The Advocate 07-06-2026 by The Advocate

PARTYLIKE1776IT’S

RevolutionaryWar reenactors visitedHighlandRoad CommunityParkonSunday forSt. George’s America250 celebration, whichfeatured food,history andmusic

Family,youth Servicehas lost financial support

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

Aone-stop shop that helps Baton Rouge familiesindistress is at a crossroads after 14 years in operationasits founding director Roxson Welch retires and the remaining leadership mulls its future. The Family and Youth

Service Center,which opened in2012, was meant to serve as ahome base in the capital city for governmentagenciesand nonproﬁtsthat helpfamilies,fight truancyand work to preventjuvenile crime.

From the beginning, Welch managed the9.3acre campusat1120 Government St., guiding a steady stream of children and adults to the help they need.Welch came to thejob, which she considers the highlight of her professional life, after previously working as aclassroom teacher,a

Metro Council member, alawyer and educational outreach coordinator for city-parish government. Now,at71, shesays it’s time to moveon.

“Everyone should know when it’s time forsomeone youngertostep in,” Welch said. Welchexpressedconcern that her hard-won knowledge —“Iknow where every pipe is, I know where every problem is,Iknow whereeverything good is” —will disappear withoutasuccessor in place.

ä See CENTER, page 4A

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Gov. Jeff Landry scored amajor victory on June 27 when U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican nomination forthe Senate, after thegovernoraggressively defendedher and raised big bucks to back her campaign. He needed the win. Only amonth earlier,votershad decisively rejected allofthe constitutionalamendments thatLandry pushed, forthe secondtime in a year With Letlow’striumphbehindhim, the governor is expected to begin ramping up his campaign to secure reelection next year.Landry especially needs to winbackRepublican voterswhomhealienatedduring the Senate campaign by trashing Letlow’sGOP opponents, Sen. Bill Cassidy and state TreasurerJohn Fleming. Landry boasts severalstrengths: He hasannounced arecord-setting numberofbig-ticket corporate investmentprojects. Crime has dropped on his watch, while education test scores have risen. He got the Legislature to

says

STAFF PHoToByMICHAEL JoHnSon

RoxsonWelch sits in the garden on the campus of the Family and youth Service Center in Baton Rouge. Welch hasled the facility as directorsinceits founding in 2012.

STAFF FILE PHoTo By CHRIS GRAnGER

U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow,left, gives athumbsup to Gov. Jeff Landryastheychat during Washington Mardi Gras in January.

STAFF PHoToSByMICHAEL JoHnSon

ABOVE: Brian Fleming,a reenactorfrom the5th CompanyWashington Artillery,stands next to abronze cannon duringa demonstrationofmilitaryhistoryatSt. George’sAmerica 250 celebration Sundayatthe Highland Road Community Park TOP: MelorinVafakhah checks out balloons after getting an American flag painted on her cheek.

ABOVE: Reenactors explain howtoload acannon. LEFT: Melissa Carpenter holdsher son Vincent, whose fourth birthdayisjust days away,while sitting in aSt. George fire truck.

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.

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.

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

Trump to meet with leaders of Ukraine and Syria at NATO summit

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.

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

TENNESSEE

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.

Police: Guard members on patrol fatally shoot man during pursuit

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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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.

Trumpspeechmixes patriotism,partisanship

WashingtonJuly4 festivities were delayedbyweather

BY STEVEN SLOAN and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the250th anniversary of Americanindependence,a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.”

Speaking in Washington after storms prompted aroughlytwohour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honored veterans, including several from World WarII and one of the first Blackofficers to lead aSpecial Forces team in combat in Vietnam.They appeared beforeflags that symbolized some of the most significant and challenging momentsinAmerican history,from the one that wasdraped over Abraham Lincoln’scasket to the one that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.

YetTrumpalso leaned into partisan territory unusual for an Independence Day address, which presidents typically use as amoment to unify the country.Instead, he stumped againfor theSAVE America Act, an elections bill that’sencountering challenges even from Trump’sfellow Republicans in Congress.Hehighlighted his support for the Second Amend-

ASSoCIATEdPRESS PHoTo

By ALEX BRAndon

President donaldTrump speaks at Salute to America, which resumed lateSaturdaynight after the national Mall was evacuated for twohoursdue to storms.

ment and revived denunciations of communism,whichare becoming an increasingly central partof Trump’smessageahead of the November midterms.

The speech cappedaholiday that Trump has gone to great lengths to shape to hisown tastes.Hewas 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 alignedwiththe White House, supplanting abipartisanorganizationthat was launched by Congress adecade ago.

“Wewill always be on top,”

Trumpsaid. “Wewill never let our country fall. We will always be the best.”

Trumpdidn’ttalkabout himself as much as he does during his normal rally speeches. Still, he still found time to include ajoke about seeking athird presidentialterm

and about World WarII’s“greatest generation.”

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

Anticipation forthe milestone holiday hasbeenbuildingfor much of the year,serving as an opportunity for Americans to re-

ﬂect on their complicated history as onetimecolonists of an empire whobecame asuperpower of their own. Organizers of celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as muchofthe East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.

Trumppardons 11,including former Abramoff partner

BY MICHELLEL.PRICE Associated Press

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

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

His use of the presidency’ssweeping abilityto unilaterally grant pardons and commute sentences is among theways the Republican’sreturn to ofﬁce has featured an expansive use of executive power.

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

SIGNS

Continued from page1A

“These signsare 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.

Themayor emphasized that because the city’spublic works modelis“operating efﬁciently,” it can spend money on new signs while also investing in roadsand 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 LandonTims,St.

outidentifying anyofthe recipients by name. “It is my Great Honorto have just signed Pardons forsix peoplewho were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or beingsent to,prison, for ‘fixing their car,’ ” Trump wroteonhis Truth Social media network. “I AM SETTING THEM ALLFREE,RIGHT NOW!” he said.

In alist provided Fridayevening by the White House, Trump pardoned11 people,including nine who faced charges related to violations of the Clean Air Actbydisabling emissions monitoring systems onvehicles or sellingdevices that enabled emissions systems to be bypassed.

The pardons come after Trump on Monday signed a memotelling theEnvironmentalProtectionAgency that Americans canﬁxtheir own vehicles as they see ﬁt. As he signed the memo,

Trump referenced adiesel mechanic he pardoned last year whodisabled emissions monitoring systems.

The memo also addressed aftermarket autoparts and would supersedethe ability of theCalifornia Air Resources Board to evaluate partsthat affect vehicle emissions.

The White House, in releasing thelistofthosepardoned, described Trump having “relieved consumers fromthese regulatory burdens.”

Beyondthe emissionsrelated pardons, Trump on Fridayalso issueda pardon for Adam Kidan, a formerbusiness partner of Abramoff.

Kidan pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud andconspiracy related to the purchase of aﬂeet of gambling boats, and in 2006 he was sentenced to nearly sixyears in prison.

The case was part of a broader investigation of the

JoHnSon

STAFF PHoTo By MICHAEL

St. George has installed newroad signagefeaturing the city’s branding, likethis one on Highland Road.

George public works director

“Wecurrently have multiple beautiﬁcation projects, roadwaystriping initiatives andnumerous roadwayimprovement projectsunderway as part of our ongoing investment in the city’sin-

frastructure,” Tims said. Similar to this project, in early June St. Georgealso installedits firstnew welcome signs at four entrances to the city at Bluebonnet Boulevard, Nicholson Drive, HyacinthAvenue and East Perkins Road

early2000s lobbyingscandal involving Abramoff, Capitol Hill, theInterior Department and members of President George W. Bush’s administration. Afterleaving prison in 2009, Kidan began working at astaffingagency,went on to found astafﬁng business, ChartwellStafﬁng Solutions, and now serves as presidentofEmpire Work-

force Solutions, theWhite House said.

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

Amessage sent to Kidan’s business seeking comment wasnot immediately returnedFridayevening.

Trump on Fridayalso 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 freeofcharge. TheWhite House didnot immediately release additionaldetails aboutHarvard, including his conviction.

ASSoCIATEdPRESS PHoToByMARK SCHIEFELBEIn Fireworks explode Saturdayduring Salute to America, an Independenceday event honoring the nation’s250th anniversary, on the national Mall in Washington.

“I need someone else to knowit,” she said.“Ineed to let them know that while Istill can.”

Upsand downs

Throughout the past 14 years, Kelly Bonaventure has worked alongside Welch. That’spartly via her day job overseeing juvenile services for East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney HillarMoore, asteadfast supporter of the center And partly since she’sserved for years as presidentofthe nonproﬁt’s board of directors.

Bonaventure says longtime partners with the center,including her boss,havebeencutting back their ﬁnancial support and tenants have movedout.

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

With Welch leaving, Bonaventure said, the board of directors is scouting for money to hire aconsultant to “figure out ways to move forward and ﬁgure out the best ways to serve the interests of the parish.” Welch’slast day was Tuesday,but she said she will continue towork on avolunteer basiswhile thecenter sorts out its future.

Common cause

The idea forthe one-stop-shop grew out of town hall meetings where residents shared ideas of ways to combat an uptickinjuvenile crime and high levels of truancy Four East Baton Rouge Parish agencies agreed to joinforces— the school system, the city-parish, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce and the District Attorney’sOfﬁce —with each com-

LANDRY

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

“Wehave put thedata on the board that says we’re winning, and our policies are working,” Landry said during a30-minute phone interview on Tuesday

He had accumulated aformidableamount of cashon hand —$10.7 million —atthe beginning of this year,when he had to file his latestcampaign finance report. No major figure is making movesto run against him, at leastnot yet.

Beatinganincumbentis

difficult.Nogovernorhas losthis reelection bid in 35 years. But as the constitutional amendment defeats showed, voters don’talways warmly embrace his pugnacious style. Agroup has launched adifficult-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 electionoccurred as Landry and legislative Republicans were turning amajority-Black congressional seat into one with amajority-White seat that would favor aRepublican 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 alot of misinformation, disinformation and hype and scare people about an issue,” Landry said, referring to Fleming making his opposition to carboncapture and sequestration acentral part of his Senate campaign.

Asked about President Donald Trump’sreaction to Cassidy’sdefeat, Landry said, “The president has always been consistent in his displeasure with Bill Cassidy It’sBill’sfault. Bill begged the president forhis endorsement, begged him, begged him, begged him. The president gave himeverything Billasked for.Assoonashe got sworn in, he turned coattail on the president.” Three months after winning reelection in 2020, Cas-

including Thrive Academy,an inner-citypublic boarding school thatbuilt apermanenthome across town on Brightside Drive

mitting $100,000 ayear for the next three years to launch the Family and Youth ServiceCenter.All four relocated staff to the new center, which took over ahistoric campus for what was the Louisiana School forthe Visually Impaired until that state-run school moved out in 2009.

Thestate-funded TruancyAssessment and Service Center and theschool district’s Child Welfare and AttendanceOffice were key earlytenants. They workedwith other agencies to successfully return chronically absent children to theclassroom.They worked together on aseries of truancy roundups thatemployed the threat of criminal action against the parents, with specialized assistance to help these childrenget back on track.

Domoine Rutledgeisa memberofthe center’s board.Whenit started, he was thelead attorney for the school system and helped with muchofthe earlyorganizational work for the center

“It hasbeen astrugglefrom day one, and to my minditwas aworthy struggle,” Rutledge said.

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

Landry spoke from Washington, D.C., where he was attending festivities marking the country’s250thbirthday He postedvideos of himself being interviewed on Fox News andattending the Louisiana booth at Trump’sGreat American StateFair on the mall.

Politicalpull

During his 30 months as governor, Landryhas earned areputation forflexinghis political muscles against opponents. That may help him keep thefield clear for his reelection nextyear

“I don’tbelieve his strength is based on his popularity,” said Bernie Pinsonat, aveteran pollster andpolitical consultant. “His strength for reelectionisthat he dominates everything and everybody in Louisiana. He’sout there building apolitical power basethat effectivelyreduces the opportunity for anyone to come after him.”

The Republican mentioned most oftenasa possible rivalisGarret Graves, who served 10 years in the U.S. House from Baton Rouge until Landrygot the Legislaturetoredraw the state’scongressionalboundaries in a way that left Graves without awinnable district. Graves didn’treturn atext asking himwhether he might challenge Landry.

Lt. Gov.Billy Nungesser said he’snot rulingout apossiblecampaign forgovernor next yearbut said he’sfocused on running for reelection.

“I get calls every day asking me to run, but Ilove what Ido,” said Nungesser,whose job description includes promotingtourism in Louisiana On the Democratic side, John BelEdwards has told friends thathehas little interest in runningnextyear.

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

“I’vebeen approachedby lots of folksinterested inme doingthat. Thejob is what I’d reallylike,” Luneau said.

“I don’tknow if aDemocrat can beat aRepublican in a statewiderace, butyou never know. You’d be foolish notto consider that he has alot of money in hisaccount.”

Roy Fletcher,aveteran political strategist who worked for Fleming’sSenate campaign, said that race exposed fissures in the Republican Party with Landry.

“Hehas some real accomplishmentshecan point to. There’snoquestion about

Synergyand challenges

Some of the hoped-for synergy andteamworkofhavingcomplementaryagencies and nonproﬁts in the same location didemerge, but it dissipated over time.

“Atone point,they were hummingalong pretty good,” Rutledge said. “I don’tthink it happened for along-enough period.”

Rutledge credits Welch for much of that success, saying she’s been the “glue”that’shelped keep things together through theups and downs.

“She approached this like it was a ministry,”Rutledge said.

Rutledge,however,isnot complimentary of the school building the center occupies.While it’s in agood location that’seasily accessible by carand bus, theold structure has been apersistent problem, from leaks to antiquated wiring.

“There were just incessant complaints about all manner of things,” he said.

Welch said thecenter has been an incubator for severalorganizations that movedontonew homes,

that,” Fletcher said.“But he has serious problemsthat remain with theelectorate —seriousenough that they had to spend awhole lot of money to defeat John Fleming, who madehim an issue in thecampaign.He’skind of alienated the base of the party.Hehas to go back and repair that. If he runs against astrongDemocrat, he can’t letthatDemocrat get30% of the White vote.”

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

“Inhis zeal to bringprosperity, he is trampling on ourlives, ourliberty andour property,” Guillory said.

Governor claims bigwins Landrywastednotimeafter taking ofﬁce in January 2024 as the ﬁrst Republican governor with aRepublican supermajority in the Legislature.

He got legislatorstoclose primariesfor this year’sSenate, Public ServiceCommission andBoardofElementaryand Secondary Education races —achange that posed abarriertoCassidy’s reelection,sinceitmeanthe couldn’tdraw votes from conservative Democrats.

Landry and legislators reduced corporate andindividualincome tax rates, eliminated the corporate franchise tax, madeiteasier for people on death row to be executed,madeitmore difficultfor peopleinjured in accidentstosue for big damages in an effort to bring down insurance rates and eliminated the unpopularvehicleinspectionstickerfor most of Louisiana.

Twoweeksago,Landry announced adeal to settle longstanding lawsuits by coastal parishes against ExxonMobil that accused the company’s drillingactivities of polluting wetlands andcausing the disappearance of coastal marsh.

In the interview, Landry discloseda few details of the agreement, saying that ExxonMobil would provide close to $200 million to cap many orphanwells in Louisiana. “Wehave 1,088 orphan wells,” Landry said, referring to thenumber along the coast. “We’llbeable to knock out achunk of those orphan wells with this deal.I think it’sa good deal for the state of Louisiana. It’sagood deal for ExxonMobil.”

Thatagreementappears to be tied to more than 100,000

The turnover and vacant space, however,has prevented the center from generating operating income thatwould allow it to be more selfsustaining

Rutledge said several tenants have come with their own ﬁnancial problems.

“It seemedlike it became amagnetfor nonproﬁtswhoserevenue was quitemarginal,” he said.

He recalled one tenant that was nearly evicted because it could not comeupwith $500 in back rent.

Rutledge and another board member ended up paying the debt out of their own pockets.

Rutledge left the school system in 2018. Years later,under anew superintendent, the school system downscaled its commitment to the center and moved its Child Welfare staffelsewhere. He said that proved acritical loss.

“When the school system sort of withdrew,that inhibited the momentum,” Rutledge said.

“If the effortisgoing to be successful,”hecontinued, “the school systemisgoing to have to be acentralpartofit.”

‘Itgavekidschances’

Theproblems that drove the

acres of land that ExxonMobilcontrolsnearPecan Island in Vermilion Parish that SpaceX, Elon Musk’s spaceexploration andartiﬁcial intelligence company is believed to be eyingasa launchlocation.Landry said he couldn’tcommentonany potential SpaceX deal

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

Landry noted that he issued a moratorium on newprojects but said he remains committed to the technology “We’vebeen putting things in theground in Louisiana for decades in asafe andreliable manner,” Landry said. “What has happened is complete propaganda that JohnFleming triedtolatch onto. And you can see, it was acomplete 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 Parishand VentureGlobal’s$18 billionexpansion of itsliqueﬁednatural gas facility in PlaqueminesParish.

“Wehavehistoricinvestmentinthe state, right?” Landry said. “Wemight getto $200 billionbythe endofthe year in private investment That’s equated to 124,000 newjob opportunities.”

Landryhas cited that job figure previously,but Kate Kelly,the governor’s press secretary,later saiditwas actually 95,000 new job opportunities.

creation of the center persist. The 2016 ﬂood and the COVID pandemic exacerbated them.The latter in particular is credited with alarge 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 hasmadechanges in so many lives,” Welchsaid. “It gave kids chances,kids thathave sincegraduated from college that weren’teven going to graduate from high school.”

And she loves working at aplace ﬁlledwithpeople like herwho are ready to help.

“There is abrotherhood 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 budgettohelpit get the word out.

“Wedogreat things here, but nobody really knows whatwedo,”she said.

As Welch readies to leave, Bonaventure said she’snot far behind her

“I’m ready to pass the torch, but I‘mnot readytodoituntil everything is stable,” she said.

EmailCharles Lussierat clussier@theadvocate.com.

Either way, Landrysaid, “There’s nobody in Louisiana who is looking forajob that can’t ﬁnd ajob if theyhave theskill set.”

Yetjobsare notappearing in signiﬁcantnumbers, federal government statistics show.

SinceJanuary 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 increasenationally of 0.7% JimRichardson, aretired LSU economics professor, said the strongest growth hasbeen 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 jobsatthese sites Louisiana hada 4.5% unemployment rate in May, up from4.3% in January 2025.

Signsofdissatisfaction

Landry’sscrappy nature elected him twice as attorney generaland once as governor. But it ledhim to meddle in LSU’scoaching change last year in ways that turned off many college footballfans. His willingness to do Trump’s bidding ledhim to accept serving as the president’sspecial envoyto Greenland. But he hassoftpedaled that role in Louisiana, apparently because of thepolitical dangers of being seenasinattentive to his job as governor. Landry didn’tnotifythe

press in advance that he wastraveling to Greenland in May.While he said in the interview that he keeps the public abreastofhis activities through social media he didn’ttweet once about Greenland while there. Instead,hetweeted about bill signings, the need for ateacher payraiseand the ﬁrst dog, Blanc. Black legislators, particularly those in New Orleans, are still smarting from vetoes thatLandry issuedfollowing thelegislative session thattargetedtheir measures. “These vetoes were not aboutpolicy. 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 Thepeoplepayingthe price are not politicians. They are working families, children, seniors, patients, nonproﬁts andsmall businesses.”

Landry said he based the vetoes on policy, not politics, adding that his predecessor, Edwards, aDemocrat, vetoed $500 million of Republican projects during his eight yearsinofﬁce.

Ayear ago, it was fellow Republicans who felt Landry’ssting. Afull 16 of the17line-item vetoes that he issued in 2025 targeted spending projects sought by Republican legislators who hadsupported Insurance Commissioner TimTemple when he opposed legislation that Landry championed.

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

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

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.

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. More and more commercial

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.

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.

STITCH BY STITCH

Drink shop to open in Walmart

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

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

can have an alumina base and can be embedded with the impurities they remove from crude.

‘Doesn’t make any sense’

A Louisiana Bucket Brigade chemist says the catalyst was likely embedded with heavy metals commonly found in crude oil and there “was no way” those metals weren’t sent aloft as tiny bits of dust along with other particles generated by the ﬁre.

“It doesn’t make any sense not to measure all the particulates, especially because it is so easy to do, so they should have done that straight away,” said Corinne Gibb, an air monitoring coordinator for the organization.

Dust emissions from catalyst problems aren’t without precedent at Chalmette Refining. In early February a different catalyst for a different part of the refinery “got into the system,” according to company officials, during a unit startup and workers reported seeing dust emitting from a vent. Company officials told DEQ ofﬁcials the dust emissions weren’t signiﬁcant enough under regulatory standards to warrant further inquiry, according to a report.

The plant has had chronic alleged violations in the past that have led to costly settlements with the state. It is also the focus of a re-

cent federal whistleblower lawsuit alleging poor maintenance in parts of the complex, though not where the May 8 ﬁre happened, according to state and federal records.

In the past two years, the reﬁnery has paid $100,000 in ﬁnes to DEQ and, in late April, agreed to pay another $160,000 under settlements to end dozens of alleged violations for self-reported emissions exceedances, accidental leaks, emissions reporting failures and other breakdowns going back to 2017, according to state documents.

The complex had a fire in its renewable diesel unit in January 2023 that an independent federal safety regulator concluded stemmed from a tube rupture. In 2024, the reﬁnery has had at least three small fires, according to state reports.

Since 2023, the reﬁnery has also had a series of equipment failures and accidental releases of toxic or highly flammable chemicals that didn’t lead to fires, including a leak of more than 53 tons of compressed ﬂammable gas over 15 minutes in mid-2023.

The company has also received 10 DEQ violation warning letters since February 2024 from alleged failures to keep up with equipment maintenance that led to leaks, elevated 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.

STAFF FILE PHoTo By SoPHIA GERMER

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.

Firefighters killed in Colo. remembered forbravery

BY JESSICA HILL, WUFEI YU and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

With wildfires burning across many Western states, wildland firefighters gathered Sunday to pay tributetothreeoftheir own who died after they were trappedbyﬂames aweek ago.

Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson were remembered for being courageous public servants who left alasting impact on the communities where theyworked.

“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 duringa 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,moreevacuations in Colorado were ordered across four counties where theAspen Acresfirehad burned about 136 square miles southofColorado Springs.

The ﬁre had damaged or

Wildfires rage in Portugal, Greece andSpain

BY ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press

ATHENS,Greece— Hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires in Portugal, Greece andSpain on Sunday,with Spain and Italy sending reinforcements to Portugalto help with amassiveblaze burning for more than three days. Authorities urged residents in parts of Thessaloniki, Greece’ssecond largest city,toremain indoors and shut their windows and doors due to toxic smoke from aburning recycling plant that was engulfed by awildfire.

Anothermajor wildfire broke out Sunday afternoon west of the Greek capital, Athens. The fire department said 210 firefighters, backed up by volunteers, specialized teamsand 29 aircraft, including water-dropping planes and helicopters, were deployed to battle theblaze burning through pineforest in the Mandra area. Authorities were racing to contain the blaze before nightfall, when aircraft can no longer perform firefighting operations. In central Portugal’sVouzela area, more than 1,200 firefighters backed up by nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft tried to putout a blaze that broke out Thurs-

ASSoCIATEdPRESS PHoTo By Ty onEIL

Awoman salutes on June 29 during aprocession for firefighters whodied battling wildfires near the ColoradoUtah border in Grand Junction, Colo.

destroyed more than200 structures as of Sunday, authorities said. National Guard soldiers were sentin Friday to help withstafﬁng checkpoints on roads near the ﬁre zone.

Months ofdry weather and arecord lack of snow this past winter in some places along with erratic windshavebeen fueling theﬁres.

Thethree firefighters killed on June 27 in western Colorado were members of aHelitack crew that sometimes drops into remoteareas byhelicopters.

Barker,Hutcherson and Watson andtwo others who sustained burninjuries were overcome by flames from fast-moving firesin Mesa County.They had deployed emergency protective shelters, which are

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

Fennessy,the Wildland Fire Service chief, saidSunday that “the weight of this tragedy is felt way beyond ourwildland firecommunity.”

Photosofthe firefighters wereset up on the stage at thememorial service alongside flowers and flags. They worked jobsthat require courage, selflessness, strengthand heart, said SarahFisher, the U.S. Forest Service’sdeputy chief for fire andaviation management.

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

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

By Sundayafternoon,the fire appeared to be abating somewhat, with Portuguese media quoting officials as saying it no longerhad major activefrontsbut that some hot spotsremained. In Spain, awildfire burning since Friday in the northeastern Girona region had burned nearly5,400 acres, theEFE news agency said.Catalan Fire Service headofoperations Eduard Martinez said the blaze had aperimeter of 25 milesand firefightersmay not beable to bringitunder controlon Sunday, EFE said. On the other side of southern Europe, in Greece, a

fast-moving blaze at arecycling plant broke out Saturday evening near theOraiokastro suburb of Thessaloniki, triggering evacuation alerts for threesuburbs and afacilityhousing 157 people withdisabilities.

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’sstate broadcaster ERTthatseveral businesses and homes were damaged but aclearer picture would emerge after authorities conduct afull evaluation.

A76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of having started the blaze through negligence by generating sparks with his vehicle that setvegetation near theroad alight, the ﬁredepartment said. He was due to appear before aprosecutor Sunday

Theﬁre came days after another wildﬁreinanearby area killed a12-year-old boy and his father

Britishmilitarysayscargo

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

CAIRO— Acargo shipcame under attack Sunday off thecoast 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

offHodeidacity,which is undercontrol of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. TheUKMTOsaidthe shipreported being “under attack by unknown armed assailants”30nautical miles southwest of Hodeida.

Askiffapproachedthe bulk carrier and opened fire, forcing security guards to return fire, be-

Funerals Today

Amar,Ralph

Most BlessedSacrament Catholic Church,15615 JeffersonHighway,at noon.

Cador,Roger

F.G. ClarkActivity Center on the campus of Southern University and A&MCollege at 6pm Cangelosi,Aline St.Thomas More Catholic Church at noon.

Cayette,Cinderella

Ascension of OurLordMausoleum in Donaldsonville at 11 a.m.

Clark, Christopher ShilohMissionary BaptistChurch at 11 a.m.

Higdon, Robert

OurLadyofSorrows Catholic Church,3475 N. Sherwood Forest Drive, at 11 a.m.

Sexton, Raymond St.John'sUnitedMethodist Church 230 ReneeDrive,at12:45 p.m

Tucker,Winifred St.GerardMajella Catholic Church 5354 PlankRoad, at noon.

Obituaries

Cador,Roger

RogerCador,75, of Ventress, Louisiana, legendary former head baseball coach at Southern University, passed away on June 30, 2026. AHallofFame coach and one of thewinningestcoachesincollegiatebaseballhistory, Cador ledthe Jaguars for 33 seasons, compiling 913 victories, 14 SWAC championships,two HBCU National Championships, and 11 NCAA Regional appearances. He was inducted into theSWACHallofFame, Louisiana SportsHallof Fame,American Baseball Coaches AssociationHall of Fame,and National College Baseball Hall of Fame He was preceded in death by his parents, Expert and Eunice Cador,and asister,Mary Jean Cador He is survivedbyhis sons, Johnthan Cador of Zachary, Louisiana, Jeremy Cador of Montgomery,Alabama, and abonus son, Tim Romero of Knoxville Tennessee;his siblings, Betty Leonardand Henry Cador of NewRoads, Louisiana; his aunt,Marie JosephofNew 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 theF.G. ClarkActivityCenter on thecampus of Southern Universityand A&MCollege,followed by a memorial serviceat6:00 p.m. Funeralarrangements are entrusted to HallDavis and SonFuneralService Sign theonline guest book at www.hallsinc.net

Sexton, RaymondGray

Raymond "Gray"Sexton

lowing abrief illness. He is survived by his devotedwife of 38 years, Suzanne Fournet Sexton; hissons, David Sexton (Marcia) and Scott Sexton (Anja); his belovedsister JessieSexton Williams; his stepchildren, Jill Roshto andTerence Roshto; his honorarydaughterand son -in-law, Janeand Ricky Bearden;and six beloved grandchildren: RobinSexton,Nicholasand Andrew Roshto; Elizabeth,Anna, andKateBearden. He is also survived by hissister-in -law,Kathleen Hains (Johnny); his brother-in-law, Marc Fournet (Karen); his goddaughter,Audrey Ducote Bell; hischerished longtime executive assistant, Alice Diez;along with associatesAlesiaArdoin, BlairNaquin, andBlane Wilson. He wasprecededin death by hisparents,Jesse Raymond Sexton and Valentine Clements Sexton;in-lawsCharles Williams, WalterFournet III,Jackie andJim Daughtry andhis cherished friend, Jimmy Taylor Anative of Pineville, Louisiana, Gray wasa proudgraduate of Centenary Collegeand the Louisiana State University Law School. He practiced law in Baton Rouge for more than 60 years, aprofession he loveddeeply untilthe very end. He founded TheLaw Offices of R. Gray Sexton andservedfor four decades as General Counsel to the Louisiana Board of Ethicsand theSupervisory Committee on Campaign FinanceDisclosure. In that role,herepresented the State of Louisiana in administrative andjudicialproceedings andhelped shape Louisiana's ethics and campaign finance laws fromtheir inception.Widely recognized as oneof Louisiana's foremost authorities on governmental ethics, campaign finance lobbying, andpublicsector law,Gray wasespecially proudofhis role in authoringLouisiana's EthicsCode andCampaign Finance Disclosure provisions Throughouthis distinguishedlegal career,Gray earnedthe respect of judges, attorneys, elected officials,and clientsalike for hisbrilliantlegal mind, unwaveringprofessionalism, andcommitment to publicservice.Healso remaineddeeplycommitted to hisalma maters, serving on theCentenary College Board of Governors and as amember of theinaugural class of theLSU Law Center Hall of Fame. He wasa member of Bocage Racquet Club, amember of the Board of DirectorsatThe CountryClub of Louisiana

wherehewas amember for thirty-eight years and former Presidentofthe CCLA Homeowners Association WhileGray'sprofessional accomplishments were extraordinary, hisgreatest joycamefromthe people in hislife. He treasured his family, valuedhis friendships, andwas profoundly grateful to themanymentors andcolleagueswho influencedhis career.He genuinelyappreciated LaneGrigsby, whoserved as hisprimary mentor and steadfast professional supporter throughouthis career.Healso valuedcolleagues Brad Dutruch, Ken Dutruch, Justin Haydel,Ken Jacob, Mike Polito, Dave Roberts, and theRobinson Brothers family, among manyothers Outside of thecourtroom, Gray waseverybit as competitive on thetenniscourt. Hisfavorite place wasCourt Twoatthe CountryClubofLouisiana, wherehespent countless hourswithhis beloved "Fearless Foursome"—Brad Lanehart, Gerald Garrison, andTommy Jeterand alternates Stephen McCollisterand Rusty Jenkins. Those friendships, forged through years of competition andlaughter, brought himimmeasurable happiness. Gray wantedtoextend heartfelt appreciationto hisdear friendand physician, Dr.EdVinci, forhis exceptional care and friendship over theyears. He also nevermissedan opportunity to mention oneofhis favorite companions,his grand-pup, Scarlett, whoalways broughta smiletohis face. Gray lived alifedefined by intellectual curiosity and loyaltytohis friends andfamily. He leaves behind aremarkable legacy of service to thelegal profession, to the State of Louisiana, andtoall who hadthe privilegeofknowinghim. Visitation will be Monday, July 6atSt. 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. Aprivate interment will be held at a futuredate. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made to: Centenary CollegeScholarship Fund, LSULaw Center Scholarship FundorSt. John'sUnited Methodist Church.

fore sailingbacktoa larger ship about 2nautical miles away withits automatic identification system switched off,the UKMTO said.

Thecargoshipand crew were reported safe, the British military said, adding that authorities were investigating. No groupimmediately claimed the attack.

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By GIAnnIS PAPAnIKoS Thick smokerises above Filothei settlement duringa wildfire Sunday on the outskirts of the northerncity of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Childabuse is thelegacy of

anation that has treated people as less than human

Iamalicensed clinical social worker and survivor of child abuse who is deeply concerned about the state of child welfare in Louisiana.

As Ilearned about child abuse through my social work education and career,Idiscovered that abuse is not rare. Inow 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 adesire 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 anation of colonizers who bought and sold people and abused them because we could. Many people today believe they have aright 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 criminalizehomelessness and disability,tobeat their spouses, to exploit workers for their labor in exchangefor 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 needtounderstand that all human beings are worthy of dignity,respect, safetyand having their basic needs met.Until then, this problemwill persist.

MELANIE MANN Hammond

Fortified roof grantdemands coverage that is unaffordable

With theﬂick of apen, Gov.Jeff Landry has shown recently that he can change policy.Myplea is for him to correct the unfairness of the requirements for thefortiﬁed roof program and protect many like myself whocannot get wind and hail coverage at an affordable price.

I, too, would like to have anew roof meeting fortiﬁed standards. Iamwilling to pay thedifference 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 andnohistory of claims other than asmall onefor Katrina. We were model clients for insurers: Pay thepremiums andﬁle no claims. Pure proﬁt for theinsurers. We have been able to secure basic homeowners coverage, but we were toldtogo to Citizens for wind and hail at the cost of $11,000 ayear

Iwant to protect my family and homefrom potential hurricane devastation andhave applied for the fortiﬁed roof program.But, since Idonot have wind and hail coverage, I do not qualify for thegrant

What and where is thelogic here?

Requiring wind and hail coveragetoqualify seems like away 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

Ibeg Landry and Insurance Commissioner TimTemple to rethink this program forthe tensofthousands who are not abletoget wind and hail coverage due to the ultra-high cost. Beforebeing dropped, Iwas paying $4,000 ayear.Afterward, wind and hail coverage cost $11,000.

After all, this is America!

ALAN WEINSTEIN Kenner

Immigrants whododge hearings must nothavea good case

Thearticle “In New Orleans, ‘mega master’ hearingslatest tool of Trumpadministration’s deportation push” asserts hearings in NewOrleans are asubstitutefor the roundups of afew months ago —false.

The hearings are primarily for those who have made asylum claims at the border or a defensiveasylum claim after they have entered theU.S.

The roundups targeted all illegal immigrants —i.e., those who had no asylum claims, those who committed crimes after enteringthe U.S., those who were found wanted for crimes committed prior to illegal entry andthose with outstanding deportation orders.

for which they have not been arrested: i.e. illegally working in the U.S., stealing Social Securitynumbers, lying on the DOJI9form claiming to be aU.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’tshow up for hearings do so because their claim is false or weak and believe they will lose and be arrested.

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

Not only are they gettingone or morehearings to plead their case, they are being given apass for the crimes cited previously,which they committed while living in the U.S.

Since it may be awhile before we see gasoline prices come down, how about Congress giving everyone a break forthe 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, fora total of 39.33 cents agallon in Louisiana.

While that doesn’tseem like much, consider that somelarge SUVs can hold up to 36 gallons. That driver would save $14 per ﬁllup! Even astandard SUVwith around a20-gallon tank could save almost $8 each time he pulls into agas station, which really adds up if you’re driving to avacation destination. Ifeel sorry forthe guys with the full-size heavy-duty trucks that hold 48 gallons, but at least they could save almost $19 aﬁll-up. For those driving diesel-fueled cars, the Fed’stax 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.

BARBARA BABIN LACOUR Harahan

needs to demand answersonIran

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

Thehearings are not asham,asthe proillegal immigration lobby asserts. They should tell the public that most of those who received letters requiring attendance at the hearing have committed anumber of crimes

It is Americanswho do not have due process: one law for Americansand another for illegal immigrants.

JOSEPH

MOLYNEUX Metairie

oilcompanies need to cleanuptheir mess

Marc Ehrhardtofthe Grow Louisiana Coalition appeared in aguest columntodecry the ingratitude of the people and parishes of Louisiana for having theaudacitytobring legal action to compel oil companies to be held accountable forthe catastrophic damage they have visited upon our coast He complains of the protracted course of litigation without acknowledging the many delayssought by theoil industry’sattorneys. He suggests that, in deciding where to invest, global energy companies look for a skilled workforce, predictable tax structure andastable legal environment. Obviously,they drill where theoil 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, laxenvironmental protections and compliant politicians.

Ehrhardt worries about themessage this litigation is sending. The message should be theone Ireceived from my mother years ago: “Clean up your mess.”

Let us hope thepurely procedural setback of the recent Supreme Court decision doesn’t discourage effortstoobtain funds needed to clean up themess they have madeofour coast.

W. KEITH HURTT neworleans

With the strongest navy and air force in the world, we destroyed Iran’snavy 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 Trumpisnegotiating with knownterrorists, something the U.S. has never done before. What is going on? He is acting as though we need Iran. It is timefor 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 Trumpwas elected. It is timefor them to go to work and run the country,not run and go home.

CLIFF LEONARD Hammond

STAFF PHoTo By BRETT dUKE

WorkerswithSunbelt Roofs install afortified roof with impact-rated shingles on ahome in Jefferson.

ASSoCIATEdPRESS PHoTo

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

AMERICA250

An inconceivableoffer

LouisianaPurchasewas thedealthatbuilt ourcountry

By nancyLandry

statethey helped create.

ON THECALENDAR

As Louisiana’s secretary of state, Ihave the privilegeofoverseeing our elections, business services, the Louisiana State Archives and many of our statemuseums. Those responsibilities may not seem to have much in common,but each plays arole in preserving our state’shistory andhelping shape its future.

That responsibility carries even greatermeaning as we celebrate ourcountry’s250th anniversary

tate transaction in history

However,inwhat is now presentday Louisiana, the storywas more complicated. While ownership changed on paper,not every question was immediately answered.

When most Americans think about the beginning of our country,they think aboutthe Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the RevolutionaryWar.When they think about the country’sexpansion west,people often envision covered wagons crossing the plainsorrailroadsbeing built.

But one of the most important moments in American history centered on our state.

Like most people, Iappreciatea good bargain. Maybeitispurchasingahome at just the right time, ﬁnding aused car at agreat price, or ﬁnding avacantpiece of land before anyone realizes itsvalue. No bargain in American history compares to the Louisiana Purchase. It was adeal thatnearly doubled the size of ourcountry and made America aworld power with the stroke of apen.

Vast landscape

President Thomas Jefferson originally sent Robert Livingston and James Monroe to Franceto purchase New Orleans andsecure control of the MississippiRiver.Instead, Napoleon Bonaparte, in need of money to ﬁnance his war against GreatBritain, offered something unimaginable.

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

For $15 million, the United States acquired more than 828,000 square miles, or roughly four cents an acre. Adjusted for inﬂation, thepurchase today would havecost around $438 million, or just $1 17 an acre. Today,that is less than 1% of Louisiana’sannual budget. Fifteen future states would be created in whole or in part from that land. Historians describe it as the greatest real es-

Parts of thewestern side of what we know as Louisiana became part of adisputed area between the United States and Spanish Texas. Unable to agree on aboundary line, the two nations agreed to aneutral strip of land —a place whereneither government exercises clear authority.It was called “No Man’sLand.”

TheFlorida Parishes were another exception. They were not included in the original purchase and became apart of theUnited States years later

Undefinedborders

As we celebrate America’s250th anniversary,it’sworth rememberingthat parts of theland beneath ourfeet were once places where no oneknew exactly where one nation ended and another began.

The lawless territory attracted settlers, traders and its share of outlaws. Without aclear government,people often had to rely on themselves and their neighbors.

This reminds us that America wasn’t built overnight or by asingle generation.

It was built over time by ordinary peoplewho faced uncertaintyand established communities and local governments

Less than adecade after the Louisiana Purchase, Louisiana entered theUnion much smaller than its original territory.But our culture has remained uniquely our own. Louisiana is agumbo of cultures, traditions and people unlike anywhere else in America.

Living history

Today,Louisianians have aunique chance to see and experience that historyﬁrsthand.

TheNational Archives has entrusted my ofﬁce with oneofthe original Louisiana Purchase documentssigned by Napoleon. It is nowondisplay at the Louisiana Old StateCapitol through July 11.

While these historic documents have returned to Louisianabefore, this is the ﬁrst time in morethan two decades they have revisited the

I’ve stood and looked at the documentseveral times since it arrived. Seeing it in person is different from seeing aphotograph in atextbook. LookingatNapoleon’ssignature, it’simpossible not to thinkabout the generations of Americanswhose lives were forever changed because of the agreement on those pages. When people talk about our country’sfounding documents, the Louisiana Purchasedeserves to be in that conversation. It changed thecourse 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’sOfﬁce. Through our free museumsand theLouisiana State Archives, we preserve thedocuments andstories that explain who we are as astate.

Oursharedduty

Ialso 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, theother helps shape where we aregoing.

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’s250th anniversary,Ihope you and your family will takeafew hours to visit theOld State Capitol to see the LouisianaPurchaseinperson. By examining the document, you will be reminded of the journey our country has endured and gain arenewed sense of pride in theAmerican story

The LouisianaPurchase is one of the deﬁning documents shaping our nation’shistory.Itisa legacy measured by morethan theland it added to amap. It opened the door for ayoung nation to becomethe world’sgreatest power

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

Nancy Landry is the 45th secretary of stateofLouisiana.

Thereare several events around Louisiana to celebrate the 250thanniversaryofthe adoption of the declaration of Independence. Here is alist of somegoing on now. For afull list, go to america250la.org

n Louisiana’sold State Capitol, 100 northBlvd., Baton Rouge, is featuring the exhibit,“Bought fora Song: Ayoung nation Expands,”whose only artifact is the French exchangecopyofthe convention between the Republic of France and theUnited Statesthat finalizedthe Louisiana Purchase. Through July 11. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org. n The Historic neworleans Collection, 520 Royal St neworleans, is featuring the exhibit,“American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition,”where visitors can immerse themselvesin3dinteractive reconstructions of keymoments in American history.This free, interactiveexperience,which runs throughJan. 17, utilizes360-degree augmented reality to immerse visitorsin20defining moments of the nation’sfounding,fromthe sparks of the Boston TeaParty to the victoryatyorktown.The “American Revolution” wasproducedand designed by Histovery withpromotional supportfrom new orleans &Companyand Louisiana America 250. The exhibition offersa fresh, technologically driven waytoexplore the American story. For more,goto hnoc.org

n The Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo, 701 ChartresSt.,new orleans, is featuring the exhibit,“Gálvez and Louisiana in theAmerican Revolution,”which explores thelife of Spanish Gov. Bernardo de Gálvez and thediversepeople of Louisiana whofought forAmericanindependence. Through May15, 2027. louisianastatemuseum.org

ABOUTTHISSERIES

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.

Nancy Landry GUEST CoLUMnIST

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

PRoVIdEd PHoTo By EnGLISH HERITAGE, THE WELLInGTon CoLLECTIon, APSLEy HoUSE

Today, expect amostlycloudy, hot, humid and breezy daywith scattered showers and storms.Likeyesterday, someofthe thunderstorms couldbeveryintense and resultinminor flooding Temperatures thisafternoon

very high level, so wear your hat, sunglassesand sunscreen.

Pope beginssummerbreak

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME PopeLeo XIV began asummer vacation on Sunday,capping awhirlwind finale to the first half of 2026, in which he emerged as a powerful globalstatesman 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 papalretreat at Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican’shistoric 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 Palaceoverlooking Lake Alban, not the smaller villa on the estate wherehehad spent his days off for the past year Leo made that clear upon arrival, appearingfromthe palace balcony overlooking the town’smain piazza to greet residents and offer a blessing.

“I’m very happytobehere with you, to be able to spend thenext few weeks here for abit of rest,abit of prayer abit of reading and Ihope abit of sport,” he saidto laughter in the crowd.

Pope Francishad eschewed the Castel Gandolfo getawayduring 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 apared-down Holy See infrastructure to relocate with the popeto keep the Vatican machinery running from there.

Leo spent afew weeks at the estatelast summer,using the time away from the Vatican to focusonhis new job after his fellowcardinals elected himpopeonMay 8, 2025.

Then, the reserved former Cardinal Robert Prevost said he hoped to “restore the body and spirit,”with abrief period ofrest.

Ayear later,Leo is leaving town after aremarkable run of papaldecision-making that has left Vatican watchers dizzy.After Leo acknowledged earlyonthat he had abig learning curveto do onbeing ahead of state, thelast few weeks have shown adecisive governing style where Leo has set the agenda, rather than merely fulfill theappointments set by hispredecessor “Many peoplelast year would have predicted aquiet papacy on theworld stage and afocus on internal reform and governance,” said Austen Ivereigh, who is the biographer of Pope Francis “But the first half of2026 has shown the opposite: ironically,the one area where Leohad least confidence, as internationalstatesman, is where his pontificatehas really taken off.”

July 4spent with migrants

Leospent July 4—the 250thanniversaryofU.S Independence —onthe Sicilian island of Lampedusa, praying atamigrantcemetery to honor the thousands of migrants whodied trying to reach Europetoﬁnd freedomand prosperity

The visit came after Leo ended avisit to Spain last month witha similargesture, delivered from adock in the Spanish CanaryIslands that was once known as the“dock of shame” for the dreadful conditions migrantsendured during a spikeinarrivals.

In both places,Leo aimed his message at Europe to uphold thedignity of migrants. But on Saturday,Leo also reminded the U.S.thatitwas foundedbyimmigrants and that Christians have an obligation to welcome, protect and integrate those people seeking shelterfromhardship.

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

That’sespecially true given Leo’sopposition to the U.S.-Israel warinIranand the April sparringbetween President Donald Trump and Leo, delivered via Truth Social posts(Trump) and inflight comments traveling around Africa(Leo), that turnedthe American pope into the poster childofthe anti-war movement.

Ivereigh recalled that the Trump administration ﬁrst perkeduptoLeo’spaciﬁst messaging during his January speechtothe Holy See diplomatic corps, when Leo denounced hownations were using forcetoassert their dominionworldwide “completely undermining” peace and the post-World WarIIinternational legal order

“The January speechto diplomats that alarmed theTrumpadministration turnedout to be the launchpad,” Ivereigh said. “The Iran war and Trump’sreaction to his remarks in Africa propelled Leo overnight to guardian of the global conscience, whichwas cemented by theencyclical.”

An encyclical on AI

It was areference to Leo’s ﬁrst encyclical, “Magniﬁca Humanitas”(Magnificent Humanity), which was released to great fanfare in late May.Init, Leo called for robust regulation of arti-

ﬁcial intelligence, especially as thetech industry creates ever more sophisticated methodsofremote warfare.

The text declared thatit 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 deregulateAIdevelopment

But thatencyclical contained morethan just amanifesto promoting the common good over proﬁt in the AI race. Nestled inside was ahistoric apologyfor the Holy See’sown role in facilitating slavery,all the more remarkable since it was delivered by an American pope whose ownfamilyhistory includes both enslaved people and slave owners. Former popeshaveapologized for Christians’ involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Butnopope had ever publicly acknowledged, much less apologized for, the role that 15th century popes playedingiving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “inﬁdels.” Leo called theVatican’s

record a“wound in Chris-

tian memory” and asked “in the name of the church” for pardon— an apologythat now opens the question of reparations owed to the descendants of slaves.

‘Anenforcerwithclarity

Leo showed similar courageinrecentdays by taking adecision no pope takes lightly or has taken for the past half-century: With Leo’s clear approval, the Vatican on Thursday declared atraditionalist groupofCatholics in schism, or in formal rupture from the Catholic Church, for having consecrated four bishopswithout papal consent. The Vatican excommunicated the bishopsand 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 itslay faithful —who by SSPXestimatesmay number around ahalf-million worldwide —thattheytoo

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 deepensthe divide withthe SSPX, it may ultimatelystrengthencohesion 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 theCatholic UniversityofAmerica, said the SSPX episode crystallizedhow thepope remainsthe center of the churchand asign of unity —a position that has come intoclear focus forLeo in recent weeks.

“Withthis decree he’s shown that he has the clarity andalso thecourage to inﬂict clear penalties on those who violate this Communion,” Gahl said. “So we not

Leo whoiskind and

SPORTS

WorldCup feveris epidemic on overseas trip

The World Cup came to my country this summer Iheaded overseas.

Not because of the WorldCup. It wasn’tsomething for me to cover,and Iwasn’t going to spend athousand American dollars on aticket, so my wife Michell and Ilit outon vacation. We ﬂew from here to London for afew 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’thaveabalcony cabinand private bathroom.

But every stop along the way for the two weeks of our journey,the World Cup was aconstant companion. Ifound myself immersed in the world’smost immense tournament daily,watching from pubs and planes as the drama unfolded in acolorful high-deﬁnition spectacle. Imay have had to leave home to truly appreciate the WorldCup in my homecountry,but it was well worth the trip.

It may be abit lost on some American sports fans who are consumed by our brand of football, but the World Cup is the biggest sportingspectaclearound the globe —tout le monde. Ilearned that lesson well from achance encounter back in 1994, the last time thisevent visited our shores.

Iwas on assignment, returning arental car at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport when Istarted chatting with the fellow

REDMEANS GO

BY RONALD BLUM and MICHELLE L. PRICE

Associated Press

SEATTLE U.S.President DonaldTrump intervened on behalf of American star striker Folarin Balogun, whose suspension was lifted in adecision that allows him to playina WorldCup match against Belgium on Monday.

Balogun, the American leader with three goals, receiveda red cardfor stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia andHerzegovina in a2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday.Ared card triggers an automatic onegame suspension.

FIFAannounced Sunday that thesuspensionhad been lifted,triggering praise from Trumpand outrage from Belgium’s team.

Trump calledFIFApresident Gianni Infantino after the game asking FIFAto review the redcard,according to aperson familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity becausethe personwas notauthorizedtospeak publicly about the matter

“Thank you to FIFAfor doingwhatwas right, and reversing agreat injustice!” Trumpsaidinastatement on social media

The Royal Belgian FootballAssociation (RBFA) said it was “astonished,” andBelgium coach Rudi Garciamocked FIFA’s action.

“I didn’tknow that in the ofﬁces of FIFA

the 5th of July was the1st of April in Europe,” Garcia said through atranslator in an April Fools’Day comparison. “The Belgian federation does notdefend itself, it does notprotect the national team,she defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. Ithink it’sthe ﬁrst time in thehistory of theWorldCup that there is this kind of decision.”

Garcia wouldn’t respondwhenasked abouta possible appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or whether he thought Trump affected FIFA’saction.

“In ordertosafeguard the legitimate rightsofall participating teams andto protect the fundamental principles of fair

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

There are alot of ways Erik Mc-

Coy can sum up his last two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but he opted for brevity with adash of profanity

“S*** just happens,” McCoy said The Pro Bowl center of the New Orleans Saints is atrue differencemaker when he is on thefield. He is atechnician who is also asupreme athlete. He is the offensive line’s nerve center and aquarterback’s best friend. And he is the unquestioned leader of the most tight-knit positiongroup in the locker room. Unfortunately,he’sspent more time on thesidelinesthanonthe field the last two seasons.Helanded on injured reserve twice in 2024 —first for agroin 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 McCoydidn’twant to dwell too much on all the other ways he could describe what the last two seasons werelike.Hecan analyze it from every angle and try

to pinpoint what went wrong, or he canacceptthatsometimes stuff just happens. “It’shard as an athlete, but it’sthe

name of thegame,”McCoy said “Last year,the play whereI tore my bicep was something I’vedone amillion times, and Isaw people do

it amillion times after that. It just happened to be that impact angle and, youknow,itended my season.

“Itwas tough. But I’m going to keep doing whatIcan to mitigate those risks andhopefully I’ll be lucky.Hopefully allofuswill be lucky, but Iwant to be lucky,too.”

This is alesson he’shad to learn as apro,and he’s been on both sides of it. He recalled amoment after his ﬁfthseason, when he earnedhis ﬁrst ProBowlhonorafter appearing in all 17 games. At that stage in his career,McCoy had mostly dodged injuries outside of afew soft-tissue issues.

He didaninterviewfor the team’sin-house magazine ahead of the 2024 season whenhewas told he was the only player on the offense who stayed healthy for the entirety of the previous season.

“And my answer was, ‘Itwas the luckofthe draw,’ ”McCoy said. “I still stick to that. Healthy, unhealthy. Yes, there are certain things you can do to prepare, but at the end of the day,it’sfootball, s*** happens, andit’sjustthe luck of thedraw.” That2024 season started off with abang. New Orleansscored 91 points in its ﬁrst two games as Mc-

Coyplayedanintegral role in the team’snew wide zone run scheme. Then, in Week 3, McCoy hurt his groin and the team’soffense cratered. New Orleanswas betterpositioned to handle McCoy’sseasonending injury last year thanks to its trade for veteran Luke Fortner during the preseason, but his absence was still felt.

“Erik’sone of thetop centersin this league,he’sa really talented player. Whenhe’sonthe ﬁeld, we’re abetter footballteam —always,” coach Kellen Moore said. “... Erik is an important part of this. When he’sout there, we’re abetter offensive line, abetter offense. So we’re excited to keep building.”

One of the players who is particularly excited to get to work with McCoyisquarterback Tyler Shough, who has yet to take asnap from McCoy in agamesetting because he took over as the starter after McCoy’sinjury last year

“He’sbeen great forme,” Shough said. “Even though we didn’tget to play together we were around each other every single day.Wehad our

Referee Raphael Claus shows ared card to United States striker Folarin Balogun, right, during

between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday

Bosnia’sTarik Muharemovic, left, reacts after atacklefrom United States striker Folarin Balogun during the WorldCup round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., on Wednesday.

BALOGUN, page 5B

Scott Rabalais

STAFF PHoTo By SCoTT RABALAIS Anorwegian soccer fan enjoys himself in apub duringatransatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary2onTuesday.

ä See RABALAIS, page 5B

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.”

A challenging opponent

The 39-year-old Djokovic has never lost a Grand Slam match against a player ranked as low as Saﬁullin, or to a qualiﬁer, but he looked in danger at times on Centre Court.

Djokovic had to save two set points when trailing 5-2 in the ﬁrst set and was warned for apparently yelling out an obscenity in Serbian on Centre Court when he was broken early in the third. He then drew boos from the crowd when he hit the ball away in frustration after losing that set.

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 the fourth set by jumping out to a 3-0 lead, and then served out the match at love.

Djokovic will next face thirdseeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who came through a five-setter against No. 22 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

No 1 Sabalenka falls

Naomi Osaka defeated topranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 (2) to reach the quarterﬁnals at the All England Club for the ﬁrst time.

Sabalenka had beaten Osaka in all three of their previous match-

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.”

Gauff’s buzzer-beater

There’s not usually a clock ticking down in tennis.

Yet for Coco Gauff, the All England Club’s 11 p.m. curfew made it seem like there was. And Gauff hit the winning shot

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.’

“That was probably the most dramatic ﬁnish. I’ve never had to race against time Playing tennis, we’re used to not having a clock. But honestly, today I felt the pressure. Glad I didn’t choose basketball.”

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 — despite 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

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

Baseball signee changes pledge from LSU to UCLA

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Vonn

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.”

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

Guardians star Ramirez to begin batting again soon

BY TOM WITHERS Associated Press

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

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.”

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.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1B

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, and while he said his growing

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.” Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHoTo By dAVId GRUnFELd Saints center Erik McCoy, middle, protects the line after snapping the ball to

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.

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.

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

WORLDCUP 2026

Haaland, Norway knockout Brazil

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-aheadgoalin the 79th minute and scoringagain before the end of regulation time, Haaland put Norway on hisback and carrieditintothe WorldCup quarterfinals forthe first time with a2-1 defeat of Brazil on Sunday that showcased the towering striker on soccer’sbiggest stage.

“Maybethis will write history in Norway,” Haaland said.“Everyone just need to enjoy themselves. This is just an insane day.It’sone of the most insane days in Norwegian history.Just enjoyit, embrace it and enjoy the moment.”

After being anonfactorfor much of the afternoon and havinglimited touches, Haaland spoke at the second-half hydration break with coach Ståle Solbakken, who told him to drain his energy and gofor it.

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

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

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoToByPAMELA SMITH

Erling Haaland,left,celebrates with Andreas Schjelderup after scoring his second goal for norway during a WorldCup round of 16 match against Brazil on Sunday in East Rutherford, n.J.

land said after scoring in a14th consecutive competitivematch internationally. He has 27 in that stretch and 62 in 54 with Norway At the other end,goalkeeper Ørjan Nylandwas stellar.Hemade a crucialstopearly, diving to hisleft to denyBruno Guimarães’ penalty kick in the 14th minute, then got

Brace for Bellingham

ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By nATACHA PISAREnKo Jude Bellingham celebrates after he scored his second goal in the first halfofEngland’sWorld Cupmatch against MexicoonSundayinMexico City.The game ended after press time.

Brazil left to second-guess PK choiceafter earlyexit

BY BRIAN MAHONEY Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD,N.J.— Vinícius

Júnior had the ball at the penalty spot, aperfect chance to give Brazil the lead. And he handed it to Bruno Guimarães. And by the time Neymar took andmadeBrazil’ssecondpenalty kick, it was too late for the ﬁvetime World Cup champion. Guimarães had his penaltyshot stopped by Ørjan Nyland in the 14th minuteand Brazil couldn’t get one past Norway’sgoalkeeper until deep in stoppage time, losing 2-1 on Sunday in the round of 16 for its earliestWorld Cup exit since 1990.

The Brazilians will be left with four years of second-guessing, wondering why they chosenot to have one of soccer’selitescorers take the penalty shot after Matheus Cunha was taken down by asliding tackle in the box. No foul was called originally, to theBrazilians’ protest,but the penalty was awarded after avideo review.Vinícius, who came into the gameleading Brazilwithfour goals in four games, had the ball in his hands, and it appeared he would take the kick. Instead, Guimarães walked to

thespotand Vinícius handed him the ball, then wentand stood tothe left of the box and watched as Guimarães stutter-stepped, then fired theshot that Nylanddived to his left to knock away It wasBrazil’sfirstunsuccessful penalty kick in theWorld Cup —not counting shootouts —since 1986. There would be some morequality chances, but Nyland turned them away each time, many of themright in front of thelarge section of yellow-shirted fans behind thegoal Brazil was shooting at in the first half.

Vinícius wasdangerous with some speedy runs along the left side, andcoach CarloAncelotti brought on Neymar in the 68th minute for extra firepower.Their longtime great took and made the shot after another penaltywas called late, joiningPelé as the only Brazilian players to score in four World Cups. His team needed more than that and failed to reach the quarterfinalsfor thefirst time since falling to Argentina in theround of 16 in 1990.

TheBraziliansreturned four yearslater when the U.S. last hosted theWorld Cup and won. The Seleção won theirﬁfth title in 2002 but remainempty since.

his left hand on ashotbyEndrick late when Norway was hanging on to aone-goal lead. Theonly goalNylandallowed wastoNeymar on apenalty kick lateinstoppage time, which changed just the ﬁnal score. Neymar,who is 34, saidthis was his ﬁnal game playingfor Brazil’sna-

tional team.

Nyland, who at 35 is his team’s oldest player,was ahugefactor in ahistoric victory that ranks among the mostsigniﬁcant in the country’shistory —atleast on themen’sside. Norway’swomen’s team won the World Cup in 1995.

“I think that all Norwegian citi-

schedule ROUND OF

zens are experiencing the night of alifetime,” Solbakken said. “Some people saythatwehavechanged Norway forever.Probably,they will party foraweek or so.” Norwaynext faces the winner of the Mexico-England round-of-16 game on Saturday in Miami Gardens,Florida.Solbakken said he had morethan adozen friends already book travel to SouthFlorida Yellow-clad Seleção fans outnumbered those in Norway red, many of whomdid the now-famous Viking Row in thestands —with Brazil supporters even cheering it before kickoff. Brazil’sfans were stunned silent when it returned after the game, with Haalandbanging the drum andleading the celebration.

“I’ve peaked acouple of times during this tournament, butthis wasanew peak,” Haaland said.

Ronaldoagain says this WorldCup will be hislast

BY SCHUYLERDIXON

AP sportswriter

ARLINGTON, Texas Cristiano Ronaldo’ssometimes playful banter in arare WorldCup news conference ended in an exchange between Portugal’ssuperstar and a reporter from Argentina.

Ronaldo took the momenton theeve of around of 16 clash withborder 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 withmeisthe people —the people who love you. Ishare hotels with the staff, Latinopeople, and those are spectacular memories. Yesterdayon theﬂight, there was an Argentine flight attendant. And knew she wasArgentine by the way she looked at me: ‘I knewyou were Argentine by the way youlooked at me.Ifyou lookawayquickly, it means you don’tlike Cristiano,’”Ronaldosaid in translated remarks Sunday, breakinginto a smile.

“I want to enjoy what will be my last World Cup to thefullest,” Ronaldo continued. “Hopefully tomorrow won’tbemylast match That way,you can keep bashing me some more.”

Ronaldo, the career leader in international goals with146, made similar comments in atelevision interview late last year,afew monthsafter Portugalwon the UEFANations League title with ariveting victory over Spain in a penaltyshootout

Many of the questions for the 41-year-old during a25-minute session at thehome of theNFL’s Dallas Cowboysreferred to what everybody in the packed room was assuming: This was it for Ronaldo.

Before the end, he joked with reporters that theywerepushing himout thedoor. Just aboutevery time he did, though, he would turn philosophical.

“There’snothing missing,” Ronaldo said. “God was so generous toward me. He gave me everything Ineverexpected to win, especially at thenationalteam.And personally,the samething. So it’senjoying every moment. I’m not going to be more Cristiano or less Cristiano because Iwin the WorldCup. Of

Ronaldospeakstoreporters on Sundayduring anews conference ahead of Portugal’sWorld Cup round of 16 match against Spain in Arlington, Texas

course, we allhave hopes,myself especially,and we all want all the conditions to win. But we know thatonly one is going to win.”

Ronaldo’sfinale on soccer’s biggest stage —whenever that happens —will come eight years after he was the oldest to record aWorld Cuphat trick at 33. That was in a3-3 drawwith Spain in agroup stage opener considered one of the World Cup’sbest matches, althoughbothpowers didn’treachthe 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 awarethat he’sthere,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente saidin translated remarks. “He’sgot the talent,he’sgot theclass, andhe’s got thequality,and at any moment he can be decisive for the game. He can be thebest. So we’rewell aware of this.” Portugalistrying for asecond consecutive trip to the quarterfinals. The only other timePortugal went deeper in the Ronaldo era was asemifinal runinhis World Cup debut in 2006. Ronaldo hadthe tying goal in Portugal’s2-1 win over Croatia in the round of 32. Three of his 11 WorldCup goalshavecome in this tournament. It wasamatchup of 40-somethings against Croatia’s LukaModric, his formerReal

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

“What Ihave done throughout my career is to adjust to the nuances of age, knowing that I’m not the player Iused to be,” Ronaldo said. “But one thing Ican understand very clearly is nothing has changed because Ican still score agoal. Ihope Idothat tomorrow, and if Idon’t, Ihope others on the team do.”

Barring areplay of his hat trick from 2018 in Russia,Ronaldo is unlikely to challenge the Golden Boot co-lead of seven shared by Lionel MessiofArgentina and France’sKylian Mbappé, who also have asubstantial edge on the career World Cup goals list.

Messi set the record in this tournament and now has 20, while Mbappéisupto19. Ronaldo sometimesbristlesabout where he standsamong his rivals.But not on aday he reiterated his inevitable World Cup end.

“Besidessome different opinions that you may have, I’m not doing so bad, right?” Ronaldo said. “You know, Iscored three goals. Well, there are others that scored more, because they aredoing incredibly well, but I’m not doing so bad. And Ineed to continue onward.” For at least one moreWorldCup game.

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 Dand was then beamed out around the world.

“The thing you have to remember,” he said, “is every game (in the World Cup) is someone’sSuper 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 stadiumin Norway’scapital was packed with as many fans at that hourasifthe 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 toLondon. Miami International Airport is no misnomer,and the concourses were ﬁlledwithfanswearing 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 diditself so proudinthis World Cup. Cape Verde had managed an opening drawwithpre-tournamentfavorite Spain, then had two more with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, positioning itself foranunexpected

pub, packed for every match.

play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of thetournament, the RBFAisinvestigating all potential options,” the Belgian federation said in astatement.

American players learned of Balogun’s availability when social media posts started poppingupduringthe 10-minute busrideSunday from their hotel to training at the University of Washington’sHusky Soccer Stadium.

Balogun’sred card had been one of the World Cup’smost controversial and consequential decisions.

“If you look at the foul, itwas just

place in theknockoutround.

Iwatched 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 theround of 32. All the passengers notdozing were gripped by their little inseat screens and clapping for the drama andthe brave west Africans after it was over Butback to earlier in the trip.

Soonafter we got tosurprisingly sweltering London, Imademy way to apub near my hotel to watch the England-Ghana group match. Apub with air conditioning. England ﬁnishedinafrustrat-

zero intent at all,”U.S. star ChristianPulisic said. “I felt like there was much worse ones that wenton this tournament.”

TheU.S. Soccer Federation learned of FIFA’sactioninamessage sent by FIFAinits portal at 9:31 a.m.

“The implementation of the matchsuspension is suspended fora probationary period of one year,”FIFAannounced.“If Folarin Balogun commitsanotherinfringement ofasimilar nature andgravity during the probationary period, the suspension shallberevoked andthe sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanctionimposedfor the newinfringement.”

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

ing scoreless draw, but Ifound a winnerinThe Prince of Teck pub near the Earl’sCourt Underground station, adelightfully cozy and thankfully cool little bar ﬁlled with ﬂags, TVs and Oscar Wilde quotes on thewalls.

“I can resist everything except temptation,” one Wilde quote read. Iresisted the temptation to imbibe in apint as Iwas, in essence,working. It’swhat would qualify there as abusman’sholiday.

Soonwewere on the QM2 and heading into the Atlantic.The Cunard line made it well known that allthe World Cup matches would be available on board. Soccercentral on the ship was itsGoldenLion

matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goalsbyan American in aWorld Cup,behind only Bert Patenaude’sfour in the initialtournament in 1930.

A25-year-old whoplays for Monaco, Balogun scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season. He has 12 goals in 30 international appearances.He wasborn in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents whowere livinginLondon andin2023opted to change his national team afﬁliation from England, which he had represented at the under-21 level.

“He strikesfear into alot of defenders,”U.S.defenderChris Richards said.

The host U.S.isseekingtoreach the quarterﬁnals forthe ﬁrst time since 2002. The Americans lost in the round of 16 toGhana in 2010,

Iwatched England get past Panama2-0.I watched two nights later as Paraguay eliminated Germany, soccerroyalty,onpenalty kicks.

Ayoung German fan didn’tmove an inch from his seat as the winning Paraguayan kick found the net. Forall Iknow,he’sstill sitting there, head in hand. Fans from every country were enamored by ajolly Norwegian fan whowas making the journey to New York just in time to attend his country’sepic win Sunday over Brazil. Viking horns on his head, beerinhand, he sort of became the ship’smascot as he gleefully rootedonthe U.S. to around of 32 victory Wednesday over Bosnia-

Belgium in 2014 and the Netherlands in 2022. They failed to advancefrom the group stage in 2006 and didn’tqualify 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’spop single “Bad.”

On Friday,Balogun said he thought ayellow card instead of red “would have been fair.”

FIFAsaid its decisionrelied on Article 27 of disciplinary committee rules.

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

Herzegovina. Ionly wish Icould 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 whatthe World Cup, andindeed allofsports, 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 aformersoccerreferee from my college days, Ican relate to that, too.

judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to aprobationary periodofone to four years,” the rule states.

FIFAinNovember deferred the ﬁnal twogames of athree-match banfor Portugal’sCristiano Ronaldo for ared card against Ireland in aWorld Cupqualiﬁer,allowing him to play at the start of the World Cup.

Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadoran midﬁelder MoisésCaicedoinApril had onegame bans deferredfor red cards in qualiﬁers, also allowing them to be available forWorld Cup openers.

Brazil’s Garrinchawas ejected froma1962 semiﬁnalbut allowed to play in the ﬁnal against Chile after political pressure.

STAFF PHoToSBySCoTT RABALAIS

The Prince of Teck pub in London’sEarl’sCourtneighborhood is seen duringthe England-Ghana WorldCup match on June 23.

Pensive England fans gather insidethe PrinceofTeck pubinLondon during the England-Ghana WorldCup match on June 23.

STANDING TALL

Whyisthere astatueof Winston ChurchillinNew Orleans?

BY RACHEL MIPRO

Contributing writer

Visitors to downtown NewOrleans may wonder why abronze Winston Churchill waves from a prominent perch near theMississippi River One reader’s question:“What’s thehistory of the Winston Churchill statueinNew Orleans?” Theanswer seemstobe thanks to one hotelier

The Churchill statue joined the New Orleans scene in November 1977, unveiled in apublic ceremony byChurchill’sdaughter, Lady Mary Soames, andsituated between the Hilton NewOrleans Riverside andthe World Trade Center of New Orleans.

The statuesits outside thehotel in the middle of atrafﬁccircle at the end of Poydras Street, now known as the British Plaza, near one of themain entrances to the aquarium, River Walk andSpanish Plaza.

The connection between the British wartimeprime minister andaCrescent Cityhotel is best understood throughhotel leadership.

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, left, in aSept. 17, 1954, photo and LadyMaryChurch Soames on avisit to neworleans in 1977.

International Rivercenter,the company that built theHilton, donated the plaza and statue to thecity,thanks toco-managing partner James Coleman Jr ,who served as an honorary consul for the Britishgovernment. Coleman championed British culture in thecity throughout his life, ﬁelding ventures such as theWindsor Court Hotel, ahotel

Japan’sEikoKadonostill

BY YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press

KAMAKURA, Japan Eiko

Kadono, the author be-

hind Japan’smost famous

Hit town

TheMotown Museum’s $75M expansionaims to honordetroit’s musicallegacy

BY COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press

DETROIT The Motown Museum in Detroithas been resonating with adifferent signature sound —the rumble of trucks, the buzz of drills and the pounding of metal —asone of themost 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 housewhere chart-toppers by Stevie Wonder Marvin Gaye andDiana Ross andThe Supremes were written, rehearsed and recorded —aims not just to honor Detroit’smusical legacy,but also to increase the city’sfootprint as an education and tourism destination. The museum should enjoy the same level of promotion as other landmarksinthe United States, former Motown music arranger Paul Riser Sr., comparing the seminal label’spotential to a tourist mecca in New York City “The city can reallybeneﬁt by furthermarketing this whole concepthere,”Risersaid. “We needtosee more pageantry of Motown. Everytime Ithink Motown, Ithink Times Square.” Cities across the U.S. have for years promoted musical heritage as aselling point to attract business conventions, exhibitions and tourists. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fameattracts 500,000 people each year to Cleveland, while Nashville’s music history andattractions tied to country,gospel andother genres bring in about 17 million people annually

11.

meanttobring Britishstyle 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 theCommanderof theMost Excellent Order of the BritishEmpire recognition, both

ä See CURIOUS, page 2C

Kadono ‘KIKI’SDELIVERYSERVICE’AUTHORAT91

—and almost certainly most beloved— literary witch, has alittletrouble going up the stairs these days. At 91,she’s stillwriting every day and hasn’tstopped lovingthe color pink, dressing up or believ-

inginthe magic of books. “Kiki’sDeliveryService,” which wasﬁrst published in 1985 and turned into a1989 animation ﬁlm by Hayao Miyazaki’sStudio Ghibli, is among200 books shehas written.

“I nevertire of writing,”

shetold The AssociatedPress at her homein thepicturesque seaside town of Kamakura, south of Tokyo

With alittle pink gate, the house is ﬁlledwithbooks, pink chairs andher collection of animal ﬁgures. “I’mprobably achild at heart,” Kadono says with asmall laugh. Wearing hersignature boldly framed glasses, Kadono is dressedina colorful smockthat her daughterdesigns especially for her She explains proudlythatthe sleeves are elasticatthe wrists so

they can be pulled up easily when she writes. Thesedays, she uses akeyboard,punching thekeysslowly, one at atime. But when she is creating astory, it still all starts with writingbyhand. She also draws pictures.

“I want to writesothatthe reader can visualize what Iamwriting,” she said. “I lovetowrite.”

ä See BOOKS, page 2C

The MotownMuseum says it logs morethan100,000 visitors each year andisexpecting at least 325,000 visitors per year after the expansion opens. “Motownfor many,manydecades has been just amagical source of pride and inspiration,” said Robin Terry,Motown Museum chair and chief executive. “Visitors come to the little housethat’sHitsville USA— what used to be the headquarters of Motown— just to touch the magical space where so manyoftheir musical icons… got their start.” Motown,uniquelyDetroit Motown was founded in 1959 by Berry Gordy in oneofthe three homes on West Grand Boulevard just north of downtown Detroit, that currently house the MotownMuseum Just ayear later,The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr.Postman” reached number one on the Billboard Hot100. Hits like “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Baby Love,” “My Girl” and“The Tracks of My Tears” soon sent the Motownsound around the globe.

Gordy moved the label to Los Angeles in 1972 and sold it to MCA Records in 1988. His late ä See MOTOWN, page 2C

AP PHoTo By CoREy WILLIAMS Former Motown music arranger Paul Riser Sr.poses outside Hitsville U.S.A. in detroitonJune

AP FILEPHoToS

PHoTo By KAndACE PoWERGRAVES

The Winston Churchill statue on British Plaza by the Hilton neworleans Riversidehotel.

Diseases spread by tick bite take time to transmit

Dear Doctors: Igot bitten byatick in April. That’searlier thanour tick season here usually starts. I went to urgent care, and thedoctor said that because Iwas sure it had been attached for less than an hour,aLyme infection wasn’t likely.Isthat true? Should Ihave done anything else?

Dear Reader: To say it is unsettling to ﬁnd atick attached to your skin is probably an understatement. To the tick, you represent theblood meal it needs to advance through its next stage of life. But to the mammal that has becomeits host —inthis case, you —the tick represents the risk of aserious bacterial or viral illness. Themost common of these in the United States is Lyme disease.

CURIOUS

Continued from page1C

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 agroup of British and New Orleans leaders and businessmen. For the ceremony,Lady Soames, accompanied by her daughter and son-in-law, Mrs. and Mr.RichardHambro, traveled from Great Britain.

It was Soames’ ﬁrst visit to the city,and she was greeted by awhirlwind of parties and receptions in her honor, along with opportunities for sightseeing and ﬁnedining. Among the highlights of her visit, she was reportedly struck by the Superdome “It’sawonderful stadium,” Soames said in achronicled

MOTOWN

Continued from page1C

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 atheater,a recording studio, retail space and acafe, as well as immersiveexhibits and asearchable 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 aGrammy in 1973 for best R&B instrumental performance on The Temptations Papa Wasa Rollin’ Stone.”

“I would hope to see the legacies andthe historical content preserved,” Riser said. “It’sOKtohaving buildings…but if we don’t keep the legacies of these

BOOKS

Continued from page1C

Still quick with her retorts, laughs and thoughts, Kadono shrugs offhow she’s wearing awig. She doesn’t understand why people might want to hide that. She wears red lipstick and acts abit shy about her wrinkles. Still, her writing hasn’t basicallychanged over the years. Though whenshe looks back on her past writing, she feels it’swordier than her current crisp style. The Kikiseries 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 andthe NewMagic

Now,the second in the series, “Kiki and the New Magic,” is set for releasein August in English, translated by EmilyBalistrieri and illustrated by Yuta Onoda.

Kadono, who won the prestigious Hans Christian AndersenAward in 2018, never set out to become awriter She was basically ahouse-

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE doCToRS

For those who are not familiar, Lyme disease is abacterial infectionthat can affect the skin, joints,nervous system and heart. It is transmittedbythe bite of a black-legged tick infected with abacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi. Anearly symptom of infectioncan be an expanding rash that formsabullseye near the site

accountofher 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 MoonLandrieu and EpiscopalBishop of Louisiana JamesB.Brown. The U.S.Navy’s Eighth Naval DistrictBand and the bagpipe group Pipes and Drums of NewOrleans played. Arecording of Winston Churchill’sspeecheswas broadcast to an audience outsidethe hotel. The local newspaper chronicled Soames’ cherry red suit, muted printscarf and triple-strandofpearls, in which shespokeofthe two countries’ “passionate love of freedom.”

“She put on her horn-

peoplewho built this masterpiece, keep them in mind, we’ve lost something.”

Marketingmusic history

The Motown Museum is a must-see for international and domesticvisitors, according to JenniferOllinger, senior director of tourism for Visit Detroit. TheMichigan city clawed its wayback frombankruptcy in 2014 and has seen somethingofa revival in recent years.

Motown is part of the pitch to businesses considering Detroit for conventions, conferences andother large gatherings,Ollinger said

“Weare the only place in the world thatcan claim Motown musicasour own,” Ollinger said. In Cleveland, rock ‘n’ roll is apillar of the Ohio city’s brand, said Emily Lauer, vice president of Public Relations and Communications at Destination Cleveland “Out-of-town visitors and

wife,married to adesigner andraisingadaughter.

She lived in Brazil for two years during her 30s and was asked to write about that experience. That’s when she discovered sheliked writing as afun thing to do, not as ajob. It was certainly notsomething shewas orderedorpushed to do

The character of the sprightly,no-nonsenseKiki was inspired by adrawing her daughter did when she was 12: Acute witch was ﬂying on abroomstick toward the moon. Kadono decided to create acoming-of-agestory about alittle witch who goes on an adventure, traveling with herblack cat Jiji

Therest is history Kiki’sMuseum 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 shehas created, as well as displays rows upon rows of books,includingother authors.

“The other-worldly fantasy that Kadono creates has overcome theboundaries of language, to becomeappreciated bya wide global audience, includingchildren and

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 amultisystem illness. The timingofyour tick bite played arole in your doctor’sactions. Amosquito bite or abee sting delivers biologically active compounds almost instantly.But themechanics of atick bite are a bit morecomplex. This leads to a time lag between attachment and thetransmission of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The Food andDrug Administration reportsthat for theLymebacterium to be transmitted, in most cases

This unusual, vivid photo of Sir Winston Churchill wastaken on the Riviera, where he once vacationed. The armatthe right is that of an attendant whoisadjustinga blanket around him

rimmed glasses to read her speech about how proud she was that her father was chosen to be asymbol of thebond between our two countries,” read the TimesPicayune account of events.

“Hail Britannia” played as she pulledoff the statue’s wrappings,and there Churchill has been ever since, facing the Superdome. He is portrayed wearing his naval cap and overcoat, ﬂashing thevictory saluteas he leans on his cane.

Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’sgot you curious? Email your questionto curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

the Rock &Roll Hall of Fame areveryimportant for Cleveland,”Lauer said. “They are likelytostay overnight and spend moneyonhotel rooms, in our restaurantsand in our stores. Theyget to seeCleveland andthatstrengthens the likelihood to come back.”

Nashville’svibrant music scene, encompassing country,gospel and the storied GrandOle Opry,brings in tourist revenue totaling more than$11 billion annually

Deana Ivey,president and chief executive of the Nashville Convention &Visitors Corp., said music has been themain reason tourists visit Nashville for three decades. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development agrees.

“We’re the second fastest growing state in America and we’ve done that without abeach or casinos,”department commissionerMark Ezell said. “Music is our draw to Tennessee.”

adults, and won international accolades,” reads astatementinpink lettering on the museum wall.

Five-year-old Tsukiko Fukuda, who was visiting the museum with herfamily had amore to-the-point reaction: Thebooksare fun, and pink is herfavorite color, too.

Thepower of books

Kadono hopes there will be acontinuous ﬂux of talented writers of children’s books so that the future generation can grow up to love books Now is acrucial period, she believes, thatmay decide whether that can really happen.

The walks in thewoods and other activities that captured the imagination of childrenofthe past no longer exist, saidKadono. Thereare other digitaland moderndiversions.

Andsothey must read.

“People must think on their own to be able to create. That’s what being human means,” Kadono said with apassion in her voice.

“Booksare theonly thing now that can bring about creation and imagination.”

atick must be attached for36to 48 hours or longer.Because your bitewas just one hour,the urgent care doctor concluded that transmission wasunlikely While the tick you found was large enough to see, this is not always the case. Even nymphs, which can be as small as apoppy seed, can transmitLymedisease. That makes taking precautions when spending timeoutdoors very important —especially when, as you have noted, tick season starts earlier in manyareas. In awooded or brushy area, protect yourself by wearing long pantsand along-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 athorough tick check. Anyone whogets bitten by a tick and develops symptoms should always seek medical care. In your case, with aone-hour bite, the urgent care doctor’sassessmentappears reasonable. The prompt removal of the tick was the mostimportant action. Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Octogenarian baffled by deluge of compliments

Dear Miss Manners: The oddest thing started happening to me when Ireached my 80s:Strangers began approaching me to tell me how beautiful Iam. It continues regularly at the supermarket, at restaurants or on thebus.

It is unnerving and embarrassing. All my life, no one ever told me Iwas cute or attractive. Iamnot ugly,but I’ve never thought I was pretty,either Have you heard from other elderly ladies who have experienced this phenomenon? If so, what do they attribute it to? I’m stumped.

Gentlereader: Youare presumably classifying this with the patronizing remarks that are often made to old people, especially women: pretending to mistaketheir age, addressing them as if they were trying to pass for young, and speaking tothem as if they were cute children. There is plenty of that going around.

Butthere is also aless condescending possibility: The admiration may actually be sincere.

Oursociety is far from throwing off the notion that aging is unfortunate, if not reprehensible. But Miss Manners has seen small signs that older women are not considered

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday, July 6, the 187th day of 2026. There are 178 days left in the year

TodayinHistory: On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson became theﬁrst Black tennis player to win aWimbledon 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 scientistLouis Pasteurtested 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, theﬁrst All-Star baseball gamewas played at Chicago’sComiskey Park; theAmerican League defeated the National League 4-2 behind winning pitcher LeftyGomez of the New York Yankees.

In 1942, Anne Frank, her parentsand 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 aﬁre that broke out during aperformance in themain tent of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus in Hartford, Connecticut.

In 1945, President Harry

as invisible as they used to be. Powerful women are conspicuous in politics and business. Actresses who are no longer ingenues makestriking appearances, not only in dramas, but also at formal events. Even the fashion industry is beginning to realize that the slim youngsters they have always favored have considerably less buying power than their seniors.

Then it becomes noticeable that, as with older men,some are moreattractive than others. The standard forbeauty is obviously different. Beauty in the freshness of youth is not the sameasbeauty in the majesty of old age.

So you might consider the possibility that although you werenot considered pretty when young, you are now beautiful. And that somepeople are sophisticated enough to recognize that.

Dear Miss Manners: As a womaninher 70s who looks her age, Iincreasingly ﬁnd myself in situations where service people talk downtome. They probably think they are being ﬂattering, but Idon’tsee it that way.

For instance, Irecently had ahaircut and the stylist called me “Gorgeous” several times, as in,

TODAYINHISTORY

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 werekilled when explosions and ﬁres destroyed adrilling 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, aBlack elementary school cafeteria worker,was fatally shot during atrafﬁc stop in asuburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, by St. Anthony Police Ofﬁcer Jeronimo Yanez. (Yanez was later acquitted on acharge 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 a1995 sarin gas attack that killed 13 people and madethousands 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 Trumphad criticized the WHO’sresponse to the coronavirus pandemic. (The pullout waslater halted by President Joseph

“Would you like me to trim your bangs, Gorgeous?” Then there was an oral surgeon whokept calling me “young lady.” Ididn’t want to be snarky with a man whowas about to drill into my jawbone, so Isaid nothing. What can I(politely) say to these people to let them know their remarks aren’tappreciated?

Gentle reader: All right, this is the patronizing version of complimenting the elderly.Those whocall you “young lady” do not actually believe you are young; they believe that you want to pass for young. And there is adifference between blurting out that a womanisbeautiful 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 forcharming. Especially if they are armed with adrill. The real comeback will be when that surgeon is old and young men call him “young fella” and young womentell him he is cute.

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

Biden’sadministration but wasformally completed in 2026 during Trump’ssecond term.)

In 2024, Sonya Massey, aBlack woman who had dialed 911 to report apossible 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 apot of steaming hot water that she had removed from the stove, wasconvicted of second-degree murderand sentenced to 20 years in prison. Today’sbirthdays: 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.

Judith Martin MISS MAnnERS

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Push forward regardless of what otherschoose to do or say to deter you from following your intuition.Invest more timeand money in your skills and thethings that bring you themost joy.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Listen to podcasts or watch documentaries that offer insight into something you wanttopursue. Knowledge is your ticket to positive change andunderstanding what's possible.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Payattention to what's going on around you. Back away from peopleand eventsthat have the potential to become out of control.Use common sense andpay attentionto detail.

LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct.23) Await-and-see attitude will not help you get ahead. Think outside the box to bring about change thatencourages you to do your ownthing and to live up to your expectations.

scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Pickupthepace, askquestions,redefine what'snecessary to reach your objective and exhaust your options. The moreyou put into the process of gettingahead, the better theoutcome.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stickclose to home, andaim to make your space convenient andcomfortable. Eliminate clutter,and restructureyourroutineto ensure you aren'twasting timeonpeople andprojects that are bringing you down more often than contributing to your life.

cAPRIcORn (Dec.22-Jan.19) Say little,and do alot. Focus on what you can accomplish,and avoid discussions with people who offer little.Set high standards when dealingwith peopleand 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 encourageyou to turn something youenjoy doing into aprofitable pastime. PIscEs (Feb.20-March 20) Sit tight, wait, watch and look inward to determine how to expand your knowledge, interestsand your ability to gainmomentum where it will benefityou most

ARIEs (March 21-April19) Choosingaunique path thatencourages you to push yourself harder or in adirection that excites you will help you build momentum and outperform anyone trying to compete with you.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Relax.Distance yourselffrom troubleorcomplicated situations, and take the road that leads to peace of mind, clarityand whatand who brings you joy

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Research will not be wasted time. Themore you learn,the better theoutcome. Avoid unnecessary, overpriced physical changes when it's thelittle things youdothatwill make themost difference.

FAMILYCIrCUS

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

TODAy's cLuE: TEQuALs R

CeLebrItY CIpher

bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Rene Descartes, aFrench mathematician,philosopherandwriter,said,“(Intuition and deduction are) the twooperationsonwhichwehavesaidwemustrely in the acquisition of knowledge.”

At the bridge table, we makedeductions andsometimesuse intuition. Afew deals involve makingone deduction and using that to draw asecond deduction. Today’s is an example.

Southjumpsintosixspades.Westleads theheart king. How should declarer plan the play? After North madeagameinvitational limitraise, Southknewthat agrandslamwouldbegoodifhispartner held thespade king,heart king anddiamond queen. But since he had no way to find out if North had that perfecto, South sensibly took ashot at sixspades.

The contract looks too easy. Draw trumps, runthe diamonds and claim an overtrick.But rather than plunge recklessly forward, South should wonder what might go wrong.

The only danger is abad split in each pointed suit.Ifdiamonds are 4-0, there will be aloser only if Easthas allfour. If spades are3-0, declarer can avoidaloser byguessingwhichopponentislonginthe suit and finessing through him.

Southshouldassumehehas adiamond loser. But if East has four diamonds,who is likely to be long in spades? Right West.

So, after taking the first trick with his heartace, declarer should cash his spade ace. Here, when Eastdiscards, Southplays aspade to dummy’sjack, cashes the spade king, throws his heartfive on the club ace and concedes adiamond trick when they do break 4-0.

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

Previous answers:

word game

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

TODAy’sWORD GInGIVAL: JIN-jih-vul: Related to the gums.

Average mark 12 words Time limit 25 minutes

Canyou find 18 or more words in GINGIVAL?

sATuRDAy’sWORD— InFERRED

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer today’s thought

loCKhorNs

Ibearwitness. God is good. Youcan depend on Him. G.E.Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles