The Acadiana Advocate 07-18-2026

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Demolition of Coburn building in downtown Lafayette begins

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Restaurants, grocers in La. respond to parasitic outbreak Cyclospora linked to contaminated lettuce

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

The food-borne parasitic outbreak that can cause extreme diarrhea and has affected several U.S. states, including Louisiana, is creating headaches for owners of local restaurants and supermarkets.

They’ve stopped buying some bagged shredded lettuce, which has been linked to the outbreak, and scrambled to ensure the lettuce they do have is safe.

“I heard about it on the ‘Today’ show like everybody else, so I stopped ordering it and started buying heads of iceberg lettuce instead,” said Cindy Mandina, a fourth-generation owner of Mandina’s, a Mid-City establishment known for

ä See OUTBREAK, page 5A

Documents don’t prove Trump’s claims, review finds

President has long alleged voter fraud, foreign interference

BY JILL COLVIN and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Demolition of the old Coburn building began on Friday in downtown Lafayette. The property, owned by the state Department of Transportation and Development, has sat abandoned for years. In May, rotting wood beams in the building collapsed, taking the roof and part of the wall with it. The building dates back to the late 1800s and was once the site of Merchants Grocer Co., which left the building in 1976, according to archives.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a trove of documents during a prime-time address to the nation that allies had hyped as a smoking gun that would prove his long-debunked allegations of mass voter fraud.

Speaking from the White House on Thursday night, he described shocking revelations, like Chinese meddling to undermine his failed candidacy in 2020 and a cover-up by the “deep state.” He claimed, “Americans were blatantly lied to about the security of our election infrastructure.”

But a review by The Associated Press found no

ä See TRUMP, page 5A

‘Never stop telling their stories’ BR honors fallen officers on anniversary of ambush

BY BLAKE LESCHBER Staff writer

Officer Matthew Gerald’s mother Patricia wears a homemade necklace with his photo on it. Her sister made one for all of the family members of the four law enforcement officers who died in the July 17, 2016, ambush.

“People will ask, ‘Who is that

WEATHER HIGH 93 LOW 75 PAGE 6A

you have around your neck?’” Patricia Gerald said. “Then I get to tell a magical story, especially in July. … It’s just a way to keep their memory alive.”

This is one of many ways that the Baton Rouge community honored the 10th anniversary of a shooting that took the lives of four law enforcement officers.

On July 17, 2016, six officers were shot in an ambush at a convenience store off Airline Highway, about a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters. Three of them — Cpl. Montrell Jackson, Officer Matthew

Gerald and sheriff’s Deputy Brad Garafola — died that day. Almost six years later, sheriff’s Sgt. Nick Tullier succumbed to his wounds.

At 8 a.m. Friday, community members walked from the police headquarters to the Benny’s BQuik convenience store, honoring the exact time stamp — 8:40 a.m.

— when the ambush occurred.

Later, at 3 p.m., about 300 law enforcement officers, family members and community members gathered at a memorial at the police headquarters to remember

ä See STORIES, page 5A

Business ......................3B Deaths .........................2B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................4A Living............................5C Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

Riders with the Gulf Coast Brotherhood pass under an American flag Friday as part of a memorial service to honor four Baton Rouge law enforcement officers who died in a 2016 ambush.

STAFF PHOTO

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

102ND yEAR, NO. 18

2A ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Body found after boat tragedy in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — Police have recovered the body of a woman who was one of three people missing after a boat sank this week in San Francisco Bay. The body was identified as Tondra Madruga, 58, also known as Tondra Miller, the San Francisco medical examiner said Friday.

Madruga’s body was recovered Thursday by a police marine unit, two days after the Volare, a 49-foot cabin cruiser, sank with 20 people aboard after being hit by a wave and capsizing. The group was on the boat to scatter the ashes of a loved one.

One man, Clifford Boisa, died immediately after being retrieved from the chilly water.

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended rescue efforts Wednesday evening but police are still looking for the missing.

Ralph Boisa said his extended family and some close friends were on the boat Tuesday to celebrate the life of his daughter, who died over a decade ago.

Madruga was a friend.

The two people who remain missing are Ralph Boisa’s sister, Carol, and Clifford Boisa’s wife, Jackie, he said.

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U.S., Iran escalate attacks

Airstrikes hit more bridges; tower collapses at key port

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States and Iran escalated their attacks across the Middle East on Friday, trading strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz CO ONFLICT intensified.

The U.S. exIN THE T MIIDDLE panded its attacks against Iran by hitEAST AST ting more bridges and energy sites and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, following through on President Donald Trump’s threats to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the waterway vital to world energy supplies.

In response, Iran launched missiles into U.S.-allied nations in the

Mideast, including Qatar, a mediator in the war, and Kuwait, where one of the desert nation’s water desalination plants was damaged.

U.S. Central Command said late Friday it had launched its seventh straight night of attacks aimed at degrading Iran’s military.

The price of oil rose Friday above $86 a barrel, close to its highest level in a month, as crossings through the strait fell to a three-week low, according to an international shipping tracker.

The U.S. airstrikes hit bridges overnight into Friday in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, Iranian state television reported.

The attacks hit Bandar Khamir, a city on the Strait of Hormuz.

The highway and railway bridge strikes appeared aimed at cutting off Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main port, from roads leading into the

Islamic Republic’s central region onward to Tehran, the capital.

Iran acknowledged “attacks on power infrastructure” during the U.S. airstrike campaign for the first time Friday when its Energy Ministry issued a call for people to use less power in southern provinces “experiencing extreme heat.” The ministry did not specify what was hit.

Iranian authorities said at least 46 people have been killed and more than 400 wounded in recent U.S. strikes, including eight killed in a strike on a bridge Friday.

U.S. officials acknowledged 13 additional U.S. service members — 10 Army soldiers and three Navy sailors — had been injured since Monday, but offered no further details. Since the war began, 14 U.S. service members have been killed and 427 wounded.

Landslide in China kills 8; 34 missing

Magnitude 7.3 quake hits southern Mexico MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities were reporting no immediate damage after a strong earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the southern state of Chiapas, resulting in shaking hundreds of miles away in Mexico City.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake — with a magnitude of 7.3 — occurred at 8:48 a.m., with an epicenter about 30 miles southwest of the city of Huixtla, in Chiapas state, near the border with Guatemala.

Reports in Chiapas indicated a series of aftershocks as panicked residents left their homes as a precaution.

Trump urges Darline Graham to run for term COLUMBIA, S.C. — President Donald Trump said Friday that Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, has his support to run for a full term to replace her brother in the U.S. Senate.

He wrote on social media that she “has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

The president said he had discussed a potential campaign with Darline Graham at the White House. Four people familiar with the deliberations, none of whom were authorized to speak publicly, had previously said that she privately expressed interest in running.

Plans for Lindsey Graham’s funeral were also announced Friday. There will be a service in Washington on July 28 and more in South Carolina on July 29.

After both of their parents died when Darline Graham was only 13, Lindsey became her legal guardian and later adopted her, to ensure his military benefits would flow to her.

Man confronts ‘Today’ show host, is arrested NEW YORK — NBC reportedly fired a security guard after an intruder breached the “Today” show set, where he sought out Al Roker and Craig Melvin, allegedly using racial slurs and turning violent before being taken into custody.

A source close to the matter confirmed the guard’s termination to TMZ after Andrew Truelove snuck into Studio 1A in New York City’s Rockefeller Center.

The suspect allegedly entered through the lobby, then followed closely behind an employee, who used an ID card to scan in to a restricted area, according to a complaint in the case. Truelove then made his way backstage, where he apparently began to search for 71-year-old Roker.

According to the complaint, a person identified as Informant 2 — presumably Melvin — spotted the suspect at the bottom of a stairwell in an “Employees Only” zone.

Truelove, 41, was charged with burglary and menacing, both as hate crimes, in addition to criminal trespass and harassment in connection with the case.

Central Command said it hit dozens of military and military infrastructure targets in Friday’s airstrikes.

The strikes collapsed a tower at Iran’s Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, a key trade route for landlocked, neighboring Afghanistan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported and the U.S. military later confirmed.

Iran said the tower oversees commercial traffic into the port. But Central Command said it was part of a maritime surveillance network used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard to “track and target” commercial vessels in the strait.

In Kuwait, authorities said Iran attacked a power and water desalination plant, causing widespread damage to the station. Kuwait said it extinguished the blaze and was working to assess the damage and get the station working again.

About 90% of the country’s drinking water comes from desalination.

BY ANDY WONG Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA

People hold signs in protest during a vigil Friday for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was shot and killed by an ICE agent, in Biddeford, Maine.

Lawmakers demand answers on ICE vetting Officer who shot man in Maine has had past mental health issues

BY LISA MASCARO

AP congressional correspondent WASHINGTON — Democratic members of Congress are demanding answers about Homeland Security’s vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed that the ICE officer involved in a deadly shooting this week in Maine had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that David Brouillette, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine, is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, according to several of his close relatives.

The AP reached out to congressional leaders and several key lawmakers of both major political parties for response.

The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said Brouillette’s history of violence and mental health issues and the death in Biddeford, Maine, “directly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits.”

“This senseless tragedy must be investigated and the officer responsible should be taken off our streets and face justice for his actions,” Thompson said in a statement to the AP. Brouillette didn’t respond to text messages or an email seeking comment, but three relatives who said they had spoken to him since the shooting, including an ex-wife and a daughter, said he told them he acted in self-defense.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who led a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year as Democrats tried to impose restraints on immigration enforcement operations, said the consequences of failing to put guardrails on ICE are now being measured in lives.

President Donald Trump’s administration “rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun — and Republicans gave this rogue agency vast power and no accountability,” Schumer said in a statement. “They empowered ICE. Now they must work with us to prevent more killings.”

The report on Brouillette’s troubling past comes as the Department of Homeland Security has been on a hiring spree, fueled by vast sums of money from Republicans in Congress to help carry out Trump’s mass deportation agenda. It raises fresh questions about the department’s efforts to quickly hire, vet, train and dispatch recruits who are being sent to patrol communities across America.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, said earlier that it is “extremely unfortunate” that the agent did not have a body-worn camera.

The senator ensured $20 million for expanded use of body-worn cameras and $2 million for de-escalation training as part of the Homeland Security funding bill that Congress approved to end the department shutdown.

At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, including 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, the Colombian national who was shot and killed

by Brouillette on Monday while in his car near his home in the coastal Maine city of Biddeford.

Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker dies

BY DANICA KIRKA Associated Press

LONDON — Brenda Fricker, who became the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award for her role as Bridget Fagan Brown in the 1989 film “My Left Foot,” died Thursday in Dublin. She was 81.

Fricker won the Academy Award in 1990 for best supporting actress for her portrayal of the determined mother of Christy Brown, a writer and painter who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot. Daniel Day-

Lewis, who played Brown, won best actor.

She later spoke of how the award doomed her to being typecast to forever playing roles as mothers. Later in life, she said she used the weighty statuette to prop open her bathroom door.

Fricker, who appeared in more than 90 films and television shows between 1964 and 2024, was known for her role as the “pigeon lady” in the 1992 film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” where she played a homeless woman who befriended Macaulay Culkin’s character in New York’s Central Park.

CHONGQING, China — A landslide Friday on the outskirts of the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing killed at least eight people and left 34 missing, burying residential buildings and forcing more than 1,100 people to evacuate, according to local officials and state media reports.

The landslide occurred at around 9:08 a.m. in Pengshui County on the outer edge of the Chongqing municipality, when massive amounts of rocks and soil washed downslope, burying more than 10 residential buildings, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Ten people were rescued from the debris, including two who were seriously injured, Pengshui County Mayor Ren Xujiang said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping asked authorities to determine the cause of the disaster, state media said.

The landslide contained about 636,000 cubic feet of rocks and debris, and the largest single rock was around 106,000 cubic feet, said Wang Chuanjun, head

of Planning and Natural Resources in Pengshui County, at a news conference.

Wang also warned of persistent risk of further collapse under extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall or prolonged periods of clear and hot weather, based on experts’ field inspections that found scattered unstable rock masses remain at the top and along the sides of the steep cliff.

Water, electricity and gas supplies were cut off within a 0.6-mile radius of the landslide to prevent further disruptions. Over 800 rescuers worked on site, a local government statement said.

Residents said local officials and communities organized an evacuation after small rocks fell and unusual sounds were heard from the hills. The landslide happened during the evacuation, local newspaper Chongqing Daily reported.

Rescue efforts were hindered by the unstable terrain and the risk of another landslide, according to the broadcaster.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● 3A

Texas floods leave big cleanup job ahead lll

More than 570 people rescued

BY JESSE BEDAYN, JAMIE STENGLE and JOHN HANNA

Associated Press

UVALDE, Texas — First responders in storm-battered Texas again rushed to save people trapped in high waters Friday, as more heavy rain widened the danger from floods that have killed at least two people and left hundreds more in need of rescue.

A week of punishing downpours dumped more than 2 feet in some areas. The rain was expected to taper off, but another round of showers worsened already swollen rivers and flooded rural communities near the border with Mexico that had largely been spared major damage.

Near Ozona, a small town about 200 miles west of San Antonio, floodwaters spilled over Interstate 10. More than 50 people were rescued by boat from flooded apartments and a waterlogged RV park.

A section of a bridge also collapsed over the Nueces River in Uvalde County, where months’ worth of rain has fallen in a span of days. In Uvalde, about 80 miles southwest of San Antonio, floodwaters rushed through Miguel Vasquez’s home twice this week, leaving a layer of mud and knocking over his refrigerator and other items.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

An aerial view shows flooding on Friday in Ozona, Texas.

Debris was strewn around his neighborhood and a neighbor’s shed teetered over a washed-away section of the property. He said Friday that he’d been caught in the waters’ current and nearly been swept away and drowned in trying to get to his house Wednesday.

“I had to grab on with my hands and my feet. You couldn’t swim,” he said. “People think that when there’s a flood, you can swim. Swimming’s not going to help you. It’ll take you. The current’s too strong.”

ming pools or supply 11 million homes for a year.

Uvalde County alone got more rain in that period than California has seen over the last month, according to Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

The Hill Country is especially prone to flash floods because the area’s signature limestone is covered by just a thin layer of soil.

During heavy rains, water can quickly shoot downhill before filling the narrow river basins.

Almost a trillion gallons of water Emergency personnel across a Nearly 1 trillion gallons of water wide swath of southern and central fell on the three hardest-hit coun- Texas have rescued more than 570 ties over three days — enough to people, including stranded drivers fill 1.5 million Olympic-sized swim- and people trapped in homes, Gov.

Greg Abbott said. Hill Country res- Monday.

In all, roughly 6 million residents idents were beginning to clean up after floodwaters again barreled across Texas were under a flood down the Guadalupe River and watch at various points this week. through communities still reeling A return to flooded homes from deadly floods a year ago.

Floodwaters had overrun Uvalde Giant border buoys set adrift and cut off most outside routes, Floodwaters on the Rio Grande making it one of the hardest hit temporarily closed the two inter- cities. The waters were receding national bridges on the border Friday, and officials said a major with Mexico at Eagle Pass, strand- highway, Route 90, had reopened.

One person died while driving ing a few people on the wrong side.

About 600 huge buoys placed on on a flooded road, swept away near the river to deter migrants from Uvalde, authorities said.

Another victim, 65-year-old John crossing into the U.S. illegally were set adrift by the rising wa- Mark Steward of Kerrville, died ters, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said. after his mobile home was swept Cuellar said about 480 of them into Goat Creek on the Guadalupe were captured by noon Friday. River, his wife said. The same rivCritics have worried about the er was wrecked by flash floods last damage the buoys might do if they year when two dozen children and became untethered and got caught counselors died at Camp Mystic. along banks and against bridge Authorities on Thursday said sumpiers. Each is about 15 feet long mer campers were safe. and weighs 1,000 pounds.

In Ozona, the seat of Crockett In the Hill Country, Serena Rey- County, authorities used seven na woke up Thursday morning to rescue boat teams to get people find her Kerrville boutique, Nu Ac- out of the hardest-hit areas. They cents, covered in debris after four were taken to the local civic center feet of floodwater rushed into the for shelter.

Eddie Martin, the county’s emerstore. She described the store as “a total loss.” gency management director, said “The floors, I mean they’re the area received 6 inches of rain soaked in mud and still you know after midnight, on top of nearly 10 an inch of water in some spots,” inches of rain before that. she said.

“We have more and more acciThe Texas Department of Trans- dents on the interstate,” he said. portation said high waters closed “We have more and more water a 50-mile stretch of U.S. Highway pouring into the neighborhoods 57 and that parts of the roadway where we’ve been pulling people were not expected to reopen until out of.”

Fires’ smoke pushes farther into U.S., engulfs D.C. in haze

BY PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press

NEW YORK — Millions of people in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states muddled through another day of unhealthy air from uncontrolled wildfires on Friday.

The thick smoke enveloped the nation’s capital in a gloomy, eerie haze .

Warnings of dangerous conditions were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., though there’s potential for temporary improvement with storms forecast in some affected areas during the weekend.

D.C. resident Stewart Verdery awoke Friday to take in his usual sunrise view of the city’s famous landmarks from a rooftop, only to be greeted by a darkened horizon and no monuments in sight.

“It’s pretty crazy to wake up at sunrise and not see the sun when it’s not even raining,” he said by phone after posting a video of the surreal scene on X. “And it smells

Not far behind Detroit was like somebody’s having the Washington, D.C., where the world’s largest cookout.” smoke created eerie scenes.

No end in sight The Washington Monument, There may be pockets of the Lincoln Memorial and relief at times, such as this other national landmarks weekend, but the smoky were enveloped in an orconditions won’t be gone ange-hued haze throughout anytime soon as the fires much of the day. continue to burn largely People, particularly those unchecked, cautioned Bob with heart or lung disease, Oravec, a lead forecaster at older adults and children, the National Weather Ser- were urged to limit or avoid going outside until air qualvice based in Maryland.

Wildfires are burning in ity improved. the Ontario area of Canada Long-term exposure to as well as the Boundary Wa- smoky conditions can comters Canoe Area Wilderness plicate existing health probin Minnesota, which U.S. of- lems and lead to chronic and ficials have closed as they deadly issues, including refight to put out the blazes. spiratory illness, cardiovas“The source of the smoke cular and neurological disis going to continue on for eases and premature death, certainly a week, probably,” officials warned.

Oravec said. “It’s just goFor Maria Travela, Friday ing to depend upon which was her first day outside way the wind’s blowing as to since after smoke from the where the smoke is going to wildfires blanketed the Chiaffect the most.” cago area early Thursday.

On Friday, communities “Now it’s better. This mornin Minnesota, Illinois and ing, it was bad,” said Travela, Michigan, including De- who has asthma and wore a troit, again registered some mask as she crossed a bridge of the worst air quality in the over the Chicago River world, according to IQAir, downtown. “They were sayan air quality monitoring ing that, for people like me, website. with asthma, any kind of is-

Burnham is declared leader of U.K.’s Labour Party, pledges to restore hope

BY JILL LAWLESS

Associated Press

LONDON — Andy Burnham was officially declared leader of Britain’s governing Labour Party on Friday, promising to bring hope to the British people and purpose to the floundering government as he cleared his final hurdle to take office as prime minister next week.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester was the only contender in the center-left party’s leadership contest to replace departing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was forced out by a rebellion within his par- Burnham ty. Friday’s announcement was a foregone conclusion after Burnham secured nominations from 379 of the 403 Labour lawmakers in the House of Commons.

Burnham pledged to serve “people and places who have been waiting too long for politics to let them hope again.”

“We’re going to give them hope back,” he told an audience of lawmakers, party activists and trade union leaders in his first speech as leader. “I am ready.”

“I have a plan,” he added, in a bid to reassure a party that has seen its popularity nosedive since a landslide election victory two years ago. He pledged to end Labour’s factional disputes, saying “we won’t beat Britain’s new right if we are consumed by infighting and pulling in different directions.”

PM in waiting is about to take office Burnham has been prime minister-inwaiting for weeks, since winning a special election for a seat in Parliament a month ago, but he has revealed little detail about his policy priorities. He will arrive in Number 10 Downing Street largely unknown to voters outside Manchester.

He sketched out some priorities in Friday’s speech, promising to deliver “hope in every heart” and “good growth in every post code,” in part by transferring power from central government in London to local leaders in cities and regions.

“We will take power back from Westminster and Whitehall and give it to the place you live,” he told the audience.

Starmer announced last month that he would resign after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.

Labour regularly trails behind anti-immigration party Reform UK in opinion polls, and the governing party had catastrophic results in local elections in May, triggering pressure on Starmer to step down that he couldn’t resist.

‘Series of wrong turns in the 1980s’ He highlighted plans to focus on economic renewal, more public control of key sectors and creating new modern industrial jobs, arguing that Britain took “a series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralized and economic power privatized.”

That’s the decade when Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher oversaw policies of privatization, deindustrialization and political centralization that transformed the U.K. economy.

“Slowly, at times imperceptibly, over four decades, political and economic power drained away out of our communities in every region and nation of the U.K.,” Burnham said, calling Britain’s change of prime ministers — for the sixth time in a decade — “the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years.”

Starmer will remain prime minister until Monday, when he formally tenders his resignation to King Charles III. The king will then ask Burnham to form a government.

sues like that, it would be bad Canadian forests has largefor your lungs.” ly been blamed on climate change.

Trump criticizes Canada In response to the smoke, Hundreds of wildfires are U.S. President Donald burning in Canada, includ- Trump made a social meing about 190 in northern dia post Friday that blamed Ontario, Premier Doug Canada for its forest manFord said at a news confer- agement and threatened adence. Flames destroyed the ditional tariffs on Canada.

The Canadian government Namaygoosisagagun First Nation community, and 10 didn’t initially respond to northern Ontario communi- questions about Trump’s ties have been evacuated or comments.

Asked about a Michigan were being evacuated, with lawmaker’s criticism about more possible.

The increase of fire in vast the smoke, Ford noted Can-

ada has helped the U.S. fight fires in the past.

“If there’s some politicians out there chirping away, maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends and that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Ford said.

Saturday brings a high chance of thunderstorms across much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, which will help dampen the bad air.

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4A ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Mullin pushes states to comply with election demands

BY ALI SWENSON and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday warned that state officials could lose funding or face investigations if they fail to go along with President Donald Trump’s election security demands, part of the Republican president’s longstanding attempt to undermine Americans’ confidence in the vote.

Experts said the threats — issued just months before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress — were likely hollow because Trump’s voting initiatives have been stalled by judges and the Constitution gives states control over how elections are run.

Nevertheless, Mullin’s remarks, delivered from the White House complex one day after Trump’s primetime address on the topic, could further doubts about election processes and create headaches for states as they prepare for November.

“We absolutely can build confidence in the American

people, but the states have to do their part,” Mullin said.

Trump continues to falsely claim that Democrat Joe Biden won only because of fraud in 2020, and he’s tried to marshal the powers of the federal government to rewrite that history since he returned to office last year — even though judges and his own attorney general in his first term con- Mullin cluded the election was legitimate.

Mullin insisted that the president was not relitigating the 2020 election, “although he definitely could at this point.”

“This is just about exposing what took place and making sure it never happens again,” he said.

During his remarks, Mullin advanced an unsubstantiated claim Trump made Thursday that the federal government had found 250,000 noncitizen voters on the rolls in California, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He said the

Department of Homeland Security’s investigation was conducted using public data, which election experts say is insufficiently detailed and updated to properly identify whether a registered voter is a noncitizen.

Election officials in California and Pennsylvania said they would review the Trump administration’s findings but noted that they conduct their own voter list maintenance and noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare. Research has supported that finding.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Mullin’s threats with a post on social media.

“California has free, fair, and secure elections and we will fight for them,” he wrote. “Try us.”

In Nevada, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, also a Democrat, said he was confident in the integrity of the state’s voter file.

Mullin also pledged to aggressively monitor public voter lists to pursue potential voter fraud cases before and after the 2026 election.

“If you are an illegal or you are voting illegally, we

Clara Ester, activist who rushed to King after he was shot, dies

BY TRAVIS LOLLER and KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Clara Ester, an activist who as a 20-year-old college student rushed to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s side when he was shot, has died.

Ester, who died on July 9 at the age of 78, was among a few remaining witnesses to King’s assassination and its immediate aftermath in Memphis. With the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in February and Ester this month, King aide and former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young is believed to be the last surviving eyewitness to the shooting.

Ester Grew up in Memphis attending Centenary United Methodist Church, where her pastor was civil rights leader the Rev. James Lawson.

“We used to joke about colored wa- Ester ter being Kool-Aid and the white water just being water, and so that satisfied us as children,” Ester told The Associated Press in 2018, around the 50th anniversary of King’s death. “But until you see the racism, until you see what has been withheld from you because of your color — is what started to really truly anger me. And I knew if there was a movement that could help change any of that, I had to be in it.”

Civil rights issues were often discussed from the pulpit of her church, Ester said.

Lawson was very involved in the sanitation workers’ strike, so it was natural for her to become involved too.

“I got to the point that I didn’t miss a mass meeting,” she said. “I picketed every day that the picket lines were up.”

Even 50 years later, she clearly remembered the impact of hearing King’s speech at the Mason Temple the night before he was

assassinated and how it seemed to foreshadow his death the next day.

“He had seen the mountaintop,” Ester said. “It was evident on the balcony — how calm.”

Ester had gone to the Lorraine Motel for dinner on April 4, 1968, when she saw King chatting on the balcony with people below. Then she heard a shot.

“He was speaking calmly and pleasantly to a crowd,” she said. “And so he was happy at that moment. But to lay there with his eyes open, looking toward heaven. He had seen the promised land, and he may not get there with us, but he promised that we as a people will see the promised land.”

Ester said she ran to King and saw he was struggling for air. She tried to loosen his belt and asked someone to bring towels to try to staunch the bleeding. After King was taken away by ambulance, she had to stay at the hotel, where she was questioned by police.

When she was finally allowed to go home, her parents asked if she was OK. “I said, ‘No, I’m not OK. There’s something wrong with this.’ And it was many months later that I guess at some point, I just broke down,” Ester said.

She left Memphis to work elsewhere that summer, and as soon as she finished school, she left for good.

“It’s just too much to … it hurt me that it happened, but it hurt me that it happened in my hometown, that that’s the legacy for this city,” she said.

Ester moved to Mobile, Alabama, where she found work as a neighborhood organizer at the Dumas Wesley Community Center, according to her obituary. She later was named the executive director of the center, serving in that role until she retired in 2006.

In 1986, she was commissioned as a deaconess in the United Methodist Church, a type of lay minister. She remained active in the church throughout her life.

N.J. assault weapons ban is ruled unconstitutional

BY JOSH KELETY Associated Press

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that New Jersey’s bans on assault firearms and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds are unconstitutional.

This is the first time a federal appeals court has struck down a state ban on such weapons, and it comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is

set to consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles violate the Second Amendment.

Just last week, a different court upheld Illinois’ ban on semiautomatic weapons.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday in its opinion that the state’s entire ban on weapons it deems to be “assault firearms” and restriction on “large capacity ammunition magazines” were unconstitutional.

will hunt you down, we will find you and we will prosecute you,” he said.

He urged states to participate in DHS’ recently overhauled SAVE program, a federal tool central to the Trump administration’s efforts to nationalize elections. At least 25 states have used it to check their voter rolls since April 2025, after the Trump administration significantly expanded its search abilities, and the Trump administration has demanded that states submit their sensitive voter data to the program to fully audit their voter lists.

Mullin said if state officials don’t participate in SAVE, they could face fines, penalties or prison time.

But the overhauled program’s use was recently blocked by a federal judge over concerns about privacy and wrongful purges of eligible voters. The case included voters whose registrations were wrongly flagged by the program, temporarily threatening their place on the rolls.

David Becker, the executive director of the nonprofit

Center for Election Innovation and Research, said Mullin was making empty threats.

“Every court to consider the DOJ’s demands — 15 of them to date, six of those judges appointed by President Trump — have confirmed that the federal government cannot legally demand access to states’ sensitive voter data,” he said. “What he’s suggesting is illegal.”

In addition, Trump’s efforts to pass the SAVE Act, federal legislation that would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, has stalled in the Senate. Republicans don’t have enough votes to change the filibuster rules and pass it without Democratic support.

Mullin also elevated Trump’s concerns about vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines — which voting experts have long acknowledged. While Trump suggested Thursday that these risks make it possible to “rig” the vote, election officials say there are numerous safeguards in place to prevent that, including

physical security, voting machine tests, postelection reviews and paper ballot backups in most of the country.

To address the concerns, Mullin said the nation’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which sits under DHS, would release an updated election infrastructure plan within 30 days and provide cyber threat resources to election officials if they participate in SAVE. However, Trump has broadly dismantled the agency’s election security operation.

CISA was largely absent from its long-held role assisting states in last year’s elections after the Trump administration conducted a review of its election work, placed more than a dozen election-focused staffers on administrative leave and slashed $10 million from two cybersecurity initiatives, including one dedicated to helping state and local election officials. The agency is also still without a Senateconfirmed director and has cycled through a series of acting leaders.

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PUBLIC NOTICE A general summary of the annual independent audit report for the year ended October 31, 2025 of Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government is hereby provided for the public’s review in accordance with Section 2-09 of the Home Rule Charter.

LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT CONDENSED STATEMENT OF NET POSITION October 31, 2025 (AMOUNTS IN MILLIONS)

Pets

Governmental Activities

Business-Type Activities

Total

2025

2025

2025

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Current and other assets

$

491.7

145.5

$

637.3

5.2

357.6

$

362.8

854.9

983.5

$

1,314.7

1,486.6

2,838.4

28.1

8.2

36.3

Restricted assets Capital assets Total assets Deferred Outflows of Resources

$

1,838.4

Liabilities: Current liabilities

30.1

45.6

75.7

Long-term liabilities

428.7

523.7

952.4

Total liabilities

458.7

569.3

1,028.1

30.7

9.9

40.6

Deferred Inflows of Resources Net Position:

624.0

653.6

1,277.6

Restricted

Net Investment in Capital Assets

300.9

169.5

470.4

Unrestricted

(34.4)

92.5

Total net position

$

890.5

$

915.6

58.1 $

1,806.1

LAFAYETTE CITY-PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET POSITION For the Year Ended October 31, 2025 (AMOUNTS IN MILLIONS)

STORE.THEADVOCATE.COM

Governmental Activities

Business-Type Activities

Total Primary Government

2025

2025

2025

Revenues: Program revenue Fees, fines, and charges for services

SEVEN DAYS

$ 28.2

$ 399.2

$ 427.4

Operating grants and contributions

18.0

-

18.0

Capital grants and contributions

18.9

11.0

29.9

Sales taxes

$ 123.6

$-

$ 123.6

Property taxes

110.0

-

110.0

Other

35.5

19.2

54.7

334.2

429.3

763.5

General government

53.6

-

53.6

Public safety

112.2

-

112.2

Public Works

46.6

General revenues -

Total revenues Expenses:

HOME DELIVERED

LOUISIANA OWNED

46.6

-

Urban & economic redevelopment

3.5

-

3.5

Culture and recreation

32.0

-

32.0

Health, welfare & economic opportunity

2.6

-

2.6

Unallocated depreciation

21.6

-

21.6

Combined utilities system

-

229.9

229.9

Communications system

-

36.6

36.6

Coal-fired electric plant

-

40.6

40.6

Solid waste collection

-

19.4

19.4 0.2

CNG Station

-

0.2

9.2

-

9.2

281.4

326.7

608.1

Increase (decrease) in net position before transfers

52.9

102.6

155.4

Transfers

28.8

(28.8)

-

81.7

73.7

155.4

Interest on long-term debt Total expenses

Changes in net position

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Net position, November 1

808.8

841.9

1,650.7

Net position, October 31

$ 890.5

$ 915.6

$ 1,806.1

194479-668551-jul 18-1t $ 156.12

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● 5A

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OUTBREAK

Not worried?

Continued from page 1A its gumbo, pastas and fried shrimp and oyster loaf. “Now, I’m shredding it myself, old school.”

The outbreak of the cyclospora parasite, as the bug is called, has been linked to Taco Bell locations in five states that served bagged shredded lettuce from one of the country’s largest agricultural producers, Taylor Farms.

Louisiana was not among the states identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Still, the number of reported cases in Louisiana of the parasitic infection have more than doubled in one week to 55, including five hospitalizations, underscoring the many questions that still remain about other potential sources of the outbreak.

Reports on the parasite have not gone unnoticed. At Canseco’s, which owns six supermarkets in the New Orleans region, produce sales have slipped slightly in recent days, according to owner Sinesio Canseco, even though the store doesn’t carry Taylor Farms lettuce.

So far, though, the reaction has mostly been muted.

“We haven’t heard much from customers, at least not yet,” said Canseco. “That could change. People get paranoid pretty fast.”

Common source Since May 1, the CDC has received reports of 1,645 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. and is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis to confirm the illness.

In Louisiana, cases have been reported in every region of the state, with the highest numbers in

STORIES

Continued from page 1A the lives lost that day.

“Today is one of those defining days of our city, that everyone can think back and remember where you were 10 years ago,” Baton Rouge police Chief TJ Morse said.

“The memories of those heroes will never leave us. Their smiles, their service, the way they raise their children, loved their families, lifted up their friends and looked after this community.”

The shootings at Benny’s BQuik lasted a little under 14 minutes. The gunman — Gavin Long, a 29-year-old former Marine who traveled from Kansas City to Baton Rouge to target law enforcement officers — chose the location because it’s about a mile from police headquarters. Officers often dropped by the store for coffee and other items, District Attorney Hillar Moore said.

Before speeches Friday, dozens of charity members arrived at the headquarters on bicycles, biking 90 miles from Slidell. Michelle

TRUMP

Continued from page 1A such confirmation in the collection of newly declassified reports, investigation files, intelligence analysis and assorted correspondence.

Many pages are so heavily redacted that their findings are unclear.

Others outline vulnerabilities and assessments that have been welldocumented for years. There’s no evidence that China or any other foreign entity manipulated the vote in 2020 or any other year.

“The White House promised a bombshell, and they delivered a dud,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, who attended a White House briefing on the material ahead of the speech.

Despite what appeared to be a concerted effort by administration officials, ”there was absolutely nothing here that was news, nothing here that even calls into question past elections and certainly not the 2020 election.”

Here’s a look at what the documents say.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Packages of lettuce and salad greens fill a refrigerated display at a grocery store. Lettuce sold across the United States is facing increased scrutiny as federal and state officials investigate whether iceberg lettuce linked to a multistate cyclospora outbreak reached retailers or other businesses beyond Taco Bell restaurants.

East Baton Rouge and Lafayette parishes.

On Thursday, the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that public health officials had linked the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

The agencies said the lettuce came from five-pound bags produced at Taylor Farms’ facility in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Local health experts said lettuce and berries are common sources of cyclospora because they grow close to the ground, where they

can be contaminated by feces.

Also, they’re often consumed without being cooked, which would kill the parasite.

“What happens is some form of sewage or stool that has this organism in it gets into the soil of where this produce is being grown, and then gets on that produce through the soil,” said Dr. Katie Taylor, medical director of infection prevention at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge.

Taco Bell, in a statement Friday, said the affected lettuce would be “indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in se-

Some local grocers and wholesalers have pointed out that while they carry some Taylor Farms produce grown in the U.S., they do not stock the company’s shredded lettuce from Mexico.

Dorignac’s and Zuppardo’s in Metairie both said they don’t stock bagged iceberg from Taylor Farms.

Southside Produce in Baton Rouge said it doesn’t either.

Rouses, which has 76 supermarkets in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, said it also had not been affected by the outbreak, and provided an “all clear” letter from Taylor Farms issued late Friday.

“Our records indicate that you WERE NOT shipped iceberg lettuce products included in this action,” the letter from Taylor Farms to Rouses said.

It added that the company had stopped sourcing iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico.

Some restaurant operators said they were relying on their wholesalers for guidance and weren’t worried.

“I’ve been dealing with the same supplier for 20 years and I trust them,” said Justin Kennedy, manager of Parkway Bakery & Tavern near Bayou St. John. “They haven’t notified me of a problem.”

Mandina said she isn’t taking any chances at her Canal Street restaurant.

“We’ve had a few customers ask about it, not many,” she said. “But we’ve made changes anyway. No one wants to get this bug. So I’m just being careful.”

Staff writers Margaret Delaney and Joy Holden, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

lect states.”

It did not identify the states.

The statement added, “Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”

One of Louisiana’s largest Taco Bell franchisees, Morgan Citybased B&G Foods, declined to comment on the lettuce used at its 230 Taco Bell outlets in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, referring a request for comment to the statement re- Email Stephanie Riegel at leased by Taco Bell’s corporate stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com. office.

“Part of my reason for being here is to speak those names, make sure those names and their memories live.”

Beck said this is the first time the Gulf Coast Brotherhood Ride has done a ride for an anniversary.

Typically, the nonprofit bikes longer routes — Louisiana to Alabama or vice versa — but decided to connect members from different law enforcement agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi for this day.

“We did what we do on all our other rides, and we searched for those magic words to bring some healing and take some pain away from these families,” said Craig Russell, president of the Gulf Coast Brotherhood Ride. “But I don’t know if those words are out there; I don’t STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON have them. But what we brought today is love and honor.”

Baton Rouge police Chief TJ Morse delivers a speech at a memorial Through Scripture, praise and service Friday at police headquarters for the four officers killed in a 2016 emotions, attendees of the memoambush. rial listened to each other speak their hearts for about an hour.

Beck, a former police officer and widow of BRPD K-9 Officer Mark East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff member of the Gulf Coast Brother- Beck, who died on duty in 2008.

Sid Gautreaux said the ambush “A man dies two deaths: one was one of the darkest days in hood Ride, said they biked here to honor the fallen officers and fulfill when he physically leaves Earth Baton Rouge history, but commutheir mission of never forgetting and one when the last time his nity gatherings honor not just the what happened. Beck is also the name is ever spoken,” Beck said. tragedy, but the beauty of how the

fallen lived.

“They were husbands, fathers, sons, friends, partners and public servants,” Gautreaux said. “They laughed together and served together. They believed this community is worth protecting, and that is a legacy we honor.”

Morse and Gautreaux made promises that they would never forget what happened, and would always carry the officers’ legacies.

“As sheriff, I make a promise to you: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office will never stop telling their stories,” Gautreaux said.

“We will never stop supporting their families, and we will never forget the price they paid for this community.”

After the memorial, Patricia Gerald reflected on how she sees Matthew every day and hopes to see more respect and honor for law enforcement officers.

“I say Matthew’s name every day,” Patricia Gerald said. “I have a sticker on my car; my license plate says ‘PD.’ I always take the opportunity to the bag boy, or whoever’s getting around my car, I say, ‘This is my son, who died protecting and serving.’ ”

in 25 states using the new Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.

There is no allegation, however, that any of those people actually voted, which would be a crime.

That data has also not been verified. Reports have found that the SAVE database is plagued with errors, including outdated information that has often classified naturalized citizens as noncitizens.

Indeed, a federal judge has barred the database from being used over fears that voters will be wrongly purged from voter rolls.

Studies have found noncitizen voting to be extremely rare. Noncitizens are also allowed to vote in some local elections, and could be on the rolls for that reason.

election officials to step up their defenses to prevent information from being used to obtain absentee ballots or alter voter rolls. Election officials acknowledge that voting machines also carry risk — which is why they don’t rely on them alone to ensure the accuracy of the vote. Safeguards like physical security, equipment testing, paper ballot backups and postelection audits help to catch machine errors or threats.

But it is unclear what the administration is doing to facilitate their efforts. Earlier this month, Trump ousted members of a bipartisan federal election commission that distributes federal grants to states, oversees the testing of voting systems and maintains the national voter registration form, after the group resisted his efforts to require potential voters to document their U.S. citizenship before registering.

Trump has also cut millions of dollars in federal funding from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, which helped state and local election officials keep elections secure, and disbanded an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence operations, including those that target U.S. elections.

The documents make repeated reference to the risks posed by large databases of voter information, including registration databases and election websites that could be accessed or manipulated by foreign adversaries.

But the SAVE system, which Trump has been pushing states to adopt, has been criticized as an unlawful, centralized federal database of voter information, which could be another target.

to any efforts to manipulate votes or alter election outcomes. And public versions of voter files are widely available, including online, and can be bought and sold by campaigns and political parties so they know which doors to knock on and where to send mail.

China’s efforts to influence the 2020 campaign were already welldocumented, and there was no assessment of any direct election interference. The records released Thursday night do not refute that conclusion, but reveal an internal intelligence community debate about how to characterize Beijing’s efforts and motives.

The emails show that a dissenting viewpoint was that China had taken steps to “denigrate” Trump.

But that perspective, instead of being hidden, was already reflected in the intelligence community assessment produced after the election.

China on Friday called Trump’s allegations “groundless” and “entirely fabricated” and said it has never interfered in U.S. elections and has no interest in doing so.

Noncitizens on voter rolls

In his remarks, Trump touted the release of a new Department China has our data. Lots of it of Homeland Security investiga“Starting during the 2020 elec- tion, based on state voter rolls and tion cycle, the People’s Republic of public records, that he said had China carried out what is believed identified approximately 278,000 to be the largest compromise of noncitizens registered to vote in election data in history, resulting federal elections.

The report said the agency unin China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files,” Trump covered more than a quarter of a said Thursday night. million noncitizens illegally regisThere is no evidence, however, tered to vote in California, Pennthat China actually used that in- sylvania, New Jersey and Nevada, based on public records, which are formation in any way.

It has long been established that often erroneous or incomplete.

China collects immense volumes Another 28,000 noncitizens, it of data on Americans unrelated claimed, were found on voter rolls

Russia’s election efforts Trump has spent years criticizing the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help him win.

But the documents shed new light on the country’s ongoing efforts.

One declassified document from 2020 portrays Russia as the country that has tried the most to penetrate American election systems — but in an effort to defeat Joe Biden. It notes how Russia worked to amplify claims that Biden, while serving as vice president, engaged in inappropriate behavior involving Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm that employed his son Hunter, a charge frequently repeated by Trump and Republicans.

“Their aim is to defeat the former Vice President and ensure the President’s victory,” reads the document from the National Intelligence Council.

The document went on to state that both China and Iran wanted

Trump to lose. But it included a chart documenting each country’s known efforts. Only Russia was marked as having been known to have engaged in “targeting, accessing, or manipulating election processes or election-related systems.”

Russia has continued to deny interfering in U.S. affairs.

Michigan in the spotlight Many of the documents released involve a Michigan case in which a seemingly pro-Biden canvassing operation submitted thousands of questionable voter registrations to a local election official in 2020. The official did not accept the registrations and alerted authorities.

The documents include notes from at least one FBI agent that are heavily redacted but indicate that the agent unsuccessfully pushed for further investigation and charges through 2024. Michigan Republicans in 2023 complained the state’s Democratic attorney general did not charge anyone.

However, the case was closed “because logical investigation and/or leads have been exhausted, and the investigation to date did not identify a criminal violation or a priority threat to national security,” according to one of the records.

Vulnerabilities in voting systems The documents, Trump told the nation, included intelligence “revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure” that leave it vulnerable “to hacking, exploitation and foreign interference.”

One report included a list of recent breaches — mostly by Russia — and called on state and local

6A ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Mostly sunny

Mostly sunny

Mostly sunny

A stray afternoon shower; hot

A couple of t-storms; humid

A t-storm around in the a.m.

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

93° 75°

LOW

HIGH

94° 75°

LOW

95° 77°

Beaumont 93/75 Port Arthur 92/76

Baton Rouge 95/75

Lake Charles 93/76

New Orleans 95/78 Houma 95/74

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

0s

Hattiesburg 98/74

Alexandria 94/74

Lafayette 93/75

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

94° 78°

YESTERDAY

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Friday

Jackson 96/74 Many 93/73

HIGH

95° 78°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 95/74

-0s

LOW

Monroe 97/75

Shreveport 95/75

-10s

HIGH

96° 79°

The biggest weather issue we will all have to deal with this weekend is the heat. Most of Southwest Louisiana is under either a minor or a moderate heat risk. So, under mostly sunny skies, expect temperatures this afternoon to rise to the low to mid-90s. Humidity will remain high, so heat index values will be 105 or greater. Also, keep in mind the UV index will be at the extreme level, so take frequent breaks, hydrate and protect yourself from the sun. Expect only a slight rain chance.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

JUL 21

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

93°/75° 92°/75° 83°/74° 100° in 1932 65° in 1967

TODAY’S TIDES Lake Pontchartrain (Tchefuncte River) Shell Beach South Point, Marsh Island Cypremort Point Grand Isle (Barataria Pass) Mississippi River (Southwest Pass) Wine Island

FIRST

PRECIPITATION

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

11:32p 5:38p 8:41a 10:50a 1:03p 12:31p 2:11p

6:18 a.m.

8:10 p.m.

10:51 a.m.

11:09 p.m.

FULL

LAST

JUL 29

Hi

94 85 96 69 89 102 91 91 92

TODAY Lo

75 72 77 50 76 86 73 80 74

NEW

AUG 5

W

c t t pc sh t t t t

AUG 12

Hi

96 81 98 76 88 104 88 93 89

SUN. Lo

74 66 78 54 74 83 70 79 73

W

s pc s c pc pc c t t

FT.

LOW

0.00” 6.23” 3.66” 40.64” 34.81”

FT.

HIGH

0.4 10:07a 0.1 1.0 2:37a 0.1 1.5 1:16p 0.9 1.5 3:28a 0.4 0.8 10:28p 0.4 0.9 8:47p 0.4 1.0 12:13a 0.2

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1BN

Makerspace offers tools, resources to community Free facility provides industrial creative equipment

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

For many entrepreneurs, the biggest obstacle isn’t a lack of ideas.

It’s access to the tools needed to bring those ideas to life, said Kevin Guillory, operations and community engagement manager at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s

LEED Center.

To help bridge that gap, the REDII Works FabLab, a free public makerspace that gives entrepreneurs and community members access to industrial-grade equipment for prototyping, design and smallscale manufacturing, recently opened.

“We looked at the gaps in services

that entrepreneurs were receiving and where the next step was,” said Chad LaComb, director of the Office of Innovation Management at UL. “This was designed to bridge that gap.”

Located inside the Louisiana Immersive Technology Enterprise

ä See MAKERSPACE, page 2B

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

The REDII Works FabLab at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette offers free access to industrial-grade equipment helping entrepreneurs in rural Acadiana prototype and develop products.

FAMILY TRADITION

ABOVE: Shop manager Anthony Martin displays some examples of his work at the Martin Accordion shop in Lafayette on Friday. Since the passing of his father, Clarence “Junior” Martin, in late June, Martin and his sister, Penny Huval, operate the family business offering handmade accordions and repairs. RIGHT: A painted crawfish adorns a finished accordion at the Martin Accordion shop. LEFT: Martin displays a work in progress at his shop on Friday. STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

N.Y. woman charged with bribing federal official in La. A New York woman has been charged with bribing a federal official in Louisiana to release ImmiCRIME gration and CusBLOTTER toms Enforcement detainees from deAdvocate tention. staff A federal grand reports jury indicted Diana Kutateladze, 37, of Brooklyn, New York, on three counts of bribery of a Louisiana public official, according to a Western District of Louisiana statement. She faces up to 15 years in federal prison on each count.

The alleged bribes, which occurred over three instances in 2024, included tequila, a $100 gift

and $3,000 in online payments to a public official in the Western District of Louisiana in an effort to influence him to disregard federal immigration laws and recommend the release of immigration detainees.

An investigation began after the official reported the bribes to his supervisors.

The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Office of Professional Responsibility investigated the case.

Two accused in selling alcohol to teen buyers The

Lafayette

Police

ä See BLOTTER, page 2B

State confirms first case of West Nile Residents urged to use measures to prevent mosquito bites

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus of the 2026 mosquito season in a person in Ouachita Parish on Friday.

West Nile virus has been actively spreading throughout Louisiana since its first detection in the state in 2002. In 2025, there were 86 confirmed human cases of the disease in Louisiana, including four deaths.

So far in 2026, 13 parish mosquito abatement districts have detected West Nile in mosquito pool samples.

“Mosquitoes may be a common summertime nuisance, but they’re more than just a pest,” said Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein in a statement from LDH. “Every year, West Nile virus reminds us that mosquito bites can sometimes lead to serious illness. The good news is that a few simple steps, like using insect repellent and eliminating standing water, can significantly reduce your risk.”

About 1 in 150 people who are infected with West Nile virus develop a severe illness that can affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves, which may even cause paralysis or death, according to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most important way to prevent mosquitoes is by dumping any standing water that could be collecting outside of your home, according to New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board director Claudia Riegel.

Riegel emphasized that any little bit helps mosquito numbers as a whole and encouraged residents to spend just 10 minutes a week scanning their yard on trash day to see if there are any items that could be collecting water.

Small containers with water inside, like a soda can, can be an incredibly productive site for mosquito breeding.

ä See WEST NILE, page 2B

2B ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Man arrested in drug bust near LSU Coke, meth, MDMA found, deputies say

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

A Baton Rouge man was arrested after police were informed he was allegedly selling cocaine out of an apartment near LSU’s North Gates.

Jordan Langlois, 35, was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on June 30 on

three counts of possession with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond review is set for Sept. 22.

In March, the Sheriff’s Office was contacted by an anonymous source who said Langlois was selling drugs at an apartment complex in the 1900 block of East Magna Carta Place, according to an arrest warrant.

Detectives also received information from LSU Police saying Langlois was a cook and was selling drugs to LSU students, the war-

rant states.

During the investigation, agents set up a drug sale between a confidential informant and Langlois at an apartment on West Chimes Street. After the sale, agents observed Langlois had interactions with other individuals, typical of inconspicuously handing off drugs, according to the warrant.

Agents obtained probable cause and executed a search warrant at the West Chimes Street apartment and arrested Langlois.

Deputies found 70 grams

of individually packaged cocaine, 21 grams of meth, and MDMA pills in a locked safe. They also found multiple digital scales, empty clear mini baggies and a bottle of Inositol — a sugar substitute commonly used to cut drugs, the warrant states.

After being read his Miranda rights, Langlois admitted to being an active user of drugs and knew the safe was in the apartment, but said he was not selling the drugs.

Based on the training and expertise from the agents,

the amount of cocaine found in the apartment was exceedingly more than a person would have for personal use, the arrest warrant said.

Langlois was identified in police documents as a cook for Delta Chi fraternity.

However, House Corporation President of the LSU Chapter of Delta Chi John Dunlap said Langlois was not employed at any point by the fraternity or the catering company it uses.

LSU Police did not return a call for comment on Langlois’s employment.

La. high court fast-tracks lawsuit on N.O. judges Fuller argues Legislature needed supermajority

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday took over and fast-tracked a lawsuit challenging a new state law that reduced the number of judges in New Orleans courts.

Criminal District Court Judge John Fuller sued Gov. Jeff Landry and other state officials, asking the courts to block the provision of Act 748 that eliminates three sections of criminal court

by Jan. 1. Landry signed the measure into law last month.

Fuller, the new- Fuller est member of the criminal court bench, argues that the Louisiana constitution calls for a two-thirds supermajority

vote to change the number of judges in Louisiana and that both chambers fell shy of the mark.

State officials claim the measure didn’t need a supermajority for passage. They cite an exception for New Orleans municipal offices from the 1974 cwonstitutional convention.

The delegates made Crescent City courts “subject to change by law” with a simple majority, the state

argues.

Judge Tarvald Smith of the 19th Judicial District this week enjoined state officials from enacting any provision of Act 748 until after the qualifying period, which runs Aug. 5-7.

That left open a door for Fuller and the two others with seats marked for elimination — Judges Rhonda Goode-Douglas and Simone Levine — to run for reelection.

Murrill vowed to appeal Smith’s injunction. Fuller’s attorney, Jerome Matthews,

asked the state’s high court to step in.

The Supreme Court halted proceedings at the lower courts and gave Murrill and others until next week to file any oppositions to Fuller’s claims.

Matthews said he expects the court to rule before Aug. 5, given its expedited track.

“Whoever lost at the (appeals court) would’ve just had to go to the Supreme Court anyway,” he said. “So … let’s just go straight to the Supreme Court to get a ruling.”

Prairieville teen to be featured in ESPN ‘My Wish’ series She gets to meet WNBA star A’ja Williams

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

A Prairieville teen’s wish to meet one of the WNBA’s biggest stars will be featured on national television this weekend as part of ESPN’s long-running “My Wish” series.

Khloe C., 18, is one of five children and young adults

MAKERSPACE Continued from page 1B

Center, the fabrication laboratory was funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant supporting entrepreneurship in rural Acadiana.

The facility features multiple 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters and electronics equipment that allow users to create prototypes, test product ideas and manufacture small batches of products.

LaComb said those resources are often out of reach for entrepreneurs because of the cost or lack of availability.

“If you have an idea, and

featured in ESPN’s 20th anniversary “My Wish” special, which partners with Make-A-Wish to grant sports-themed wishes for children with critical illnesses.

An avid basketball fan who enjoys playing with her family, Khloe underwent a liver and kidney transplant after being diagnosed with a genetic disorder, leaving her unable to compete in the sport she loves. Her wish was to meet four-time WNBA Most Valuable Player and

three-time champion A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.

The segment follows Wilson as she gives Khloe a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to be a professional basketball player, creating what ESPN describes as a once-in-alifetime experience.

Khloe’s story will premiere during “SportsCenter” at 8 a.m. July 19, the first of five “My Wish” features airing this year.

Produced in partnership with Make-A-Wish, the an-

nual series showcases children whose sports dreams are made possible by some of the biggest names in athletics. This year’s featured athletes include Wilson, PGA Tour champion Scottie Scheffler, WWE’s Seth Rollins, San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Tennessee Volunteers football team.

“Now more than ever, the courage of these children and the love and resourcefulness of their families remain inspiring,” longtime “My Wish” host Chris

Connelly said in a news release. “Thanks to ESPN and our friends at MakeA-Wish, this year’s wishes go a long way to restore so much of the joy and exuberance that critical illness takes away.”

Now in its 20th year, ESPN’s “My Wish” series has featured hundreds of wish recipients and some of the biggest names in sports, highlighting the hope and encouragement wishes can bring to children and their families during difficult times.

need something you need to help make that idea come to life, this is the place to come,” he said.

Beyond providing equipment, the FabLab connects entrepreneurs with resources related to patents, intellectual property and commercialization.

“There’s not a shortage of ideas,” said Kevin Guillory.

“A lot of times, the shortage is access. If we can help give people access to resources, that’s what we really love to do.”

One of those entrepreneurs is Kierra Eddie, owner of Seventh & Joseph, a Lafayette business specializing in large-format printing, graphic design and branded event installations. Eddie launched her

business after leaving the corporate world, but said she quickly discovered entrepreneurship involved much more than just her ideas.

“I knew I couldn’t afford to do what I wanted to do right away,” she said. “Who do I talk to? How do I make this a real business?”

After participating in the LEED Center’s Accelerate Northside business program, Eddie discovered the FabLab. Although she already owned a small 3D printer, Eddie said seeing the FabLab’s industrial-sized equipment completely changed how she thinks about growing her business.

The larger equipment has

allowed Eddie to begin developing prototypes for a new product she hopes to commercialize in the future.

“I literally could take these small things and make them big,” she said.

“Instead of building everything by hand, I can sit in front of a computer, design something, make it easier and produce it on a massproduction level.”

She said the FabLab also introduced her to concepts such as prototyping, licensing and intellectual property that she had never considered before discovering the FabLab. The makerspace is open to the public free of charge, with users only responsible for purchasing their own

printing materials. Staff members are available to teach visitors how to use the equipment and connect them with additional business resources.

While the USDA grant focuses on serving entrepreneurs in rural communities across Acadiana, LaComb said anyone with an idea is welcome to use the space.

The university also plans to expand the FabLab for students and through additional grants, workforce training programs and certification opportunities as demand grows.

For entrepreneurs wondering where to begin, LaComb offered some simple advice.

“Just come here,” he said.

“We can talk through it.”

Thursday.

Chestina Clark-Lemelle and Ronald Smothers were Continued from page 1B arrested and face charges of selling alcohol to someone Department arrested two under 21 and bar card violapeople during an under- tions, according to an LPD age buyer operation on statement.

The two were arrested at Kwik Stop at 1734 N. University Ave. and a Shell gas station at 1400 W. Pinhook Road.

LPD visited 46 businesses throughout the city, with 44 found to be in compliance.

WEST NILE

items that hold water constantly to kill larvae n Clean swimming pools that aren’t being used collect water outside n Use mosquito fish in your ponds n Check and clean your gutters.

As for keeping the bugs off your skin, bug spray, long sleeves and staying near airflow from fans while outside is your best bet.

Southern house mosquitoes also bite in the evening, Reigel said, so try to lessen your time outside at night.

Here are a few extra tips to stay safe during mosquito season: n Wear an EPA-registered insect repellent when you know you’ll be outdoors n Wear long-sleeved, loosefitting clothing

Barlett, Teresa

Martin & Castille Funeral Home Downtown, Lafayette at 1:00pm.

Obituaries Barlett, Teresa

A Celebration of Life Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in Martin & Castille Funeral Home DOWNTOWN Location in Lafayette, for Teresa Barlett, age 65, who peacefully passed away on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at her residence in Lafayette.

Survivors include her beloved husband, William Barlett; son, William Barlett and his wife Emily; two grandchildren, Sam Barlett and Ella Barlett, and two brothers, Jack Bertino and Mike McFarland.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jacquelyn Orsburn Bertino and John Davis Bertino, and one sister, Mary Ramsey.

Teresa was a 42 year resident of Lafayette and a 20 year employee of Lafayette General Medical Center.

Honorary Pallbearers will be, Mike McFarland, Sam Barlett, Ella Barlett, and Bruce McFarland.

Special thanks to Dr. Mire for her care and compassion given to Teresa at her time of need.

Donations can be made or in lieu of flowers in Teresa Barlett's name to Women's Shelters.

View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin & Castille Funeral Home DOWNTOWN, 330 St. Landry Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506, 337-2342311

How to place an Obituary Notice EMAIL:

obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

225-388-0289

How to place a Memorial Ad An “In Memory Of” ad, is a way to pay tribute to your loved one.

This remembrance is often printed on the anniversary of a loved one’s death.

The deadline is two days prior to the day you want your ad to appear.

TO PLACE A MEMORIAL AD GO TO:

obituaries.theacadianaadvocate.com, click submit an obituary and select create a memoriam.

Protection your loved ones deserve ...

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

Funerals Today

n Spray bug spray on ex-

posed skin or on top of clothes n If you’re using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and then insect repellent n Wear clothing or gear treated with permethrin if you know you’ll be outside for prolonged periods of time n Weather-strip doors and windows and check for holes in screens to ensure no bugs are able to sneak inside n Dump any standing water around your home, including in bird baths, buckets, trash cans and children’s toys, at least once a week to prevent mosquito breeding n Flip over any items that could collect standing water n Scrub bird baths or any

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BUSINESS

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● 3B

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

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IBM warning is ‘hammer’ on tech’s AI outsiders

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. restores trade privileges for Hong Kong

HONG KONG — The United States confirmed Friday that it will not renew an executive order that revoked Hong Kong’s special trading status. The decision comes after China signaled that the city’s preferential privileges were being restored.

The U.S. order, which President Donald Trump signed in July 2020 in his first term in response to Beijing imposing a national security law to limit dissent in Hong Kong, is not being renewed, according to a Treasury Department spokesperson who was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump’s order was last renewed for a year in July 2025.

China considers the national security law for Hong Kong necessary to restore stability in the city after massive anti-government protests in 2019.

Under the order, Trump said Hong Kong was no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to mainland China under certain laws. It eliminated the preferential treatment for Hong Kong to the extent permitted by law and in the national security, foreign policy, and economic interest of the United States.

The implications of the decision not to renew the order were not immediately clear.

The White House referred questions about the executive order lapsing to the Treasury Department.

General Mills recalls Pillsbury Bread Rolls Two kinds of frozen Pillsbury Bread Rolls were recalled after glass might have gotten into the dough, according to General Mills.

The two lots of Pillsbury Bread Rolls Hard Roll Dough are lot Nos. 11JUN6JL and 12JUN6JL with best by dates of Oct. 12 and 13, 2026, respectively. This covers 544,400 rolls.

There’s only one lot, 12JUN6JL, of Pillsbury Bread Rolls Kaiser Roll Dough recalled.

This covers 181,440 rolls.

A statement by General Mills said the “two frozen dough products were baked onsite and sold exclusively at Walmart in-store bakeries in the United States.

This voluntary recall is limited in scope, highly contained and all potential impacted product has been removed.”

Recalled breads went to distributors in 19 states including Louisiana.

If you have a recalled product, throw it away or return it to the store for a full refund. If you have more questions about this recall, call General Mills at (763) 764-7600.

General Mills statement didn’t address how the glass got into some of the dough, what facility was used, or why no news release was issued.

FAA will allow Boeing to certify its planes Boeing will be allowed to take responsibility for certifying all of its 737 Max and 787 planes starting next week, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.

The FAA said that after months of review the agency decided that Boeing’s final safety checks on its planes are good enough to ensure they are airworthy.

Since September, Boeing and the agency had been taking weekly turns performing the safety checks that are required before aircraft are cleared for delivery and declared safe to fly. The FAA said Friday that the plane maker and government inspectors were both issuing similar findings as they issued airworthiness certificates.

Federal regulators took full control over 737 Max approvals in 2019, after the second of two crashes that were later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the aircraft.

The FAA ended the company’s right to self-certify 787 Dreamliners in 2022, citing ongoing production quality issues.

30-YR T-BONDS 5.07 -0.01 -0.24%

BY RYAN VLASTELICA and CARMEN REINICKE Bloomberg News (TNS)

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NG HAN GUAN

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks Friday at the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai. The newest Kimi K3 model from Beijing-based startup Moonshot appears to be catching up to the best versions of Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

New Chinese AI model surprises tech industry Kimi K3 appears to be catching up to Claude, ChatGPT

BY MATT O’BRIEN AP technology writer

Another powerful new artificial intelligence model from China took the U.S. tech industry by surprise Friday, the latest sign that Chinese startups that publicly release their “open-source” AI technology are making the California titans of AI sweat.

The newest Kimi K3 model from Beijing-based startup Moonshot, run by a Pink Floydloving entrepreneur who earned his doctorate in Pittsburgh, appears to be catching up to the best versions of Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. “This may be the single biggest release of the year,” and marks a moment when open-source Chinese models are surpassing closed U.S. models, said Anastasios Angelopoulos, co-founder and CEO of Arena, a platform for evaluating AI systems.

Kimi K3 topped the charts in Arena’s ranking of what it calls “front-end coding capability,” a measure of an AI large language model’s performance. “More results are rolling in that are likely to continue to show it is at the top of the pack,” Angelopoulos said on social media.

It was not likely a coincidence that K3’s unveiling came shortly before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s opening address Friday to the nation’s annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.

American-led restrictions have blocked China from accessing some of the world’s most advanced technologies, spurring China’s efforts to build its own know-how and intensifying the rivalry between the world’s two

biggest economies.

“The development of artificial intelligence should not be a solo performance by any single country but rather a symphony of global cooperation,” Xi said at the event.

K3 follows another major AI model release last month from the Chinese startup Zhipu, or Z.ai. Its new flagship GLM-5.2 model is already widely used by software developers around the world who say it can perform work almost as well as top U.S. models at a lower price.

The hype over the new Chinese model resembles the market-shaking panic that followed Chinese startup DeepSeek‘s new model release in early 2025, though not everyone finds it justified. The response to K3 is an “overreaction shockingly similar” to DeepSeek’s release last year, said tech analyst Patrick Moorhead on social media. He said it could be good for parts of the broader AI industry but poses a revenue challenge to Anthropic and OpenAI. During the conference, which runs until Monday, tech giant Huawei has also been showcasing a new AI computing system called the Atlas 950 SuperPoD, a signal that China increasingly is amassing the domestic hardware it needs despite U.S. restrictions on imports from chipmakers like Nvidia.

Moonshot hasn’t said what hardware it used to build K3, but the startup is a partner with Huawei.

The price to use K3 is the highest yet for a Chinese AI model, but is still half as expensive as OpenAI’s high-performing GPT5.6 Sol model, according to a Fri-

day report by Bank of America research analysts.

U.S. politicians and several major U.S. AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI have accused Chinese AI models of illicit “distillation” of their models to extract their technologies, a claim that Beijing says is “groundless.”

Anthropic in February accused DeepSeek, Moonshot and a third China-based AI lab, MiniMax, of engaging in campaigns to “illicitly extract Claude’s capabilities to improve their own models” using the distillation technique that “involves training a less capable model on the outputs of a stronger one.”

Anthropic said that distillation can be a legitimate way to train AI systems but it’s a problem when competitors “use it to acquire powerful capabilities from other labs in a fraction of the time, and at a fraction of the cost, that it would take to develop them independently.”

But it can go both ways. San Francisco-based startup Anysphere, maker of the popular coding tool Cursor, has acknowledged that one of its top products was based on Moonshot’s K2.5 model. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is planning to close a deal to buy Cursor for $60 billion later this year.

Developers who build “opensource” AI make key components of the technology accessible for anyone to examine, modify and build upon. Proponents say open-source practices promote innovation, while critics warn that making powerful AI models publicly accessible poses safety and security dangers.

International Business Machines’ warning this week that its sales are falling well short of expectations highlights a growing divide between artificial intelligence winners and everyone else in the tech universe.

On Tuesday, IBM said it failed to predict that its customers would shift their spending away from the company’s products so they can focus on servers, storage and memory products used in AI computing. The company’s shares plunged 25% for their worst day ever in data going back to the 1960s. But in a much broader sense, the revelation explained how the current technology trade is throwing a wrench into the stock prices of huge companies that provide popular products and services unrelated to AI. “It’s not just a wrench, it’s like a hammer,” said Brian Mulberry, chief market strategist at Zacks Investment Management. “It’s not that there’s not demand for (other services). There is. It’s just that they can’t get there because there’s only a finite amount of capex that can be spent.”

Perhaps the best examples of this bifurcation are software giants Salesforce and ServiceNow, which sell tools that manage sales, human resources and IT functions for companies. The stocks have lost roughly a third of their value this year and are among the 20 worst performers in the S&P 500 Index. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index is up 62% in 2026.

IBM’s news marked “a pivotal moment in the tech trade,” Mulberry said. It underscored how companies are de-emphasizing traditional tech products and services and prioritizing AI-related infrastructure and security software, which is in demand because the existence of AI represents a risk to corporate security.

With those costs rising — particularly soaring memory prices — the businesses are being forced to reassess how much they can spend elsewhere.

Software developers like Workday and SAP SE are also likely to feel the pinch from the spending shift, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Anurag Rana. And leading tech business indicators like cloud backlogs and new subscription sales may come in below Wall Street expectations as these companies report earnings in the coming weeks.

“While the shortfall may be because of shifting IT budgets, this fundamental weakness will likely be interpreted as AI disrupting their core businesses, which could put further pressure on the sector’s valuation,” Rana wrote in a note on July 14.

Wall Street has been lowering its estimates for the software and services sector, which is expected to post earnings growth of 16.5% in 2027, a consensus that has steadily declined for seven straight weeks, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. An index of software-as-aservice stocks is down 26% this year, compared with an 11% drop for a broader software index and a 13% rise in the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index.

Citizens Bank to cut ties with CoreCivic and GEO

BY KEN SWEET

AP business writer

NEW YORK — Citizens Bank said it plans to wind down its financial relationship with two private prison companies that have been government contractors under the Trump administration to help run immigration detention centers, bowing to public pressure from advocates and left-leaning city governments.

Citizens provided banking services to CoreCivic and The GEO Group, both companies that own or run private prisons throughout the country. Under President Donald Trump, both companies have been contracted by U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement

to operate detention or deportation centers as part of the Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration.

The bank came under an intense public campaign for its relationship with CoreCivic and GEO who demanded that Citizens cut ties with the two companies. At least two city councils in New Jersey have voted to withdraw their money from Citizens if they did not cut ties with the private prison operators.

“Today’s announcement that Citizens Bank will exit its current lending relationships with private prison giants CoreCivic and The GEO Group is an important victory for the people who refused to let a major bank finance hu-

man suffering brought on by ICE detention activities of the current federal administration,” said the De-ICE Citizens Bank Coalition, in a statement.

In a statement, Citizens said they were ending their relationship with the two companies purely for business reasons and not because of political pressure. The federal government has said it plans to buy several facilities run by CoreCivic and is in talks to do so with GEO. Because of this, Citizens said the companies’ financial needs have been reduced.

“This is a business decision based on changed commercial circumstances and does not reflect any change in our view regarding

these companies’ business models or operations,” the bank said in a statement.

Banks cutting ties with businesses or individuals is known as debanking, and it has become a politically charged topic in Trump’s second term. Under the Trump administration, bank regulators have been conducting investigations into bank’s debanking practices, with the potential of these bank regulators issuing fines or penalties to any banks that are found to have committed debanking.

“All banks, including ourselves, must consider these regulatory and contractual frameworks in making decisions on who to bank or not bank,” Citizens said.

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

ANOTHER VIEW

Polls show how Americans see the issues

Americans have endured a dizzying stretch of controversies and sudden turns in recent months — from wars in Iran and Ukraine to Supreme Court rulings, congressional maneuvering and presidential drama. It’s been exhausting and, at times, confusing.

Through it all, Donald Trump’s job approval ratings have remained steady. His latest rating averages 43%, exactly where it was four months ago.

The president’s critics find that hard to believe; they keep hearing about individual polls showing his popularity falling.

But polling averages, which combine results from multiple surveys, have shown little movement.

Ron But the more revealing story may be Faucheux what voters say about specific issues.

Iran: The latest Economist/YouGov poll finds that only 36% of voters approve of Trump’s handling of the war with Iran, while nearly 6 in 10 disapprove. Fewer than a third believe going to war was the right decision.

Trump campaigned in 2024 as dealmaker-in-chief, promising to bring peace through quick, smart negotiations. Yet 60% now say he’s been ineffective in negotiating with Iran.

More voters expected a return to full-scale war than a negotiated settlement. Only 31% believe the United States should continue attacking Iran, including 59% of Republicans, 17% of independents and 5% of Democrats.

Israel: 32% of U.S. voters say their sympathies lie more with Israel, 25% side more with the Palestinians and another 25% are unsure. Among Democrats, just 10% side with Israel, while 36% favor the Palestinians.

Thirty-six percent of voters support continued U.S. military aid to Israel, while 45% oppose it. Support among Republicans is 57%; among Democrats, 22%.

Ukraine and Russia: Americans overwhelmingly support Ukraine in the war against Russia. Sixty-nine percent side with Ukraine, compared with only 4% who side with Russia. A 56% majority supports sending military aid to Ukraine, while 28% oppose. Yet voters see no clear winner in the war.

The economy: Only 27% of voters rate the economy as excellent or good. Those views are heavily influenced by partisanship. While 49% of Republicans give the economy positive marks, only 9% of Democrats and 14% of independents do. On top of that, a majority of Democrats and Independents believe the economy is getting worse.

Politicians and sexual assault: The collapse of Democrat Graham Platner’s Senate campaign in Maine has pushed this issue back into the headlines. The poll finds that 62% of voters nationwide believe a candidate accused of sexual assault by several women should drop out of the race, unless the allegations can be disproved.

That view is shared by 58% of men, 63% of women, 74% of Democrats, 60% of independents and 49% of Republicans.

At the same time, 62% believe political candidates are, at least sometimes, unfairly accused of sexual assault.

Voters are also unimpressed with how both parties handle such charges. Only 25% say Democrats do a good or excellent job, while 24% say the same of Republicans.

World Cup: 41% of Americans say they watched at least some of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That includes 47% of men, 37% of women, 36% of Whites, 53% of Blacks and 60% of Hispanics.

Only 21% approved of Trump’s request that the onegame suspension of U.S. player Folarin Balogun be overturned.

Greenland, Canada and Cuba: Americans show little appetite for using military force to seize other countries. Only 10% support using force to take control of Greenland. That low number drops further to 6% when it comes to Canada. Taking control of Cuba draws slightly greater support, though still only 20%.

World leaders: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receives the highest favorable rating among the four foreign leaders tested: 53% favorable to 31% unfavorable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s negative rating in the U.S. is 10 times greater than his positive rating — 80% to 8%. Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei is even worse; his negative is nearly 11 times larger than his positive score, 54% to 5%.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is viewed favorably by 28% of U.S. voters and unfavorably by 52%.

That’s far down from where it stood. Netanyahu has become a pariah among Democrats, with a favorable rating of just 9%. He does better with Republicans, where nearly 50% view him positively.

Numbers tell the story, but they can change. That’s exactly why they’re worth watching.

YOUR VIEWS

Graves should admit GOP’s mentality is what led to closed primaries I write today to express my agreement with Garret Graves’ June 30 commentary on the issue of open vs. closed primaries. I, too, believe that open primaries foster greater electoral participation, result in better candidates and, generally, better serve our state.

What I hope now is that Graves’ concern with voter engagement and ensuring that “citizens choose their representatives and government remains accountable to its people” extends to other areas of our electoral process.

Graves, as a congressman, voted in 2020 to reject the electoral college delegation from Pennsylvania after they were properly elected by the citizens of their state, basically telling those citizens their votes didn’t count. Mr. Graves’ own party has also enthusiastically taken advantage of their legislative majorities around the country to ger-

Watching in horror as the government pursues another senseless war This year, some people in our country are celebrating our 250th anniversary. Not me. I am ashamed of what the United States has become. Sadly, this is not the first time our government has screwed things up so badly.

Fifty years ago, as we celebrated our 200th anniversary, we had just been defeated in South Vietnam, having lost 58,220 of our best young people and a trillion dollars.

We watched in horror as the Communist North Vietnamese Army overran the country, slaughtering a million of the people who had believed in us.

Now, here we are, 50 years later, watching in horror again as our government, led by a criminal madman and his incompetent Secretary of “War,” pursue another senseless slaughter for reasons based upon faulty logic and vanity.

When will we ever learn?

rymander congressional districts, effectively disenfranchising Democratic and minority voters at every opportunity, and further dividing our country. They also, without evidence, daily cast doubt on the integrity of our electoral process. Each of these seems a much greater infringement of voting rights and a much greater risk to our democracy than how we go about selecting candidates in a primary election.

To flip Graves’ point, Louisiana and the United States currently have a problem in search of a solution. I hope Graves and the rest of those in his party will, for the good of the state and the country, turn their backs on this “win at all costs” approach to politics and governance and stand up for democracy and the sanctity of a person’s vote when it matters.

PAT FORBES Baton Rouge

ED BROCK Baton Rouge

Newspaper’s love affair with Republican Senate candidate is not good journalism

Obituaries are big part of celebrating a life As a longtime reader of the obituary section and an expert on local funeral customs and traditions, I have noticed a significant decline in the number of funeral notices published in the daily paper.

Though this letter may not be reaching the right audience, since people who do not read the newspaper mostly likely do not post obituaries., it should be noted that published obits serve a number of purposes.

They inform the public of the death. They highlight the life of the deceased and identify the next

of kin. But perhaps most importantly, they preserve the life of the individual in perpetuity for future generations, researchers and historians. While many deaths are now noted on social media, which is not incidentally free while it costs money to post in the paper, those outlets are ephemeral and today’s post disappears into the ether by tomorrow.

Posting an obituary in the newspaper ensures the memory of our loved ones lives on.

You do your readers a disservice by giving disproportionate attention to U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow over her Democratic election opponent.

You gave more attention to her losing primary opponent, John Fleming, for example, than to Democratic candidate Jamie Davis, not to mention posting a huge picture of Letlow and a tiny one of Davis on election night.

You also unfairly minimized the potential draw of Davis by ignoring the fact that a Democrat won the statewide position of governor very recently, serving from 2016 to 2024, if I recall correctly.

Regardless of whom you personally prefer for the position, you owe us, your readers and those paying not-insubstantial subscription fees for journalism, better and fairer reporting.

JAY MAZZA New Orleans

New Air Force One a waste of taxpayer dollars President Donald Trump has squandered hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to “upgrade” the luxury airplane gifted to him. This plane, the new Air Force One, will become his personal property once he leaves office.

Yet when departing the recent NATO summit in Turkey, he flew on the previous Air Force One because

Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

it was deemed safer and more capable than the gifted airplane.

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on an aircraft that cannot perform as well as the previous plane. Looks like the definition of waste, fraud and abuse on the largest scale to me.

ROWENA JONES New Orleans

GLEN JACKSON New Orleans

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S at u r d ay, J u ly 18, 2026

1CN

H

Tulane returning to LSU schedule in 2030

Clemson, in Week 1 of the regular He highlighted his 20-0 record in worth it enough.” even bigger deal.

Tigers to host LSU lost five straight openers The matchup is scheduled for season. College football programs nonconference games during his from 2020-24, starting the skid Aug. 31 of that year in Tiger Stadi- don’t have preseason games to pre- six seasons at Ole Miss.

Southern in 2028, um, according to a Friday release pare, and starting the season with The Rebels made the CFP last with a home loss to Mississippi from LSU, which means it could a loss to a difficult opponent can season and went on a run to the State and a road defeat at UCLA. other state schools lead off the Tigers’ 2030 slate. change the course of a season from semifinals after Kiffin left to take Brian Kelly opened his tenure as

LSU is also adding an Aug. 28, 2027, opener with Northwestern State; an Aug. 26, 2028, opener with Staff writer UL-Monroe; and a Sept. 9, 2028, LSU adding Tulane back to its contest with Southern.

Coach Lane Kiffin has made it football schedule is a big deal.

But what week the Tigers will known he doesn’t love playing play the Green Wave in 2030 is an marquee opponents, such as a

BY JON BLAU

both a momentum and perception standpoint.

In this playoff era, a bad start can be the difference between making or missing the College Football Playoff field, which was a point of discussion for Kiffin on the Pardon My Take podcast in May.

the LSU job.

“We didn’t play in any of them big openers,” Kiffin said. “This place (LSU) in a four-year span lost three of four openers. ‘Yeah, that’s so great (to play a big game),’ whatever. But you don’t get rewarded for it because it’s not

head coach with consecutive Week 1 losses to Florida State in New Orleans and Orlando, Florida, respectively.

After an opening-game loss to Southern Cal in Las Vegas in 2024,

ä See LSU, page 4C

BRITISH OPEN

RIVALRIES HEAT UP

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PETER MORRISON

Former LSU golfer Sam Burns acknowledges the crowd after holing out from a bunker on the 18th green during the second day of the British Open on Friday in Southport, England. Burns finished with a majors-record 62.

Excellence and drama PHOTO By PARKER WATERS/SUN BELT CONFERENCE

Southern Miss first-year coach Blake Anderson, right, is interviewed during Sun Belt media days on Thursday in New Orleans.

Anderson carries his heated rivalry for UL from his Arkansas State days to Hattiesburg, Miss.

Addition of Louisiana Tech, familiar coaches gives Sun Belt extra spice

F

or the most part, Sun Belt media days on Wednesday and Thursday in New Orleans equated to a giant guessing game.

But when the West teams were spotlighted on Day Two, there were a few old-school storylines that were quite refreshing.

Since Sun Belt football began, the missing element for many of the schools has been rivalries that create must-win matchups regardless of the teams’ records. Most league matchups are more like two ships passing in the night.

Enter Louisiana Tech in the Sun Belt in football for the first time.

And there was a familiar face in former Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson wearing the black and golf of South-

Kevin Foote ern Mississippi. He is very aware of the history in the region.

For the first time in more than two decades, UL-Monroe will play Louisiana Tech in football.

“We can’t wait,” UL-Monroe coach Bryant Vincent said of the Oct. 17 showdown in Monroe. “This game has to be played. That is going to be first class and

a charge that’s going to be needed.”

What better way to bring energy back to a program than to play its most historic rival as a conference game. Even a UL fan who doesn’t like either program should be able to appreciate how cool that matchup will be in 2026. The old Gulf States Conference matchup just feels right.

The UL-Southern Miss rivalry is heating up and now the Cajuns can start playing Louisiana Tech again as well.

Regional rivalries just make sports more fun.

“Oh yeah, we didn’t like UL,” Anderson said of his days at Arkansas State.

“We hated the Cajuns. That made those

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

ä See BRITISH, page 3C

That is a theory at this point. A lot of things can go wrong, as recent seasons have proven. But on paper, this is the best offensive line the Saints have put on the field since Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk lined up at tackle.

Staff writer

The progress has been slow and it has not gone without some bumps in the road, but through the draft and free agency, the Saints have assembled an offensive line that should serve as the bedrock of a successful offense.

It is bookended by two tackles taken in the top 15 of back-to-back drafts in Kelvin Banks on the left and Taliese Fuaga on the right. It is led by Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy, who is hopeful he can put his injury woes from the last two seasons behind him. And it may be taken to the next level by pricey free agent acquisition David Edwards, who boasted an impressive 95% pass-block win rate last season, according to ESPN.

Number to know: 742

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Saints Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy is hoping for a healthy season after battling injuries the past two years.

For a team that has been searching for an offensive identity for quite some time, a strong offensive line can help right that ship. Just by virtue of their personnel at the point of attack, the Saints should hold up in both the run and passing game, allowing them to dictate the game to the defense.

AP golf writer

That is the number of combined offensive snaps McCoy has played the last two seasons — fewer than any one of his first five seasons.

The two injuries that ended McCoy’s last two seasons — an elbow in 2024 and a torn biceps in 2025 — were somewhat freak occurrences. McCoy recently said the action that caused him to tear his biceps last year was something that he’d done countless times before.

It doesn’t change the fact the Saints need McCoy to stay on the field, because there is no question the offense functions at a

ä See FOOTE, page 3C

Saints have protection plan in place

BY LUKE JOHNSON

BY DOUG FERGUSON SOUTHPORT, England — The British Open came to life Friday when Lucas Herbert and former LSU golfer Sam Burns took their place in history by tying the major championship record with 62s, and Bryson DeChambeau LEADERBOARD was penalized two shots after Second round his round for -8 (132) inadvertently Lucas Herbert 70-62 improving -6 (134) the path of his swing.

Ryan Gerard 67-67 In the midst Jackson Suber 65-69 of all the late Cameron young 67-67 drama was Jon -5 (135) Rahm getting 73-62 an official con- Sam Burns duct warning Bry. DeChambeau 67-68 for throwing Si Woo Kim 68-67 his club after a bad tee shot.

The r e a l ä ON TV: 5 A.M.-7 A.M. USA; emotion came 7 A.M.-3 P.M. NBC in the twilight hours with no spectators around as DeChambeau stood in high grass on the fifth hole with two rules officials, pleading his case and ultimately losing the argument. His 4-under 66 became a 68, and he went from one shot behind Herbert to three behind. And then he went to the range until the only light came from the video boards.

DeChambeau has turned down media at the majors dating to his missed cut at the Masters in April.

Herbert, who was at 8-under 132, was slightly disappointed with his record-tying round because he missed a 5-foot par putt that would have given him a 61.

“Very, very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship. So it’s kind of holding two emotions there at the same time,” Herbert said. “It’s a pretty good problem to have, too, to be disappointed you shot 62.”

Burns didn’t even know he tied a record when he holed a bunker shot on the 18th for his third straight birdie, just 22

SAINTS PREVIEW OFFENSIVE LINE

N.O. hopes with a little luck, it will have best O-line in years

Burns, Herbert shoot majors-record round; DeChambeau penalized

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Smith-Njigba cream of WRs

BY ROB MAADDI

selection after leading the NFL with 129 catches for 1,715 yards and 10 TDs. Nacua has averaged 104 catches, 1,397 yards receiving and six TDs over his three seasons in the NFL, giving Matthew Stafford a top target and the Rams an elite passing attack.

Associated Press

Jaxon Smith-Njigba won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award and the Super Bowl last season before the Seattle Seahawks gave him the biggest contract for a wide receiver in NFL history.

No surprise he was voted the NFL’s top wideout by The Associated Press in a preseason survey.

Smith-Njigba received four first-place votes, three thirds and a fourth from a panel of eight AP pro football writers, who ranked the top five receivers entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Secondthrough fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

4. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By BEN VANHOUTEN

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs with the ball during the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 25 in Seattle.

Pro selection, had nine 100-yard receiving games during the reguThe 24-year-old set a team re- lar season and was a key to Seattle cord for yards receiving (1,793) winning its second Super Bowl in and receptions (119) last season. franchise history.

He received a four-year, $168.6 million extension that averages 2. Ja’Marr Chase, $42.15 million annually and in- Cincinnati Bengals cludes over $120 million in guaranteed money.

Chase, a unanimous All-Pro Smith-Njigba, a unanimous All- selection in 2024, tied Justin Jef-

ferson for first place in voting last year in this survey.

He had 125 receptions, 1,412 yards receiving and eight touchdowns last season after earning the receiving triple crown in 2024.

3. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams Nacua was a unanimous All-Pro

In a down season, Jefferson had 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two TDs while catching passes from three different Vikings quarterbacks.

The two-time All-Pro has averaged 97 catches, 1,413 yards and seven TDs over his six seasons in the NFL.

5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions St. Brown was a second-team All-Pro after earning first-team honors the previous two seasons.

He had 117 receptions, 1,401 yards receiving and 11 TDs last season for the Lions. St. Brown has four straight seasons of more than 100 receptions and more than 1,100 yards receiving.

Arizona TE McBride RB Robinson meets hype continues to shine

BY JOSH DUBOW

Henry has topped 1,500 yards rushing in each of the past two seasons after turning 30, with his The expectations for Bijan five 1,500-yard seasons tied with Robinson were high as soon as Lions legend Barry Sanders for he entered the NFL in 2023 as the most ever.

Henry ranked second in the the first running back taken with NFL last season with 1,595 yards a top-10 pick in five years.

Robinson made an impact al- rushing and is 10th all-time with most from the start with the At- 13,018 yards. lanta Falcons and then took his game to another level last season 4. Saquon Barkley, when he led the NFL in yards Philadelphia Eagles from scrimmage and was picked as the All-Pro running back.

Barkley took a step back from That production helped Robin- his record-setting 2024 season son win the honor of being named when his 2,504 yards rushing in the top running back in the league the regular season and playoffs were the most ever as Philadelby The Associated Press. phia’s offense was less potent last 1. Bijan Robinson, season. He still managed to rush for 1,140 yards and scored nine Atlanta Falcons total touchdowns.

Robinson, the eighth pick in 2023, is one of the top dual-threat 5. Jahmyr Gibbs, backs in the league, finishing Detroit Lions fourth in the league in rushing last season with 1,478 yards to go Gibbs has been a scoring maalong with 820 yards receiving. chine since entering the league He became the second player with Robinson in 2023, when he ever with at least 1,400 yards was picked four spots later at No. rushing and 800 yards receiving 12 overall. Gibbs’ 49 career TDs in the same season, joining Ste- are the most ever for a player beven Jackson, who did it in 2006. fore turning 24, topping the preRobinson led the NFL with 2,298 vious mark of 47 set by Sanders. yards and scored 11 touchds.

Associated Press

BY ROB MAADDI

Associated Press

Trey McBride was the bright spot last season for a dismal team in Arizona.

He was the most productive tight end in the NFL, a near-unanimous All-Pro selection and made his second straight Pro Bowl.

McBride’s success has also landed him the top spot at tight end in a preseason survey by The Associated Press. He received five first-place votes from a panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers who ranked the top five players at the position.

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

AP FILE PHOTO By JOSHUA A. BICKEL

Cardinals tight end Trey McBride catches a touchdown pass in the McBride had a breakout year in end zone against the Bengals on 2024 and followed that up with a Dec. 28 in Cincinnati. record-setting season in 2025.

He caught 126 passes last season, breaking Zach Ertz’s record dynamic receiver, Bowers is still for most in a season by a tight a work in progress as a blocker. end, had 1,239 receiving yards, and his 11 receiving touchdowns 4. Sam LaPorta, tied for first. McBride also led Detroit Lions tight ends with 566 yards after the catch.

LaPorta was limited to nine games because of injuries last 2. George Kittle, season and had 40 catches for 489 yards and three TDs. San Francisco 49ers He wasn’t charged with any Kittle had 57 receptions for drops and totaled 273 yards after 628 receiving yards and seven the catch. LaPorta is one of the touchdowns in only 11 games last best all-around tight ends in the season, averaging 11.0 yards per league and an asset in Detroit’s reception. He had just two drops run game because of his outstandand 259 yards after the catch. ing blocking skills.

The seven-time Pro Bowl pick and two-time All-Pro is one of the 5. Kyle Pitts, best blocking tight ends in NFL Atlanta Falcons history.

Pitts earned second-team All3. Brock Bowers, Pro honors after a career-high 88 catches for 928 yards and five Las Vegas Raiders TDs last season.

Pitts, who was the highestAfter a sensational All-Pro rookie season, Bowers was plagued by drafted tight end in NFL history injuries last year. He caught 64 in 2021 when the Falcons selectpasses for 680 yards and seven ed him No. 4 overall, lived up to TDs in 12 games and made his expectations as a rookie when second Pro Bowl. he made the Pro Bowl. But he Bowers gained 296 yards after was disappointing until a breakthe catch, and had three drops. A through season last year.

2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

One of LSU baseball’s freshman signees will no longer begin his collegiate career in Baton Rouge.

Anthony Murphy, a power-hitting California centerfielder who was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 16th round of the 2026 MLB Draft, said in a social media post Friday that he had “decided to decommit” from LSU and “reopen my recruitment.”

“Being committed to LSU has been an incredible honor,” Murphy said, “and I’ll always be thankful for the relationships I’ve built and the support I’ve received.

“This decision was not made lightly and is in no way a reflection of LSU, its coaches or the program. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for everything they’ve done for me.”

Had Murphy decided to join the Tigers, he would’ve faced a roster crunch. LSU was projected to have more than 40 players on its 2027 roster before Friday and a likely competition for the starting centerfield spot.

NFL suspends Cardinals executive over gambling

The NFL has suspended Arizona Cardinals personnel executive Ryan Gold indefinitely for violating the league’s gambling policy.

The league said Friday that its investigation determined that Gold provided confidential, nonpublic inside information regarding 2026 draft selections by the Cardinals before the picks were announced, and Gold also participated in parlay bets on NFL and college games. The league didn’t say who Gold had provided with the information.

Gold, who is in his 13th season with the Cardinals, was promoted to director of college scouting in June 2025. He spent 2022-24 as the assistant director of college scouting.

Titans to honor Johnson as Ring of Honor inductee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will induct Chris Johnson, the sixth man in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season, into their Ring of Honor during halftime of their regular-season opener Sept. 13.

The Titans announced the honor Friday following Johnson’s revelation June 29 that he was diagnosed with ALS, the fatal nervous system disease a year earlier.

Johnson was the 24th pick overall in 2008 by the Titans and played six of his 10 seasons in the NFL with Tennessee. Johnson, nicknamed “CJ2K,” rushed for 7,965 yards and had 58 total TDs in that span.

MLB restricts dugout iPad usage to prevent use of AI

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is restricting iPad usage in dugouts to prevent the tablets from running artificial intelligence to help make decisions.

The tablets have access to video and league-provided data, and also included a custom tab where teams could access other programs. MLB made the custom tabs inaccessible to teams starting Wednesday night, when the second half of the season started.

“In many cases, the custom tab had expanded the use of the dugout iPads beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other ingame decisions traditionally made by players and coaches,” MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword wrote in a June 11 memo to GMs, assistant GMs and video coordinators.

Ohtani likely to pitch next week after knee treatment

McCaffrey has established himself as the most dangerous receiving threat out of the backfield and is a focal point of Kyle Shanahan’s passing game in San Francisco.

McCaffrey wasn’t the explosive runner last season as he had been earlier in his career, rushing for 1,202 yards and averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. He more than made up for that with 102 catches for 924 yards as he nearly became the first player ever with two seasons with at least 1,000 yards rushing and receiving.

3. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

LSU loses freshman signee chosen late in MLB draft

AP FILE PHOTO By BRyNN ANDERSON

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson celebrates his People have been waiting for touchdown reception against the Henry to shows signs of decline as he reached his 30s, but it hasn’t Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 29 in Atlanta. been evident yet.

NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani had a lubricant injected into his left knee, but the Dodgers two-way star did not have fluid drained, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Ohtani was in the starting lineup leading off as the designated hitter in Friday’s second-half opener against the New York Yankees.

The four-time MVP is not slated to pitch this weekend and likely will make his next start Wednesday at Philadelphia. Roberts said Ohtani had the procedure after Sunday’s game against Arizona. Ohtani last pitched on July 3.

“It gives him some relief in his knee ... and then the four days off from activity, which gets it all to kind of settle in,” Roberts said.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● 3C

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SAINTS

Continued from page 1C higher level when he is playing.

The lowdown

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PETER MORRISON

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks at the lie of his putt on the fourth green during the second day of the British Open on Friday at Royal Birkdale golf club in Southport, England.

McIlroy makes weekend with sizable gap to close

BY STEVE DOUGLAS

AP sportswriter

SOUTHPORT, England — Rory McIlroy has done enough to make it to the weekend at Royal Birkdale.

He’ll have to do much, much more to lift the claret jug.

The world No. 2 bounced back with a 3-under 67 in the second round at the British Open on Friday, ensuring he would the cut with his score of 1-under par overall. But he sits seven shots back of leader Lucas Herbert while sitting in a tie for 38th.

McIlroy knew he’d left a few shots out there, though, especially when he saw that two other morning starters — Herbert and former LSU golfer Sam Burns — tied the major championship record with rounds of 62 in gorgeous conditions.

“It was a little better today,”

BRITISH

Continued from page 1C minutes after Herbert shot his 62.

But there was no mistaking the frustration of DeChambeau, who tends to draw attention no matter what he does. He has been more visible on his successful YouTube channel than in the majors, particularly having missed the cut in all three of them until this week.

Six-time major champion Nick Faldo criticized him for having no strategy for links golf, and DeChambeau responded by working his way into contention with plenty of power.

DeChambeau was hand-slapping with the gallery after he made a 12foot birdie putt on the 18th to get within one shot of Herbert going into the weekend. That changed when officials asked him to review his shot from the fifth hole.

DeChambeau asked to be taken to the scene of the infraction, in thick, high grass to the right of the 321-yard hole. TV cameras picked him up arguing with Grant Moir, the R&A executive director of governance, and Mark Luiten, a chief referee from the European tour.

He drove well to the right and was stomping around as he tried to figure out how to navigate a shot 72 yards from the hole. At issue was whether he violated Rule 8 that governs the intended swing.

Officials eventually deemed a section of grass behind the ball was tamped down by his movement, which might have affected his backswing on the shot.

“A player is allowed to fairly take their stance by taking reasonable actions to get to the ball and take a stance, if in some situations that improves the condition affecting the stroke,” Moir said. “But when doing so, the player must take the least intrusive course of action to deal with the particular situation and is not entitled to a normal stance or swing.”

He said the rule applies even when there is no intention to improve the area.

Even more drama followed when DeChambeau stormed off to the range. His agent, Brett Falkoff, was asked if the two-time U.S. Open champion would play on Saturday and replied, “We’ll see.”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” the agent said.

Herbert was long gone when all this was taking place, with mixed

McIlroy said, “but still didn’t feel 100% comfortable. Hopefully try to figure that out as the week goes on.”

He might have figured it out too late.

While McIlroy is seven shots off the clubhouse lead held by Herbert, more relevant might be No. 4-ranked Cameron Young being at 6 under. Other players such as top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are also well ahead of the backto-back Masters champion on the leaderboard.

McIlroy, who won the British Open just down the road in Hoylake in 2014, struggled on the greens in shooting 72 on Thursday and said he still hasn’t figured them out.

“I felt like I hit good putts and they did something completely different to what I saw in the read,

and I think that’s a little unnerving,” he said.

McIlroy was happy with his driving. He drove the green on the par4 ninth hole with a 377-yard tee shot that settled 11 feet from the pin, setting up the third of his four birdies on Friday.

Yet, for all his excellence off of the tee, he has made only one birdie on the par 5s this week.

McIlroy hopes the conditions allow him to be aggressive off of the tee over the weekend. It might be his only hope of a victory.

“I think any time I can get a driver in my hand, I’m going to try to,” he said. “I just feel like with how I’m feeling with the driver, I think it’s a big advantage if I can get the ball down there and take out some of these fairway bunkers. “l continue to do that when I can, and then I’m still trying to figure out these greens a little bit.”

The question of how good the offensive line can be likely will come down to the development of the young offensive tackles.

New Orleans used the No. 9 overall pick in 2025 on Banks to be their left tackle of the future.

He took over that position from Fuaga, who slid over to the right side after his impressive rookie season as the No. 14 pick in the 2024 draft.

Banks appears to be a home run pick for the Saints. He played nearly every offensive snap in 2025 and improved as the season went along, cutting his quick pressure rate from over 5% in the first half of the season to less than 2% in the second half.

Fuaga appeared to be on that same track after his rookie season. But after switching to the right side — the side he played at Oregon State — Fuaga’s play fell off a bit in 2025 as he managed an injury throughout the season.

If a healthy Fuaga can rediscover his form and Banks takes another step forward, the Saints could have one of the NFL’s best young offensive tackle tandems.

That does not even include what happened along the interior. Edwards was one of the best available free agents at any position this offseason, and the Saints snapped him up for $61 million over four years.

The veteran has drawn rave reviews for quickly settling into a leadership role for the Saints, and he fills a crucial need — left guard was a bit of a black hole a year ago.

That leaves veteran Cesar Ruiz, the Saints’ 2020 first-rounder. He is coming off a disappointing 2025 season but has shown at times in his career that he can play at an above average level. He has two years remaining on his contract but no guarantees after this year, and the Saints added a little pressure on him by selecting Jeremiah Wright out of Auburn in the fourth round.

While Ruiz likely isn’t going to share starters’ reps with Wright during training camp, the stakes are relatively high for him to prove he should still be the right guard beyond 2026.

SAINTS DEPTH CHART Name Ht. LEFT TACKLE Kelvin Banks 6-5 Asim Richards 6-4 Alan Herron 6-3 LEFT GUARD David Edwards 6-6 Dillon Radunz 6-6 Easton Kilty 6-6 CENTER Erik McCoy 6-4 Torricelli Simpkins 6-5 William Sherman 6-4 RIGHT GUARD Cesar Ruiz 6-4 Jeremiah Wright 6-5 Xavier Truss 6-7 RIGHT TACKLE Taliese Fuaga 6-6 Barry Wesley 6-7 Alex Wollschlaeger 6-7

Wt. Exp. 315 307 308

2 4 R

308 301 307

8 6 2

303 312 300

8 2 2

316 331 320

7 R 2

324 310 310

3 2 R

Potential camp battle The Saints were able to navigate McCoy’s injury to a degree last season because they traded for Luke Fortner, who wound up starting the final 10 games and playing well enough to earn a $2.75 million contract from the Carolina Panthers in the offseason.

That leaves relatively untested young players such as Torricelli Simpkins and William Sherman to compete for the primary spot behind McCoy. Both started a pair of games at guard while New Orleans endured a rash of injuries on the interior of the offensive line last season.

Simpkins is the younger of the two, entering his true second season in the NFL. Sherman was drafted in 2021 but spent several seasons on practice squads before returning to a game day roster last season. This summer, Simpkins took snaps with the second team, though that is hardly an indication of where things will land in September.

One thing to keep in mind: Ruiz is listed as a G/C on the team’s website (as is McCoy) and was primarily a center in college. The Saints didn’t want to shift him inside after McCoy’s injury last season because they felt it would make them worse at two positions, but perhaps that mindset would change if New Orleans feels confident about Wright.

PLAYERS SHOOTING 62 IN MAJORS Players with a 62 in men’s major championships with round, year and course (par) U.S. OPEN n Rickie Fowler, first, 2023, Los Angeles Country Club (70) n Xander Schauffele, first, 2023, Los Angeles Country Club (70) PGA CHAMPIONSHIP n x-Xander Schauffele, first, 2024, Valhalla (71)

n Shane Lowry, third, 2024, Valhalla (71) BRITISH OPEN n Branden Grace, third, 2017, Royal Birkdale (70) n Lucas Herbert, second, 2026, Royal Birkdale (70) n Sam Burns, second, 2026, Royal Birkdale (70) The Associated Press

“Very, very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship. So it’s kind of holding two emotions there at the same time. It’s a pretty good problem to have, too, to be disappointed you shot 62.”

LUCAS HERBERT, British Open leader emotions about a short miss on the final hole but proud to become the sixth person to shoot 62 in a major. And then Burns made it seven with his astonishing finish — a 40foot birdie putt from off the green at the 16th, a 20-foot birdie on the 17th and the first birdie of the day on the 18th with his bunker shot.

Still steaming from a bogey-bogey-bogey finish on Thursday for a 3-over 73, Burns’ goal was to get back under par and keep his hopes alive in the championship.

“The finish there the last three holes was just a bonus,” Burns said of his round Friday.

Burns wasn’t even supposed to be at the British Open. His wife was due with their second child this week, but when she had a daughter earlier than expected on July 3, Burns decided to cross the Atlantic for another shot at a major. He was runner-up by one shot in the U.S. Open.

When the dust finally settled on the brown-baked links of Royal Birkdale, the only clarity was Herbert having his first 36-hole lead in a major. And golf’s oldest championship, which rarely lacks for drama, had almost more than it could handle.

Reigning champion Scottie Scheffler couldn’t buy a putt until a 12-footer for par on the final hole gave him a 68 and left him only four shots behind.

“All you can do is continue to give myself opportunities,” Scheffler said. “I was hitting some good putts as well, the balls just weren’t

dropping. If I continue to strike it like I did today and yesterday over the next couple days, I’ll be in a good spot.”

Jackson Suber (69) and Ryan Gerard (67), a pair of newcomers to links golf, were tied for second with Cameron Young, who has powerfully put together a pair of 67s as he looks more like the player who dominated the spring.

Rahm, who missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the final hole and shot 67, was very much in the mix just four shots behind and not about to change his intensity, even though another conduct violation would be a two-shot penalty.

“It’s not like I’m going to ... if I try to alter who I am too much, it might cost me a little bit on the course,” Rahm said. “But certainly shouldn’t have moments like the one on 15. I get it.”

Sixteen players were separated by four shots going into the weekend, which includes hometown star Tommy Fleetwood, who had three birdies over the last five holes for a 67.

The cut was at 1-over 141 and a few of England’s best hopes won’t be around — Matt Fitzpatrick, the No. 3 player in the world, and Justin Rose at No. 10.

Herbert, who has won on five tours around the world and most recently on LIV Golf, made the cut for only the 10th time in 18 majors.

He made it look easy until the final hole, and now his thoughts shift from having his name in the record book to his name on the claret jug.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints tackles Dillon Radunz, second from left, and Kelvin Banks, right, line up against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 14 in the Caesars Superdome.

FOOTE

Continued from page 1C games so much fun.

“Now I’m at Southern Miss and we hate UL, too. It’s not personal. I get along fine with the coaches off the field, but on the field, you hate those guys and they hate us.”

Imagine being a seasoned Louisiana Tech fan. The Bulldogs have spent this entire century with strangers who have never heard of Billy Ryckman or Bobby Ray Tell.

The Bulldogs abandoned the fun of regional rivalries to join the WAC from 2001-12, before getting a little closer to home in Conference USA from 2013-25.

In his fifth season, Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie has heard all of the stories about his program’s old rivals.

“Whenever I’ve traveled around and we’re playing an old state rival, it’s ‘you better win this game,’ “ Cumbie said with a laugh. “When we play ULM, the environment is going to be electric. The fans are going to be very excited about it.”

For the team, it means less travel. For the fans, it means the ability to travel to games as families can create memories that simply don’t happen against league members five states away.

“I’ve heard it 100 times from our fan base about getting to travel to Hattiesburg to face Southern Miss or going to Lafayette to create memories as a

fan,” Cumbie said.

The fun generated by these renewed rivalries is only part of the motivation that keeps Anderson going as he starts from scratch at Southern Miss. He’s only 57 years old, but few have endured what Anderson has overcome to stay in the game.

During his stint at Arkansas State, his first wife died of cancer in 2019. Then one of his two sons died tragically in 2022 at 21 years old while Anderson was coaching at Utah State.

“Losing a spouse, and a child, and a brother, and a father in a five-year period, it changes you,” Anderson said. “I’ll never be the same again. I don’t know how I would have gone through that without Christ. God has put me around so many amazing people — all the staff and players. Those guys lift me up.”

While most of the conferences in the country are now spread far and wide, the Sun Belt continues to narrow its focus.

Getting to see new James Madison coach Billy Napier for the first time in four years on Wednesday also makes the league seem more familiar.

More Sun Belt games will matter now, beyond the ramifications on the league standings.

Future trips to Ruston, Monroe or Hattiesburg will offer grandfathers enough time to relay stories of great games from decades ago to their grandkids as new memories are created.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

4C ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Photo portended generational clash at World Cup years later Messi held baby yamal in now iconic pictures

BY JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain — Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub. Not until the remarkable twist of fate became clear years later, when that infant blossomed into Lamine Yamal.

Now those images of the longhaired Messi, his hands covered in soap suds as if anointing Yamal as soccer’s Next Big Thing, have become the most talked about — and gawked about — in the run-up to Sunday’s World Cup final, when Messi’s Argentina will play Yamal’s Spain for the biggest trophy in the sport.

“I have never been a believer or thought that anything was destined to occur, but I am beginning to have my doubts. This is beyond all reasonable explanations,” Monfort told The Associated Press from his home in Barcelona on Friday.

Monfort, who works as a freelance photojournalist for the AP, took the photos in 2007 as part of a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF. Luck dictated that Yamal’s mother, who appears in the calendar photo, won a raffle of families in the city of Mataró, near Barcelona, who wanted to participate. Soccer destiny then deemed that her baby boy, who would become a star for Barcelona some 15 years later, was paired up with the Argentine who would become one of the greatest of all time.

A tearful Messi left Barcelona in 2021 when the club was in financial trouble. Yamal erupted at the club two years later. The journey is now complete, from bathtub to World Cup final, where the 19-year-old Yamal will face a Messi who is 20

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOAN MONFORT

Soccer star Lionel Messi, then 20, cradles Lamine yamal, who was 6 months old, during a photo session in September 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain. ä Spain vs. Argentina.

2 P.M. SUNDAy, FOX

years his senior.

Monfort had no recollection of the photos until Yamal’s father posted one on social media during the 2024 European Championship, when a teenage Yamal was enjoying his international breakout and led Spain to the title.

The photo went viral then. But now, with the World Cup final looming, Monfort said, interest in his photos has skyrocketed.

“This has exploded all over the world, and the fact that the final is in the U.S. has given it the extra push,” Monfort said. “And now this has culminated with the final between Messi and Yamal. It is better than any film script.”

Monfort said he has been bombarded by queries for the photos by professional media outlets, while also seeing his images reproduced countless times on social media and the internet without any credit or compensation.

Yamal’s Spain teammate Mikel Merino had the same reaction as most people who see the photos.

“The first time I saw it, I thought

it was AI and that it wasn’t even real,” Merino said Friday. “It’s unbelievable that two of the best players to have played the game — and hopefully Lamine, in the future, will be one of those — share a picture like that. Hopefully we’re going to see a very bright final with those two protagonists at their best, playing and giving all the fans a great spectacle.”

Like many Barcelona fans, Monfort’s loyalty is split. It is common to see children wearing both Yamal’s Barcelona and Spain shirts, as well as any Messi shirt, whether from his Barcelona years or Argentina or his current club, Inter Miami, on the city’s streets.

Monfort, 58, is considering traveling to see the final in New Jersey, but whether he watches it in person or at home, he said he will have trouble cheering for one team or the other.

“My heart is split. I don’t know if I want Messi or Yamal to win,” said Monfort, a lifelong Barcelona supporter. “I have an everlasting love for the best player of all time (Messi). Yamal has broken the mold here.

“Maybe they can both win. I wouldn’t rule it out after everything we have seen.”

LSU

2009, contest in Tiger Stadium, which the Tigers won 42-0.

LSU’s only other game against Southern came in 2022 for a 6517 victory. LSU last faced Northwestern State in 2019 and prevailed 65-14.

UL-Monroe is a program LSU has faced four times. The Tigers have won all four games in the series, though its 2014 win was vacated because of a booster scandal.

Officially, LSU is a combined 16-0 vs. Northwestern State, ULMonroe and Southern.

LSU holds a combined record of 69-22-7 vs. Tulane, but the Tigers have won 18 straight and haven’t lost since 1982. Of Tulane’s 22 wins over LSU, 18 came prior to 1950.

LSU will open 2027 with Northwestern State, Houston and Texas-San Antonio before launching into a nine-game conference slate. The 2028 campaign will open with UL-Monroe, SMU and Southern.

In 2029, the Tigers are slated to make a return trip to SMU before hosting Rice and McNeese State in Tiger Stadium.

LSU currently has a home-andhome series scheduled with Utah in 2031-32, as well.

Continued from page 1C

Kelly finally won an opener at Clemson last season. Now LSU has to complete the home-andhome series against Clemson with a Sept. 5 contest in Baton Rouge, which will be Kiffin’s debut.

Kiffin doesn’t want to play a tough nonconference slate when he doesn’t believe other leagues are doing the same. He argues the Big Ten, home to the last three national champions, isn’t as deep as the SEC and those teams don’t have as many games to “get up for” on their schedule each year.

“That schedule, where half your games you don’t have to get up for, it’s a mental toll that you gotta play when you have to get up for (it),” Kiffin said on Pardon My Take.

Kiffin would much rather open with a school from a non-Power Four conference, and American Conference member Tulane fits the bill. Tulane also happens to be the team LSU played in its first football game ever in 1893, which Tulane won 34-0.

That’s not to say the Green Wave has become pushovers, because it made the playoff under now-Florida coach Jon Sumrall last season. But the last time LSU Email Jon BLau at jon.blau@ played Tulane was an Oct. 31, theadvocate.com

FILE PHOTO By KATHy ANDERSON

LSU coach Lane Kiffin rides in the Endymion parade on Orleans Avenue on Feb. 14 in New Orleans.

SCOREBOARD Odds Sports Betting Line MLB LINE -104 -100 -101 +156 LINE -104 +138 -101 +110 LINE +104 +125 -105 OFF +104 +111 -110 +105

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

W 14 14 13 12 10 8 6

L 10 10 11 11 14 16 18

Pct GB .583 — .583 — .542 1 .522 1½ .417 4 .333 6 .250 8

Minnesota Golden State Las Vegas Dallas Portland Los Angeles Phoenix Seattle

W 19 18 17 16 11 10 8 6

L 6 7 7 8 14 13 17 20

Pct GB .760 — .720 1 .708 1½ .667 2½ .440 8 .435 8 .320 11 .23113½

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Thursday’s Games

Portland 75, Washington 56 New York at Dallas, ppd

Friday’s Games

Atlanta at Toronto, n Los Angeles at Chicago, n Seattle at Indiana, n Connecticut at Phoenix, n

46 45 49 52 59

.526 .526 .495 .458 .392

— — 3 6½ 13

Texas Seattle Houston Athletics Los Angeles

W 49 48 47 41 38

L 47 49 51 55 59

Pct .510 .495 .480 .427 .392

GB — 1½ 3 8 11½

Thursday’s Games Friday’s Games

New York at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Portland at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Washington at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.

SEMIFINAL Tuesday

Spain 2, France 0

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 55 54 52 48 41

L 40 44 45 49 57

Pct .579 .551 .536 .495 .418

GB — 2½ 4 8 15½

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 59 54 50 50 43

L 37 42 45 47 52

Pct .615 .563 .526 .515 .453

GB — 5 8½ 9½ 15½

Pct .629 .510 .500 .427 .398

GB — 11½ 12½ 19½ 22½

W 61 49 48 41 39

L 36 47 48 55 59

Friday’s Games

3RD PLACE PLAYOFF Saturday

L.A. Dodgers at N.Y. Yankees,n Pittsburgh at Cleveland, n Texas at Atlanta, n Miami at Milwaukee, n Minnesota at Chicago Cubs, n San Diego at Kansas City, n Cincinnati at Colorado, n St. Louis at Arizona, n Washington at Athletics, n San Francisco at Seattle, n

France vs. England, 4 p.m.

FINAL Sunday

Spain vs. Argentina, 2 p.m.

Major League Baseball

Saturday’s Games

American League W 56 54 46 46 45

L 38 42 48 51 51

Pct .596 .563 .489 .474 .469

GB — 3 10 11½ 12

W

L

Pct

GB

Quarterfinals Raphael Collignon (7), Belgium, def. Valentin Vacherot (3), Monaco, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-5.

Juan Manuel Cerundolo (6), Argentina, def.

Casper Ruud (2), Norway, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Aleksandr Shevchenko, Russia, def. Quentin Halys, France, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece, def. Arthur Rinderknech (4), France, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Men’s Doubles

Quarterfinals Sander Gille, Belgium, and Sem Verbeek, Netherlands, def. Dominic Stricker and Dylan Dietrich, Switzerland, 5-7, 6-3, 10-5.

Jakub Paul, Switzerland, and Ryan Seggerman, United States, def. Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Quentin Halys (3), France, 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.

Croatia Open Umag Results Friday

At ITC Stella Maris Umag, Croatia Surface: Red clay Results Friday from Croatia Open Umag at ITC Stella Maris (seedings in parentheses):

Men’s Singles

N.Y. Mets 4, Philadelphia 1

Argentina 2, England 1

Central Division

Men’s Singles

National League

Thursday’s Games

Wednesday

At Roy Emerson Arena Gstaad, Switzerland Purse: €612,620 Surface: Red clay Results Friday from Swiss Open at Roy Emerson Arena (seedings in parentheses):

Saturday’s Games

Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

Men’s World Cup

Friday

Minnesota (Bradley 9-3) at Chicago Cubs (Boyd 5-1), 1:20 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Martin 9-4) at Toronto (Bieber 0-1), 2:07 p.m.

Baltimore (Rogers 6-7) at Houston (Arrighetti 7-5), 3:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Ashcraft 9-3) at Cleveland (Cantillo 8-4), 3:10 p.m.

San Diego (Canning 1-7) at Kansas City (TBD), 3:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Seymour 6-2) at Boston (Sandoval 0-0), 3:10 p.m.

Texas (Gore 5-8) at Atlanta (Murphy 0-1), 3:10 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Sheehan 4-6) at N.Y. Yankees (Weathers 3-7), 7:08 p.m.

San Francisco (Webb 5-7) at Seattle (Woo 7-6), 7:08 p.m.

Washington (Littell 7-6) at Athletics (Ginn 7-6), 9:05 p.m.

Detroit (Skubal 5-5) at L.A. Angels (Rodriguez 3-2), 9:07 p.m.

West Division

Soccer

Swiss Open Results

Boston 10, Tampa Bay 0 1st game L.A. Dodgers at N.Y. Yankees, n Pittsburgh at Cleveland, n Tampa Bay at Boston, n, 2nd game Chicago White Sox at Toronto, n Texas at Atlanta, n Minnesota at Chicago Cubs, n Baltimore at Houston, n San Diego at Kansas City, n Detroit at L.A. Angels, n Washington at Athletics, n San Francisco at Seattle, n

East Division

San Diego (Canning 1-7) at Kansas City (TBD), 3:10 p.m.

St. Louis (May 5-6) at Arizona (Pfaadt 3-1), 3:10 p.m.

Texas (Gore 5-8) at Atlanta (Murphy 0-1), 3:10 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Sheehan 4-6) at N.Y. Yankees (Weathers 3-7), 7:08 p.m.

San Francisco (Webb 5-7) at Seattle (Woo 7-6), 7:08 p.m.

Washington (Littell 7-6) at Athletics (Ginn 7-6), 9:05 p.m.

Tennis

No games scheduled

Central Division

Saturday’s Games

Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto

51 50 48 44 38

West Division

Saturday

American League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG Chicago White Sox-118 at TORONTO Tampa Bay -121 at BOSTON Baltimore -121 at HOUSTON Detroit -192 at LA ANGELS National League FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG Cincinnati -112 at COLORADO at PHILA -168 N.Y Mets St. Louis -121 at ARIZONA at MILWAUKEE -135 Miami Interleague FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG Pittsburgh -122 at CLEVELAND at CHI CUBS -154 Minnesota Texas -117 at ATLANTA San Diego OFF at KANSAS CITY Pittsburgh -122 at CLEVELAND at SEATTLE -136 San Francisco LA Dodgers -112 at N.Y YANKEES at ATHLETICS -129 Washington

East Division

Cleveland Chicago Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

Minnesota (Bradley 9-3) at Chicago Cubs (Boyd 5-1), 1:20 p.m.

Cincinnati (Lowder 3-6) at Colorado (TBD), 2:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Manaea 2-4) at Philadelphia (Luzardo 8-4), 3:05 p.m.

Miami (Meyer 9-1) at Milwaukee (Drohan 4-3), 3:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Ashcraft 9-3) at Cleveland (Cantillo 8-4), 3:10 p.m.

Semifinals Daniel Merida, Spain, def. Roman Andres Burruchaga, Argentina, 6-4, 6-2.

Men’s Doubles

Championship Adam Pavlasek and Patrik Rikl (1), Czechia, def. Marcus Willis and David Stevenson, Britain, 6-3, 4-6, 10-6.

Golf The Open Championship Friday

At Royal Birkdale Southport, United Kingdom Purse: $17.8 million Yardage: 7,223; Par: 70 Second Round Lucas Herbert, Australia 70-62—132 Ryan Gerard, United States 67-67—134 Jackson Suber, United States 65-69—134 Cameron Young, United States 67-67—134 Sam Burns, United States 73-62—135 B. DeChambeu, United States 67-68—135 Si Woo Kim, South Korea 68-67—135 Bud Cauley, United States 68-68—136 Thomas Detry, Belgium 67-69—136 Alex Fitzpatrick, England 69-67—136 Tommy Fleetwood, England 69-67—136 Robert MacIntyre, Scotland 67-69—136 Francesco Molinari, Italy 67-69—136 Jon Rahm, Spain 69-67—136 S. Scheffler, United States 68-68—136 69-67—136 Matt Wallace, England Ludvig Aberg, Sweden 71-66—137 Daniel Brown, England 66-71—137 P. Coody, United States 67-70—137 Tyrrell Hatton, England 69-68—137 70-67—137 Cameron John, Australia Shane Lowry, Ireland 69-68—137 Victor Perez, France 68-69—137 J.J. Spaun, United States 70-67—137 Corey Conners, Canada 71-67—138 Nicolas Echavarria, Colombia 71-67—138 Chris Gotterup, United States 70-68—138

-8 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2

Sungjae Im, South Korea 66-72—138 John Keefer, United States 70-68—138 Collin Morikawa, United States 68-70—138 R. Neergrd-Petersn, Denmark 72-66—138 Patrick Reed, United States 72-66—138 Adam Scott, Australia 72-66—138 Jordan L. Smith, England 68-70—138 Matthew Southgate, England 69-69—138 Sepp Straka, Austria 68-70—138 M. Thorbjornsn, United States 70-68—138 J. Bridgeman, United States 70-69—139 Patrick Cantlay, United States 71-68—139 MJ Daffue, South Africa 67-72—139 H. Du Plessis, South Africa 70-69—139 Ben Griffin, United States 69-70—139 Kazuma Kobori, New Zealand 70-69—139 Hideki Matsuyama, Japan 72-67—139 Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland 72-67—139 Shaun Norris, South Africa 69-70—139 John Parry, England 71-68—139 Andy Sullivan, England 70-69—139 Jesper Svensson, Sweden 73-66—139 Nick Taylor, Canada 68-71—139 Justin Thomas, United States 70-69—139 M. Brennan, United States 72-68—140 Laurie Canter, England 69-71—140 Eric Cole, United States 76-64—140 Rickie Fowler, United States 71-69—140 Ryan Fox, New Zealand 72-68—140 Max Homa, United States 71-69—140 Casey Jarvis, South Africa 73-67—140 Kurt Kitayama, United States 69-71—140 E. Lopez-Chacarra, Spain 70-70—140 Alex Noren, Sweden 71-69—140 Marco Penge, England 72-68—140 Kristoffer Reitan, Norway 69-71—140 X. Schauffele, United States 71-69—140 Alex Smalley, United States 67-73—140 S. Theegala, United States 71-69—140 Josele Ballester, Spain 71-70—141 Keegan Bradley, United States 69-72—141 Russell Henley, United States 70-71—141 Kazuki Higa, Japan 73-68—141 Ryo Hisatsune, Japan 68-73—141 Naoyuki Kataoka, Japan 73-68—141 Brooks Koepka, United States 70-71—141 Min Woo Lee, Australia 70-71—141 Jack McDonald, Scotland 70-71—141 M. Plunkett, United States 70-71—141 Aldrich Potgieter, South Africa 69-72—141 Peter Uihlein, United States 73-68—141 James Nicholas, United States 75-WD Missed Cut Harris English, United States 73-69—142 Daniel Hillier, New Zealand 72-70—142 Nicolai Hojgaard, Denmark 72-70—142 Billy Horschel, United States 71-71—142 Mason Howell, United States 73-69—142 Jake Knapp, United States 71-71—142 Joakim Lagergren, Sweden 68-74—142 M. McCarty, United States 75-67—142 T. McKibbin, Northern Ireland 71-71—142 Andrew Novak, United States 73-69—142 J.T. Poston, United States 71-71—142 Aaron Rai, England 71-71—142 Antoine Rozner, France 69-73—142 J. Trey Schaper, South Africa 70-72—142 Cameron Smith, Australia 73-69—142 Henrik Stenson, Sweden 68-74—142 Sam Stevens, United States 71-71—142 Sami Valimaki, Finland 70-72—142 Bernd Wiesberger, Austria 71-71—142 Angel Ayora Fanegas, Spain 72-71—143 Wyndham Clark, United States 73-70—143 David Howard, Ireland 74-69—143 Tom Kim, South Korea 70-73—143 M. McNealy, United States 71-72—143 Keith Mitchell, United States 72-71—143 Ryutaro Nagano, Japan 71-72—143 Keita Nakajima, Japan 73-70—143 Justin Rose, England 75-68—143 Travis Smyth, Australia 71-72—143 Akshay Bhatia, United States 71-73—144 Jason Day, Australia 73-71—144 Joe Dean, England 72-72—144 Matt Fitzpatrick, England 72-72—144 77-67—144 Harry Hall, England Michael Hollick, South Africa 72-72—144 Viktor Hovland, Norway 70-74—144 72-72—144 Frederic Lacroix, France Joaquin Niemann, Chile 76-68—144 Mateo Pulcini, Argentina 75-69—144 76-68—144 Nevill Ruiter, Netherlands B. Bjoernevik Skogen, Norway 73-71—144 71-73—144 Thomas Sloman, England Jack Buchanan, South Africa 73-72—145 A. Docherty, United States 73-72—145 M. Greyserman, United States 76-69—145 Michael Kim, United States 73-72—145 Hao-Tong Li, China 72-73—145

-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5

Daniel Berger, United States 76-70—146 +6 A. De Castro Piera, Spain 73-73—146 +6 Stuart Grehan, Ireland 77-69—146 +6 Rasmus Hojgaard, Denmark 71-75—146 +6 Adrien Saddier, France 77-69—146 +6 Tim Wiedemeyer, Germany 73-73—146 +6 Sam Bairstow, England 72-75—147 +7 Matthew Baldwin, England 72-75—147 +7 D. Clarke, Northern Ireland 73-74—147 +7 Martin Couvra, France 74-73—147 +7 Lev Grinberg, France 71-76—147 +7 Caleb Surratt, United States 72-75—147 +7 Jiho Yang, South Korea 77-70—147 +7 Stewart Cink, United States 74-74—148 +8 Scott Vincent, Zimbabwe 75-73—148 +8 Dan Bradbury, England 74-75—149 +9 Jeongwoo Ham, South Korea 77-72—149 +9 Brian Harman, United States 74-75—149 +9 Padraig Harrington, Ireland 80-69—149 +9 Matthew Jordan, England 77-72—149 +9 Kota Kaneko, Japan 72-77—149 +9 Francesco Laporta, Italy 74-75—149 +9 Gary Woodland, United States 78-71—149 +9 Tiger Christensen, Germany 75-75—150 +10 David Duval, United States 73-77—150 +10 Jordan Spieth, United States 73-77—150 +10 David Puig, Spain 74-77—151 +11 Austen Truslow, United States 79-74—153 +13 Fifa Laopakdee, Thailand 75-80—155 +15 Ren Yonezawa, Japan 76-79—155 +15

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League ATHLETICS — Transferred DH Brent Rooker to the 60-day IL. Selected the contract of 3B Tommy White from Las Vegas (PCL).

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Recalled RHP Cam Sanders from Norfolk (IL).

BOSTON RED SOX — Recalled LHP Alec Gamboa from Worcester (IL). Activated OF Jahmai Jones and 1B Willson Contreras. Agreed to terms with OFs OF Owen Hull and Martin Shelar, SSs Jace Mataczynski, Wills Maginnis, Jacob Webster and Colton Coates, RHPs Lucas Davenport, Kaleb LaFavor, Mason Lei, Jase Evangelista, Alex Kranzler and Luis Calderon and LHPs Brett Lanman, Kide Adetuyi and Josh Volmerding on rookie contracts.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Sent OF Angel Martínez on a rehab assignment to Columbus (IL).

HOUSTON ASTROS — Placed OF Brice Matthews on the 10-day IL, retroactive to July 14. Selected the contract OF Lucas Spence from Sugar Land (PCL).

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Recalled RHP Mason Englert from Durham (IL). Sent RHPs Jesse Scholtens and Steven Wilson on rehab assignments to Durham (IL).

National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Sent RF Ronald Acuña Jr. and SS Ha-Seong Kim on rehab assignments to Gwinnett (IL).

CHICAGO CUBS — Agreed to terms with RHPs Cade Townsend, Luke Alwood, Carson Jasa and Dylan Marionneaux and LHP Cole Tryba on rookie contracts.

CINCINNATI REDS — Reinstated CF Dane Myers from the 10-day IL. Optioned 2B Ivan Johnson to Louisville (IL).

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Activated RHP Lance McCullers Jr.. Agreed to terms with SS Trey Ebel on a rookie contract. Optioned LHP Jared Koenig to Nashville (IL).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Recalled C Harry Ford from Rochester (IL). Optioned 1B Abimelec Ortiz to Rochester.

BASKETBALL

Women’s National Basketball Association MINNESOTA LYNX — Released G Eliska Hamzova and signed her to a second sevenday contract.

FOOTBALL

National Football League CAROLINA PANTHERS — Re-signed OL Brady Christensen to a one-year contract.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League PHILADELPHIA FLYERS — Signed D Jamie Drysdale to a four-year contract.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer ORLANDO CITY SC — Signed D Clovis Archange to a first team contract through the 2027 calendar year with club options for the 2028 and 2029 calendar years.

LIVING

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

BR Ballet Theatre names interim leader

|

S at u r d ay, J u ly 18, 2026

5CN

TLC stars soak up New Orleans at national conference

Staff report Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre announced the appointment of Mysti Byrnes as interim executive director.

Byrnes is a nonprofit leader, community advocate and arts supporter whose career has focused on strengthening communities through philanthropy, public engagement, food access and cultural enrichment.

She previously served Baton Rouge as the development director of the Big River Economic & Agricultural Byrnes Development Alliance, director of Public Relations for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, associate director of Opéra Louisiane and is currently a Baton Rouge Area Foundation Development fellow.

Her commitment to the community extends beyond her professional roles. She currently serves as a Capital Area CASA volunteer advocate, secretary for the Baton Rouge Opera Guild Board of Directors and is a dedicated co-leader of the “Perk Up Perkins” initiative — a grassroots movement focused on improving pedestrian safety and corridor enhancements along Perkins Road.

As a trained opera singer, Byrnes is no stranger to the performing arts and has long been an advocate for preserving and expanding access to classical arts organizations throughout the Capital Region.

“I’m honored and excited to return to the performing arts and grateful for the opportunity to help guide Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre through its next chapter,” Byrnes said in a news release. “BRBT has a rich history of artistic excellence that has made an enduring contribution to our region’s cultural identity.

I look forward to working alongside the Board, staff, instructors, and supporters to continue building on that legacy.”

As interim executive director, Byrnes will oversee the

PROVIDED PHOTO

in the

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

Big Easy

As TLC’s freshman season of “Little Singles” passes the midway point, three series principals were out and about in New Orleans this week.

John Ferguson, Stephanie Vrettakos and Sammy Replogle traveled to the city along with about 700 fellow little people for the nonprofit Little People of America’s annual conference. Their entourages — both short-statured and average-sized family and friends — brought total attendance to around 2,000, according to the trio of castmates known as “the three amigos.”

They’ve been buddies for years, having first met at past conferences.

Forging friendships, which sometimes lead to permanent relationships, are part of the camaraderie of conference week.

“It really is a support group and a community where, for one week, you can really feel like everyone else would feel all year ’round,” Ferguson, 28, of Toronto, Canada, said. “It’s our chance to just leave the average world where we obviously stand out

ä See BALLET, page 6C

As the school year starts, we’re thinking about the people who stand at the front of the room, who open classroom doors with a smile. Sometimes a stranger in August becomes the person a student never forgets.

Certain teachers say something on a random October afternoon and students repeat it for decades to come — or a teacher may lead by example and give in ways that changes lives.

We invite readers to tell us about that teacher who made all the difference: write a letter directly to the teacher and send it to us. Or tell the story plain: a name, a classroom and the moment that stuck.

We’re looking for the lessons that have outlasted the chalkboard (or the dry erase board, as the case may be). Send your letter or story, including the name of the teacher, name of school, city and year to jan.risher@ theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. July 28. Photos of the teacher are also welcome.

‘Little Singles’ cast members, from left, John Ferguson, Stephanie Vrettakos and Sammy Replogle visit New Orleans this week for the Little People of America conference.

and we’re looked at and all of that, but here it’s like everyone shares the same experiences and it’s super-relatable.”

A digital content creator, Ferguson added that the conference is great for all age groups. Younger kids have a

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM WARNER BROS. DISCOVERy

‘Little Singles’ castmates, from left, Stephanie Vrettakos, Sammy Replogle, John Ferguson, Krista Sulaica and Jordanna James gather in the backyard of their Palm Springs ä See STARS, page 6C vacation rental.

ART WORLD FEMINIST ICON

Louisiana artist inspires fashion line Christian Dior debuts a new fashion line inspired by radical Louisiana artist Lynda Benglis.

AP PHOTO By EMMA DA SILVA

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

The glittering gowns recently debuted by the house of Christian Dior may seem familiar to fine art aficionados, especially in Louisiana.

They are tributes to 84-year-old Lake Charles artist Lynda Benglis, who regularly rattled the art world with her avant-garde work.

Jonathan Anderson has only been the creative director of

Christian Dior Haute Couture for about a year, but he has already delivered one of the plum couture commissions of all time: Taylor Swift’s wedding gown.

It’s unclear from reports in the fashion press how exactly Anderson, 42, became enamored with Lynda Benglis’ art. His fall 2026-27 couture collection is concentrated on Benglis’ most beautiful sculptures, particularly a

ä See BENGLIS, page 6C

6C ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Women’s retreat in Denham Springs

LAYD Retreat House, 10875 Fontenot Road, Denham Springs, will host “God’s Daughters Retreat: Who Am I? Identifying the REAL ME!” from 6:30 p.m.

Friday, July 31, through noon Saturday, Aug. 1.

The overnight retreat is designed to help women rediscover their identity in Christ through worship, prayer, fellowship, reflection and Biblical encouragement.

“Participants will be reminded that they are chosen, loved, healed and deeply valued as daughters of God,” a news release states.

Registration is $214.19 and is available through

eventbrite.com.

Event to promote spiritual renewal Global Network Outreach Ministries, 9466 Greenwell Springs Road, Baton Rouge, will host “The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit: Breath on Us Again, Lord” from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25.

This Speak Life Encounter is designed to encourage spiritual renewal through worship, prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. Inspired by Ezekiel 37:14, the event will focus on restoring faith, healing brokenness and renewing God’s spirit in every area of life.

Lavern Thames will be the featured speaker. All are welcome.

TODAY IN HISTORY ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EMMA DA SILVA

By The Associated Press Today is Saturday, July 18, the 199th day of 2026. There are 166 days left in the year.

Today in History: On July 18, 1976, at the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Nadia Comaneci of Romania became the first gymnast to receive a perfect score of 10 from Olympic judges for her performance on the uneven bars.

Also on this date: In 1536, the English Parliament passed an act declaring the authority of the pope void in England.

In 1863, during the Civil War, Union troops spearheaded by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, made up of Black soldiers, charged Confederate-held Fort Wagner on Morris Island, South Carolina. The Confederates were able to repel the Northerners, who suffered heavy losses; the 54th’s commander, Col. Robert Gould Shaw, was among those who were killed.

In 1925, Adolf Hitler published the first volume of his autobiographical manifesto, “Mein Kampf (My Struggle).”

In 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed a Presidential Succession Act which placed the speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tempore next in the line of succession after the vice president.

In 1964, nearly a week of rioting erupted in New York’s Harlem neighbor-

hood following the fatal police shooting of a Black teenager, James Powell, two days earlier.

In 1994, a bomb hidden in a van destroyed a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85 people.

In 2005, an unrepentant Eric Rudolph was sentenced in Birmingham, Alabama, to life in prison for an abortion clinic bombing that killed an off-duty police officer and maimed a nurse.

In 2013, Detroit became the biggest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy, its finances ravaged and its neighborhoods hollowed out by a long, slow decline in population and auto manufacturing.

Today’s Birthdays: Olympic gold medal figure skater Tenley Albright is 91. Movie director Paul Verhoeven is 88. Singer Dion DiMucci is 87. Actor James Brolin is 86. Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Torre is 86. Singer Martha Reeves is 85. Business mogul Richard Branson is 76.

Actor Margo Martindale is 75. Musician Ricky Skaggs is 72. World Golf Hall of Famer Nick Faldo is 69.

Actor Elizabeth McGovern is 65. Actor Vin Diesel is 59. Author Elizabeth Gilbert is 57. Retired NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway is 55. Singer-songwriter M.I.A. is 51. Actor Elsa Pataky (“The Fast and the Furious” films) is 50.

Movie director Jared Hess is 47. Actor Kristen Bell is 46. Actor Priyanka Chopra is 44.

A model wears a creation as part of the Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026-2027 Women’s collection presented in Paris on July 6.

STATE OF MIND

Dior shifts buzz from Taylor Swift’s wedding gown to sculptural couture

BY THOMAS ADAMSON

Westwood, whom Swift wears often.

The one dress the world PARIS — Jonathan Ander- wanted to see was the one son arrived at Paris couture Anderson would not show.

So on Monday he changed week with the fashion world still waiting to see the Dior the subject — to art. wedding dress he made for Poured, not sewn Taylor Swift.

On Monday, on the first The collection tried to day, he tried to give it some- move the conversation from Swift’s hidden gown to the thing else to look at.

Three days after Swift work of Benglis, known married NFL star Travis since the late 1960s for pourKelce at New York’s Madi- ing latex onto gallery floors son Square Garden, with and letting metal fold and both dressed by Dior, Ander- sag into shape.

Dior workrooms were son returned to the runway with a sculptural, heavily treated as a version of her pleated haute couture col- studio — a place where flat lection inspired by Ameri- fabric is pressed, knotted and bent into three dimensions. can artist Lynda Benglis.

Benglis bends flat materiThe commission was a coup for the LVMH-owned al into shape; so, in the end, house and for Anderson, the does couture.

41-year-old Northern Irish The clothes followed that designer appointed a year idea. A skirt of silver-foiled ago to overhaul all of Dior’s petals moved with each step. fashion lines.

A strapless silver lamé For months, industry gown was cinched with an watchers had bet on Ameri- oversized bow. Trousers can names, such as Ralph and blouses were finished in Lauren, or on Vivienne tight hand-pressed pleats.

AP fashion writer

BENGLIS

Continued from page 5C

Continued from page 5C

dence in her leadership and her ability to position BRBT as the region’s leading performing arts organization.”

organization’s day-to-day operations while working closely with the company’s board of directors to support the organization’s mission, strategic priorities and continued artistic excellence.

“We are delighted to welcome Mysti to the BRBT family,” said Heather Herman, chair of BRBT’s Board of Trustees, in the release.

“I have the utmost confi-

The Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, under the artistic direction of Rebecca Acosta and Jonna Cox, is a nonprofit organization chartered in 1960 to promote and assist the advancement of classical and contemporary dance by maintaining a performing company, presenting a high-quality season, and providing dance education and community outreach.

series of large works that appeared to be shimmering pleated ribbon knotted into loose bows.

He respectfully translated Benglis’ vision into gowns that are both spectacular and quietly elegant. Anderson, who is certainly aware of Benglis’ role as a 1970s feminist firebrand, also scored a conceptual coup by wrapping young women in the pioneering artist’s life’s work.

Benglis might be the most famous artist to have ever graduated from Newcomb College’s art department — now part of Tulane University. She was already achieving fame in New York by 1974 for her experimental

The conference also offers medical sessions, workshops, field trips, dances and other celebrations. The packed schedule included a Steamboat Natchez dinner cruise, a National WWII Museum tour, a pontoon ride through the swamp and a jazz brunch.

“The three amigos” are all about such fun on their new unscripted series, set in California, where a cast of five vacation at a luxury Palm Springs getaway while exploring life and love in their 20s and 30s.

Predictably with reality television, tension comes when a romance triangle threatens longtime friendships. Other friends also drop by for parties, adding to the fun and drama.

“I miss that house,” Vrettakos lamented of the spacious party house with a large backyard pool.

“Little Singles” follows

a succession of TLC series revolving around the lives of families with dwarfism, including “Little People, Big World, “The Little Couple” and “7 Little Johnstons.”

Those series have a different dynamic than “Little Singles,” Vrettakos pointed out.

“I’ve watched some of ‘Little People, Big World.’ I don’t follow any of the other ones too closely, but they’re just more family-oriented, whereas ours is obviously — we’re all navigating our 20s and 30s,” she said. “So it’s just a very different dynamic that I think is relatable too, but a different demographic of people.”

Producers from Shed Media initially reached out to Ferguson on Instagram about a possible reality series. Considering the stunts and tricks reels he posts, the first idea was a prank show.

“Then I explained a little

BALLET

STARS

Continued from page 5C chance to make friends with others who look like them, while adults may look for love and fun.

The Big Easy — heat aside — had a lot to offer conferencegoers.

“We went to Bourbon Street yesterday, had a great time,” Ferguson said. “Did a bar night with karaoke, went to watch some sports this morning.”

The sports competitions, directed by the Dwarf Athletic Association of America, include soccer, basketball and track and field.

“It’s nice because then it’s like you’re on an equal playing field for once, too,” said Vrettakos, 33, who works in marketing in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dior’s signature Bar jacket, the nipped-waist shape the house has built on since 1947, was remade several ways: in fern-green tweed with a frayed fringe, in gray houndstooth folded into a giant bow, and once with loose chiffon threads left hanging at the hem.

Other looks were built entirely from embroidered silk flowers.

A wide fan of blue tulle was splayed across the front of one dress.

Handbags came in metallic pleats — four of them designed with Benglis herself.

Fans out, stars in France was in another heat wave, with temperatures above 86 F. Dior had sent fans with its invitations, and guests used them through the show in the gardens of the Rodin Museum.

The front row mixed pop stars with artists.

Singer Sabrina Carpenter and actor Josh O’Connor sat

among guests including Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, Naomi Watts, Rebecca Ferguson and Alexa Chung.

Despite the razzmatazz, Anderson’s wager is plain: that the world’s most storied fashion house can afford to be strange.

He is often compared to Matthieu Blazy, the new designer at rival Chanel, who made the wedding dress for singer Dua Lipa this month.

The season now carries a peculiar distinction: Its two biggest stories are dresses no one is allowed to see.

The bride you can’t see As couture tradition dictates, the show closed with a bride.

Anderson sent out a pale, strapless column gown under a long veil of hand-pleated chiffon, trimmed with feathered dandelions and embroidered cactus flowers.

It was the second wedding dress Anderson showcased this week — and the only one anyone could photograph.

Benglis satirized the situation by taking out an ad in a respected art magazine that featured a totally nude photo of herself with a large dildo.

It was an art world hand grenade that immediately made her a feminist icon.

A couple of Benglis’ major works are on permanent display in New Orleans.

One of her golden abstractions stands on the Poydras Street neutral ground near the intersection of Baronne STAFF FILE PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH Street, and a wave-shaped bronze piece rises from Lynda Benglis’ ‘The Wave’ fountain was dedicated in City Park the bank of Big Lake on the in 2015. walking path near the entrance to City Park. There corners. Imagine enormous, are also six smaller Benglis style.

Imagine gallons and gal- crusty, curly, coils of clay sculptures in the New Orlons of rainbow-colored latex coated in gold or silver glaze. leans Museum of Art collecpaint poured directly onto That’s the sort of thing Beng- tion. the floor of an art gallery. lis has been known since the Lava flows of foam plastic 1960s.

Email Doug MacCash at insulation gushing from the Back then, big-time art dmaccash@theadvocate. walls and piling up in the was mostly a boys’ club. com.

about our community and how crazy and close we all are. And they were like, ‘Scrap the pranks. We want to see you and all of your friends,’ ” said Ferguson.

“I hit up the closest friends I have in this community (Vrettakos and Replogle).

Krista Sulaica, 31, a content creator from Lake Orion, Michigan, and dancer and actress Jordanna James, 37, of Hartford, Connecticut, filled out the cast.

“It’s great because we also help create it, you know what I mean? Because like even the greatest of producers don’t fully understand what we deal with or our struggles or what we like,” Ferguson said. “So it really feels like a group project rather than like, ‘Hey, we’re going to throw you in this house and like, this is exactly what you need to do.’ ” The cast’s input shapes how misconceptions get ad-

dressed on-camera.

“For me, it’s the fact that everyone thinks that we can’t do everything that everyone else does,” Replogle said. “And my mom always taught me growing up, you can do anything you put your mind to, just maybe a little bit different than how someone else would do it.

And so you just kind of have to look at it that way.”

Another misbelief is that little people aren’t happy with who they are, according to Ferguson.

“At least all the friends I have who are small, I know they’re confident with who they are and they wouldn’t change who they are or what they look like,” he said. “Even like growing up, everyone always asked me, ‘Hey, how would you feel if you were average? Isn’t that what you want?’ It’s like, honestly, ‘No.’ ”

In Louisiana, the trio was happy to report that all the locals were super-friendly and respectful.

Such is not always the case, as seen on a recent “Little Singles” episode where the gang is in a grocery store.

They are annoyed by a shopper who can’t seem to stop gawking at them. Later, at a bar, an average-sized stranger literally grabs Ferguson off the dance floor, raising him over the crowd.

“I think it’s (the series) an eye-opener for a lot of people to see how our age bracket just lives their life — and that we still party. We still have relationship problems.

And, we can just live life to the fullest at the end of the day,” said Replogle.

“Little Singles” airs at 8 p.m. Mondays on TLC and is available for streaming the next day on HBO Max.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

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zodIAC CANCER (June 21-July 22) Speak your mind, but be prepared to live with the consequences. Letting go is hard but also rejuvenating. Carrying burdens affects your emotional and mental wellbeing.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Arguments over money, personal choices and how you want to spend your time will escalate quickly. Use your imagination, and you'll find a way to do what pleases you and those you encounter.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Contemplate your personal and professional situation, and you'll discover a path to better days ahead. Reach out, start conversations and choose the road that offers a chance to do things your way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Sit back and study situations carefully. How you deal with others will make a difference to the outcome. Positive change is within reach if you channel your energy in a direction that's comfortable.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Be gracious, humble and kind, and you'll attract the same in return. Keep your promises doable and honor your word. Setting high standards will lead to greater respect from your peers.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) A financial gain looks hopeful. Go over your documents, be resourceful and put your plans in motion. A change at home will encourage you to rethink your lifestyle.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Apply pressure and be ready to defend yourself

and your plans if someone tries to intervene. Take advantage of any opportunity you get to voice your opinion and enlist people who have something to contribute.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A chance to be with or do something nice for someone you care about will pay off. A positive change at home will develop due to your innovative planning.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Stop worrying about what others think or do. Create opportunities, and embrace what belongs to you. Love and romance are on the rise.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) The more receptive you are, the easier it becomes to manipulate whatever situation you face by offering incentives to get what you want in return. A unique offer or opportunity will develop.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Keep your eye on the money and the people who can help or hinder your journey. Navigating your way to the prospects that excite you will encourage greater freedom to follow your heart.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Refuse to let emotional mayhem ruin your day. Size up situations, and point yourself in a direction that offers a unique perspective on how to use your connections, skills and attributes.

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

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

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

TODAy'S CLUE: y EQUALS U

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER The first sentence of “1984” by George Orwell is, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking 13.”

When you bid to a grand slam, there is normally not much point in counting losers, because you cannot afford any.

You might as well only try to find 13 winners.

In this deal, which 13 tricks should South hope to take in seven hearts after West leads the diamond three?

The bidding had a modern tinge.

South’s four-club rebid was a splinter, showing at least game-forcing values with a singleton or void in clubs. North then control-bid (cue-bid) his diamond ace, which East doubled to ask for a diamond lead. And South optimistically took a shot at all of the marbles.

Outside hearts, South has six winners: four spades, one diamond and one club.

He could rely on the diamond finesse and try to take six trump tricks. But East’s double strongly suggests that that finesse will fail. Instead, declarer should play for seven trump tricks. But which seven?

South should use dummy’s winners to remove East’s trumps and take three ruffs in his hand. However, he has to be careful with his communications.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

Declarer wins with dummy’s diamond ace, ruffs a club with a high trump (queen, king or ace), returns to dummy with a heart, ruffs another club high, leads a heart to dummy, and ruffs the last low club. Then, after a spade to dummy’s queen, declarer draws trumps and claims. It is a classic dummy reversal. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

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

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAY’S WoRD — PALMETTE: pal-MET: A decorative motif suggestive of a palm.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 35 words Time limit 55 minutes Can you find 47 or more words in PALMETTE? YESTERDAY’S WoRD — GLABRouS garb glob goal grab grub gular labor lobar also blog blur

boar bogus bola brag burl bursa ragu oral osar ours slab

slob slog slub slug slur soar soba solar soul sour sugar

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “Trust in him at all times; you people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalms 62:8

You can count on the Lord. He is faithful. G.E. Dean

10C ● Saturday, July 18, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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