it.”

It is Harrington’s 12th career PGA Tour Champions victory and

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By Tony GUTIERREZ

Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez walks to the dugout after lining out to short in the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers earlier this season in Arlington, Texas

SAINTS

Continued from page 1B

AP PHoTo By JoSE REEdy

Padraig Harrington lifts up the Francis d. ouimet Memorial Trophy after winning the U.S. Senior open at Scioto Country Club on Sunday in Columbus, ohio. his first since last July’s Senior British Open.

George McNeill — the other player in the Harrington-Cink grouping — shot a 71 and finished with a 6-under 274. Ian Poulter (67) was fourth at 5-under 275 while Retief Goosen (67), Jamie Donaldson (68) and Paul Stankowski (69) were at 4-under 276.

Cink hit only 2 of 7 fairways on the front nine, ending his chances of becoming the first player to win the first three senior majors in a year.

“It’s always fun going down the stretch with a lot on the line. Today, I played poorly enough that there was no championship on the line, but I was still battling hard for second,” he said. “It’s been a while since I had a day like that where start to finish it felt difficult, but today it did, and my scorecard tells the story.”

Cink had a one-shot lead after 54 holes, but Harrington took the lead with a five-shot swing on the first three holes. It was the second straight round to start early to beat the weather.

Harrington made a 15-foot putt on the par-4 first to tie Cink. He then took a two-shot lead when his second shot on the No. 2 par-4 landed within 3 feet of the cup for an easy birdie while Cink bogeyed.

Cink got within two with a birdie on the par-4 seventh after Harrington bogeyed the No. 6 par-5.

The momentum shifted back to Harrington on the par-4 eighth.

Cink chose driver off the tee, but it landed hot on the left side of the fairway, took a couple of hard bounces, and rolled into the creek on the right-hand side of the fairway.

Cink ended up with a bogey while Harrington sank a 30-foot birdie putt to double his advantage.

“That one was definitely kind of a crusher there. I finally straightened the tee ball out after I hadn’t hit very many good tee balls, and boom, I hit a great one, and it cost me a penalty shot. And then Padraig makes the putt,” Cink said.

“We are so in the present that we don’t always feel those momentum shifts, but looking back, I’m sure it probably did.”

family helped keep things in perspective, he also realizes he has only so much time left to play this game. Now entering his eighth season, it occurred to him that he’s closer to the end than the beginning.

So, add him to the list of people who are excited to see him back on the field. Just don’t expect him to change the way he plays based on how the last two years went.

“There’s always going to be an awareness (of injuries), but you can’t play with an awareness, you know what I mean?”

McCoy said. “It’s kind of just got to be reckless abandon, and whatever happens happens.

I’m going to keep that same mentality.

“I don’t want to be a guy that plays timid, that plays soft, that plays afraid to get hurt. If I play like that, I should quit football.”

other so we were at the hospital together. I love him, he’s been great for me, just to be able to learn (from) and talk with him.”

Beyond their personal relationship, having McCoy back in the fold should help the young quarterback’s on-field development.

McCoy’s ability to identify where defensive pressure is coming from and make the appropriate calls to the offensive line should alleviate some of Shough’s need to make decisions at the line of scrimmage.

“Whatever he’s calling … I trust him fully and implicitly,” Shough said.

McCoy just wants to be there for his team.

He and his wife welcomed their second child this spring, Email Luke Johnson at and while he said his growing ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHoTo By dAVId GRUnFELd

Saints center Erik McCoy, middle, protects the line after snapping the ball to Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler against the San Francisco 49ers during a game at the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 14.

■ The Advocate 4B ■ Monday Monday, July 66, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com t

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WORLD CUP 2026 W C A N A D A

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U N I T E D S T A T E S

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M E X I C O

TODAY’S GAMES PORTUGAL VS. SPAIN 2 p.m. Fox, Telemundo, Peacock | UNITED STATES VS. BELGIUM 7 p.m. Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Haaland, Norway knock out Brazil GLANCE

BY STEPHEN WHYNO

Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Erling Haaland scored, and Andreas Schjelderup jumped on his teammate’s back. Haaland scored again, and Schjelderup leapt up again.

Heading in the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute and scoring again before the end of regulation time, Haaland put Norway on his back and carried it into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 2-1 defeat of Brazil on Sunday that showcased the towering striker on soccer’s biggest stage.

“Maybe this will write history in Norway,” Haaland said. “Everyone just need to enjoy themselves.

This is just an insane day. It’s one of the most insane days in Norwegian history. Just enjoy it, embrace it and enjoy the moment.”

After being a nonfactor for much of the afternoon and having limited touches, Haaland spoke at the second-half hydration break with coach Ståle Solbakken, who told him to drain his energy and go for it.

Haaland turned it on when it mattered most, getting the right side of his head on the ball after a perfect setup by Schjelderup, who entered at halftime. Haaland scored a little over minutes later for his seventh of the tournament, through Danilo’s legs to tie Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé of France in the race for the Golden Boot.

“It felt it was a gift from God that it actually went into the net,” Haa-

Scores, schedule ROUND OF 16 July 4

Morocco 3, Canada 0 France 1, Paraguay 0

Sunday

Norway 2, Brazil 1 Mexico vs. England, n

Monday

Spain vs. Portugal, 2 p.m.

United States vs. Belgium, 7 p.m.

Tuesday

Argentina vs. Egypt, 11 a.m.

Switzerland vs. Colombia, 3 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS Thursday

France vs. Morocco, 3 p.m.

Friday

TBD, 2 p.m.

Saturday

Norway vs. TBD, 4 p.m.

TBD, 8 p.m.

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By PAMELA SMITH

Erling Haaland, left, celebrates with Andreas Schjelderup after scoring his second goal for norway during a World Cup round of 16 match against Brazil on Sunday in East Rutherford, n.J. land said after scoring in a 14th consecutive competitive match internationally. He has 27 in that stretch and 62 in 54 with Norway.

At the other end, goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland was stellar. He made a crucial stop early, diving to his left to deny Bruno Guimarães’ penalty kick in the 14th minute, then got

Brace for Bellingham

his left hand on a shot by Endrick late when Norway was hanging on to a one-goal lead.

The only goal Nyland allowed was to Neymar on a penalty kick late in stoppage time, which changed just the final score. Neymar, who is 34, said this was his final game playing for Brazil’s na-

tional team.

Nyland, who at 35 is his team’s oldest player, was a huge factor in a historic victory that ranks among the most significant in the country’s history — at least on the men’s side. Norway’s women’s team won the World Cup in 1995.

“I think that all Norwegian citi-

zens are experiencing the night of a lifetime,” Solbakken said. “Some people say that we have changed Norway forever. Probably, they will party for a week or so.”

Norway next faces the winner of the Mexico-England round-of-16 game on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Solbakken said he had more than a dozen friends already book travel to South Florida.

Yellow-clad Seleção fans outnumbered those in Norway red, many of whom did the now-famous Viking Row in the stands — with Brazil supporters even cheering it before kickoff. Brazil’s fans were stunned silent when it returned after the game, with Haaland banging the drum and leading the celebration.

“I’ve peaked a couple of times during this tournament, but this was a new peak,” Haaland said.

Ronaldo again says this World Cup will be his last

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By nATACHA PISAREnKo

Jude Bellingham celebrates after he scored his second goal in the first half of England’s World Cup match against Mexico on Sunday in Mexico City. The game ended after press time.

Brazil left to second-guess PK choice after early exit

BY BRIAN MAHONEY Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Vinícius Júnior had the ball at the penalty spot, a perfect chance to give Brazil the lead.

And he handed it to Bruno Guimarães.

And by the time Neymar took and made Brazil’s second penalty kick, it was too late for the fivetime World Cup champion.

Guimarães had his penalty shot stopped by Ørjan Nyland in the 14th minute and Brazil couldn’t get one past Norway’s goalkeeper until deep in stoppage time, losing 2-1 on Sunday in the round of 16 for its earliest World Cup exit since 1990.

The Brazilians will be left with four years of second-guessing, wondering why they chose not to have one of soccer’s elite scorers take the penalty shot after Matheus Cunha was taken down by a sliding tackle in the box.

No foul was called originally, to the Brazilians’ protest, but the penalty was awarded after a video review. Vinícius, who came into the game leading Brazil with four goals in four games, had the ball in his hands, and it appeared he would take the kick.

Instead, Guimarães walked to

the spot and Vinícius handed him the ball, then went and stood to the left of the box and watched as Guimarães stutter-stepped, then fired the shot that Nyland dived to his left to knock away.

It was Brazil’s first unsuccessful penalty kick in the World Cup — not counting shootouts — since 1986.

There would be some more quality chances, but Nyland turned them away each time, many of them right in front of the large section of yellow-shirted fans behind the goal Brazil was shooting at in the first half.

Vinícius was dangerous with some speedy runs along the left side, and coach Carlo Ancelotti brought on Neymar in the 68th minute for extra firepower. Their longtime great took and made the shot after another penalty was called late, joining Pelé as the only Brazilian players to score in four World Cups.

His team needed more than that and failed to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since falling to Argentina in the round of 16 in 1990.

The Brazilians returned four years later when the U.S. last hosted the World Cup and won. The Seleção won their fifth title in 2002 but remain empty since.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Cristiano Ronaldo’s sometimes playful banter in a rare World Cup news conference ended in an exchange between Portugal’s superstar and a reporter from Argentina.

Ronaldo took the moment on the eve of a round of 16 clash with border rival Spain to repeat something he has said at least once before.

This sixth World Cup for the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star will be his last.

“What remains with me is the people — the people who love you. I share hotels with the staff, Latino people, and those are spectacular memories. Yesterday on the flight, there was an Argentine flight attendant. And knew she was Argentine by the way she looked at me: ‘I knew you were Argentine by the way you looked at me. If you look away quickly, it means you don’t like Cristiano,’ ” Ronaldo said in translated remarks Sunday, breaking into a smile.

“I want to enjoy what will be my last World Cup to the fullest,” Ronaldo continued. “Hopefully, tomorrow won’t be my last match.

That way, you can keep bashing me some more.”

Ronaldo, the career leader in international goals with 146, made similar comments in a television interview late last year, a few months after Portugal won the UEFA Nations League title with a riveting victory over Spain in a penalty shootout.

Many of the questions for the 41-year-old during a 25-minute session at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys referred to what everybody in the packed room was assuming: This was it for Ronaldo.

Before the end, he joked with reporters that they were pushing him out the door. Just about every time he did, though, he would turn philosophical.

“There’s nothing missing,” Ronaldo said. “God was so generous toward me. He gave me everything I never expected to win, especially at the national team. And personally, the same thing. So it’s enjoying every moment. I’m not going to be more Cristiano or less Cristiano because I win the World Cup. Of

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By JULIo CoRTEZ

Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to reporters on Sunday during a news conference ahead of Portugal’s World Cup round of 16 match against Spain in Arlington, Texas. course, we all have hopes, myself especially, and we all want all the conditions to win. But we know that only one is going to win.”

Ronaldo’s finale on soccer’s biggest stage — whenever that happens — will come eight years after he was the oldest to record a World Cup hat trick at 33. That was in a 3-3 draw with Spain in a group stage opener considered one of the World Cup’s best matches, although both powers didn’t reach the knockout stage.

“Not to say that we have to do man-to-man marking, but in certain areas of the field you’ve got to be aware that he’s there,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said in translated remarks. “He’s got the talent, he’s got the class, and he’s got the quality, and at any moment he can be decisive for the game.

He can be the best. So we’re well aware of this.”

Portugal is trying for a second consecutive trip to the quarterfinals. The only other time Portugal went deeper in the Ronaldo era was a semifinal run in his World Cup debut in 2006.

Ronaldo had the tying goal in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Croatia in the round of 32. Three of his 11 World Cup goals have come in this tournament. It was a matchup of 40-somethings against Croatia’s Luka Modric, his former Real

Madrid teammate who was in his fifth World Cup at 40.

“What I have done throughout my career is to adjust to the nuances of age, knowing that I’m not the player I used to be,” Ronaldo said. “But one thing I can understand very clearly is nothing has changed because I can still score a goal. I hope I do that tomorrow, and if I don’t, I hope others on the team do.”

Barring a replay of his hat trick from 2018 in Russia, Ronaldo is unlikely to challenge the Golden Boot co-lead of seven shared by Lionel Messi of Argentina and France’s Kylian Mbappé, who also have a substantial edge on the career World Cup goals list.

Messi set the record in this tournament and now has 20, while Mbappé is up to 19. Ronaldo sometimes bristles about where he stands among his rivals. But not on a day he reiterated his inevitable World Cup end.

“Besides some different opinions that you may have, I’m not doing so bad, right?” Ronaldo said. “You know, I scored three goals. Well, there are others that scored more, because they are doing incredibly well, but I’m not doing so bad. And I need to continue onward.”

For at least one more World Cup game.

H The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ 5B

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RABALAIS

Continued from page 1B behind me in line. He had been working at the main broadcast center there. Every TV feed from every venue in the country apparently came to Big D and was then beamed out around the world.

“The thing you have to remember,” he said, “is every game (in the World Cup) is someone’s Super Bowl.”

Indeed it is, and that makes time irrelevant. It was midnight Monday morning in Oslo (Sunday afternoon our time) when the Norwegians rowed their way past five-time champion Brazil and into the quarterfinals for the first time ever. The main stadium in Norway’s capital was packed with as many fans at that hour as if the match had been played there instead of in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

My World Cup journey started in Miami as we made our connection there from New Orleans to London. Miami International Airport is no misnomer, and the concourses were filled with fans wearing jerseys representing Argentina, Scotland, the USofA naturally, and even some from little Cape Verde, the small island nation off the west coast of Africa that did itself so proud in this World Cup. Cape Verde had managed an opening draw with pre-tournament favorite Spain, then had two more with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, positioning itself for an unexpected

BALOGUN

Continued from page 1B play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the Belgian federation said in a statement.

American players learned of Balogun’s availability when social media posts started popping up during the 10-minute bus ride Sunday from their hotel to training at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium.

Balogun’s red card had been one of the World Cup’s most controversial and consequential decisions.

“If you look at the foul, it was just

STAFF PHoToS By SCoTT RABALAIS

The Prince of Teck pub in London’s Earl’s Court neighborhood is seen during the England-Ghana World Cup match on June 23.

Pensive England fans gather inside the Prince of Teck pub in London during the England-Ghana World Cup match on June 23.

place in the knockout round.

I watched on the flight Friday from New York to Houston as Cape Verde took reigning champ Argentina and legendary Lionel Messi to the limit before falling 3-2 in extra time in the round of 32. All the passengers not dozing were gripped by their little inseat screens and clapping for the drama and the brave west Africans after it was over.

But back to earlier in the trip.

Soon after we got to surprisingly sweltering London, I made my way to a pub near my hotel to watch the England-Ghana group match. A pub with air conditioning. England finished in a frustrat-

ing scoreless draw, but I found a winner in The Prince of Teck pub near the Earl’s Court Underground station, a delightfully cozy and thankfully cool little bar filled with flags, TVs and Oscar Wilde quotes on the walls.

“I can resist everything except temptation,” one Wilde quote read.

I resisted the temptation to imbibe in a pint as I was, in essence, working. It’s what would qualify there as a busman’s holiday.

Soon we were on the QM2 and heading into the Atlantic. The Cunard line made it well known that all the World Cup matches would be available on board. Soccer central on the ship was its Golden Lion

pub, packed for every match.

I watched England get past Panama 2-0. I watched two nights later as Paraguay eliminated Germany, soccer royalty, on penalty kicks.

A young German fan didn’t move an inch from his seat as the winning Paraguayan kick found the net. For all I know, he’s still sitting there, head in hand.

Fans from every country were enamored by a jolly Norwegian fan who was making the journey to New York just in time to attend his country’s epic win Sunday over Brazil. Viking horns on his head, beer in hand, he sort of became the ship’s mascot as he gleefully rooted on the U.S. to a round of 32 victory Wednesday over Bosnia-

Herzegovina.

I only wish I could have seen the smile on his face after Norway got its biggest soccer win ever.

I’m home now, and will be watching from the couch Monday night as the Americans try to get past Belgium and into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. As I do, I’ll think about what the World Cup, and indeed all of sports, reminds us. That despite our cultural, geographic and language differences, we are all much the same. Proud, passionate and convinced the referees are out of their minds.

As a former soccer referee from my college days, I can relate to that, too.

zero intent at all,” U.S. star Christian Pulisic said. “I felt like there was much worse ones that went on this tournament.”

The U.S. Soccer Federation learned of FIFA’s action in a message sent by FIFA in its portal at 9:31 a.m.

“The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA announced. “If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

Balogun’s three goals included a go-ahead strike against Bosnia. He

matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude’s four in the initial tournament in 1930.

A 25-year-old who plays for Monaco, Balogun scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season. He has 12 goals in 30 international appearances. He was born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents who were living in London and in 2023 opted to change his national team affiliation from England, which he had represented at the under-21 level.

“He strikes fear into a lot of defenders,” U.S. defender Chris Richards said.

The host U.S. is seeking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The Americans lost in the round of 16 to Ghana in 2010,

Belgium in 2014 and the Netherlands in 2022. They failed to advance from the group stage in 2006 and didn’t qualify for the 2018 tournament.

The USSF did not make Balogun available for comment Sunday, but Balogun posted on social media a picture of himself in front of U.S. fans and overlaid with music of Michael Jackson’s pop single “Bad.” On Friday, Balogun said he thought a yellow card instead of red “would have been fair.”

FIFA said its decision relied on Article 27 of disciplinary committee rules.

“The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure. By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the

judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years,” the rule states.

FIFA in November deferred the final two games of a three-match ban for Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo for a red card against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, allowing him to play at the start of the World Cup. Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadoran midfielder Moisés Caicedo in April had onegame bans deferred for red cards in qualifiers, also allowing them to be available for World Cup openers.

Brazil’s Garrincha was ejected from a 1962 semifinal but allowed to play in the final against Chile after political pressure.

ONLY $39.95 100+ years of LSU Football history in a hardcover book by columnist Scott Rabalais

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6B ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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SCOREBOARD Odds Sports Betting Line MLB Monday

American League FAVORITE LINE at TAMPA BAY OFF National League FAVORITE LINE at ATLANTA -126 Milwaukee -117 at SAN DIEGO OFF at LA DODGERS OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE Philadelphia -174 at WASH -138 Toronto -113

UNDERDOG N.Y Yankees

LINE OFF

UNDERDOG N.Y Mets at ST. LOUIS Arizona Colorado

LINE +104 -105 OFF OFF

UNDERDOG LINE at KANSAS CITY +142 Houston +114 at SAN FRAN -109

Pro basketball WNBA Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE New York Indiana Atlanta Washington Toronto Chicago Connecticut

W 13 11 12 10 9 6 4

L 8 8 9 9 10 14 16

Pct .619 .579 .571 .526 .474 .300 .200

GB — 1 1 2 3 6½ 8½

Minnesota Las Vegas Golden State Dallas Los Angeles Portland Phoenix Seattle

W 15 15 14 12 8 9 8 5

L 5 5 7 8 10 12 13 17

Pct .750 .750 .667 .600 .444 .429 .381 .227

GB — — 1½ 3 6 6½ 7½ 11

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Saturday’s Games

Golden State 88, Atlanta 83 Portland 77, Seattle 72

Sunday’s Games

Dallas 89, Toronto 76 Indiana 84, Las Vegas 68

Monday’s Games

Golden State at Washington, 6:30 p.m.

Connecticut at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Seattle at Los Angeles, 9 p.m.

Golf U.S. Senior Open Championship Sunday

At Scioto County Club Columbus, Ohio Purse: $4 million Yardage: 7,170; Par: 70 Final Round P. Harrington, $800,000 69-67-66-66—268 -12 Stewart Cink, $432,000 67-70-64-71—272 -8 G. McNeill, $258,746 68-66-69-71—274 -6 Ian Poulter, $181,376 70-69-69-67—275 -5 J. Donaldson, $135,260 69-70-69-68—276 -4 Retief Goosen, $135,260 70-73-66-67—276 -4 P. Stankowski, $135,260 69-70-68-69—276 -4 D. Clarke, $98,650 71-72-64-70—277 -3 M. Angl Jmenz, $98,650 69-68-67-73—277 -3 Pat Perez, $98,650 72-68-70-67—277 -3 Ernie Els, $76,202 71-69-69-69—278 -2 John Rollins, $76,202 72-70-67-69—278 -2 Henrik Stenson, $76,202 71-67-72-68—278 -2 Billy Andrade, $60,834 72-72-65-70—279 -1 Alex Cejka, $60,834 69-69-71-70—279 -1 F. Jacobson, $60,834 68-73-70-68—279 -1 Chris Devlin, $50,460 70-68-71-71—280 E Jerry Kelly, $50,460 72-71-67-70—280 E Y.E. Yang, $50,460 71-69-72-68—280 E Jason Caron, $37,751 71-70-71-69—281 +1 Tommy Gainey, $37,751 69-69-70-73—281 +1 Brendan Jones, $37,751 73-69-69-70—281 +1 Soren Kjeldsen, $37,751 69-72-72-68—281 +1 Charlie Wi, $37,751 67-70-73-71—281 +1 Michael Wright, $37,751 70-72-67-72—281 +1 Ryan Armour, $27,443 73-69-69-71—282 +2 Matt Gogel, $27,443 76-67-72-67—282 +2 Richard Green, $27,443 69-70-74-69—282 +2 Justin Hicks, $27,443 70-72-71-69—282 +2 A. Marshall, $27,443 73-68-70-71—282 +2 Shane Bertsch, $21,662 72-72-69-70—283 +3 Michael Block, $21,662 72-70-71-70—283 +3 Simon Griffiths, $21,662 68-72-68-75—283 +3 Tim Petrovic, $21,662 70-70-72-71—283 +3 Ken Tanigawa, $21,662 71-72-69-71—283 +3 Jeff Maggert, $18,791 71-69-71-73—284 +4 Haymes Snedeker, $0 73-68-70-73—284 +4 K.J. Choi, $16,807 73-71-71-70—285 +5 Ben Crane, $16,807 69-70-73-73—285 +5 Scott Hend, $16,807 75-69-70-71—285 +5 Gene Sauers, $16,807 74-68-69-74—285 +5 C. Montgomrie, $14,472 70-73-71-72—286 +6 Vijay Singh, $14,472 76-68-70-72—286 +6 Stephen Ames, $11,796 70-69-74-74—287 +7 Greg Chalmers, $11,796 69-72-74-72—287 +7 J.J. Henry, $11,796 72-70-73-72—287 +7 Timothy O’Neal, $11,796 75-68-70-74—287 +7 Mark Wilson, $11,796 74-70-72-71—287 +7 David Mathis, $9,493 71-73-72-72—288 +8 Cameron Percy, $9,493 71-70-75-72—288 +8 Takashi Iwamoto, $8,688 74-69-75-71—289 +9 Alan McLean, $8,688 74-68-73-74—289 +9 Scott Parel, $8,688 73-71-73-72—289 +9 R. Gonzalez, $8,325 73-67-75-75—290 +10 Kirk Triplett, $8,247 75-67-76-74—292 +12 Chad Campbell, $8,170 71-73-75-75—294 +14 T. Sriroj, $8,092 72-71-73-79—295 +15 T. Jaidee, $8,014 72-71-77-76—296 +16 Omar Uresti, $7,936 70-71-84-72—297 +17 Hank Kim, $7,858 72-71-79-79—301 +21

John Deere Classic

Sunday

At TPC Deere Run Silvis, Ill. Purse: $8.8 million Yardage: 7,327; Par: 71 Final Round Chris Gotterup 66-68-68-62—264 Max Homa 67-66-68-64—265 Lucas Glover 63-65-69-69—266 Lee Hodges 64-66-67-69—266 Ben Kohles 65-67-66-68—266 Doug Ghim 69-65-65-68—267 Mac Meissner 67-70-66-64—267 Jackson Suber 68-64-66-69—267 Zac Blair 63-68-67-70—268 Ryo Hisatsune 67-65-69-67—268 Zach Johnson 64-70-66-68—268 C. Bezuidenhout 68-68-68-65—269 Blades Brown 69-66-67-67—269 Tyler Duncan 66-66-71-66—269 Rickie Fowler 70-69-63-68—270 Stephan Jaeger 64-72-68-66—270 Matt Kuchar 72-66-65-67—270 Chandler Phillips 69-67-65-69—270 Preston Stout 66-69-66-69—270 Kevin Yu 66-72-66-66—270 Zecheng Dou 67-69-68-67—271 Ben Griffin 69-65-70-67—271 Harry Higgs 67-68-69-67—271 David Lipsky 67-65-71-68—271 Troy Merritt 66-66-70-69—271 Keegan Bradley 70-69-69-64—272 Jacob Bridgeman 67-70-68-67—272 Emiliano Grillo 70-66-67-69—272 William Mouw 66-68-68-70—272 Pontus Nyholm 68-66-69-69—272 Davis Thompson 69-69-66-68—272 Erik Van Rooyen 70-69-64-69—272 Michael Brennan 66-68-72-67—273 Davis Chatfield 69-66-70-68—273 Nick Dunlap 67-72-67-67—273 Tom Hoge 73-64-67-69—273 David Skinns 72-67-66-68—273

-20 -19 -18 -18 -18 -17 -17 -17 -16 -16 -16 -15 -15 -15 -14 -14 -14 -14 -14 -14 -13 -13 -13 -13 -13 -12 -12 -12 -12 -12 -12 -12 -11 -11 -11 -11 -11

Matt Wallace 67-71-70-65—273 Eric Cole 76-63-70-65—274 Pierceson Coody 69-68-67-70—274 Trace Crowe 69-69-69-67—274 Lanto Griffin 67-72-69-66—274 Beau Hossler 70-67-66-71—274 Karl Vilips 72-65-68-69—274 Aaron Wise 66-69-67-72—274 Joel Dahmen 66-71-71-67—275 Mark Hubbard 72-67-68-68—275 Mackenzie Hughes 72-67-70-66—275 Tom Kim 67-68-69-71—275 Keita Nakajima 70-69-68-68—275 L. Dumont De Chassart 72-67-71-66—276 Luke Gutschewski 67-68-72-69—276 Chan Kim 68-67-71-70—276 Max McGreevy 71-68-69-68—276 Keith Mitchell 73-66-69-68—276 J.T. Poston 68-69-71-68—276 Andrew Putnam 67-68-67-74—276 Austin Eckroat 71-67-69-70—277 Tony Finau 70-68-68-71—277 Peter Malnati 71-66-69-71—277 Austin Smotherman 66-69-70-72—277 Jordan Spieth 70-69-69-69—277 Hayden Springer 66-68-71-72—277 Will Gordon 70-69-71-68—278 Davis Riley 65-72-71-71—279 Camilo Villegas 71-67-73-68—279 Zachary Bauchou 69-70-72-69—280 Rafael Campos 66-71-72-71—280 Patrick Fishburn 65-71-71-73—280 Steven Fisk 68-68-73-71—280 Jonathan Byrd 69-70-72-70—281 A.J. Ewart 67-72-70-72—281 Sungjae Im 68-69-68-76—281 Michael Feagles 69-70-74-69—282 Fabian Gomez 72-67-75-68—282 Nicholas Lindheim 69-68-76-69—282 Ryan Voois 68-70-72-74—284 Gordon Sargent 67-69-74-76—286 Ryan Brehm 68-69-77-74—288

BMW International Open

-11 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -9 -9 -9 -9 -9 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -6 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 E +2 +4

Sunday

At Golfclub Munchen Eichenried Munich Purse: $3 million Yardage: 7,354; Par: 72 Final Round M. Hollick $445,469 66-68-69-67—270 -18 H. Du Plessis $288,244 64-69-72-66—271 -17 B. Wiesberger $165,08568-68-67-71—274 -14 O. Guillamundgy $121,06369-67-70-70—276 -12 Carlos Ortiz $121,063 67-67-70-72—276 -12 T. Rosenmueller $91,71469-71-65-72—277 -11 Ashun Wu $72,061 70-66-72-70—278 -10 J. Niemann $72,061 68-70-70-70—278 -10 K. Aphibarnrat $51,098 70-68-70-71—279 -9 Joe Dean $51,098 66-69-76-68—279 -9 Marco Penge $51,098 68-69-70-72—279 -9 Victor Perez $51,098 72-67-73-67—279 -9 Oliver Lindell $40,267 69-69-70-72—280 -8 Renato Paratore $40,26770-67-72-71—280 -8 Hugo Townsend $40,26770-66-75-69—280 -8 Quentin Debove $32,86767-72-72-70—281 -7 Alejandro Del Rey $32,86768-71-70-72—281 -7 Manuel Elvira $32,867 67-69-71-74—281 -7 Nacho Elvira $32,867 67-71-71-72—281 -7 Romain Lngsque $32,86767-72-75-67—281 -7 Freddy Schott $32,867 70-70-68-73—281 -7 Jeff Winther $32,867 68-70-71-72—281 -7 Ross Fisher $26,466 66-70-74-72—282 -6 Joel Girrbach $26,466 71-69-71-71—282 -6 Frederic Lacroix $26,46669-66-74-73—282 -6 Stefano Mazzoli $26,46668-72-72-70—282 -6 Jack Senior $26,466 69-65-72-76—282 -6 N. Von Dllngshun $26,46674-66-70-72—282 -6 Matti Schmid $26,466 69-67-74-72—282 -6 Filippo Celli $20,963 69-70-72-72—283 -5 Ugo Coussaud $20,963 69-69-72-73—283 -5 Calum Hill $20,963 70-70-74-69—283 -5 Jeong-Weon Ko $20,96367-73-67-76—283 -5 N. Norgrd Moller $20,96368-71-75-69—283 -5 M. Steinlechnr $20,963 69-69-73-72—283 -5 Brad Dalke $20,963 69-66-75-73—283 -5 Finn Kolle 70-67-72-74—283 -5 Todd Clements $16,509 68-70-70-76—284 -4 Scott Jamieson $16,50969-71-72-72—284 -4 Casey Jarvis $16,509 71-67-69-77—284 -4 Matthew Jordan $16,50968-70-75-71—284 -4 Shaun Norris $16,509 69-69-74-72—284 -4 D. Van Tonder $16,509 70-69-74-71—284 -4 Paul Waring $16,509 66-69-74-75—284 -4 Sam Bairstow $13,364 69-70-73-73—285 -3 James Morrison $13,36469-71-71-74—285 -3 JC Ritchie $13,364 65-71-75-74—285 -3 Andy Sullivan $13,364 68-69-72-76—285 -3 Quim Vidal $13,364 69-71-77-68—285 -3 Marcus Armitage $10,74470-69-78-69—286 -2 Davis Bryant $10,744 66-74-69-77—286 -2 A. Garcia-Heredia $10,74468-72-74-72—286 -2 Alexander Levy $10,74470-67-74-75—286 -2 Abraham Ancer $10,74470-68-77-71—286 -2 Fred Biondi $9,171 71-69-73-74—287 -1 R. Neergrd-Petersn $8,90969-68-74-77—288 E Adrian Meronk $8,516 67-69-80-73—289 +1 Daniel Young $8,516 66-71-75-77—289 +1 Dylan Naidoo $7,992 73-67-72-78—290 +2 J. Trey Schaper $7,992 64-73-75-78—290 +2 Gregorio De Leo $7,206 69-70-83-69—291 +3 S. Garcia Rodrigz $7,20668-68-81-74—291 +3 Benjamin Schmidt $7,20668-71-78-74—291 +3 Sebastian Munoz $7,20668-72-74-77—291 +3 Darius Van Driel $6,551 72-68-75-77—292 +4 Matteo Manassero $6,28970-70-76-77—293 +5

Auto racing NASCAR-O’Reilly Cuervo 300 Results Late Saturday

At Chicagoland Speedway Joliet, Ill. Lap length: 1.50 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (29) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 201 laps, 60 points.

2. (11) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 201, 0.

3. (6) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 201, 52.

4. (2) Brent Crews, Toyota, 201, 34.

5. (16) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 201, 32.

6. (17) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 201, 40.

7. (25) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 201, 43.

8. (9) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 201, 39.

9. (21) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 201, 0.

10. (1) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 201, 0.

11. (3) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 201, 26.

12. (15) Nicholas Sanchez, Chevrolet, 201, 25.

13. (10) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 201, 24.

14. (5) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 201, 23.

15. (18) Harrison Burton, Toyota, 201, 22.

16. (8) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 201, 31.

17. (26) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 201, 20.

18. (23) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 201, 19.

19. (4) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 201, 29.

20. (22) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 201, 17.

21. (31) Leland Honeyman, Chevrolet, 201, 0.

22. (28) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 201, 15.

23. (12) Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 201, 14.

24. (32) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 201, 13.

25. (24) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 201, 12.

26. (7) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 201, 12.

27. (27) Patrick Staropoli, Chevrolet, 201, 10.

28. (34) Lavar Scott, Chevrolet, 201, 9.

29. (13) William Sawalich, Toyota, 201, 11.

30. (33) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 201, 7.

31. (14) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200, 6.

32. (30) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 199, 5.

33. (35) Tyler Tomassi, Chevrolet, 199, 4.

34. (37) Joey Gase, Toyota, 198, 3.

35. (20) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198, 2.

36. (19) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 196, 1.

37. (38) JJ Yeley, Ford, garage, 55, 1.

38. (36) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, engine, 35, 1.

Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 118.128 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 33 minutes, 9 seconds.

Margin of Victory: .171 seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 40 laps.

Lead Changes: 16 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C.Zilisch 0-48; J.Love 49; C.Elliott 50-94; J.Love 95; T.Gray 96-99; J.Love

100-102; C.Elliott 103-108; T.Gray 109-139; B.Jones 140; C.Elliott 141-157; T.Gray 158; R.Sieg 159-161; B.Jones 162-169; T.Gray 170188; B.Jones 189; C.Elliott 190-199; B.Jones 200-201 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): C.Elliott, 4 times for 78 laps; T.Gray, 4 times for 55 laps; C.Zilisch, 1 time for 48 laps; B.Jones, 4 times for 12 laps; J.Love, 3 times for 5 laps; R.Sieg, 1 time for 3 laps.

Wins: J.Allgaier, 5; C.Day, 2; A.Hill, 2; S.Creed, 1; B.Jones, 1; T.Gray, 1; W.Sawalich, 1.

Top 16 in Points: 1. J.Allgaier, 898; 2. J.Love, 703; 3. C.Day, 674; 4. S.Creed, 673; 5. A.Hill, 643; 6. B.Jones, 633; 7. C.Kvapil, 630; 8.

S.Smith, 602; 9. P.Retzlaff, 556; 10. S.Mayer, 549; 11. T.Gray, 535; 12. B.Crews, 527; 13.

W.Sawalich, 483; 14. R.Caruth, 479; 15. R.Sieg, 452; 16. A.Alfredo, 391.

NASCAR Driver Rating Formula A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.

The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Tennis Wimbledon Results Sunday

At All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club London Purse: £30,060,000 Surface: Grass LONDON (AP) _ Results Sunday from the Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (seedings in parentheses):

Men’s Singles

Fourth Round Novak Djokovic (7), Serbia, def. Roman Safiullin, Russia, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Felix Auger-Aliassime (3), Canada, def.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (22), Spain, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1.

Jan-Lennard Struff, Germany, def. Hubert Hurkacz, Poland, 3-6, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 7-5, 4-2, ret.

Jannik Sinner (1), Italy, def. Shintaro Mochizuki, Japan, 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3.

July 6

1949 — Walker Cooper of Cincinnati went 6-for7, including three home runs and drove in 10 runs, against Chicago at Crosley Field. Cooper also had three singles and scored five times to lead the Reds to a 23-4 rout of the Cubs.

1966 — Boog Powell of the Baltimore Orioles knocked in 11 runs in a doubleheader against the Kansas City A’s to tie an AL record. In the first game, Powell hit two home runs, including a grand slam, two doubles and a sacrifice fly to drive in seven runs as the Orioles won 11-0. Powell had four RBIs in the nightcap.

1983 — On the 50th anniversary of the AllStar game, Fred Lynn’s grand slam off Atlee Hammaker, the first in All-Star competition, capped a record seven-run third inning.

The AL also set a one-game record for runs scored in a 13-3 victory that ended an 11-game NL winning streak. Chicago’s Comiskey Park was the site, as it was for the first All-Star game in 1933.

1986 — Atlanta’s Bob Horner became the 11th player in major league history to hit

American League East Division

National League

Fourth Round Jessica Pegula (4), United States, def. Iva Jovic (16), United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Karolina Muchova (10), Czechia, def. Barbora Krejcikova, Czechia, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

Naomi Osaka (14), Japan, def. Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, 6-2, 7-6 (2).

Men’s Doubles

Third Round Guido Andreozzi, Argentina, and Manuel Guinard (8), France, def. Hendrik Jebens, Germany, and Ray Ho, Taiwan, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz (7), Germany, def. Lucas Miedler, Austria, and Francisco Cabral (11), Portugal, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7).

Harri Heliovaara, Finland, and Henry Patten (1), Britain, def. Adam Pavlasek and Patrik Rikl, Czechia, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia (13), France, def. Sander Gille, Belgium, and Sem Verbeek, Netherlands, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Women’s Doubles

Second Round Shuko Aoyama, Japan, and En-Shuo Liang (13), Taiwan, def. Kimberly Birrell and Talia Gibson, Australia, 5-7, 6-0, 6-3.

Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Wang Xinyu, China, def. Zhang Shuai, China, and Elise Mertens (4), Belgium, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Demi Schuurs, Netherlands, and Ellen Perez (9), Australia, def. Camila Osorio, Colombia, and Solana Sierra, Argentina, 6-3, 6-1.

Asia Muhammad, United States, and Fanny Stollar (16), Hungary, def. Yuliia Starodubtseva, Ukraine, and Peyton Stearns, United States, 6-1, 6-4.

Ingrid Neel, Estonia, and Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, def. Ulrikke Eikeri, Norway, and Quinn Gleason (15), United States, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Katarzyna Piter, Poland, and Anna Siskova, Czechia, def. Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch, Czechia, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7).

Rebecca Sramkova, Slovakia, and Linda Noskova, Czechia, def. Tamara Korpatsch, Germany, and Nicole Fossa Huergo, Argentina, 7-5, 7-5.

Mixed Doubles

Third Round Marcelo Arevalo, El Salvador, and Jelena Ostapenko (2), Latvia, def. Darija Jurak Schreiber, Croatia, and Andres Molteni, Argentina, 6-2, 6-2.

Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, and Laura Siegemund, Germany, def. Lloyd Glasspool, Britain, and Tereza Mihalikova (7), Slovakia, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Zhang Shuai, China, and Christian Harrison (3), United States, def. Marcus Willis and Heather Watson, Britain, 6-2, 7-6 (4).

Guido Andreozzi, Argentina, and Aldila Sutjiadi, Indonesia, def. Anna Danilina, Kazakhstan, and James Tracy (8), United States, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-3.

Joe Salisbury, Britain, and Leylah Fernandez, Canada, def. Maia Lumsden and Ben Jones, Britain, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Neal Skupski, Britain, and Desirae Krawczyk (6), United States, def. Ellen Perez, Australia, and Francisco Cabral, Portugal, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3.

Mate Pavic, Croatia, and Fanny Stollar, Hungary, def. Evan King, United States, and Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Storm Hunter and Marc Polmans, Australia, def. Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori (1), Italy, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League HOUSTON ASTROS — Sent RHP Hayden Wesneski on a rehab assignment to Corpus Christi.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Recalled RHP Angel Chivilli from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL).

Optioned RHP Brendan Beck to Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre.

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Recalled RHP Mason Englert from Durham (IL). Optioned RHP Trevor Martin to Durham.

TEXAS RANGERS — Acquired C Arturo De Freitas from the Québec Capitales.

National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Recalled LF Tim Tawa from Reno (PCL). Optioned 1B LuJames Groover to Reno.

ATLANTA BRAVES — Selected the contract of RHP Carlos Carrasco from Gwinnett (IL).

Optioned RHP JR Ritchie to Gwinnett. Sent RHP Ian Hamilton outright to Gwinnett.

CHICAGO CUBS — Sent RHP Jameson Taillon on a rehab assignment to South Bend.

COLORADO ROCKIES — Recalled RHP TJ Shook from Albuquerque (PCL). Optioned LHP Sean Sullivan to Albuquerque.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Placed RHP Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day IL. Recalled LHP Drew Rom from Nashville (IL).

NEW YORK METS — Selected the contract of RHP Guillo Zuñiga from Syracuse (IL).

Optioned RHP Joey Gerber to Syracuse.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Agreed to terms with OF Bryan De La Cruz on a contract. Designated RHP Jean Cabrera for assignment. Optioned OF Bryan De La Cruz to Lehigh Valley (IL).

four home runs in a game and it still wasn’t enough to win the game. The Montreal Expos pounded the Braves’ pitching staff for an 11-8 victory.

2000 — Keith McDonald of the St. Louis Cardinals became the second player in major league history to homer in his first two at-bats, connecting in the second inning of a 12-6 loss to Cincinnati.

2005 — Florida pitchers retired 28 consecutive batters from the third inning on and set a team record with 22 strikeouts in a 12-inning, 5-4 victory over Milwaukee. A.J. Burnett matched his career high and the individual club record with 14 strikeouts in six innings.

2007 — Justin Morneau homered three times in the second game of a doubleheader to help Minnesota sweep Chicago 20-14 and 12-0. The Twins won the opener behind Jason Kubel’s seven RBIs. 2009 — Chase Utley hit a three-run homer and Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs each had two-run shots during a 10-run first inning, helping the Philadelphia Phillies rout.

East Division

Tampa Bay New York Toronto Baltimore Boston

W 52 49 42 42 39

L 34 40 47 49 48

Pct GB .605 — .551 4½ .472 11½ .462 12½ .448 13½

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 52 50 48 46 36

L 35 39 42 45 53

Pct .598 .562 .533 .505 .404

GB — 3 5½ 8 17

Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 46 47 44 39 35

L 42 43 47 50 54

Pct GB .523 — .522 — .484 3½ .438 7½ .393 11½

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 54 49 47 46 41

L 33 40 39 45 48

Pct .621 .551 .547 .505 .461

GB — 6 6½ 10 14

Seattle Texas Houston Athletics Los Angeles

W 46 45 44 41 36

L 44 44 47 48 54

Pct .511 .506 .484 .461 .400

Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

W 59 44 43 37 36

L 31 44 45 51 54

Pct .656 .500 .489 .420 .400

GB — 14 15 21 23

Central Division

West Division

Saturday’s Games

GB — ½ 2½ 4½ 10

Central Division

West Division

Saturday’s Games

Minnesota 11, N.Y. Yankees 4 Detroit 3, Texas 0 Seattle 11, Toronto 0 Chicago White Sox 3, Cleveland 1 Baltimore 8, Cincinnati 5 Houston 10, Tampa Bay 8 Philadelphia 6, Kansas City 1 Boston 8, L.A. Angels 1 Miami 7, Athletics 2

Pittsburgh 7, Washington 1 Baltimore 8, Cincinnati 5 Philadelphia 6, Kansas City 1 St. Louis 3, Chicago Cubs 0 San Francisco 6, Colorado 4 Atlanta 14, N.Y. Mets 3 Arizona 4, Milwaukee 3 Miami 7, Athletics 2 L.A. Dodgers 3, San Diego 0

Chicago White Sox 7, Cleveland 6 Kansas City 5, Philadelphia 2 Kansas City 5, Philadelphia 2 Houston 2, Tampa Bay 0 Cincinnati 3, Baltimore 2 Miami 9, Athletics 8 Minnesota 6, N.Y. Yankees 1 Seattle 4, Toronto 0 Boston at L.A. Angels, n

N.Y. Mets 10, Atlanta 9 Chicago Cubs 6, St. Louis 4 Kansas City 5, Philadelphia 2 Cincinnati 3, Baltimore 2 Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2 Colorado 7, San Francisco 6 Pittsburgh 11, Washington 5 Miami 9, Athletics 8 San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, n

Philadelphia (Sánchez 10-3) at Kansas City (Cameron 4-6), 1:10 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Schlittler 8-5) at Tampa Bay (Jax 4-5), 5:40 p.m.

Houston (Burrows 4-8) at Washington (Mikolas 2-7), 5:45 p.m.

Toronto (Gausman 4-7) at San Francisco (Roupp 5-8), 8:45 p.m.

Philadelphia (Sánchez 10-3) at Kansas City (Cameron 4-6), 1:10 p.m.

Houston (Burrows 4-8) at Washington (Mikolas 2-7), 5:45 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Peralta 5-7) at Atlanta , 6:15 p.m.

Milwaukee (Drohan 3-2) at St. Louis (May 5-6), 6:45 p.m.

Arizona (Pfaadt 1-1) at San Dieg, 8:40 p.m.

Toronto ( at San Francisco, 8:45 p.m.

Colorado (Freeland 2-7) at L.A. Dodgers (Lauer 4-5), 9:10 p.m.

Sunday’s Games

Sunday’s Games

Monday’s Games

Women’s Singles

THIS DATE IN BASEBALL 1929 — The St. Louis Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first and fifth innings in beating the Philadelphia Phillies, 28-6, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Cardinals had 28 hits and set an NL record with the 28 runs.

1933 — The first major league All-Star game was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

The AL, managed by Connie Mack, defeated the NL, managed by John McGraw, 4-2 on Babe Ruth’s two-run homer.

1938 — Johnny Vander Meer, Bill Lee and Mace Brown combined to limit the AL to one run and seven hits as the NL won the AllStar game 4-1 at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field.

Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees suffered his first defeat in four All-Star starts.

1942 — The AL beat the NL 3-1 in the All-Star game at the Polo Grounds in New York on first-inning home runs by Lou Boudreau of the Cleveland Indians and Rudy York of the Detroit Tigers. York’s shot came with a man on base.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Monday’s Games

BOX SCORES Miami 9, Athletics 8

Detroit 6, Texas 3

Miami

Detroit

Athletics

Texas

ab r h bi ab r h bi Lopez ss 4 2 3 3 Bolte cf 4 0 0 0 Hernández lf4 2 3 2 Kurtz 1b 4 0 0 0 Hicks 1b 5 0 2 2 Gelof 2b 4 1 1 0 Edwards 2b 4 0 2 0 Butler rf 3 2 1 0 Sanja 3b 6 0 1 0 Kuda-Grar ss4 1 1 0 Ruiz rf-cf 3 1 1 0 Cortes lf 4 1 1 1 Jiménez dh 4 1 1 2 Muncy 3b 2 2 0 0 Marsee cf 1 2 1 0 Heim dh 4 1 2 6 Conine rf 2 0 0 0 Thomas pr 0 0 0 0 Navarreto c 4 1 2 0 Serven c 4 0 1 0 Mack ph-c 1 0 0 0 Totals 38 9 16 9 Totals 33 8 7 7 Miami 123 002 001 — 9 Athletics 000 000 053 — 8 E_Butler (2). DP_Miami 0, Athletics 2.

LOB_Miami 14, Athletics 1. 2B_Sanoja (16), Lopez (25), Navarreto (1), Ruiz (8), Hernández (6), Cortes (11), Butler (8).

HR_Hernández 2 (11), Jiménez (1), Lopez (9), Heim (9). SB_Ruiz (18). SF_Hicks (6), Lopez (6).

IP H R ER BB SO Miami Pérez W,5-6 7 0 0 0 0 8 Bachar 0 4 5 5 2 0 Petersen H,14 1 0 0 0 0 1 Fairbanks 1 3 3 2 1 1 Athletics Jump L,3-3 3 8 6 6 3 1 Barnett 2 3 2 2 0 0 Sterner 1 2 0 0 0 0 Harris 1 0 0 0 1 1 Medina 1 1 0 0 2 1 Alvarado 1 2 1 1 1 1 Bachar pitched to 6 batters in the 8th, Barnett pitched to 2 batters in the 6th.

HBP_Jump (Marsee), Harris (Conine), Medina (Ruiz).

ABS Challenge_Jump (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Bolte (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Ruiz (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Harris (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Bachar (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Kurtz (StrikeConfirmed); Fairbanks (Ball-Confirmed); Heim (Strike-Confirmed).

Pitch timer violations_Jump (pitcher).

Umpires_Home, Junior Valentine; First, Austin Jones; Second, Rob Drake; Third, Jordan Baker.

T_3:22. A_8,686 (14,014).

ab r h bi ab r h bi McGonigle 3b4 1 2 0 Pederson dh 3 0 1 0 Dingler dh 5 1 1 1 Burger 1b 4 1 1 1 Carpenter rf 3 2 1 0 Nimmo rf 4 0 1 1 Vierling rf 1 0 1 0 Duran 3b 4 1 1 1 Greene lf 4 1 3 4 Carter cf 4 0 0 0 Torkelsn 1b 4 0 1 0 Díaz c 4 0 0 0 Keith 3b 1 0 0 0 Smith lf 4 0 1 0 Lee ph-2b 2 0 0 0 Cauley 2b 2 0 0 0 McKinstry ss4 0 0 0 Osuna ph 1 0 0 0 Rogers c 4 0 0 0 Lopez ss 3 1 1 0 Outman cf 4 1 1 0 Totals 36 6 10 5 Totals 33 3 6 3 Detroit 000 240 000 — 6 Texas 001 010 010 — 3 E_Díaz (3). DP_Detroit 0, Texas 1. LOB_ Detroit 8, Texas 5. 3B_Greene (1), Vierling (2), Smith (1). HR_Greene (13), Burger (15), Duran (7).

IP H R ER BB SO Detroit Mize W,4-5 6 2⁄3 5 2 2 2 4 1 Sommers ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 Anderson 1 1 1 1 0 0 Jansen S,10-14 1 0 0 0 0 0 Texas 1 Rocker L,2-7 4 ⁄3 5 3 3 1 4 Ahlstrom 0 3 3 2 1 0 Collyer 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 3 Winn 2 1 0 0 0 3 Gray 1 1 0 0 1 0 Ahlstrom pitched to 5 batters in the 5th.

WP_Ahlstrom.

ABS Challenge_Carter (Strike-Confirmed); Mize (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Rocker (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Ahlstrom (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Greene (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Winn (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Sommers (Ball-Confirmed).

Pitch timer violations_Gray (pitcher).

Umpires_Home, John Tumpane; First, Chris Conroy; Second, Willie Traynor; Third, Brennan Miller.

T_2:45. A_27,887 (40,000).

Houston 2, Tampa Bay 0

Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2

Tampa Bay

Houston

Milwaukee

Arizona

ab r h bi ab r h bi Díaz dh 4 0 0 0 Altuve 2b 3 0 1 0 Aranda 1b 4 0 1 0 Alvarez dh 4 0 0 0 Caminero 3b3 0 0 0 Paredes 3b 4 1 2 1 Mullins cf 2 0 0 0 Walker 1b 4 1 1 1 Vilade ph-rf 2 0 0 0 Wade lf 3 0 0 0 Simpson lf 4 0 1 0 Matthews cf 0 0 0 0 Williamsn ss4 0 1 0 Smith rf 3 0 1 0 Mesa rf-cf 2 0 0 0 Trammell cf 2 0 0 0 Palacios 2b 2 0 0 0 Dezenzo ph-lf1 0 0 0 DeLuca ph-cf1 0 1 0 Allen ss 3 0 0 0 Feduccia c 2 0 0 0 Vázquez c 3 0 1 0 Fortes ph-c 1 0 0 0 Totals 31 0 4 0 Totals 30 2 6 2 Tampa Bay 000 000 000 — 0 Houston 000 101 00x — 2 E_Williamson (3), Feduccia (4). DP_Tampa Bay 1, Houston 0. LOB_Tampa Bay 6, Houston 5. HR_Walker (20), Paredes (12).

SB_Simpson (21), Williamson (6).

IP H R ER BB SO Tampa Bay 2 1 9 Englert L,0-2 5 2⁄3 5 2 Booser 1 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 3 Kimbrel 1 1 0 0 0 0 Houston Lambert W,7-5 5 2⁄3 3 0 0 1 6 0 0 1 Okert H,11 1 1⁄3 0 0 King H,11 1 1 0 0 0 0 Hader S,9-9 1 0 0 0 1 2 WP_Lambert, Okert.

ABS Challenge_Englert (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Englert (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Englert (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Lambert (Ball-Confirmed); Altuve (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Caminero (Strike-Overturned to Ball).

Umpires_Home, Cory Blaser; First, Jansen Visconti; Second, Andy Fletcher; Third, Alex Tosi.

T_2:37. A_29,003 (41,000).

ab r h bi ab r h bi Turang 2b 4 0 1 0 Marte dh 4 0 1 0 Chourio lf 4 0 2 0 Perdomo ss 5 1 3 0 Yelich dh 3 0 0 0 Carroll rf 4 0 1 1 Vaughn 1b 3 0 1 0 Moreno c 3 0 0 1 Frelick pr-rf 1 1 0 0 Gurriel lf 2 0 0 0 Bauers rf-1b 4 1 1 2 Kepler ph-lf 1 0 0 0 Mitchell cf 4 0 0 0 Vargas 2b 3 0 0 0 Sánchez c 3 1 1 0 Tawa 3b 2 0 0 0 Hamilton 3b 3 0 0 0 Smith 1b 4 0 1 0 Ortiz ss 3 0 1 1 Troy cf 4 1 1 0 Totals 32 3 7 3 Totals 32 2 7 2 Milwaukee 000 000 300 — 3 Arizona 100 000 100 — 2 E_Ashby (1). DP_Milwaukee 1, Arizona 0.

LOB_Milwaukee 3, Arizona 10. 2B_Chourio (15), Sánchez (5), Perdomo (13), Carroll (18). HR_Bauers (16). SB_Tawa (1), Perdomo (13). S_Yelich (1), Tawa (3).

IP H R ER BB SO Milwaukee Sproat 4 5 1 1 3 4 Anderson 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 1 Rom W,1-0 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 1 Ashby H,5 ⁄3 2 1 1 1 0 Uribe H,13 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 1 Megill S,13-15 1 0 0 0 1 0 Arizona Rodriguez L,7-3 6 5 2 2 0 3 Ginkel 1 2 1 1 0 1 Clarke 1 0 0 0 0 0 Jameson 1 0 0 0 0 1 Rodriguez pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

ABS Challenge_Smith (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Troy (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Ashby (Ball-Confirmed); Marte (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Megill (BallConfirmed).

Pitch timer violations_Uribe (pitcher).

Colorado 7, San Francisco 6

N.Y. Mets 10, Atlanta 9

San Francisco

Colorado

ab r h bi ab r h bi Arraez 2b 4 0 0 0 McCarthy lf 4 1 1 0 Schmitt 3b 4 1 1 1 Moniak lf 3 0 0 0 Ramos lf 4 0 1 0 Carrigg ph-cf1 0 0 0 Devers 1b 5 2 2 2 Goodman dh4 1 2 1 Lee rf 5 0 1 0 Rumfield 1b 4 2 3 0 Cox pr 0 0 0 0 Johnston rf 2 0 1 1 Adames ss 4 2 1 0 Fulford pr 0 1 0 0 Eldridge dh 3 0 0 0 Freeman rf 0 0 0 0 Gilbert cf 4 1 4 3 Karros 3b 4 1 1 3 Cavanaugh c3 0 0 0 Julien 2b 4 1 1 0 Totals 36 6 10 6 Totals 33 7 11 6 San Francisco 020 121 000 — 6 Colorado 211 000 03x — 7 E_Mahle (1), Tovar (6). DP_San Francisco 1, Colorado 1. LOB_San Francisco 9, Colorado 4. 2B_Gilbert (9), Sullivan (7), Rumfield (20). 3B_McCarthy (6). HR_Gilbert (4), Devers 2 (18), Schmitt (17), Karros (7). SB_Cox (4). SF_Johnston (3).

S_Cavanaugh (1).

IP H R ER BB SO San Francisco 3 0 5 Mahle 4 1⁄3 8 4 Miller 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 2 Houser H,1 ⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 1 Hentges H,4 ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 Smith L,0-1 BS,1-2 1 2 3 3 0 1 Colorado Gordon 5 6 5 5 2 7 Bernardino 1 1 1 0 1 0 Herget 1 1 0 0 0 1 Vodnik W,3-3 1 1 0 0 1 2 Romano S,5-7 1 1 0 0 0 2 HBP_Herget (Schmitt), Smith (Johnston).

Derek Thomas; Second, Ron Kulpa; Third, Manny Gonzalez.

T_2:48. A_25,548 (50,144).

New York

Atlanta

ab r h bi ab r h bi Lindor ss 4 3 1 1 Baldwin c 4 2 2 4 Soto dh 4 1 2 2 Albies 2b 5 1 1 0 Bichette 3b 5 1 3 3 Olson 1b 5 1 1 0 Vientos 1b 2 0 0 0 Harris cf 5 1 2 3 J.Young ph-1b2 0 1 2 Dubón lf 5 1 3 1 Benge rf 5 0 0 0 Smith dh 5 1 1 0 Taylor lf 4 1 1 1 Riley 3b 4 1 2 0 Ewing cf 4 1 2 1 Ystrzmski rf 1 0 0 0 Torrens c 3 1 0 0 White ph-rf 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 Baty 2b 4 2 2 0 Jarvis ss Totals 37 10 12 10 Totals 39 9 12 8 New York 140 000 005 — 10 Atlanta 300 000 006 — 9 E_McLean (2), Vientos (7), Brazobán (1), Riley (8). DP_New York 1, Atlanta 2.

LOB_New York 4, Atlanta 6. 2B_Baty (12), Bichette (14), Albies (17), Olson (23).

HR_Ewing (5), Taylor (5), Baldwin (15).

IP H R ER BB SO New York McLean W,6-5 6 5 3 2 1 5 Raley H,12 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 Weaver H,11 1 ⁄3 4 5 5 1 1 Brazobán 2 Williams S,13-14 ⁄3 3 1 1 0 2 Atlanta M.Pérez L,6-6 4 1⁄3 6 5 4 2 1 2 Kinley 0 0 0 ⁄3 0 0 D.Young 1 1 0 0 0 2 Dodd 1 0 0 0 0 1 Carrasco 2 5 5 5 2 1 McLean pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

HBP_McLean (Baldwin). WP_Williams.

Umpires_Home, Mike Estabrook; First, Lance Barrett; Second, Malachi Moore; Third, Alfonso Marquez.

T_3:03. A_28,621 (41,149).

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

M o n d ay, J u ly 6, 2026

1Cn

Hit town

The Motown Museum’s $75M expansion aims to honor detroit’s musical legacy

BY COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press

PHoTo By KAndACE PoWER GRAVES

The Winston Churchill statue on British Plaza by the Hilton new orleans Riverside hotel.

STANDING TALL

Why is there a statue of Winston Churchill in New Orleans?

BY RACHEL MIPRO

Contributing writer

Visitors to downtown New Orleans may wonder why a bronze Winston Churchill waves from a prominent perch near the Mississippi River.

One reader’s question: “What’s the history of the Winston Churchill statue in New Orleans?” The answer seems to be thanks to one hotelier.

The Churchill statue joined the New Orleans scene in November 1977, unveiled in a public ceremony by Churchill’s daughter, Lady Mary Soames, and situated between the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and the World Trade Center of New Orleans.

The statue sits outside the hotel in the middle of a traffic circle at the end of Poydras Street, now known as the British Plaza, near one of the main entrances to the aquarium, River Walk and Spanish Plaza.

The connection between the British wartime prime minister and a Crescent City hotel is best understood through hotel leadership.

DETROIT — The Motown Museum in Detroit has been resonating with a different signature sound — the rumble of trucks, the buzz of drills and the pounding of metal — as one of the most significant sites in American musical history undergoes a $75 million donor-driven face-lift ahead of its 2027 grand reopening.

The expansion of the Hitsville USA campus — a house where chart-toppers by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross and The Supremes were written, rehearsed and recorded — aims not just to honor Detroit’s musical legacy, but also to increase the city’s footprint as an education and tourism destination.

The museum should enjoy the same level of promotion as other landmarks in the United States, former Motown music arranger Paul Riser Sr., comparing the seminal label’s potential to a tourist mecca in New York City.

“The city can really benefit by further marketing this whole concept here,” Riser said. “We need to see more pageantry of Motown. Every time I think Motown, I think Times Square.”

Cities across the U.S. have for years promoted musical heritage as a selling point to attract business conventions, exhibitions and tourists. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame attracts 500,000 people each year to Cleveland, while Nashville’s music history and attractions tied to country, gospel and other genres bring in about 17 million people annually.

AP PHoTo By CoREy WILLIAMS

AP FILE PHoToS

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, left, in a Sept. 17, 1954, photo and Lady Mary Church Soames on a visit to new orleans in 1977.

International Rivercenter, the company that built the Hilton, donated the plaza and statue to the city, thanks to co-managing partner James Coleman Jr., who served as an honorary consul for the British government.

Coleman championed British culture in the city throughout his life, fielding ventures such as the Windsor Court Hotel, a hotel

meant to bring British style to the bayou.

He eventually received the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire recognition from Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire recognition, both

ä See CURIOUS, page 2C

Former Motown music arranger Paul Riser Sr. poses outside Hitsville U.S.A. in detroit on June 11.

The Motown Museum says it logs more than 100,000 visitors each year and is expecting at least 325,000 visitors per year after the expansion opens.

“Motown for many, many decades has been just a magical source of pride and inspiration,” said Robin Terry, Motown Museum chair and chief executive. “Visitors come to the little house that’s Hitsville USA — what used to be the headquarters of Motown — just to touch the magical space where so many of their musical icons … got their start.”

Motown, uniquely Detroit

they can be pulled up easily when she writes.

These days, she uses a keyboard, punching the keys slowly, one at a time. But when she is creating a story, it still all starts with writing by hand. She also draws pictures.

“I want to write so that the reader can visualize what I am writing,” she said. “I love to write.”

Motown was founded in 1959

by Berry Gordy in one of the three homes on West Grand Boulevard just north of downtown Detroit, that currently house the Motown Museum.

Just a year later, The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Hits like “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Baby Love,” “My Girl” and “The Tracks of My Tears” soon sent the Motown sound around the globe.

Gordy moved the label to Los Angeles in 1972 and sold it to MCA Records in 1988. His late

ä See BOOKS, page 2C

ä See MOTOWN, page 2C

‘KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE’ AUTHOR AT 91

Japan’s Eiko Kadono still believes in magic of books

BY YURI KAGEYAMA

ing in the magic of books.

“Kiki’s Delivery Service,” which was first pubKAMAKURA, Japan — Eiko lished in 1985 and turned Kadono, the author beinto a 1989 animation film

by Hayao Miyazaki’s Stuhind Japan’s most famous — and almost certainly dio Ghibli, is among 200 most beloved — literary books she has written. witch, has a little trouble Kadono “I never tire of writing,” going up the stairs these days. she told The Associated Press at At 91, she’s still writing every her home in the picturesque seaday and hasn’t stopped loving the side town of Kamakura, south of color pink, dressing up or believ- Tokyo.

Associated Press

With a little pink gate, the house is filled with books, pink chairs and her collection of animal figures.

“I’m probably a child at heart,” Kadono says with a small laugh.

Wearing her signature boldly framed glasses, Kadono is dressed in a colorful smock that her daughter designs especially for her.

She explains proudly that the sleeves are elastic at the wrists so

2C ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

Diseases spread by tick bite take time to transmit Dear Doctors: I got bitten by a tick in April. That’s earlier than our tick season here usually starts. I went to urgent care, and the doctor said that because I was sure it had been attached for less than an hour, a Lyme infection wasn’t likely. Is that true? Should I have done anything else?

Dear Reader: To say it is unsettling to find a tick attached to your skin is probably an understatement. To the tick, you represent the blood meal it needs to advance through its next stage of life. But to the mammal that has become its host — in this case, you — the tick represents the risk of a serious bacterial or viral illness. The most common of these in the United States is Lyme disease.

Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr. Eve Glazier ASK THE doCToRS

For those who are not familiar, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can affect the skin, joints, nervous system and heart.

It is transmitted by the bite of a black-legged tick infected with a bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi. An early symptom of infection can be an expanding rash that forms a bullseye near the site

CURIOUS

This unusual, vivid photo of Sir Winston Churchill was taken on the Riviera, where he once vacationed.

The arm at the right is that of an attendant who is adjusting a blanket around him.

Continued from page 1C prestigious designations that recognize significant contributions.

The Churchill statue was designed and cast by British artist Ivor RobertJones, who is well-known for his Churchill statue across from the Houses of Parliament in London.

In 1977, Coleman officiated the unveiling of New Orleans’ Churchill statue, gathering together a group of British and New Orleans leaders and businessmen.

For the ceremony, Lady Soames, accompanied by her daughter and son-in-law, Mrs. and Mr. Richard Hambro, traveled from Great Britain.

It was Soames’ first visit to the city, and she was greeted by a whirlwind of parties and receptions in her honor, along with opportunities for sightseeing and fine dining.

Among the highlights of her visit, she was reportedly struck by the Superdome.

“It’s a wonderful stadium,” Soames said in a chronicled

MOTOWN

Continued from page 1C sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, founded the museum in 1985.

The 40,000-square-foot expansion is being constructed around the original Hitsville USA house and will feature a theater, a recording studio, retail space and a cafe, as well as immersive exhibits and a searchable back catalog of music and interviews.

“The expansion is so iconic and unique for Detroit,” said Riser, who joined Motown at age 17 and won a Grammy in 1973 for best R&B instrumental performance on The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.”

“I would hope to see the legacies and the historical content preserved,” Riser said. “It’s OK to having buildings … but if we don’t keep the legacies of these

BOOKS

Continued from page 1C Still quick with her retorts, laughs and thoughts, Kadono shrugs off how she’s wearing a wig. She doesn’t understand why people might want to hide that. She wears red lipstick and acts a bit shy about her wrinkles.

Still, her writing hasn’t basically changed over the years. Though when she looks back on her past writing, she feels it’s wordier than her current crisp style.

The Kiki series in the original Japanese spans six books and three spinoffs. The first installment was translated into English in 2020 by Delacorte Press. It is now in 25 foreign languages.

Kiki and the New Magic Now, the second in the series, “Kiki and the New Magic,” is set for release in August in English, translated by Emily Balistrieri and illustrated by Yuta Onoda.

Kadono, who won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2018, never set out to become a writer.

She was basically a house-

of the bite. However, this does not always happen. Additional symptoms can include headache, fever, fatigue and muscle and joint aches.

When caught early, Lyme disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics. If left untreated, it can progress to a multisystem illness.

The timing of your tick bite played a role in your doctor’s actions. A mosquito bite or a bee sting delivers biologically active compounds almost instantly. But the mechanics of a tick bite are a bit more complex. This leads to a time lag between attachment and the transmission of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The Food and Drug Administration reports that for the Lyme bacterium to be transmitted, in most cases

account of her visit in The Times-Picayune. “It’s amazing and beautiful.”

The ceremony was packed with notables, among them U.S. Rep. Lindy Boggs, Lt. Gov. James Fitzmorris Jr., Mayor Moon Landrieu and Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana James B. Brown. The U.S. Navy’s Eighth Naval District Band and the bagpipe group Pipes and Drums of New Orleans played.

A recording of Winston Churchill’s speeches was broadcast to an audience outside the hotel.

The local newspaper chronicled Soames’ cherry red suit, muted print scarf and triple-strand of pearls, in which she spoke of the two countries’ “passionate love of freedom.”

“She put on her horn-

rimmed glasses to read her speech about how proud she was that her father was chosen to be a symbol of the bond between our two countries,” read the TimesPicayune account of events.

“Hail Britannia” played as she pulled off the statue’s wrappings, and there Churchill has been ever since, facing the Superdome. He is portrayed wearing his naval cap and overcoat, flashing the victory salute as he leans on his cane.

Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

people who built this mas- the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame terpiece, keep them in mind, are very important for Clevewe’ve lost something.” land,” Lauer said. “They are likely to stay overnight and Marketing music history spend money on hotel rooms, The Motown Museum is a in our restaurants and in our must-see for international stores. They get to see Cleveand domestic visitors, ac- land and that strengthens the cording to Jennifer Ollinger, likelihood to come back.”

Nashville’s vibrant music senior director of tourism for Visit Detroit. The Michi- scene, encompassing coungan city clawed its way back try, gospel and the storied from bankruptcy in 2014 Grand Ole Opry, brings in and has seen something of a tourist revenue totaling more revival in recent years. than $11 billion annually.

Motown is part of the pitch Deana Ivey, president and to businesses considering chief executive of the NashDetroit for conventions, ville Convention & Visitors conferences and other large Corp., said music has been gatherings, Ollinger said. the main reason tourists “We are the only place in visit Nashville for three the world that can claim decades. The Tennessee DeMotown music as our own,” partment of Tourist DevelOllinger said. opment agrees.

In Cleveland, rock ‘n’ roll “We’re the second fastest is a pillar of the Ohio city’s growing state in America brand, said Emily Lauer, and we’ve done that without vice president of Public Re- a beach or casinos,” departlations and Communications ment commissioner Mark at Destination Cleveland.

Ezell said. “Music is our “Out-of-town visitors and draw to Tennessee.”

wife, married to a designer and raising a daughter.

She lived in Brazil for two years during her 30s and was asked to write about that experience. That’s when she discovered she liked writing as a fun thing to do, not as a job. It was certainly not something she was ordered or pushed to do.

The character of the sprightly, no-nonsense Kiki was inspired by a drawing her daughter did when she was 12: A cute witch was flying on a broomstick toward the moon.

Kadono decided to create a coming-of-age story about a little witch who goes on an adventure, traveling with her black cat Jiji.

The rest is history.

Kiki’s Museum of Literature, which opened in Tokyo in 2023, now sells Kadono’s smocks, as well as pink mugs and T-shirts decked with the characters she has created, as well as displays rows upon rows of books, including other authors.

“The other-worldly fantasy that Kadono creates has overcome the boundaries of language, to become appreciated by a wide global audience, including children and

adults, and won international accolades,” reads a statement in pink lettering on the museum wall.

Five-year-old Tsukiko Fukuda, who was visiting the museum with her family, had a more to-the-point reaction: The books are fun, and pink is her favorite color, too.

The power of books Kadono hopes there will be a continuous flux of talented writers of children’s books so that the future generation can grow up to love books.

Now is a crucial period, she believes, that may decide whether that can really happen.

The walks in the woods and other activities that captured the imagination of children of the past no longer exist, said Kadono.

There are other digital and modern diversions.

And so they must read.

“People must think on their own to be able to create. That’s what being human means,” Kadono said with a passion in her voice.

“Books are the only thing now that can bring about creation and imagination.”

a tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or longer. Because your bite was just one hour, the urgent care doctor concluded that transmission was unlikely.

While the tick you found was large enough to see, this is not always the case. Even nymphs, which can be as small as a poppy seed, can transmit Lyme disease.

That makes taking precautions when spending time outdoors very important — especially when, as you have noted, tick season starts earlier in many areas.

In a wooded or brushy area, protect yourself by wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and tucking them in. Wearing light colors makes ticks easier to spot. Use insect repellent with

20% to 30% DEET on clothes and exposed skin. Be sure to read and follow the product instructions.

At the end of any outdoor activities, do a thorough tick check.

Anyone who gets bitten by a tick and develops symptoms should always seek medical care.

In your case, with a one-hour bite, the urgent care doctor’s assessment appears reasonable. The prompt removal of the tick was the most important action.

Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Octogenarian baffled by deluge of compliments Dear Miss Manners: The odd- as invisible as they used to be. Powerful women are est thing started happenconspicuous in politics and ing to me when I reached business. Actresses who my 80s: Strangers began are no longer ingenues approaching me to tell make striking appearme how beautiful I am. It continues regularly ances, not only in at the supermarket, dramas, but also at at restaurants or on formal events. Even the bus. the fashion indusIt is unnerving try is beginning to and embarrassing. realize that the slim All my life, no one youngsters they Judith ever told me I was have always faMartin vored have considcute or attractive.

MISS I am not ugly, but erably less buying MAnnERS I’ve never thought I power than their was pretty, either. seniors.

Have you heard from Then it becomes noticeother elderly ladies who able that, as with older have experienced this men, some are more atphenomenon? If so, what tractive than others. The do they attribute it to? I’m standard for beauty is obstumped. viously different. Beauty Gentle reader: You are prein the freshness of youth is not the same as beauty in sumably classifying this the majesty of old age. with the patronizing reSo you might consider marks that are often made the possibility that alto old people, especially women: pretending to mis- though you were not considered pretty when take their age, addressing young, you are now beautithem as if they were trying to pass for young, and ful. And that some people speaking to them as if they are sophisticated enough were cute children. There to recognize that. is plenty of that going Dear Miss Manners: As a around. woman in her 70s who But there is also a less looks her age, I increasingcondescending possibility: ly find myself in situations The admiration may actuwhere service people talk down to me. They probally be sincere.

Our society is far from ably think they are being throwing off the notion flattering, but I don’t see it that aging is unfortunate, that way. if not reprehensible. But For instance, I recently Miss Manners has seen had a haircut and the small signs that older stylist called me “Gorwomen are not considered geous” several times, as in,

“Would you like me to trim your bangs, Gorgeous?”

Then there was an oral surgeon who kept calling me “young lady.” I didn’t want to be snarky with a man who was about to drill into my jawbone, so I said nothing. What can I (politely) say to these people to let them know their remarks aren’t appreciated?

Gentle reader: All right, this is the patronizing version of complimenting the elderly. Those who call you “young lady” do not actually believe you are young; they believe that you want to pass for young.

And there is a difference between blurting out that a woman is beautiful and addressing her by the cheeky title of “Gorgeous.”

But as you said, it is often unwise to retaliate, pointing out that these people are trying — and failing — to pass for charming. Especially if they are armed with a drill. The real comeback will be when that surgeon is old and young men call him “young fella” and young women tell him he is cute.

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

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Monday, July 6, the 187th day of 2026. There are 178 days left in the year.

Today in History: On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson became the first Black tennis player to win a Wimbledon singles title as she defeated fellow American Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2.

Also on this date: In 1777, during the American Revolution, British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga.

In 1885, French scientist Louis Pasteur tested an anti-rabies vaccine on 9-year-old Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by an infected dog; the boy did not develop rabies.

In 1933, the first All-Star baseball game was played at Chicago’s Comiskey Park; the American League defeated the National League 4-2 behind winning pitcher Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees.

In 1942, Anne Frank, her parents and sister entered a “secret annex” in an Amsterdam building where they were later joined by four other people; they hid from Nazi occupiers for two years before being discovered and arrested.

In 1944, an estimated 168 people died in a fire that broke out during a performance in the main tent of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 1945, President Harry

S. Truman signed an executive order establishing the Medal of Freedom.

In 1967, Nigerian forces invaded the Republic of Biafra, sparking the Nigerian Civil War. In 1988, 167 North Sea oil workers were killed when explosions and fires destroyed a drilling platform.

In 2013, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 from Seoul, South Korea, crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport, killing three passengers and injuring 181.

In 2016, Philando Castile, a Black elementary school cafeteria worker, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, by St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez. (Yanez was later acquitted on a charge of second-degree manslaughter.)

In 2018, six followers of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult were hanged along with its leader, Shoko Asahara; they had been convicted of crimes including a 1995 sarin gas attack that killed 13 people and made thousands of others sick on the Tokyo subway system.

In 2020, the Trump administration formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization; President Donald Trump had criticized the WHO’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

(The pullout was later halted by President Joseph

Biden’s administration but was formally completed in 2026 during Trump’s second term.)

In 2024, Sonya Massey, a Black woman who had dialed 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield, Illinois, home, was fatally shot by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson; Grayson, who testified at trial that he feared Massey was about to scald him with a pot of steaming hot water that she had removed from the stove, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Today’s birthdays: The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is 91. Singer Gene Chandler (“Duke of Earl”) is 89. Actor Burt Ward (TV: “Batman”) is 81. Former President George W. Bush is 80. Actor-director Sylvester Stallone is 80. Actor Geoffrey Rush is 75. Retired MLB All-Star Willie Randolph is 72. Former first daughter Susan Ford Bales is 69. Actor-writer Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous”) is 68.

Actor Brian Posehn is 60.

Political reporter/moderator John Dickerson is 58.

Rapper Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan) is 56. Rapper 50 Cent is 51. Actors Tia and Tamera Mowry are 48. Comedian-actor Kevin Hart is 47. Actor Eva Green is 46. San Diego Padres infielder Manny Machado is 34. NBA power forward Zion Williamson is 26.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Monday, July 6, 2026 ■ 3C

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

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zodIAC cAncER (June 21-July 22) Push forward regardless of what others choose to do or say to deter you from following your intuition. Invest more time and money in your skills and the things that bring you the most joy.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Listen to podcasts or watch documentaries that offer insight into something you want to pursue.

Knowledge is your ticket to positive change and understanding what's possible.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Pay attention to what's going on around you. Back away from people and events that have the potential to become out of control. Use common sense and pay attention to detail.

LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) A wait-and-see attitude will not help you get ahead.

Think outside the box to bring about change that encourages you to do your own thing and to live up to your expectations. scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Pick up the pace, ask questions, redefine what's necessary to reach your objective and exhaust your options. The more you put into the process of getting ahead, the better the outcome. sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick close to home, and aim to make your space convenient and comfortable. Eliminate clutter, and restructure your routine to ensure you aren't wasting time on people and projects that are bringing you down more often than contributing to your life.

cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Say little, and do a lot. Focus on what you can accomplish, and avoid discussions with people who offer little. Set high standards when dealing with people and projects.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put more thought into how you earn and handle your finances. Investing more in yourself and your surroundings will encourage you to turn something you enjoy doing into a profitable pastime.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Sit tight, wait, watch and look inward to determine how to expand your knowledge, interests and your ability to gain momentum where it will benefit you most.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Choosing a unique path that encourages you to push yourself harder or in a direction that excites you will help you build momentum and outperform anyone trying to compete with you.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Relax. Distance yourself from trouble or complicated situations, and take the road that leads to peace of mind, clarity and what and who brings you joy.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Research will not be wasted time. The more you learn, the better the outcome. Avoid unnecessary, overpriced physical changes when it's the little things you do that will make the most difference.

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

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

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

TODAy's cLuE: T EQuALs R

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

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Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Rene Descartes, a French mathematician, philosopher and writer, said, “(Intuition and deduction are) the two operations on which we have said we must rely in the acquisition of knowledge.”

At the bridge table, we make deductions and sometimes use intuition. A few deals involve making one deduction and using that to draw a second deduction.

Today’s is an example.

South jumps into six spades. West leads the heart king. How should declarer plan the play? After North made a gameinvitational limit raise, South knew that a grand slam would be good if his partner held the spade king, heart king and diamond queen. But since he had no way to find out if North had that perfecto, South sensibly took a shot at six spades.

The contract looks too easy. Draw trumps, run the diamonds and claim an overtrick. But rather than plunge recklessly forward, South should wonder what might go wrong.

The only danger is a bad split in each pointed suit. If diamonds are 4-0, there will be a loser only if East has all four. If spades are 3-0, declarer can avoid a loser by guessing which opponent is long in the suit and finessing through him.

South should assume he has a diamond loser. But if East has four diamonds, who is likely to be long in spades? Right — West.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

So, after taking the first trick with his heart ace, declarer should cash his spade ace.

Here, when East discards, South plays a spade to dummy’s jack, cashes the spade king, throws his heart five on the club ace and concedes a diamond trick when they do break 4-0. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InsTRucTIOns: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

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

TODAy’s WORD — GInGIVAL: JIN-jih-vul: Related to the gums.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 12 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 18 or more words in GINGIVAL? sATuRDAy’s WORD — InFERRED infer need nerd nerdier feed fend fender ferine fern fiend find

finder fine finer fire free freer fried friend eider erred reed

reef refer refine refiner refire refried rein reined rend ride rider

rife rind deer defer defier define denier dine diner dire drier

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.” Psalms 34:7-8 I bear witness. God is good. You can depend on Him. G.E. Dean

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

q of this Section; and those stated in the bidding documents shall not be waived by any entity.

PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be ac‐ cepted in the Purchasing Department at Fletcher Community Technical College until 2:00 P.M., CST, June 30, 2026, as per the specifications. Bids must be returned to the Purchasing Office in a sealed envelope marked with the Bid Number and Opening Date and Time.

Bids must be submitted on the form enclosed herewith, and in strict conformity with the in‐ tent of same without modifications. Bids must be signed in ink, dated, and title of person sign‐ ing bid must be shown on bid. Bid Number 40004-23063 – Provide Snap-On Equipment. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of thirty (30) days after receipt of bids. Fletcher Technical Community College re‐ serves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any informalities incidental thereto. Com‐ plete bidding documents may be obtained from Fletcher Technical Com‐ College, Kori munity Hearon, khearon@bpcc. edu telephone (318) 6786242.

193113-jul 6-1t $122.91 PUBLIC NOTICE --ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived for the Nunez Community College in the lobby at 3710 Paris Chalmette, LA Road, 70043. The deadline for receipt of bids is 2:00 PM on August 6, 2026, at which time bids will be opened and read aloud in a public meeting in the Confer‐ Administration ence Room. Bidders have the option to submit bids electronically in accor‐ dance with Louisiana Re‐ vised Statute 38:2212 A(1)(f)(i). Please find bid related materials and place electronic bids at www.centralbidding. com.

FOR: NUNEZ COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORK AT HEIGHT TRAINING CENTER PROJECT NUMBER: 40015 Complete Bid Documents for this project are avail‐ able in electronic form.

They may be obtained without charge and with‐ out deposit from Kyle As‐ sociates, LLC, 638 Village Lane North, Mandeville, LA 70471, (985) 727-9377, ext 202. Printed copies are not available from Designer, but the arrangements can be made to obtain them most repro‐ through graphic firms. Plan hold‐ ers are responsible for their own reproduction costs. Complete bid doc‐ uments are also avail‐ able at www.centralbidd ing.com. Prospective Bid‐ ders are cautioned that the failure to obtain Bid Documents from the En‐ gineer as set forth above or notify the Engineer of an intention to Bid could prevent the Prospective Bidder from receiving ad‐ ditional information, up‐ dates or addenda that may be issued concern‐ ing bidding on this Pro‐ ject.

Questions about this pro‐ cedure shall be directed to the Designer at: Kyle Associates, LLC – Attn: Eddie Powell 638 Village Lane North, Mandeville, LA 70471 (985) 727-9377, ext 202 epowell@kyleassociates. net All bids shall be accom‐ panied by bid security in an amount of five per‐ cent (5.0%) of the sum of the base bid and all al‐ ternates. The form of this security shall be as stated in the Instructions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project.

The successful Bidder shall be required to fur‐ nish a Performance and Payment Bond written as described in the Instruc‐ tions to Bidders included in the Bid Documents for this project.

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD at 10:00am on Wednes‐ day , July 22, 2026 at 3710 Paris Road, Chalmette, LA 70043 in the Adminis‐ tration Conference Room Bids shall be accepted from Contractors who are licensed under LA. R.S. 37:2150-2192 for the classification of Com‐ merical– Building Con‐ struction. Bidder is re‐ quired to comply with provisions and require‐ of LA R.S. ments 38:2212(B)(5). No bid may be withdrawn for a pe‐ riod of forty-five (45) days after receipt of bids, except under the provisions of LA. R.S. 38:2214.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In ac‐ cordance with La. R.S. 38:2212(B)(1), the provi‐ sions and requirements f hi i d h

Pets / Pet Services Directory PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

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Baton Rouge Rental

Public Notices

When this project is fi‐ nanced either partially or entirely with State Bonds or financed in whole or in part by federal or other funds which are not readily available at the time bids are received, the award of this Con‐ tract is contingent upon the granting of lines of credit, or the sale of bonds by the Bond Com‐ mission or the availabil‐ ity of federal or other funds. The State shall incur no obligation to the Contractor until the Con‐ tract Between Owner and Contractor is fully exe‐ cuted.

If you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to participate in this meeting, please con‐ tact Wendy Robinsonat wfrazier@ Frazier nunez.edu or (504) 2786475 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the sched‐ uled meeting.

NUNEZ COMMUNITY COLLEGE WENDY ROBINSONFRAZIER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PURCHASING 192474 June 6, 13, 20, 2026 3t $1,417.68 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS ENGINEERING CONSULTANT SERVICES DeQuincy Industrial Airpark City of DeQuincy, Louisiana Notice is hereby given that the City of DeQuincy is requesting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from qualified engineer‐ ing firms interested in engineering, providing planning, design, con‐ struction management, administration, grant and related professional services for projects in‐ cluded in the Capital Im‐ provement Program for the DeQuincy Industrial Airpark.

All work shall be per‐ formed in accordance with Federal Aviation Ad‐ ministration (FAA) and Louisiana DOTD Aviation proce‐ requirements, dures, and policies. The selection consultant process will be con‐ ducted in accordance with FAA Advisory Circu‐ lar 150/5100-14E. Interested firms shall qualifications submit using Standard Form SF330.

The complete RFQ Infor‐ mation Package, includ‐ ing the detailed project list, scope of services, require‐ submission ments, and evaluation criteria is available on the DeQuincy Industrial Airpark webpage: https://dequincyairport. com/ SUBMITTAL DEADLINE: July 22nd , 2026 at 3:00 PM CST Submit Statements of Qualifications to: City of DeQuincy Attn: Kyle Rainwater, Airport Manager 300 N. Holly Street DeQuincy, Louisiana 70633 Questions regarding this RFQ may be directed to: Kyle Rainwater Airport Manager (337) 660-3488 kylerainwater@dequincy. org The City of DeQuincy re‐ serves the right to reject any and all submissions, waive informalities, and accept the submission determined to be in the best interest of the City of DeQuincy and De‐ Quincy Industrial Air‐ park.

191585 June 22, 29, July 6, 13, 2026 4t $981.64 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS SP# 124 Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived by the Procure‐ ment Section of the Divi‐ sion of Administration, 1201 N. 3rd. St., 2nd.

Floor, Suite 2-160, Baton Louisiana, at Rouge, 10:00 A.M. for the follow‐ ing: RFx No. 3000026351, State Chemical BN Janitorial Chem. - SW, 7/21/26 RFx No. 3000026428, *Mand. Site Visit* HVAC – DPS, Maintenance 7/21/26 RFx No. 3000026433, Armed Security Guard Services – DCFS, 7/21/26 RFx No. 3000026404, Live Triploid Grass Carp for LDWF, 7/22/26 Bid proposal forms, in‐ formation and specifica‐ tions may be obtained by accessing the bid num‐ ber in LaPac at www.doa. la.gov/doa/osp/ or from the procurement section listed above. No bids will be received after the date and hour specified.

The right is reserved to reject any and all bids and to waive any infor‐ li i

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

malities.

y

Amy Vincent Director of State Procurement FAX (225) 342-8688 193171-jul 6-1t $14.62 PUBLIC NOTICE --Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived by The City of Central, 11530 Sullivan Road, Central, LA 70818, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, until 10:00 A.M.) and then at said office publicly opened and read aloud for construction of the project described as fol‐ lows:

2026 CITY OF CENTRAL ROAD REHAB PROJECT STATEMENT OF WORK:

This project consists of road repair work throughout the City of Central as shown in the construction plans and as required by the City on various roadways throughout the City Lim‐ its. Construction work generally includes as‐ phaltic concrete, cold planing, pavement patch‐ ing, temporary traffic control, and other neces‐ sary items as shown on the plans & specifica‐ tions.

Electronic bids will be accepted. Please find bid related materials and place your electronic bids at www.centralauct ionhouse.com. Bids re‐ ceived after the above time will not be ac‐ cepted.

Complete Bid Documents for this project are avail‐ able in electronic form.

They may be obtained without charge and with‐ out deposit from www. centralauctionhouse. com. Printed copies are not available from the Designer, but arrange‐ ments can be made to them through obtain most reprographic firms.

Plan holders are respon‐ sible for their own repro‐ duction costs. Questions about this procedure shall be directed to the Designer at: Novus Reb Engineering, LLC – Jason Ellis, 1651 Lobdell Ave., Ste 202, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 via email to jason@novusreb.com.

PERFORMANCE AND PAY‐ MENT BOND: A perfor‐ and payment mance bond for the work will be required upon execution of the contract, equal to one hundred percent (100%) of said contract written by a company li‐ censed to do business in Louisiana and who is cur‐ rently on the U.S. Depart‐ ment of the Treasury Fi‐ Management nancial Service List. The bond shall be countersigned by a person who is under contract and who is li‐ censed as an insurance agent in the State of Louisiana, and who is re‐ siding in this state.

ATTESTATION AFFIDAVIT: The bidding documents shall not require any bid‐ der, other than the apparent low bidder, to furnish any other information or doc‐ including umentation, the Attestation Affidavit, any sooner than ten days after the date bids are opened; however, the ap‐ parent low bidder may submit such information or documentation at any time prior to the expira‐ tion of the ten-day pe‐ riod.

All mailed or hand deliv‐ ered bids must be sub‐ mitted in a sealed enve‐ lope marked “SEALED BID FOR 2026 CITY OF CEN‐ TRAL ROAD REHAB PRO‐ including JECT”, Louisiana Contractor’s li‐ cense number and Con‐ struction Firm name. All bids must be submitted in one of three ways: Hand Delivered, Mailed, or Electronic. For bids hand delivered to Central City Hall, 11530 Sullivan Road, Central, LA 70818 by the bidder or his agent, a written receipt shall be handed to the deliverer. For bids sub‐ mitted by mail, bids shall be sent by registered or certified mail with a re‐ turn receipt requested, the sealed envelope con‐ taining the bid must dis‐ play the contractor’s li‐ cense number and name and be enclosed in an‐ envelope ad‐ other dressed to the City of Central, 11530 Sullivan Road, Central, LA 70818, and must be received no later than the bid open‐ ing. Bids will not be ac‐ cepted on days that are recognized as holidays by the United States Postal Service. Electronic bids will also be ac‐ cepted. Please find bid related materials and place your electronic bids at www.centralauct ionhouse.com. All bid‐ ders shall certify that he/she holds an active li‐ by displaying cense his/her license number on the bid envelope. In the case of an electronic bid proposal, a bidder may submit an authentic digital signature on the electronic bid proposal accompanied by the con‐ tractor's license number.

Bids received after the above time will not be accepted. All bidders are required to have an ac‐ tive license for “Highway, Street, And Bridge Con‐ from the struction” Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

prior to bidding this pro‐ ject.

Bid security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the sum of the base bid and all alter‐ nates must accompany each Bid and shall be made payable to the Owner.

The Owner reserves the right to waive any infor‐ malities or to reject any or all bids.

A Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 10:00 A.M. at Central City Hall, 11530 Sullivan Road, Central, LA 70818.

All prospective bidders are encouraged to attend it.

All questions and/or re‐ quest for clarifications must be electronically submitted to the project engineer, Jason Ellis via to jason@ email novusreb.com by Friday, July 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

No questions will be an‐ swered after the dead‐ line for questions passes.

OWNER CITY OF CENTRAL BY: /s/ Mr. Wade Evans, Mayor TO APPEAR IN THE: ADVOCATE Monday, June 29, 2026 Monday, July 6, 2026 Monday, July 13, 2026 192344-jun 29-jul 6-13-3t $1,815.84

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --DEMCO ADVERTISEMENT FOR Request for Proposal (RFP) – Disaster Recovery – Dead Tree Removal The purpose and inten‐ tion of this invitation is to provide Tree Removal Services for identified dead trees as part of DEMCO Hurricane Ida Project 751768-Dead Tree Removal Submittals will be re‐ ceived by DEMCO Until 12:00 p.m. CDT, on Thursday, July 21, 2026 Any proposals received after this time will not be considered.

Licensed Tree Removal Contractor should be prepared to safely re‐ move identified dead trees. In addition, Con‐ tractor should provide equipment, software, and personnel sufficient to accurately record re‐ quired data associated with the removal of dead trees related to the pro‐ ject. The contractor shall provide a daily work plan including roster, circuit, and location. Contractor supplied laptops shall be used by each crew to perform planned work uploads daily.

Detailed specifications and proposal submission requirements are avail‐ able through the DEMCO Euna/Bonfire procure‐ ment portal. Vendors must register at: https://demco.org/ vendor-contractorregistration Proposals shall be sub‐ mitted electronically through Euna/Bonfire. In the event of technical difficulties, respondents may contact DEMCO Pur‐ chasing at purchasing@ demco.org for assis‐ tance.

Respondents are respon‐ sible for monitoring the Bonfire portal for ad‐ denda and procurement updates.

This procurement shall be conducted in accor‐ dance with 2 CFR Part 200 and all applicable federal, state, and local

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

regulations.

All respondents must not be debarred or sus‐ pended from participa‐ tion in federal programs.

Verification will be con‐ ducted through SAM.gov.

Board Members in Atten‐ dance: Mr. Gaines, Mr. Dayton, Dr. London, Mrs. Free‐ man, Mr. Talbot, Dr. Lathon, Dr. Taylor-Jarrell, Mr. Hughes.

DEMCO reserves the right to consider and/or reject any and all submit‐ tals in accordance with Louisiana Public Bid Law. DEMCO is an equal op‐ portunity employer com‐ mitted to promoting emerging small busi‐ nesses, minority-owned businesses, and womenowned businesses, and to utilizing labor surplus firms.

For publication: 192921 July 6, 13, 2026, 2t $577.06 PUBLIC NOTICE --OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE ZACHARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEETING Tuesday, June 30, 2026 The meeting was called to order by Mr. Andrew Gaines at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Church Street, 3755 Louisiana, Zachary, 70791.

Invocation was led by Mr. Mackie.

Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Dayton.

Public Notice of Live Feed was given by Mr. Gaines.

Board Members in Attendance: Mr. Gaines, Dr. London, Dr. Lathon, Mr. Talbot, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Mackie, Mrs. Freeman Board Members Absent: Mr. Hughes, Dr. TaylorJarrell STAND ALONE ITEMS: Mr. Musso and Mrs. Williams asked the board to consider a request to the Revised approve 2026-2027 Salary Sched‐ ule.

Mr. Gaines moved to ap‐ prove. Seconded by Dr. London.

Vote: Yeas 7 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 2 Adjournment: Mr. Dayton moved to ad‐ journ. Mr. Mackie sec‐ onded the motion.

The meeting was ad‐ journed at 6:29 PM. Mr. Ben Necaise Superintendent Mr. Andrew Gaines – Board President 193215-jul 6-1t $46.95 PUBLIC NOTICE --OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE ZACHARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEETING Tuesday, June 23, 2026 The meeting was called to order by Mr. Andrew Gaines at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Church Street, 3755 Louisiana, Zachary, 70791.

BUDGET HEARING Mr. Gaines made a mo‐ tion to open the Budget Hearing. Mrs. Freeman seconded.

Vote: Yeas 7 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 2 Mr. Musso recommended adopting the 2026 - 2027 budget.

Mr. Hughes made a mo‐ tion to close the Budget Hearing. Mrs. Freeman seconded.

Vote: Yeas 7 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 2 The board meeting was called to order by Mr. Gaines at 6:32 pm.

Invocation was led by Dr. Lathon.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mrs. Freeman.

Public Notice of Live Feed was given by Mr. Gaines.

Order frameable newspaper page reprints of any special day important to you.

Board Members Absent: Mr. Mackie Recognition: Mr. Necaise recognized Retirees Karen Knecht and Jacqueline Lauve, who received trophies to honor their dedication to the students of Zachary. recognized Tracy He Achord and Jan Langlois for their retirements; they had notified the dis‐ trict of prior obligations.

Mr. Gaines asked that a motion be made to pause the meeting at 6:40 PM due to technical difficul‐ ties with the live feed.

Dr. Taylor-Jarrell made a motion to pause the meeting. Mr. Hughes sec‐ onded the motion.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Mr. Gaines asked that a motion be made to re‐ convene the meeting, stating that the district was experiencing techni‐ cal difficulties beyond the board's control, but would reconvene while recording.

Mrs. Freeman made a motion to reconvene at 6:50 PM. Mr. Hughes sec‐ onded the motion.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Mr. Necaise recognized the Girls Track and Field State Champions: J’Niyah Alexander for Triple Jumps, Serenity Early for 100 Meter Hur‐ dles, Kai Richard for Shot Put. Dr. London stated that the recognition of the Board Interns would be moved to next month's board meeting due to prior obligations.

Receive as Information: Mr. Necaise gave his Su‐ perintendent’s Update to the Board.

Discussion regarding an update on potential part‐ related to nerships Pro‐ DARE/iCare/Grant grams.

Officer Higginbotham spoke to the board about the positive impacts of the DARE programs.

Mr. Necaise and Mr. Burke gave the Rota‐ tional Topic presentation on discipline data to the board.

The Board gave its evalu‐ ation of the Superinten‐ dent, with him receiving a highly effective score of 3.70.

The Board acknowledged his hard work and gave and Mr. accolades, Necaise thanked them their feedback, for scores, and support.

Approval of Minutes: Mr. Gaines moved to amend and approve the minutes of the May 19, Board Meeting, 2026, changing the opening statement from "called to order" by Mr. Gaines to "called to order" by Dr. Taylor-Jarrell.

The motion was sec‐ onded by Mrs. Freeman.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Consent Agenda Items: None Stand-Alone Items: Mr. Necaise discussed and updated the board and the public on the District’s Tax Plan Initia‐ tive.

Mr. Musso requested consideration to approve the 2026-2027 Budget – Mrs. Freeman moved to approve. Mr. Dayton Sec‐ onded.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Mrs. Williams requested consideration to approve the Salary Schedule for 2026-2027. Mr. Hughes d

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g moved to approve. Mrs. Freeman seconded the motion.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1

Dr. Taylor-Jarrell moved to approve the request.

Mr. Gaines seconded.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1

Mrs. Williams requested consideration to approve the Administrative Con‐ Mr. Hughes tracts. moved to approve. Dr. seconded Taylor-Jarrell the motion.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Mr. Gaines made a mo‐ tion to table the request to approve File JDE- Ex‐ pulsion Policy to the July Committee of the Whole meeting for further dis‐ cussion. Dr. London sec‐ onded the motion to table.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Mr. Burke asked the Board to table the re‐ quest to approve the Students' 2026-2027 Rights and Responsibili‐ ties Handbook until the July Committee of the Whole. Dr. London moved to approve tabling. Mr. Gaines seconded.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Mr. Musso asked the board to consider a re‐ quest to renew the Con‐ tract with Fennwood Hills Country Club for use of the athletic facilities.

Mr. Hughes moved to ap‐ prove the request. Mrs. Freeman Seconded.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Mr. Musso asked the board to consider a re‐ quest to approve a CEA with the City of Zachary to provide SRO Officers and Crossing Guards for 2026-2027 school the year.

Mr. Dayton moved to ap‐ prove the request. Mr. Hughes Seconded.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Dr. London asked the board to make a motion to approve her registra‐ tion fee to attend the Regional Southeastern Leadership Conference in in Little Rock, July Arkansas.

Amendment to Decem‐ ber 2, 2025, Minutes On motion by Mr. Gaines, seconded by Dr. TaylorJarrell, the Board voted to amend the minutes of the December 2, 2025, meeting to correct the recorded outcome of the vote on Policy JCDB – Stu‐ dent Dress Code to re‐ flect that the motion PASSED. Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Resolution to Correct the Record of January Min‐ utes On motion by Dr. London, seconded by Mr. Dayton, the Board voted to adopt the Resolution to Correct the Record regarding the January 2026 Board Min‐ utes, rescinding the erro‐ neous vote on Policy JDA, affirming the December 2025 adoption of Policy IDDF as the controlling action, and directing the Secretary to amend the January 2026 minutes ac‐ cordingly.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 Note: The Notice to Cor‐ rect has been filed with both the December 2025 and January 2026 sets of minutes.

Organizational Items – Committee of the Whole will be held on July 7, 2026, at 6:30 PM, 3755 Church Street, Zachary, LA 70791.

Discussions on the fol‐ lowing: Student Handbook 20262027, JDE Expulsion Pol‐ icy, Travel Policy, and In‐ tern Recognitions.

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Legal Notices

g journed at 8:50 PM. Mr. Ben Necaise Superintendent Mr. Andrew Gaines Board President 193219-jul 6-1t $141.28 PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Office of State Parks is requesting proposals for a PublicPrivate Partnership pro‐ ject to design, construct, and operate a high-qual‐ ity recreational vehicle campground and related amenities. For more in‐ formation go to opportu‐ nitiesinlouisiana.com.

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Adjournment: Mr. Dayton moved to ad‐ journ. Dr. Lathon sec‐ onded the motion.

Vote: Yeas 8 Nays 0 Ab‐ sent 1 The meeting was ad‐ j d

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AGENDA WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING GOVERNMENT BUILDING 880 North Alexander Avenue, Port Allen Thursday, July 9, 2026 5:30 PM 1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER & REQUEST ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES BE SILENCED 2. OPENING PRAYER 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. LOG ATTENDANCE 5. MINUTES APPROVAL A. Approval of Minutes from the Regular Meeting of June 25, 2026.

6. CONSIDER ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE AGENDA 7. PARISH PRESIDENT’S REPORT 8. PUBLIC COMMENTS 9. COMMUNICATIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND/OR ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICIALS 10. PUBLIC HEARING ON PREVIOUSLY INTRODUCED ORDINANCES A. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, Part III (“Unified Development Code”), Chapter 101 (“General Provisions”), Section 101-1 (“Definitions”); And Chapter 105 (“Subdivisions”), Article I (In General), Section 105-7 “(Minor Subdivisions)”, Chapter 111 “(Administration and Enforcement)”, Article IV “(Zoning Enforcement)”, Sec. 111-83 –“( Power Of The Parish President And Parish Council To Issue And Extend Temporary Special Use Permits)”.

B. An Ordinance To Amend And Reenact The West Baton Rouge Parish Code Of Ordinances, Part III (“Unified Development Code”), Chapter 106 (“SITE PLANNING”), Article VI (ASTHETICS), Section 106-224 - 229 (“Sign Regulations”) to Update Sign Regulations In West Baton Rouge Parish.

11. CONSIDER STATUS REPORT, CHANGE ORDER AND/OR OTHER MATTERS AS REQUIRED ON CURRENT PROJECTS 12. RESOLUTIONS 13. CONSIDER SUBDIVISION PLATS, CONDEMNATIONS, WAIVERS AND MATTERS RELATED THERETO A. PJ # : 25-0011 FINAL PLAT SHOWING BOUNDARY SURVEY FOR THE MINOR SUBDIVISION OF LOT SB-2-B OF THE FORMER ELIE BABIN PROPERTY, NOW WALTER LEBLANC PROPERTY, INTO LOTS SB-2-B-1, SB-2-B-2, SB-2-B-3, SB-2-B-4, AND SB-2-B-5 OF LEBLANC ACRES LOCATED IN SECTION 61, T-8-S, R-12-E, SOUTHEASTERN LAND DISTRICT, WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH, LA FOR WALER AND TIFFANY LEBLANC. THE OWNER HAS COME INTO COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE CODE REQUIREMENTS, SUBJECT TO THE REQUESTED WAIVERS, AS OF JUNE 29, 2026. MD 14. CORRESPONDENCE REPORT 15. INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES 16. ADJOURN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT MICHELLE TULLIER AT (225) 214-4242, DESCRIBING THE ASSISTANCE THAT IS NECESSARY ALL MEETING INFORMATION INCLUDING MINUTES AND VIDEOS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE WBRPARISH.ORG UNDER THE AGENDA AND MINUTES TAB. 193001-664357-jul 6-1t $ 117.81

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