The Times-Picayune 07-19-2026

TheGulfiswarming twiceas fast as theworld’s oceans, andLouisiana is at ground zero

INHOT

Landry’s jabs deepen tensions with N.O. leaders

BY

ER

Batting away snakes, Wilkie Declouet trudged through chest-deep watertoreach his front door

Hurricane Ida hadflooded Ironton,a smallhistoric Black community down the MississippiRiver from New Orleans, only 10 miles outsidethe levee system that protects thecity. Declouet, a61-year-old father of four,was thefirst to return.

His house, raised on piers, hadheld.Almost nothing else had. Aweatheredwhite casket wasstuckupright in the tangle theflood left behind. Insideit was aman Declouet had known.At least adozencaskets lay scattered around Ironton forweeksafterthe storm.

“Ida was astorm that cameupfast,”Declouet said recently as he sat under his rehabbed house. “Andit wasone of these thingswhere they couldn’t decide whether it wasgoing to be aCategory 3, 4or5.They couldn’t decide.”

SEAOF

TROUBLES

Firstina series

Ida’ssupercharged winds were not afluke. The sudden force of the 2021 storm signaled much more.

The Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of America, is in the throes of a turbulent new era that holds enormousconsequences for Louisiana and theother states alongits coast.

It has become one of the fastest-warming bodies of water in the world, new research is showing. Humancaused climate change is fusing with cyclical weather patterns to create the newreality.

From sea levels to fisheries, deepwater drilling and storms, every vestigeoflife in the Gulfwill change as the waterheats.

HotGulfwatersjuicedIda’s winds from 80 to 150 mph in the day before landfall, leavingpeoplelike Declouetand his neighborslesstime to prepare.But the changes willnot belimited to hurricanes

“This is adramaticwake-up call,” said Donald Boesch, aprofessor of marine science at the University of Maryland who previously served asthe firstdirector of the LouisianaUniversities Marine Consortium.

“The people of the Gulf have long lived with the risks of living on thismarginal ocean. But in recentyears, it’sbecome obviousthatit’sheatingdramatically.That has huge implications for the rapidintensification of hurricanes as well as for acceleratedsea-level rise.”

ä See WATERS, page 4A

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIAGERMER

‘Ida wasa stormthat came up fast,’saysWilkie Declouet, a resident of Ironton whotrudged throughwaist-deep water to reach his home after the 2021 storm.

“The peopleofthe Gulfhavelong lived with the risks of living on this marginal ocean. But in recent years, it’sbecomeobvious that it’sheating dramatically.”

DONALD BOESCH, professorofmarine science at the University of Maryland

Entergyplans $30B expansionofpower grid

CEOsaysindustrialusers will offset much of cost,but plansfaceskepticism

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

Entergy Louisiana’splans

to spend an extraordinary$30 billion to expand and improve its infrastructure are drawing new scrutiny from elected officials, regulators and advocacy groups concerned about the potential impact on ratepayers If all of what Entergy wants to do is approved, the average residential customer’smonthly bill couldrisebyaround$40,

according to documents Entergy filedwith the state Public Service Commission. But Entergy CEO Phillip May saidin an interview that the eventual amountcustomers actually payto help fund the buildout is likely to be much less because he expects agrowing base of industrial users willoffset 50% or more of the costs.

“What will happeniswewill see additional revenues that

ä See ENTERGY, page 10A

Piles of dirt are seen at an Entergy expansion project near the Waterford 3nuclear powerplant in Killona on July9

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

For decades, one thing held true, no matterwho occupiedthe Governor’s Mansion in BatonRouge:The city of NewOrleans held aspecial place in Louisiana. Gov.Jeff Landry is sounding as if he no longer holds that belief The governor has targeted the city with aseries of actions aimed at bringing, in hisview, NewOrleans downtosize. On Monday, he also publicly downgraded the city’simportance.

Moreno Landry

“Used to be, the saying was,‘Where goes New Orleans, where goes the state,’”Landry said while announcing that Meta is dramatically expanding itsfootprint foradata centerinnortheastLouisiana. “Let me tell youwhat happenedtoday:That has changed. ‘Where goes Louisiana will determinethe fate of NewOrleans.’” Landry said that afterbeing askedby areporter whether he would heed the request of New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno to defuse the tensions between the governor and mayor that have plunged the relationship between the city and the state to its lowest point in years.

ä See TENSIONS, page 8A

accounts for 26.9%ofLa. GDP

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

ALouisiana governor cast aspersions about New Orleans’ significance to the state. Anew mayor challenged the take.

So what does New Orleans still mean to Louisiana’s economy in an era of fastemerging data centers andotherbig industrialprojectsthat are alongway from the city?

Quite alot,according to data andeconomic analysts.

TheNew Orleans area, which includes Orleans Parish and six surrounding parishes, accounted for 26.9% of thestate’s gross domestic product in 2024, according to an analysis of the most recent federal data available by Greg Albrecht, who previouslyserved as theLouisiana Legislative Fiscal Office’schief economist.

ä See ECONOMY, page 8A

ALEXLUBBEN| Staff writer

Staffgraphic Since 1970, the surfaceofthe Gulf has warmed twice as

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Venezuela earthquakes deaths surpass 5,000

CARACAS The death toll from the two powerful earthquakes that shook Venezuela last month rose to 5,069 late on Friday, local authorities said.

The interim government of President Delcy Rodriguez added in a statement that the number of injured remains unchanged at 16,740, as in the past 11 days.

Ongoing recovery and debrisclearing operations have led to the increase in the death toll, particularly in the coastal state of La Guaira, the hardest hit by the quakes close to the Caribbean Sea. A total of 1,331 aftershocks had been recorded by Friday Venezuela’s government says 856 buildings are damaged and 190 collapsed completely since the 7.2 and 7.5 quakes on June 24. Hundreds of other types of structures, such as bridges and roads, were also affected.

Fire destroys more than 100 homes in Norway

DRAMMEN, Norway — The largest residential fire in modern Norwegian history destroyed more than 100 homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate authorities said Saturday

The fire in southern Norway started in a town house in the city of Drammen around 3:30 p.m. Friday, police said. It then spread through the area and into nearby forests. Firefighters on Saturday morning continued their efforts to bring the blaze under control.

The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection said Saturday that it was the largest fire of its kind in modern times.

NRK, Norway’s public broadcaster, said hundreds of people went to an evacuation center No residents have been reported missing, police said. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.

Drammen is roughly 21 miles southwest of Oslo.

2 arrested in kidnapping Forest Service workers

REDDING, Calif. — A father and son are expected to face federal kidnapping charges after they zip-tied two U.S. Forest Service employees and held them at gunpoint inside a trailer in Northern California near Mt. Shasta. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said the two workers were conducting routine field operations in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest when they were taken Thursday They were released early Friday morning after being held for more than 12 hours near Gunboot Lake.

“I want to say how profoundly grateful and relieved that we are, that our two employees were released safely. Their wellbeing continues to be our highest priority,” Schultz said The 49-year-old suspect and his adult son surrendered about 2:30 a.m. Friday and walked out of the trailer carrying an assault rifle and knives. He also told authorities he had grenades.

Shortly after deputies from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s office reached the remote area around noon Thursday they deployed drones to help locate the trailer and started calling additional law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, for help.

FBI Sacramento acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh said it’s fortunate no one was hurt during the standoff.

“Crisis situations like this don’t often result in everyone leaving the scene safely,” Tosh said.

U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said he plans to charge both men with kidnapping federal employees, but no charges were listed in online court records Saturday afternoon.

U.S.: 2 troops killed in Iranian strike

U.S. launches new attacks to ‘swiftly punish’ Iran for deaths

BY JON GAMBRELL, TOQA EZZIDIN and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

The U.S. military said that it carried out new airstrikes against Iran on Sunday to “swiftly punish” the country’s Revolutionary Guard for an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members, left one missing and four requiring hospitalization.

The strikes were designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to restrict the traffic of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S Central Command said. The waterway accounted for roughly 20% of global oil supplies before the war

The new strikes came after the U.S military announced its first troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, following a drone and missile attack on a base in Jordan on Friday

The dead were not identified, and Central Command wouldn’t offer any further details on the deaths. Since the war began, 16 U.S. service members have been killed and over 430 wounded

Strikes in southern Iran

An area near Sirik, on the Strait of Hormuz, was targeted about 1:30 a.m., according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, which cited local authorities in

southern Hormozgan province.

A location near Hajiabad, in the same province, was also targeted, and explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, according to IRNA.

An area near Qeshm Island, inside the strait, was also targeted, according to Iran’s state-run broadcaster, IRIB.

In neighboring Iraq, a base of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, an Iranian Kurdish dissident group, near Irbil was struck by a drone early Sunday, wounding eight of its members, according to Rebaz Sharifi, a military official with the group.

Residents of Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, also heard explosions from air defenses early Sunday Irbil has been targeted

by drone attacks multiple times over the past four days, which coincided with a visit by new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to Washington last week and an ongoing escalation between the U.S. and Iran. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but in the past both Iran and Iran-backed Iraqi militias have launched attacks in the Kurdish region, where both U.S. troops and armed Kurdish Iranian dissident groups are present. Khamenei’s warning Minutes before the U.S. announced the troop deaths earlier Saturday Iran’s supreme leader warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the U.S. keeps attacking the Islamic Republic. The remarks read out on state TV and attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, still

unseen since the war began, also called President Donald Trump’s signature “worthless and invalid.”

An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal signed about a month ago and aimed at permanently ending the fighting. Tehran’s declarations snapped another fragile thread as the war shows no end in sight. Now Khamenei warns of “lessons” not only from Iran but also its armed proxies in the region, calling them the “Axis of Resistance.” The U.S. issued a global travel alert over the rising tensions. The battle has focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz. The widening strikes now threaten civilians and infrastructure, including desalination plants for drinking water, while the global economy again is on alert.

The U.S. has violated its commitments under the deal and now Iran is “no longer implementing them,” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister told state TV

There was no new word on mediation efforts.

Troops face growing risks

The previous recorded death of a U.S. service member was that of a helicopter pilot who crashed in the Arabian Sea earlier this month. Early in the war, an Iranian drone strike on a command center in Kuwait killed six soldiers. One soldier died after an attack on a base in Saudi Arabia. Six were killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq.

On Saturday, the most significant damage from Iranian strikes occurred in Kuwait, where a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit, according to the Kuwait authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. Both declined to provide locations. It was the second attack against a desalination plant in two days in the tiny desert nation that depends on desalination for 90% of its drinking water The strikes injured several people at the oil facility and caused a fire at the desalination plant, forcing several power generation units offline. Several firefighters and a worker were injured while battling two other blazes sparked by Iranian strikes, according to the Kuwait Fire Force. Kuwait briefly closed its airspace due to missile threats, and Kuwait Airways said it was rescheduling most flights to and from the capital.

Officials: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 3 children, 6 adults

BY WAFAA SHURAFA

Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Saturday killed at least nine Palestinians, including three children, hospital officials said.

A strike on an apartment in the Nasr neighborhood killed at least five people, including the children between the ages of 8 and 18, said Mohammed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital where the bodies were taken. Six other people were wounded, including four children between the ages of 8 and 16, he said

Israel’s military said it targeted Hamas infrastructure and had located Hamas militants in the area, without elaborating.

Another Israeli strike hit a group of people in the Zeitoun neighborhood, killing four and wounding

Saturday in Gaza City

another critically, health officials said.

The Israeli military said it targeted a “Hamas terrorist” and it was looking into the results of the strike.

Palestinians have reported an increase in the scale of Israeli strikes across the enclave over the past few days.

Despite a ceasefire

agreement reached in October between Israel and the Hamas militant group, Israel still carries out near-daily attacks across the territory It says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat. Hamas and Israel have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire.

At least 1,127 Palestinians, including at least 260

Ukrainian drones hit warehouses and other sites across Russia

Officials say 9 killed, more than 80 hurt

By The Associated Press

Ukrainian drones struck two sprawling warehouses, one of them just east of Moscow, as part of attacks overnight and on Saturday afternoon that killed nine people and wounded more than 80, Russian officials said.

Kyiv’s forces have pressed their relentless aerial campaign against energy infrastructure and military targets inside Russia, aiming to undermine Moscow’s war effort and make Russians feel the consequences of the Kremlin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine that is well into

its fifth year

Two sprawling warehouses of Russia’s major online retailer Wildberries, were hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, according to Russian officials — one in the town of Kotovsk in the Tambov region some 220 miles from the border with Ukraine, and another in the city of Elektrostal, about 30 miles east of Moscow

A Ukrainian drone also hit an oil depot in the city of Noginsk, just north of Elektrostal, sparking a fire and prompting evacuations of a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building, according to the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov Drone debris also hit a kindergarten building, Vorobyov said, sparking a fire that has since been put out. Seven night shift work-

ers were killed at the warehouse in Kotovsk and 25 others were wounded, Tambov regional Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov said.

A total of 61 people were wounded in the Moscow region, Vorobyov said: 20 sought outpatient care, while 40 others were hospitalized. One person died of their injuries, he said.

One more person was killed and another wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Belgorod region on Saturday afternoon, according to local authorities. Both warehouses caught fire, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said, and the blaze in Kotovsk was put out. Images and footage released by Russian online outlets showed a fire raging at the Elektrostal facility with massive plumes of smoke towering over it

children, have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in that time.

The Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 others taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 73,250 Palestinians, according to

Gaza’s Health Ministry

The ministry is part of the Hamas-led government and is staffed by medical professionals who maintain detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all deaths.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI

A woman walks Saturday in downtown Tehran, Iran, past a mural depicting a portrait of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the U.S and Israel strike on Feb 28

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI Residents inspect the site of an Israeli airstrike on

NTB SCANPIX PHOTO By THOMAS FURE Smoke rises Friday over terraced houses on fire in the Krokstadelva village in Drammen, Norway.

7,500 constructionjobs,$1.6billionfor Louisiana businesses. Up to $50,000for teacherbonuses. Part of apartnership that’sjust gettingstarted.

Tim Food truckowner

Thomasina 2ndgrade teacher

‘Real-world experiences’

Since 1970, the Gulf’s surface has warmed twice as quickly as the combined average of the rest of the world’s oceans, federal data shows, climbing nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit. That might not seem like much, but it is already having wide-ranging effects.

The changes are no longer projections. They are happening in real time, and they compound. Just this month, the Gulf hit a record high temperature for early July, driven by a recent heat wave.

As water warms, it expands, speeding sea level rise along the Louisiana coast that is already climbing six times faster than the global average, largely due to land subsidence. The heat is also spreading deeper as the climate gets hotter, with temperatures rising even at the very bottom of the Gulf.

Louisiana’s coastal marshes already fading away will drown faster, and high-tide flooding in coastal communities, once an occasional nuisance, will become chronic

Scientists say, with a degree of confidence that’s uncommon among skeptical researchers, that a generation of sea level rise along the Gulf Coast is essentially guaranteed, no matter how aggressively the world cuts fossil fuel emissions.

Global weather is also intertwined with the Gulf. The warming currents that flow through it have reverberating effects on climate patterns far away from Louisiana. At the same time, the problem is becoming more complicated to address.

Funding for the elaborate, networked systems that monitor the temperature of the Gulf is at risk due to cuts by the Trump administration, hampering scientists working to understand what is unfolding

The federal government has also largely abandoned its fledgling attempts to address climate change, and governors across the Gulf Coast, including in Louisiana, have followed suit. Planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions, the result of burning fossil fuels, increased last year by an estimated 2.4%, according to the Rhodium Group, an independent global policy and economic research firm.

“These are not theoretical concepts that people keep talking about. Your insurance increases, you have water damage, you have damage to your house,” said Sönke Dangendorf, a Tulane scientist considered one of the world’s preeminent experts on sea levels. “These are real-world experiences.”

The workshop

In the days before Ida, as Declouet was preparing to evacuate, Kevin Martin was on the water, deploying a buoy that would sit anchored in the Gulf, in the storm’s path.

“Ida ripped right over the buoy, ripped every solar panel off of it,” said Martin, who works out of NASA’s Stennis Space Center in a lab run by the University of Southern Mississippi, operating the buoys, gliders and other instruments that take the Gulf’s temperature

The buoy carried enough battery power to keep recording without the panels, capturing data straight through the storm. It wasn’t the first time one of the program’s buoys rode out a hurricane. During Katrina, another gathered data continuously through that storm, even as the surge dragged it and its 5,000-pound anchor roughly nine miles.

While Martin’s instruments plumb the ocean depths, his desk rumbles as engine tests for the Artemis missions take place next door to his office at Stennis. The lab spills over into room after room filled with deep-water instruments, like Q’s workshop in a James Bond film.

One device, called Eagle Ray, is a giant torpedo-shaped autonomous vessel that maps the bottom of the Gulf down to about 6,500 feet. Another, Mola Mola, the scientific name for the ocean sunfish with which it shares its shape, uses lasers to take hyper-detailed photographs of the seafloor He also has spindle-shaped gliders that navigate the Gulf’s waters, taking measurements of temperature and salinity continuously over several months before they are retrieved. The intel his autonomous robots collect contributes to global datasets, collected from thousands of networked sensors across the world.

As the waters Martin studies heat up, he has had to recalibrate some sensors after they maxed out. The lab he works for even moved the servers that store the data he collects to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, some 60 miles north of the coast, to keep them farther from increasingly strong hurricanes.

Other changes he says, are stranger and harder to explain, pointing to a tooth-shaped indentation in one of his gliders.

“I hadn’t had a shark strike in all the years I was operating gliders since 2007,” he said. “In 2024, I had two. And you have to ask yourself why.”

Martin stressed he doesn’t study sharks, but a recent study found that one species is spending more time in the Gulf as its waters warm.

None of this work is cheap. Martin’s workhorse glider model costs $250,000 One glider, he said, can “run up a $1,000-a-month phone bill,” just to transmit its location and data.

A battery pack costs $22,000. And the lab operates on grant funding. Already, he can only afford to deploy gliders during hurricane season.

“These vehicles shouldn’t be sitting here. They should be in the water,” he said. “The funding’s not there.”

The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to pull funding from long-running programs that allow scientists to take the temperature of the world’s oceans. The president’s latest budget request would have eliminated the federal program that funds the Gulf of America Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS), the regional network to which Martin contributes, along with 10 sister networks around the country’s coasts.

Congress maintained funding for GCOOS this year Whether it will do so again is unclear

Following Trump’s lead, the National Science Founda-

tion cut funding for a sophisticated $368 million observation network. It has begun pulling up deep-sea buoys off the coasts of Alaska, North Carolina, the state of Washington and a crucial monitoring zone between Greenland and Iceland.

The amount of data collected to date is “a blip” on the timescales at which global systems change, said Renellys Perez, a deputy director of physical oceanography at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We really need many decades of data to better understand how the ocean is changing.”

While Trump has targeted the system because it contributes to the nation’s understanding of climate change, its primary role is to provide weather data, said Craig McLean, a former NOAA assistant administrator for research who oversaw it. The system is crucial, he argued, informing evacuations and storm preparations, information that he says pays for itself.

“It’s a fraction of a penny a day for what you’re getting,” he said “It’s not even the shaving of the copper on the edge of the penny.”

The deep Gulf

While Martin’s gliders largely measure the temperature of the Gulf at its surface, something equally concerning is happening at its depths.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Kevin Martin, an instrumentation specialist and ocean observing manager with the University of Southern Mississippi, uses spindle-shaped gliders that navigate the Gulf’s waters, taking measurements of temperature and salinity continuously over several months before they are retrieved.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

generation of sea level rise along the Gulf Coast is essentially guaranteed,

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Hurricane Ida’s wind and storm surge destroyed most of Ironton, a historic Black community in Plaquemines Parish, only 10 miles outside the levee system that protects New Orleans

Scientists have long known that the oceans absorb most of the excess heat that’s getting trapped in the atmosphere due to human-caused emissions, but they once thought that warming was largely confined to the ocean’s top layer. But when a team of researchers tethered deep-sea thermometers to the ocean floor in the western Gulf, they measured an alarming trend: Even at the bottom — at a depth of more than 11,000 feet — it is getting warmer, at a rate of about 0.15 degrees Fahrenheit per half-century.

The creatures that live at the bottom of the Gulf — the deep-sea corals and strange fishes are precisely tuned animals, adapted to live in a high-pressure, low-temperature environment. Small changes there ripple Many of those creatures form the basis of the food chain fueling the Gulf’s mega-fisheries that power the state’s coastal economy Corals at the bottom of the ocean are particularly vulnerable to temperature changes. Even a small rise can stress corals, causing them to expel the symbiotic algae that lives inside them — giving them their color and most of their nutrients — in a process called “coral bleaching.” These corals are crucial nurseries for dozens of critical species that coastal communities rely on.

“I was on a coral reef about 500 meters down and we saw groupers down there. We saw barrel fish. We saw alfonsino. We saw spot prawns,” said Erik Cordes, a biologist at Temple University who studies corals, often using remotely operated submarines. “These are all species that are fished in the Gulf of Mexico, that spend good parts of their lives way down deep on these coral reefs.”

What happens at depth doesn’t just affect the creatures that live near the seafloor As hurricanes tear over the Gulf’s balmy waters, they draw heat from its surface. If those waters are hot enough, storms become rapidly supercharged — as Hurricane Ida did before it slammed into Ironton.

In previous decades once that heat from the surface of the Gulf was sucked up by the storm, which churns the waters like a blender as it passes over, the cooler waters below tended to slow a hurricane down.

Now, even those deeper waters are warmer than they used to be.

“A hurricane can blow itself out by causing this deeper water to well up,” said Boesch. But if the Gulf’s deep waters are warm, “it just wells up more heat and intensifies.” Ocean currents

The heat trapped in the Gulf’s depths doesn’t stay there. It is connected to a massive system of global ocean currents that help regulate the planet’s climate.

A monster current flows into the Gulf between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba, plodding north toward Louisiana before doubling back on itself and flowing out through the Florida Straits. That stream, called the Loop Current, is a key component of the global system of water flows that forms, as Texas A&M professor of oceanography Steven DiMarco put it, “the air-conditioning of the planet,” moving heat, through water, between the equator and the poles.

“Will that change?” DiMarco asks.

The question arises because, when the Loop Current flows out through the Florida Straits, it joins the Gulf Stream, the flow of warm water that brings heat from the tropics up toward northern Europe. Those currents, taken together, are part of what scientists call the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation — a system of global ocean currents that plays a significant role in regulating the world’s climate.

All of those currents may be slowing Scientists are now debating the possibility that the system of currents — the flows of water that have circled the globe for millennia — could collapse entirely due to climate change.

The likelihood of that happening is “still debated,” said Matthieu Le Hénaff, a NOAA oceanographer “There is no certainty of a collapse. Some models show it It’s highly discussed.” If it were to collapse, the climate system would be thrown out of whack.

Parts of Europe could fluctuate between colder winters and warmer summers. Monsoons would be disrupted. Wildfire risk could increase. Sea level rise would accelerate — in the Gulf and globally — and agricultural systems could be upturned.

“Just because the Gulf is partially enclosed doesn’t mean we’re not connected to everything else,” Martin said. Rising seas

While these shifting currents threaten to rewrite the global climate, the sheer volume of this warming is already threatening to redraw the map of the Gulf.

The contours of the Gulf 125,000 years ago may portend what is to come.

That was the last time global temperatures were comparable to what they are now, and the Gulf lapped against an ancient ridge that traverses the state from Mississippi to Texas, north of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas

The line is roughly where wetlands and loose mud give way to pine forests and denser soil Generations into the future, the Gulf may eventually

Deep heat in the Gulf

The sea surface has warmed about 1.8°F since 1970, and the heat reaches deep into the water column.

Near the surface: About +0.35°F per decade –the layer warming fastest

Warming falls off sharply around 800 feet below the surface

The upper 3,300 feet holds 80-90% of the warming in the upper 6,560 feet

Even near the seafloor –about 11,500 feet down –the Gulf is still warming, roughly 0.03°F per decade

return there, a recent paper from researchers at Tulane University argued, though scientists and local leaders say there are options to adapt and stave off that prospect. In the meantime, extreme events will — and have already become more frequent.

Dangendorf led a study, published in June, that found that globally since 1900, coastal extreme sea levels that used to happen once a century are occurring 12 times as often, with human-driven warming quadrupling their likelihood.

Communities like Ironton may bear the brunt of the extremes.

But as the Gulf heats and seas rise, no communities along the coast will be spared the impacts of a changing climate.

Audrey Trufant Salvant, Declouet’s neighbor there, said she has seen the changes play out. Many of her neighbors have left after they were unable to rebuild. The community has shrunk.

“They are getting worse,” she said of the storms “We are ducks in the water Every time June comes around we wonder: Will we have to run again?”

Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate.com. His work is supported with a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

The Gulf sea-surface temperatures, 2005 vs. 2025

Two snapshots of the average August surface temperatures in the Gulf show how it has warmed in recent years. In August 2005, the month Hurricane Katrina hit, the Gulf averaged 85.9°F Twenty years later, in August 2025, the Gulf averaged 87°F, about a degree hotter. That extra heat provides more fuel for hurricanes.

“These are not theoretical concepts that people keep talking about. Your insurance increases, you have water damage, you have damage to your house. These are real-world experiences.”

SÖNKE DANGENDORF, Tulane scientist considered one of

Staff graphic

Sources: NOAA; A report on deep-water warming in the Gulf from 2003 to 2019 by José Ochoa et al.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

A casket that floated from its tombs during flooding from Hurricane Ida sits in a lawn of a destroyed home in Ironton on Sept. 27, 2021. At least a dozen caskets lay scattered around Ironton for weeks after the storm.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Kevin Martin, who works out of NASA’s Stennis Space Center in a lab run by the University of Southern Mississippi, examines a buoy that is used to capture water data in the Gulf.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Audrey Trufant Salvant, a resident of Ironton, says many of her neighbors left after Hurricane Ida when they were unable to rebuild.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The Eagle Ray maps the bottom of the Gulf down to about 6,500 feet. Mola Mola uses lasers to take hyper-detailed photographs of the seafloor

Taylor Farmsrecalls lettuceshipped to 27 states

Firm

expands recall over cyclospora risk

BY SAVANNAH PETERS Associated Press

Taylor Farms has expanded avoluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced fromcentral Mexico because of apotential link

to themultistatecyclospora outbreak that has sickened peopleacross theU.S. Products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasitewere shipped to27 states including Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey, theCalifornia-based company said in astatement Friday

“Weare actively remov-

ingthe implicated products,” the statementsaid, adding thatthe company hasstopped sourcing lettuce from an implicated lot in central Mexico. U.S. healthofficials earlier this week identifiedlettuce from asupplier in Mexico as asource of cyclosporacontamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwesternstates The Taylor Farms re-

call announcement listed 25 shredded lettuce and saladmix productssold under eight different brand codes.Taylor Farms did not respond to an emailed request forthe full names of those brands or retailers. The recalled products were shipped as recently as Thursdayand have “best by” dates as lateasAug. 3. Sysco, thenation’s largest food distributor, hashalted

distribution of all Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce products sourced from Mexico and instructed customers to destroy them Cyclospora is amicroscopic parasite thatinfects food thathas come into contact with humanfeces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminatedwater When ingested, the parasite causes intestinal illness

markedby“frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC. In 2026, cyclospora has sickened at least 1,645 people in the U.S. and hospitalized 141, according to the CDC, which is investigating more than 5,000 additional illnesses that may be linked to the parasite. This time last year,only 249 cases had been reported.

Social mediainfluencers Andrew andTristan Tate arrested

BY ALANNADURKIN RICHER

Associated Press

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested by federal authorities Saturday in Miami, according to theU.S. Marshals Service.

BradyMcCarron, aspokesperson for theMarshals Service, told The Associated Pressthatthe warrant was sealed.

Britishprosecutorsannounced late Saturday they wereseeking the extradition of thebrothers on rape and sex trafficking charges. The offenses are alleged to have occurredbetween July2010 and August 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.

U.S. ends automaticprotections

BY MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

BILLINGS,Mont. The U.S Interior Department on Friday canceleda rulemeant to protect plants and animals that are determined to be threatened with extinction, thelatest step by President Donald Trump’sadministration to dismantle key provisions of the landmark Endangered Species Act at the behestofindustry

Instead of receivingautomatic protections, imperiled species will need individualized protection plans once they are added to thethreatened species list.That’sa potentially lengthy process in whichcompaniescould seek exemptions for oil and gasdrilling, mining and other developmentwhere those species live.

Opponents said it would make it harder to savewildlife that’sawaitingfederal

The brothers, proponents of hypermasculinity who have millions of followers on social media,are dual U.S. and British citizens who moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation.Theydeniedthose allegations andthe case didn’tgo forward because of legal and procedural irregularities.

Theformer professional kickboxershave amassed a following of fans, particularly young men and boys,byprofessing alifestyle of luxury and unapologetic misogyny

The pending charges in the United Kingdomaccusedthe brothersofabusing women between2012and 2015 in an

forimperiled

protections and in danger of disappearing,such as monarch butterfliesand alligator snapping turtles.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in astatement that the EndangeredSpecies Acthad been used for too long “to stopalmost any new project in America, driving up costsfor families, weakening our competitiveness, and undermining our national security.”

“Success should be mea-

animals

sured by species recovery anddelisting, notbyadding more species to the list,” Burgum added.

Asecondchangefinalized Friday requires officials to analyze economic impacts when deciding whether habitat is critical to aspecies’ survival.

Critics say it gives corporations an opportunity to put their thumb on thescaleso that officials will allow development in those areas.

area north of London, where they grew up. Their lawyers hadsaidtheydeniedthe allegations.

manningchildrens.org

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

AndrewTate, right, and his brother Tristan arrive an event on April 11 in Miami. The social media influencers were arrested SaturdayinMiami, according to theU.S.Marshals Service.

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ECONOMY

Continued from page1A

TheNew Orleans region alsohas the largest workforce in the state, with 472,000 nonfarm employees as ofMay 2026,out of roughly 2million statewide.

And the area also brought in around $800 millionin state sales tax in fiscal year 2025, more than 16% of the state’stotal collections.

“New Orleans is stilla vital part of the state,” said JimRichardson, aretired LSU economics professor who for years served as the independentmember of the state’sRevenue Estimating Conference, which determines how muchmoney lawmakers have to spendeach year.“Youreally don’twant to downplay New Orleans. Youcan build New Orleans up withoutgiving up your datacenters.”

Presented with the region’seconomic contributions,LandryonThursday said, “Of courseNew Orleansisimportant, just like everycity,parish, and person in Louisiana.

“But tough love means expecting the city to be fis-

TENSIONS

Continued from page1A

Landry also indicated he is in no hurry to meet with Moreno and revive acooperative partnership with the city that has won the governor plaudits for ahistoric reduction in violent crime and the refurbishment of New Orleans’ coreareas in advance of the 2025 Super Bowl

That partnership spiraled downward in recent weeks after the governorpushedto eliminate three judges, five assistant district attorneys and the position of Calvin Duncan, the newly elected Orleans Parish clerk of Criminal District Court, and after an Orleans Parishgrand jury indicted Attorney General Liz Murrill on charges of threatening NewOrleans elected officials, including Moreno.

Shane Guidry,abusiness owner and key adviser to Landry on New Orleans matters, said thegovernor has no interest in resolving the differences until Murrill’s indictment vanishes

“The indictment shouldn’t have happened,” Guidry said, adding, “Liz has spent alot of time and resources working for New Orleans to make it a better place.”

The split with Landry has left many New Orleans business and political leaders anxious, angry or on the defensive, scrambling to make sense of the governor’sactions and trying to determine the best path forward.

“A lot of people have reached out to me over the past couple of weeks,” said Moreno. “I’ve reachedout to acouple of others.We’re trying to figure out the path to get together.”

Differentpolitical bases

One figure helps explain why Landry is expressing more frustration with the city and downplaying its importance now The governor,who is up for reelection next year,won only 10% of the vote in Orleans Parish when he was elected governor in 2023.Itwas easily his worst showing across the state, according to John Couvillon, aBaton Rougebased pollster and demographer Landry’sdismissive comments about New Orleans will help him politically in the rest of the state, said Roy Fletcher,aveteran political consultant in Baton Rouge who works for Democrats and Republicans.

“It rallies the base, absolutely,noquestion,” Fletcher said. Meanwhile, Moreno enjoys far more popularity in New Orleans —she was elected last year with 62% of the vote —and her decision to not defer to Landry and Murrill will play well with her supporters in the city,said Stephen Perry,who has served as alegislative aide in BatonRouge, as then-Gov.MikeFoster’s chief of staff and as the chief promoter of tourism in New Orleans.

cally responsible and solve its own problems. …New Orleans matters, but Idon’t think anyone believes it’s been runproperly in decades.”

Shifting priorities

Moreno and Landry’s back-and-forth about New Orleans’finances and relevance came after Moreno sought and then abandoned a request forstateapproval of abond salemeant to resolve afiscal crisis sheinherited. Moreno reminded Landry of theadage that haslong been anod to New Orleans’ economiccontributions to Louisiana:“So goesNew Orleans, so goes thestate.” He later downplayed those contributions in remarks that have since gone viral. In an interview on Tuesday,Morenoreiterated that “New Orleans is unlike any othercityinLouisiana.We are theeconomic engineof this state,and when New Orleans grows stronger,Louisiana grows stronger. That’s whyI’llcontinue choosing partnershipover conflict.”

The data backsupher pointonthe city’s economics. Theseven-parish area including New Orleans accounted for the largest

shareofthe state’sGDP in 2024, themost recent data available. Economists typically citemetro area statistics instead of parishspecific ones, because local economies function regionally and not according to political boundaries.

The region was trailed by the 10-parish Baton Rouge metro area, which accounted for22.4% of thestate’s GDP

The next highestsales tax collections in the state were alsointhe Baton Rouge metroarea, which brought in $532 million in fiscal year 2025. The Baton Rouge area alsohas the next largest workforce, with 438,000 nonfarm employees as of May according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While New Orleans “is still No. 1” in terms of employment, said retired LSU economistLoren Scott, its economy hasstruggled in recentyears whileother parts of the state have seen growth.

NewOrleans-area employment remains far lower than before HurricaneKatrina It also has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, when there were nearly 500,000 workers in the region. Em-

ployment numbers have ticked consistently upward in the Baton Rouge area and in St. Tammany Parish, after abrief dip at thestartofthe pandemic.

Scottalsonoted that the New Orleans area remains ahot spot for major investment, with around $80 billion worth of projects either underconstruction or announced,according to his analysis. Muchofthatdevelopment is occurring outside of thelevee system, like at Venture Global’s massive liquefied natural gas export terminal in Plaquemines Parish Butother areas are seeingheightened investment, Scottsaid. The Lake Charles area has morethan $100 billion worth of projects under construction or announced, mostlyinthe liquefied natural gasindustry,and parts of northernLouisianathat have rarely seen large-scale investment are nowbringing in billions from data center projects.

“You could make acase by looking at total employment numbers thatNew Orleans is still huge, but if you look at someofthe other things in terms of adriverand futuredriver of the economy,

“Both are using an inflammatory incident to make sure theyare completely aligned with their own political bases,” Perry said. “That’sthe norm in state andnational politics now.The losers are thepeople and the economy.”

Landry is aRepublican in a state where Republicans now hold all the statewide elected offices and two-thirds of the seats in the state Legislature, while Moreno is aDemocrat in acity where virtuallyall the top elected officialsare Democrats.

Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago costNew Orleans about one-fourth of its population, although the city remains the biggest in thestate, andthe seven-parish New Orleans regionbrings in more sales tax revenuethanany other region, according to figures.

JohnAlario worked with seven different governors while serving 48 yearsin the Legislature representing Westwego.

“They allsaw New Orleans as aneconomicplus for the state,” saidAlario, whoserved bothasHouse speaker and Senate president twice. “If Icould have moved the SuperBowl to Westwego, Iwould havedoneit. But the big eventscome to NewOrleans, and the tax dollarscirculate around the state.”

Thedispute between the political leaders comes at a time when Landry is feeling fortified after he announced July 13 thatMetawill now spend $50 billion to build an even bigger data facility in Richland Parish

Landry is also coming off a political win by raising money andsecuring supportfor U.S. Rep. JuliaLetlow’svictory on June 27 in the Republican Senateprimary.But his efforts angered Republicans who backed state Treasurer John Fleming.

With Fleming winning43% of the vote, Landry has to pull together his fractured base and head off apotentialchallenge from amore conservative Republican candidate, said Fletcher, whoadvised Fleming’scampaign.

“He’sgot to get 70% of the White voteinnext year’s governor’srace,” Fletcher said. “That’sthe gold standard. Once he gets that base

put back together,there’s notmuch room left (for afar right-wing challenger).”

Quality-of-lifeissues

In hersix months in office, Morenohas overseen acontinued dropincrime andhas put greater emphasis on addressing quality-of-life issues thathave long bedeviled residentsbyfilling potholes and repairing broken streetlights

City leadersthisweek said New Orleans’ finances are trending in theright direction, with spendingdown andrevenue up as of May31 compared to budgeted projections.

But Moreno is still grappling with ahuge budget deficit thatshe inherited from her predecessor,LaToya Cantrell.

Thecitywon state authorization last year to borrow $125 millionfromabank to meet payroll. The cityrepaid that money andthensought authorization from the State BondCommission to sell $110 millioninbonds to avoid budgetcuts andcontinued furloughs of city employees.

Moreno announced last week that she was withdrawing thatrequest in the faceofoppositionfrom Landry’sBond Commissionappointees.

New Orleans’ fiscal problems have strengthened Landry’sposition as he frames adifferent relationship between the cityand the state.

“NewOrleans thinks they’re so special,” he said on Monday,aremarkthat went viraland inspireda T-shirt from alocal retailer

“That parish is going to operateexactly like therestof this state, andthe people of this state want that. So, when the mayor recognizes that andwhenshe understands that they have to get their fiscal house in order —just like this state has got its fiscal house in order —we’ll have a discussion.”

Landry expressed similarly blunt sentiments about New Orleans when he spoke to a largegroup of Louisiana business,civic andpoliticalleaderslastSundayevening in the French Quarter.Gathered at Galatoire’s, and welcomed by the restaurant’sand The Times-Picayune’sowner John Georges,they heard Meta’s

maybe it’sstarting to come fromotherareas of the state,” Scott said.

Divertingprojects

Thatshift comes as the Landry administration has intentionally worked to draw economic development projects to rural parishes.

“This governor has said, ‘OK, for Louisiana to expand andtobesuccessful, we have got to move economic development projects outofNew Orleans, said state Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, in aJune interview

“Wecan’tignore New Orleans, but we’ve got to start in North Louisiana andcapitalize on what they have up there, whichisalot of land and hardworking people.”

Rural land also makes sense for companies like Meta.Datacenters expand across the country in areas that can accommodate their massive land, water and power needs. TheMeta project is one of several data centers in the works in the state.

In astatementonThursday, Louisiana Economic Development spokesperson Emma Wagner said that the agency’s“focus is ensuringevery part of thestate,

tion,” said Gregory Rusovich, alongtime leader in different business groups in New Orleans. “The governor uses his officeand resources, andthe city acts in collaboration.”

Almost none of the business leaderscontacted forthis article identified anyspecific efforts to bridge the divide between Morenoand Landry

Several privately expressed concern about the governor’s reputation for exacting retribution on those who don’tsupport him.

including New Orleans, has opportunities for growth and success.”

Economist Stephen Barnes, director of the Kathleen Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of LouisianaatLafayettewho also serves on the Louisiana Revenue Estimating conference, said that while data centers maybring short-term development wins, the300-yearold New Orleans’ economic contributions to the state —spurred by atourism-centered economy that benefits from the city’sunique cultureand celebrations such as Mardi Gras, festivals, Super Bowl and Sugar Bowl, to name but afew —are far more consistent. “$50 billion is aone-time investment that takes place over aperiod of several years,”saidBarnes, referring to Meta’spotential investment in the Richland Parish data center. “The New Orleanseconomy is contributing many tens of billions of dollars every year,year after year.”

Staff writer Tyler Bridges contributed to this report.

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

laborations between the city and state, including Tulane’s plans for Charity Hospital, constructionunderwayon the Louisiana International Terminal port in St. Bernard Parish and a1,000-room Omni Hotel to be builtinthe city’s Warehouse District.

“Wejust celebrated LSUNew Orleans opening up in the middle of my district,” said City Council member Eugene Green.

president, Dina PowellMcCormick, outline thetech giant’sexpansionplans in Louisiana. Some of theleaders from New Orleans afterward privately expressed shock and anger at Landry’s remarks about the city.

Andeven as they applauded the Meta news, some also notedthat Tulane’splanned transformation of Charity Hospital’svacantproperty downtown would bring as many or more permanent jobs.

Moreno attended theevent but said she didn’tspeak with the governor “He was on theother side of the room,” she said later Collaborationneeded

TopNew Orleans business leaders all said in recent days thatthe city and state must collaboratefor the overall good and pointed to the successful partnership where Landry created Troop Nola andMurrill agreed to prosecutethose arrested by State Police.

“The recipe between the cityand state is crimereduc-

One leader knowntobe making an effort to get the twoleaders on thesame page is Boysie Bollinger,asuccessful shipbuilder and generous philanthropist who is abig donorfor Republicans and lives in New Orleans. Moreno asked himtoarrange ameeting with Landry.Bollinger saidhewill discuss it withthe governor Sunday night when they meet in Aspen, Colorado Bollinger will be staying at his house there, while Landry will hold afundraiser and attend ameeting of the Republican Governors Association Michael Hecht, who leads GNO Inc.,which promotes investment in New Orleans, laments the fractured ties but cited several ongoing col-

James Carville, the famed Democratic strategist who hasserved as an unofficial ambassador forNew Orleans, saidLandryisusing the city as apolitical foil to bolster his middling popularity.The governor had an approval rating of only 43% in March, down from 58%a year earlier,according to the Pelican Institute for Public Policy,a conservative group.

“Lawyershaveasaying,” said Carville, an LSU Law School graduate. “If you have the law,pound the law If you have the facts, pound thefacts. If youhaveneither, pound the table. If your approval rating is stuck in the 40s, pound New Orleans.”

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

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STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Gov. Jeff Landrylistens as NewOrleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno speaks during the Fiscal ReviewCommitteemeeting at the State Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025.

will payfor much of that cost,” May said, “including revenues we anticipate from the substantial economic growthinthe state.”

Entergy’splans reflectaneverbefore-seenlevel of growth in Louisiana’selectricity sector,drawing the interest of the governor, state lawmakers and others whohistorically have stayed out of the complex business of utility regulation.

Just how much more residents paywillbedecided by thePSC,a five-member elected body thatregulates utilitieswith monopolies on theirservice territories, including Entergy

“There are too many variables to look at ($40 amonth) as afinal number,” said Commissioner JP Coussan, aLafayetteRepublican. “It’s our jobtomake sure that Louisiana families aregettingthe best deal possible.That includes not rubberstamping every proposal that comes beforeus.”

Regulators have already raised concerns about Entergy’s planned $1.8billion acquisition of aTexas power plant called Cottonwood, with astaff consultant saying it’slargely neededbecause of Meta’semerging datacenter in northeast Louisiana. Entergyand Meta insist that claim is false.

Entergy contends that it needs new infrastructure to address longstanding constraints in moving power long distances, to strengthenthe grid and to ensure Louisianasignals to private companies —including datacenter developers like Meta that it is ready for them to relocate here.

The company has repeatedly cited an “economic resurgence” in applications to buildmore infrastructure, saying itmustbuild new powerplants and transmission lines to support new industrial companies buildinglocal plants.

The$40 amonth projectionis basedona customer using1,000 kilowatt-hours amonth, slightly less than the average customer usage.

Entergy said that number will likely decrease as companieslikeHyundai, CF Industries and Woodside Energybegin buying huge amounts of power.Entergy hascut atleast one of thosecompanies, Hyundai, an economic development discount worth about $300 million,according to internalHyundai documents. State officials sayincentives are

needed to attract companies to the state.

In an interview with The TimesPicayune| The Advocate, Maysaid that the company still expects Louisiana’selectricrates to be 20% lower than the national averageafter the spending is finalized, compared to about30% lower now May said some of the offsetsare already guaranteed by contracts that require industrial customers to pay aminimumbill even if their demand neverramps up. He declined to offer specifics on how much of the load growthisguaranteed.

He also saidEntergy is collaboratingwith the PSC on aworking group to help easethe burden on low-income customers. He noted thecompany has lowered latefees andeliminatedchargesfor disconnections and reconnections for certain customers.

Theutility’s planstoramp up spending are drawing the attention of consultants who analyze deals on behalf of thePSC,aswellasconsumeradvocates and agroup that represents large industrial users in thestate,which has long sought the ability to goaround Entergy to get power

The concerns are creatinganunlikely coalitionofallies: The LouisianaEnergy Users Group, atrade association representing dozens of industrial companies, and the Alliance forAffordable Energy,aconsumer advocacy group, have both raised concerns about Entergy’splans.

“While projected load growth will hopefully offset some rate increase impacts, the spending is happening now beforethe load growth has beenrealized andsothere is risk to existingratepayersinthe meantime,and the projected load growth will not offset all of the cost risk and rateincreases evenifitdoes fully materialize,” LEUG attorney Randy Young wrote in PSCproceedings last month.

In arecent dispute overwhether Entergy shouldbeable to recover more of its costs associated with the troubled RiverBend nuclear facility from customers, PSC consultant Lane Sisung cited customer affordability in recommending the PSC rejectEntergy’s request.The case is still pending.

Sisung,who hasanalyzedutility proposals for the PSC for years, noted that Entergyhas delivered “substantial” profits to shareholders in recent years. And he said the company’s“future projected earningstrajectoryisalready positioned to growthrough new capital deploy-

ment while customer affordability is being imperiled.”

Bigplans

The spending plans that add up to $30billion aren’t happeningall at once. Instead,Entergy hasfiledmore than adozen separate plans that are being litigated in “dockets” before thePSC, whereregulators, opponents andother affected parties file evidence, testify and hold hearings before administrative law judges In 2022, the company won approval to spend $2 billion hardening the electricgrid amidquestions over failures during HurricaneIda adding morethan $8 amonth to the average electric bill.

Then, starting two years later, Entergy filedanarrayofproposals. It plans to spend nearly half abillion dollarsona transmission line between Iberville andSt. Charles parishes, $1 billiononanother line between Iberville and Jefferson parishes, $1.8 billion to buy aTexas power plant called Cottonwood and $4.1 billion to build new gas-fired power plantsatsites in St. Charles andCalcasieu parishes,among others.

On top of thoseplans, which would be funded by all ratepayers, Entergy hasstruck dealswith Meta to build at least $18.7 billionworth of infrastructuretoserve itsnortheastLouisiana data center campus, including infrastructure thatwill power amassive $50 billion expansionMeta justannounced.

At President Donald Trump’surging, Meta pledged at aWhite House event earlier this year to pay for all its power needs for datacenters.

Meta’sdeal with Entergy requires it to fund the costsassociated with those plans forthe first 15 to 20 years, at which point it can reneworwalk away.The plans have drawn outcry from groups like the Alliance for Affordable Energy, which is callingfor more regulations.

Entergy’sbuildout has boosted its standing on Wall Street, where the company has seen significant growth in shareholder returns.

At its recentinvestorday in June, Entergy Corp. executives told investors thatthe company’sreturns have outpaced thebroaderstock market.And leadersfromthe utility welcomed Meta and Amazon executivesonstage fora discussion about the two companies’ datacenters in Mississippi and Louisiana.

“Our salesgrowth from two years ago has doubled to 9%,” CEO

Drew Marsh told investors at the event at the NewYork Stock Exchange. “Our five-year capital plan has doubled to $67 billion. Our total shareholder return has more than doubled the S&P 500 over that time frame.”

May, CEO of Entergy Corp’s Louisianasubsidiary,saidthat while Wall Street is excited about Entergy’sgrowth opportunities, the company still has atarget 9.7% profit that is regulated by the PSC. If it under-earns, customers will pay more, and if it earns too much, rates will come down to bring the profit back down.

“That does notmeanwe’re making an unusually high return on our investment,” Maysaid. “The 9.7% return set by the commission is generally consistent with rates of return for the industry in general and actuallya bitlower than what you see in the southeast region.”

Politicalconcerns

While the state constitution gives the PSC the ultimate power to decide what to do, Gov.Jeff Landry and some legislative leaders are also now stepping into the arena.

Landryissued an executive orderonratepayer protections last month afterThe Times-Picayune’s reporting on one of Entergy’smost controversial components of its spending plan, to buy the power plant called Cottonwood. The order requires data center developerstopay fortheir ownpowerif they want to take advantage of lucrative taxbreaks from the state.

“These resources are vital to the welfareofour citizens andtothe future of our economy, and that is why ourapproach demands thoughtful and responsiblestewardship,”Landry said.

Sisung, the PSCconsultant, concludedthat Cottonwoodislargely only needed because of Meta’s datacenter,prompting Landry to issue the order.Meta and Entergy have rejected theideathatthe datacenter is responsible forthe energy needs, andEntergy will soon file arebuttal.

“This consultant’sreport is inaccurate speculation given the facilitywill provide powertomultiple Entergy customersand Entergy planned to acquire it before Meta decided to build in Louisiana,” Meta spokesperson Francis Brennan said in astatement. Meanwhile, state Senate leaders have formedatask force on energy issues,including whetherto allow industrial customers to buy

or build their own power and go around Entergy

Sen. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville, amember of the task force, said in an interview that there’sa “new normal” in the electricity sector because of huge power needs of data centers and industrial plants, and the public has ahard time understanding how the PSC works.

“I just don’tfind the process open enough,” Hensgens said. “I’m not sure we’re taking every step to makesure we’re not socializing these costs.”

The Alliance forAffordable Energyisasking formoreoversight of Entergy’splans for Meta and other projects. Executive director Logan Burke said Entergy’sspending plans comeatatimewhen many households in the state are “already paying more than they can handle.”

The Alliancehas also criticized Entergy’shuge expansion of its fleet of natural gas-fired power plants, noting thestate already heavily relies on gas and that rising natural gas prices have hit residents hard. Customers pay for the cost of fuel like natural gas.

“Ifall of these plans come home to roost, notonly arethe bills goingtospike, thesecosts aregoing to be locked in fordecades with no way out,” shesaid. “The commissionmust take action to limit theharms at thefront end, even if they won’tbeinoffice whenthe bills come due.”

And the Louisiana Energy Users Group, which represents agroup of industrial companieswith 92 facilitiesinthe state, is also raising questionsabout Entergy’s plans. LEUG hasarguedfor yearsthatits industry members should be able to get their own power,aproposal that has failed to win approval so far.

Last month, LEUG filed comments at the commission expressing concerns about the rate hikes on the wayfor customers because of the $30 billion in spending Entergy is planning. While growth in thenumberofcustomersmay offset someofthe impacts, “there is risk to existing ratepayersinthe meantime.”

“Louisiana’s current rulesfor private generation investment weredeveloped morethan40 yearsago,” Young, LEUG’sattorney,wrote. “Wedon’tbuy cellphonesorcomputersfrom40 yearsago,sowhy should Louisiana limit itself to more than40yearold rules forelectric generation?”

InspiringThroughEducation

CornerstonehasbeenacommunitypartnerinWaggamanand JeffersonParishforover70years.AtCornerstoneEnergyPark, weinvestincollaborativecommunityprogramstochampion educationandempowerthelocalscience,technology,engineering, andmathematics(STEM)workforceofthefuture. We’recommittedtoourcommunity.Togetherwithourcommunity partners,wearehelpingbridgethegapbetweeneducationand opportunitytoinspirelearning,locally.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Congress fearsanother federalgovernmentshutdown

Mark Ballard

WASHINGTON —Last month in theSenate chamber,then at acouple of committee hearings, on aclowder of right-wing shows, and even while campaigningin New Hampshire for aGOP senate candidate, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy predictedyet another federal governmentshutdown on Oct. 1—this time only four weeksbefore voters decide which partycontrols the House and Senate in 2027. AMadisonville Republican, Kennedy’sopinions were viewed as theoretical a month ago, even dismissed in some quarters as part of his push to pass legislation. But the atmosphere has changed as members of Congress remain divided and Republicans have trouble rallying enough members to back “must-pass” legislation without help from Democrats.

The House Appropriationscommittee has approvedall 12 bills that authorize spending by government agenciesfor the fiscal year that begins Oct.1.Onlythree have cleared the House chamber —and oneofthose took some parliamentary razzle-dazzle to get passed afterconservatives had earlier blocked aproceduralstep.

The Senate hasn’tyet agreed on what the total spending —called topline numbers —should be in the three bills, much less assign what amounts should gotowhich programs If Congress fails to approveall 12 bills, or in the alternative, aresolution to continueoperations after Oct. 1, then government shuts down, services are curtailed most employees are temporarily furloughed and essential workers stay on the job without pay.That’shappened 22 times since 1977

House SpeakerMike Johnson, R-Benton and his leadershipteam on Friday afternoon released the “Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027” that would allow the government to continue operatingfrom Oct. 1

Cannizzaronamedto judicial commission

Leon Cannizzaro,the former OrleansParish district attorney with ties to Gov.Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, has been appointed to the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, which investigates judicial misconduct

Cannizzaro

The news comes in the wake of alegislative session where judges came under fire by Republican leaders who say they are not punished frequently enough for incompetence. Such complaints have oftenbeen enmeshed with broader concerns from Landry and Murrill that judges aren’ttough enoughon criminals.

Cannizzaro, who spent 22 years as ajudge before serving as New Orleans’ top prosecutor from 2008-20, says he is joiningthe Judiciary Commission without a political agenda.

As ajudge, “I wanted to listen to the cases and make decisions based on what’spresented to me,” Cannizzaro said. “I will dothatin this job.”

“I’m not there for any particular cause or anything,” he added.

Cannizzaro is aDemocrat but has drawn heavy criticismfrom criminal justice reform advocates who say his prosecutorial tactics in Orleans were overly aggressive and unethical. Those

to Dec. 4, which is after theNov.3midterm elections.

It’searly going and alot will change basedonconversations with members.

But, generally,Johnson and his leadership team are looking at what is called a“clean CR,” meaning nothing but thenecessary wording to continue government operations at present spending levels past the Sept.30deadline. Leadership did not want to include anyother issues to which members might object

Thelast government shutdown, from Feb. 14toApril 30, for instance, came aboutbecause Democrats demanded and Republicans rejected —requiring federal immigration officers enforcing Trump’sdeportation efforts to remove their masks, wear their badges and follow other dueprocess standards. The shut-

same critics raised alarms about Cannizzaro’sappointment to the commission,which sortsthrough complaints against judges and recommends judges be disciplined by the Louisiana SupremeCourt.

“The LouisianaJudiciary Commission exists to uphold public confidence in the integrity,fairness, and independenceofour courts. Appointments to that body shouldreflect those same values,” AshleyCrawford, associatedirector of Vera Louisiana,a branchofthe Vera Institute of Justice, said in astatement. “LeonCannizzaro’s record as Orleans ParishDistrict Attorney was marked by deeply controversialprosecutorial practicesand longstanding concerns about accountability.”

down that began Oct. 1, 2025, and ended Nov.12, 2025, started when Republicans wouldn’tagree to Democratic demands to cover subsidies many workers used to purchase healthcare insurance on the private market that they now can no longer afford. GOP thinking is acontinuing resolution that is just an up-or-down vote to ward off agovernment shutdown would makeitpolitically harder for Democrats to oppose.

Polymarket, which takes bets on events, charted Thursday that two-thirds, 66%, of its wagers on whether the federal governmentwill shut down put money on yes.

Butafter chatter Thursday that included leadership’sthinking on a“clean CR,” only 55% were betting on ashutdown by Friday morning.

Even though the deadline is twoand a half monthsaway,Johnson andGOP lead-

could carry jail time, Cannizzaro said witnesses that failed to cooperate were never arrested.

Capitol Buzz STAFF REPORTS

One of thebiggestcontroversies of Cannizzaro’scareer came when theOrleans Parish District Attorney’s Office was accused underhis leadership of using fake subpoenas andthreats of jail time to pressurewitnesses and victims to cooperate.

Cannizzaro vigorously defended hisrecord,disputing the use of the term “fakesubpoenas.” Instead, his office gave witnesses “district attorney’s notices,”a practice that dated back to the 1960s, hesaid

Most weregiven to cooperating witnesses who needed proof that they had been in court, according to Cannizzaro. Though some notices were labeled as “subpoenas” andindicated that defying them

Cannizzaro said his office used that tactic rarely and only in the mostsevere cases, when he worried it was the only way to keep adangerous criminal from walking away “I neverreally got a chance to sort of give my side of the story,”Cannizzaro said. “I thought we weretreated extremely unfairly by your newspaper.”

Cannizzaro’soffice stopped using the notices after the practice madeheadlines. Cannizzaro said that was adecision made by a group of district attorneys to avoid the appearance of wrongdoing and restore trust withthe public, which he described as integral to afunctioning criminal justice system Still, manycriminal justice advocates in New Orleanslook sourly upon Cannizzaro’srecord.

Cannizzaro “was responsible for some of themost egregious prosecutorial abuses in Louisiana,” said Cecelia Trenticosta Kappel, a well-known defense attorney for deathrow inmates and the deputy director of litigation at the Promise of Justice Initiative, acriminal justice advocacy group based in New Orleans.

“Appointing him to any body charged with evaluating ethics, integrity,orthe rule of law undermines public trust and eviscerates any remnant of afair

ers hope to get aCRtothe floor this week. The House is scheduled to leave Thursday and the Senate twoweeks after that, before spending the entire month of August away from Capitol Hill. They’ll be back forafew weeks in September,then return to their districts forOctober campaigning.

Creating a“clean CR” is moredifficult because Trumprepeatedly has said he won’tsign any legislation until Congress passes astricter election-security measure. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, identification when casting aballot and restrictions on using mail-in ballots.

The House has passed the SAVE Act several times. But it’sano-go forsome Republican senators and all of the Democratic ones. So Johnson and his team are adding SAVE Act wording on reconciliation bills in hopes that the Senate can find one instrumentthat 51 Republican senators would approve —and also to calm conservative fears by not attaching the issue to a“clean CR.”

Reconciliation allows adjustments on existing appropriations that can be approved with asimple majority in both chambers, using aconvoluted procedure that circumvents Senate rules that require 60 votes for passage.

Adownsized Reconciliation 3.0, which Johnson said would get avote this week, gives the Defense Department $73 billion forintelligence programsand to help cover unexpected expenses in the military action against Iran, along with $12 billion forfarmers and $10 billion forgrants to incentivize states to pass their own strict voter identification laws.

“It’sour best shot at enacting our party’s top priority legislation, the SAVE America Act,” Johnson said.

Email Mark Ballardatmballard@ theadvocate.com.

legal system we might have,” she added.

StateRep. Phillip DeVillier,REunice, the speaker of the house, tapped Cannizzaro to serve on theJudiciary Commission under arecent rule change that allows high-ranking state officials to makeappointments to the body, whose members were traditionally appointed by fellow judges. DeVillier did not return arequest for comment.

Both Murrill and Landry applauded the appointment, with Landry calling DeVillier’sselection “outstanding” and praising Cannizzaro’slegacy In astatement, Murrill said Cannizzaro had “a deep understanding of andrespect forthe system.” Cannizzaro’sdaughter, Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue, is representing Murrill in arecent criminal indictment that aNew Orleansgrand jury returned and thestate’shigh court has stayed.

“He is an excellentappointment to theCommission and will join several other Commission appointees whoare likewise committed to ensuring judicial accountability and transparency,” Murrill added.

Cannizzaro did not seek reelection as district attorney in 2020; he went on to workfor the Attorney General’s Office under Landry,and then under Murrill once Landry becamegovernor Cannizzaro headed the Louisiana Department of Justice’scriminal division andretired in May

He’snot the only recent appointmentwith close ties to Murrill’s

office. Landry recently appointed John Sinquefield, another one of Murrill’stop staffers, last year to the commission as it expanded from nine to 14 members.

Hackersattempt to breachtourismsystems

Hackers attempted to breach computer systemsatLouisiana’s state tourism agency over the weekend, but they were unsuccessful, the agency said.

The hackers tried to gather user data from the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, apractice knownascredential harvesting, but cybersecurity software from the company CrowdStrike quickly recognized what was happening, shut down department computer servers in response, and prevented the attack, an agency spokesperson said.

Requests formore detailed information about the incident were referred to Louisiana State Police, which is investigating the attack.

“The Louisiana State Police Cyber Crimes Unit is investigating acyber incident involving electronic devices at the Louisiana Department of Tourism,” Sgt. Ross Brennan, aspokesperson, confirmed in astatement.

“At this time, no electronic devices have been seized, no arrests have been made, and no departmentemployees are believed to be suspects. The investigation remains in its early stages, and no further information is available at this time,” Brennan said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, speaks during anewsconference last week in Washington, D.C.

Texas Hill Country floods test new warning systems

BY CHRISTOPHER L. KELLER and REBECCA BOONE Associated Press

After deadly floods killed more than 100 people in Texas’ Hill Country last July, officials vowed major changes in hopes of preventing the failures that contributed to the high death toll. They promised better flood warning systems, tighter safety rules for children’s camps and improvements to the state’s water infrastructure.

That work was far from done when a new round of storms began pummeling the state this week, triggering catastrophic flash floods in some of the same areas devastated in 2025. At least two people died.

Hundreds needed rescue But residents in some hard-hit areas said a year of preparation did make a difference. Newly installed flood sirens sounded in the darkness, warning people to get out. Phones buzzed with alerts that weren’t sent out in last year’s disaster Still, stories of people surprised to find their homes inundated by rising rivers illustrate the challenges of trying to bolster early warning systems in a vast, rural area known as Flash Flood Alley

Proactive alerts

Over the last decade, a variety of Texas state and local agencies missed opportunities to implement flood warning systems along the Guadalupe River, the AP reported after last summer’s floods killed 136 people, including 28 at a sleepaway camp for girls.

That changed after the tragedy as lawmakers and others scrutinized a lack of preparedness by government agencies and riverside camps.

Unlike last summer, when local officials in Kerr County said they

had been reluctant to “cry wolf” and order evacuations and failed to send out wireless alerts to warn of flash floods, Kerr County issued four alerts and the city of Kerrville issued one early on Thursday as the risk for flooding became apparent, according to an Associated Press review of available data.

They warned residents along Quinlan Creek to evacuate to higher ground, and of “extremely dangerous” flash flooding. Those alerts came alongside flood watches, warnings and emergencies sent to broadcast outlets, weather radios and mobile phones by the National Weather Service People who signed up for the CodeRED notification emergency system in Kerr County also received text message warnings

“Last year, we got no alarms. We had no idea what was going on,” said Suzanne Sutphin Gschwind, of Kerrville

“This year, very different,” she said, with multiple texts and calls coming in from local authorities, a weather channel and her doorbell camera. One night the warnings arrived “about every two hours.”

“I think we would all like to err on the side of too much,” she said. Everyone not reached

Between the early morning hours of Tuesday and about 9 a.m. Thursday the National Weather Service sent 38 alerts to people in certain southwest Texas communities, including 14 tornado warnings and 24 warnings that flooding was occurring or imminent and could be “life threatening.”

Those Weather Service notifications, though, often don’t contain the highly localized information put in alerts sometimes sent by municipal and county emergency agencies — and people in some places may not have gotten any of those local alerts, which can be more decisive for people considering whether to seek high ground.

An Associated Press review of wireless emergency alert data did not find any listed as sent by agencies in Uvalde County, which was hit hard by flooding, though agencies in that county might have used other means to alert the public.

Jaclyn Gonzales was awakened at 2 a.m. Wednesday by a friend who

called to warn that a tornado might be headed toward her Uvalde-area home When she jumped out of bed, the floor was wet.

“It was the shock of the water to my feet that made me really wake up,” she said.

Kat Sprawls only learned floodwaters were nearing her Batesville home when a friend called her at 3:30 a.m. Friday. It took five or six calls before she woke up, because she had her phone on do-not-disturb mode.

“There’s no warning system at all It’s just like the flood in Kerrville last year — we had no warnings,” Sprawls said “Over half of Batesville is under water now.”

Zavala County Sheriff’s Department secretary Jessica Belmarez said the department is updating its Facebook page with evacuation information and that law enforcement officers were going door-todoor in affected areas, including Batesville.

Siren network expanding

Newly installed sirens in Ingram and in Kerr and Kendall counties were used this week to warn residents, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who authored legislation in 2025 to help fund the sirens.

Twenty-eight additional counties are also eligible for flood warning funding. Most are in the process of putting together implementation plans for review by the Texas Water Development Board.

“Between the outdoor sirens, and the cellphone alerts, the response was very positive in getting people out of the way and to higher ground,” Bettencourt said. “It’s an enormous improvement over a year ago.”

Three of six new sirens installed in Kerr County were used to warn people to seek high ground, said Tara Bushnoe, manager of the Up-

per Guadalupe River Authority

The other three were in areas with only minor flooding, Bushnoe said.

The small town of Comfort had one warning siren for years. The volunteer fire department recently installed two more.

“Some people just don’t want to leave — that’s our problem here,” said Danny Morales, the assistant fire chief. “But we did set them off twice, probably an hour from one to another, just because we had people just lingering, and not wanting to move.”

Filling the gaps

Ian Cunningham founded River Sentry after the 2025 floods building flood siren towers for privately owned sites like RV parks, camps and hotels. The sirens are triggered by rising water levels.

So far, the company has installed 104 sirens along the Guadalupe River, Cunningham said, including several near the site of an RV park where more than three dozen people died in 2025.

“We installed them about three months ago and did not expect them to be used so soon,” Cunningham said.

Hononu, which has developed water-level sensor technology and a real-time data network, received a state contract that will make it easier for agencies to purchase its flood warning technology Watch Duty, a fire-tracking app used by millions, expanded earlier this year to help monitor floods. ‘Lives have been saved’

Texas Gov Greg Abbott said the lessons of 2025 led to a better emergency response this time.

“Everybody in Texas has been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year,” Abbott said during a news conference in Uvalde. “Lives have been saved.”

Safety fears limit Ebola response in Congo, with over 12 attacks recorded

By The Associated Press

BUNIA, Congo At least a dozen attacks on health facilities and workers have been recorded during Congo’s Ebola outbreak as safety fears restrict the response in the worst-affected region, authorities said Saturday

Many health workers and other frontline workers in Ituri province have also gone on strike over unpaid salaries, further complicating response efforts in what’s been declared the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. So far 2,181 cases have been recorded, including 864 deaths

The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment

Many of the attacks have been carried out by angry mobs who have stormed treatment centers or targeted response teams in the

field, Pierre Akilimali, incident manager for the Ebola response, said at a press briefing in Bunia, the capital of Ituri.

The attacks are not limited to healthcare teams and affect frontline workers like burial teams, according to Dr Adelard Lufongola, operations manager for the Ebola response.

“Members of the various response teams have been held captive in some health zones. Teams responsible for safe and dignified burials have been threatened and continue to be threatened in some cemeteries and within several communities,” Lufongola said at the briefing.

Personalized memorials

help Jacob Schoen&Son hour New Orleans families in meaningful new ways

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

A police officer walks Friday along the Guadalupe River after a series of storms in Kerrville, Texas.

EDUCATION

Innovation, data fixes fuel Native American grad gain

BY SAVANNAH PETERS Associated Press

During his senior year of high school on the Puyallup Reservation, Gerald Dillon traded much of his academic coursework for career training.

When he walked into the second grade classroom where he worked as a teaching assistant, students would rush from their seats for a fist bump or a hug.

The 18-year-old, who once found classes boring and put in only enough effort to pass, found renewed purpose to come to school every day

“It motivates me. I like making connections with the kids, I like helping them,” Dillon said It began in his junior year when he enrolled in career training courses. Soon, Dillon said, his grades improved. He graduated in June from Chief Leschi Schools in Washington and is now considering going to college for a teaching degree.

Administrators at the school say a shift in focus to technical training and career readiness is paying off, with more students not only staying in school but graduating on time.

Those gains are emblematic of progress across the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education, which oversees 183 primary and secondary schools serving over 40,000 students. In 2015, just over half of high schoolers at BIE schools graduated within four years. That number soared to a record high of 79% by 2025.

Some BIE educators attribute that surge to local innovations. Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland says they reflect the Trump administration’s commitment to Native American students, including efforts to strengthen teacher training. In addition, the way graduation rates are reported

otherwise have dropped out instead enter health sciences, education and fisheries management and find new motivation to stay in school.

Dillon, the recent graduate, said hands-on job training was a better match for his learning style.

“It was kind of the first time I felt excited to go to school,” said Dillon, reflecting on his time helping second graders practice reading skills and learn the life cycle of a frog.

Between 2019 and 2025, Chief Leschi Schools reported four-year graduation rates rose from 53% to 87%.

A focus on trades is just one of the ways tribal-controlled BIE schools have innovated to keep students on track. At Choctaw

fulfill its treaty promise.”

Tribal leaders push back

From the dismantling of the federal Department of Education to DOGE reductions that swept out longtime staffers, as well as repeated threats of deep funding cuts, tribal leaders fear the progress that has been made could be undermined.

In November 2025, the Department of Education began handing off oversight of dozens of programs that serve Native students to BIE.

across BIE schools was changed to address flawed data collection that previously depressed the numbers.

But concerns loom that changes reshaping the BIE under the Trump administration — including the planned dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and continued fallout from cuts instituted by DOGE — could undermine progress and prevent struggling schools from improving.

More accurate data

The surge in graduation rates reflects, in part, more accurate reporting rather than a sudden leap in student academic improvement, according to agency officials.

For years, school administrators across the system used flawed methods to track graduation rates, often counting students who had transferred to other schools as dropouts.

“We had to come to a consensus and set an accountability framework for our schools,” said Carmelia Becenti, the agency’s chief academic officer

Beginning in 2018, BIE began standardizing data collection methods. In the years since, Be-

centi said, the data has painted a more accurate and encouraging picture.

An AP analysis of BIE data found that graduation rates across the system are up 55% since new reporting standards began rolling out, with nine of its secondary schools reporting 100% growth or higher New approaches help students

Less than one-third of BIE schools are operated by the agency itself. The rest are run by tribes and receive federal funding. At some of those, educators say data collection is only part of the story

Don Brummett, superintendent of Chief Leschi Schools, said his staff has been working to correct a “disconnect” between the high school’s previous laser focus on getting students ready for college and many students’ goals of finding a job upon graduation.

“We devalued the trades. That was a mistake,” Brummett said. The school launched its career and technical curriculum in 2020 with funding from the Puyallup Tribal Council. Since then, Brummett has seen students who might

Central High School, a BIE school operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw, administrators said a COVID-era experiment in virtual learning contributed to a surge in graduation rates from roughly 70% to 93%.

“For certain kids that have more responsibilities at home, kids that need to work, we saw that (virtual learning) gave them a flexible schedule and an opportunity to earn their diploma,” said principal Alaric Keams. When pandemic lockdowns lifted, the district maintained a virtual learning option for all high schoolers.

But not all tribal governments have the resources to pay for these kinds of programs or take over management of BIE schools.

Peter Lengkeek, chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, says the BIE-operated high school serving his community is chronically understaffed and crumbling under a backlog of deferred maintenance, including a gymnasium with sinking walls and a rodent infestation.

It has reported graduating fewer than 60% of students on time in recent years.

“If we were able to, we would step in and try to remedy a lot of these things,” said Lengkeek. “We have to rely on the government to

At a tribal consultation session in February in Washington, D.C., dozens of tribal leaders spoke in opposition, saying the transition could overwhelm the already understaffed and stretched BIE with additional responsibilities. Several accused the department of ignoring its legal responsibility to seek their input before moving forward.

“We are here too late,” said Herschel Gorham, lieutenant governor of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. “The ink was dry on the agreements before the tribes were ever notified. That should never, ever happen.”

Jason Dropik, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, said turmoil at the agency’s Washington office trickles down to schools pointing to a Trump administration executive order that aimed to turn the BIE into a school choice system but was scaled back after an outcry from tribes.

“That caused some delays and disruptions to services,” Dropik said “When drastic changes go into motion without tribal consultation, there can be unintended consequences for our students.”

Lengkeek worries the BIE could be consumed by political upheaval while schools like the one serving his community continue to underperform.

“This system holds the future of our nations in its hands,” Lengkeek said. “We need stability. We need increased funding. We need infrastructure.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Chief Leschi Schools senior Gerald Dillon, 18, helps during a weaving exercise in a culture class for second graders as he serves as a teaching assistant through the school’s career and technical education program at Chief Leschi Schools in Puyallup, Wash.

THE GULF COAST

Mobile unveilsboldnew plan to revinventdowntown

Newarena andairport to boosttourism

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

MOBILE,Ala.

—The river that bounds this industrial city is still busy with its usual rhythms. Cranes stack cargo at the port.

Trains clank across tracks. Powerful ships keep forging toward the sea

But many leaders in Mobile, Alabama, are also embracing anew vision for the working waterway: Residents and visitors, they say,should be able to relax there too.

Cheriogotis

Their plan could transform astretch of downtown Mobile’swaterfront into awalkablecollectionof shops, bars and restaurants. And it is one step in abold new endeavor to reinvent the city’scenter and lure newcomers converging in other cities across the Gulf Coast.

“Wejust never saw our waterfront as atourist attraction,” said Spiro Cheriogotis, who was elected mayor last year.He glancedacross the concrete shoreline and down the Mobile River as ahulking ship plowed for the bay

“If people were walking down here to have lunch every day,Ithink that would be incredible,” he said. “How many people, in the middle of the day,have done this?”

The shore was empty “Not enough,” Cheriogo-

tis said.

But he is optimistic about downtown Mobile’s future. Last week,leaders celebrated news that a long-stalled plan to build a $3 billion bridge acrossthe river will finally begin this year.Nearby, a$300 million arenaisunder construction. So is anew international airport.

More than 100,000 passengers have boardedAmtrak trains that began running last summer between New Orleans and downtown Mobile. And Cheriogotisis dreaming of addingfood trucks and even arooftop restaurant near the train stop on the waterfront, which has long been lined with ajail, warehouses and salvage yards.

Tourismleaders predict the new developmentswill attract more Louisiana residents for concerts andvacations. They say the boost could help raise Mobile’s annual visitor count from

about3.5 millionto5million over thenextseveral years. Whether that happens andwhether the attractions convincemorenewcomers to move downtown —could chartapath for other industrial powerhouses around the region that want to reinvigorate their cities.

“Wethink that we can attract investment,”said Bradley Byrne, aformer congressmanwho leads Mobile’s chamber of commerce. “Allthings are possible if people show up with money.”

Arena, airport, waterfront

Some progress is imminent. Regions Arena, nestled in adowntown neighborhood, is scheduled to open earlynext year.Itwill hold 10,000 spectators and replace the city’sold civic center with aspace that can attract bigger headliners. It will also bring aprofessional hockey team —the Mobile

Mysticks— back to the city after 25 years.

The new Mobile International Airport is set to open next spring near downtown and could bring ahalf-million moreflights to thecity over the next five years, said David Clark, president of the tourism agency Visit Mobile. It will replace the old regional airport about 17 miles west of downtown and could draw flights from Las Vegas, New York and Chicago.

“You don’tmove an airport very often,”Clark said. “All of these investments are sparking other people to invest, and that’sa key thing.”

The largest cruise ship that has ever been based in Mobile —the 3,000-passenger Carnival Valor —will also begin service next May.And cityleaders are seeking millions in federal grant money to redesign a major road that separates theriver from the rest of

downtowntomake crossing safer forpedestrians.

“Wewant people to be able to get over here easily,generally without fear of death,” Cheriogotis said along the street one recent day.Atractor-trailer and a squatted truck roared past him

Mobile is not giving up on its industries, either: A dredging project last year madethe Port of Mobile among the deepest on the Gulf Coast, which means it can welcomethe world’s largest ships. The aerospace company Airbus is expanding in the city and plans to build up to 20 planes amonth.

Leaders say the city’s industrial growth remains crucial to its success, and could also lure morebusiness travelers whoarrive formeetings with shipbuilders and manufacturers. That, in turn, could raise demand forrestaurants and boutique hotels.

Mobile is also dusting up its image by refurbishing parks and battling signs of blight.

“It’slike awhole new skyline,” Dale Liesch, acity spokesperson, said.

Mobile’s waterfront vision Challenges remain. Long lines of cars snake east each evening as thousands of employees whowork in the city return to homes across Mobile Bay.The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population in Baldwin County,home to the cities of Fairhope, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, has gained almost 36,000 people since 2020 —agrowth rate of about 15%.

Mobile County,incontrast, has lost about 3,000 people in the past five years, adecline of 0.8%.

Ellis Foster,the economic development director for the nonprofit Downtown Mobile Alliance, said interest rates and tariffs are also creating uncertainty for somemajor developments. Other leaders have said Mobile needs morewhitecollar jobs, downtownhousing and amore robust retail district. But they say they are confident moreinvestments will come.

“People don’tlook for Mobile on amap,” Foster said, “but when they come to Mobile they always say, ‘Man, this is agreat place to be.’”

“We’ve been here all along,” he added. “People just haven’tcome over and experienced it as much as they have in New Orleans.” Cheriogotis is still thinking about possibilities. Maybe someold warehouses with little need forwaterfront access could make wayfor vibrant new restaurants. Or diners could enjoy rooftop viewsfrom adeck atop the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf,just behind the Amtrak stop. The building’sroof is still empty.But Cheriogotis walked to its railing one evening last week and faced the river,the jail and the salvage yards.

“Imagine brand new mixed-use condos, hotels, restaurants, bars,” he said. He conceded that the transformation would not happen in the next year.It could take several tries to secure the federal grant needed to build ariverfront pedestrian corridor,which leaders say will kickstart morewaterfront investments.

But he madeapromise.

“This whole area,” he vowed, “will be completely different.”

Prosecutor revealsdetails on ICEkilling in Houston

BY SAFIYAH RIDDLE Associated Press

Afederalprosecutorin

Texas shared new details

Thursday eveningabout the moments before an immigration officer shot and killeda Mexican national and longtime U.S. resident in early July.The disclosurecomplicates the government’s earlier claim that the man struck an ICE vehicle before he was shot.

AU.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement officer killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, on July 7ashe was driving to aHouston construction job site with three co-workers, one of whom washis brother.The shooting sparked protests in the sprawling Texas city, echoing Salgado Araujo’s family’scalls for transparency.The family describes him as ahardworking father very close to obtaining legal status in the U.S. after living in the country for 35 years. The shooting came just days before twoother men in Florida and Maine died

Amemorial growsMondayatthe

Immigration and Customs

as part of President Donald Trump’sfederal immigration crackdown,renewing scrutinyonthe Department of Homeland Security’slaw enforcement tactics Aaron Reitz, theU.S. attorneyfor theSouthernDistrict of Texas, saidfor the first time on Thursdaythat ICE

officers were targeting two Guatemalan men whowere potentially subject to deportation. He said they were driving avan similar to the oneSalgado Araujo was driving when he was killed. In an earlier statement released theday Salgado Araujo was killed, DHS said he was tar-

geted in an immigration enforcement operation, and he was living in the country without legal permission. Reitz also said that the officersbelievedthat Salgado Araujo andthe passengers in his car fit thedescription of the Guatemalan men the agentswerelooking for

Four officers driving two separate law enforcement vehicles attemptedtopull over Salgado Araujo’svan using their police lights. Salgado Araujo then made a U-turn anddrove over amedian to evade getting pulled over,Reitz said. Later that morning, the officers again encountered Salgado Araujo’svan and for thesecondtime triedtopull him over,this time effectively surrounding the vehicle, Reitz said. Twoofthe four agents got out of their cars and told Salgado Araujo to put the vehicleinpark. Just before he was shot, one of the agents was “partially inside the van or immediately next to it” whenSalgado Araujo tried to reverse and then drive forward again, Reitz said.

An earlier DHSstatement accused Salgado Araujo of weaponizing his vehicle. The agency said he rammed his van into alaw enforcement vehicle and said an officer opened fire in self-defense. The most recentstatement from theU.S attorney’s of-

fice, however,didn’tmention any collision between Salgado Araujo’svan and a law enforcement vehicle. It also didn’texplicitlysay that the officer feared forhis life.Thereare no reported injuries for the officers involved. The latest statement didn’t name theofficer who killed Salgado Araujo, nor did it specifyifthe officerwho fired theshotwas thesame person whowas next to, or partially inside, the van. Reitz also said in the statement that officers “sawin plain view several small bags of awhite,crystal-like substance inside the van” and that the FBI later executeda search warrant to investigate forpossible illicit substances. Salgado Araujo’s brother, who was in the van when theshooting happened, has been in ICE detention since the incident. His attorney said the white substance was asalt mixture that the men used as electrolytes to stay hydrated while doing manual labor in the grueling Texas heat.

Rescuers race to find survivorsafter landslideinChina killsatleast

BY ANDYWONG and KANIS LEUNG Associated Press

CHONGQING, China Rescue crews on Saturdayraced to find survivors from alandslide in the southwestern Chinese cityofChongqing that killed at least eight people and left 34 missing. The landslide occurred in Pengshui County on Friday morning on the outskirts of Chongqing municipality, when massive amounts of rocks and soil washed down aslope, buryingmore than 10 residential buildings, state broadcaster CCTV said. Tenpeople wererescued and sent to the hospital, whilemore than 1,100 people have been relocated. Associated Press photos and videos showedthatone of thefallen rocksappeared larger than amultistory building, withruins scattered across thesteep terrain. One of thedamaged buildings had its top part crushed andacar was seen half-buried near another building.

Thelandslide contained about 635,500 cubicfeet of rocks and debris, and the largest single rock was around 106,000 cubic feet, Wang Chuanjun, head of Planning and Natural Resources in PengshuiCounty, told anews conference on Friday CCTV said persistent rain hit Pengshui from Friday nighttoSaturday morning, with nearly 8inchesrecorded at aweather station. The

unstable weather madethe rescue operation more challenging, it said. As the rain eased slightly,rescue teams entered the site to conduct on-the-ground inspections of thecollapsed buildings and riverbank areas. While rescue operations are being carried out on one side of the massive rocks, teams will later need to look beneaththem, wherethey may risk injury if the boulders become unstable and slide,CCTV reported. Once thesearch of the surrounding areas is complete, officers will drillintothe boulders andfill the holeswith explosives to break them apart, it said. Beyond the deployment of excavators, aCCTV video report showed asearch dog

barkingtoalert arescuer about signs of life. Volunteersrode on motorbikestodeliversuppliesto rescuers and somestranded residents. Other residents in Pengshui reported thatthe water supply to their homes was only available at certain intervals.

China’sNational Development and Reform Commission on Saturday allocated arelief fund of $4.4 million to support the restoration of infrastructureand public service facilities following thedisaster Therain-triggeredlandslide occurred near astretch of the WujiangRiver,which cuts through karst mountains peppered with small townsand terraces. PengshuiCounty is lo-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KAREN WARREN

site where LorenzoSalgado Araujo wasfatally shot by U.S.

Enforcement agents in Houston.

cated in the southeast part of Chongqing, bordering theprovinces of Hubeiand Guizhou.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByANDyWONG

Residential and business buildings damaged by fallen rocks and mud are seen Saturday after alandslide in Pengshui County in southwesternChina’sChongqing

Trump shifts his tone on Jimmy Carter

President grappling with Iran, inflation and his own legacy

BY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON Jimmy Carter

used to be one of President Donald Trump‘s favorite political targets, a catchall foil for feckless Democrats that he could jeer at to make himself look strong and decisive.

But lately, Trump’s sentiments on the 39th president have become more wistful as he faces some of the same challenges the late Carter did.

Trump

Those include the war in Iran with no end in sight — and now escalating as the U.S. moves to control the Strait of Hormuz and inflation, a drag on the economy Trump hasn’t tamed despite long insisting that his business background would wipe it out

The comparison seems to be on Trump’s mind, too. Asked last month why he didn’t dispatch U.S. Special Forces into Iran to forcibly remove its enriched uranium, he responded, “I didn’t feel like being Jimmy Carter.”

That recalled the failed 1980 raid to free U.S. hostages that killed eight American servicemen. Trump also said in March that the unsuccessful mission “cost them the election” against Ronald Reagan in 1980 sounding cognizant of political realities in a way he didn’t when using Carter as a punchline.

The shift in tone coincides with Trump’s increased focus on his personal legacy and comes as the parallels between the two presidents become harder to ignore.

“I think it is dawning on him — it’s getting through even his thick skull — that he’s kicked over a hornet’s nest and his presidency might be remembered for some of the same things Jimmy Carter’s presidency is,” said Jonathan Alter author of “His Very Best: Jim-

Mali

my Carter, A Life.”

Glaring differences

Asked about Trump’s change in tone on Carter and the two facing overlapping challenges, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said, “Trump will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon” and “remains laserfocused on implementing his proven economic agenda to lower costs.”

“The president is a oneof-a-kind leader who will always unapologetically advance America’s interests,” Wales said in a statement “The only legacy he is concerned with is making America greater than ever before.”

Kori Schake, a former member of George W. Bush’s National Security Council, said she doesn’t think Trump is reassessing Carter “He doesn’t stitch facts together and create theories,” she said Still, Trump’s more recent comments are a long way from his 2024 reelection campaign, when he routinely called Joe Biden “the worst” president who made Carter look “brilliant” by comparison Trump still frequently mentions Carter, who died two years ago at age 100, but usually to incorrectly suggest that he was wary of mail-in ballots.

Other disparities between the two are legion Carter was married to his wife, Rosalynn, for 77 years, was deeply religious and pledged to “never knowingly lie to the American people.”

Trump is twice divorced, relishes cursing publicly and offers a never-ending onslaught of falsehoods.

As president, Carter placed his family’s peanut business in a blind trust. Control of the Trump Organization has transferred to Trump’s sons, but the president took in nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year while not being shy about turning his presidency into a major source of personal benefit in other ways.

Speaking in 1977, Carter declared, “We are now free of that inordinate fear of communism.” Trump has seized on primary wins by progressive Democrats to constantly stoke new fears about communism

Carter also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Trump hasn’t despite declaring himself more deserving than any of the award’s past recipients.

Inflation and Iran

While inflation plagued both presidents, Carter had it much worse, facing a peak inflation rate of 14.7% in April 1980 Consumer prices rose 4.2% this May from a year earlier — a three-year high and though they fell sharply from May to June, that decline included lower gas prices fueled by a U.S.Iran ceasefire. That deal is now in tatters, driving up oil prices again.

Trump suggested he didn’t think about Americans’ financial woes when it comes to Iran, a war he started in conjunction with Israel in February More recently, he shrugged off inflation concerns. But resolution has proved tricky and U.S. attacks have intensified anew after Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz

Like Trump, Carter was also bedeviled by the strait, declaring during his 1980 State of the Union address that the situation “demands the participation of all those who rely on oil from the Middle East and who are concerned with global peace and stability.”

Another Trump-Carter parallel was the Democrat having considered military action to seize Kharg Island, though he ultimately decided against it so as not to jeopardize the hostages. Trump targeted the island

rebels ambush an army convoy, killing or capturing scores of soldiers

By The Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali Islamic militants and a separatist group ambushed a Malian army convoy in the country’s hardhit north on Saturday, resulting in the killing or capture of scores of soldiers, the rebels said.

The Malian army confirmed the attack, saying in a statement that armed groups ambushed the convoy of Malian soldiers and their partners in a remote part of

the northern Gao region, and that it was launching counterattacks. It was the latest in a series of militant attacks against Malian security forces in recent months as armed groups compete for influence and territories in the Sahel region. Later on Sunday, the army said it carried out “precision strikes against enemy positions” in the area where the attack happened “Three terrorist positions were successfully targeted (and)

several terrorists were neutralized. These operations allowed the convoy to break free from the ambushes and continue its route,” it said.

Both the regional al-Qaida affiliate JNIM and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, separately claimed responsibility for the attack as a joint operation in statements that spoke about “great human losses” and “serious material damage” on the side of the Malian army

with U.S. strikes early in the war, looking to thwart Iranian oil exports, and has threatened it again.

Schake, a senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, noted a key difference was “while the Carter administration gave serious consideration to attacking Kharg Island, the reason they didn’t do it was they didn’t want to be at war with Iran.”

“And we’re already at war with Iran,” she said.

Alter said Iran tried to hurt Carter’s reelection chances and raised the possibility that they may do the same to Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.

“These people are master diplomats, and they proved

that during the Carter administration,” Alter said.

“They’re proving that again. They’re really good at ropea-dope.”

Presidential history

The president has lately name-checked many of his predecessors, praising William McKinley ‘s support for tariffs and Teddy Roosevelt as a “great he-man.” Trump said a key reason for reaching the now-imperiled June ceasefire with Iran was to avoid the “economic catastrophe “ that befell Herbert Hoover

“I’m a student of a lot of history,” Trump said this week.

During his first term, Trump frequently compared his own populist streak to Andrew Jackson’s. He still praises Jackson but has more

recently extolled many past presidential records, including those of Democrats like Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Trump even listed some of Carter’s accomplishments on the “Walk of Fame” he installed along the White House Colonnade despite displays for other Democrats, such as Barack Obama and Biden, offering biting attacks.

“Trump is thinking of his legacy, and he might have thought that attacking Iran would have enhanced it. But, in fact, it will seriously hurt,” James P. Pfiffner, a professor emeritus at George Mason University and author of several books including “The Character Factor: How We Judge Our Presidents,” said via email.

After his presidency Alter said, Carter asked Trump for a donation to help build Carter’s presidential library Trump later wrote that Carter wanted $5 million, but he didn’t answer him.

Then, during Trump’s first term, Carter wrote the president a letter and Trump called to thank him, eventually leaving Carter with the impression that he might serve as a special envoy to China — an offer that never actually materialized.

“If he had learned anything from Carter’s experience and listened to predictions about the Strait of Hormuz — he would have hesitated,” Pfiffner said of war with Iran. “But he ignored lessons of history and geography.”

LouisianaCommunityandTechnicalColleges(LCTC) knowsthatpreparingLouisiana’sfutureworkforcestarts withlisteningtoemployers.Acrossthestate,LCTC collegespartnerwithbusinessandindustryleaders toshapeprogramsthatreflectevolvingworkforce needs,helpingstudentsinruralcommunitiesprepare forhigh-demandcareersclosetohome AtLouisianaDeltaCommunityCollege(LDCC), thatcollaborationincludesaprecisionagriculture technologyprogramdevelopedwithdirectinputfrom GoldmanEquipment,agroupof13JohnDeeredealershipsinNorthLouisiana.HunterVallee,amanager withGoldmanEquipment,saidthepartnershipreflects thegrowingneedfortechnicianswiththeskillsto servicetoday’smodernagriculturalequipment.

“Tobeagoodtechnician,youhavetohaveacertain mindsetandsomeexperienceworkingwiththetools andknowinghoweachmachineisdifferent,”Vallee said.“Inaddition,technicianshavetobeabletowork ondifferenttypesofequipmentdependingonthetime oftheyear.Wehavealwayshadenoughsalespeople butwehavestruggledtohaveenoughtechnicians.

LDCCalsorenovatedspaceatitsWinnsborocampus tomirrorthefacilitiesandequipmentstudentswill encounteronthejob,helpingensuregraduatesare preparedtocontributefromdayone.Thefirstcohortof studentsisexpectedtocompletetheprogramthisyear.

“I’vebeentoafewJohnDeeretrainingcentersin thecountry,andtheoneatLouisianaDeltaisupto par,”Valleesaid.“It’sexcitingtoseethestudentsget hands-onexperienceinelectricalwork,hydraulics andthefundamentals.Thatmeansthatwhenthey comeworkforus,theywillbeabletohittheground running.

apprenticeshipprogramearlierthisyearinpartnership withLaitram,aglobalmanufacturingleaderwitha locationinNewOrleans,anditsaffiliatedcompany, Intralox.Twostudents,EvelynKimballandIsaac Fairburn,werehiredatIntralox’sHammondlocation whileattendingclassesatNTCC’sLacombecampus In addition to earninganhourlywage, both apprenticesreceivefulltuitionsupportwhilegaining real-worldexperienceinahigh-demandfield.The programallowsstudentstocompletetheireducationwhilebuildingtechnicalskillsinaprofessional manufacturingenvironment

AnotherkeyNTCCpartnerisTextronSystems, whichcollaboratedwiththecollegetotransformits aluminumweldingcourseintoatargetedlearning experiencealignedwithTextronSystems’methods andrequirements.Studentslearnthedisciplineneeded tofollowprocess-drivenworkaswellasfundamental aluminumweldingskillssuchaspropermaterial preparation,correctmachinesettingsandstandard weldingtechniques.

ThepartnershiphasbeensosuccessfulthatTextron SystemsisexploringsimilarpartnershipswithNTCC totrainfutureelectricians,shipfittersandoutfitters

TheexpansionofLDCC’sWinnsborocampus alsoincludesanindustrialelectricianprogramas wellasoneingeneralstudieswithaconcentration inagriculturescience.Together,theexpandedofferingsgivestudentsinsomeofLouisiana’smostrural communitiesaccesstocareer-focusededucation withouthavingtoleavehome

“Theseprogramsarepurpose-builttoaddressworkforcedemandsinourcommunity,”saidWinnsboro CampusDirectorMaryHoggatt.“We’reequipping studentswithskillsthatarenotonlyrelevantbutvital tothefutureofNortheastLouisiana’sagriculturaland industrialsectors.”

Similarpartnershipsarecreatingopportunities acrossthestate.InSoutheastLouisiana,Northshore TechnicalCommunityCollege(NTCC)servesmore than9,500studentsannuallyacrosscredit,workforceandadulteducationprogramsatitscampuses inLacombe,Greensburg,Hammond,Walkerand Bogalusa.Amongitsmanyemployerpartnerships, NTCClaunchedanewadvancedmanufacturing

“Providing students with career pathways at TextronSystemsallowsthemtobeginacareerin theirhomecommunity,”companyleaderssaid.“In addition,theseopportunitieshavethepotentialtobuild long-termcommunitypride,strengthentheregional economyandsupportasustainableworkforcepipeline Additionally,throughourtuitionreimbursement andeducationassistanceprograms,employeescan advancetheirskills,pursuefurthereducationand growprofessionally—allwhileremainingintheir homecommunities.” Beyonditsbrick-and-mortarcampuses,NTCC hassignificantlyexpandeditscommunityoutreach andworkforce developmentwithits Mobile MechatronicsLabandMobileSTEMLab.These mobiletrainingunitsareinstrumentalinproviding career exploration, industry certificationsand communityengagementtoa diverserange of students in theNorthshoreregion, from middle schoolersanduniversitystudentstoat-riskyouth andincarceratedindividuals Theseeffortsareexpandingtheskilledworkforce whileintroducingstudentsthroughouttheregionto careerstheymayneverhaveotherwiseconsidered FromprecisionagricultureinNortheastLouisiana toadvancedmanufacturingandtheskilledtrades intheNorthshore,LCTCcontinuestoprioritize employerpartnershipstohelppreparetheworkforce

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DENNIS COOK

President Jimmy Carter calls for a question on April 10, 1980, during a nationally televised news conference in the East Room of White House in Washington.

By

COMING TO LIFE

Revitalization of FatCity meansa newpark

BY GRACE MAYER and LARA NICHOLSON Staff writers

Agrassy lotabout the size of afootball field in FatCity, wedgedbetween Division Street and Hessmer Avenue, used to be an eyesore filled with rundown buildings, including abar and an empty car lot.

“It was alot of funky stuff,” said Dana Pecoraro, the chair of the Metairie Business Development District, which focuses on spurring economicdevelopment in Fat City.“It was alot of really nasty-looking buildingsthat needed to be renovated or torn down.

It took 10 years, but something new iscoming. The business district and Jefferson Parish have acquired and demolished eight buildings on the lot over the last decadeorso. Now,they are preparing to fill the patch of grown-over grass with aseries of treelined walking paths, green spaces and landscaping, transforming it into amultimillion-dollar “leisure park.”

After decades of studies, regulations andscuttled concepts to revitalize Fat City,a plan seemstofinally be coming to fruition to build the park, asmaller pocketpark nearby andadditional parking in hopesof attracting more businesses to the area.

Pecoraro said parish leaders have come together over the past twoyears to backthe park project, which she estimates will cost$17 million.

Shesaid theparkshould open by the end of 2027.

“It’ssupposed to be the catalyst to get things to develop around it,” Pecoraro said. “It’s supposed to make peoplego, ‘I want to be there.’”

Fat City,the Metairie neighborhood near Lakeside Shopping Center,has long been atargetfor government-ledrevitalization.

In its heydayinthe 1970s, FatCity was hometoa vibrant disco and nightclub scene. By the 1980s,after

Bourbon Street reemerged as anightlife mecca, the area was overrunwith bars, stripclubs andmassage parlors.

There have long been standby restaurants and retailestablishments that kept the area humming, helped by its proximity to themall and nearby offices.But efforts to improve thearea took holdinthe years after Hurricane Katrina. As adistrictcouncil member in 2010, Jefferson Parish President Cynthia LeeSheng led an overhaul of the area, which included implementing curfews for alcohol sales andmoving adultbusinessesfromthe area. “Nobody was going to in-

vest there, with this kind of activity and thesekinds of bars andthis number of police calls,” Lee Sheng said.

The parish, under Jefferson Parish Council member Jennifer VanVrancken, also sought to make the area morefriendly to pedestrians andbicyclists in 2022, with a$14 million projecttorepave Severn Avenueand add wider sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes andgroupsofbike racks and benches.

Another plan, proposed in 2023 by VanVrancken, included developing amultimillion-dollar co-working space for entrepreneurs, art and technology, called

ä See LIFE, page 2B

BY JIM DERRY Staff writer

The Slidell CityCouncil approveda bidof$17.6 milliontobegin construction on anew site for its policeheadquarters, andChiefTommy Williams is hoping work will begin within the next month. VoelkelMcWilliams Construction LLC had the lowest bid of the 10 companies that submitted for the project.Theyranged from the winnertothe high bid of $21.1million.

The new site, which will also include the city jail, will be built on Robert Boulevard near the corner of FountainDrive.And whileitwillbe similarinsize to the current 36,000-square-foot police facility,everything will now be together in onecomplex. Along with the jail, the new building will also house more meeting rooms andoffices for its 80 officers.

The current headquarters has been in use since 1963, andthe project to replace it hasbeen in the works forsometime. The council approved the sale of up to $19.8 millionworth of bonds in September 2024.

“They have been working in abuilding that should have been torn down 20 years ago, certainly after Katrina,” then-policeChief Randy Fandal, and now mayor of the city,said two years ago. There were flooding issuesinside the building even before Hurricane Katrina, when morethan 5feet of floodwaters rushed in. The city could have chosen to build something newthen, but instead optedfor renovation.

Before the bonds were first authorizednearly two years ago, Fandal said there also has been atermite problematthe current headquarters. Now,Williams,the new chief,who was sworn in twoweeksago,islooking forward to that soonto-be-built complex.

“Completionwilltakeabout twoyears,” Williamssaid. “There’saprocess the construction companyhas to go through with the engineering department and city planning. Iwould imagine thesecond or third week of August, we would seesomerealprogress—trees coming down, bushesbeing moved, things like that.

“They’re working with the city,and Iamgoing to work with them,” he said. “Let’sgo.”

In the first meeting since the newest council members were sworn in,the vote was aunanimous9-0 in passing the measure at the council chambersonTuesday night.

Email JimDerry at jderry@theadvocate.com.

Calvin Duncan returnstohis longtime callingasanadvocate

Afterelimination of position,hecontinues hunt forcourt records

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Twomonths ago, Calvin Duncan stood defiantly on the courthouse steps in New Orleans. Facing cameras and surrounded by an ebullient crowd, the former life prisoner wasa centralfigure in the city’sintensifying battle against state legislators. City voterselected Duncan to be the Orleans Parish criminal

court clerk, but the Legislature axed hisseat.The politicalcrossfirecrescendoed this month in a local grand jury’s indictmentofAttorney General LizMurrill, who Duncan blames personally Duncan receded from the political turmoil, returningtoacalling that’sconsumed him for decades, he said. He’soften on theroad scouring parish courthouses for case files as he tries to help appeal litigantsfight for relief from behind bars.

Accesstothose records is amission Duncan beganasaprisoner andinmate counsel at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, convicted in 1985 over amurder androbbery andheldfor 281/2 years while he maintained his innocence. It’s why he says he ran for the job overseeing those records in Orleans Parish.

“Wegave people hope,” Duncan said. “They still have hope, and I just hope they continue to have hope. Because we did it.”

In hisfirst lengthyinterview since lawmakers eliminated his seat days beforehewas due to takeoffice, Duncan saidthe move

still weighs heavily on him. He saidhefeelsrobbed of aposition he workedtowardfor years. It’ssaddled him with asense that he let down supporters.

“I’m watching where they’re saying the people don’tcount,” Duncan said. “Wewent through an election where we were telling people youdocount.That’s the partthat depresses the s*** out of me.And I’mtryingtoovercome that.” Thelegalfightfor hisseatisn’t dead. The American Civil Liberties Union sent out summonses Friday to Gov.JeffLandry,Murrill and Secretary of State Nancy Landry seekingtorevivea fed-

eral suitchallenging the lawthat eliminated the post. Duncan spent decades fighting for documents fromhis own murdertrial, which ultimately led to his conviction beingvacated under astatute forfactual innocence. Days after his 2011 releasein an agreement with thedistrict attorney,Duncan founded his grassrootsorganization,Light of Justice. He became afolklegend of sortsasanadvocate. Hisdream of reforming the clerk’soffice would generate an enthusiastic

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Jefferson Parish Council member Hans Liljeberg and Metairie Business Development DistrictChair Dana Pecoraro walk in front of amural by artist RobertDafford on Tuesday near aredevelopment project that includes demolishing another buildingtohelp relieve parking pressure and enhancing an adjacent open space into apark in FatCity.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By SOPHIAGERMER

Grass covers an openlot that is planned to be developed into aFat City Leisure Park and shared surfaceparking lot in Metairie.

PHOTO By GRANT THERKILDSEN

Slidell Police Chief Tommy Williams was swornin at the Slidell Auditorium on July 1.

Duncan

Continued from page1B

“EATFat City.” The idea was shelved later that year following pushbackfrom parish leaders, but by the following year,business and political leaders had rallied around avision for the park.

Hans Liljeberg, who succeeded VanVrancken as districtcouncil member, said when he first learned of the development district’svision for the park, he said he loved the idea but also thought “grass doesn’t make money.”

“That’swhen Itrulyrealized that for these folks,it’s not all about making money,” Liljeberg said. “They want to transform Fat City.”

After conducting studies and discussions with city andpark planners, Pecoraro said they determined theanswerwas to create a “green shoot” —inthis instance, apark that would drawfoot traffic, outdoor events and new business.

Park plans

Thecurrent plan forthe leisure park includesa stroll garden, an oak grove, achildren’splay area and four bioswalesalong the exterior,which will collect stormwater to mitigate flooding and create shade and privacy for park dwellers.

Ashaded structure will look out onto a 14,320-square-foot lawn the centerpiece of the project. There, the park could host concerts, weddings, movie nights and other events.

Adjacent to the park, a 12,000-square-foot parcel of land will be turned into parking. Another larger parking lot will be located ablock away on Edenborn Avenue with up to 75 payto-park spots, which will bolster the currently scant supply of off-streetparking in Fat City

The parish acquired the property at 3133 Edenborn Ave. earlier this year, which includes abuilding that used to house an audio store, dentist’soffice and locksmith.Pecorarosaid the parish will demolish the building in the next 60 days to makeway for the parking lot.

A$40,000 muraldepicting alake scene overlooks the lot, located on the back wall of aretail building, and was recently painted by Robert Dafford, aprominent mural artist who has completed projects in Ohio, Kentucky, France, Belgium, England and Canada.

One block over,atthe corner of 18th Street and North Arnoult Road, the development district also plans to purchase the former Crazy Johnnie’sSteak House building, currently owned by New Orleans landlord Josh Bruno. Pecoraro said negotiations with Bruno are ongoing, but that bankruptcy proceedings have

complicated that effort

Once purchased, the parish anddevelopment district would demolishthe building to create an additional7,000-square-foot pocket park with courtyard seating and awater wall feature.

Funding for the various developments comesfrom roughly $11.7 million in federal Community Development Block Grantsand $5.4 million from the state.

“I never thoughtthis many people would agree to sell to make this project come to life,” Pecoraro said. “Wewent tothem withavision for what we wantedto do, and the park is meant to be acatalyst to spur redevelopment in the area.”

Pecoraro hopes the park will draw new business to thearea, as wasthe case when theJefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office opened a new headquarters in 2019. She thinks Fat City is suited for new restaurant tenants. She has also heard from people who are interested in opening condos andretail nearby

Pecoraro saidher team will also eventually conduct arequest for proposals for the development of two parish-ownedsites across thestreet from theleisure park, aformer apartment complex and hotel that were acquired as part of the previous EATFat Cityplan.

‘Anythinghelps’

Tommy Cvitanovich, owner of Drago’sSeafood Restaurant and adevelopment district board member,isalready investing in upgrades to his Metairie property ahead of the park opening.

“Whenever you do anything, whether it’s ahuge building, residential projects, apark, upgrades to the streetscape —anything youdotoFat City helps,” Cvitanovich said. “It will attract interest,and people will start coming to the area,and what we needis more people coming to the area.”

In anticipation of greater foot traffic in thefuture, he recentlymadeimprovements to the roof, parking and landscaping of another building he owns on the corner of Edenborn Avenueand 18th Street.

Tiffany Marcello, the owner of The Flower Girl, a shop located in astrip mall afew blocks away from the planned park, wasn’tfamiliar with the plan, but she saidshe’sin favor of any projectaimed at revitalizing FatCity

Marcello opened thestore nearly two years ago. She was drawn to the areabecause of how busy the locationis, with Lakeside only a block away

“I just hope thatthe park is kept up,” Marcello said. “You don’twantthem to build it andfor it to just go downhill.”

Email LaraNicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate. com.

Deaf associationmodernizesBRoffices

Firstupdate in 40 years incorporates visual design

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

The office of an organization that serves thestate’s Deaf community is getting anew life.

Louisiana Association of theDeaf, headquartered at 3112 Valley Creek Drive, is making the firstupgrade to its officesince 1984 to make the building moreaccessible to the Deaf, DeafBlind and hard-of-hearing community. Organization leadersaim to create avisually friendly space with room for expanded programming andstaffusing architectural principles designed for Deaf individuals like open layoutstomake sign language communication easier

The association has worked on the design and execution of the renovation for thepast four years andisable to move forward this summer thanks to three recently awarded state contracts.

“We’ve been trying to spread the love through access and really trying to educate society in general to embraceusasa part of thediverse human race,”

Executive Director Jay Isch said in an interview facilitated by asign language interpreter

Therenovation

The almost $100,000 renovationhas stripped theexisting 1,400-square-foot officebare and will add meeting spaces, avideo studio, a kitchen and teachingspace.

The renovationhas operated on atight timeline due to theassociation’snew state contracts, intended to startJuly1,thatwillallow theorganization to begin an interpreting mentorship program, serve as aRegional Support Center and provideinterpretingservices to organizations that may notbeable to afford an interpreter.Rates for interpreting services range from $50 to $190 per hour, depending on the scopeand natureofthe request.

TheLouisiana Commission for the Deaf has Regional Support Centers across the state that distribute commission resources to those in need.

LADwill serve Region2, whichincludesEastBaton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, West Feliciana, East Feliciana andPointe Coupeeparishes. LAD is the first Deafledorganization to lead a Regional SupportCenter, whichIschsaidisrecognition of Deaf leadership.

An electrical fire in May placeda temporary roadblock for theproject, caus-

RETURN

Continuedfrom page1B

ing some damage to the building. Isch said theaim is to complete the renovation by the beginning of August so four recent hires —expanding Isch’s current solo operation tofive people —can startworking in person

The organization has maintainedits operations throughout therenovations.

The design of theoffice was created with DeafSpaceprinciples,architectural guidelines created by GallaudetUniversity that facilitate thevisual communication among Deaf individuals. Deaf spacesincorporate gathering rooms with circular or horseshoeshaped tables, rather than rectangular tables, and proper spacefor multiple people communicating through signlanguage to see each other

Matt Viguerie, of GD Architecture,the firm that designedthe newoffice and is located next door to LAD, saidthe design included widened corridors and more windows for people inside theoffice to see each other,let more light in and add alobby area. The renovation will alsomodernize the datedofficeand implement universal design for broader accessibility

What is Deaf Focus?

Before thepandemic, the association operated as a fundraising body, raising between $2 millionto$2.5 million each year from charitable gambling activities like bingo.After some leadership turnover, in 2021 theorganization acquired Deaf Focus, anonprofit that provides interpreting services, job counseling andlifecoaching, which now serves as LAD’s interpreting services arm. Deaf Focus works with clients to match them with

interpreters andadvocates for accessibility.Italso provides guidance forparents of deaf children who may notknowwhatservices theyneed

“Everyone says, ‘Oh, we can fix them. We can give them cochlear implants and hearing aids, and it’s allverbal, audible,’ ”Isch said. “We’re trying to be that friendly avenue for American Sign Language. ASL is OK.”

The association’s guidance has afar reach,said JonathanMerritt, whose family usesthe services.

Merritt’sson Johnny immigrated from Dominican Republic, andwhen his son appliedfor U.S. citizenship, which requiresthe ability to read, write and speak English, his son’susage of ASL was not accepted.

Theassociation advocated for Merritt’sson and assisted the family in finding alawyerand judge who were familiar with the Deaf community.Hesaid his son found “solace” in LAD and still keepsintouch with its staff.

“They are an oasis fora Deaf man,” Merritt said.

The acquisition of Deaf Focus added services the association did not provide before but are the norm for most state associations for the Deaf. But Louisiana is unique in that it runs its services as abusiness most associations get its revenue fromdonations and state funding—though LAD doesacceptdonations.

The uncommon organizationalstructure hasled the group to pursue some alternative revenue streams, like content creation and renting out the videostudio space andequipment.

The association works withthe East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Officetoprovide sensitivity and awareness training to officersand

works withthe governor’s Office of Disability Affairs. At the library,itoffersfree American Sign Language classes.

Organizational growth

WhenIschmoved to BatonRouge 12 yearsago from his home state of Massachusetts, he said the Deaf community was “defeated,” with limited resources to advocatefor themselves. Now,hedescribes their journeyasa work in progress. Many services for the DeafinLouisiana are led by hearing individuals, he said, prompting his passion for running an association led by the Deaf, for theDeaf.Hebelieves in Deaf employment —his new hires are Deaf, DeafBlindorhardofhearing —withdiverse opportunities, sincealot of existing programs point Deaf individuals solely toward the serviceindustry Only 57.7% of Deaf adults areemployed, according to recent data from the National DeafCenter.While it is amilestone high, the employment rate of hearing adults is more than 15% higher than that of Deaf adults year over year Isch saysthe association is working to provide more services for DeafBlind individuals. Louisiana has the largest DeafBlind community in the country due to Usher syndrome,agenetic disorder that traveled to the state with the Acadian settlers from Canada Policymakers’ awareness of the Deaf community and the community’s qualityof life have grown in the past decade, he said. “All that hard workis paying off,” he said.

Email Ianne Salvosa at ianne.salvosa@ theadvocate.com.

council was defying the Legislature andviolating state law by calling an election andappointing Johnson,and that Johnson could face prison time. The indictment allegesher actions were criminal. Murrill claims she was doing her job

Landry has ordered Louisiana State Police to investigate the grand jury and pledged to pardon Murrill if she’sconvicted.The Louisiana SupremeCourt later struck down theCity Council resolutions at Murrill’sbehest,upholding the new law

motives may have evolved. He counted his 68% support at thepolls as amandatetoreformcriminal recordkeeping in aparish withthe highest known rate of wrongful convictions of any major U.S. jurisdiction, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.

ButDuncan’s inabilityto halt aRepublican-ledpress on the city’scourts left him disillusioned by ademocratic process he’d championed, he said.

that we’ve allbeen taught exists forall.’” Duncan said he’s reticent about running again when the post comes up in 2030. He said he’ll wait to see if Napoleon addresses the concerns over access to recordsthatinspired hisrun for public office.

“ButI’llsay this: If it ain’t happening, yea, Icould be an old man, I’m going to run again,”hesaid.

following when he ranfor theunder-the-radar post Duncan tallied the highest vote total of the election cycle last fall when he beat Darren Lombard,a pedigreed incumbent. Then came thedownsizing of New Orleans courts in theLegislature that included merging the civil and criminal clerk’sposts. Duncan’s seat was purged as lawmakers tapped Chelsey Richard Napoleon, the elected civil clerk, to lead aunified office.

While Dunca nh as stepped out of the public eye, the episodecontinues to pit elected cityleaders against Murrill andLandry

The 16 felony charges against Murrill relate to letters shesent in May to MayorHelenaMoreno, District Attorney Jason Williams, five City Council members and Calvin Johnson, the retiredcriminal courtjudge thecouncil tapped to lead amerged clerk’s office pending aspecial election. Murrill wrotethat the

Emily Ratner,aleader in Duncan’s campaignlast year,seesdissent from the ordinary citizenry in Murrill’sindictment by a grand jury that set out to investigateher,according to sources.

“Frommyperspective, the people of this cityare screaming for this system to respond to them as voters and as residentsofthis parish,” Ratner said. “But thesystemthatwehave is silencing themand shutting them down at every turn.”

While his missionremains the same,Duncan’s

“They were believing in us. Because they had been let down by the system a hundredmilliontimes,”he said. “But they believed in us, thatwecould do it. And we didn’t…SoIjust felt badabout that.”

Duncan said he draws hope in voices of theelectorate standing up to what he describes as bullying tacticsbytop state leaders in Landry andMurrill.

“You don’tsilenceapeople,” he said. “It’sthe chilling effect. ‘Ifyou say anything against me, or if you don’tdowhat Itell you to do, I’m going to make sure that the citizens of your parish, they won’tenjoy this democratic process

“If she doesn’tdothe job, Iwillbeonthatballot.Because whathappened to me andhappenedtoothersshould neverhappen again.”

Email Matt Bruceat matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

ExecutiveDirector JayIsch stands outside the future offices of the Louisiana Association of the DeafonJuly 6inBaton Rouge.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Acosta,Ruby

Blank, Mary Brown, Carolyn Edmond, Barbara

Forcheimer, Jane

Frisard, Janis

Green, Elnora

Halka, Witold

Joris, Victor

Kappel, LaVerne

Killeen,Laura

Lothschuetz,Jacquelyn

Melchert,Wayne

O'Quinn, Priscilla

Ourso, Cindy

Parks, Janean

Parmelee,Janice

Reugger, Lauralee

Schmidt, Sharon

Simmons,Richard

EJefferson

Melchert,Wayne

Leitz-Eagan

Kappel, LaVerne

Lothschuetz,Jacquelyn NewOrleans Greenwood

Frisard, Janis

JacobSchoen

Blank, Mary Lake Lawn Metairie

Edmond, Barbara Green, Elnora

Killeen,Laura Simmons,Richard River Parish

Hobson BrownFH

Brown, Carolyn

Millet-Guidry

Acosta,Ruby

Obituaries

Acosta, Ruby Poche'

Ruby Poche' Acosta died peacefully on Tuesday, July 14,2026, with her family by herside. She was 991/2 years old. She wasa native of Paulina and aresidentofReserve.

She is survived by her three children -Dianna A. Roussel and husband Lionel, Wayne (Tommy) Acosta and wife Betty and John (Wildman) Acosta and fiancée Sylvia Bonnette. Grandmotherof Doreen Lang, Stacey Simmons, Bret and Ryan Roussel,Dusty A. Templet and Toby and Tomy Acosta. Also survived by ten great-grandchildren

She was the daughter of the late Leonard(T-Jack) and Helen Poche'. Sisterof Shirley Murry, Robert and Clarence (Todd) Poche and the late infant Leonard Poche, Jr., Allen (Jack) Poche, Russell Poche and Margaret Stein.

She was the spouse of the late Edwin (Doc) Acosta for 64 years. They enjoyed afull life together -dancing almost every weekend. She played cabbage ball for many years and also coached ball. She enjoyed her dancing music, going to the casino, playing bingo and her grandchildren which she watched for several years.

Aspecialthanks to Chateau St. James for the care given her in her final years

Relatives andfriends are invited to attend ser-

vicesonTuesday, July 21, 2026.Visitationwillbe from 9to11AMatSt. Peter CatholicChurchat1550 Hwy. 44, Reserve,La. Mass of Christian burial at11AM at St. PeterChurchand burial to follow at St. Peter Cemetery.

Arrangements by MilletGuidry Funeral Home. To view or sharecondolences please visit www.milletguidry.com

Blank, Mary Jerome

SisterJerome(Shirley Ann) Blank, CIC, aSister of the Immaculate Conception, completed her earthly life July 14, 2026, at OurLady of Wisdom Healthcare Center, about a month after her91st birthday. Anative of White Castle, LA, she was born on June 19, 1935,tothe late Ethel Falcon Landryand Harold Jerome Blank. She was also preceded in death by her sister,Verna BlankRichard, her cousin and closefriend, Gwendolyn Squeezer" Martinez, and great nephew, Brian Richard Sister Jerome wasknown as AuntietoHarold Richard, DebraRichard Delaune,and Lisa Richard Aucoin(Dewey)and great aunt to Chelsie Williams, Brooke AucoinSmith (Will), and the late Brian Richard, and great-great aunt to their children.

Inspired by the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Sister entered the Congregation on June 7, 1953,professedfirst vows February 11, 1956, and perpetual profession on February 15, 1959.Her ministryencompassedservice and hospitality in their Communityand the community at large. Atthe Motherhouse on Kent Avenue in Metairie, LA, she servedasRetreat Coordinator and Team Member, responsible for the Ministryofhospitality to allthe individuals and groups who were blessed to be at the Motherhouse forretreats, daysofreflection,childcare, spiritual direction,piano lessons, tutoring, and dailyMassattendance. There are many stories and memories among those who were welcomed by Sister Jerome.

Shewas fond of creating adventuresand celebrations with the other Sisters fostering strong communityrelationships while buildingcommunity together and with allthose to whom they ministered Whenher community could no longertake care of one another,they had to sell their Motherhouse. Sister Jerome chosetoreside with hersister and brother-in-law in Marrero, LA. During this time, she volunteered at Wynhoven Nursing Home spreading joy,laughterand the Light of Christ as she visited the residentsthere.In2012, after caring forher sister who became illwith cancer, Sister Jerome moved to Our Lady of Wisdom HealthcareCenter.Once again, her devotion to Our Lady and friendship with OurLord, offereda Gospelcentered presencespreading warmth,laughter, and Gospeljoy toeveryone she encountered adding to heralready long list of people who loved her.

Sister Jerome was very grateful to MelanieBaglow and Susan Boschefor journeying with the Sistersof the Immaculate Conception in their final years. The CIC'sdiocesan Community was founded on July 11, 1874.Thisyear markedthe 153rd anniversaryoftheir founding. With Sr. Jerome's demise, the longhistory of the Community of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception comestoan end- gone,but never forgotten; the Community will be memorializedatSt. Philip Neri Parish in Metairie, LA. Services willbeon Wednesday,July22, 2026, at OurLady of Wisdom Healthcare CenterChapel, 5600 General de Gaulle Dr., New Orleans,LA70131. Visitationbegins at 9:00 AM with aRosary at 10:00 AM followed by the Mass of ChristianBurial at11:00 AM. Burial willbeatthe Mausoleum of the Marianites of HolyCross on OurLady of Wisdom's campus Jacob Schoen and Son Funeral Home, 3827 Canal Street,New Orleans,LA 70119isincharge of arrangements. Condolences

may beexpressed at www.schoenfh.com In lieu of flowers, Masseswouldbeappreciated.

Brown,Carolyn Duhe

CarolynDuhe Brown, Age65passaway on Friday, July 3, 2026. She is survivedbyher children, siblings, relativesand friends.

Funeral Service on Monday, July 20, 2026 at MilesvilleMemorialChurch of God in Christ 129 Apple St.Laplace, La at 10:30am. VisitationonMondayat theChurch from8:30am until servicetime (ONLY), BishopRonald Frank Pastor. Interment Louisiana National Cemetery Zachary, La

Professional Services entrusted to theCaring Staffof Hobson Brown Funeral Home 134 Daisy St. Garyville, La 70051 985-535-2516

Edmond, Barbara Bloom

Barbara AnnBloom

Edmond peacefully entered intoeternal rest on Tuesday, July7,2026. She wasa loving wife, mother grandmother,and friend. Barbara was born in and was alifelong resident of NewOrleans, Louisiana. She is survivedbyher children,Leon H. Edmond IV (wife, Amy Kent Edmond) and Ann Edmond Keown, DVM (husband,NicholasV Keown); grandchildren, Leon K. Edmond,Logan H. Edmond, ColetteM.Keown, and Claire J. Keown; sister CarolB.Paine;brother, Richard W. Bloom; and a host of niecesand nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, LeonH.Edmond III; her parents, J. D. Bloom, Jr.and LucilleOttoBloom; her brother, J. D. Bloom, III; and sisters, Kay B. North and ElizabethB.Riester. Barbara graduated from Mercy Academy and LoyolaUniversity New Orleans. She was an accountant,tax preparer, and business manager. Barbara lovedthe memories that she madeatthe house in Mandeville,loved spending time with her grandchildren, and loved to see her childrenbehappy. She willbegreatly missed by allofthose who knew her. Relatives and friends are invited to attend thevisitationatLake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home,5100 Pontchartrain Boulevard, on Tuesday, July21, 2026 at 10:00 AM with aFuneralMass to followat11:00 AM.

Jane Vickery Forcheimer died peacefully at her home surrounded by family on Tuesday, July14at theage of 80. She wasborn September 30, 1945 in New Orleans. She is survivedbyher daughter Jeanne "Ceci" Forcheimer Foster (Brett); her granddaughters Alice Jane Foster and Elizabeth Barbara Foster; her brother-in-law Frank "Buzzy" Edward Beeson III; her sister-in-lawCarolyn Forcheimer Fondren; her nieces and nephews: Dr. EstherCleveland Beeson Dupépé (Clancy), Saunders Grommesh (Matthew) ClaireStockton, Maurice Stockton III, Paul Vickery Stockton, Benton Vickery (Laura), Ninette Vickery, and William Vickery (Hope); her greatnieces & nephews: Frank Clancy DupépéIII,Ashleigh Stockton, Charlotte Vickery,and Elise Vickery; and many cousins and treasured friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. EugeneB.Vickery and EstherCleveland Vickery; her twin sister, Lois Beeson; her sister, KatherineStockton; her brother, EugeneB.Vickery Jr.; her sister-in-law, Anne Porteous Vickery;her brother-in-law, Maurice Stockton, Jr. and her former husband, James Calloway Forcheimer Jane graduated from Louise S. McGeheeSchool, theUniversity of Kentucky, and LoyolaLaw School. Jane servedasa lawclerk in theNew Orleans CriminalDistrict Court, the Louisiana 4thCircuitCourt of Appeal, and the Louisiana Supreme Court. She madeher debut in NewOrleans, was amaid in theElves of Oberon Carnival ball,and reigned as Queen of theKnightsof Momus in 1966. She was a memberofthe Orléans Club and her beloved BirthdayDinnerClub, throughwhich she maintainedstrongtiestoher childhood friends.

She was known by many for her humor, intellect, generosity, and devotion to her friends and family.Janewillbedearly missed by allthose who had theprivilegetoknow her.

Afuneral mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church on Friday, July 24that11:00 with visitationbeginning at 10. Burial willbeprivate.

JanisAnn Frisard (Jan) passed away peacefully in CovingtonatStTammany HospitalonJune 23, 2026. Janwas born on August 31, 1957, in NewOrleans. She was preceded in death by her parents, EllenCortello Frisard and Malcolm Frisard.She is survived by her daughter, Ashley Klein; her siblings, JosephFrisard Sr. (Susie),Margie Frisard Housey (Tom Scheib), Gerard Frisard (Lisa), and JayFrisard;her aunt, Jackie Beck (AlPontiff); and her aunt,Fay Cortello. Janissurvivedbymany nieces and nephews, cousins,and friendswhom she loveddearly. Donations to Forgotten Felines Rescue of Louisiana are greatlyappreciated. Interment was private, and arrangements were entrusted to GreenwoodFuneralHome. We also invite youtoshare your thoughts, fond memories,and condolences online at www.greenwoodfh.com. Your shared memories will help us celebrateJanis' life and keep her memory alive.

Elnora "Nora" Banks Green, adevoted educator and communityservant, passed away peacefully on July14, 2026 at theage of

92, leaving aprofound legacyoflove, faith, and service

Shewas born in JeffersonCounty, Mississippi, on April 22, 1934. Shegraduated from Booker T. Washington High School and earneda Bachelor of Sciencein ElementaryEducation and aMaster of Sciencein ElementaryCounseling fromSouthernUniversity in Baton Rouge.She completedadditional studies at Loyola University, Xavier University, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Southern University in New Orleans.

Norawas an elementary school teacherin Plaquemines Parish for eightyearsand in JeffersonParish for twenty -six years. Followingher retirement, she was asubstitute teacherand mentor for several years.

Nora's commitmentto herfaithwas unwavering. In 2013, she received the OrderofSt. Louis IX Medallion Award.atSt. KatharineDrexel(formerly Holy Ghost) Catholic Church,she wasa member of thechoir,Parish Council, and Knightsof PeterClaver Ladies Auxiliary, Court52. Shealso served as an Extraordinary Ministerof Holy Communion, catechist,choirmember,and member of theLadies Auxiliary at St.Rita Catholic Church

In herlater years, Nora remained active by serving as an Ambassador at Laketown Village Assisted Living.She faithfully attended thecommunity's weeklyCatholic Mass, Rosary services, and social activities.

Shewas preceded in death by herhusband, Gary W. Green,and her son, Adonis C. Collins.

Noraissurvived by her devotednieceand caregiver,SandraJohnson (Ralph); great-nieceand godchild,LeslieJohnson; sister,Dr. Marilyn Coleman, andmanyother belovedrelativesand friends.

Herfamilywishestoexpresstheir heartfelt gratitude to thestaff andcaregiversofLaketown Village Assisted Living,Ochsner HealthSystem,and Serenity Hospice

Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe funeral serviceson Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Lake LawnMetairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124. Visitation will begin at 11:00 a.m., followed by the Funeral Mass at 1:00 p.m.

Intermentwill immediately follow at AllSaints Mausoleum, located on the funeral home grounds.

Witold TadeuszHalka, 89, passedawayJuly16, 2026. Born in Rozniatow, Poland(nowUkraine),on September 20, 1936, he relocatedafter WorldWar II to Gdansk, Poland, where in 1962 he obtained amas-

terofscience degree in shipbuildingengineering from Gdansk Polytechnic University. In 1980, he immigratedwith hisfamilyto theUnited States andsettled in theNew Orleans area. He workedasa design engineer at Avondale Shipyards untilhis retirementin2004. He was passionate aboutworld news, politics, andsports, especiallysoccer. He is survivedbyhis wife, Magdalena, andhis son, Waldemar.

Joris, Victor Timothy

Victor TimothyJoris, 69, of Metairie, Louisiana, passed away peacefully, surroundedbylove, on July 8, 2026, after acourageous battle with pancreaticcancer. Born on December 12, 1956, in Birmingham, Alabama, Victor lived alifemarked by hard work, laughter, kindness, and an unwaveringlove for thepeople and places that broughthim joy.

Aproud United States AirForce veteran, Victor dedicatedmuchofhis professionallifetotraveling throughout thecountry, contributingtothe construction andrenovation of federal buildings,hospitals, and hotels To know Victor wasto know hiszest for life. He wasa devotedfan of the NewOrleans Saintsand theLSU tigers, andloved NewOrleans -its rich culture,vibrantspirit,and, above all,its great food. Victor believedthat making people laugh and smilewas his calling,and he shared that gift freely throughhis humor, warmth,and thoughtfulness -leavinga legacyof kindness that will never be forgotten. He will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, andforever held in thehearts of those wholoved him. He wasprecededin death by his belovedfather,JohnClementJoris, Jr., andhis loving mother, Medorah Jean Ford Joris, whose untimely passing left aplace in hisheart that wasnever filled. He is survived by his son, John Clement Joris; hisbrothers, sisters, and their spouses; hisnieces andnephews; hisgreatnieces and great-nephews; anda special friendof more than 45 years, all of whom will cherish his memory and carry forward hislegacy of love,laughter, andkindness. Amemorial service will be announcedata later date.

Turner Kappel, whodevoted herlifeto publiceducation,passed peacefully on Thursday, July 9ather home in New Orleansdue to complicationsfrombreast cancer Shewas 81.

Garden of Memories Frisard,Janis Ann

Halka, Witold Tadeusz

Kappel, LaVerne Turner

LaVerne

Green,Elnora Banks

Forcheimer,Jane Vickery

Mrs. Kappel taught at Eleanor McMain High School for nearly 30 years. She joined the faculty in the early70s and taught English until she retired in 2001. During that time thousands of students passed through her classroom doors.Her students at McMainoften described her as a"no-nonsense" teacher who also showed immense empathy and had "a big heart."

LaVerne Adele Turner was born on February 15, 1945, in Tampa, Florida, and adopted by Harlowe and Claudia Turner. Her father worked as atypesetter for the local newspaper. She attended Hillsborough High School where she was very active in various socialclubs and activities like cheerleading. Her mother was a homemaker until Harlowe died unexpectedly when LaVerne was 17 years old. She never forgot the classmates that attended her father's funeral. Following her husband's death, Claudiareturned to nursing to support LaVerne and her brother, Robert Durham Turner. Claudia's grit and resilience during those years made an indelible impact on LaVerne's personality. For the remainder of her life, she had an, at times, stubborn insistence in her own self-sufficiency. Yet, she never hesitated to help others in need.

In 1963, LaVerne left Tampa to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She was afirst-generation college student and without the resources of many of her peers. She often recounted how she spent time out of class picking up fallen pecans on campus to eat for dinner. During undergrad, she spent the summer of 1965 living in Harlem working for the NYC World's Fair.In 1967, she graduated with her bachelor's degree. She never would have made it to McMain had she not been forced out of her original teaching assignment in Livingston, Alabama.Having been inspired by the CivilRights Movement during college, LaVerne joined The National Teacher Corps in the late 60s and was working under the program at LivingstonUniversity to teach at an all-Black elementary school during integration. Shortly after she began her assignment, she brought two of her students out for ice cream at alocal shop. The ownerof the shop not only refused to serve them, but hurled racial epithets at the two young girls. In response, LaVerne proceeded to "educate" the owner on what she thought of his behavior. This verbalundressing didn't go unnoticed by the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, as the owner of the ice cream shop happened to be amember. The chapter leadership promptly informed the local Teacher Corps supervisor that LaVerne's safety could no longer be guaranteed. The supervisor asked LaVerne to resign for her own safety, but she refused, prompting her supervisor to terminate her from the Corps. After spending the summer of 1969 in San Francisco, LaVerne then moved to New Orleans in 1970 and earned her master's degree in education from Tulane University in 1974. After several yearsat Alfred Lawless High School in the Lower Ninth Ward, she found her home at McMain. She was, as one former student described her, a"powerful woman in asmall body."Upon learning of her death, another former student remarked that "LaVerne showed love to everyone, no exceptions. She was fierce in her beliefs and worked constantly for betterment, always in akind and gentle way." In 1977, she married New Orleans native William Kappel in the living room of his family's home in Lake Vista. For their honeymoon, they rode off on his motorcycle for a weekend at the Broadwater Beach Hotel in Biloxi. In 1979, LaVerne gave birth to her first son, Benjamin. Her second son, Timothy, followed in 1981. Her time at McMain was incredibly transformative. It was her life's work until in 2000, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. LaVerne decided to retire to focus fulltime on beating the disease into remission. She was successful.It was during this time that she continued her graduate studies and receiveda Degree of Certificate in Gerontology in 2001 from the University of New Orleans and began volunteering at the People Program. In 2002, she took aposition as the Director of the Tutoring Center at Tulane University, where she spent her time assist-

she spent her time assisting many first-generation college students and collegiate athletesintheirstudies. One Tulane grad described heras"demanding, but never judgmental."

After Hurricane Katrina forcedher and herhusband to relocate,LaVerne returned to NewOrleans and became the Director of the People Program. Working out of amakeshift location at First Grace United Methodist Church, she helped overseethe establishment and relocation to amore permanent modern facility at its presentday location near UNO. After retiring as Director, she continued to teach her popular yoga classes there for another 15 years.

LaVerne was an early adopter of Hatha Yoga. Inspired by hermentor Evelyn Smith, she maintained ahumble, steady practice for five decades. She also became very interested in Tibetan Buddhism and the teachings of the Dalai Lama. Her classesinspired many, including Mark Berger, the current organizer of the New Orleans Yoga Festival. "I did my first practice class with her andher seniors" at the People Program, said Berger upon learning of LaVerne's passing. "She was the firstperson Iever knew in the yoga world, which is now my entire life."

In 2012, after ten years of remission, LaVerne's breast cancermade an unlikely return. At that point her biological genealogy became astrong focus. She successfully unsealed her adoption records in Tampa and, through her own investigative work thereafter, establishedthe identity of her biological mother and father. Upon learning of herlineage, LaVerne began to builda relationship with her halfsisters and numerous biological cousins, many of whom welcomed herwith open arms. LaVerne enjoyedanunmistakable peace from simplyknowing her biological origins.

Shewas predeceased by both of herparentsand is survivedbyher beloved brother, Robert, with whom she spoke every Sunday, her devotedhusband of 48 years, William, her two sons, Benjamin and Timothy, daughters-inlaw Haley Jupiter and Cecelia Trenticosta, grandchildren, Tallulah, Andre Claiborne,Theodore, Charlie,Brennan Kappel (and hisyounger sibling on the way), as well as many more extended family who lovedher. Perhapsmore than anything, she adored hergrandchildren and the time she was able to spend with them.

In the end, LaVerne's life was Forrest-Gumpian in its diversity of experience. But throughout each of the otherwise distinct phases of her life, teaching and compassion for others were the common thread As one of her students said recently, LaVerne "will live on in the lives and memories of all of us with whom she taught, touched, moved, and inspired."

Acelebration of lifewill be held at Ralph'sonthe Park on August 7, at 5:30pm. In lieuofflowers, donations may be made to the Youth Empowerment Project (www.youthempo wermentproject.org), the People Program (www.peopleprogram.org), or the Trinity Educational Enrichment Program (www.trinit yn ol a.c o m/ teep).

Laura Lee

Laura Lee Killeen, (19502026) beloved sister and aunt and admiredleader, co- workerand friend died peacefully at home on July

4. The eldest of 5children, Laura Lee startedcollecting medals as achild for herswimming and diving prowess, then accumulated award after award for her exceptional advertising expertise and recognition for her professional and civic engagement. She became the third member of the Killeenfamily to win the coveted Silver Medal Lifetime Achievement Award by the Advertising Club of New Orleans, which had also beenwon

by her father Buzzy and her Grandfather Joseph who founded Fitzgerald Advertising (where Laura Lee spent much of her career) withClifford L. Fitzgerald

Astraight Astudent, Laura Lee held the spot as her father's hunting and fishing partner until her younger brother Shawn arrived.She sailed with her father as well, first in the family's Pram, the Soggy Cracker, which her father built and which her mother outfitted with ahandmade sail and,years later, she went on to join the Southern Yacht Club.

Laura Lee graduated from St Rita School, then Louise S. McGehee and went on to the University of Georgia, whence she graduated with adegree in journalism and remained a loyal and contributing Bulldog to theend.

She began her career at Swigart Advertising then went on to co-found Cantelli Killeen Schaumburg Advertising which had the Baumer Food's Crystal HotSauce account among many others, which led to aminor contretempswith her father who, at Fitzgerald Advertising, represented and was deeply loyal to TABASCO®. Laura Lee ultimately joined Fitzgerald which became Kupper Parker Fitzgerald, then Beuerman Miller Fitzgerald in 2002.

Some of Laura Lee's seminal work throughout her illustrious career included coordinating Antoine's restaurants 125th anniversary, important early work with New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest), highly successful campaigns for Evangeline Bread and playing asignificant role in the growth of Perque Flooring through pioneering cross marketing with interiordesigners and targeted coop programs.

Laura Lee landed the iconic K&B drug stores account and grew it from 0,000 in 1986 to .5 Millionin 1997 in 13 marketsthrough thoughtful yet fun campaigns that included a talking ice cream case featuring hidden microphones to beguile consumers into buying their popular ice creams. She was deeply involved withthe Zatarain's account, which Fitzgerald steered withcampaigns like "Zat's Right!" and teamed with colleague Ron Thompson (also aSilver Medal Lifetime Achievement Award winner) to develop TABASCO® mash into aviable and thriving category for McIlhenny Company.

Laura Lee was known to grow spectacular roses and routinely conquer the NY Times Crossword puzzle in ink. She was apassionate member of the audience at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and theopera and learned to play the piano beautifully after retiring from advertising.

She championed many causes over many years, with the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) and St. Stanislaus school (which her father and her brother attended)among the dearest to her. She was named aCityBusiness Woman of the Year for her professional and civic contributions.

She was known forher grace, her dedication, and her ethical sensibility. She was no nonsense yet fun and she was adored and dubbed "LL CoolK"byher young but ardent fanbase at Beuerman Miller Fitzgerald Family was always her most important focus, and she was ever present.The next generation and the next knew that they could always go to Laura Lee withany trouble or any celebration. She adored her siblings and her nieces and nephews; that love was reciprocated,asthey all knew that they could count on Laura Lee for perspective and support Laura Lee was preceded in deathbyher father, Joseph "Buzzy" L. Killeen, Jr, her mother Constance "Connie" Jones Killeen, and her brother Joseph "Joey" L. Killeen III. She is survived by her sisters, Nina Killeen and Shannon Barton (John, "JB") and her brother Shawn Killeen (Suzette), her nieces and nephews Robert Whittaker, Constance Whittaker, Christopher Whittaker (Hope), Graham Meadors (Porter), Wynne Barton (Sarah), Kiel Killeen, Jennifer Madina (Zach), Kohl Killeen and Kale Killeen, 9great nieces and nephews and one great, great niece, all of whom will carry her in their heartsand amplify her poise and sense of independence and adventure. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass in the Chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home on

Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 11:00am. Visitationwill begin at 9:00am. Interment in Metairie Cemetery. To view and sign theonline guestbook, visit www.LakeLawnMetairie.co m.

Lothschuetz, Jacquelyn Souderes

Jacquelyn Souderes Lothschuetzwas born on February 22, 1926, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to George Frederick Souderes and Laura Messina Souderes. She passed away peacefully at her home on July 12, 2026, at the remarkable ageof100. She is lovingly remembered by her nieces and nephews, including Ann Parish, Kathy Lothschuetz Montgomery, Jane Lothschuetz, Frank Lothschuetz, and Heather DuMont, as well as many extended family members and dear friends. Jackie had afull and rewarding life and had many friends and associates She graduated fromH Sophie Newcomb College on July 5, 1946 withhighest scholastic attainment, was on the Dean's List and was given the Alvarenga Award.Jackie was amember of ZetaTau Alpha Sorority and was awarded the Outstanding Pledge Award.She was also a member of theNew Orleans Opera, The Fine Arts Club,and several other organizations. Jackie taught at Delgado College for many years and developed friendships with many of her students. Her loving daughter, Leslie Ann, predeceased her on November 27, 2023. She was assisted later in life by her caregivers, Michell Lee, LindaChiron and Ella Gill. Her gravesideservice will be held at Metairie Cemetery, NewOrleans, LA on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., officiated by Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J.

Donations are welcomed to Immaculate Conception Church, 130 Baronne St NewOrleans, LA 70112-3204, Tulane Newcomb Collegeorone of your charities.

Wayne Thomas Melchert lived life on his own terms—and anyone who knew him wouldn't have expected it any other way. It is with heavy heartsthat we announce his passing this week at the age of 69 at his home in St. Amant, Louisiana. Born on Feb 2, 1957, in New Orleans to Carl F. and Grace Melchert,Wayne never met astranger. He had alarger-than-life personality, quick wit, and a knack for making an ordinary day alittle more entertaining. He was the kind of person who could strike up aconversationwith anyone, tella story that kepteveryone laughing, and leave alasting impression wherever he went. He enjoyed life's simple pleasures—a cold beer, good company, and never passed up the chance to flirt with apretty woman. He believed life was meant to be lived,not merely endured,and he embraced every opportunitytoenjoy it. Beneathhis carefree spirit was someone who deeply valued the people closest to him. Family and friends always held aspecial place in his heart, and he treasured the time spent with them. He shared aspecial bond with his faithful dog, Jake, who was never far fromhis side and undoubtedlygreeted him with awagging tail at Heaven's gate.

gate. Wayne is survived by his sister, Lynn Melchert Dupont (Allen), his nieces, Julie D. Lanaux (Andre) and Stacey D. Dufrene(Derek); Great GrandsonsCooper and Oliver along with extended family andmany friends who will remember him with smiles, laughter, and more than afew unforgettable stories. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl F. and Grace Melchert, and his beloved dog, Jake. Wayne lived authentically, laughed often,and made sure those around him had agood story to tell. While his passing leaves an emptiness in the hearts of those who loved him, his memory will live on every time someone raises aglass, shares one of his stories, or smiles at the thoughtofthe unforgettable man he was. Rest easy, Wayne. You lived life yourway, and that is exactly howyou'll be remembered. Acelebration of Wayne's life will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at Garden of Memories Funeral Home and Cemetery, 4900 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA. 70001. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM with aService at 12:00 PM. Inurnmentwill be immediately after.

Priscilla Brown O'Quinn passed away peacefully on June 28, 2026, after along battle with cancer. She handled adifficult illness with grace. Shewas brave and beautiful till theend. Priscilla was born on December 28, 1962, in Monroe, Louisiana. She had an idyllic childhood, surrounded by family, friends, and all manner of pets. She graduated from Hollins College in 1984, majoring in English Literature and Philosophy. After college Priscilla attended Tulane Law School, and while she obtained her Juris Doctorate in 1987 and passed the Louisiana Bar Exam, she quickly realized she did not want alegal career. Instead of practicing law, shemoved to New York and worked as aprocurer for Christie's Auction House. She brought some of that knowledge back to New Orleans, where she was aco-founder of two successful retail businesses, Artefacts andPied Nu. Priscilla was alife-long practitioner of Iyengar Yoga and became acertified Iyengar Instructor. Yoga was an important part of Priscilla's physical and spiritual health,and she made many good friends through her practice. Friends andfamily were always Priscilla's primary focus. She married the love of her life, David O'Quinn, in November 1989, and they raised two beautiful and talented daughters, Eleanor and Maisie. She was agreat wife and devoted mother, and she was fiercely loved by her family. Her daughters blessed Priscilla with three grandsons, Arthur, Henry, and Murphy, whom she adored. Being their Mimi was one of the happiest times of Priscilla's life. Priscilla was witty, kind, and adventurous. She was afantastic cook, skilled decorator, awarm hostess, avid painter, anda loyal friend. She loved music and goingtoshows, hanging out with friends, delicious meals, fun vacations, and books andmovies of all sorts. She lived life to the fullest, always learning and growing, even when she was ill and knew her time was limited.

Priscilla was preceded in death by her parents, William and Eleanor Brown.

Survivors include her husband, David; children, Dr. Eleanor O'Quinn Carrio and Dr. Marguerite O'Quinn Meariman, and their spouses, Marlon Carrio and Dr. Jacob Meariman; grandchildren,Arthur and Henry Carrio and Murphy Meariman; siblings and their spouses, Harris and Kristin Brown and William and Katherin Brown; as well as many numerous nieces and nephews.

Priscilla was taken from us far too soon, but we will always cherish her memory and thelight she left in our hearts.

Amemorial service will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans. The visitation is from 9:00 to 11:00 am, with the service to follow. To view and sign the family online guestbook and share yourmemories of Priscilla, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Sierra Club.

AnnOurso, 76, a

of Donaldsonville, LA, and

of

on Monday, July

Ann wasa loving

ter, aunt, godmother, cousin, andfriend whose kindness and generous spirit touched everyone who knew her. She loved her nieces and nephews unconditionally, always making them feel cherished and supported. Ann lived life on her own terms with quiet strength and independence. She took great pride in her yard, her home and being atwin. Some of her greatest pleasures were bottled Coke, a box of Sno-Caps and her favorite Biscoff cookies. Those little treats brought her happiness and an appreciation for the little things that made eachday special. Her greatest claim to fame was her famous Sensation salad dressing, afamily favorite that only she could seem to make. She leaves behindtocherish her memory, her sister, Lori Ourso Babin, brother in-law, Dennis Caballero; nieces and nephews, Celie Webre (Gary), Kaye Templet (Marty), Paul Caballero (Penny), John Ourso (Stephanie), Chad Ourso (Mendy), Thomas Ross Babin, and Philip Babin; great nieces and nephews, Isabel Webre, Anna Webre, JaneTemplet, Sam Templet, Mackenzie Caballero, Cameron Caballero, Porter Ourso, Miles Ourso, BeauxOurso, and Ethan Ourso and her life-long dear friend, Clare Weil Neely. She is preceded in death by her parents, Eucharist "EJ" Ourso and Marjory Barbier Ourso; siblings, Philip Ourso, Nancy Ourso, twin brother, Sidney "Tuba" Ourso, and Cecile "Cissy" Caballero, who passed earlier the same day as Ann. Pallbearers will be Lannie Denoux Jr., Gary Webre, Marty Templet, Paul Caballero, John Ourso, Thomas Ross Babin, Philip Babin, and Sam Templet. Avisitation will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church, located at 716 Mississippi Street, Donaldsonville, LA, from 9 am until the Mass of Christian Burial at Noon. Celebratingthe Mass will be Fr. Kurt Young, Fr. Parker Thompson,and Fr. Matt Dupre. Intermenttofollow in the church mausoleum. Donationsinher memory can be made to The Sisters, Servants of Mary 5001 Perlita St. in New Orleans, LA, 70122-1999.

Ourso, Cindy Ann

Cindy

native

resident

Metairie, LA, passed away

13, 2026.

twin, sis-

O'Quinn, Priscilla Brown

Melchert, Wayne Thomas

Killeen,

Parks, Janean Hampton Carla

Janean Hampton Parks passed away peacefully July 13 at age 52. She is survived by her parents Randy and Carla Hampton, brother Dennis Hampton and son Gavin Parks. Janean graduated from Destrehan High School. She attended Southern Mississippi University where shewas amember of Ph Mu Sorority. Shewas graduated from

Southeastern University. She will be remembered with afamily service.

Parmelee, Janice Lynn 'JP'

Afew weeks ago, my wife decided she wanted to writeher ownobituary She wanted it short and concise andtoldme, "Peopledon'twant to read allthat stuff!" By "all that stuff," she meantthe detailsofanamazing life, well lived. As Ipromised,hereis her version: JP passed peacefully on July 5, 2026, at her homein NewOrleans. Shewas born on January 3, 1948, in Oakland, California,to Milton Harold Parmelee of Berkeley, California,and GeorgiaLucille Penny ParmeleeofBaton Rouge, Louisiana. She was predeceased by bothparents She is survivedbyher most beloved husband of more than 33 years, William"Bill" Hammack; hersister, Joan B. Parmelee of Diamondhead Mississippi; her stepchildren, Will Hammack and hiswife,Melissa,and Amanda Hammack; and her step-grandchildren, CassidyLinkand Nicholas Link. Hercareerwas in finance, publishing, and hospitality.She also served on many nonprofit boards.Inlieuofflowers, please donate to one of her twofavorite local charities, Clover or theYouth Empowerment Project. Acelebration of life reception will be held on August7 from5:30to8p.m. at Calcasieu, 930 Tchoupitoulas Street in NewOrleans.

Now,for therestofus, here are the details.

JP,asshe wascalledby allwho knew and loved her, wasa philanthropist, an adventurer,a world traveler,and ahighlyaccomplished businesswoman She had atrailblazing career in banking, where sheand her best friendof more than 50 years, Mary CatherineMaddox,broke through theglass ceilingof thegood-old-boys' network that defined the bankingindustryinthe 1970s.JPwas oneofthe firstfemalevicepresidents and commercialloan officersinBaton Rouge. While shakingupthe banking world,she wasalso masteringscubadiving at atimewhen fewwomen were reaching theranks of Master Diverand Rescue Diver. She completed hundredsofdives throughout theCaribbean andonthe Great Barrier Reefin Australia She wasalsoanexpert snow skierwho never met adoubleblack diamond runshe didn't love. She wasa great dancer and barber, too. But those were onlya fewofher many talents. JP and Imet laterinlife after we had both been marriedpreviously. The bond wasinstant. Ourfirst formal date wasin September.I askedher to marry me in October,and we were married in December...331/2 years ago. Sheleftbanking to join my publishing businessin NewOrleans, serving as

Chief Financial Officer and helpinggrowitintoa very successfulventure. Innovationwas partofher DNA. She helped guide our traditional printoperation intothis"new" thing calledthe Internet,quickly pivotingthe company into onlinepublishing, internet software development, andlocal search marketing.

Almost 26 yearsago, I wasconsideringa restaurantpartnershipwith Donald Link, thefather of my grandchildren, Cassidy and Nico. JP's first comment was, "Restaurants areterriblebusinesses. Bankers avoidthematall costs!

Sheimmediatelyadded, "But Donaldisa special talent.Let's do it!"

That decisionbegan an amazing partnershipwith thehighlysuccessfulLink Restaurant Group, now encompassing sixwonderful, award-winning restaurants andanextraordinary group of talentedteam members.

JP used her business success to do what she always didsowell: help others. Over theyears, shedevotedmany hours to nonprofit boardsand financially supportedcauses that made areal differenceinthe lives of countless people. She wasalso always quick to lend a helpinghand to an individual in need.

Hertravelstook her acrossEurope, Africa, SouthAmerica, theUnited States,Canada, the Caribbean, and Antartica.

She embraced my love of flyingand becameanefficient radiooperatorand capable backup whenever the twoofustook offon one of our flyingadventures. Shewas also remarkably forgivingwhenever Itried to talk her into the"next"airplane.

JPwas surrounded by dearfriends and made new ones easily.She had a gift forcreating special relationships, and those of youreading thisknow exactlywhat Imean.She couldbridgegenerations, formingclose friendships withpeopleolder than she wasand with many who were much younger including"theboys,"whom she loved as if they were her own.

Iamnot going to go on, becauseshe is already fussing at me forincluding allthis"detail." But abook couldbewrittenabout her accomplishments,her character,her passions, her courage, and her strength.

JP,thank you forsharing allofitwithus.

Reugger,Lauralee

Lauralee R. Reugger passedawaypeacefully at herhome on July 10, 2026, in Covington,Louisiana,at the age of 85. Born on June 6, 1941,inNew Orleans, Louisiana,Lauralee's life was atestamentto strength, kindness, and enduring ties to community and family Shewas the beloved spouse of Lou Leger,with whom she shared many steadfast years. Lauralee's devotiontoher familywas evident throughout her life,asshe lovingly cherished her nephews, Parker Montgomery, hiswife

Amanda Mosher and their daughter MilaofMetairie, Louisiana, and Jordan Montgomery,his wife Julie Thiele and theirson TannerofMandeville, Louisiana who survive her and willcarry her memory forward.Her warmth and guidance were also felt stronglybyher cousins—CharlesStickling of Port Vincent, Louisiana, William Stickling of Port Vincent,Louisiana, and Michael Stickling of Virgina—whose livesshe touched profoundly Lauralee was preceded in death by her father, Fredrick Reugger; her mother, Laura Riddle both of NewOrleans, Louisiana; and her sister, Elizabeth Reugger Montgomery. Their memories remained close to her heart, aquiet sourceofstrengthand reflection.

Throughout her eightyfive years, Lauralee exemplifiedcompassion,integrity, and dignity.She retired fromShell OilCompanyas aMicro Paleontologist Lauralee enjoyed an active life with several hobbies including;boating, traveling,especiallytothe Mountains, as well as Canada, Mexico and Alaska. Bird watching was one of her many passions using her avid photographyskills photographing wildbirds. Most of all, Lauralee lovedgrowing and styling Bonsaifor the last twenty-five years. Her absence will be keenly felt by her family and friends, buther legacy willendure in the heartsof those who were privileged to knowher. LauraleeR Reugger's life willbefondly remembered—her presence, her insightful words, and her unwavering love willremainetched in memoryfor years to come.

AMemorial service for Lauralee R. Reugger willbe announced at alaterdate.

Beautiful in allrespects, SharonRose Bischoff Schmidt was ashining example of how life should be lived. Our Rosie's devotion to herCatholicfaith and unwavering love for her family was thecornerstoneofher life.Her humilityand gracewere everpresent—she preferred pearls over diamonds!

SharondiedonJuly 14, 2026, from complications surrounding ahemorrhagic stroke.She was 78 years young. She waspredeceasedbyher parents William A. Bischoff llland Madeline KalilBischoff, and her brother William A. Bischoff, IV. Sharonwas thebeloved wife of R. Larry Schmidt and loving sister to Mary AnnBischoff. She wasa devoted mother to TaylorLauren Schmidt Pospisil (Martin) and Barbara BlairSchmidt Casey(Blair). She dearly lovedher fab four--Taylor, Blair, Martin and BC. Rosie was themost wonderful grandmother to Olivia Rose Schmidt Pospisil, Charlotte Schoen Pospisil, KnoxThomas Caseyand Cora Rose Casey.

In additiontoher role as wife, mother and grandmother, Sharonhad an accomplishedbanking career as arespectedTrust Office

at Whitney Bank. She served her clientswith confidentiality and integrity and cherished lifelong friendshipswithher Trust Department colleagues.

Sharonhad many talentsbut expressedher love most through preparing delicious meals forher family and friends. Gatheringaround her dining room tablewas always aspecial experience whether savoring her great grandmother's oyster dressing or enjoying Lebanese dishes such as kibbi, tabouli, and hummus. At one memorable dinner party, afriend remarked,"Well Sharon, not onlydid youpreparea delicious gumbo z'herbes, butyou also hand embroidered thenapkins!"

Sharon's life willbecelebrated at aMass of ChristianBurial at St Mary'sAssumption Church, on SaturdayJuly 25, 2:30 pm. Visitation will beginat1pm.Pleasejoin us at The Orleans Club following theservice, where we willtoast Rosie with many glasses of herfavorite champagne. Interment in her ancestral tomb in Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery will be private.

Contributions to the SaveStMary's Restoration Campaign,2030 Constance St,70130, are preferred ArrangementsbyJacob Schoen &Son Funeral Home.Condolencesmay be left at www.schoenfh.com

Richard Lawrence Simmons "Dick" died peacefully in NewOrleans on July4,2026, after abrief illness at theage of 85. He was surrounded by family on the250thanniversary of thecountry he so dearly loved. BorninCincinnati, Ohio, on December 30, 1940, he was theson of Agnes O'Meara and James Gordon Simmons. Dick graduated from Wyoming HighSchool, where he was an accomplishedstudentathleteand was inducted intoits AthleticHallof Fame.Heattended the UnitedStates Naval Academy, graduatingwith aBSin1962, where he played Freshman Football and rowed crew forthe Midshipmen. He served aboardthe USS EthanAllen and theUSS Lafayette both ballistic missile submarines and partofthe legendary "41 for Freedom" fleet that was America'ssilentdeterrent throughout theColdWar. He earnedhis Dolphins, themark of afullyqualified submariner, and left theNavyasa Naval Lieutenant. He earnedan MBA from Tulane University in 1971. Dick married Georgia Ann Monstedin1963 after meeting on ablind date. They were married for 48 years and together raised four children before her

passing in 2011. They shared aloving andfull life together. Dick wasmarried in 2013 to Elizabeth "Betsy" Shaw Nalty. Their marriage wasrichwithlove, laughter, travel, time spentwith family, manyfriendships andsummers spent in the mountainsofNorth Carolina. Dick spent his adult life in NewOrleans.Hebuilt a successful25-year career as an insurance executive He volunteeredhis time to St.Mary's Church,the Garden District Association,Courtwatch NOLA, andMetairie Park CountryDay School. He wasa memberofthe New OrleansCountry Club, Boston Club, several Carnival organizations, andthe United States Senior Golf Association wherehehad many dear friends.

Dick always putfamily first. He wasa devoted husband anda generous brother, father,grandfather,friend, andemployer. Over theyearshecould be foundcheering on hischildren andgrandchildren from thesidelinesand supporting theminall they did. He valuedhard work in everyaspect of his life, guided always by astrong moral compass. He was known for hishearty laugh, bigsmile, andstrongopinions. He was avoracious reader of history, politics, and biography; witha book in hand andhis loved ones nearby, he was happy. Dick was deeply religious, funny, patriotic, passionate,opinionated, brilliant, impatient,loyal, and dedicated.

He is survived by his wife Elizabeth "Betsy" Nalty Simmons; hisfour children, AshleyBright (Edgar), Richard Simmons Jr.(Julie),Walker Simmons (Liz) of Charlotte, N.C. and Evelyn Kissel(Peter) of Bernardsville,N.J. He was also thegrandfatherofElla Baldwin (Chris), Edgar BrightIV(Kathryn), Walker Bright(Mary Ilene), Katherine Roser (Austin), Richard Simmons III, Walker SimmonsJr., Macie Simmons,Eli Simmons, GeorgiaKissel, Peter Kissel, JamesKissel, and Graham Kissel. In recent years, he welcomedfive great-grandchildren Dick is also survivedby hisfourstepchildren: Donald Nalty Jr.(Angie) MorganNalty (Becky Bigelow) of Livingston, MT, HelenButcher(Kim), and

Elizabeth Nalty; and by his step-grandchildren,Layne, MorganElizabeth,William (Summer),Price (Ali), Laura,Martin, Madison, andEmily. He is also survived by hisbrothers, Thomas Simmons (Elisa) and JamesSimmons, both of California. He wasprecededin death by his wife,Georgia MonstedSimmons; his parents; his sister,Nancy Simmons Berger; and his step-grandchild, Abby. Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe memorial Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church,6367 Saint Charles Ave. in NewOrleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at noon. The visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please considermemorial contributions to theGeorgia Simmons Leadership Fund at MetairieParkCountry DaySchool, 300 ParkRoad, Metairie, LA 70005. To view andsignthe online guest book, please visit LakeLawnMetairie.com

Simmons,Richard Lawrence'Dick'

Schmidt, SharonRose

OUR VIEWS

TheGulfis gettingwarmer, so we must invest in research, solutions

It’snoexaggeration to say that Louisianais not Louisiana without its bodies of water.

The Mississippi River borders thenorthern half of the state and bisects the southern half, countless other rivers, lakes andbayous dot the landscape and the Gulf of Mexicogivesthe state its dynamic and essential coastline

This last one is the focusofanew seriesof stories in this newspaper,the first of whichwas published today.Inthe story,reporterAlexLubben takes adetailed look into the warming Gulf andits impact on our coast, ourclimate andour lives.

What he found is worrisome.

First and foremost, the Gulf of Mexico is warming faster than oceans around theworld. Over thelast half-century,the averageGulf surface temperatures have goneup roughly twice as fast as they have elsewhere, risingnearly 2 degreesFahrenheitover that span.

That’snot just some academic statistic.A warmer Gulf has ahost of knock-on effects, perhaps most notably that it can actasa supercharger for tropical storms andhurricanesthat find their way into its waters. One hasonly to look at Ida in 2021, which grew into amonster over the Gulf. Other effectsincludegreater sea level rise and deleterious effectsonfisheries. And the Gulf’s warmer waters flow in currents out into the AtlanticOcean,helping to lift temperatures there, too.

The warming is not just asurface problem Temperatures in the Gulf’s depths arealso increasing, and since warm water expands, it exacerbates sea level rise. Warmer depths also hurt the Gulf’s overall ecosystem.

Even with drastic cuts in emissions, these trends are likely to continue for at leasta decade, Lubben found.

All of this is why it is especially importantto invest in research and data-gathering fromthe Gulf of Mexico. Before these trends andtheir effects can be clearlyunderstood, we must know exactly what’shappening andwhy Yetthe federal government, under the Trump Administration, seems determined to do just the opposite. The administration’smostrecent budget request would have eliminatedfunding for the Gulf of AmericaCoastal Ocean Observing system, akey network of data monitoring installations and researchers. Thankfully,Congress restored that funding before approving the proposal. Additionally,the National Science Foundation has cut more than$350 million forobservation equipment and pulled up buoysinthe waters of the Pacific Northwestand off the East Coast, robbingscientists and others of keydataneeded to track these global systems.

These sortsofcutsspell troublefor Louisiana, which is on the front line of coastal issues.We hardly need to remind coastal residents of this —theyhave faced the effectsofwarmer waters severaltimes now.But even those whodon’tlive along or near the coast see these effects on our bottom line when we purchase insuranceortry to buy ahome.

More importantly,wesee it in the loss of key cultural and community resources as they flee theinexorableadvance of the Gulf.

These threats are existential for Louisiana. To meet them, we must face them head-on.And that means committing to studying and understanding what exactly is happening andhow we can mitigate it. We might not be abletoget thecoast backto where it once was. But we should at leastwork to keep its challenges from growingworse than they already are.

CORRECTION

An editorial on July 9erroneously stated that the consortium 1532 Tulane Holdco is still involved in overseeing renovations at Charity Hospital. Tulane University has takenoverthe entire project.

OPINION

Jury duty an unglamorousbut essentialservice

There’snothing glamorous about the jury pool room on the third floor of the St.Tammany Parish Justice Center.Its off-white walls, beige chairs and fluorescent lightsare almost theplatonic ideal of bureaucratic decor Monday morning, ahundred or so people gathered there, somechatting, somestaringat phones and plentysipping coffee from one of thecarafes at theside of the room.

Iwas among them, with a jury summonsinmybag and, after checking in, aclip-on nametag that read “Juror #445.”

and when it was over,our numbers had been reduced by at least athird. But that left aproblem.There were fewer potential jurors than the two judges with jury trials had requested.

Unlike many,Iwas excited to be there. I’d never been called for jury duty, and though I’ve seen plenty of trials as areporter,Ihad never been a participant St.Tammany Jury Coordinator Jeanell Landwehr spent themorning walking us through theprocess, which began withthe excuses.

Folkswho wanted tobereleased from jury dutywere given index cards to fill out.Those would be reviewed by ajudge, who granted or denied the excuses. That process took acouple of hours,

At thenewspaper,wealways disclose if we have personal or business connections with sources or subjects of news or opinion pieces. Often,there are no connections because we studiously avoid such conflicts of interest.

Butinthe rare cases they are unavoidable, lettingreaders know up front that they exist hopefully creates trust in the credibility of what we have to say

“That’s not going to work,” Langwehr said at one point, looking out at those of us who remained.Inthe end, they split us intotwo groups —pink and purple —and sent us home with instructions to call back that evening to see if we were needed for the next day Iwasn’t. One trial had been delayed, so thepurple group was dismissed. Pink wasinstructed to return at 9a.m. Tuesday for jury selection. Iwas disappointed. Isuspect others were relieved. Many people see jury dutyonly as ahassle to be avoided.

My summons brought me in one week after astate district judge in St. TammanyParish sent sheriff’sdeputies out onto the courthouse grounds to round up potential jurors. Such roundups, known as drafting “tales juries,” are extremely rare. But they are legal, and any eligible person whodeclines to participatecan be hit with acontemptofcourt charge.

Acourt official told this newspaper’s Willie Swett that out of some600 jury summonsissued forthat week, only a fewmore than 100 showed up. There are plenty of possible explanations: work obligations, childcare, travel, apathy or just general unwillingness. Isuspect the last twowere major factors. Yes, jury duty is boring. Yes, it could have taken an entire weekormore. Yes, Icould have been doing other moreproductive things. But it’salso crucial. Our entire criminal justice system is based on the fundamental right to trial by jury.It’s as foundational as free speech or freedom of religion. Abraham Lincoln’sfamous line “government of the people, by the people, forthe people” —isamantra formany today.Often, we focus on the third clause.

But the first twoare just as important. Our government only works when we participate in it. By voting, forinstance, or serving on ajury.Innoway glamorous, but in every way important.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

word not only in media but in government, too, as thepublic has reason to question themotives of insiders who seem tobenefit from sweetheart deals. And for those seeking answers, there are two powerful tools that we often use as journalists that are actually available to anyone in the public.

Of course, we do build relationships with powerful people in thecourse of our jobs.

Butthe goal is to serve thepublic first and never let those relationships cloud our judgment. That’swhy transparency is so important.Wemakeour actions public for anyone to see and to judge. Even when we have sponsors or underwriters for our content, we maintain oureditorial freedom.But we don’texpect readers to takeour word for it. We reveal the information directly Transparency has become awatch-

The first of these is aFreedom of Information Act request.These requests apply to any federal agency.The law established in 1966 gives any adult the right to request information from the government.You can go to the website foia.gov to find out more information on how to file aFOIA request. The second is Louisiana’sPublic Records Act. It applies to state and local agencies. Again, any person can file arequest on atopic, and the agency is obligated to let you inspect records in their possession. There are some tricks to filing requests—they can’tbeoverly broad,

forexample —but generally,ifthere is something about which you believe an agency has answers you seek, it’sa simple matter to file apublic records request. Go to the agency’swebsite, and they should have information on filing apublic records request.

Turning to our letters inbox, Ican give you the numbers forthe first weeks of July.From July 2-9, we received 43 letters. No one topic stood out, but we did receive three letters on the Senate race and two letters on the America 250 celebrations.

For the week of July 9-16, we received 54 letters.

The topic that drew the mostinterest is the fight between the city of NewOrleans and state officials, which prompted five letters. Youwere also interested in the ongoing debate over what terms like socialism and communism mean.That led five of you to write.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

Arnessa

Faimon Roberts

COMMENTARY

Cuttingaid to Israel wouldharm, nothelp, worldpeace

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans unfortunately has joined the wing of the Democratic Party that treats the Israeli government as the scapegoat for troubles in the Middle East.

Even if well motivated, Carter is wrong.

On July 15, Carter voted with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and 102 other House Democrats for an amendment to eliminate $3.3 billion of annual U.S. aid to Israel. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and 97 other Democrats, including Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge, joined all other Republicans to keep the assistance flowing.

denounced the amendment for being “overlybroad.” Jeffries, another big critic of Netanyahu, agreed, opposing the amendment because “it prohibits or would limit the useoffunds for long-standing initiatives related to humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building andU.S. Embassy operations.” In sum, passing the amendment would have been like cutting off our own nose just to spite Netanyahu’sface.

Carter is,ofcourse, right to lament civilian carnage. Yetconsidered from the long view,from amiddle view and from theimmediate perspective, he lays the blame in thewrong place.

Historically (the long view), Israel again and again, since itsbirth in 1948, has been willing to let another peaceful state emerge.

The (blessedly failed) amendment was an ill-aimed blunderbuss

Intended to punish the government of Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu, the amendment instead would have harmed U.S. interests and peace in the region while rewarding the terrorists of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

Even JStreet, the nominally Zionist butextremely anti-Netanyahu liberal advocacy group,

Carter released astatement insisting he supports “Israel’s right to defend itselfagainst Hamas and otherterrorist organizations,” but blaming Netanyahu for allegedly having “impededefforts toward peace.” He said his vote was necessitated by “the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians, especially women and children, the destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, and vital infrastructure, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.”

His statement, however,didn’t address the realities identified by Jeffries, such as that theamendment would halt ongoing humanitarian efforts.

Butwhen offered the proverbial “two-state solution” by a unified United Nations in 1948, theArab nations instead immediately waged war.When thenPresident Bill Clinton insisted that Israel trade“land for peace” in the1990s, Israel provided the land but was met withmore terrorism —and Clinton himself always publicly blames the late, massively corrupt, terroristic Palestinian leader,Yasser Arafat, for ruining thebargain.

The middle-rangeview shows that in thedecades before Hamas’ murderous Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, the Jewish state provided much of Gaza’s water and almost all its power while regularly facilitating massive humanitarian assistance. Just days before Oct. 7, Netanyahu’ssecurity cabinet decided to redouble effortstomaintain

peace while ramping up humanitarian aidevenmore.

Andsincethe first dayofIsrael’sexistence,Arabs who choose to remainthere enjoy more rights, by lawand in fact, within Israel’sborders than any Arabs or Muslims enjoyamong Israel’s neighbors.

Meanwhile,asIsrael’sleader for 16 of the past 17 years, Netanyahu actually hasdonemore for long-range peace than anybody dreamedpossible. As early as 2014, Netanyahu informally had in placewhatlater became the“Abraham Accords” with four Arab nations. Better yet, constructive relations exist de facto with almost every nation in theregion, built on commercial exchanges andmutual opposition to Iran. This didn’tjust happen: Netanyahu did it.Inthe annals of the Middle East, this entente is ahistoricachievement.

Now for the more immediate record:Evensince the mass rapes and slaughter of that awful Oct. 7, Netanyahu’sgovernment has exercisedremarkable restraint.Yes:restraint.

Almost neverinworld history has ahorribly victimizednation, in fighting back against enemies

who literally have sworn to wipe it fromthe face of the Earth and inflictedterroronitfor decades, shown as much forbearanceas Israel.

Israel usesmultiple ways to warn civilians whenstrikesare coming; creates safe corridors for civilians to move through; andrepeatedly facilitated food deliveriesand humanitarian assistance, even as Hamas thugs literally attacked the aid workers andinterdicted suppliesmeant to help their ownpeople.

Israel triestokeep civilians alive;Hamas uses them as human shields.

Troy Cartershould seethat the situationissimple: If the people in Gaza andthe West Bank will finally recognize Israel’sright to exist, andiftheywill permanently disband Hamas, there will be immediate, lasting peace. But if Israel is weakened by the U.S. withdrawing the assistance it hasgiveneversincePresident Jimmy Carter’sworld-changing Camp David Accords, the terrorism will continue,toeverybody’s detriment —through absolutely no fault of the Israelis.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com

Landry knowsdarnwellthatNew Orleansisspecial

“That parish.”

That’show Gov.Jeff Landry described New Orleans last week, as if it pained him to say its name, even though he’d just said it seconds before. As if Orleans is indistinguishable from the other 63 parishes, which was of course the point of his tirade.

“The state of Louisiana is tired. New Orleans thinks they’re so special,” Landry said. “That parish is going to operate exactly like the rest of this state. And the people of this state want that.”

Well, no disrespect to the rest of our fair state, but …seriously? Yes, every parish is unique and has residents who defend it fiercely,and many of them are seeing new economic development projects.

Yetit’sNew Orleans —which shares its boundaries with Orleans Parish —that’siconic. It’s oneofone, not only acultural hothouse butadriver of astate economy that very much relies on the city’scharms to attract visitors and investment alike.

“A unique town in the United States, not like any other town,” Mick Jagger,who’sbeen some places, said recently.“Irreplaceable,” according to the World Monuments Fund. Youget the idea. So why does Landry sayhe doesn’t? Well, it’sworth here

ing astate law against threatening public officials.

Thencamethe strangest turn: Agrand jury —onits own,we’re told, withWilliams recused and Moreno saying shewas in the dark —indicted Murrill forallegedly violatingthatlaw

So nowhere we are, withMurrill’sallies spitting mad andtaking it outonthe whole city

talkuntil thecityunderstands that it needstoget itsfiscal house in order.Morenohas spenther first sixmonthsinofficefocusing on nothing but that. She’s made deep cuts, sought outextra revenue andeveninvited thestate legislative auditor to embed at CityHall.

Grace Will Sutton

for amoment to talk about what prompted Landry to go off. It all started, improbably,when he backed theLegislature’s elimination of the city’sclerk of Criminal District Court. New Orleans, as Landry pointed out in his diatribe, has separate civil and criminal courts,and until recently, corresponding clerks. Whetherthat’s agood ideaisa reasonable question, but it was indisputablyunreasonable to fold one clerk’sjob into another just

as theman who’d been elected to afour-year term was abouttobe sworn in.

Next came aCityCouncil vote, with the support of Mayor Helena Morenoand DistrictAttorney Jason Williams, to say there should be an election to fill the newly created office. Then Attorney General LizMurrill threatenedtoremove them all fromofficeand have Landry appoint their replacements. Then Moreno posted avideohighlight-

After Morenopulledanapplication for amajor bond issue fromthe state BondCommission, Landry suggested that thecity hadbeen planning to use thestate as an “ATM,” as if permissionto borrowisthe sameasa handout

At the announcementofa big expansionofMeta’sAIplant in ruralRichland Parish, thegovernortookthe opportunitytolink that project to thecity’ssupposed diminished importance to the state But as Landry’spublic speeches tend to, this oneveered wayoff point

He said thecityused to have four assessors. It wasseven,but voters consolidated them in a post-Katrina civic-mindeddrive that also included reforms at the local levee board that Landryand his cronies have been busydismantling.

He complained that thesheriff is elected at adifferenttime than other sheriffs. To whichIsay: Please show me thenorth Louisianaresident who loses sleep over NewOrleans’ election calendar. And the governor said he wouldn’tmeet withMorenoto

Andthenthere’sall thestuff Landrydidn’tbring up. Like that NewOrleanshas its own big economicprojects in the works, from anew port to service today’s giant containerships and thelong-awaited redevelopment of theold Charity Hospital Like that agovernor only gets to preside over SuperBowlsand FinalFours if they come to New Orleans. The NFLand NCAA certainly aren’t looking to hold signature events anywhere else in Louisiana Like Landry’sown record of investing in thecity, sending the State Policeintohelpfight crime andlaunching asuccessful drive to fix infrastructure before last year’sSuperBowl “Noone hasdonemore forthe city of NewOrleansthanme!” he claimed in arecentsocial media post.

I’mnot sure that’sthe case, but he’s actually done plenty. Surelythat’sbecause he understands that NewOrleansis indeed special,nomatter what he sayswhenthe cameras are rolling.

Email Stephanie Grace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.

AreNew Orleansand judges differentorthe same?

So many of us have focusedso muchonthe Orleans Parish judicial cuts passed by the Louisiana Legislature and signed into law by Gov.Jeff Landry that Ithink most of us missed the dramabehind Act 748. Orleans Criminal Court Judge John Fuller has challenged 748, arguing that the law that nearly everyone thought was real is afake. On behalf of his client, Fuller,attorney James Matthews insists that neither the Louisiana House of Representatives nor the Louisiana Senate had enough votes to make thecut-a-judge bill law.Matthews argues that atwo-thirds vote was required to take such an egregious action. Of the four votes taken,two in the House and two in the Senate, only one met the threshold. Don’t

believe me?

Ask Judge Tarvald Anthony Smith of DivisionAofthe East Baton Rouge Judicial Court.He agreed to enjoin local and state officials from implementing the law until after candidate qualifying ends in early August Of course, Attorney GeneralLiz Murrillsays she’ll appeal “As this matter impacts electionsand qualifying deadlines,wewill seek priority review to get this matter resolved quickly,” Murrill said

On Thursday,Fuller filed an emergency writ request asking the Louisiana Supreme Court to step in immediately,take the case andmake adecision as the state asks alower court to lift aruling blocking the law.

The Supreme Court granted Fuller’srequestFriday,leaving it

for the state’s high court to resolve the constitutional quagmire.

Fuller is relying on this sentence in Article V, Section 15(D) of the 1974 Louisiana Constitution: “The legislature may change the number of judgesinany judicial districtbylaw enacted by two-thirds of the elected membersofeach house.” I’m not amathematician or a statistical analyst, but teachers taught me basic math. With one House tally,105 membersvoted on the measure. Those voting nay were34. Thosevoting yea were62. Two-thirds of 105 is 70, not 62. That seems ironclad. Overatthe Senate, 39 senators voted at one point. Tenvoted nay, and 25 voted yea. Two-thirds of 39 is 26, not 25. Am Imissing something?

Fuller attorney Matthews said no. State Sen. Jay Morris, R-West

Monroe, said yes. He acknowledges that the language cited by Fuller and Matthews is real, just not applicable.

Morris points to Article V, Section32ofthe Constitution, which says in part, elected officials can’t be changed by statute “Except for provisions relating to terms of office as provided elsewhere in this Article, and notwithstanding any other contrary provisionofthis constitution, the following courts and officers in Orleans Parish arecontinued, subject to change by law…” The language includes criminal, municipaland traffic and juvenile courts as well as clerks, sheriffs, constables and others.

In other words, he says the delegates to the convention made New Orleans the exception, where the number of judges could be changed by statute. So, let me get this clear Landryand Morris say Orleans

Parish should operate like all of the other parishes —except when they want to interpret the state constitution in away that allows the state to cut however many judges they want. In other words, we’ll accept the interpretation of the constitutional language that carves out Orleans Parish as not operating exactly like the rest of the state —inorder to make it operate like the rest of the state. Orleans Parish sends the state more than $460 million in direct sales taxes and New Orleans contributes about half of the state’s$1.5 billion in tourismrelated tax revenue.

If we’re going to treat all parishes the same, we need 63 parishes to send more money so we can keep our change —and keep our judges.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Quin Hillyer

Stephanie

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Gov. Jeff Landryannounces anew investment by Meta expanding the RichlandParishdata center on July 6.

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SPORTS

SAINTS PREVIEW WIDE RECEIVERS

More capable handson deck for Saints

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staffwriter

Think back on some of the receiver groups that have taken the field for the New Orleans Saints in recent years.

In Week 18 last season, thatgroup was Kevin Austin, Dante Pettis, Ronnie Bell and Samori Toure. They have 140 combined career catches.

In Week 16 of the 2024 season,itwas Austin, Pettis, CedrickWilsonand Mason Tipton. They have267 combined career catches.

Or just look at the entire2021 Saints’ season, when the target share at receiverwent, in order,toMarquez Callaway,Deonte Harty,Tre’Quan Smith, Kenny Stills,Lil’Jordan Humphrey,Chris Hogan, Kevin White and Easop Winston.

Injuries played apart in those situations, butitalsowas representativeofhow the Saints devoted their roster resources. This is not meantasdisrespecttothose players, but most of them have spent their NFLcareers falling into one of three categories —lurking on the fringes of an NFL roster, playing asmall and very specific role, or failing to live up to their draft billing.

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Saints WR Jordyn Tyson STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

NFL scouts are pained when All-Americans bust as pros, and collegecoaches grow weary when five-star recruits fall short of their potential.

But woe is the private-school coach who has to evaluate eighth graderswho haven’t made it through puberty

“Like, we don’thave anything,” said formerOur Lady of Good Counsel coach Andy Stefanelli, who jabs NFL and college personnel staff members when theybellyache “We’relooking at momand dad, trying to project.” Stefanelli readily admits Dilin Jones wasn’tthe top prospect on his list whenthe tall but lanky running back arrived at the Crab Bowl, an eighth-grade all-star game in Maryland that usedtoserve as Stefanelli’s best scouting opportunity.

Jones was the son of aUPS driver, Dimitris, nicknamed Meech, who playedhigh school ball but maxed out there.Like his dad, Dilin hadasthma, which first revealed itselfat8 years old on adusty football field. Luckily,

Superdomemanager Thornton’s departure will ripple throughNew Orleans’ sports scene

‘Big shoesto fill’

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Doug Thornton hasoccupiedthe largeoffice on theplaza level of thesouthwestsideofthe Superdome since1997.

From this room filled with memorabilia from his29-year tenure as astadiummanager,Thornton has overseen operationsatone of the world’smost iconic buildings andhosted power brokers fromacross the sports and political landscape. It’salso where he rode outHurricane Katrinaand fearlesslymanaged the fallout from one of thegreatest crises in U.S. history

In afew weeks, though, Thorntonwill pack hisbelongings andvacate theofficefor good,leaving behind arich legacy andcreatingamajor void in theNew Orleanssportsscene.

Thornton, 68, informed his bosses at Legends Global lastweek of his plans to step down as the president of venue planning. Aformal announcementtothe rest of thestaff will come Sunday.Hehas toldonly ahandful of other friends and colleagues about his plans.

“It’stime,” Thornton said during an interview Wednesday.“This is an opportunityfor me to step back from thedaily grind and pressures of this role and shift gears abit.I’ve been doing this job nowfor almost 30 years and just think the timing is

right for me personally.Itwill give me achance to do somethings that I would like to do before it’stoo late.” During histenure,Thornton held varioustitles with the companies that manage the Superdome and Smoothie King Center forthe state of Louisiana,but he effectively served as the state’séminence grise of pro sports, abehind-the-scenes strategist whose influence touched virtuallyevery majorprofessional sportsdecision for ageneration. Thornton has been the point person in negotiations for multiple lease

deals with the New Orleans Saints andPelicans, andhe’soverseen all major construction work andrenovation projects at both buildings. He also helped recruit and relocate the NBA’sCharlotte Hornets to New Orleans, spearheaded thecreation of Champions Square and oversaw the renovation of TadGormley Stadium Hispolished political acumen allowedhim to relate to everyone from senators to service staff members, and it was abig reason he was

ä See SUPERDOME, page 3C

Top: Doug Thornton poses for aphoto insidethe Superdome on Sept. 23, 2016. Bottom left: Fromleft to right, Ray Wooldridge,Doug Thornton, Bill Hines, MayorMarc Moria and StevePerry helped bring the Hornets to NewOrleans from Charlotte. Theypose for aphoto on May3,2002. Bottomright: Doug Thornton, general manager of the Superdome, points out afaded logof floodwater heights on Jan. 15, 2013, in the generator room followingHurricane Katrina. STAFF FILE PHOTOSBySOPHIA GERMER, MATT ROSE, MICHAEL DeMOCKER

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BearsGThuneyanelite pass blocker

BY JOSH DUBOW Associated Press

When the Chicago Bears looked to rebuild their offensive line before the start of last season, the first big move they made was to acquire Joe Thuney from Kansas City Thuney helped turn aweakness for the Bears into astrength with his stellar pass blocking and he earnedthe honor of being picked as the top interior offensive lineman in the NFL by The Associated Press.

Apanel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at guard and center,basing selections on current status entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Secondthrough fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2and 1points

Thuney got four first-place votes and narrowly won the voting with 42 points. Kansas Citycenter CreedHumphreygot twofirstplace votes and was second with 40 points.Denver’sQuinn Meinerz got one first-placevoteand came in third, and Atlanta’sChris Lindstrom got the other first-place vote and was fourth. Indianapolis’ Quenton Nelson came in fifth.

1. JoeThuney, ChicagoBears

Thuney has been atop performer for the past decade,helping New England and Kansas City win two Super Bowl titles. He has been picked as an All-Pro thepast three seasons and is one of the best pass blockers in the game. He allowed no sacks, one quarterback hit and just 15 totalpressures during the 2025 season, according to Pro Football Focus helping Chicagowin its first division title in seven years andwin a playoffgame for the first time in 15 years.

2. CreedHumphrey, Kansas City Chiefs

Thuney’sformer teammate in Kansas City has been atop center in the league since beingpicked in the second round in 2022. Humphrey has been aPro Bowler the

past four seasons andanAll-Pro thepast two as the anchor of the line for the Chiefs. Humphreyallowed just eight pressures,one sack and two QB hits last season,according to PFF

3. QuinnMeinerz, Denver Broncos

Meinerz made the leap from Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater to the NFL in 2021 with relative ease. He quickly established himself asone of the league’stop guards and akey part of one of the NFL’s topoffensive lines in Denver

He is one of the game’sbest run blockers and has been named an All-Pro the past two seasons.

4. ChrisLindstrom, AtlantaFalcons

Lindstrom has been asecondteam All-Prothe past four seasons and isa key part of the line that hashelped running back Bijan Robinson earn All-Pro honors. Lindstrom hasmade four Pro

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By PETER AIKEN Kansas CityChiefs center Creed Humphreygets readytosnap the ball against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 23 in Kansas City,Mo.

Bowls and missedonly one game total thepast six seasons.

5. QuentonNelson, IndianapolisColts

Nelson was an All-Pro his first three seasons in the NFL from

2018-20. While his level of play has dropped atickinrecentyears, he’sstill one of the most dependable guards in the league. He has been aPro Bowlerin each of his eight seasons and remains one of the game’stop run blockers.

Judge movedto60-day IL,needs another scan

NEWYORK Aaron Judge will need another scan before amajor rampup of activity while his fractured rib heals, andthe NewYorkYankees moved theircaptaintothe 60day injured list Saturday Sidelined since May 31,Judge hada scan during the All-Star breakthatwas reviewed by Dr Gregory J. Pearl, chair of the department of vascular surgery at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital in Texas.

Judge is hitting .248 with 17 homersand 38 RBIs but hadjust one homerinhis last 18 games before going on the injured list.

Manager Aaron Boone said how Judge feelswill determine when he goes foranother scan. NewYork was36-23 whenthe 34-year-old outfielder last played but is 18-20 since.

British runner Kerr breaks men’smile world record

LONDON Josh Kerr,the British runner whohelped stoke arevival in middle-distance drama on the track, added anew chapter Saturdaybyrunning themilein3minutes, 42.66 seconds to break the 27-year-old world record forthe distance.

At aDiamond League meet in London, Kerr broke Moroccan great Hicham El Guerrouj’smark of 3minutes, 43.13 seconds, set in Romein1999. The 28-year-old native of Edinburgh celebrated with alap of honor at London Stadium

“It was just me,myshoes and the track,” he said. “I was absolutely deaf in that last 110meters.” Kerr finishedmorethanthree seconds clear of American Yared Nuguse’s second-place time of 3:45.69.

Reds lockinRHP Burns with 7-year,$105M deal

DENVER Now this givesnew meaning to acoffee break: Chase Burnssigning his new $105 million,seven-year contract was momentarily delayedwhen acup of java was spilled on the paperwork.

No matter.The Cincinnati Reds presented anew one and got the dealdonefor the23-year-old righthanded All-Star Burns spilled the beans Saturday on what happened behind the scenes.Itappears Redsgeneral manager Brad Meador toppled over coffee as they werefinishing up the final details.

“That took sometimetoprint a new one out,” Burns recounted before the Reds playedthe Rockies. “That was easy.”

Burns’ dealisthe largest guaranteed contract in themajors given to apitcher withlessthanfour years of service time.

Orioles, RHP Bradish agree to 5-year,$90M extension

HOUSTON The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to afive-year,$90 million contract extension with starting pitcher Kyle Bradish, the team announced Saturday

BY JOSH DUBOW Associated Press

Jeffery Simmons followed his first All-Pro season by signing a contract that made himthe highest-paid defensive tackle ever in the NFL. The Tennessee Titans believe the hefty price that included $100 million in guaranteedmoney was well worth it, and plenty of others agree as Simmons was picked as the top interior defensivelineman in the NFL by The Associated Press.

Apanel of eight AP pro football writers ranked the top five playersatinterior defensive line, basing selections on currentstatus enteringthe 2026 season. Firstplace voteswere worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2and 1points Simmons got four first-place votes and won the voting with 53 points. KansasCity’sChrisJones got three first-place votes and was second with 39 points. Dallas’ Quinnen Williams was third, Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward was fourth withthe other first-place vote and Cincinnati’sDexter Lawrence was fifth.

1. JefferySimmons, TennesseeTitans

The 2019first-round pick has become perhaps the best interior pass rusher in the NFL overhis time in Tennessee. Simmons had acareer-high 11 sacks last season

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By STEW MILNE Tennessee Titansdefensivetackle JefferySimmons is introduced prior to agame against the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec.21inNashville, Tenn.

when he earned his fourthPro Bowl selection Simmonshas 371/2 sacks the past five seasons and is one of two players— alongwith Chris Jones with at least five sacks in each of thepast fiveseasons.

2. ChrisJones, Kansas City Chiefs

Jones has been the most important piece on Kansas City’s defense during an eight-year run that featured seven appearances in theAFC title game, five Super

Bowl trips andthreechampionships. Jones has 871/2 career sacksand hasoften deliveredclutchplays in key moments in theplayoffs. Jones is aseven-time Pro Bowler andhas been namedanAll-Pro three times.

3. QuinnenWilliams, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys traded afirst-and second-round pick to the New York Jetstoacquire Williams last season in the hopes he could help

rebuild thelinethat wasweakened after Micah Parsons was traded away. Dallas hopes afull season with Williams will help do thetrick as he is one of the game’s top run defenders inside and also contributes as apass rusher Williams has been aPro Bowler thepast four seasons.

4. CameronHeyward, Pittsburgh Steelers

Heywardisstill going strong headed intohis 16th season, earning second-team All-Pro honors as a36-year-old in 2025. Heyward is a seven-timePro Bowlerand afourtime All-Pro forthe Steelers. He generated 55 pressures last season, accordingtoPro Football Focus, and also was strong against the run.

5. Dexter Lawrence, Cincinnati Bengals

Lawrence has established himself as the rare nose tackle who can generate pass pressure and stop therun. That made him worth the10th overall pick when Cincinnatitraded forhim from the New York Giants before the draftin hopes he canhelp rebuild astruggling defense. He had 21 sacksfrom 2022-24, when he madethe Pro Bowlall three seasons, but had only ahalfsack last season when he faced thefifth-highest double-team rate amongdefensive tacklesat 70.35%, according to PFF

The extension runs through the 2031 season and buys out Bradish’s final twoyears of arbitration while covering what would have been his first three years of free agency

The 29-year-old Bradish is 6-9 with a3.61 ERAin19starts this year,the right-hander’sfirst full season back from Tommy John surgery in 2024. He finishedfourth in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2023 after posting a2.83 ERA over 30 starts. He has a3.50 ERA in five major league seasons, all with the Orioles.

Clarkrewritesrecords with 45-point, 10-assist game INDIANAPOLIS— Caitlin Clark seemed “bouncy”toIndiana coach Stephanie White before the Fever faced the Seattle Storm on Friday The sharpshooting star nottoo farremoved fromaback injury bounced right into the record books—her own, her team’s and the WNBA’s Clark had the first 40-point game of her three-year career while helpingrally theFever to a110107 victory,scoring 45 points with 10 assists to becomethe first player with 40 or more pointsand 10 or moreassists in agameinWNBA history Clark becamethe fastestplayer to reach 200 career 3-pointers in the first half, and her 45 points scored wasalso afranchise record.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOByNAM y. HUH

ChicagoBears guard JoeThuneyreacts as he leavesthe field after agameagainst the Newyork Giants on Nov. 9inChicago.

SUPERDOME

Continued from page 1C

entrusted by five different governors, representing both sides of the political aisle to lead the state on such important sportsrelated matters.

His leadership and strategic vision earned him recognition as one of the most influential figures in Louisiana’s sports scene and national respect in the industry He is often credited by civic leaders for his role in ensuring New Orleans remains a major sports market and top competitor for major sporting events.

“I have been working with Doug for nearly 30 years, and he is the embodiment of a person who truly cares about his community and leaving things much better than he found it,” Saints and Pelicans president Dennis Lauscha said. “He is dedicated to finding solutions and working collaboratively. His leadership has kept the best stadium ever built still the best for over 50 years. And he has done it on time and on budget.”

A Shreveport native, Thornton played quarterback at McNeese State and started his professional career as an executive in the oil industry with Taylor Energy He segued to sports in 1988, when he was recruited to help start the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. He eventually became the president and CEO of the GNOSF but he left in 1997 to become the general manager of the Superdome and the then-New Orleans Arena.

get done.”

The meeting was one of countless undertakings Thornton stewarded out of the spotlight.

When prodded, Thornton reeled off a long list of career highlights, including the 2006 Dome reopening, the post-Katrina return of Essence Festival in 2007, the NFC championship game in 2010, the ongoing relocation of the Washington Commanders to Washington, D.C., and the 2025 opening of the $30 billion Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, the largest stadium project in the world.

“There’s a lot of things in New Orleans that would not be here if it weren’t for Doug,” said Evan Holmes, the general manager of the Superdome and one of many Thornton protégés. “In one way or the other, he was involved with every major project and negotiation during his tenure. He doesn’t take credit, but he was in the middle of everything.”

“I

love New Orleans, and I have a deep sense of pride in the Superdome and Arena, and appreciation for what our past leaders have done to put us on the map as a sports destination I’ve always felt it is important to preserve that legacy for them.”

DOUG

In that role, he negotiated a major lease extension with the Saints at the Superdome in 2001 and coordinated the renovation of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. He oversaw an accelerated construction timeline that saw 35 subcontractors and 850 workers toil around the clock to rebuild the Superdome after it suffered $336 million in damage from the storm Thanks largely to Thornton’s ingenuity, major improvements to the Dome were funded and incorporated into the repairs. The historic reopening of the Dome on Sept. 25, 2006, enthralled a national TV audience and served as a milestone in the recovery of the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast region Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue called it “the greatest community moment in the history of the NFL.”

For his efforts, Thornton was honored with the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award from the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Legends of Charity award by St. Jude’s Hospital in 2015. He was inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. “I love New Orleans, and I have a deep sense of pride in the Superdome and Arena, and appreciation for what our past leaders have done to put us on the map as a sports destination,” Thornton said, citing Dixon, Tom Benson, Merv Trail, Ed McNeil, former New Orleans mayor Moon Landrieu, former Lt. Gov Jimmy Fitzmorris and former Gov. John McKeithen “I’ve always felt it is important to preserve that legacy for them.”

To that end, Mike Hoss, the media relations manager for Legends Global at the Superdome, relayed the story of a meeting Thornton arranged in June 2008 between the founding fathers of the Superdome: Dixon, Fitzmorris, Landrieu, former state Rep. and Sen. Hank Lauricella, former LSED board member and treasurer Billy Connick and Harold Judell, the municipal bond attorney responsible for securing the financing to build the Superdome. It was an unprecedented gathering of the men responsible for the greatest capital project in state history, and Thornton made it happen

“The story,” Hoss said, “speaks to Doug’s love of the city and (the Superdome), its history and its legacy, but also the people responsible for making it happen. That’s who Doug is — a historian. He didn’t have to do that. In fact, it was nowhere near his job but he knew that if he didn’t do it, it wouldn’t

In addition to Katrina, there were other moments that tested his management and leadership mettle, among them: the tragedy at the Travis Scott show at NRG Park in Houston, where 10 people died in 2021; the infamous blackout at Super Bowl XLVII in 2013; and the logistical pretzel of moving Super Bowl XXXVI back a week because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks earlier that season and the enhanced security protocols that accompanied it.

“I have been fortunate to have worked with some great leaders who provided me with a chance to watch, listen and learn from them,” Thornton said.

“I’ve always said this is not just a job; it’s a lifestyle. You have to be committed to it every day with a sense of purpose, and you’re always on call, 24/7.

“The places I’ve been, the people I’ve met and the lifelong friendships that I’ve developed in this business has been awesome. I feel like we’ve done a lot of good.”

In recent years, as he ascended the corporate ladder and moved into larger roles with the company, he oversaw operations at hundreds of arenas and stadiums worldwide, including several other NFL venues. The job required a demanding travel schedule that took Thornton as far away as Hong Kong and for as often as 185 travel days a year

Thornton enjoyed the challenge and constant action, but the grueling workload eventually took a toll as he reached his late 60s. He said he is looking forward to the slower pace and spending more time with family and friends. He plans to see his 15-year-old grandson, Mack Boudreau, play quarterback at Loyola Prep in Shreveport and wants to do some more fly fishing in Colorado and the Caribbean.

“He leaves big shoes to fill,” said Jay Cicero, who succeeded Thornton as the CEO and president of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. “Doug’s leadership, experience and institutional knowledge were tremendous assets for the city and state. He will be difficult to replace. But we know he will always be just a phone call away.”

Thornton said he plans to stay in New Orleans, the city he’s called home for most of his adult life. He will remain active in the local community, maintaining his seat on various boards, including his spots on the New Orleans Aviation Board, City Park Conservancy and New Orleans & Company He also might continue to work on the ongoing lease negotiations between the state and New Orleans Pelicans if an arrangement can be made with Legends.

But his work as a high-ranking, high-profile executive for Legends Global will end Sept. 4. “I don’t plan to retire, because I think ‘retire’ implies that you’ll never work again, and that’s not me,” Thornton said. “I plan to remain active in the industry, but I also plan on being selective about how I spend my time in the future. Who knows what the future holds.”

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

Since Kellen Moore took over as the Saints head coach, he’s consistently reshaped the wide receiver group in particular, to the point where it now may be the deepest (and potentially best) unit on the roster

Chris Olave proved he could stay on the field last season and delivered the best campaign of his career He is now poised to be joined by three rookie draft picks and two players whom the Saints acquired via trade last season but have not yet been able to tap into their full potential.

This has a chance to not only be a very fun group but also one that will not suffer a dramatic drop-off in the event of a couple of injuries.

Depth chart (name, height, weight, experience)

n Chris Olave, 6-foot, 187 pounds, 5 years

n Jordyn Tyson, 6-2, 203, R

n Devaughn Vele, 6-5, 210, 3

n Ja’Lynn Polk, 6-1, 203, 3

n Bryce Lance, 6-3, 203, R

n Barion Brown, 5-11, 177, R

n Trey Palmer, 6-1, 190, 4

n Kevin Austin, 6-2, 200, 3

n Ronnie Bell, 6-0, 192, 3

n Mason Tipton, 5-11, 187, 3

n Bub Means, 6-2, 215, 3

n Jalen Moreno-Cropper 6-0, 172, 1

n Brock Rechsteiner, 6-2, 225, R

Numbers to know: 48/660/6

That is Olave’s statistical receiving line in the eight games he played with Tyler Shough as the starting quarterback (Weeks 9-17). Each of those numbers (receptions/ yards/touchdowns) ranked among the top 10 of wide receivers during that span. Olave was a good player throughout last season but there is no doubt he took things to another level once Shough settled in at quarterback. Each of Olave’s three 100yard receiving efforts came with Shough under center, including back-to-back 100yard games in weeks 16 and 17 before a blood clot ended Olave’s season prematurely

Hidden in those numbers was an uptick in the amount of downfield targets Olave received after Shough took over

Through the first eight weeks of the season, Olave averaged 10.2 air yards per target (meaning, on average, the ball traveled 10.2 yards beyond the line of scrimmage before it reached Olave). After Shough took over, that number jumped to 13.3 air yards per target — which would have placed Olave in the top 15 among all NFL pass-catchers over the course of a full year

The lowdown

The Saints should have one of the most exciting young pass-catching duos in the NFL.

Olave is coming off a career-best season in which he hauled in 100 passes, and there is a decent chance he will sign a massive contract extension before the start of the regular season. The Saints paired him with No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson, whom several draft analysts pegged as the best wide receiver in the 2026 draft class.

Their skill sets should pair well together, though that is just a theory The question for both is a matter of health: Olave is not that far removed from a series of scary concussions that had him contemplating retirement, and Tyson’s collegiate injury history is well-documented. While those questions aren’t going to go away in the lead-up to the season, there is no question the Saints are better positioned to navigate an injury if it happens.

Shortly before last season began, the Saints made a pair of trades that should be fully realized this year, sending a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for Devaughn Vele and agreeing to a lateround pick swap to acquire Ja’Lynn Polk from the New England Patriots.

It took Vele a long time to be incorporated into the offense — something Moore took the blame for this summer — but once he became involved, Vele showed why he was worth an early Day 3 pick.

From weeks 13-15, before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, Vele hauled in 16 of his 19 targets for 202 yards and a touchdown. Those aren’t huge numbers, but the plays often came in high-leverage moments, accumulating +22 expected points added as a receiver during that stretch. For reference, Olave compiled a +26.7 receiving EPA over the course of his 2025 All-Pro season. Polk never had a chance to show what he could do in New Orleans — he had seasonending surgery on his shoulder before the trade — but the Saints have remained high on him as he recovered.

While Polk did not produce like a secondround pick in his limited exposure in New England (in 15 games as a rookie, he caught just 12 of his 33 targets), he has impressed the Saints since he was cleared to return to practice. It was a low-risk acquisition that could pay huge dividends if all Polk needed was a change of scenery and an organization that believes in him.

That is likely the top four It’s a deeper, more well-rounded group than the Saints have had in a while. And it doesn’t include the other two rookies they drafted this year

Fourth-rounder Bryce Lance still needs some polish, but he may find an early role as a field-stretching vertical threat. He has a wiry build his listed weight of 203 pounds feels generous — but his blazing 4.34 speed was evident during OTAs and minicamp, and the Saints can use that to their advantage while they develop other parts of his game.

The path is a little less clear for Barion Brown, whose 5-foot-11, 177-pound frame will limit what he can do in the NFL. But he’s an electric kick returner who set the Southeastern Conference record with six kick-return touchdowns between his time at Kentucky and LSU. If that translates to the pros the Saints may find some opportunities to get the ball in his hands on offense. The Saints also have players they’ve counted on in the past in Kevin Austin, Ronnie Bell, Mason Tipton and Bub Means, along with Trey Palmer, who had some success with Tampa Bay before joining the Saints via waivers last year The fact that those players are all facing long odds to make the roster speaks to the depth. Camp battle to watch

According to Sumer Sports, the Saints were in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) for more than two-thirds of their offensive snaps last season about 10% higher than the league average.

While New Orleans has hinted that it will deploy more heavy personnel this season, it still will likely spend a lot of time with three wideouts on the field, which makes the No. 3 spot a little more interesting. Olave and Tyson should be cemented as the top two, which leaves Polk and Vele duking it out for the No. 3 spot. New Orleans may end up switching it up week-toweek based on matchups, but it will be interesting to see whether Vele or Polk ends up forcing his way into the lineup. Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@ theadvocate.com.

THORNTON

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

New Orleans Saints president Dennis Lauscha and ASM

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints wide receiver Chris Olave runs a drill during OTAs on May 28 in Metairie.

J. Bridgeman, United States 70-69-68—207 3 N. Echavarria, Colombia 71-67-69—207 3

Max Homa, United States 71-69-67—207 -3

Sungjae Im, South Korea 66-72-69—207 3

Robert MacIntyre, Scotland 67-69-71—207 -3 Alex Smalley, United States 67-73-67—207 -3

J. Thomas, United States 70-69-68—207 3

C. Young, United States 67-67-73—207 -3

H. Du Plessis, South Africa 70-69-69—208 2

Casey Jarvis, South Africa 73-67-68—208 2

R. McIlroy, Northern Ireland 72-67-69—208 -2

Francesco Molinari, Italy 67-69-72—208 2

C. Morikawa, United States 68-70-70—208 2 Kristoffer Reitan, Norway 69-71-68—208 -2

Jordan L. Smith, England 68-70-70—208 2

S. Theegala, United States 71-69-68—208 -2

Matt Wallace, England 69-67-72—208 -2

Bud Cauley, United States 68-68-73—209 1

Corey Conners, Canada 71-67-71—209 -1

P. Coody, United States 67-70-72—209 1

Alex Fitzpatrick, England 69-67-73—209 1

R. Henley, United States 70-71-68—209 -1

John Keefer, United States 70-68-71—209 1

Alex Noren, Sweden 71-69-69—209 1

Shaun Norris, South Africa 69-70-70—209 -1

Marco Penge, England 72-68-69—209 1

Patrick Reed, United States 72-66-71—209 -1

Adam Scott, Australia 72-66-71—209 -1

M. Thrbjrnsn, United States 70-68-71—209

M. Brennan, United States 72-68-70—210

P. Cantlay, United States 71-68-71—210

T. Detry, Belgium 67-69-74—210

C. Gotterup, United States 70-68-72—210

K.Kitayama, United States 69-71-70—210

B.Koepka, United States 70-71-69—210

Victor Perez, France 68-69-73—210

J.J. Spaun, United States 70-67-73—210

MJ Daffue, South Africa 67-72-72—211

Rickie Fowler, United States 71-69-71—211

Tyrrell Hatton, England 69-68-74—211

Naoyuki Kataoka, Japan 73-68-70—211

E. Lopez-Chacarra, Spain 70-70-71—211

Nick Taylor, Canada 68-71-72—211

Ryo Hisatsune, Japan

Min Woo Lee, Australia

John Parry, England

M. Plunkett, United States

A. Potgieter, South Africa

Sepp Straka, Austria

Andy Sullivan, England

Ben Griffin, United States

Kazuki Higa, Japan

Peter Uihlein, United States

Laurie Canter, England

Jack McDonald, Scotland

M. Southgate, England

K. Bradley, United States

Jesper Svensson, Sweden

Corales Puntacana

Championship

Saturday At Corales Golf Club

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Purse: $4 million Yardage: 7,670; Par: 72

ThirdRound

Todd Clements, England

B. James, United States

Stefano Mazzoli, Italy

M. McGreevy, United States

G. Sargent, United States

B. Brown, United States

J. Highsmith, United States

-13

J. Skov Olesen, Denmark 67-69-67—203 13

M.l Schneider, Germany 70-66-67—203 -13

Seamus Power, Ireland 68-72-67—207 9 David Skinns, England 73-66-68—207 9 Tom Vaillant, France 70-68-69—207 -9

Kris Ventura, Norway 72-67-68—207 9

N. Von Dllngshsn, Germany 71-70-66—207 -9

Kevin Yu, Chinese Taipei 68-71-68—207 -9

C. Bzudnhout, South Africa 69-69-70—208 8

Jorge Campillo, Spain 70-69-69—208 -8

Fabian Gomez, Argentina 71-69-68—208 8 Nick Hardy, United States 71-67-70—208 8 Jeong-Weon Ko, France 70-70-68—208 -8

Freddy Schott, Germany 70-69-69—208 8

B. Snedeker, United States 70-68-70—208 8

K. Aphibarnrat, Thailand 73-68-68—209 -7

I. Cantero Gutierrez, Spain 65-71-73—209 7

C. Champ, United States 69-71-69—209 -7

Austin Cook, United States 67-73-69—209 -7

Trace Crowe, United States 71-68-70—209 7

P. Fishburn, United States 67-70-72—209 -7

Romain Langasque, France 68-70-71—209 7

Peter Malnati, United States69-70-70—209 7

B. Robnsn-Thmpsn, England 70-70-69—209 -7

Robert Streb, United States 70-71-68—209 7

Camilo Villegas, Colombia 70-70-69—209 7

Jens Dantorp, Sweden 69-71-70—210 -6

S. Garcia Rodriguez, Spain 68-70-72—210 6

Joel Girrbach, Switzerland 69-71-70—210 -6

Bill Haas, United States 69-71-70—210 -6

Garrick Higgo, South Africa 72-68-70—210 6

Beau Hossler, United States 68-70-72—210 -6

Jeffrey Kang, United States 70-69-71—210 6

Chan Kim, United States 67-73-70—210 6

Luke List, United States 71-70-69—210 -6

Justin Lower, United States 69-72-69—210 6

Pontus Nyholm, Sweden 70-71-69—210 6

Chad Ramey, United States 70-71-69—210 -6

S. Soderberg, Sweden 71-68-71—210 6

Rafa Cabrera Bello, Spain 69-70-72—211 -5

K. Huskey, United States 73-67-71—211 5

Ben Martin, United States 71-69-71—211 5

N. Norgrd Moller, Denmark 69-71-71—211 -5

Renato Paratore, Italy 70-70-71—211 5

Kevin Roy, United States 70-71-70—211 5

Alejandro Tosti, Argentina 71-70-70—211 -5

Ugo Coussaud, France 73-66-73—212 4

Harry Higgs, United States 72-68-72—212 -4

H. Lebioda, United States 73-68-71—212 -4

D. Chatfield, United States 69-72-72—213 3 Rico Hoey, Philippines 70-71-72—213 -3

Jeremy Paul, Germany 72-69-72—213 3

Davis Riley, United States 72-69-72—213 3

C. Young, United States 71-70-72—213 -3

W. McGirt, United States 72-69-74—215 1

S-Yul Noh, South Korea 68-73-74—215 1 Tennis

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

Men’s Singles

-10 Ryan Fox, New Zealand 72-68-62—202 8 Si Woo Kim, South Korea 68-67-67—202 -8 Ryan Gerard, United States 67-67-69—203 7 Lucas Herbert, Australia 70-62-71—203 7 Ludvig Aberg, Sweden 71-66-67—204 -6 B. DeChmbu, United States 67-68-69—204 6 J. Suber, United States 65-69-70—204 6 Tommy Fleetwood, England 69-67-69—205 -5 R. Neergrd-Petrsn, Denmark 72-66-67—205 5 Daniel Brown, England 66-71-69—206 -4 Eric Cole, United States 76-64-66—206 -4 Cameron John, Australia 70-67-69—206 4 K. Kobori, New Zealand 70-69-67—206 -4 Shane Lowry, Ireland 69-68-69—206 4 Hideki Matsuyama, Japan 72-67-67—206 4 Jon Rahm, Spain 69-67-70—206 -4 X. Schauffle, United States 71-69-66—206 4 S. Scheffler, United States 68-68-70—206 4 Josele Ballester, Spain 71-70-66—207 -3

Aaron Wise, United States 71-66-66—203 -13

Dylan Frittelli, South Africa 72-66-66—204 12 Will Gordon, United States 69-70-65—204 -12

T. Rosenmueller, Germany 70-66-68—204 12

J. Byrd, United States 66-72-67—205 11

Alejandro Del Rey, Spain 66-68-71—205 -11

Z. Bauchou, United States 71-67-68—206 10

Filippo Celli, Italy 67-70-69—206 -10

Joel Dahmen, United States 71-66-69—206 -10 Nick Dunlap, United States 67-72-67—206 10

A.J. Ewart, Canada 69-69-68—206 -10

M. Helligkilde, Denmark 69-68-69—206 10

P. Peterson, United States 68-70-68—206 10 Chez Reavie, United States 71-69-66—206 -10

H. Springer, United States 69-70-67—206 10

J. VanDerLn, United States 73-68-65—206 10

J. Veerman, United States 66-67-73—206 -10 Davis Bryant, United States 71-68-68—207 9 Mackenzie Hughes, Canada 66-72-69—207 -9

Pirates RHP Jones’ streak of consecutive outs hits 30

BY JOE REEDY

CLEVELAND Jared Jones struggled in his first six starts since missing last year due to a right elbow injury Since the calendar turned to July, though, the Pittsburgh right-hander has been on a dominant run. Jones became the third Pirates pitcher over the past 70 seasons to retire at least 30 straight batters, a streak that ended Saturday during a 7-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of a doubleheader Jones’ dominant run began on July 2 at Philadelphia After Bryce Harper lined an RBI double to left field in the third inning, the righthander retired the last four Phillies batters he faced. Jones then threw six perfect innings against Atlanta on July 8. On Saturday, he got out the first eight Cleveland batters.

The run ended when Steven Kwan had a base hit to left. Guardians rookie AllStar second baseman followed with an RBI triple into the right-field corner to get Cleveland within 2-1.

“Giving up a run, I had some choice words for myself. But yeah, just hearing those numbers and sitting back and realizing what I’ve done over the last three games, it’s been pretty cool,” Jones said.

The 24-year-old allowed one run on three hits and struck out a season-high nine in five innings.

The last time a Pirates pitcher retired at least 30 batters in a row was 1981 when Jim Bibby recorded 32 straight outs. Bibby retired the final 27 Atlanta hitters he faced during a complete game one-hitter, then the first five against Philadelphia in his next outing. In 1959, Harvey Haddix retired 38 straight. He got

out the final two St. Louis Cardinals he faced and then the first 36 Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1959. Haddix’s perfect game was broken up in the 13th inning when Felix Mantilla reached base on a throwing error by Pittsburgh third baseman Don Hoak. Milwaukee would go on to win the game 1-0 and deal Haddix one of the greatest hard-luck losses by a pitcher in baseball history

“(Jones) threw the ball extremely well again. The command was there. I think he’s done a great job of doing that, getting into a good flow, and these last two starts have been really good,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.

Jones had an impressive rookie campaign in 2024. His 132 strikeouts were sixth in the majors among rookies that season while he went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA.

But Jones missed last season after suffering a right UCL sprain to the elbow during spring training. He underwent internal brace surgery in May 2025, which

secures and reinforces the existing ligament instead of Tommy John surgery, which replaces the UCL with a graft from the hamstring or forearm. Brace procedures also require shorter recovery times.

Jones struggled in his first six big-league outings this season, going 1-1 with a 5.76 ERA Opponents hit 270 and homered five times in 25 innings. In his last three outings, opponents are 5 for 50 (.100) at the plate. Jones has given up only two runs in 15 innings with 23 strikeouts and three walks.

“I feel like not having thrown a baseball in a game for more than 12 months and coming back, I was a little shaky a little extra nerves going in that I haven’t felt before. It just feels like I’m able

Semifinals Raphael Collignon (7), Belgium, def. Juan Manuel Cerundolo (6), Argentina, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece, def. Aleksandr Shevchenko, Russia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Men’s Doubles Semifinals Marcelo Demoliner, Brazil, and Robert Galloway, United States, def. Sander Gille Belgium, and Sem Verbeek, Netherlands, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-5. Lucas Miedler, Austria, and Marc Polmans (1), Australia, def. Jakub Paul, Switzerland, and Ryan Seggerman, United States, 6-1, 6-4.

ATP World Tour Croatia Open

England takes third in scoring fest vs. France

BY ALANIS THAMES AP sportswriter

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Bukayo

Saka scored three goals to lead England to a 6-4 win over France for third place in the World Cup, while Kylian Mbappé surpassed Lionel Messi’s career tournament scoring record and took the lead in the Golden Boot race with a pair of second-half goals on Saturday It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most in a thirdplace match.

Saka had goals in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, then added his third on a penalty in the 87th for his second career hat trick with England. The Three Lions also got goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa to build a 4-0 halftime lead, and they hung on during a wild second half to secure their second-best finish in the World Cup England won its only title in 1966.

Jude Bellingham of England capped the scoring in the eighth

LSU

Continued from page 1C

Meech had an inhaler with him.

Stefanelli nearly overlooked Dilin Jones, just as college football writers did this spring when the mildly productive Wisconsin running back — hobbled by turf toe as a redshirt freshman — limped off to LSU to join a star-studded transfer class.

Once an afterthought, Jones came out of spring practices as the Tigers’ most buzzed-about running back. He did the exact same thing at the Crab Bowl.

First series, Stefanelli called an off-tackle run, his bread-and-butter play

“You have to read the blocks, read the tackle, and then read the fullback’s block. You have to be patient,” Stefanelli said. “As soon as it opened, Dilin just put his foot in the ground and took off north and south and outran everybody to the end zone. That’s how we train them to run. And he did it naturally as an eighth grader.

“I go, ‘Man, I gotta have that guy.’ ” Jones has a habit of announcing himself, especially when he’s underestimated. He wasn’t necessarily born to run. Sheer will strengthened his lungs.

“Everything you do,” Meech told his son, “you learn to finish.

At 5 years old, Dilin tailed his father on runs around the neighborhood. An energetic son was easier for Meech to handle after a couple of laps, lasting about a mile.

By the time Dilin reached Our Lady of Good Counsel’s practice field, he didn’t just run until the whistle. He finished every carry in the end zone.

Every offseason workout, he pushed himself to the brink.

“There were times I could hear him wheezing, and I was like, ‘Dude, you need to chill, sit back for a little bit,’ ” said Skylar Saar, who headed up both the wrestling program and the football team’s strength and conditioning. “He refused He kept pushing through it.” Jones never stopped. He loved football. So his father signed him up for two little leagues at a time, playing running back on one team and safety on the other He wouldn’t sub out. Once, as a

minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament.

Mbappé reached 22 career goals, one more than Messi. The star striker finished this World Cup with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament’s top scorer

“I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history,” Mbappé told Fox Sports in French, “and play in the match tomorrow.”

Messi will get one last shot at the scoring title when he and defending champion Argentina face Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé also scored for France.

Both teams had said they’d rather be playing in Sunday’s final France had enough offensive firepower to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered their chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. England blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina and lost 2-1 when Messi assisted on

two late goals.

Still, a sellout crowd of 64,478 showed up to watch the seventh and final match of this World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium. Plenty of supporters were cheering for both teams, but many were there simply for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match.

France trailed 4-0 when Mbappé flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute. Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th. It was also the final match for France coach Didier Deschamps, who has said he will step down after 14 years. Deschamps embraced players and waved toward the crowd as he exited the pitch.

“In the end, we didn’t win, and that’s a shame for the coach,” Mbappé said. “The first half gives the impression that we let him down — that’s not at all how we wanted him to feel. This match isn’t going to tarnish Didier Deschamps’ legacy.”

WORLD CUP

Continued from page 1C

since Pele and Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. And for Messi, it’s a chance to write the perfect ending to what he has indicated will be his final run with his national team.

“On Sunday, we will watch a great show,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who has guided his side to a 28-0-9 record during this unbeaten run. “Two great national teams — two superteams, in my opinion very similar in some aspects in terms of attitude, footballers’ talent. I think that it’s going to be an amazing final.”

In simplest terms, the matchup looks like best player vs. best team. In actuality, it’s so much more than that.

There is history there, given that Messi was born in Argentina but spent part of his youth and most of his club career in Spain, and would have been eligible if he wanted — to play for that national team instead. Spain tried to convince Messi many times. He never wavered. Sunday will be the first time he plays against Spain since a friendly in 2010, when Argentina routed the then-reigning World Cup champions. He obviously understands the enormous stakes around this match and insists the approach will be simple regardless — spending a Sunday afternoon with some friends, kicking the ball around, albeit with 80,000 people watching in the stadium and probably somewhere around 2 billion watching worldwide.

And there’s also the incredible storyline of how Messi and Spain star Lamine Yamal, who were photographed together nearly two decades ago when Yamal was a baby, will be sharing the pitch in a World Cup final.

“We grew up playing soccer with passion, eager to play,” Messi said in his native Spanish. “We played everywhere. We played on the street. We played at school. We played with teams. We didn’t think about the pressure. It was just natural play.”

But there will be pressure Sunday, and tons of it. Win or lose, Argentina knows this is likely the end of the Messi era in blue and white.

“The best footballer that the world has seen,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.

squad The girls always whooped his clumsy football players.

Then Jones came out of nowhere, deftly dribbling the ball up the field, and put two in the back of the net to clinch a win.

“Dude, you play soccer, too?” Stefanelli asked.

It wasn’t always that way Go back a decade, and this run

Copa América champions in 2021, World Cup champions in 2022, Copa América champions again in 2024 — almost never happened for Argentina.

Messi retired from the national team in 2016, after he and Argentina lost that year’s Copa América final to Chile in penalty kicks — one of which he missed.

“I’m done,” Messi said that night at MetLife Stadium, which just happens to be the site of this World Cup final.

He wasn’t done, of course. He continued starring for Barcelona, then Paris Saint Germain, then Inter Miami. He’s the two-time defending Most Valuable Player in Major League Soccer, the star of that league’s reigning champions, someone who can still create goals in the biggest moments with virtual ease.

“He is pure history,” Scaloni said. “History A legend.” Spain is chasing history as well. La Roja are the favorites for Sunday, deservedly so after giving up just one goal in the team’s first seven matches of this tournament. Spain has not spent a single second trailing at this World Cup; Argentina has trailed for more than 100 minutes, including stoppage time.

Defensiveperformanceslikethis simply do not happen, even in the World Cup. There are three teams — Spain in 2010, Italy in 2006 and France in 1998 — who won the title and gave up a total of two goals in the tournament. This Spain team is in line to do even better than that.

“Argentina is far more than Messi,” Spain captain Rodri said. “They’veproventhatthey’reavery completeteamwithtopplayers.We are the best two teams playing in a collective manner as a group. Of course, we need to be mindful of Leo, but many other players.”

The 104th and final match of the biggest World Cup in history — 48 teams, spread out over the U.S., Canada and Mexico — comes down to the reigning champions against the heirs apparent, the biggest star in the game against those who have idolized him and now can end his reign.

But in the end, the World Cup will close as it always does, with one side celebrating and one side devastated.

“They’ve got their strengths. So do we,” Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said “I wish it will be a final that goes down in history.”

na get to that level? Here’s what you need to do.’ He’s still inspiring kids and he doesn’t even know it.”

Stefanelli wouldn’t have considered Jones the prototype when he first met him. But he was perfect, every practice rep, every workout. Saar had just one gripe in four years with Jones: He DoorDash-ed McDonald’s to a wrestling meet in Hagerstown. His diet wasn’t the best, but it didn’t matter because Jones burned so many calories while competing.

Even if he had to wheeze through it.

“He wasn’t just gonna show up when the lights were on. He was showing up every single day,” Saar said, “because he had bigger dreams.”

It surprised no one when Jones, who built himself into a 5-foot-11, 210-pounder, went to Wisconsin and became the lead back as a redshirt freshman.

But injuries hurt Jones’ stats, and 15 losses in two seasons weighed on his soul. That combination tanked his prestige when he left the Badgers.

Recruiting services barely ranked Jones inside their top-80 transfer running backs in January Not exactly a standout addition to an LSU running back room that returned former five-star recruit Harlem Berry and four-star Caden Durham.

But Jones emerged from ambiguity and caught Lane Kiffin’s eye in late March.

He’s done that before.

6-year-old, he passed on bathroom breaks.

“I was changing his clothes, taking his football stuff off. I asked him why his girdle was wet,” Meech said with a laugh. “He said it was sweat.” Dilin took well to his father’s lack of babying. From the time he was 2, Dilin was called to the car by his father with a grown-up, “Let’s go, man!”

If Dilin tried to give up with “I don’t know” as they sounded or spelled out new words, Meech replied with an insistent, “Figure it out.”

He had to figure out how to compete in the most unglamorous

sport, wrestling, because Meech wanted him tough. There were times Saar had to pull a frustrated Meech aside after matches because he thought Dilin eased up in a loss. He hadn’t. A technical flaw was always the culprit, never effort. Saar, who coached Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kyle Snyder, believes Jones could have been a Maryland state champion as a senior if an ankle injury hadn’t sidelined him for the season.

When healthy, Jones’ competitive drive was bottomless. Stefanelli would schedule Our Lady of Good Counsel’s girls soccer team for a friendly exhibition with his

“Yeah, coach,” Jones confirmed in his quiet, unassuming way

His skills spoke loudly Jones cut blitzers in half in pass protection and tossed a half-dozen tacklers on a run. He slogged forward on a rain-soaked field and scored the game’s only touchdown in a conference title win over DeMatha.

Jones’ biggest impact was on the practice field. In time, every running back at Our Lady of Good Counsel sprinted to the end zone on every rush.

“Where I’m at now, we’re doing that there,” said Stefanelli, currently the associate head coach at St. John’s College High School.

“It’s like, ‘Hey guys, I got this guy Google him, he’s at LSU. You wan-

“Really good feet and body control. Really smooth runner,” Kiffin told former Tigers safety Tyrann Mathieu in May “Everybody knows about (tight end) Trey’Dez (Green) and (linebackers) Whit Weeks and T.J. (Dottery) but I think Dilin has got a real chance.” Could an under-the-radar running back who burst onto the scene at the Crab Bowl all those years ago lead a revival of LSU’s run game?

Stefanelli wouldn’t bet against it.

“Down the road, they won’t be surprised. They’ll start expecting it,” Stefanelli said. “If he can stay healthy it’s gonna be fun to watch. Then good for LSU, because they got more than they thought they were getting. That’s even better.”

Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy

England’s Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal during the World Cup third-place match between France and England on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla. England won 6-4.

BRITISH OPEN

Burns controls event he planned to miss

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

SOUTHPORT England Sam Burns

gets his best chance at winning a major he never planned to play

Two weeks after his daughter was born, one week after Burns changed his mind and decided to fly from Louisiana to play in the British Open, he followed his record-tying 62 with a 5-under 65 on Saturday to build a two-shot lead at Royal Birkdale.

Perhaps even more impressive was he played with purpose amid the chaos that is Bryson DeChambeau, who played alongside Burns and heard big support from the gallery a day after he theatrically protested a two-shot penalty for improving the path of his swing.

DeChambeau seems to thrive among distractions — his week began with six-time major champion Nick Faldo saying he had “zero clue of strategy” in links golf — and the penalty for an infraction on the fifth hole Friday was a big one. The two shots took him out of the final group and moved him three shots behind instead of one back.

But he pressed on, high-fiving the gallery from green-to-tee, giving a thumbs up to the crowd when he walked onto the first tee and playing a high standard of golf. DeChambeau was even par through 14 holes until two birdies gave him momentum He bogeyed the last hole for a 69, his sixth consecutive round in the 60s in the British Open. He is four shots behind Burns.

DeChambeau didn’t speak to the media again Rory McIlroy did, referring to the way DeChambeau protested the penalty as “performative.”

“I think a lot of it’s for attention,” McIlroy said after a 69 left him eight shots behind. He also accused DeChambeau of holding

the tournament “hostage” because the extraordinary late-evening scene also delayed Saturday tee times.

The golf attention now falls to Burns, the former LSU golfer He was at 10-under 200 for a twoshot lead over Si Woo Kim (67) and Ryan Fox, who became the third player this week to tie the major championship record with a 62. Fox finished some 90 minutes before the last group even teed off,

and now the 39-year-old from New Zealand will be in the final group with a shot at his first major Burns shot down a suggestion that golfers with newborns have a lot more freedom when they play “If I was aware of that, I’d have like eight kids by now,” he said. But there was freedom in knowing this is a chance he never thought he would have. His wife, Caroline, had been due to give birth to their second child the

‘Tommy Lad’ keeps hopes alive for a hometown Open victory

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

SOUTHPORT,England Tommy Fleetwood has been dreaming about winning a British Open since he was a wee lad in Southport who could only sneak onto Royal Birkdale late in the evening He’s not about to stop dreaming now. Even with a pair of bogeys on the final four holes, Fleetwood did enough Saturday — a 1-under 69, his third round under par this week — and was five shots behind Sam Burns. He also had a record crowd at Royal Birkdale behind him.

“There’s no pressure on me at all really, except for my own expectations,” Fleetwood said. “And of course, it’s a really beautiful thing that the town is so hopeful for me and they want me to do well. I can’t ask for any more from thousands and thousands of people out there.

“They’ve made a massive difference to me,” he said. “Yesterday evening, the first tee every day today when I was in contention, that stuff that I’ll have for

life. How many people in the golfing world get to experience that with the crowd that much on your side? It’s been a very special week for me no matter what. If I can get it tomorrow, I could make it even more special. We’ll see.”

The support is unlike anything

he’s ever heard, and for good reason. This is Southport’s favorite son, and one of golf’s most beloved figures because of his grace handling more tough losses than wins. Everybody seems to love Tommy Lad

“Oh, Tommy, Tommy! Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Fleetwood,” thousands sang to him in a football melody at practically every turn, particularly after birdies

He heard warm applause on every tee. He heard shouts —

“Go on, Tommy Lad!” down most every fairway The birdie he made Friday on the par-3 15th with the massive, three-story observation suite was deafening.

The roar from around the 11th green Saturday told him his shot was no more than 2 feet away

“You can hear it constantly, no matter where he goes It’s constant, unconditional support,” said Jon Rahm, who played alongside Fleetwood on Saturday “I can’t imagine what it’s like to play his favorite event of the year at

home because I get a small pinch of what it feels like when I play in the Spanish Open.

“And if it was a major in Spain, I can only imagine.”

Fleetwood made his move midway through the front nine with two birdies in three holes. His shot into the 11th to 2 feet brought him to within one of the lead.

But the momentum changed when he missed the green down the slope to the right, hit a beautiful pitch and missed the 6-foot par He found a pot bunker on the 18th and had to lay up, and eventually scramble, just to salvage bogey But strange things happen in majors, especially this one on links golf. Royal Birkdale already has made history by giving up three record-tying rounds of 62, though they were in the morning before the wind picked up and the greens got a little more crusty Fleetwood is eager to find out how it all unfolds. Can he imagine what it would be like to walk onto the 18th green to collect the silver claret jug?

“I’ve done it most days since I was 7 years old, and it still hasn’t stopped,” Fleetwood said. “Life is all about experiences,” he said.

“And I think I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life so far this week.”

Tuesday before the British Open.

Their first was born four days late.

“I just didn’t think there was any possible way,” Burns said. “And little Belle had different plans.”

Belle is the name of their daughter born July 3, which at least planted the idea of Burns playing. That turned into a conversation with his wife, including a phone call to close friend Scottie Scheffler, and it led to him deciding a week ago Friday to fly over to England.

“Ultimately, she’s the one that really encouraged me to come over and play,” Burns said. “She basically said: ‘I’ve got this at home. Go over there and give it your best.’ And here we are.”

The timing is intriguing in another way Just one month ago, Burns was a 17-foot putt away from forcing a playoff in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills He was the 54-hole leader in the U.S. Open at Oakmont the previous year, slowed on the back nine by having to play on rain-soaked fairways that affected his shots and led to a 78.

The four players closest to him Fox and Kim two shots behind, British Open newcomer Ryan Gerard (69) and Lucas Herbert (71) three shots back — have never won a major Herbert and Burns each shot 62 on Friday just 22 minutes apart.

“I think Sam Burns is going to be a man possessed,” Herbert said. “Given his results in majors and him not winning one, I think he’s going to be very tough to beat. I’m not thrilled about giving him a three-shot head start, but we are where we are.”

DeChambeau, four shots behind along with Ludvig Aberg (67) and Jackson Suber (70), is the only player among the top 10 who has won a major: the U.S. Open in 2020 and 2024.

Scheffler plays practice rounds at most majors with Burns, a close friend with whom he often share houses on the road.

“I know how good he is,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes you just need to continue to build that experience and put yourself in the positions. He was close at the U.S. Open last year He was close again at the U.S. Open this year But it’s just a matter of continuing to give yourself opportunities, continuing to knock on the door.”

Scheffler’s bid for another Open hurt by a lack of birdies

BY DOUG FERGUSON and STEVE DOUGLAS Associated Press

SOUTHPORT, England Scottie Scheffler rapped an 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and gave a fist pump, which about summed up a third straight day for the reigning British Open champion.

It was a mock fist pump. He missed another one.

That’s been the story all week for Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world on the verge of getting shut out of the majors. He has made only one bogey over the past 37 holes but could manage only three birdies during that span. He shot 70 on Saturday and was six shots behind.

Asked what he needed to do, Scheffler replied, “Just make more birdies.”

“I feel like I’m hitting the ball the way I need to in order to score,” he said. “That part is frustrating, but knowing my game is in a good spot is a good feeling as well. There’s been times this year where I feel like I was getting a lot out of my game. This week feels like I’m playing a lot better than my score.

“A little bit frustrating, but if I continue to do this and hole some putts tomorrow, I could shoot a really low round and move my way up the leaderboard.”

Scheffler won his first tournament of the season at The American Express, and it was looking like a third sequel to the previous two years. But that remains his only victory, and last week he ended his cut streak at 78 tournaments when he missed the cut in the Scottish Open.

“All I can do is continue to try and execute and give myself opportunities, which I did another good job of today,” he said.

The Scheffler effect

Two players atop the leaderboard spent a lot of time with the No. 1 player in the world.

Sam Burns the 54-hole leader has been a close friend of Scheffler since they competed against each other in college. They are frequent practice round partners. Burns said it has taught him to throttle back when necessary if he’s being too aggressive.

“It helped that I got to play a lot of golf with the best player on the planet and watch what he does,” Burns said. “He makes so few mistakes, and he doesn’t take on unnecessary risks very often, if ever, and seems to always hit the correct shot in the moment.”

Si Woo Kim is tied for second and is part of Scheffler’s money games at home in Dallas. Scheffler even helped the 31-year-old from South Korea get a membership at Royal Oaks.

Kim said earlier this year the matches have been one-sided. He said of Scheffler, “He calls me ATM.”

“I could lose my money but I want to watch his shot and learn,” Kim said. “I ask questions. He always gives me his opinion, so it helps me a lot.”

Herbert’s gamble pays off

Lucas Herbert’s British Open challenge was already going off the rails thanks to back-to-back bogeys when he was forced to take an unplayable penalty at the par-5 17th after hitting his tee shot way left and into a dune. The Australian stood over his third shot thinking: “This is either going to be unbelievable or this could be the end of my tournament.”

With one slash of a 3-iron, Herbert stayed in contention. His blind shot of some 238 yards somehow found its way onto the green nearly hitting the flagstick — and he two-putted for par, eventually signing for a 71

“I think that slots into the top 10 of shots that I’ve hit,” he said. Herbert, who tied the scoring record of a

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JON SUPER

Tommy Fleetwood, left, putts on the 18th green as Jon Rahm looks on during the third day of the British Open on Saturday at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England

Fleetwood

OUTDOORS

A GRAND TRADITION

Tarpon Rodeo fishing competition begins Thursday

BY JOE MACALUSO

Contributing writer

Louisiana completes the second half of a fishing doubleheader this week when the International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo gets one year closer to its 100th anniversary Thursday on our state’s only inhabited barrier island.

The tour de force began in 1928 on Grand Isle, when the 8-mile isle was more fishing village than fishing destination.

Being 99 years old, it can lay claim to being the oldest saltwater fishing event in our country, and, with the City Park (New Orleans) Big Bass Rodeo the longestrunning freshwater fishing celebration in the U.S. the continuation of both adds another feather in our state’s fishing cap.

The competition begins at first light Thursday at Grand Isle Marina on the island’s east end. Weigh-ins are held at the Otto Candies Pavilion with crowds building around the 11 a.m.-8 p.m. weigh-in times Thursday and Friday and from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday The children’s division weigh-in deadline is 2 p.m. Saturday The entry fee is $60. Online registration is available at Eventbrite, and you can enter by calling 504-469-7700.

If you’ve never been, it’s a three-day party complete with nightly music, a free shrimp boil Thursday evening and the awards ceremony set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday Oh, if you’ve never been around the pavilion near 2 p.m. on any of the three rodeo days, then make sure you get in on the excitement of the kids crab races It’s a treat unto itself.

Fishing-wise, there are 43 species categories divided among tarpon, big game, shoreline, inside, kayak and children’s divisions.

This year anglers won’t have to get to the weigh station to find out if their catches made the leaderboard. The rodeo committee is posting leaderboard updates throughout the three days on its website, tarponrodeo.org. Red snapper

The latest reporting date, June 28, came with the biggest one-week private recreational red snapper haul in recent years. In the last full week in June, the recreational take was 12,642 pounds to bring this year’s total to 415,091 pounds. That’s 47% of our state’s 882,439-pound annual allocation for this sector

Snapper smiles

PROVIDED PHOTO

Sutton Fourrier won the youth division’s red snapper category with this 14.58-pound beauty he caught while fishing the depths of the gulf with his father Nathan, in the annual Catholic High Alumni Fishing Rodeo held from Fourchon Marina. With the young angler is the school’s alumni director, Bart Saia, who doubled as the rodeo’s weighmaster

run in Las Vegas.

became can’t-miss TV for decades.

TUESDAY LAFAYETTE KAYAK FISHING CLUB MEETING: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Call 337-232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakfishing.com

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY

GULF COUNCIL SHRIMP COMMITTEE MEETING: Gulf Council office, 4107 W Spruce St., Tampa, Florida. In conjunction with Scientific and Statistical committees. Website: gulfcouncil.org

WEDNESDAY LA. OYSTER TASK FORCE

MEETING: 10 a.m., Lakefront Airport, 6001 Stars and Stripes Blvd., New Orleans.

THURSDAY

ACADIANA BUGS & BREWS: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Casual fly tying and local beers provided. Open to the public. Email Darin Lee: cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: packpaddle.com

THURSDAY-SATURDAY

INTERNATIONAL GRAND ISLE

TARPON RODEO: Grand Isle Marina & Otto Candies Pavilion, Grand Isle. Website: tarponrodeo.org

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

BASSMASTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Kentucky Lake, Paris, Tennessee. Website: bassmaster.com

ONGOING STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT & ANGLERS RODEO/S.T.A.R.: Through Sept. 7, Coastal Conservation Association’s summer-long fishing event. Tagged redfish, coastal/ offshore species categories & youth division. CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com/star

LOTTERY HUNTS

DOVE/TEAL: July 27 application deadline for dove hunt on Elbow Slough Wildlife Management Area & teal hunt on White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area. Website applications only on Wildlife & Fisheries/ Louisiana Outdoors License, Permits and Tags webpage. Fee $8.50. Details: dove hunt, David Hayden at dhayden@ wlf.la.gov; teal hunt, Lance Ardoin at lardoin@wlf.la.gov

AROUND THE CORNER

JULY 26 — SOUTH LOUISIANA

bers, $5 juniors. $25 annual club (first match free) and Civilian Marksmanship Program membership (allows purchases from CMP). Call Mike Burke, 337-380-8120. Email: SouthLAHighPower@ hotmail.com

JULY 27 — RED STICK FLY FISHERS FLY TYING SESSION: 7 p.m., Bluebonnet Regional Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd, Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Materials and tools available for beginners. Website: rsff.org

JULY 30-AUG. 1 — BASSMASTER HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP: Kentucky Lake, Paris, Tennessee. Website: bassmaster.com

AUG. 1 — WOOD STORK/ WADING BIRD VIEWING: 7-10 a.m., South Farm, Sherburne

The big show

ICAST is the biggest fishing show in the country and has been held in Orlando for nearly 20 years after a long

Now, with weather cooperating and more rodeos to report — and numbers still to come from the 5-snapperper-day limit during the Fourth of July holiday — it will be curious to see what remains in the allocation through to the Labor Day weekend. One governing factor comes with a usual slowdown in the weekly catches after schools open in the first days of August. By comparison, the oneweek catch ending June 21 was 22,229 pounds as taken from the LA Creel sampling system.

Last week’s show began with the annual State of the Industry breakfast, which honored the legendary bass fisher and bass catcher Bill Dance

The show is the headliner for the American Sportfishing Association, and ASA celebrated the 85-year-old’s decades of contributions to the sport with the 2026 Impact Award.

Lost in the legend that bass fishing has become is that Dance was the first angler to catch a bass in the first Bassmaster tournament series (held on Beaver Lake in Arkansas) back in the early 1960s Dance won a lot of tournaments and used that as a springboard to becoming the host of Bill Dance Outdoors, which, for most bass fishermen around,

He’s become such a popular figure in the fishing world that most Southeastern Conference fans forgive him for wearing that orange T (for the University of Tennessee) on his hat, even when he shows up in Venice to catch redfish.

There’s more ICAST news: Buzbe is based in Prairieville and has produced innovative tackle boxes for nearly 10 years This year, Buzbe has two products judged best in their categories in ASA’s New Products showcase: its Magnetic Launch Pad and Basic Deep Urchin Bait Box. More on that in coming weeks.

Rhino 30’s 6-foot-6 twopiece Medium Spinning Combo was judged Best of Show

HIGHPOWER CLUB MATCH: 8:30 a.m., Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Range, St. Landry Road, Gonzales. NRA XTC & F-Class match rifle or service rifle, 200-yard/50rounds match course. Fee $15 members, $20 nonmem-

FISHING RESULTS

CHS Alumni Rodeo PORTFOURCHON— Top three places in the 22nd annual Catholic High Alumni Fishing Rodeo. All weights in pounds: ADULTDIVISION Cobia: 1, Hudson Aicklen, 36.05 pounds. 2, Brecken Meyer, 33.89. 3, Joey Coco, 21.88. Dolphin: 1/2, Kyle Rodrigue, 6.46, 6.33. 3, Aubrey Perry, 3.93. Flounder: 1/2/3, Derrick Bouziga 2.36, 2.26, 2.25. Grouper: 1, FOAM-O, 55.0. 2/3, Joey Coco, 33.15, 15.95. MangroveSnapper: 1, Finley Jones, 9.03. 2, Preston Perry, 8.47. 3, Sean Valluzzo, 8.27. RedSnapper: 1/2/3, Joey Coco, 18.31, 17.91, 17.1. Redfish: 1/2, Derrick Bouziga, 9.18, 7.21. 3, Michael Clay, 6.97. Sheepshead: 1/2/3, Derrick Bouziga, 6.56, 4.41, 2.35. SpeckledTrout: 1/2/3, Ed Sexton, 5.44, 4.66, 4.63. BlackfinTuna: 1, Seth Corbin,

18.35. YellowfinTuna: 1, Joey Coco, 139.6. 2/3, Seth Corbin, 57.0, 56.2. YOUTHDIVISION SpeckledTrout: Kate Miller, 1.33. Redfish: Connor Miller, 3.56. Sheepshead: Preston Valenciano, 2.1 RedSnapper: Sutton Fourrier, 14.58. Cobia: Preston Valenciano, 20.48. MangroveSnapper: Preston Valenciano, 7.09. Grouper: Jack Cusimano, 9.48. Dolphin: Blakely Rodrigue, 6.21. CALCUTTADIVISION 4-TroutStringer: Levels 1&2, Ed Sexton, 19.2 pounds. 5-MangroveSnapperStringer: Levels 1&2, Eric

Blaney looks to stay hot as NASCAR heads to North Wilkesboro

BY STEVE REED Associated Press

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Ryan

Blaney is hoping to turn a hot streak into history

The 2023 Cup Series champion is hitting his stride with eight straight top-10 finishes, including a win last week at Atlanta. That gives him plenty of momentum heading into Sunday night’s muchhyped historic return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the track’s first championship points race in 30 years. The .625-mile track sat dormant, covered with overgrown bushes and weeds, for nearly a quarter century before being refurbished to host the NASCAR All-Star Race from 2023-25.

“I’ve enjoyed coming here the last few years for the All-Star race, and I was excited when they announced that there was going to be a points race here,” said Blaney who will start on the pole based on

metrics after heavy rains washed out qualifying on Saturday “I feel like this place has done a really good job of revitalizing it, and the facilities. It’s going to be a good show.”

Blaney and his No. 12 Ford Mustang were dominant last week, leading 171 of 263 laps, capturing all stage points to move into third place in the Cup standings. He is currently just 65 points behind points leader Denny Hamlin. Blaney came out on a top after a three-wide battle with Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell on the final lap of overtime in a race that ended after midnight Sunday because of weather Blaney is favored to win (+500)

again this week. That leaves him ahead of Hamlin and Bell (both +500), Kyle Larson (+900) and Tyler Reddick (+1000), according to Las Vegas sportsbooks.

In-Season Challenge semifinals

Blaney joins Bell, Chase Elliott and Todd Gilliland as the drivers still alive entering for this week’s semifinal round of the $1 million NASCAR In-Season Challenge.

Blaney faces Bell, while Gilliland takes on Elliott in the head-tohead matchups.

Elliott said winning would be nice, but admitted the In-Season Challenge is “not something that I’m overly consumed over.”

“Kind of similar to the points situation in general, if you’re going out and you’re doing your job and you’re performing at a high level, then you’re likely going to take care of the other things,” Elliott said. “So I kind of look at that in a really similar light, but I do think it is really fun. I think it’s a

really good thing for just the sport, in general, to kind of have something else going on in the middle of the year.”

The winner will be crowned next weekend at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The race for the Chase

Speaking of the Chase, there are only six races remaining before the 16-driver field is established, meaning every point counts.

Three of the next six races are at short tracks, beginning this week.

Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, stands 26 points below the cut line and is looking to make up ground.

“I’m biased, for sure, when it comes to short track racing and the racing that it provides, especially with the way the tire and all of that has gone,” Preece said. “So, I feel really good about it. North Wilkesboro, Iowa, New Hampshire, those are all places that I’ve had success at and I look forward to going to.”

Blaney

Theformer Sheiks singer and‘hedonistic fool’now ministersfroma steakhouse piano

BY KEITH SPERA | Staff writer

Diners slicing steaks at Chophouse NewOrleans on Friday and Saturdaynights are inevitably aware of the pianoplayer in thebar He is, in his own words, “not mild.”

Butmostlisteners know nothing about the epic life that led himthere.

MichaelO’Hara hasbeen manythings in his 71 years.

The “hedonistic fool” frontman of rock and funk band The Sheiks. AGrammy-nominated songwriter for the likes of Patti LaBelle and Anita Baker Apreacher

Ashowman in Branson, Missouri. And, more recently,a cancer survivor He distills these experiences into hismusic every weekend at Chophouse. His repertoire spans the 1920s to the 1990s: Barbra Streisand, the Supremes, the Temptations, B.B. King, Tina Turner,Patsy Cline. When “Sheiks freaks” —fans of his old band —show up,hehonors theirrequests for “55Highway,”“99 anda Half Won’t Do” and other Sheiks anthems. Such requests “excite me,” O’Hara says. “I love being remembered.”

ä See O’HARA, page 8D

He doesn’t just sing. He reallyispartofour ambiance.”

ALAN WILTSHIRE, Chophouse’soperating partneronMichael O’Hara

BY CLAUDIA LAWS Staff writer

STAFFPHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK Pianist and singer Michael O’Hara poses for aportrait at the MagazineStreet steakhouse Chophouse NewOrleans on July10.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIAGERMER

Michael O’Hara, formerly the singer of the band The Sheiks, directs an all-star group of local musicians during the recording of asong he wrote to promote the Tulane Cancer Center

Apromotional photo of the rock andfunk band The Sheiks from circa 1982. Singer Michael O’Hara typically wore Arabianstyle headscarves onstage.

STAFF PHOTO By CLAUDIA LAWS

TIMES-PICAyUNE FILE PHOTO

DINING SCENE

N.O. bartenders embracea newlocally made liqueur

Traiteur Amarois made in the9th Ward

Ian McNulty WHAT’S COOKING

One quiet evening at Vaughan’s Loungeinthe Bywater,the bartenderpulled down abottleof Traiteur Amaro from the top shelf, next to the Southern Comfort, and poured two glasses of the dusky-dark spirit over ice. Complex and aromatic,pleasingly bitter and balancedbya streak of sweet, the amaro had the earthy-vanilla essence of sassafras, familiar from New Orleans kitchens, and brought a gentle tingly sensation to the tongue. The bottle drew interest around the bar too, andaspatrons admired the label, the bartender explained that this amaro’s makers are neighbors.

Just upriver at the Marigny bar Anna’s, arequest for the same bottle produced similarstories about itslocal connection. Uptown at Cure, the upscale cocktaillounge, bartenders use it in acocktail called Roll Call, an update on the classic Bee’sKnees. Traiteur is listed now alongside global amaro brands on drink menus at prominent New Orleansrestaurants, including MaMou,Acamayaand Zasu, while pop-ups for ice cream and cocktails feature it as aspecial ingredient.

This is how,injust amatter of months, Traiteur Amaro has begun to build not just amarket niche, but aplace in the cocktail and bar culture of New Orleans.

That culture is up for more attention this week as the Talesof the Cocktail conference returns July 19-24, bringing professionals from the world of bars and spirits to town. NewOrleans will be filled with special events and many cocktail professionals exploring the city’sbars and restaurants. At more of them, they’ll find this new,local expression of adrink with astrong sense of place.

The“bartenders’handshake”

The term “amaro” contains a

universe ofvariety.It’sa type of bitter liqueur made with amixture of herbs, flowers, barks and spicessteeped in alcohol. It has ancientroots in Italy,where it was first used as acurative, and there are innumerable brands, often basedonalocal harvest.

It’shad amassivesurge in popularity in recenttimes, not least among bartenders themselves.

The“bartenders’ handshake,” theterm for adrink gifted from onebartender to another as anod of professional respect, is very often an amaro. Fernet Branca is the best known for this role nationally.But in New Orleans, increasingly,Traiteur is the hyperlocal pick bartenders are pouringfor theirown.

It’satrue New Orleans amaro, not just aproduct made elsewhere with afleur-de-lis slapped on thelabel. Named for the Cajun French term for faith healers,it relates to regional traditions and draws fromLouisiana culinary elements.

Traiteuristhe first release from MamouSpirits, the company

At Compass Historic Maple Street Office 7934 Maple St.N.O.,LA70118|504-861-7575 (O)

UPCOMING AMARO EVENTS

n Find Traiteurspritz cocktails at anew pop-up called Sipsman’son TuesdayatBar Pomona (2352 St. Claude Ave.), serving Montreal-style smoked beefsandwiches,from 5p.m. to 10 p.m

n On Sept. 25, the NewOrleans PharmacyMuseum (514 Chartres St.) will hosta Traiteur event withthe amaro poured at its historic soda fountainand presentations on traiteur traditions.

n Anna’s(2601 RoyalSt.)will host aTraiteur cocktail competition on Oct. 7, beginning at 6p.m.

started last year by Bywater couple Andrea and Erik Morningstar They named it for aplant used by traiteurs as aremedy (and alsoa

town on the Cajun prairie). The couple makes, bottles and labels the amaro themselves in an old warehouse shared with aMardi Gras float den near the Press Street railroad tracks, where the clang and rumble of train cars is audible through the metal walls.

Erik has worked as adistiller forclose to 20 years, starting in his homestate of Michigan before moving to New Orleans adecade ago after avisit for Tales of the Cocktail. Andrea is afilmmaker and video producer,astoryteller

The story of their amaro started with atrip to Italy to visit relatives in the Emilia-Romagna region. They wereenamored with the town’slocal amaro, made from the local green walnut harvest. It lit aspark forexploring the roots of the drink.

“I started to understand amaro as something that goes back millennia in the hands of village healers,” Andrea said. They saw parallels to the Louisiana tradition of the traiteur,who uses plants and prayer to alleviate ailments.

Rather than replicate an existing amaro back home, they created one with flavors that resonate in Louisiana, going back to the locality embedded in the original idea of amaro. That includes sassafras leaves, which are ground forfilé powder to thicken gumbo. Chicory is another,asisprickly ash, which gives agentle tingling sensation (which is whyit’salso called a “toothache plant” and has been used by traiteurs fordental ailments).

These join morethan adozen other ingredients, which are steeped in aneutral Italian wheat alcohol, blended with asyrup madefrom Louisiana cane sugar and aged to create the final product.

Local wine shops and groceries have been stocking Traituer,and morerestaurants and bars now list it as adigestif or among their cocktail ingredients.

Since debuting in December, the amaro has been winning awards and high rankings in national blind tastings and contests. For the Morningstars, though, the highest validation has been seeing their product worked into the rhythmsand rituals of bars in their own backyard.

“There’sacultural currency in this forus, and away to connect with community,” said Andrea. “It’sopened alot of doors.”

Email Ian McNultyatimcnulty@theadvocate.com.

STAFFPHOTO By IAN MCNULTy

Traiteur AmaroismadeinNew Orleans and has caught on at local bars,including Anna’sinFaubourg Marigny

PROVIDED PHOTO Andrea and Erik Morningstar are the founders of Mamou Spirits, aNew Orleans distiller making Traiteur Amaro.

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

Contact: nnolan@theadvocate.com

Kathleen, Isabellaand Patrick Dennis

Zavatkay,Gabrielle

n Moonstruck

PHOTOSByREAGANLAQUE

Tyler

In 1902, aFrenchsilent film by GeorgesMéliès titled “Le Voyage dans la Lune”(“A Trip tothe Moon”)toldthe storyofa bullet-shaped spacecapsule containing astronomersthatwas firedfrom acannon and landed safely on the moon.Adventuresawaited.

In a2026 version, formattedasadelightful debutante party,the same French title was used forthe invitation, as were images from themovie,such as the Man inthe Moon getting hit in the eye by the capsule.Insteadofthe black-and-white imageryfrom the French film, theScriptura invitation used party-thematic colorsofdeep blue with gold,green,pink and light blueaccents.Against abackground of the latter hue,the wording on the front wasscriptedindecisive blue and stated:“Dr.and Mrs. Patrick Dennis honoring Isabella Dennis.” The Josephine was the location for thelunarlevity andsummercocktail, the attire KennyLacour of GrandEventswas thepartyplanner.

Arriving guests were enchantedbythe ambiance created by projections of themoon on the ceiling,dancing jestersonthe walls, and harlequins on thedance floor.Credit forthe overall look targeted See-Hear Production, pameladennis (Pamela Dennis Flower Shop), Distressed Rentals &Revivals, BBJ La Tavola (swirl-patterned linens, etc.), NorrisGagnet (photography) and Boogie Booth(photosnaps.)The Josephine/DickieBrennan &Co. fed themoon’sminions. Passed hors d’oeuvres, caviarinThe Josephine’s grotto, charcuterie, and aplethora of Italiandishesfilled the culinary bill. Outside, and under atmospheric string lights,aNeapolitan pizza station and Williams Plum Street Snowballs, with specialty flavor espresso martini, added more eattreats.

and GeneBagot

Thehosting trio, parents Kathleen and Patrickand debutante daughter Isabella, alsocalled Izzi,welcomedtheirmany guests.Honoree Izzi chose as her outfit aMac Duggal brocade midi dress with blackvelvetbow straps (and Christian Louboutin stilettos), while mom Kathleen wasgarbed byTalbot Runhofand shodby StuartWeitzman. They,and others, were captured by energetic artist Alex Harvie,who wasplacedona small, elevated stageand paintedaway.Heserved as liveentertainmentashecaptured the activity and provided aunique keepsake Musicmakingbegan during the cocktailing with New Orleans Classical&Jazzstring quartet andits playlist thatincluded “Breathe” by Pink Floyd’s“The Dark Side ofthe Moon”album of 1973, along with numbers by Taylor Swift, Led Zeppelin, SabrinaCarpenter,Queen,and Harry Styles. Reveling in theSelenesocializing were deb sister Gabrielle Dennis, Lucille and DavidTrahant,Tara and DonnieLuparello with daughter Mia,Al Bienvenu, Sherri and EricO’Bell, Crickett andAndrew Lapeyre,Jeanne and John Baxter with Rebecca, Sandraand TedBorgman, Gretchen and Ralph Breaux,Violet Nemeth, Charleeand Richard Williamson, Claire and NealKaye (whowere seated near Janice Foulks and Stephen Sonnier), Bettyeand MikeBagot, Laurenand Court Carrere, Courtney and Will Nalty,Mary and Justin Schmidt and scores more who, as partyguests, were over the moon

To describe her “Voyage,” honoree Isabella said she “spent June on la lune…sucha magical night.”

Themaindance band,Elann Artists-Pulse504gave the deb another thrill:dancing with herdad. Thefloorwas packed immediately,lured early on by “Celebration”and “All Night Long.” Akey song of the evening wasalongtime favorite, “Fly Me to the Moon.”Thanks to the Dennis trio, that jaunt wasrendered virtually with fantasy and fun.

n Brewing aBash

Prancingonthe cover of the invitation —one in ayellow dress, the other in blue —were abrace of lasses with glasses. Contained were suds for sipping. Inside thefoldout was “Please Join Us In Celebrating Hope LeBlanc and Olivia Merington”and “Hosted By: Kristi and Ryan LeBlanc and Janand Larry Merington.” The call to mirth was “Laissez Les Bons Taps Rouler”and thevenue, NOLA Brewing Company on Tchoupitoulas Street.“Sundresses and Slacks” stated the attire. The major decorative feature was aMardi Gras float-inspired floral mélangethat included greenery butterflies, and posies in purple and pinks. It was first used on the invitation’s artwork by Heidi Hayne and Betty Hunley (for Betty Hunley Designs) and then repeated prominently in the brewery.Adding buoyancy were balloon bouquetsof soft teal (alsothe color of the invitations’ envelopes), pink and yellow Elizabeth Ridgway of Sparkle and Swag was the party planner/decorator

Both debutantes incorporated a floral motif in their dresses, while Kristi wore her daughter’sfavorite color,yellow,and Jan opted for a sheathofemerald green.

Food was plentiful —and good Who could resist various types of pizza, chicken tenders, Italian salad, and, for the sweet tooth, an array of cookies created as musical instruments (andaskeyboards), suds in mugs, and as flowers? At leastahalf dozen types of beer were available, as were other libations. On plastic cups, thesignature floral motif and the catchy phrase, “Laissez les Bons Taps Rouler” werereiterated. Lagniappe activity wasfound in the shimmerybackground for photos, with “Hope and Olivia” written above, and games, such as table (or American) shuffleboard. Woetoanyone whose puck fell into agutter!

The guest list overlapped, but making merry with theMeringtons were Courtney and Will Nalty,Sweet and BenDupuy and ahost of Domangues: Dr.and Mrs. Lee, Drs. Morgan and Martine (with Fernando Zavala), Laurie,Ellie, Jared, and Amy.Also, the David Thompsons, Melissa Dovie,Dr. and Mrs. James Brown, Dr.and Mrs. James Crouch, KathyHebert, and the Lenny Minutillos. Deb siblings Harrison, Mary-Reynolds and Litt LeBlanc joined in their sister’sfun, as did Drew Ballina, CooperJordan,AndrewLeBlanc,AndrewThomas Markelonis,Will Ralston, the Peter Smiths,Anelise Smith, Dr.and Mrs. George Therapondos, RaymondWalker, and Mrs.ThomasShelby Farmer All went homewith party favors created by JenniferWalner, owner of NOLA Brewing.

The Nola Dukes Band werethe first musical brewmeisters, crafting such songs on stage as “Comeand GetYour Love” and “My Girl,” which paired the honored debs with their dads. Abuzz circulated that something big wasabout to happen. Sure enough, it did with the entrance of the St. Augustine Band at 8p.m., whose “Hey Baby” segued intoagroovy showcase starring Hope andOlivia

GeorgeWilliamson, Rachel and

Hastings

Dona

Dana Trahant, Laura

Dennis, Linda Bunting

PHOTOSByREAGAN LAQUE Ryan, Hopeand Kristi LeBlanc

Jan, Olivia and Larry Merington

Sophie and Anna Therapondos

LukePoor,Taylor Michel

Anelise Smith, Harrison LeBlanc,Mary-Reynolds LeBlanc,LittLeBlanc

TRAVEL

Involveyourchildrenintravelplanning

BY JESSICA PUCKETT TravelPulse (TNS)

For family travelers in the know,a new league of travel influencers is emerging and not on social media.

Rather,parents are following their children’slead when it comes to choosing destinations and planning trips.It’spartofthe larger “kid-fluenced” travel trend that has been growing in popularity among family vacationersinrecent years.

Aside from pleasing kids and potentially avoiding tantrums, involving children in travel planning has additional benefits.

According to the2025U.S.Family Travel Survey,84% of parents said helping with travel plansmakes their children more adaptable and open to new experiences.

Plus, 61% of parents said involving kids with planning had a“positiveimpact on their child’shappiness and engagement during the trip.”

Travel experts agree that looping children into the process brings more excitementbefore atrip and can make the travel experience more positive for thewhole family

“Including the kids in travel planning is agreat way to help them feel investedin the trip and take ownership of the experience,” says Rachel Lipson, afamilytravel expert who writes the Substack newsletter The Point.

“Doing researchtogetherahead of time can calm anxiousnerves, let achild know what to expect, and give the wholefamily plans to lookforward to.”

Here are afew easy ways toget kids involved in planning yournext family getaway Setexpectations

For manyyoung kids, helping outtheir parents and sharing their opinions can be really exciting.But it’simportant to frame the conversation around travel planning the

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

right way to help keep children from becoming overwhelmed and to manage everyone’s expectations.

Oneway to keep theconversation age and skill-level appropriate is to start with broader questions,Lipson advises.

“For kids on the younger side, offering achoice of beach, city,orcountry can be a good start—and agreat opportunity to find outwhat atmospherethey enjoy mostona trip,” shesays.

No matter your children’s age,it’simportant to let them know that they’re helping and not taking control of theentire vacation Lipson advises parentstomake it clear that they value their kids’ interests andopinions, but the ultimate destination selection must work for the entire family

“I recommend letting the kids know the adults will make the final choice, but their input is appreciated,”Lipson says. “This way they don’tget tooattachedordisappointediftheir pick doesn’twork out.”

Getthe ball rollingonplanning

Once you’ve started the conversation, you can involve your children in identifying and researching potential destinations.

“Visit the travel section of your local libraryorbookstore and see what piques their interest,” Lipson says. Youcan encourage them to dive deeper by asking them what they might like to do in each place.

“Researchkid-friendly activities together and make illustrated lists of things to do,” Lipson says.

Parents and childrencan also sit down together to book specific tours and activitiesbeforevacation. In fact, an increasing numberoffamilies seem to be doing this, according to recentdata from Tripadvisor, which shows a40% increase year over year in children’stickets for heritage tours and a 47% jump in children’stickets for cooking classes.

But that doesn’tmean parents should feel pressure to plan elaborate outings or

lengthy tours in order to get their children interested in travel planning. Even small steps can get achild involved and grow anticipation foranupcoming trip.

“For somefamilies, the best place to start maybescoping outgelatospots anddrawing icecream cones on amap,orfinding playgrounds near already booked accommodations,” Lipson says. When in doubt, keep it simple. Any opening to discuss what avacation might be like and what your child might like to do there is astep in the right direction.

Destinationselection process

Onceit’stime to chooseavacationspot, you can include your little ones in that phase of planning, too.

Lipson advises offering alimited number of destinations that have been vetted and approved by the adults in the group, and open the conversationupwith your kids. “Start with alist of three places, and ashortlist for each with topattractions that match their interests and see where the conversation takes you,” says Lipson.

Trytobeasconcrete and visual as possible to help children understand the details. This will help guide theconversation and keep kids engaged. “Offering practical options and showing kids photos of the different possibilitiescan give themachance to makeaneducated choice.”

Evenifthe children don’tget theirtop destination, parents can still plan simple and affordable activities that keep them interested during the vacation.

“Make ascavenger hunt or treasure map —end at acandy store! —with stops the kids areinterested in alongthe way,” Lipson advises.

Overall, the goal is to getkids interested in travel,helpthemget better at identifying their opinions and preferences, and even build asense of gratitude along the way.

“When kids get to experience the process, they becomemore aware of the work that’s being done forthem,and it teaches them how important it is foreveryone to do their part and be grateful,” says Lipson.

Askedfor twobedsand aclean room,got neitherand a$922charge

Ibooked aroom with twoqueen beds through Booking.com at ahotel in Brooklyn, N.Y.I needed the queen beds, andthe room wasclearly advertised as such.

Could you have avoided this?

goodwillcredit. Idisputed the chargeonmy credit card. Capital One initially credited the $922 chargebut thenrebilled it after the merchant responded to thechargeback. I’ve sent all my photoand video proof to all three parties, andyet I’mstill out almost a thousand dollars for aservice Inever used. What can Idotoget my full refund? —Rebekah Singleton,Alexandria,Va

Christopher Elliott

However,when Ichecked in, the beds were obviously smaller —Ilater measured them to be approximately 50 inches wide, which is afull-size, nota queen.To makematters worse, the room wasdisgusting.The sheets had grease stains, hair and what looked likesuspicious red stains.

Iasked for anew room, but the second one wasworse, featuring aclear splatter of red stains across the floor

Ididn’tfeel safe or comfortableand left that night, finding another hotel.I immediately contacted the hotel and Booking com.The hotel denied my request for a full refund. Booking.com gave me the runaround for weeks and offered amere $106

This is an infuriating bait-andswitch case compounded by a gross disregard forpublic health and safety.The hotelfalsely advertised accommodations with two queen beds andthen gave youaroom with smaller beds and alarming,unsanitary conditions, includingsuspiciousred splatters. Ugh

Despite yourexhaustive paper trail documenting multiple attemptstoresolvethe issue with the hotel and Booking.com —includingseveral long phone calls—

bothcompanies refused afull refund. The hotel simply denied your photographic evidence, and Booking.com attempted to settle thematter with ameager credit, claiming your valid health and safetyconcerns were merely a matter of opinion. With thehotel refusing to budge and Booking.com failing its duty to ensure accurate listings and customer satisfaction, your most direct pathwas to resubmit a comprehensive dispute to Capital One, focusing on the clear contract violation of the room and bed size. This documented patternofdeceit and poor customer service should have ultimately won your chargeback. Incredibly it didn’t. Your credit card company sided withthe hotel, claiming you had “used” the services. I thinkit’stime for you to switch to adifferent credit card.

Maybe. Reviewing the hotel’sratings might have kept you away It currently has 2 1/2 stars out of 5, and the first review warns, “You are going to regret booking this hotel.” (I asked you about this,and you said at the time you booked the reviewswere “a mixed bag but nothing completely egregious.”)

In asituation like this, you have options. Youcan escalate your complaint to Booking.com —I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of key Booking. com executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Or you could ask aconsumer advocate for help.

Youchose door number two, and Ireached out to Booking.com on your behalf to find out if it really planned to force you to pay $922 for these shoddy accommo-

dations. The answer,thankfully, wasno.

“After afull review of the case, our customer service team has engaged directly with both the guest and the accommodation to resolve the situation,” arepresentative told me. “Given the concerns raised around room conditions and the customer’soverall experience, we’ve issued afull refund.”

Iasked Booking.com if the hotel would be removed from the platform,and it said it would work directly with the property to make improvements. Iguess everyone deserves asecond chance, maybe.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

TNS PHOTO By ROBERT KNESCHKE

ARTS &CULTURE

Learnabout N.O. iconic architecturalstylesatPRC

The lobby of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans’ headquarters, in the Leeds-Davis Building at 923 Tchoupitoulas St., is devoted to amuseum-style exhibit explaining, according to the title wall, “the greatest architecture museum of all the streets of New Orleans.”

“Influences &Architecture: How to read aNew Orleans building” exploresthe historic origins and organic utility of design, from the colonial era to midcenturymodern, Creole cottages and shotguns to Americantownhouses and ranch-style homes. Actually,the lessons start inthe precolonial era.

Also on the exhibit’stitle wall, the indigenous populations that predatedthe first colonistsare credited with pioneering theconcept of raised dwellings,acenturies-old practice still relevant

The exhibit’sattention to detail beyond the major dwelling styles downtowindow and door designs, roof shapes, cladding styles and thefact that several “types” can be present in one building makes for agreat read.

“Our mission is to preserve New Orleans historic architecture, our culture,our neighborhoods, our cemeteries.Wedothat through advocacy and education and active programming,” said Kristin Gisleson Palmer,the PRC’sexecutive director, during arecent walk-through. “So, when you look at the advocacy andeducation component of it, it’s really important to have tools to tell the story.”

The exhibit is “great for tourists whowant to know,but it’s also really important for locals to understand, becauseyou cannotseparate the architecture from the culture of this cityor the sense of place of this city,” Palmer said, adding that learning how to “read” ahouse helps to understand the importance of individual neighborhoods.

Knowingyourneighbors

The oldest Creole neighborhoods below Canal Street “bred us knowing your neighbor very well,” Palmer continued.

With nonswampland at apremium, thehomes were built tightly together,with frontage right at the street.

“And what did that breed? It bredstoops and porches, which became thesocial fabric of our neighborhoods and our communities,” Palmer said Later, shotgun houses further refined the use of space on tight lots and today reflect how theinflux of multiple cultures affected the streetscape.

“The shotgun is awonderful example of how our city grew and theinfluences ofdifferentcultures,” Palmer said. “So, we got the shotgunstyle from Africa by way of theCaribbean to New Orleans. Andthe beauty of the shotgun is that it fitssowell into …the way our lots run.They were narrow andlong,and so it was such a fabulous use of space.”

In addition to wall textand illustrations, the exhibit includes a table of miniature models of each housestyle. Themodels have detachable roofs for further study of interior details.

“These shotgun designs also hadenvironmental benefits for this climate,” Palmer said. “This architecture andthese housing styles were created in an environment that was challenging, to say

PHOTOSByDAVEWALKER

theleast, with no air conditioning, no electricity, no indoor plumbing. Alot of the way these houses were built speak to that.

“It’s an elegant design the tall ceilingstopromoteair flow theuse of transomsabove doors, which again allowed the air flow to go through.”

More climatedefiance

The textfor the exhibit was written by MaryNell NolanWheatley and Michelle Shoriak; Susan Langenhennig Granger was project editor.The designers

were David Jack Browning and Liz Jurey

The Preservation Resource Center,which has superb air conditioning, will be open on White Linen Night, the traditional swelteringact of climate defiance this year scheduled forAug. 1. There are also displays about NewOrleans neighborhoods and other resources to absorb

“I thinkwhat Ihear consistently,what Ithink alot of people in this city are concerned about, is the loss of our culture,” Palmer said.

“Ourculture is intrinsically

MUSEUM CALENDAR

n Twoexhibits close July 19 at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, “In the Beloved: ANew Body of Work by Alexis McGrigg” and “Vicinal Visions: Dusti Bonge, Ida Kohlmeyer &Dorothy Hood.” ogdenmuseum.org

n The Museum of the Southern JewishExperience kicks offits online Sit-a-SpellSummer LectureSeries at 6p.m.Thursdaywith apresentation by Jennifer Caplan of the University of Cincinnati.The subject: “Southern Jews and Comedy.” The series continuesJuly 30 and Aug. 6. msje.org

n The Historic NewOrleans Collection will host an Educator Day from 11 a.m. to 2p.m. Saturday.The theme will be the current traveling show “American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition.” The eventis free with advance registration. hnoc.org

n Drawing on the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’spermanent collection of vernacular art, the exhibit “The Dream is the Truth” opens July 25. The exhibit “Louisiana Contemporary 2026” opens there Aug. 1. ogdenmuseum.org

n The National WWII Museum will gathercast membersand thecreative team behind the miniseries “Band of Brothers” fora 25th-anniversary symposium July 31 and Aug. 1.The in-person program is sold out,but the panels will stream online at no charge. nationalww2museum.org

tiedtoour neighborhoods. People love to sayinNew Orleans, ‘Our culture bubblesupright from the streets.’ Well, there’s areason for that. And architecture and the way aneighborhood has been built over time,the way it fosters thatsense of community,ispart of that. And if we continue to lose it, we will lose ourculture.”

Dave Walkerfocuses on behindthe-scenes coverage of the region’s many museumshere and at www.themuseumgoer com. Email Daveatdave@ themuseumgoer.com.

BY PHILIPP JENNE Associated Press

SALZBURG, Austria Visitors to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’shometown can see the composer —and his dog —inminiatureasSalzburg celebrates the 270th anniversary of his birth. But they shouldn’twaittoo long. The Mozarteum Foundation on Wednesday unveiled 300gold-coloredstatuettes of Mozart, which are less than 20 inches tall. They were designed by German concept artist Ottmar Hörl. Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756, in theAustrian city,where theMozarteum Foundation offers concerts, maintains Mozart museums and supports research on him.

“I didn’twant to do amonument of Mozart. There are already enough of these. ButIwantedtoshowhis humanside, that he was a normal human being despite his genius,” Hörl told TheAssociated Press.

within the last few hours,” Linus Klumpner of the Mozarteum Foundation said. Butthe statuesare meant to attract abroader range of visitors and get them hooked on Mozart’s Music.

“You come here, maybe you see the smallgolden headsshimmering in the sunonthe horizon. And people become curious,” Klumpner said. “

Andthen aprocess begins which is verymuch in our interest. That is to bring newpeopleincontact with Mozart.”

scheduledtoremain on display until Aug. 30. People who would like to own one but would prefer not to steal it canpurchaseone for$114 —while supplieslast.

Hörl is known forhis sculpturesmadefrompolymer In 2010, he displayed 10,000 plastic owls in Athens.

A“Homage to Dürer” showcased oversizedplas-

ticcopiesofAlbrechtDürer’share at the Daegu art museum in South Korea. In 2009, German prosecutors decided against investigating Hörl over aseries of golden garden gnomes doing the Hitler salute, under alaw thatforbids using insignia forbidden by theGerman constitution Hörl himself intended the gnomes as satire againstthe Nazis’ ideology.

To give the statues ahumantouch,Hörl depicted the composer withhis favorite dog, Pimperl. Mozart and his family were known to take long walks with their dogs in the Mirabell Garden,nexttowhere they lived.

The mini-Mozarts populatenot only the garden, but also Mozart’s former living quarters as well as several pavilions.Inall, 400 statues were made, but only 300 are on display at present. Therestare being kept in reserveincase of theft.

“Two already gotstolen

ForHörl, the theft of his artworks in nothing new.At an installationinBayreuth, Germany, acomplete array of statues of Richard Wagner was stolen within 10 days

“That’sjust the natureof public space. Thatmeans when you work as an artist in apublic space, you mustn’tcomplain about what is happening there,” Hörl said. “It ranges from destruction to theft. That’s just how it is.”

TheMozart statues are

At the PreservationResource Center’sexhibit, the model homes have detachable roofs forfurther studyof interior details.

‘Influences &Architecture’ is on displayatthe Preservation Resource Center celebrating NewOrleans homes.

Dave Walker

Debut novel explores La. oil industry, home

loss and identity

Lake Charles native dives into meaning of home

BY RIEN FERTEL

Contributing writer

“Should the Waters Take Us,” by Stephanie Soileau, Doubleday, 336 pages.

In “Last One Out Shut Off the Lights,” her wickedly titled 2020 short story collection that didn’t receive its just laurels — perhaps blame the pandemic — Stephanie Soileau offered a fiercely piercing portrait of life in Louisiana’s southwest coastal parishes.

There, as in real life, the area’s subservience to the petrochemical industry gloomily bobbed in the background. Families frolicked on beaches within sight of inshore oil rigs, formaldehyde-infused interior furnishings welcomed home workers forced to remove their toxin-tainted uniforms before settling in for the evening. In “Should the Waters Take Us,” her equally well-titled debut novel, Soileau places Louisiana’s oil industry front and center, with mixed results.

As in her first book, Soileau, a Lake Charles native who teaches in the University of Chicago’s creative writing program, is primarily interested in the meaning of home when home loses all literal, tangible, standing-on-solidground meaning.

Using a kaleidoscopic approach, featuring shifting viewpoints spread over the past four centuries, Soileau focuses her story on Wilford “Boy” Broussard.

es Father Dakolo back to his youth and the arrival of construction crews planting pipelines that swallowed up and poisoned his homeland.

“This pinprick in the earth has released a relentless, merciless swarm of demons, an ancient evil,” he reflects. “A plume? A spill? A leak? It is a holocaust.”

Many of the book’s chapters take up the shared plight of Boy’s aunt and uncle, Rosa and Jacot Terrebonne, and their orphaned grandson, Jamie. Boy covets a marsh-mired work camp, a “muddy, private Eden” he grew up on owned by Jacot. But his uncle, who’s leased out the property’s drilling rights for decades, stubbornly clings to the land while it slowly succumbs to rising tides.

In one of the book’s best sections, a New Orleans lawyer patiently explains the difference between navigable waterways and waterways that are navigable to Jacot. A flooded driveway could be a temporary waterway that is navigable, but that wouldn’t make it a navigable waterway — by law belonging to the State of Louisiana.

STEPHANIE SOILEAU EVENTS

6 p.m., Monday: Garden District Book Shop 2727 Prytania St., New Orleans

Boy is Pelerin Parish’s resident rascal, a young man wise in the antiquated ways of Cajun trapping and still living on the MREs handed out five years ago, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Living in the back bayous, he “shoots or fishes for what he wants, wherever he wants, as long as he can eat it or sell it,” including the alligator eggs, stolen straight from the nest, he hawks for 10 bucks a pop. Enter his old flame, Mandy, with Lee, their tween daughter, in tow

6 p.m.,Tuesday, Cavalier House Books, 302 Jefferson St., Lafayette

Jacot’s land the lawyer clarifies, began the slow process of transferring to the state after he allowed the oil industry to “cut an easement canal across the parcel, which let the salt water in, which killed the marsh grass, which made the canal grow.” Though this sort of literary legalese might lack the crash bang wallop of the largest marine oil spill in history, it tells a more patient story of how the waters continue to take our Louisiana land. I wanted more. In a novel that often feels overcrowded, its narrative drowning under the weight of its own structure, Soileau adds an interesting narrative scaffolding to the mix: a scattershot of chapters tracing the Broussard-Terrebonne clan’s search for home.

BETWEEN THE PAGES WITH LAUREN HENLEy

Historian investigates the La. story of a Black female serial killer

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Lauren Henley’s first book, “Inquisition for Blood: The Making of a Black Female Serial Killer in the Jim Crow South,” explores a series of gory ax murders of Black families along the Sunset route of the Southern Pacific railroad from 1909 to 1912. The notorious killer was known as “the Axman.” Henley looks critically at southwestern Louisiana and Texas in the early 1900s and how newspapers and police handled the murders.

Henley is an assistant professor of leadership studies at Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, whose research focuses on violent crime in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

“Inquisition for Blood” won the Jules and Frances Landry Award, an annual award presented to an LSU Press book that the press deems the year’s most outstanding achievement in the field of Southern studies.

This interview was edited for length and clarity

What is your connection to south Louisiana?

My ancestors lived in Baton Rouge and then moved up to Chicago during the Great Migration. My husband is from Baton Rouge. I have family scattered throughout, like in New Iberia and Breaux Bridge.

Growing up, I was taught these jokey, one-off stories that made Louisiana seem distinct from the rest of the U.S. There was a joke whenever my parents would get into a disagreement that my dad had been “voodooed” into listening to my mom.

Growing up with this lore of Louisiana and Creole food, I just remember thinking, “What a cool place.”

”Inquisition for Blood” focuses on female serial killer Clementine Barnabet. How did you come to learn about her story?

In undergrad, I was helping my adviser do a project on infanticide, so we were cataloging Black women who, in theory, killed their own children. She wanted to find as many Black women as possible across different periods of U.S. history and at that time, the best way to do this was to send everything to a shared Google drive, which is where I found Clementine. I started doing Google searches, and all of the stuff that was public at that point was really sensational.

What is the significance of local newspapers and national journalism in “Inquisition for Blood?”

One of those rewrites was to focus on the local newspapers. Think of it as a jawbreaker, where the news circles out and gets more and more distorted the further away from the epicenter News wires were relatively new to the scene. The boosterism of late 19th century in Louisiana, New Orleans specifically, trickled westward and said Louisiana was this exotic place. Clementine was such a national figure for a period of time, so how did she get lost in the collective American memory?

Her April 1912 confession is the most famous of them, but that confession came two weeks before the Titanic sank. When we tell the history of early 20th-century America, it’s the Titanic, World War I. You can see a very clear moment where Clementine goes from being front-page news to the Titanic. It flips overnight. Another element behind why the story is forgotten is that it’s uncomfortable. I appreciated that you went into detail describing the murdered families prior to their deaths. How did you approach that?

In an earlier iteration, I was very uncomfortable, because I felt like I was describing families at the moment of death, and I didn’t want that for every family It has to be there for the first family in part for the literary appeal, but also because I don’t know that much about them beyond their living arrangements.

Needing money and, a reader suspects, an excuse to flee the confines of parenthood, Mandy has taken an offer to work on an offshore oil platform. Boy, no man, demurs at his former paramour’s request to take Lee. Then to get the plot moving along, he agrees It’s obvious, knowing the timeline the novel lays out in its early pages, what comes next. Remember the long summer of 2010 in Louisiana?

“A black plume roils across a gray sky above a darker sea,” Soileau writes. “The world ending, somewhere.” Much like a pair of novels published in 2024 — Joselyn Takacs’s “Pearce Oysters” and Sharon Wishnow’s “The Pelican Tide” “Should the Waters Take Us” uses the same maritime disaster to explore its rippled effects on a small-town coastal community.

Most interesting among this network of characters is Fabian Dakolo, a Catholic priest in the local diocese. Born in a Nigerian fishing village not unlike south Louisiana the Gulf oil spill flash-

It’s a centuries-long odyssey that takes them across the Atlantic to establish North America’s first permanent French settlement at Port Royal in 1606; through their brutal exile to stake a claim in a new Louisiana homeland 150 years later; to the 1940s, when oil derricks began replacing orange groves and a young Jacot pocketed three dollars a day helping Texan oilmen pour over plat maps while looking to round up homeowners who “didn’t know the first thing about property rights and leases and deeds.”

It’s these chapters that made me eager to keep reading, that should entice readers who feel inundated by all this water, water, water everywhere — and wonder what it means for our Louisiana home.

In the book’s final pages, Soileau poses an old hurricane hypothetical: “If you had to leave your home, maybe forever, if there was no home to come back to, what would you take?”

Important documents? Irreplaceable photographs? I recommend you pack a book, maybe even this one, that might remind you of the place that may not be there when you return.

Rien Fertel is the author of four books He can be reached at rienfertel@ gmail.com.

I got fascinated by the intersection of criminal history and Black women’s history I wrote about the Austin Servant Girl Annihilator, who killed Black female domestic servants in Austin, Texas, while I was at UT for graduate work. That gave me a vantage point to travel the route of the Southern Pacific, and I would find myself back and forth between Baton Rouge and Austin.

What was the writing process like for this book?

The research started in 2012 and continued intermittently the whole time. It was my dissertation, but I rewrote the whole thing from cover to cover five times for various reasons. Some of the rewriting came about with new sources.

Digitization efforts of newspapers has gotten better because I’ve been able to go grab more. Part of it has been thinking intentionally about how records are created.

Historians are told, “Gather all of the stuff that you possibly can and have this omnipotent world view about the past.” I find that really disingenuous to serial murder because there’s no way people in the past could have known what was coming next.

What did people know at that time? What did they know in November 1909 versus in October 1912? Different knowledges were circulating. They were living through a level of panic and uncertainty

I went back through all of my records and thought, “What little bits of daily life can I glean from these same sources? How can I understand these people as full people who have lives, hopes, dreams, friends and family?”

I made a concerted effort to try to reach out to descendants of all the families. What did you learn about investigative police work at the time compared to modern investigation work today?

There was no framework for serial murder at this point.

It’s good that we have the intellectual framework these days to go back and find cases that clearly evince a pattern. At that point, people couldn’t know that. There were no investigative strategies. It seemed logical to think, if someone shows up murdered, somebody wanted them dead — not as a random killing.

Why do you think that the story of Clementine and the Axman murders matter today?

As I say in the book, we should believe Black women, and if we do, then what things are open to us? What things are possible, good, bad or indifferent?

I’m not out to glorify serial killers, but I am out to add nuance and say this trope of hyper-intelligent White men does a disservice. That doesn’t mean I’m for more policing, but it does mean anybody can commit really violent crimes.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Dinniman

4. “The Divorce” by Freida McFadden 5. “Knicker Bonkers” by Triumph 6. “The Housemaid’s Wedding” by Freida McFadden 7. “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

8. “Murdoku” by Manuel Garand

9. “Want to Know a Secret?” by Freida McFadden 10. “Dear Debbie” by Freida McFadden

Henley

Soileau

‘Stopbeing oneperson’ an answer to broken times

In the depths of another Louisiana summer,Iknow that no living thing will last long if it lingers on a scorching sidewalk. Whichiswhy, as Istroll my neighborhood each morning, Istoop to collectstranded earthworms on the pavement and return them to the grass

While theyinch throughthe lawns along my street, some of the worms find themselves on the hard, hot walkway,destined to die as the sun bakes them alive. Although Ican’tsave themall, I help the few that Ican. My summers on earthworm patrol, Isuspect, must give thefolks wholive around me something to wonder about. Ifind myself wondering, too.

BUCKET LIST

Continued from page1D

thesheep stickers on the envelope, the answersI provided or just that Imailed it outthat very day applications opened, but Igot accepted.

Twomonthsout, they email you more information: sheep fastingtimes,clothing needs the pattern youshaveand a physical training program. I tried to memorize thefasting times. Ipracticedthe holds on my cats, and Itook up running and did ab workouts three days aweek. Ibought Carhartt pants and overalls and made sure my shirts were long enough to cover my back when Ibentover.

Friends and family rallied.

Four friends made me a sheep-embroidered toiletry kit and filled it with things like pain-relieving lotion, wet wipes and about adozen other comfort items. They also embroidered asheep on my new overalls. Another friend, wholives in Oregon, bought me groceries so I wouldn’thave to. (And when Isay groceries, Imean she raided snack aisles, cut up and packaged veggies and local Oregonstrawberries and made sure Ihad enough food for every meal.)

The kindness and support of my friends overwhelms me even now

So Iheaded to Portland, got my rental car and drove south to alovely dinner with friends —where Ipicked up the above-mentioned groceries —then headed to Roseburg, Oregon, and my quaint Airbnb.

Iunpacked, set my alarm, laid out ashearing-appropriate outfit, packed my lunch and went to sleep.

Iawoke completelyexcited. Youknow when you just feel it in your stomach, the feeling of anticipation, joy and fear rolledinto one? That was me. Wrapped in my Taylor Swift sweatshirt, the only one Ihad brought—I thought it would be warmer —Iheaded to the ranch about 15 minutes outside town.

Idrove through the rolling hills, lush green fields on either side of the road. Soon sheep started to dot the hillside, and as Istarted down thelast hill before my turn off, Noah Kahan blasting on the stereo, the sun came out,shining on the lightfog coating thevalley below.It was like ascene from afilm. Magic was about to happen

Bumping along the ranch’s driveway,goats, horses and cattle appeared. As Iparked, the sheep appeared as if out of nowhere: some running about the fields, some in the barn, little babies running around crying. Sheep do something to me. They just unleash this

er when they’re shared.

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Am Ireally doing anything by coming to the aid of an earthworm?

At such moments, Ifind myself thinking about “The Star Thrower,” along-agoessay by author andscientist Loren Eiseley about hisencounterwithsomeonewho hadassignedhimself an equally unusual mission. Eiseley was walkingalong the shore one day when hespottedaman throwing

feeling of purejoy when I seethem. It’sa feeling of excitementthat makes your mouth move into agiant grin andyourchest feel full. Onesheepalone makesme feel that; seeing (and hearing) hundreds soclose to me wasoverwhelming. Ifound my way to the trailerthatwould become my home for thenext 4 days. Seeing everyone —11 other students, theinstructor, ranchowner,former rancher assistant andanother part-timer.Ohman, was Iout ofplace. My clothes weren’tquite right, my Carhartts so glaringly new,mymakeup, though subtle,was theonly makeup in the room. Even the words they weresayingdidn’tmake sense to me. Iwouldsoon findout I was theoldest,mostout-ofshapestudentwith the least (meaning no) animal husbandry experience Idon’tknow this for afact, but my guess is the folks running it make areal or silentbet on who will drop out. I’m pretty sure Iwas everyone’sfirst pick. Therewas thenormal chaos of everyone getting settled andmeeting one another,all backed by aconstant euphony of bahs

Firstup, shoes. Youshear flat-footed in special moccasins. We laced those up and tried to get used to them. Then the singlet.Basically, it looked like awrestling tank top. Itkeepsthe sweat off you,but it’salso an extra layer on yourlower back, which makes ahuge difference in managingback pain. Minewas brightpink. Then the instruction. So much information. We learned theNew Zealand method, the most humane way to shear asheep.And if youdo it right, the sheep are pretty relaxed andcomfortable. (Please note: None of us did this right to begin with.They let us know when they weren’tcomfy by tryingtoescape. And they were rather successful at it.)

Theinstructor andowner wentover shearing amillion times.

They taught us whyit’s imperative andhealthy forthe sheep. Howowners make (veryminimal) money offthe wool, butonlyifthe shearer doesitright.Thisis often the only timeofyear sheep get aclose inspection, so even though we are not veterinarians, we need to pay attentionand learn the things we should flag to the owners. Thepassion anddevotedness thesefolks have for their craft was overwhelming. For me, this had started as alark, but now it was a seriousendeavor.You can hurt the sheep, you can cost the ownersmoney,and you aredoing areally hard job that is so important. It was incredibly humbling.

Shearing is adance. Get

starfish intothe sea. They’d been beached by the tide and were sure to die unless someone returned them to the ocean. The self-appointed Good Samaritan was lifting themfrom the sand and hurling themback to the water

“The stars,”hetold Eiseley, “throw well. One can help them.”

Eiseley nicknames his acquaintance “the star thrower,” and he doesn’tquiteknow what tomake of him. ButEiseley decides to join his new acquaintance in his strange errand of mercy and become astar thrower,too.

“He is not alone any longer,” Eiseley writes of thestar thrower

“After us there will be others.” What Eiseley seems to say is

the sheep in the right position, hold their skin taut, pushhere to straighten their leg, hold them here for comfort,use your calf here,yourthigh here,your toe points this way or lifts at thispoint.It’sa carefully choreographed routine.

And then, with allthose emotions and responsibilities running through us, they paired us up randomly and gave us shears.

They let thesheep in the chuteand told us to get one out.

Idid not know how to do that. This is apparently sheep 101, but Ihadn’teven taken theprerequisites To my partner,I said, “Do youwannagofirst?” Really,Iwanted to watch her and others get it out of the chute. She took thebait, and Istudied.

As theassistant,Iwas responsible for turning the shears off and on, making sure the shearswere out of the way when sheep got feisty,tohelp control the sheep if they gotaway,keep an eye on our neighboring shearers andtohelpremember what the hell we were doing Iwas notaterrible assistant. Part of it was also cheerleading: both to your partner and tothe sheep. Just under three hours in, Iwas handed ashearingmachine.I wrestleda 150-pound ewe out of the chute.I endedupbeingsurprisingly good at this.And while Isay wrestle, when

that we’re touched by acommon impulse to root forlifewherever we find it. Ifirst learned about Loren Eiseley andthe star thrower from Kathleen Dean Moore, an author and thinker whoconnected with me afew years ago when we collaborated on amagazine project. She sees Eiseley’sstory as a parable aboutthe power of joining with others to do good in ways large and small.

Moore wasatapublic event when alistener mulled over theworld’smany problemsand asked, “What can one person do?” For Moore, the answer was clear: “Stop being oneperson.” She was affirming the basic truththat challenges seem small-

youdoitwell, you useyour full body and knee to softly sit the sheep down on their rump. (You put your thumb in theedgeofthe sheep’s mouth when you do this, whichissucha silly feeling that Ilaughed every time Ifelt the inside of their mouth.)

Then you shear Ican’texplain how hard this is. Youuse every little movement of your body to controlthe sheep, keep it calmand to getyourself in theright position. Youshear thesheep in aspecificpattern. And at the end, the sheep is bald. Youhave long wool cut in one pass to make yarnwith, and thesheep is in aposition to leave thetrailer easily.Simple. Good shearers do it in about2minutes. Ithink my first one took just shy of an hour

This was not simple for any of us.

What’snot supposedto happen:

n Multiple passes of the shearer over the same part of thesheep,creating wool that is trash because it’s too short and can’tbemade into yarn.

n Not holding thesheep right, so she is uncomfortable and gets away/kicks you.

n Nicking the sheep (I knowthis sounds horrible, butmostlyit’ssmall nicks like aman mightmake shaving his face. Notgreat, but not terrible)

n Crying because you can’tdoany of it (position-

“There’sjoy in that —joy to be in alliance with people whocare about the living things you care about,” Moore writes. Ifelt someofthat joy recently when my wife and Ijoined other community volunteers to replant aneglected public flowerbed in our neighborhood. Our sense of shared purpose seemed like a comforting answer to the cynicism of the times.

Maybe, in an anguished year for the country and the world, “Stop being one person” should be the themeofthe season.

Email DannyHeitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.

ing, bending over, holding the sheep right, handling the cutter,remembering the pattern, getting along cut of wool).

Icannot describe how hard it was emotionally,physically and mentally.And how Ihad no starting reference forany of it.

The days were 10 hours. The people areincredibly supportive. The sheep were very kind to us.

When Igot back to the Airbnb, Icould barely grab dinner,pack lunch and shower before crashing out. Islept like thedead.My thighs ached, andmyback cracked with every movement.

Inicked asheep on avein. It wasawful. She had to be stitched up. She wasso tough andseemed to barely notice. Meanwhile, Icried.

The instructors hurriedly finished shearing her so she could go, but Iasked my partner if Icould do another onebecause Iknew if Ididn’tdoone right, then Iwouldn’tever again. My body was so tense, and Iwas so scared that by thetimeI finished, it felt like Ihad run amarathon. Icried again. My partner hugged me. Iwas terrible at shearing. Igot better,slowly,but was always at the bottom of the class. The last day,mypartnerdid twosheep forevery one of mine. We went out to dinner together on ourlast night. Iwas chatting with ourinstructor,and Iwas talking

about how tricky it all was and how bad Iwas. She looked me dead in the eye and said, “But you’re still here, Claudia.” Imight have cried again in that restaurant attached to abowling alley In four days,I sheared13 sheep.

Ilearned about machinery and blade sharpening, sheep care basics and that cuts of meat areactually terms we use to refertoparts of asheep’sbody —and, yes, Ican tellyou howtoshave the brisket.

Ilearned that in NewZealand, you have to be able to shear 32 sheep in an hour (including swapping out blades) to keep ajob as a shearer

Ilearned whyfasting matters, howtoshear ewes, rams, lambs, weathered (neutered) sheep and sheep with horns.

Ilearned that knots on your head from banginginto machinery last over aweek, that bruises from kicking sheep last more than three weeks and that my back was somehow both strongerand morefragile than Ithought. Ilearned that strangerscould be oh so kind and supportive, and that Ineed moreofthat in my life. Ilearnedthat puttingmyself in uncomfortable and hard situationsisgratifying. Igot to hold and pet and coo to hundreds of sheep. Ilearned howtoshear a sheep. And Igraduated.

Andso, on his way to work, he asks God“to anoint me and allow me to sing songs that will touch people.”

That’sbecause, for Michael O’Hara, the “wackiestordainedministeryou’ll ever meet,” Friday and Saturday nights at Chophouse are not just performances.

“This,” he says, “is my ministry.This is my church.” Life of theparty

These days, he appreciates stability.He’srented the same three-bedroom home in Kenner for years, preferring to pay ayear’srent in advance.

He grew up in St. Louis as the son of an oral surgeon who was also aBaptist bishop. By age 6, he’d taken to the piano. He was soon accompanying, then directing gospel choirs.

By 12, he was rebelling against his father’sreligious ways. Smitten with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin, he startedsmokingpot and hanging out with his sisters and other aspiring flower children in a park listening to rock bands.

Always flamboyant, O’Harajoineda St. Louisgroup called the Spoon River Band as its keyboardist. When he and other musicians formed the Sheiks, he shifted from keyboard player to frontman.

His Afro drooped when he got sweaty onstage. As acountermeasure, he took inspiration from silent movie star Rudolf Valentino andtied scarves around his head. Once the Arabian headscarveswent on —tied tight enough to semi-permanently crease his forehead he became The Sheik, the life of the party

he sewshimself, but that’s not all that sets him apart. “He doesn’tjust sing,” said Alan Wiltshire, Chophouse’s operating partner.“He really is part of our ambiance.” If Chophouse is O’Hara’s church, his pulpit is an electric keyboard concealed in the shell of ababy grand piano. Backed up to awindow,the piano’s contouris reversedtobetterfacilitate the flow of bar patrons.

O’Hara does not confine himself to his piano/pulpit. He works the room from table to table. If he senses the need, he’ll touch adiner’s shoulders, his own form of a ministerial laying of hands. And he’ll lavishly serenade anyone celebrating an anniversary or birthday

“He sings ‘Happy Birthday’ in his ownstyle, not like youwould at an 8-year-old’s party,” Wiltshire said.

Or,asO’Hara himself describesit, he renders “Happy Birthday” “like aBlack maleMarilyn Monroe.”

Diners eat it up and tip accordingly

Gras 1982 at Jimmy’s Music Club in NewOrleans. Thelineupincludedthe Neville Brothers, the Radiators, the Cold and The Sheiks.

The Sheiks’ raunchy rock ‘n’ roll thrilled fans up and down theMississippi River,especiallyin New Orleans. Local audiences “got used to losing their minds,” O’Hara said. “And we loved it.”

TheSheiks packedJimmy’sMusic Club on Willow Street and Ole Man River’sin Avondale. Indicative of how deeply ingrained they were, the band was one of four acts to headline Jimmy’sduring the 1982 Mardi Gras weekend. The others? The Neville Brothers, the Radiators and New Orleans New Wave sensations The Cold.

Akamikazes- and cocainefueled culture of overindulgence sprang up around the band. O’Hara, the ringleader,drank, smoked, snorted and took advantage of every opportunityhis bisexuality offered.

“I don’tregret it, even though I’m an ordained min-

ister now,” he said. “I don’t shy away from my past. I thankGod. Ihonor it, not only for thefact that Iwas allowed to surviveit, but the fun we had and the danger we had was very intoxicating.”

After four years, he felt theSheikshad plateaued WhenMCA offeredhim a lucrative publishing deal to writesongs in Los Angeles in 1985,herelocated to California, wherehequit alcohol, drugs, sex and cigarettes. He sayshe’sbeen clean,sober and celibate for 41 years.

“I totallychanged my life,” he said.“I’mstill making changes.”

In L.A., he discovered a knack forcraftingR&B ballads forfemalesingers.He often co-wrotewith Sammy McKinney,a hairdresser to thestars.

O’Hara’s co-writing

credits include Anita Baker’s “Just Because” and“It’sBeen YouAll the Time,” Donna Summer’s “Love On andOn” andJodyWatley’s “It AllBeginswithYou” and “Commitment of Love.” He penned two songs for aPatti LaBelle Christmas album,“The Reason for theSeason” and“This Christmas.”

Hissongwriting earned him four Grammy nominationsand aperpetual stream of royalty income.

Had he not moved to Los Angeles, his “career would have faltered and Iwouldn’t have gottenclean and sober.Nooffense to New Orleans —this was all on me.”

SingingwithSting

He pursuedotherwriting and producing opportunities in Europe andeventually movedtoNew York City’sUpperEast Side

While singing withSting on “Saturday Night Live,” they reminisced about the time The Police opened for The Sheiks in St.Louis.

O’Hara moved back to St Louis to carefor his father, whowas dying of cancer. Sitting in his father’schurch, he experienced an epiphany andfeltcalledtojointhe ministry

He wrote, produced and directed “Isle of Dreams,”a “gospel opera” basedonthe book of Revelations; it enjoyed along run in Branson, Missouri.Helauncheda secondBranson show,“Michael O’Hara: The TorchSinger,” to showcase classicsongs

from the Great American Songbook.

He moved to FortWorth, Texas, andpreached at a nondenominational church. He visited retirement and nursing homes to sing hymns, tell stories and dispense hugs. He wasthrilled when he gotdementia patients to respond.

“Thesepeople have been in churchall their life,” he said. “I was preparingthem to meet Him.”

ReturningtoNew Orleans

Occasionally,Jimmy Anselmotried to entice O’Hara back to New Orleans to perform.For years, he refused —heneeded the Lord’spermission.

God finally gave him the green light. He returned to NewOrleans forthe first time in morethan 30 years to stageamultimedia, one-man show at the former Jimmy’s Music Club on July 26, 2014 In the second act,herevived his Sheik persona, minus the hedonism.

He subsequently settled in Kenner.Sometimes playing solo and sometimes with a band, he worked steadily

In 2016,hedirectedan all-starchorus of local musicians— includingIrma Thomas, Charmaine Neville and Al “Carnival Time” Johnson—on“You’re Not Alone,”a songO’Harawrote andrecorded to promote the Tulane Cancer Center

His own health took abad turn in 2019 as he battled the flumultiple times. On New Year’s Eve 2019, he gotsick while driving to Biloxi to performatthe Beau Rivage Resort &Casino. Achest X-ray revealed pneumonia. Symptoms persisted for weeks. He never took the COVID-19 test, but now believes he had it.

One morning during his

illness, he woke up with a gospel-tinged pop song in his head. He titled “Make It Rain.” With its message of “making it rain love,” it was “like taking dictation from God.”

‘Inhis ownstyle’

Chophouse NewOrleans is nowO’Hara’s main gig. With its exposed brick walls anddarkwood,the Magazine Street eatery is clearly asteakhouse. But it also strives to be asortoffun supper club, in keeping with founder Jerry Greenbaum’s original vision.

As abartender and server, Andrea Bellini hasworked alongside O’Hara fortwo years. She sees how attuned he is to diners.

“Hehas respect fortheir experience and makes them feel special,” Bellini said. “He creates an intimate space, a warmth.There’sanuplift.He wants to bring joy.It’sakind of entertainment that’slost.”

Patrons are sometimes reluctanttoleavethe bar area even after their table is ready. O’Hara is the only one of the nightly piano players whowears regal garments

“I use every part of me to do this job,” O’Hara said. “I don’tdoitbecause Iwant to make money. Butinreturn, Godblesses me.” He took twomonthsoff in late 2025 to undergo successfultreatment forbladdercancer. Thetreatment included three surgeries.

“My personality is such that all of the nurses and the doctorsadoredmebecause Iwould make them laugh,” he said.

“I don’ttake it lightly.Itell theLordall thetime,‘You should have killedmewhen youhad thechance.’God had adifferent path for me.” He’s in no hurry to meet hismaker,“butwhenever God is ready forme, I’m ready forhim.”

To stay fit,heexercisesat hometo“shouting gospel music.” He does leg lifts and tummy tucks while watching TV and sewing.

Adiabetic fordecades,he finally overhauled his diet. He shed 35 pounds after cutting out greasy food and most breads and meats: “It was just likethe drugs.I had to give all of that up.” His sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll era “was agood time. “ButI have abetter time now.”

Email KeithSpera at kspera@theadvocate.com.

plays the piano at Chophouse NewOrleans on July

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,July 19, the 200th day of 2026. There are 165 days left in the year

TodayinHistory: On July 19, 1848, the first “Convention to discuss the social, civil and religious conditionand rights of Woman”convened at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, N.Y Also on this date:

In 1812, during the Warof 1812, the First Battle of Sackets Harbor in Lake Ontario resulted in an Americanvictory as U.S. naval forces repelled a British attack.

In 1969, Apollo 11 and itsastronauts, Neil Armstrong,Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins,went into orbit around the moon.

In 1975, the Apollo and Soyuz space capsules that werelinked in orbit for two days separated.

In 1979, the Nicaraguancapital of Managua fell to Sandinista guerrillas two days after President Anastasio Somoza fled the country

In 1980, the Moscow Summer Olympics began, minus dozens of nations that boycotted the games because of Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan.

In 1989, 111 people were killed when United Airlines Flight 232, aDC-10 that sustained atail engine failure and the loss of hydraulicsystems, crashed while making an emergency landing at Sioux City,Iowa; 185 other people survived.

In 1990, baseball’sall-time hits leader,Pete Rose, was sentenced in Cincinnati to five months in prison for tax evasion.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced apolicy allowing gays to serve in the military under acompromisedubbed “don’task, don’ttell, don’t pursue.”

In 2006, prosecutors reported that Chicago police beat, kicked, shocked or otherwise tortured scores of Black suspects from the 1970s to the early 1990s to try to extract confessions from them.

In 2005, President George W. Bush announced his

choice of federal appeals court judge John G. RobertsJr. to replace SupremeCourt Justice Sandra DayO’Connor. (Roberts ended upsucceeding Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist,who diedinSeptember 2005; Samuel Alito followed O’Connor.)

In 2013, in arare and public reflection on race, President Barack Obama called on the nation to do some soulsearchingover the death of Black teenager Trayvon Martin and theacquittal of his shooter GeorgeZimmerman,saying Martin “could havebeen me 35 years ago.”

In 2018, aduckboatpacked with tourists capsized and sank in high winds ona lake in the tourist town of Branson, Missouri,killing 17 people.

In 2021, PaulAllard Hodgkins, aFlorida manwho breached the U.S.Senate chamberonJan. 6, 2021, received an eight-month prison term in the first resolution of afelony case arisingfrom theU.S. Capitol insurrection. (In 2025, President DonaldTrump pardoned, commuted theprison sentences or vowed to dismiss thecases of all 1,500-pluspeople charged with crimes in the riot.)

In 2022, Britain shattered itsrecord for thehighest temperature ever registered amid aheat wavethatseared swaths of Europe; theMet Office weather agency registered areadingof104.5 degrees at Coningsby in eastern England.

Today’sBirthdays: Civil rights activist andeducator Rachel Robinson, widow of baseball’s Jackie Robinson,is104. Blues singer-musician LittleFreddie Kingis86. Singer-musician Alan Gorrie (AverageWhite Band) is 80. International TennisHall of Famer Ilie Nastase is 80. Rock musician Brian May (Queen)is79. Rock musician Bernie Leadon is79. Movie director Abel Ferrara is 75. Moviedirector Atom Egoyan is 66. Actor Campbell Scott is 65. Actor AnthonyEdwards is 64. Ukrainian politician and former boxingchampion Vitali Klitschko is 55. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is 50. TV chef Marcela Valladolid is 48. Actor Trai Byers (TV:“Empire”) is 43.

Agoodhostiskey to adinnerparty

Dear Miss Manners: When Imoved to the U.S., Ifound quite abit of difference in thedinner party etiquette compared to my home country.When an American co-worker invited me and other friends for dinner with his family at home, it turned out to be extremely stressful, as I was moreconcerned about avoiding acultural faux pas thanenjoying thedinner In my home country,unless asked by thehost, the guests are not expected tobring gifts, dishes, wine, etc. During asit-down dinner, the hosts would serve everyone elsebeforeserving themselves, and it is considered extremely rude to start eating beforethe guests. It is also frowned upon for the guests to help themselvestomultiple servingswithout getting acue from the host.This means it is important for thehosttoperiodically coax the gueststotake asecond or third serving and ensureeveryone has had achance to tryevery dish. During the dinner Iattended, I never got theopportunitytotry out all the dishes, as the host never mentioned them or they werekept at the other end of the table. How

do Iapproach such ascenario? When everyone is busy talking and eating, is it appropriate to yell out to the person closest to the dish to pass it over?

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press

NEW YORK George Santos has worn many hats: Swindler, congressman, prison inmate, podcast host. The obviousnextgig?Reality TV show contestant. In September,Santos will appear on the fifth season of Fox’s “Special Forces: World’sToughest Test,” a grueling contest where participants will be subjectedto chemical gassing and other themed challenges in aMalaysian jungle, the network said.

“I took my fat behind off the coach and tried something new!,” Santos wrotein apost on Xalong with apromotional image of himself standing next to atree with asternexpression on his face. “And it changed EVERYTHING! Ican’t wait to share this experience with y’all!” He will go up against more than adozen other contestants —including former NBA player Matt Barnes and actor Ruby Rose —in ashow Fox has billed as the “ultimatetestofphysical, mental and emotional resilience.” Santos was elected to the House from New York in 2022 as aRepublican, buthe wound up serving less than ayear in the office afterit was revealedhehad fabricated much of his life story He was expelled from Congress while facingcriminal charges over stealing from donors and his campaign, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and lying to Congress about his wealth. He pleaded guilty but had his

President Donald

Also, during the dinner, we ranout of gravy.Would it have been appropriate to ask the host to refill it? I have been invited over for dinner by another friend, and don’twant to offend the host accidentally GentleReader: The dinner party etiquette you cite is not peculiar to your home country.Itisageneral standard for being agood host. If there is acultural element in opposition, Miss Manners’ guess would be an Americanbias against being “tooformal.” But as you and she have noticed, the impending result is not casual, just thoughtless. Agood host should always be looking out for the guests’ comfort: refilling glasses, making sure everyone is served everything, offering morewhen plates are empty But even aproficient host cannot seeeverything, so guests are allowed such polite prompts as, “Oh, dear,weseem to be out of gravy,” “Pleasepass the creamed spinach”

and even, “This steak was delicious …” in hope of getting more. The key is to state these things helpfully and not as arebuke. Although perhaps in your co-worker’scase, the latter mayhave been warranted.

Dear Miss Manners: When people sit on machines at the gym that others want to use, texting and reading their phones, they mayjust be taking abreak between sets. Usually there are three sets of 10 to 12 reps, and they rest their muscles for afew minutesinbetween. Sometimes people are willing to alternate with someone else during their rest period.

Gentle Reader: OK …? If you are one of those people, and do not mind asking tactfully whether they are pausing or finished, do so. But those who are, perhaps, more timid and just want to do their workouts maynot be quite so understanding about having to wait forothers to post their stories before they can use public machines. Miss Manners will therefore continue to support them —while you continue to wait.

Email dearmissmanners@gmail. com.

Decliningunknown phonecalls thesedays

Dear Heloise: Itotally agree with not answering aspam call because they usually askfor our personal information. But just as aheads-up: Ireceived ablocked call back to back, and Ididn’tanswer the first few times But when Idid answer,itwas from the emergency room in amajor hospital. The doctor was trying to inform me of my fiancé’sdeath. However,because of HIPPA,bylaw,they couldn’t tell me this information over the phone. The doctor justsaid, “He’s very sick. Can you please cometo the hospital?”

AfterIcollected myself at the hospital, Iaskedwhy the call was blocked. Iwas told thatsometimes, the numbers from certain businesses, hospitals, and even doctor’soffices may comeacrossas blocked, spam and/or unavailable.

Now this happened in 2008, and right at this moment, Ihave a relative in amajor hospital. Phone numbers have comethrough normally and sometimes blocked. So, yes, ignoring calls maywork because none of us wants to be questioned or set up for ascam,but Ijust wantedtoshare my own personalexperience for awareness.

Felicia P.,inHouston

Olderpetsfor seniors

Dear Heloise: Recently,you ran a brief letter about the concern of elderly people adopting young animals and the pet being abandoned when the pet parent dies. There are severalgroups who rescue senior pets in crisis, and there are groups who adopt out senior pets for senior people. Some even help with vet bills for senior citizens. Please let your readers know about them! They can just google “senior pets for seniorpeople” or something similar, and they’ll find several lo-

cal groups. Ithink it’sawonderful option. —Lynda H., via email Lynda, thank you for this hint. There’snothing sadder than dumping ahomeless pet somewhere and driving off. It’saliving creature that needs food, water,shelter,and aloving home. It gave its former owner love and comfort, so return the favor by making sure that the animal has agood future with people who’ll provide care to it

Heloise

Watersaver

Dear Heloise: Our shower takes awhile forthe water to heat up. Instead of watching the water go downthe drain, my husband had agreat idea to put abucket under the running water until it gets warm. We use the cold water for the birds and plants outside. Easy and awin-win! —Paula and Barry,in Omaha, Nebraska Email heloise@heloise.com.

Hints from Heloise

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hungaryexhibit goes face-to-face

BY JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press

BUDAPEST,Hungary— Ablacksmith, astable boy,asoldier,aslave:The faces and stories of these and other residents of an ancient Roman city in modern Hungary have been brought to life in remarkable fidelity for a new exhibition in Budapest

The display,which runs until Oct. 31, showcases highlydetailed facial reconstructions from over a dozen skulls found in the ancientcity of Aquincum, once abustling Roman settlement on the empire’s Danube frontier Visitors to the Aquincum Museum come face-to-face with hyperrealistic models of Roman-era individuals, each crafted using DNA analysis and other techniques from fields such as archaeology and anthropology to determine how the people may have looked in life nearly 2,000 years ago.

“Our main goal wasto bring afew of these individuals closer to the people of today,” said Loránt Vass, an archaeologistand theexhibition’sco-curator

The title of the exhibition, “Oncewewerelikeyou,” attemptstoanswer questions about ordinarypeoplein ancient societies:What did they look like? What were their names? What was their fate?

Experts with the Aquincum Museum used DNA analysis of unearthed bones to reveal skin,hair and eye color and whether the person may have had freckles.

ries for each of the reconstructed faces, giving them new life.

Péter Vámos, another of the exhibit’sco-curators, said the invented details were “based on authentic historical foundations” as well as information gathered from analysisofthe skulls, which are displayed under thereconstructions.

and in awine-fueled skirmish in alocal tavern,his nosewas broken and one of his teeth knocked out

The story and social statusofRespectus is typical of manyAquincum residentsdepicted.

Vass saidtheir studies showed that the bones of almost all individuals show a“fairly high degree” of inflammation.

“They weresubjected to regularphysical labor,and in manycases they were exposedtostarvation fora certain period of time,” he said

“Based on this, it can be concludedthatmost of them belongedtothe lower middle class, whichisthe leastremembered segment of Roman society.”

Of the16reconstructions, six aresilicon moldings that have been painted and meticulouslyadornedwith true-to-life hair,clothing and jewelry

Emese Gábor,who handcrafted thesilicon reconstructions, said that while artificial intelligence also can be used to modelancient faces, “they just appear on ascreen.”

“The advantage of this kind of reconstructionis thatitcan be displayedin amuseum, it can be viewed from all angles and is totally life-size,” she said. “I sticktoscientific methods andcombine classical and modern scientific methods in this work.”

Anothervaluable piece of informationthatDNA can reveal is theethnicorigin of the person —quite illuminating in Aquincum’sdiverse settlement.

Analyses showed the presence of not only Roman citizens with origins in the heart of the empire in modern-day Italy,but also people from as faraway as today’sScotland and Syria,

as well as members of the nomadic Sarmatian tribes of the Eurasiansteppes. Also amongAquincum’s residentswere Celts, who inhabited the region in the IronAge before Roman settlement.

Vass said that during typical excavations of Romanera skeletons, artifacts are examined, documented and stored, meaning “the bodies havenoweight, no life, no soul.”

But by confronting visitors with their ancient predecessors, the museum hopestoforge aconnection. Theexhibition’stitle “suggeststhattheywerelike we are today.Theyhad the same occupations, the same problems,” Vass said. “They mayhave had different life conditions, different social status, but people are people,” he said. “I don’tthink that haschanged much acrosshistory.”

Theshape,density and other characteristicsofthe skullrevealed details of thestructure of theface as well as the person’sage and whether they had sustained any injuries or suffered from disease.

“Wedon’tevenknow their names,unfortunately, but we tried to incorporate everything that anthropology andgeneticstudies could tell us abouttheir life history,” he said.

Based on the findings,curators came up with names, trades and biographical sto-

One character, aconstructionworker theynamed Respectus,isdescribed as having made his living in Aquincum plasteringwalls and splitting stoneblocks Theexhibit says the work took its toll on his bones,

Husbandforgets 20th anniversary

to walk down it.However, when you’ve been apeople pleaser for so long, many of those closest to you become accustomed to being catered to.

Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

Harriette

Dear Harriette: My husband forgot our 20-year wedding anniversary,and I’ve been sobbing about it for a week. Iplanned asurprise romantic dinner for us, and Igot him areally nice watch that he has been eyeing for awhile. He, however, had nothing planned for me and no gift awaiting me. I’ve been with him for 20 years, and he can’teven remember me. The more Ithink about it, the more Iwonder if this is part of alarger issue. Throughout our marriage, I have often been the one responsible for remembering birthdays, holidays, family gatheringsand special occasions. Iamusually the person planning celebrations, buying gifts and making sure everyone feelsappreciated. Sometimes it feels like Icarry the emotional load of keeping our family connected while everyone else simply shows up. My husband insists that it was an honest mistake and says he feels terrible. He has apologized several times and keeps telling me that it doesn’tmean

he loves me any less. Iwant to believe him, but Ican’t seem to shake thisfeeling of sadness.Isit reasonable that Ifeel this hurt, or am I overthinking? —Unappreciated Dear Unappreciated: It seems youhave awakened to the reality of your relationship dynamics, and you aren’t happy —but it alsoseems that your husband hasbeen consistent over the years.If youhaven’tpushedhim to be thoughtful and youhave takenall the responsibility for your relationship’s milestones, you shouldn’tbe surprised.

Thatsaid,you cancall for change now.Tell your husband howyou feel andwhat youwant:moreattention, more proactivity and more thoughtfulness. Ask him to step up and do more foryou. Perhaps he will get abit better

Dear Harriette: Iamachronic peoplepleaser.As the youngest in my family,I thinkI’ve neverfeltownership over who Iam. Ifound myself guided by the opinions and perceived opinions of those aroundme. As I’ve become an adult,those opinionshaveonly gotten louder and more confusing.

I’m realizing Ineed to find my own path because I’m the one who will have

This makes changing that behavior even more difficult.Although Ishouldn’t, Ifeel bad when Idisappoint those around me, even when Iunderstand that it comes with boundary setting. I’m not trying to becomeaselfish person, but Ihave to start making space for myself. Howdo you recommendIbegin to communicate that in my existing relationships? —People Pleaser

Dear People Pleaser: Announce thatyou areturning anew leaf and redefining your life. That includes making yourself apriority. Apologize in advance for not being able to jumpwhenever theycall. Notethatyou will be putting yourself first. When people start making demands, note when you cannot do what theyhave requested and remind themthat you must take care of yourself,and this will sometimes mean theyhave to take careof themselves without your support

Email askharriette@ harriettecole.com.

STRENGTH NUMBERS IN

PROVIDED PHOTO BELOW: Beyond the StateCapitol lies amix of industrial plants, a vibrant downtown and neighborhoods. Louisiana’spopulation has grownjust 3% since 2000 —from roughly 4.5 millionto 4.6 million people.

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Tristan andEmily Babin moved from the New Orleans area to Houston in 2022 to follow Tristan’s job in the energy industry

IDEAS INNOVATION &

After th e birth of their first child, though, the couple discovered the challenges of living in a giant Texascity where everywhere you need to go —fromthe pediatrician’soffice to afriend’shouse —is at leastahalf-hour drive away

So,last year,theycame home. And they’ve got no regrets about thedecision.

“It takes avillage to raise afamily but it’shard to do that in Houstonbecause of the way it’s laid out,” Tristan Babin said. “Everything is beautiful, newand modern, but certain parts are just endless concrete.”

The Babins’story no doubt is musictothe ears of Louisiana economic developers working to lure investors,businessesand youngprofessionals to thePelican State in the hopes of reversing adecades-long trend of population stagnation. But it’salso an anomaly Sincethe turn of thecentury,Louisiana has lagged behind its Southern neighborsineconomicand population growth as its reliance on oil and gas suffered from global economicchanges and the industry’s consolidationinTexas.Anincrease in weather-related risk and costs exacerbated thestate’sproblems,

contributing to the “brain drain” that draws many young Louisianians out of state in search of opportunity

The result?Louisiana’s population has grown just 3% since 2000 —from roughly 4.5 millionto4.6 millionpeople. South Carolina, by comparison, has added morethan 1.5 millionpeople —anearly 40% increase —inthat same span.

ä See POPULATION, page 2E Groups sayissueswitheducation,affordability andlackofamenities aredriving

Statewidehousing

sold for more than $600,000 each.

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL and ADAM DAIGLE Staff writers

New Orleans-area real estate agent Donna Chandler is busier this summer than she’sbeen in years. She and her colleagues are fielding more calls from potentialbuyers and sellers, and she’sselling more houses. In thepastmonth, she’sclosedthree deals, including two homesinMetairie that

“There is definitely more activity,”said Chandler,anassociate broker withReMaxAffiliates. “It feelslikethingsare startingto normalize after the post-COVID slump.” Data appears to back what Chandlerisexperiencing.After three anemicyearscaused by interest rate increases and soaring insurance premiums, housing markets across southeast Louisiana are showing faint signs of recovering. Duringthe firstsix months of the year,the number of sales across the10-parish New Orleans region increased nearly 7% over the same period ayear ago, according to the NewOrleans Met-

ropolitan Association of Realtors In theBaton Rouge area, they were up almost 4%, figures providedbythe Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors show.And in theLafayette area,theywere up 5% fortheirsecond straight year andare at theirhighest totalsince2022,according to Bill Bacque, with Market Scope Consulting. Market watchersattributed theuptick to acouple of factors. Ahandful of newinsurers have startedwriting homeowners policiesinthe state, pushing premiums slightly lower.Also,buyers aregettingused to interest

See REAL ESTATE,

NewOrleans broker Charlotte Dorion, with Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Preferred, who specializes in high end and luxury properties Uptown, saiddemand for houses in the ‘$3 million and up’ rangefar outpaces supply.

STAFF FILE PHOTOBy CHRIS GRANGER

PROVIDED PHOTOByTRACIE MORRIS SCHAEFER

Rebecca Mowbray,from left, president and CEO of the Bureau of Governmental Research, interviews Annalisa Kelly, avice president at JEDCO; Walter J. Leger III, CEO of NewOrleans &Co.; and JeffreySchwartz, deputy mayorofeconomicdevelopment forNew Orleans on July9atthe NewOrleans Saints training facility

ABOVE: The Babin family movedfrom the NewOrleans area toHouston in 2022 and returned last year

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Motley

Fool

Fool Take: Not too late to invest in Nvidia Is semiconductor giant Nvidia’s(Nasdaq: NVDA) incredible run finally over? Its shares have recently pulled back a bit, but there remain excellent reasons to invest in Nvidia. Nvidia’s bears point to increased competition in the graphicsprocessing unit market. They argue that hyperscalers —the company’s biggest customers —are increasingly relying on internally developed custom artificial intelligence chips, which could reduce their relianceon Nvidia’shardware

But Nvidia still reigns supreme in the GPU space, with a94% market share, according to one research report.

Furthermore, the company is launching anew, powerful platform, Vera Rubin: Rubin is the GPU while Vera is acentral processing unit. That should help Nvidia mitigate the threat from custom artificial intelligence chips since one of their appeals is that they offer better priceto-performance ratios for specific workloads.

Finally,Nvidia is tapping into anew opportunity with the Vera CPU, as the shift to agentic AI will bring about increasing demand for CPUs. Nvidia thinks this market could be worth $200 billion.

Nvidia’sAI-related tailwind appears to be far from over And in the coming years, the stock could generate above-average returns. (The Motley Fool owns sharesofand recommends Nvidia.)

Ask the Fool: Funds or stocks?

Ireally don’twant tolose money So should Ionly invest in mutual funds and not stocks? —K.T., Biddeford, Maine Mutual funds can lose money,just as stocks can, particularly funds that invest in stocks. Mostinvestments carry some risk. The least risky (such as U.S. Treasury bonds) willoften grow very slowly Stocks have awide range of risk. Establishedbluechip companies, such as Procter &Gamble and Visa, are likely to do well over the long term, albeit with some volatility.Smaller or younger companies can be more volatile.

Mutual funds come in awide variety,too. Some focus on certain regions or sectors,while others are much broader (and often less risky),tracking the S&P 500 or most of the U.S.

REAL ESTATE

Continued from page 1E

rates that have been holding steady at around 6.5% for more than ayear after spiking in 2023 and 2024.

“This is one of thebusiest times I’ve had in along time,”said Ron Barden, owner of Mandeville-based Barden Real Estate, as he drove betweenvideo shoots for four listings on Tuesday Still,while sale activity is up, acouple of other key measures suggest the south Louisiana housing market has not fully recovered from its post-pandemic funk. The amount of time properties spend listed for sale in the two largest metros is continuing to increase —it’supto71days in the GreaterNew Orleans area and to more than 80 daysin the Baton Rougemetro though the rate of increase has slowed and in Lafayette Parish, it’sdroppedfrom 80 days to 75. More significantly,median home sale prices in most parts of the state, though generally higher,are barely keeping up with inflation, which averaged 3.5% in the first six months of 2026. Across metroNew Orleans, the median sale price rose by less than 2% to $285,000 in the first half of the year.Inthe Baton

or world stock market.

If you have along investingtime frame, you’ll likely do relatively well with broad-market index mutual funds. But therewill be occasional periodsofdisappointment,because few investmentsgoupina straight line. When choosingmutual funds,favor ones with low fees. How often should Ireviewthe stocks I’m invested in? —S.N., Rapid City,SouthDakota Aim to follow those companies at least every three months, when they issue their quarterlyand annual reports, which generally include press releases and financial statements. (These are typically found on the companies’ websites.)

Listening to or reading transcripts of theaccompanying conference calls that managementshold with analysts can be especially informative. You can look uparticles about the companies at sites like Yahoo Finance and at Fool.com,too. Though youcan keepupwith large established companieslessoften,the more youknow about all your holdings, thebetter

My Dumbest

Investment: Canopy

My biggest mistakewas buying afew shares of Canopy Growth in 2020, when it wasat$140 per share. It had areally huge run, all the wayto$490.Then Idiscovered that it invested in Biosteel or somethingand hadto cut lots of jobs; Ididn’texpect as much of ahit as it took.I don’t know what Iwas thinking in not selling till it wasbelow $3 per share, as it hasn’t shown any signs of recovery. I’ve sincecut my losses and gainedabsolutely nothing but emotional and financial damage. —G.B., online Sadly, shares recently sank below $1, so it’s goodthat you got out whenever you did. CanopyGrowth, aCanadian cannabis company, has struggled for multiple reasons, akey one being its investment in BioSteel Sports Nutrition. Canopy stopped funding BioSteel in 2023, and it has been workingonstrengthening its business. Itsmedical marijuana business has been booming,but otherdivisions have seen slowing sales, in part due tosupply-chain issues.Canopy might do well in the long run, but many view it as aspeculative and risky proposition right now.While the cannabis industry is promising,not every company in it will prosper

Do you have asmart or regrettable investment movetoshare with us? Email it to tmfshare@ fool.com.

Signs of recovery?

POPULATION

Continuedfrom page1E

It’salong-term trajectorythatisnot sustainable, whichiswhy economic development expertsand policy leaders have stepped up their focusonhow best to grow thepopulation. It’snot anew conversation, but it’s onethathas taken on anew sense of urgencyasstudy after study shows Louisiana continuing to lose ground to peer states.

Expertsknow thatjobs, ultimately,drive population growth. That’s why Louisiana Economic Development officials point to $150 billion in new industrial projectsthey have attractedto the state —including Meta, Hyundaiand LNG plants as thebest way to lure more people to the state.

But the same experts also say that the efforts must go beyond jobstocreate communitiesthatoffer what young familieswantina place to live: good schools, affordable housing, asafe environment and amenities like public parks andbike paths.

“Tobring and keep more people here,wehavetofix insurance affordability, increase educational access and investmoreincommunities,”saidAllisonHotard, executive director of the Young Leadership Council in New Orleans.

‘Peoplevotewiththeir feet’

The crowd in the cafeteria of theNew Orleans Saintstraining facility on a Wednesday morningearlier this monthwas noticeably less physically fit than usual.

That’s because, instead of professional football players, thespace was filledwith afew hundredbusinesspeople,political leaders andpolicy wonks gathered to hear apanel of experts talk about ways economic development can help the region grow.

Participantsinthe hourlong conversation hosted by theBureau of Governmental Research talked aboutstrategiestoboost jobsasaway to growthe population.

Jeffrey Schwartz, New Orleans deputymayor for economic development and community development, touted the city’s plan to revive New Orleans East. It involves courting investment related to thePort of New Orleans’ proposed container terminal in St.Bernard Parish andthe growth at the existingMichoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East.

“Nearly every rocket that hasevertaken ahumanfrom U.S.soilinto outer space has been built in New Orleans,” he said. “If we are nottelling that story,how do we expect folks graduating from our 13 higheredinstitutions to stay in this region?”

Afterthreeyears of anemic growth,home sale activity in south Louisiana’sthreemajor metro areas was up in the firsthalfof 2026 over the same periodin2025.

IN CLOSED SALES

Sources: NewOrleans Metropolitan AssociationofRealtors; Greater BatonRouge AssociationofRealtors; Market ScopeConsulting

Rouge area, it was up 3.8% to $275,000. In theLafayette area, itinched up 1.5% to $257,000. “Overall, Iwouldn’tcall the improvements substantial,”said Scott Brannon, an associate broker with CompassRealEstateinNew Orleans. “But it’sdefinitely better than it was.”

‘Downwardpressure’?

Within the three metro areas, there were differences among the parishes —and some inconsistencies. In the New Orleans metro area, St. Tammany Parish

hada 14% increase in sales during the first half of the year,though themedian home sale price was flat at $300,000. Jefferson Parish sales activity was essentially unchanged,with two fewer sales in thefirst half of 2026 than the year before, though the median sale pricewas up nearly 4% to$275,000. Orleans Parish, meanwhile, saw a5%jumpinthe number of closed salesand a2%increase in themedian homesale price to $285,000. EastBaton Rouge Parish sales activity was virtually unchanged over the same

Panelists acknowledged the well-documentedchallengesoflife surrounding a city of 360,000 residents that is nowroughlyhalf its peak size.

Speakerssaid thefactors drivingpeople away from south Louisiana include high insurance costs, badroads subpar public transportation, public safety concerns and aperceived lack of economicopportunities.

“People votewiththeir feet,” Walt Leger,president and CEO of New Orleans & Co., told the crowd. “When communities provide educational opportunities and affordable housing, people move to those locations and they stay there.”

Settinggoals

BGRisn’tthe only organization focused on population growth. Greater New OrleansInc., the regional economic development nonprofit, is preparing to launch an initiative called “5x5” in January that seeks to grow the metroarea’s populationby5% over the next five years— boostingthe number of people in the metro areafrom 1,440,000 next year to 1,512,000 in 2032.

Thegroup endorses efforts to “double down on sectors of the Louisiana economy with the best growth potential based on global trends and the state’sstrengths. Areasoffocusinclude energy,defense,aerospace andtrade.

affordabilityand brand,” said Michael Hecht, who will transition from GNO Inc.CEO to an emeritusrole next year

Hecht said the state is alreadymaking historiceconomic gains in the energy, maritime,defense andaerospace sectors, andthatquality of life can be improved vialow-cost policy and advocacy.Hecitesthe NOLA Coalition, an anti-crimealliance formed in 2022, as a successful example of the strategy.

GNO Inc. also plans to garner support from the business communitytofund anational marketing campaign.

“Wehaveastrongstoryto sell,”Hechtsaid.

Attracting GenZ

Andrew Fitzgerald,anexecutive at theGreater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership, said the conventional wisdomthatpeople follow jobshas evolved.

“Growing population comes down to fourinterrelated imperatives: economic opportunity, quality of life, affordability and brand. We have astrong storytosell.”

MICHAEL HECHT

Greater NewOrleans Inc. CEO

Hand in hand will be efforts to “destroy dissatisfiers” by investing in public safety, flood control,homeless policyand educationwhile combating theinflated costofliving by advocatingfor more public support for fortified roofs and national hazard insurance.

“Growing population comes down to four interrelated imperatives: economic opportunity,quality of life,

period ayear ago, while the median sale price was up nearly 2.5%to$280,500. Both Livingstonand Ascension parishes saw a6%jump in closed sales and slight increases in the median sales price.

New construction in the Acadiana region continues to dragdown prices of existinghomes duetothe incentives from buildersthat make theincreasedprice tag easiertoswallowfor buyers, according to Jim Keaty, owner of KeatyReal Estate in Lafayette.

“Never in history have we seen newconstruction at ahigher price and more affordable than existing homes,” Keaty said. “It’s putting downward pressure on theprice (ofexisting homes). New construction, which is always higher,is more affordableona monthly basis. That’s theinteresting story.”

Highsand lows

Another interesting trend across south Louisiana, according to residential brokers, is the disparity between the luxury home market,where all-cash buyers are still engaging in bidding wars in someneighborhoods, and the market for moreaffordable and starter homes.

New Orleansbroker Charlotte Dorion, with Berkshire HathawayHomeservices

Louisiana Economic Development

SecretarySusan Bourgeois speaksas

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman listens during a news conference May7following atour at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

“When Hyundai Steel announced its$6billionfacility in Ascension, it made sense in termsofincentives andlandavailability, but dozens of theirexecutives from South Korea plan to move there as well, so they care aboutthe community,” Fitzgerald said.

‘Chicken andegg’?

Ultimately,Louisiana’s economicdeveloperswrangle with a“chickenoregg” dilemma: Do people come to acommunityfor jobs, or do jobsgravitatetodesirable communities?

“Polling shows millennialsand Gen Zworktolive instead of living to work, so they’llbe willing to take a haircut on salary or job titletobein aplace that they enjoy,” he said. Fitzgerald attributes thegrowth of Ascension andLivingston parishes to their combination of efficient governments, strong public schools, new parks and relatively new housing that’sstill affordable, especially compared to alarger metro area like Houston or Atlanta.

“Tho se an d other amenities are really important to young talent,” he said. “They’ve just had a great time for four years and they want to continue that after college as well.”

Companies,too, are looking forappealing places not just whoever offers the biggest tax break. They want locations that will make it easier to attract and retain top talent.

Preferred, who specializes in high end and luxury properties Uptown, said demand forhouses in the “$3 million andup” range far outpaces supply.Sellers with milliondollar homes are getting above their asking price provided the house is newly renovated.

“Things are going off (the luxury) market fast,” Dorion said. “It just has to be the right location, the right price and in mint condition.”

Brannon, who recently was shopping for houses Uptown for aclient looking in the$850,000-to-$2 million range,saidhomes in top condition in the“sweet spot” between Magazine Street, AudubonPark,and St. Charlesand Napoleon avenues were“flying off the market.”

Brannoneventually found him a“beautifully renovated home” Uptown near the river that cost morethan $1 million.

Lafayette’sluxury market also is thriving. Ahome in River Ranch last week sold for more than $3 million, land records show.Another in RiverRanch,the one-time homeofoilfield tycoon Mike Moreno, is expected to close soon after being listed for $12.5 million.

The lowerend of themarket, meanwhile, is evaporating. In 2019, nearly 1out of every 4homes in Lafayette sold for $150,000 or below

“One doesn’thappen without the other,” LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said during aphone interview last week.“Looking for funding dollars forschools and roads becomes adifficult equation unless you are bringing in more economic activity and tax revenue.” Bourgeois said what’shappening in Richland Parish, where thenew Meta data center is under construction, is showing thepower of investment, as her team tries to leverage that tentpole project to attract clusters of relatedindustries. Now, nearby Monroe is showing signs of economic growth. The future Hyundaisteel plant in Donaldsonville could provide another example.

“You can bet that their public services should be much better once they start collecting that sales tax and property tax,” Fitzgerald said. “Then the ‘chicken and the egg’ becomes the virtuouscycle:A companyputs more money in people’s pockets, generating tax revenue, and that creates an attractive community.”

Activity related to those twoprojects and others like them might also be contributing to Louisiana’sincrease in laborforce participation, according to Bourgeois, and the state’smodest population growth for the second year in arow,particularly among 18- to 30-year-olds.

“Thoseare reallygood markers, and it’sreally important to that fundamental shift,” she said.

Email RichCollinsatrich. collins@theadvocate.com.

So farin2026, it’sbeen 1out of almost every 10 homes, due to inflation and asmaller pool of first-timehomebuyers, experts said.

“If there’sanything of concern that Ihaveabout the Lafayette Parish market, it’s thataffordability aspect,” Bacque said. “We’ve lost a certainsegment of themarketplace that I’mnot sure we can replace.” Chandler has seen asimilardynamic in the New Orleans area. Among her clients is aseller in Metairie with athree-bedroom cottage in agood neighborhood with an assumable mortgage at 3.5%, which is rare. Thehouse waslisted for $215,000, about $250 a square foot, and didn’tmove after amonth on themarket. The seller lowered the price by $10,000 and it’sstill sitting.

“With a3.5% mortgage, this house should have flown off the market,” said Chandler, who servesaspresident of theNOMAR board. “Meanwhile, you have bidding wars over $3 million properties.”

“There’snorhyme or reason to it,” she said. Staff writersTimothy Boone and Grace Mayer contributed reporting to this story.

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTOBy BRETT DUKE

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

Social work was foundation for skincare maker’s vision

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Skincare company Saint Crewe started with a “no.”

Erin Piper, a mother of two, brought her 9-year-old daughter along to a store while she was purchasing beauty products, but some advanced skincare caught the eye of the girl.

It was an easy no from Piper, due to the dangers of anti-aging ingredients like retinol for children, but she could see other moms around the store saying “yes,” with shopping baskets filled to the top with skincare products for their children.

Piper has a social work practice in Baton Rouge

Seeing a need for skincare products safe for young skin, she teamed up with Laura-Lucia Carothers, her friend’s sister and a former executive at Skinceuticals, to launch the clinically tested, luxury skincare brand in March of last year She said Saint Crewe is intended for college-age adults though it’s not harmful if children get their fingers into it.

“It’s the social worker in me,” Piper said “I don’t want a young girl or a young boy that worried about their appearance at such a young age. On the flip side, you want to give them something that’s safe to do with their friends, if that’s all the craze.”

Young girls have taken a large interest in skincare in recent years, largely due to the popularity of the products on social media and “get ready with me”-style videos where content creators take viewers through

PROVIDED PHOTO By SAINT CREWE

“I don’t want a young girl or a young boy that worried about their appearance at such a young age. On the flip side, you want to give them something that’s safe to do with their friends, if that’s all the craze.”

ERIN PIPER, founder of Saint Crewe

their beauty routines. U.S. teens spend a collective $1.7 billion each year on skincare and make up 10% of the beauty consumer market, according to Boston Consulting Group. Piper runs a small team of three full-time employees, with other part-time hire in sales and consulting. She declined to share the company’s first-year revenue. In just a year the brand has inked partnerships with well-known beauty com-

pany Revolve and trendy women’s clothing retailer Anthropologie and is available online on the Saint Crewe site.

Saint Crewe has developed an ambassador program geared toward college students to promote the brand and also has a scholarship.

The program awarded $2,000 to three college students who have displayed resilience after facing a challenge.

Q&A WITH ERIN PIPER FOUNDER OF SAINT CREWE

They’re just getting started, Piper says, aiming to stock with more retailers and eventually expand internationally in the future.

In this week’s Talking Business, Piper discusses the skincare market, growing her brand and running a business in Louisiana.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

How would you describe the market at the time of launch?

This is a really saturated market, as we all know

When I had this idea, I knew I needed to get to market quick because it was exploding, and I knew I would not be the only one who had this idea and who had the ability to get products to market.

We got to market in a little less than 18 months, which is sort of unheard of. We launched with four SKUs. It’s a very simplified line. I wanted to really focus on quality over quantity and really get those ingredients exactly right.

I’d love to hear the story behind the name.

You’re probably thinking Mardi Gras krewe. Saint is part of my mother’s maiden name Her maiden name is St. Clair, and I’ve always loved the maiden name St. Clair

I took Saint from that, and then Crewe is actually the last name of the protagonist in one of my favorite books is a child, “The Little Princess.”

She embodies resilience and kindness and generos-

ity and grit and all of the things that I teach in my practice and in the way I aim to parent my children. Revolve and Anthropologie are such big names. Given that your company is so young, how did you go about cultivating those relationships with those brands?

Revolve reached out to us

They just reached out to me on Instagram because they saw the saw the line and loved the way it looked, and we immediately signed on with them very quickly We reached out to Anthropologie and they pretty quickly reached back out and said “sold.”

I’ve been lucky because the line really speaks for itself. People go to our Instagram and they sort of see I hate the word vibe — but they see the vibe and they love it. What are some of the largest challenges you’ve faced?

We’re a small company

We don’t have a huge marketing budget and we can’t go spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to get the marketing out there, to get the messaging out there, to do these huge, beautiful in-person activations that these brands are doing.

We’ve had to come up with some really creative ways to get our messaging out there. That’s why I think we’re so proud of the ambassador program because that’s been such a great way to get content out there

These girls are loving receiving products and being able to make videos. It’s a

culture now

What’s kept you here, and do you plan on keeping the business and yourself here in Baton Rouge for the long run?

That’s always the plan.

This is my home. I’m Louisiana through and through, and I love this place

There’s a lot of things that we have going for us, and there’s a lot of things that we don’t have going for us. There’s so much potential here. My hope is that we continue to move forward as a state in a way that makes people want to stay here. Because it makes me very sad knowing that we’ve got these brilliant kids coming out of high school, and people are leaving for a multitude of reasons. How can the state improve to make things easier for business owners and founders to start and grow their businesses?

Educate the kids that are growing up in the state. Here’s the thing, if you give them a great education, they’re going to stay here Then business owners like us have the pick of the litter to hire from, and then I’m able to give these kids a great job, and then they’re able to stay here and provide for their families. Is that what inspired the scholarship?

Oh, absolutely I’m a social worker first through and through, and I’ve always been interested in educating kids, always, and that’s been something that I’ve been interested in and been a part of way before the Saint Crewe scholarship. We have to help these kids break those barriers and be able to get to school.

We’re

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ACROSS THE REGION

Shreveport’s Frymasterturns up theheatonexpansion

BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer

On the Frymaster website, a large red bar reads: “Trusted Worldwide. Built in Shreveport.”

The manufacturer that has called Shreveport home for 91 years could be one of the area’s best-kept secrets If you’ve eatenataBurger King, Popeyes, Taco Bell or aRaising Cane’s, you have likely had food fried by Frymaster equipment.

Kathryn Childs, director of operations, saidshe has heard that 30% of all of the fried food consumed every day is prepared by aFrymaster fryer While most have heard of the big companies, there are hundredsofindependent restaurants usingFrymaster products, too, said Wendell Hays, Frymaster’s vice president of new business and products

Childs Hays

Frymaster

On avacation to the Virgin Islands, he went to asmall island accessible only by boat. After ameal at one of the two restaurants there,“Iwent to see what theyhad in their kitchen and there were two fryers made righthereinShreveport, sitting in there. I’m like, ‘That’sreally awesome that my fryersended up here.’” Restaurants on the island are using products that did not get their start with executives sitting around atableina corporate office, said Hays.

“You don’tunderstand the real needs of the business until yougo get in the kitchen and youwatch the workflow,the 17-year-old kid that was trained for 10 minutes on how the fryer works and see the challenges they facetryingto do their job,” he said. “So you really have to figure out ways todumb it down,make it intuitive.”

whostaffthe factory sevendaysa week.

Hays said he got that perspec-

tive when he was working at a Bonanzasteakhouse andhad gotten “fiveminutes”offryer training. “My boss came in and theoil was black, and the food looked terrible, and it was smoking and he said, ‘Son, when was the last time you changed thisoil?’ And I said, ‘I didn’tknow Ihad to change the oil. Nobody told me.’ Iwould have cooked in that stuff forever because Idid not know what Iwas doing. And, you know,I’ve always looked at that as like,that’s who we’re designing our product for,” he said To help, Frymaster is nowusing touchscreens insteadofthe intimidating bank of buttons that Hays said, “scared people to death.”

“Wehad somebody tell us that that thinglookslike the cockpit of the 757, and somebody else is like, you know,I think it’scalled the 3,000 because there’s3,000 buttons on it.And my favorite was somebodywho hadsaid, ‘Whoever designedthis thing has neverworked

in akitchen.’”

In response,in2014, Frymaster becameone of the first restaurant equipmentmanufacturers to move from buttons to touch screens. The new technology has added benefits.

Through thefryer’sinternet connection,Hayssaid he can see at aglance if there are equipment problems. He thinks artificialintelligence could prove to be very helpful.

Soon, Hays said he believes smartkitchen systems will be able to build predictivealgorithms on howmuchfood should be cooked even before theorders comein.

Outofsight,not topofmind

In December,Frymaster signed acontract on an adjacent 57-acre building. NorthLouisianaEconomic Partnership CEO Justyn Dixon said theproperty acquisitionsenta strong message that the company plans “to continue their success for years to come.”

Earlier this year,Frymaster was

running 13 different production linesinits 270,000-square-foot facility at 8700 Line Ave. The plant adds another50,000 square feet for storage and upward of 100,000 square feet forproduction. Thereare 600 employees who stafflines that run seven days a week.

Because the Frymasterfacilities, which include the two Line Avenue locations and the partner Lincoln Foodservice in the Shreve ParkIndustrial Campus, are mostly out of sight, they are also back of mind. Frymaster President Oscar Villa said it’simportant that residents know the investments made and jobs created by thecompanies, whichare both part of the multinational Ali Group.

“Wedofeel like we have been alittle bit neglected by thelocal community because we’ve been here for such along

time. And you know,weare kind of taken for granted in away,” Villa said.

He said thecompany hasmade avariety of capital investments from newequipment andfabrication to anew building. He said they are also hiring and investing in their employees,improving compensation and adding morecareer opportunities.

“We’re goingtobehere fora long time,” Villa said. “Weare going to grow, andthere arelotsoflongterm opportunities.

“You know,I see someofthe otherpeople,theycome in, they make abig splash,and then maybe they’re gonna be gone in afew years, or they overpromise and maybeunderdeliver,right?I feel likewe’re alittle bit theopposite. We’re aprivate company,sowe don’tneed to show off or do any big proclamation or,you know,come up with any crazy plan, but we are very consistent.”

Email Liz Swaineatliz.swaine@ theadvocate.com.

As partofthe celebration of the250th anniversaryofthe Declarationof Independence,the WorldMonuments Fund has createdan“Irreplaceable America”list, which designatesthe topten sites in America thatare unique andindispensable

Thereisonlyone city on thatlist: NewOrleans.

Rather than highlighting asingle landmark, thenominationframesNew Orleans as an irreplaceable living cultural landscape: aplacewhere historic neighborhoods,vernaculararchitecture,publictraditions,water,culture, and daily lifeare inseparable.The local nomination wasinitiated by Kristin Gisleson Palmer,ExecutiveDirectorofthe Preservation ResourceCenter (PRC), who made thecase thatthe entire city -not asingle monument, building,ordistrict -isthe irreplaceable site. PRCworked with theHistoricPreservationprogram in Tulane’sSchool of Architecture andBuilt Environment, theLouisiana LandmarksSociety,The Ella Project,and TheWater Collaborativetodevelop thesubmission andhighlight therelationship among architecture, culture, water, community stability, andtraditional skills.

World Monuments Fund TopTen “Irreplaceable America”Sites

•Bartram’s Garden,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -The oldestsurviving botanical garden in theUnitedStates, Bartram’sGarden helped shape American natural history andglobal plant exchange

•Black Mountain College StudiesBuilding, NorthCarolina -Atthe heart of Black Mountain College,this building represents oneofthe most influential experiments in American artand education.

•AfricanMeeting House,Boston, Massachusetts -The oldestsurviving Black church in theUnitedStates, theAfrican MeetingHouse helped anchor theearlyabolitionistmovement.

Working

•CityofNew Orleans, Louisiana -Shaped by Indigenous,African, European,and Caribbean influences, thehistoricneighborhoodsofNew Orleans form oneof America’s most distinctivecultural landscapes.

•Colonial Homes of Newport, Rhode Island -Newport’s extraordinary concentrationofcolonial-eraarchitecturesurvives as aliving neighborhood,not amuseum

•Dallas City Hall, Texas -Designed by I. M. Pei, Dallas CityHall is oneofthe most significantworks of civic architectureand modernism in America.

•Mission Churches of Acomaand Laguna Pueblos,New Mexico -Built by Pueblo communities in the aftermath of Spanish conquest andstill active today, these Pueblo-Franciscan mission churches remain vitalcenters of spiritualand cultural life.

•New York’s Smallpox Hospital Ruin,RooseveltIsland, NewYork -The first U.S. facility built to treatepidemic disease, this nineteenth-centurysmallpox hospital, designed by architect James RenwickJr.,remains ararelandmark in thehistory of medicine.

•Watts Towers,Los Angeles, California -Italian immigrant Simon Rodiaspent more thanthree decadesbuilding thesesoaring sculptures by hand, producing oneofthe most singular worksoffolkart in American history

•Wright Brothers Sites in Dayton,Ohio -Inthe workshopsand fields of Dayton, Wilburand Orville Wright developed thetechnologythatmade poweredflight possible

Villa

STAFF PHOTOSByJILL PICKETT

Assemblers work on aproduction line at the

factoryinShreveport. The plant has 600 employees

AvintageFrymaster fryersits in the lobbyofthe company’sfactory.

Michael Hecht President &CEO GNO Inc.

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NATION & WORLD

Environmental group bashes automakers for EV pullback

Ad campaign highlights gas price struggles

BY GRANT SCHWAB

The Detroit News (TNS)

WASHINGTON

— A prominent environmental group is launching an ad campaign faulting automakers for consumer struggles with high gas prices.

“We need to put the blame for this unaffordable economy where it belongs. Automakers have the technology that could help America break the cycle of oil price shocks,” said Dan Becker director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign.

“This is auto mechanics, not rocket science. Automakers can build and sell affordable EVs in other countries, but they’re just not building them for us,” he added.

Becker’s group is spending $100,000 to place ads in major publications like the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg with the aim of reaching business-minded readers and capitalizing on frustrations with energy price hikes caused by the United States and Israel’s war with Iran.

“Laws required electric vehicles. Car companies promised to make them,” one of the ads says in all capital letters. “Then they lobbied to scrap the laws.”

“So we pay more because they kept us hooked on oil,” it adds, showing logos for Ford, General Motors and Toyota. “We need affordable electric vehicles. For energy security, for healthier communities, for a better future.”

The ads reference the ongoing war in Iran but do not directly mention President Donald Trump who led the United States into the conflict and has championed efforts to gut past environmental policies.

Political messaging around electric vehicles was common in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, when Republicans frequently bashed Democrats over so-called “EV mandates.” Thencandidate Trump often wielded the term on the campaign trail as Democratic opponents struggled

to grapple with rocky EV adoption.

The Biden administration never explicitly required automakers to sell more vehicles with allelectric powertrains, but it did set aggressive tailpipe emissions targets that would have been impossible to achieve without EVs and in 2022 significantly expanded federal EV tax credits.

The topic has since faded from the airwaves after Trump took office.

Amid changing political tides under the GOP leader four of

Michigan’s Democratic lawmakers joined Republicans last year in backing a measure to roll back influential California rules that would have required EV sales in some states.

Becker, asked why his group was sponsoring an EV ad campaign in the current political environment, said times have changed since 2024.

“I’ve always said the biggest single step to saving money at the pump, and cutting our oil addiction, and protecting us from global warming is making cars

go farther — or not at all — on a gallon of gas. I don’t think there’s a change there,” Becker said in a phone interview

“What has changed is the time,” he added. “Our sense was that people who are paying through the nose at the gas pump may be willing to stop for a minute and say, ‘Oh yeah, there aren’t tax credits anymore. But this is what we really need.’”

Toyota and GM declined to comment on the ads. GM is the second-leading EV seller in the United States behind Tesla. Toyota, meanwhile, has significantly expanded its all-electric lineup in the past year Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other groups on both sides of the EV debate previously ran ads on the topic in 2024 but have not done so yet ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

EDF Action, the advocacy partner of the Environmental Defense Fund, ran ads in Michigan that year promoting EVs but has no plans for a national advertising campaign this year.

“We’re unlikely to see more ads, given the Trump administration rollbacks of federal support for EVs, which have pushed the issue back to the states, such as the recent developments in California,” Jack Pratt, associate vice president at EDF Action, said in a statement.

He was referencing California’s recent efforts to launch its own EV tax credit program now that the federal credit ended.

The oil and gas group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers ran ads opposing Bidenera EV policies in 2024 but did not immediately respond to a request for comment on 2026 midterm messaging plans.

“I’ve always said the biggest single step to saving money at the pump, and cutting our oil addiction, and protecting us from global warming is making cars go farther — or not at all — on a gallon of gas. Our sense was that people who are paying through the nose at the gas pump may be willing to stop for a minute and say, ‘Oh yeah, there aren’t tax credits anymore. But this is what we really need.’”

for

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To ensureaneffective disaster response, employers should:

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Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign

FILE PHOTO By JUSTIN SULLIVAN

A Nissan electric car charges at a Charge Point EV charging station in San Anselmo, Calif The Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign promotes EV adoption and criticizes major automakers for not producing more battery-powered models.

JacobPritt

Jane Heidingsfelder

NATION &WORLD

Billionairesare bettingonLas Vegas’ future

BY DAVID DANZIS

Las VegasReview-Journal (TNS)

When billionaireTilman Fertitta offered $17.6 billion to take Caesars Entertainment private, industry observers viewed it as abold move by alongtimecasino operator seeking control of one of gaming’slargest companies. Less thanone week later, another billionaire made an even bigger bet.

Media mogul Barry Diller’sPeopleInc. proposed aroughly $18 billion acquisition of MGM Resorts International, amove that, if completed, wouldremove the largest operator on the Strip from public markets. Neither transaction is finalized, and both proposals must navigate months of due diligenceand secureapprovals from gaming regulators in Nevada and dozens of other jurisdictions, including Louisiana and Mississippi, before they can close. Caesars has also established aspecial committee to evaluate Fertitta’sproposal, while MGM has not publicly endorsed Diller’sunsolicited offer Taken together,however, thedeals representsomething larger than two highprofile acquisitions. If approved, they would remove two of the gaming industry’smost recognizablecompanies from Wall Street, ending years of

Public companiesanswer to shareholders every three months. Executives spend significant time preparing earnings reports, responding to analysts and defending short-term financial performance.

Private companies face no such obligation.

“When they go private, they’re not subject to quarterlyreports,” saidStephen Miller, research director at CBER. “They can look more into the longer run in terms of their planning. They don’t have to meet everyquarter’s certain expectation.”

That flexibilitycould allowmanagementtopursue investments that may take years to pay off rather than focusing on thenext earnings report.

ertiesafterselling much of its real estate in previous transactions. Adding acquisition debt could increase pressure to streamline operations, refinance existing obligations or divest assets, Wood said. “Itwouldn’tsurprise me if you see some streamlining and someassets reduced off their balance sheet,” he said, emphasizing that any prediction remains speculative. “Caesars, acouple years from now,might look alittledifferentthan it looks today.”

MGM, by contrast,appears more likelytocontinue pursuing itsexisting strategywhile benefiting from the flexibilityprivate ownershipprovides, he said.

quarterly earnings scrutiny while placingbillions of dollars innew acquisition debt on their balance sheets.The transactionsalsocontinue abroader trend of gaming companiesabandoningpublicmarketsafter years of consolidation,followingrecenttake-private deals such as Golden Entertainment andInternational GameTechnology. Economistssay the shift could fundamentally change how the companies make decisions,investintheir properties andcompete for customers, thoughnot necessarily in thesame ways. Although theproposals differ in size and structure, both are examples of leveraged buyouts. In atraditional acquisition, abuyer pays for acompany primarily with cash or stock. In aleveraged buyout, rather than financing an ac-

quisition outright,buyers relyheavily on borrowed money,withthe acquired company’sfuturecash flow helping repaymuch of the debt over time. The acquiredcompany typically assumes muchofthat debt after the transaction closes. Thestrategy can amplify returns forinvestors if the company continues generating strong cash flow.But it also leaves the business with significant debt obligations during economic downturns or periodsofslowing growth.

Those tradeoffs areparticularlysignificantin LasVegas, where tourism spending has moderated afteryears of post-pandemic growth while borrowing costs remain elevated

“I think what I’m watching here is what the new ownership is signalingabout the strengthofthe gaming mar-

ket in general and where we are in the cycle,” said Andrew Wood, director of UNLV’sCenter for Business and Economic Research.

Las Vegashas remained near 40 million annualvisitors for years, while inflation-adjusted gaming revenue has largely plateaued, Wood said.Thatdoes not necessarily indicateweakness, but it does suggest theStrip has matured intoa market wherefuture growth may require different strategies than simply attracting moregamblers.

Instead, casino operators areincreasinglyrelyingon entertainment, sports, conventions and digital gaming to generatenew revenue.

“The industry is …needing abit of ashake-up,” Wood said.

The biggest change may notbefinancial. It may be philosophical.

Diller alludedtothatphilosophy in announcing his proposal, saying MGM’s leadership has built “the world’spremiergaming, hospitality and entertainment company” and that private ownership would allow management to continue executing its long-term strategy away from the pressures of public markets.

Wood believes those comments reveal an important distinction between the two proposals.

With MGM, he sees investors expressing confidence in the company’s existing direction.

“Theyare still convinced that their strategy is the right strategy,but they need space from public markets,” Wood said.

Caesars, however, presents adifferent picture.

Unlike MGM, Caesars already carries substantial debt and must make approximately$1.4 billioninannual lease payments to Vici Prop-

“I getthe sensethere is more confidencethatthe current strategy will work given time,” said Wood. The effects of private ownership maynot be immediately visible to visitors.

Casino floors will still operate. Hotel roomswill still be cleaned. Showswill continue. Over time, however, guests couldnotice changes. Private ownership gives companiesgreater freedom to introducenew amenities, experiences and longterm investments without worrying about howthose decisionsaffectthe next quarterly earnings report, Miller said.

“They can be innovative in the sorts of new services they offer,” he said.

Butthe opposite also remains possible.

“The downside …the corporation maybeinterested in trying to raise revenue by parking fees and resort fees, and those could go up,” Miller said.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRISGRANGER

Staff report

SouthLouisiana businesses and nonprofit groups recently announced the followingpromotions, new hires and resignations.

NewOrleans

Erin Clancey, the associate vice president of collections and exhibits at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, has been hired as the executive director of the California

Museum in Sacramento. Clancey,anativeofDavis, California, has worked at the World WarIImuseumsince 2017.

Stan Guidroz,CEO of Toucan Gaming, has been promoted to chiefoperating officer of Toucan’sparent company, Accel Entertainment. Guidroz, whopreviously ledLouisiana operations for Jacobs Entertainment, founded theLouisiana Gaming Association andserved as its president untillast year.

BatonRouge

Krista Raney has been pro-

mo te dt o president an dC EO of the LSU Foundation. Ran ey previously worked as the foundation’sexecutive vice president for development and led agroup of fundraising professionals on campus.

CraigNetterville has been promoted to senior vice president andBaton Rouge president of First Horizon Bank.

Netterville, whohas been aleader on First Horizon’s

Baton Rouge team for 20 years, also serves on th eL ouisiana Civil Se rvic e Com m ission and the finance committeeofOur Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center

Ma nni ng Greene has joined the law fir m Kean Miller as an associate in the Baton

Rougeofficewitha focus on energy-related matters. Greene previously worked at BradleyMurchison.

The Board of Trustees of the HomeBuilders Self Insurers Fund announced its 2026 executive committee.

ScottWallace,owner of Melot Construction LLC anda two-time Builderof theYear honoree from the HomeBuilders Association of CentralLouisiana, has been elected chair.

David Champagne,ownerof David Champagne Construction anda life director of the St. Tammany Home

Builders Association, will serve as vicechair

Randy Noel,founderofReve Inc. and amember of the Louisiana Builders Hall of Fame, was elected secretary Rob Hamilton will serve as immediate past chair Hamilton is the ownerof RobHamilton Construction andleaderofthe Louisiana HomeBuilders Association PAC.

Do you have personnel changes to shareorother ideas for our business coverage? Drop us aline at biztips@theadvocate. com.

Accounts forkidsnot thefinancial boon thepresident claims

Free cashaside, the much-touted “Trump accounts” are supposed to give the next generation ahuge financial head start in life. But by age 18, the reality looks less like afortune and more like a down payment on a new car President Donald Trump has repeatedly used hischaracteristic hyperbole to describe the wealth-building potential of the child investment accounts created under the One Big Beautiful Bill. Parents, guardians and other authorized individuals can establish a new type of individual retirement account for their childrenunder 18. Children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, are also eligible for aone-time $1,000payment.

During an Oval Office launch event earlier this month, Trump saidthat infants “who come into the world essentially with no money” will“at avery young age be very rich.”

The administration’sown estimate showsthat by the time achild turns 18 and can start to withdraw the money,they will have about $6,000.

Except for the $1,000 government seed, this endeavor is ayawn forme.

Anyparent, grandparent, auntie or uncle with extracash to spare already has access to other investment vehicles designed to do what theTrump accountsdo.

Theycould open acustodial investmentaccount, which allows adults to invest in stocks, bonds and mutual funds on behalf of aminor until they reach adulthood.

Alternatively,theycould utilize 529college savings plans, which aretax-advantaged accounts specifically structured to fund qualified education expenses.

Yet, despite the clear,compoundingbenefits of early investing, only asmall fraction of American families —disproportionately those with higherincomes —actually set up 529 plans or custodial accounts.

According to data from the Education Data Initiative, only 32% of families use dedicated college savings plans, primarily because 54% of parents are unaware these programs exist.

Alot of people have asked me for my takeonthe Trumpaccount

Strip away the political hype, and here are six reasons this plan won’t create true legacy wealthfor lowandmiddle-income families

Some flat-out hate thename

In discussing theaccounts’ launch, Trump claimed, “They said it would sellbetterifyour name is on it.”

But noteveryone is loving the Trump stamp.

Online commentary across social media shows adeep reluctance to engage withthe program simply because of how it is named.

On the dadReddit forum (r/ daddit), auser wrote, “Hate the name. Hope thatone day in future administrations, it gets removed.”

Many people said theywould open the account just to get the $1,000 but thennot make any additional contributions.

“Wesigned our twokids (6 and 4) up when we did our taxes,” another user on r/daddit wrote. “It’shard to turn down afree investment of any amount for your kids …but my main hesitation now is thatI got an email saying that in order tofinish setting up the accounts Iwill need to install the ‘Trump AccountsApp’ on my phone. …Ialready don’t trust the administrationand I’m very skeptical about installing any app on my phone thathas the name Trump on it.”

Theopt-infeature

In my experience, when abenefit requires extra paperwork to opt-in, there’s less buy-in.

In the case of these accounts, you sign up by going through trumpaccounts.gov,through your IRS online account under the “Forms” taborbyfilling out IRS Form 4547, which, again, is all about Trump—

the 45thand 47th president. One-time paymentisn’t enough

Youcannot save money youdo not have.

Forlow- to middle-income families who cannot afford to add even asingle dollartothe initial$1,000 seed, the account is projected to grow to about$6,000 by age18, depending on market performance. That’s ahelpful cushion, but it’s a far cry from Trump’sproclamations thatkids will getrich. If you’re afamily living paycheck to paycheck, finding an extra $400 amonth to lock away is a fantasy

The issue has never been alack of account types. The obstaclefor many families is alack of surplus cash. Byrelyingonfamiliesto invest up to $5,000 annually to see meaningful growth,Trump accountsdonot solve thefundamentalproblem of poverty

Financialaid bite

At age 18, the account hands controlover to the child andmorphs into atraditional IRA. This could make ahuge difference whenfilling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Unless there is arule change, pullingmoney out of the account to payfor tuition is treated as student income, which the FAFSA penalizes heavily.This can slash financial aid

eligibility by up to 50% of the withdrawn amount. Parent-held assets such as a529 plan are only assessed at amaximum rate of 5.64%.

If your young adult child decides they would rather cash outthe account andput themoney toward buying anew car or funding a vacation instead of leavingitfor retirement, there is legally nothing theparents can do to stop them

Themoney is trappedfor years

Lower-income familiestend to experience alot of financial emergencies. Expensive auto repairs, surprise medical bills and rent hikescan create asudden gaping hole in afamily’s budget. The cash in theaccount is untouchable until thechild hits18, andeventhen, tapping it before age591/2 foranything outside of someexceptions— qualifiedhigher education or medical expenses or first-home purchases —triggers a painful 10% IRSpenalty on top of standard income taxes. Working familiescan’t afford to lock away theirthin margin of safety in a financial vaulttheycan’t access when acrisishits. Sure, takethe free money,but don’texpect great riches from setting up this account.

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.

Raney

Greene Netterville

Clancey

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

MADE IN LOUISIANA

Tangipahoa Parish company has the country covered

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

The tarps rolled onto fields during rain delays at major league ballparks, the massive grain covers that protect mountains of freshly harvested grain across the Midwest and the wrapping on the scaffolding at the U.S. Capitol ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration have one thing in common: They were manufactured in Tangipahoa Parish by J&M Industries.

The family-owned business and its 120 workers specialize in custommaking giant tarps — some as large as football fields for a variety of industries, cutting, sewing, grommeting and heat-sealing them, oneby-one, from a 280,000-square-foot Ponchatoula plant

J&M also distributes smaller items to customers from Galveston, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama, including the distinctive blue tarps that dot roofs across the Gulf Coast after a storm, crawfish sacks, hair nets and its own brand of gel ice packs called Cajun Ice. Together the manufacturing and distribution sides of the business have enabled the 53-year-old firm to grow into an approximately $40 million annual operation with plans to expand out of state in early 2027.

The key, according to J&M’s president and managing owner, Maurice Gaudet IV is focusing on work that cannot be cheaply outsourced and using specialized equipment to create one-of-a-kind covers on demand without the long lead times of importing internationally

“We operate in a lot of niche markets,” said Gaudet, 74. “We’re always looking for things that are attached or similar to what we do where we can use our strengths to succeed. One reason why we’re here is we’ve adapted over time.”

Covering growth

J&M began in a New Orleans garage in 1973, when Gaudet’s father, Maurice III, and a partner named Jake the “J” to the elder Maurice’s “M” — repurposed used coffee bags for offshore oyster sacks, among other uses. Jake left after the

first year, but the name stuck.

The company expanded in the 1980s by buying out or merging with other local bag companies, and several of Gaudet’s uncles joined the business.

In the 1990s, it moved to Ponchatoula, shifted its focus from bags to tarps and opened a distribution center in Rayne. Just over a decade ago, it expanded the plant, which was followed by the creation of four subsidiaries for the company’s different areas of focus.

The manufacturing arms account for about 70% of company revenues, while the distribution side of the business makes up nearly 30%.

JMI Legacy Manufacturing, its heavy industry arm, makes custom canvas, vinyl and polyethylene tarps for construction, sandblasting and petrochemical, plus shade cloth for outdoor venues, greenhouse roofs and row covers for crops.

JMI Covers handles the largest, heavy-duty tarps, used for covering mountains of grains, wrapping landfills and lining retention ponds. This branch of the company also makes custom athletic field tarps — like the Reynolds Wrap-themed cover that’s rolled out at Wrigley Field.

The company’s distribution arm, JMI Packaging Solutions, supplies a sprawling catalog of everyday items — custom and stock — used by a range of industries to protect and transport their products.

“We are one of the most wellknown distributors in the area for

crawfish sacks,” said marketing director Tracey DeSoto.

J&M also has a consumer-facing ecommerce storefront, Tarps America, where online shoppers can buy tarps and covers directly from the company

Old school vs. new school

On a mid-June visit to J&M’s Pon-

chatoula facility, bales of disaster relief tarps were stacked almost to the ceiling — about $4 million worth — ready to be shipped out upon the arrivalofadestructivemajorstorm.

“At this point, we have so many FEMA tarps we don’t know what to do with them, but we have to have them ready to go if something happens,” DeSoto said.

When Hurricane Helene hit in 2024, the whole company sprung into action to load up trucks and get the tarps out the door

“We had as many forklifts as we could,” DeSoto said. “It was all hands on deck, literally.”

A short walk away, workers were preparing for the harvest season.

From about March to August, J&M constructs the enormous custom tarps for grain producers and stacks them inside until shipping starts in July

The largest ones are measured to fit a specific pile, some as much as 1,200 feet long, and assembled, usually from four to eight pieces that are fused together J&M makes several million square feet of grain covers a year, accounting for about

dent’s import duties were invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court.

a third of its business.

They’re finished using hot-air welding on 500-foot-long travelers machines that roll along rails fusing together fabric panels, sealing seams as an operator walks the length of the building

On the other side of the factory, workers operate from pits below floor level, allowing the heavy fabric fed through industrial sewing machines to remain level. Across the room, other workers cut and finish the smaller tarps by hand.

“I call one old-school and one newschool,” Gaudet said. “It’s a totally different operation.”

Broadening the focus

The biggest recent challenge the company has faced has been the uncertainty around national economic policy, which has wreaked havoc on J&M’s margins, Gaudet said Tariffs have cost the company about $600,000 since last year, though about a third of that has so far been recovered after the presi-

J&M has also fought a lengthy legal battle over its intellectual property. After suing a larger, publicly traded company over violating a patent on a grain tarp strapping system, it spent five years in federal court and millions of dollar in legal fees before prevailing in 2021. But the company is growing and, for the first time, expanding beyond Louisiana’s boundaries. It recently acquired an 11-acre site in Alabama near the Florida and Georgia borders and plans to break ground in February on a 50,000-square-foot building, with room to expand. The new facility will enable the company to extend the packaging business further east and stage disaster relief tarps closer to the markets that buy them.

Gaudet said the move is part of a broader push into disaster relief that could eventually include selling cots, medical kits and meals, not just tarps, to governmental clients. A certified

STAFF PHOTO By JONAH MEADOWS

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tary.A physicalcopyof h b d i UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

In re:§ CASE NO. 26-10678 §(JOINTLYADMINISTERED)

CROSBYMARINE TRANSPORTATION, LLC, § §CHAPTER 11 §COMPLEX CASE Debtors. § §SECTION: A

NOTICEOFBAR DATES FORFILING PROOFS OF CLAIM

NOTICE: Your rights may be affected.You shouldreadthesepapers carefully and discuss them with your attorney,ifyou have one in this bankruptcycase. If you do nothave an attorney,you maywish to consult one. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE on March 23, 2026 (“Petition Date”), Crosby Marine Transportation, LLC (“Transportation”),Crosby Tugs, LLC (“Tugs ), Crosby Dredging, LLC (“Dredging”),and Bertucci Contracting Company,L.L.C.( Bertucci”and collectively,“Debtors”),asDebtors in Possession, each filedfor relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code thereby commencing these cases (the Chapter11Case(s)”) PLEASE TAKE NOTICE theCourthas set July30, 2026,asthe deadline for any person or entity that holds aclaim against the Debtors as of the Petition Date(referredtoas“Creditor”or Creditors”) to file a

Proof of Claim as modified by the Order establishing the Bar Date. This BarDate applies only to those Creditors who arenot listed in the Debtors’ Schedules, unless such Creditor asserts alien (other than preferred ship mortgage) under the Commercial Instrument and Maritime Lien Act (46 U.S.C.§§13101–13143 (“CIMLA”) against aDebtor,orwhose claim is scheduled as contingent, disputed, or unliquidated. See below for more information abouthow to determine the listing ofyour claim and what happensifthe Debtors later amend the Schedules.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE thedeadline for any governmental unit to file aclaim is September 21, 2026,for any governmental unit to file aclaim pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §502(b)(9).

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE thatifyou areasserting alien (other than apreferred ship mortgage) under the Commercial Instrument and Maritime LienAct (46 U.S.C. §§ 13101–13143) [known as aMaritime Lien], or other lien against anyvessel ownedbyany debtor,you must include the attached addendum to your proof of claim providing the following information:

(a) The name of each Debtor against whom you areasserting a lien, including the vessel against which you areasserting a

lien;

(b)The natureofthe maritime lien under 46 U.S.C. §13101(5);

(c)The date the lien was established;

(d)The amount of the lien claimed; AMaritime Lien can arise from amaritime tort or the provision of “necessaries” to avessel. Necessaries can include any essential goods, supplies, or services provided to avessel to keep it operating safely,efficiently,and in navigation.

ADDITIONALLY, if you areasserting amaritime lien against any of the Debtorsorthe Debtors’ vessels, you must also attach documentation supporting your lien claim (e.g. invoices, receipts, charter agreements, bills of lading, supply or repair contracts, vessel logs, time-and-material logs and/or ledger entries, any notices of claims of lien filed withNational Vessel Documentation Center). If youassert morethan one maritime lien (e.g. for services provided to multiple vessels), you will need to submit aseparateproof of claim and addendum for each claim/lien asserted.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE the deadline for any Creditor with aclaim that arises from the rejectionofanexecutory contract or lease is on or before the laterof(a) the General Bar Date; or (b) thirty (30) days after the effective date of such rejection as ordered by the Court.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE Youcan file aProof of Claim using one of three methods:

1. By using the Court’sElectronicProof of Claim (“ePOC”) process on the Court’swebsite, https://ecf.laeb.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/ autoFilingClaims.pl;

2. If the person or entity is represented by an attorney,by filing electronicallythrough the Court’sCM/ECFsystem aProof of Claim conforming substantially to Official Form B410,acopy of which accompanies this notice; or

3. By delivering aProof of Claim conforming substantially to Official Form B410 (attached hereto) to the Court, either in person or by mailtothe U.S. Bankruptcy Court, 500 Poydras Street,Suite B-601, New Orleans LA 70130, subject to Covid-19 protocols. If you mail your Proof of Claim to the Court, you must mailitearly enough so the Court will receive it on or beforethe deadline in this notice and enclose asecond copy of the Proof of Claim with aself-addressed stamped envelope to receive confirmation the claim was filed.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE to determineifyou arelisted on the Schedules in away that wouldexcuse you from filing aProof of Claim you may review the Schedules at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, 500 Poydras Street, Suite B-601, New Orleans LA 70130 –subject to Covid-19 protocols, online at www.pacer.gov,orbycontacting Michael Landis, with Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin&Hubbard, PLC 601 Poydras Street, Suite 2775, New Orleans, LA 70130 by emailatmlandis@lawla.com

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THE PROMISE OF

PEPTIDES

Treatments claim to help with more than weight loss. Researchers are still deciding if they deliver.

BY IAN FAUL | Contributing writer

Spend enough time in wellness circles, biohacking forums or men’s health clinics, and peptides begin to sound less lik of molecules and more like the new language of the healthy Its expanding vocabulary includes obscure-sounding names like GHK-Cu, BPC-157, PT-141 and semax — marketed online as the “beauty peptide,” “Wolverine peptide,” “date-night peptide” and “focus peptide.”

A quick social media search yields videos of animated, artificial intelligence-generated peptide vials cheerily explaining their benefits and of influencers demonstrating self-injection with hypodermic needles, followed by long comment threads about sourcing. These videos are usually accompanied by disclaimers that the content is “not medical advice” and appeals to moderators not to remove the posts.

Peptides are not new in medicine. The peptide hormone insulin, for example, has been used to treat Type 1 diabetes since its discovery over a century ago. The current craze can be traced back about a decade to members of CrossFit and other workout communities, who began experimenting with peptides as alternatives to anabolic steroids.

Then came the unprecedented success of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and We whose key ingredient the naturally occurring GLP-1 — and the explosion of the “looksmaxxing” movement of the 2020s.

There have also been high-profile endorsements, including from U.S Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr who extols peptide use, claiming to have injected some himself and proposing to loosen restrictions on compounding pharmacies’ ability to manufacture them.

“(A peptide) is basically an amino acid telling your body how to … correct a mistake — it’s just sending that signal to do it — whereas most medications are blocking pathways.”

SHAWN GAB, manager at Gameday Men’s Health in Metairie

Strategy session

Role-playing game night helps neurodivergent players learn to socialize

BY RACHEL MIPRO Contributing writer

Come to the Nerd Lair Game and Hobby Store in Westwego on the right night and you’ll find a new crowd: a group of autistic players exploring role-playing and tabletop card games.

Called Games and Gathering, the program is meant to foster a sense of connection and community for a variety of neurodivergent people, as well as give participants a way to practice turn-taking and sportsmanship, among other skills.

“You’re looking at teamwork and using your imagination for problem solving,” said Alicia Dardar, owner of the Nerd Lair “There’s lots of communication that needs to happen, and you have to really have flexible thinking. These are all really great lessons to learn, but in a structure that doesn’t feel like you’re being taught something.”

The program has been in operation since January, following an earlier test program, and is the result of a partnership between the Autism Society of Greater New Orleans, Prism Behavioral Consulting and Nerd Lair Games and Gathering offers tabletop card games like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering, alongside role-playing adventure games. The sessions are split by age; Prism Behavioral Consulting hosts ages 8-15 while the Nerd Lair group welcomes those who are 16 and older and have low-support needs.

“It’s not just the Autism Society, it’s not just the Nerd Lair, it’s not just Prism,” said Claire Tibbetts, executive director of the Autism Society of Greater New Orleans. “We all worked together to make the program work.”

Younger ages play the prewritten adventure format Venture Society while the older group plays Dungeons & Dragons. Role-playing games are narrative-driven, with each player choosing a character and deciding their character’s choices to move the gameplay forward. The Nerd Lair’s game master — “dungeon master” in D&D terminology — works at a special needs

ä See GAMES, page 3

A player makes a move during a Games and Gathering session at Prism Behavioral Consulting

Drones eyed for organ transport

NASA Langley study gauges technology’s efficiency

BY GAVIN STONE The Virginian-Pilot (TNS)

Drones could be a viable way to make transportation of potentially lifesaving donated kidneys more efficient, according to a recent study conducted at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

On June 5, researchers had drones take human kidneys on two 15-minute flights in loops around NASA’s testing range beyond line-of-sight for about 7.5 miles each time, reaching a peak height of 250 feet. Based on biopsies of the kidneys before and after the preliminary findings show no sign that the flights negatively affected the kidneys, according to the researchers.

Organs are typically transported using a mix of ground transportation by a medical courier, and charter or commercial aircraft, but it’s always a race against time. Organs only last for so long before the health outcome for the recipient is impacted, though advancements in technology have allowed organs to survive longer trips.

Drone transportation could address challenges like traffic congestion and other bottlenecks, and expand access to patients in more remote locations, according to Doug Wilson, executive vice president of Virginia Beach-based LifeNet Health, which provided the kidneys used in the study and helped to assess their status before and after the flights.

“The goal is not necessarily to replace existing transportation methods but to explore whether drones could complement them in situations where speed, reliability, or access are critical,” Wilson said in an email.

Currently, 3,000 Virginians and 100,000 people nationwide are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, according to Wilson. Thirteen people die every day waiting for an organ transplant, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration, a federal agency

The study was funded by NASA and conducted in partnership with LifeNet and the Richmond-based

PEPTIDES

Continued from page 1

This June, staff scientists at the Food and Drug Administration delivered a blow to Kennedy’s proposal, citing a lack of evidence for their efficacy The evidence is expected to be reviewed again by a second committee later this month, which will make a final recommendation.

What will become of today’s most talked-about molecules?

What is ‘peptide therapy?’

The human body produces thousands of peptides, which are short chains of amino acids and the precursors to proteins. Peptides act as hormones, neurotransmitters and cellular signaling molecules, and many of their functions in the body are still being discovered.

The term “peptide therapy,” however, encompasses a more diverse collection of compounds A small number of these — including GLP-1 peptides, sermorelin, tesamorelin and thymosin alpha-1 — have undergone extensive clinical testing and received regulatory approval for specific medical indications.

A larger number remain investigational compounds supported by limited clinical data.

Because peptides lack approval, some users turn to the “gray market,” seeking peptides labeled as “research chemicals” from foreign manufacturers.

The rapid expansion of the peptide marketplace tends to blur distinctions, placing FDA-approved medications, experimental therapeutics and a holistic medicineinspired treatment philosophy under a common conceptual umbrella.

“It’s not really a drug in the way we looked at drugs in the past,” explained Shawn Gab, manager at the peptide and testosterone replacement therapy clinic Gameday Men’s Health in Metairie. “(A peptide) is basically an amino acid telling your body how to correct a mistake — it’s just sending that signal to do it — whereas most medications are blocking pathways.”

In some fitness communities the word “drug” has a negative

United Network for Organ Sharing. UNOS described the study in a news release as “groundbreaking,” and it was the first time NASA had tested whether human organs can be transported beyond line-of-sight by drone, according to John Koelling, director of NASA Langley’s Aeronautics Research Directorate.

Koelling said Hampton Roads is the perfect testing ground for this new means of transporting organs because “every problem you’re going to face in trying to make this a reality is all right here,” noting the presence of military installations, nuclear power plants, densely populated urban areas, and a major port.

To be adopted widely, Koelling said they would need to show that drones could safely handle the weight of the organ on flights

beyond line-of-sight and significant regulatory hurdles with the Federal Aviation Administration would need to be cleared.

“This is sort of proof of concept for us,” Koelling said. “The technology to do this is pretty much largely in place.”

The drone used in the study was an Alta X quad-rotor drone made by Freefly, which has the highest maximum payload of any drone in NASA Langley’s inventory, according to Jim Burgess, an unmanned aircraft systems engineer who was the flight-test team lead for NASA. The Alta X can carry a maximum payload of about 33 pounds, according to the company’s website.

Past studies have shown drones can carry organs safely but in those cases people had to be on rooftops to maintain line-of-sight,

according Burgess.

“It’s not necessarily scalable to always have spotters up on rooftops,” Burgess said.

The kidneys used in the study were donated for research because they were not accepted for transplant, according to Kaitlin Swanner, senior policy analyst for UNOS.

They were kept in a container similar to how organs are typically packaged for transport, put on pumps to help keep them healthy before and after the flights, and the researchers monitored vibrations and pressure throughout the flights.

Swanner said drones would likely be used to help with the “first mile, last mile” part of the organs’ journey, from the donor hospital to the airport and from the airport to the patient’s hospital.

“Most organs are traveling pretty far so that makes it more logistically challenging to get the organs from the donor to the patient,” Swanner said “We think (drones) will be particularly helpful in areas where there’s a lot of traffic congestion.” The majority of the donor organs Sentara receives are from farther than 250 miles, according to Karl Neumann, program manager for Sentara’s transplant clinic.

Neumann said any improvement in the efficiency of organ transportation would mean greater confidence that the organ is going to work for the patient. While this research is promising, Wilson said the most immediate way to help save lives is for more people to register to be an organ donor

connotation, stemming from an association with illegal performance-enhancing anabolic steroids.

Peptides are seen as a natural alternative, even though commercially available peptide products may differ substantially from naturally occurring molecules: Some must be chemically modified in a lab to increase their stability in the body, and some are mixed with other compounds or contain impurities.

Increasing interest in medical autonomy and distrust of medical authority in the post-COVID years may also explain the cultural shift toward “natural” medicines and supplements, said Mariana Craciun, a medical sociologist at Tulane University.

The turn toward natural medicine reinforces an inclination to reject medical expertise, she said. “We want to be the ones who are the intermediaries between this expert knowledge and our bodies, rather than letting a doctor be that intermediary.”

Evidence, regulation, practice

For researchers like Dr Frank Greenway, chief medical officer of the Clinical Trials Unit at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, the central issue is not whether a compound is natural but whether its risks and benefits have been rigorously evaluated.

Greenway’s own research focus-

es on characterizing the pharmacological properties of everyday foods and herbal supplements, with the goal of discovering novel obesity treatments.

“I (went) into medicine because I really want to help people and when I do something, I don’t hurt them more than I help,” Greenway said. “When you go by people who are influencers or people who don’t really have medical knowledge you’re certainly not assured that the risks are outweighed by the benefits.”

Perhaps the most researched peptide is MOTS-c, a so-called “exercise mimetic” that regulates metabolism After promising studies in animal models, it was taken to a Phase 1 clinical trial, but was ultimately nominated to the FDA’s do-not-compound list for its potential to trigger immune system reactions.

It has since been withdrawn from the list, pending a formal safety review Other popular peptides, such as BPC-157, have even sparser clinical evidence to date.

Despite many reported benefits related to speeding up muscle repair, healing ulcers, regenerating nerves and slowing neurodegenerative disease in cell and animal models, no controlled human trial

of the peptide has been published in the 30-plus years since its discovery Even among supporters of peptide therapies, concerns about sourcing and quality control are common. Dr Thomas Bond, an orthopedist who has incorporated peptides into his regenerative medicine practice in Lafayette for more than a decade, recalled treating patients hospitalized after obtaining peptide drugs online.

“I had three hospital admissions for acute pancreatitis for people that got stuff online,” he said.

There have been a number of reports of people being harmed after taking unknown peptides. At the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival last year, two women who received injections at a conference booth were taken to the hospital with swollen tongues, elevated heart rates and trouble breathing, and had to be intubated.

Bond acknowledged the reality of medical self-experimentation but urged peptide users to consult with a medical professional to ensure they would not have contraindications.

“I am a big fan of peptides, but peptides done the right way — as an adjunct to a medical or surgical procedure,” Bond said.

“They’re not the panacea hype that is all over social media. It’s really even beyond irresponsible

in my opinion. I think it’s reckless and dangerous.”

Looking ahead

The second upcoming FDA advisory committee review this month will consider whether compounding pharmacies should be permitted to manufacture seven peptide compounds.

Among those under review are BPC-157, which has been investigated for inflammatory bowel disease and tissue repair; TB500, promoted for wound healing; MOTS-c, studied experimentally for metabolic disorders; KPV for inflammatory conditions; semax for neurological disorders; emideltide for opioid withdrawal and insomnia; and epitalon for sleep-related indications. The committee’s recommendations could influence how readily these compounds remain available outside the traditional pharmaceutical approval pathway Half the committee’s members have professional ties to clinics, pharmacies or companies involved in peptide therapies. They include executives from wellness providers, physicians who prescribe peptide-based treatments and pharmacists with experience in compounding.

“All committee members underwent the same ethics review and vetting process required of all FDA advisory committee members.

Candidates that could not meet existing ethics requirements were removed from consideration,” an HHS spokesperson said.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

Greenway

Bond

TNS PHOTO By ANDy JACOBSOHN

A drone sits at a Wing facility in Frisco, Texas. As the technology continues to advance, researchers are studying the possibility that it could be used to transport organs.

GETTy IMAGES PHOTO By HUANG ZHIGANG

A Chinese quality control worker inspects a batch of peptide.

Eat FitLiveFit

Pickle juice, cottage cheese and whatreally helps cramps

Mydadis86,asomewhatregular featureinthiscolumnandoneof myfavoritesourcesofpractical nutritionquestions.

SoaftermyJuly6hydrationcolumn onelectrolytereplacers–theoneswe canaddtoourwaterbottles,including LMNT,TransparentLabsandUltima–he hadfollow-upquestions.“Youdidn’ttalk aboutLiquidI.V.Whataboutthat?”And then,morespecifictohisownroutine: “Whataboutpicklejuice?Whatabout cottagecheese?”

Hydrationandcrampingarefrequent conversationsbetweenus.Sometimeshe’s talkingaboutamiddle-of-the-nightcharley horsethatjoltshimawake.Sometimesit’s crampingafterfishingorworkingoutsidein Louisianaheatandhumidity.Eitherway,his routineincludesashotofpicklejuicewhen thecrampstarts,andcottagecheeseas partofhisregularelectrolyte-richlineup.

WhyPickleJuiceWorksSoFast

Let’sstartwithpicklejuice,whichIthink ismorefascinatingthanitsounds. Foryears,manyathletessworeby picklejuicetostopcrampinginstantly Manyhealthprofessionalsdismissedit asplacebo:Afewsipstostopcramping withinseconds?Howcouldthatbe? Thesodiumcouldn’tpossiblymovefrom thestomachintothebloodstreamand replenishelectrolyteslostinsweatthat quickly.Thatskepticismwasfair;itdid seemtoogoodtobetrue.

Alittlebackground:Thereare multiplecausesofmusclecramping. Onecommonculpritismusclefatigue, whennervesthathelppreventovercontractingbegintomisfire.Themuscle contractstightly,bunchesupand doesn’twanttoletgo.Thisiswhere picklejuicecomesin.

Thekeybehinditseffectiveness appearstobeaceticacid,thevinegar-

likecompound thatgives picklejuiceits notoriousbite. Aswesipit, thataceticacid triggersnerve receptorsin ourmouthand throat.Those receptorssend signalsthat canhelpquiet thecramping responsealmost immediately–fasterthanthe traditionalroute ofdigestionandelectrolyteabsorption.

Inotherwords,picklejuicemay helpstopthecrampnotbecauseit instantlyreplacessodium,butbecause itinterruptsthenervesignaltellingthe muscletokeepcontracting It’snotacure-all,andit’snotforevery typeofcramp.Thestrongestevidence isforexercise-relatedmusclecramps especiallyduringorafteractivitywith fatigue.Somepeoplealsofindthatithelps withnighttimelegcrampsorrestless-legtypesymptoms,thoughtheresearchisnot nearlyasstrong.

Still,forasuddencramp,anounceor twoofpicklejuiceisareasonableoption formanypeople.Thesodiumloadiswhere

weusecommonsense:afewsipsare differentfrommakingpicklejuiceago-to beverage.

ElectrolytesBeyondSportsDrinks Now,ontoDad’scottagecheese question.

Thisfallsunderthebiggerideathatwe cangetelectrolyteswithouteversipping asportsdrink.Sweatismostlywater andsodium,withpotassiumandsmaller amountsofcalciumandmagnesium Sodiumistheprimaryelectrolytelost throughsweat,whichiswhycottage cheesecanmakesense.

Ahalfcupof2%cottagecheesehas roughly390mgsodiumand130mg potassium–aboutwhatyou’dgetin

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonprofitinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

BY THENUMBERS

a20-ouncePowerade–plus calciumandprotein. Otherelectrolyte-richoptions canbejustassimple:analmond flourorwholegraintortillawith cheese,avocadowithasprinkle ofsaltoraturkeyandcheese sandwichonwhole-grainbread. Noneareflashy,butpairedwith plainwater,theyofferelectrolyterichhydration.

WhatAboutBananas?

Anytalkofelectrolyte-rich foodsusuallybringsabanana question.Here’sthething–bananasarefine.They’reportable, familiarandagoodsourceof potassiumandcarbohydrate.Butifyou’re losingloadsofsaltysweat,bananaswon’t replenishsodiumlosses.

BacktoLiquidI.V.

Andyes,toanswerDad’sfirstquestion, LiquidI.V.canbeagoodoption.Itjust wasn’toneoftheproductsIfeatured.I’d choosethesugar-freeversionformost peoplegettingcarbohydratesfromfood.It containsallulose,alow-caloriesweetener thatcancausestomachupsetifoverdone.

TheBottomLine

Picklejuicemayhelpstopacramp throughnervesignaling.Sportsdrinksand electrolytepowderscanbeuseful,with sodiumrangingfromverylowto1,000 mgperserving.Talkwithyourdietitianor healthcareprofessionalaboutwhatfits yoursodiumneedsandhealthstatus. Butsportsdrinksarenotessential.We canalsogetelectrolytesthrougheveryday foods–wejustneedtobestrategic,and makesurewe’redrinkingplentyoffluids alongtheway.

ONLy 6LA. PARISHES HAVE LUNG CANCER RATESBELOW

U.S. AVERAGE

In Louisiana, lungcancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women.

In the United States, lung cancer is the second-most common cancer and theleading cause of cancer death.

An estimated 229,410 newcases arediagnosed annually,resulting in approximately 124,990deaths in 2026, theAmerican Cancer Society reports.

Therate of newlung cancer cases in Louisiana is 61.1 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the national rate of 52.8.

Louisiana ranks 40th among all states. Only six parishes have lung cancer incidence rates lowerthanthe national average: St. Charles, Lincoln, East Baton Rouge, Orleans, St. John the Baptist and Tensas.

These parishes hadthe highest rates of lung cancer per 100,000 people between 2018and 2022:

n Evangeline Parish with 88.8 cases; n East Carroll Parish with 84.5 cases; n Iberville Parish with 82.9 cases; n Bienville Parish with 80.5 cases; n WashingtonParish with 79.2 cases; n RichlandParishwith 78.5 cases; n Livingston Parish with 77.6 cases; n Franklin Parish with 77.4 cases;

n Caldwell Parish with 77 cases;

n Terrebonne and West Carroll parishes with 75.6 cases; n Vernon Parish with 75.4 cases; n Winn Parish with 75.2 cases; n and Jackson and Red River parishes with 74.4 cases.

These parishes had the lowest rates of lungcancer per 100,000 people between 2018 and 2022:

n St. Charles Parish with 49.1 cases; n Lincoln Parish with 49.7 cases; n East Baton RougeParishwith 50.2 cases;

n Orleans Parish with 50.4 cases;

n St. John the Baptist Parish with 51.8 cases;

n Tensas Parish with 51.9 cases;

n St. Helena Parish with 52.8 cases; n Madison Parish with 53.3 cases; n Pointe Coupee Parish 53.8 cases; n Catahoula Parish with 54 cases; n Jefferson Parish with 54.8 cases;

n Concordia Parish with 55.7 cases; n Ouachita Parish with 56 cases; n LafayetteParishwith 56.7 cases;

n Rapides Parish with 57.1 cases; n and St.Tammany Parish with 57.9 cases.

In 2022,the most recentyear of data available for this report, the COVID-19

they were not into it, so when it was their turn, she toneditdown alittle bit, so that they’d be more comfortableastheyplayed,” Dardar said.

school and has years of experience as adungeon master.Staff atthe Nerd Lair helped teach the Prism team how to play the games for these sessions.Dardar described one session at the Nerd Lair,where the dungeon master had used props and sound effectsfor asmall group of D&D players.

“There were definitely two people who were just not comfortable,

Whenshe checkedonthe session about halfanhour later,Dardar already saw achange: one of the players thathad been uncomfortable had started relaxing. The game master started to play more sound effectsfor thatcharacter “By the end of that night that person, who was really very uncomfortable in the beginning, was like requesting the sound effects fortheir turn,” Dardar said. “I just

pandemic continued to disrupt access to medical care, including delaysand reductions in cancer diagnoses and screening,according to the American Lung Association.This led to adecline

thoughtthatwas really cool to see how just in onesession of D&D (her) shell kind of broke alittle bit.Even if just for that onesession, she got to letgoand have fun, that wasreally cool.” Dardar has previously been involved with theAutism Society of Greater New Orleans in some capacityfor nine years, serving as an event coordinator and thenasapast board president. When she opened the Nerd Lair,she and Tibbetts saw an opportunity for connection. “Our motto has always been to be where you are celebrated, not toler-

in incidence rates for most cancers, including lung cancer Parish-levellung cancer incidence rates were reported by the Louisiana Tumor Registryfrom LSU Health NewOrleans.

ated,” Dardar saidofthe Nerd Lair. “Soit’sjust kind of theperfect fit with theAutismSociety.Neurodivergent, neurotypical, doesn’tmatter,everyone can enjoy games the same way.” There’sa strong network of neurotypical and neurodivergent players who meet frequently,Dardar said, andshe hopes some of the Games and Gathering participants can find communityinthese circles. The society itselfhas been apresence in theNew Orleansscenesince the 1980s,although it only became andofficialgroup in 2016, serving

nine parishes. Tibbetts, working alongside one otherstaff member, helps promoteprojects andinitiatives and helps families find the resources they need

“There’s always goingtobea challenge of helping people learn that being disabled is not abad thing, and that even the term disabled is notnegative,”Tibbetts said.“Ithink that in general, there’sa lotmoreacceptance andunderstanding of autistic individuals. …It’sjust alittle

days, Ithink, to show

that being

is

BRO UGH TT OY OU BY

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Changing Lives ThroughCareand Connection

Community Purpose in Action

Partnershipwith Purpose

AtOchsnerHealth,ourmissionistoserve,heal,lead, educateandinnovate.OurpartnershipwithSpecial OlympicsLouisianabringsthatmissiontolifebysupporting anorganizationthatempowersthousandsofathletes withintellectualdisabilitiesandspecialneedsthrough year-roundsports,competitionandacommunitywhere everyonebelongs.AvitalpartofthatworkistheHealthy Athletesprogram,amultidisciplinaryeffortthatdelivers freehealthscreeningstoathleteswhotoooftenface barrierstocare.

Eachyear,athletesqualifythroughregionalevents beforecomingtogetherattheStateSummerGameson SoutheasternLouisianaUniversity’scampus,wherethey competeandcelebratethededicationthatbroughtthem there.Ochsnerisproudtosupportthisworkbystaffing theseeventsandrecruitingvolunteerproviderstogive athleteshealthscreeningstheymaynotreceiveanywhere else.Manyathletesfacehealthcareinequitiesbecauseof theirintellectualdisabilitiesorspecialneeds.Forsome,this istheonlytimeallyeartheycanaccessthislevelofcarein oneplace,completelyfreeofcharge.

SupportingAthletes

AcrossLouisiana,SpecialOlympicsLouisianachangeslives bygivingathletesaplacetocompete,connectandthrive. Thatimpactreachesfarbeyondtheplayingfield.Through

ThehumanimpactofSpecialOlympicsLouisianais profound.OneyoungmanfromLivingstonParishhad beenturnedawaybyprovidersbecauseof hisintellectualdisability.ThroughaHealthy Athletesscreening,hewasfinallyconnected withaproviderwhounderstoodhisneeds andcoulddeliverthecarehedeserved.For athleteAiden,whotestifiedbeforeCongress, SpecialOlympicsprovidedsomethingjust asmeaningful:atruesenseofbelonging.He sharedthattheorganizationgavehimhispeopleandhis community,aplacewherehefinallyfelthefitin.Therewas notadryeyeintheroom.Thesestoriesreflecttheheart ofSpecialOlympicsLouisianabyopeningdoorstoaccess, dignityandbelongingforathletesacrossthestate.

Committed to Care

250 athletes received careatthis pastyear’s Summer Games

Thispartnershipispoweredbycommitment.Atthe StateGames,20to25volunteers,manyofthemOchsner employees,dedicatetheirtimeandexpertisetoserving SpecialOlympicsLouisianaanditsathletes.Ochsner’s supportstrengthenstheorganization’sreachacross thestatebyfundingtraining,travel,equipmentand logistics.ThatsupportallowsSpecialOlympicsLouisiana tocontinuegrowingandbringitsprogramstomore athletesinunderservedregions.

‘WE’RE

ALL BROTHERS’

Weekly,wheelie bike rideshaveasoftheart

BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer

In aparking lot near City Park in New Orleans on a recent evening, just before the light would turn gold, the bikes were out and their wheels were up Big wheel BMX bikes, street bikes and e-bikes with adirt-bike feel. On them, kids, teens and adults; Black, White and Latino; from New Orleans, Kenner and even Biloxi, Mississippi. Some leaned on handlebars, chatting, while others popped casual wheelies, their slow speed itself aphysical feat.

When Tommy Richard spoke, just after 7p.m., they quieted.

“Yo! Yo!” he shouted, straddling his own bike. “Let’sgo!” Then they took off, dozens of bikes rolling down Esplanade Avenue, with Richard leading the way Each Thursday,ifweather allows, this group called 1Up BikeLife rides across thecity, doing tricks, filming videos and having conversations often whilebalancingona single wheel.

It started in 2020, when Richard rallied friends for one ride, then thenext,convincing the occasional BMX star to come through. Zipping acrossNew Orleans neighborhoods, no permits, no rules, “I felt likea kid again.” And the kids! So many of them showed up, from all over the city,riding bikes pieced together from otherbikes.

“I call them Frankenstein bikes,” Richard, 32, said, “because it’snot aWalmart bike —it’sthree Walmart bikes put together to make one.” Over the years, 1Up BikeLife hasbecomea kind

of mentorship program, a positiveforce in thelives of dozens of kids.But callingit aprogram wouldn’texplain how cool it is. How rogue it is. The group meets kids “doingthe things they would be doingontheirown,” Richard said, riding bikesdownDesire Street. Richard, Josh Norris and other friendswho organize the group, mostly through Instagram, have resisted formalizingitintoa nonprofit,as another weekly ride-turnedfoundation did. But they’re doing good work, including gifting pricey bikes to kids whoshowpromise.

Oneofthose first bikes wenttoSiah Pajeaud, who

was 15 when he saw on Instagram that 1Upwas bringing Dblocks, apro rider sponsored by SE Bikes, to New Orleans. He begged his mom to ride, “all day asking her 1,000 times.”

“She didn’tknowanything about it,” said Pajeaud, now 21. “I didn’teither,but Iwas ready togo.”

Until then, Pajeaud had been riding asmall, 20-inch BMXbikeinempty church parking lots and on the streetsofhis Upper 9thWard neighborhood. When his mom, Niesha Victor,picked him up after the ride with Dblocks, Pajeaud was testing out a29-inch SE bike.

“Showyour momwhat

you can do!” sheremembers Richard saying.

“He was so smallthen,” she said, “and the bike just looked so big.”

But Pajeaud could handle it, leaning back, back, back.

Thoseearly days were filled with such moments, some of them posted toInstagram wherePajeaud is now @1upsiah, doing tricks andsplaying cash. Richard, Norris and others would notice akid practicingcombos, posting decent grades and staying out of trouble. They’dmessagethe growinggroup chat, share the Venmoaccount andgather

JanRisher

Bob’s1953 postcard yields Louisiana mystery

Bob wrote only 26 words. Somehow,73years later,when Ishowed the postcard around the newsroom,five young womenactually swooned. In full disclosure, Idid too. On the back of aTimes Square postcard, Bob wrote: “Dear Janie, Just came downfrom the Empire State Bldg, naturally my head is still up in the clouds —no wonder Ithought of you. Bob” Despite punctuation issues, Bob’smessage packs apunch. Bob had serious game. The postcard was postmarked 8:30 a.m. on April 24, 1953. Isuspect Bob had visited the Empire State Building the day before. The weather was perfect —sunny,75degrees, with alow of 56. Bob may have been so smooth that the sun was always shining. I’mnot exactly sure how or when Ireceived the postcard. It’s small. It’s yellowed. It’s printed on linen-finished cotton paper.A similar one is forsale on eBay for $17.50. It wasmade by aBoston company called ColourPicture Publication, which madepostcards from 1938 to 1969.

Five summers of coordinating the Postcard Project have leftme with boxes of postcards —new handmade and decades old. I never know quite what to do with them,but every now and then, one turns out to be atreasure. The goal of the Postcard Project is to get postcards from all 50 states and as manycountries as possible.

Bob’spostcard wasaddressed to Miss Mary Jane Gagnier at Marygrove College in Detroit. Itsmessage was enough to send me downarabbit hole. Who was the woman whocould inspire a young man to be so poetic and thoughtful? Iwanted to know her! Finding her didn’ttake long. Mary Jane Gagnier Gelpi lived the last twodecades of her lifein Baton Rouge. She died on the first day of April this year.Her obituary confirmed that she attended Marygrove College in Detroit. Then, my search led me to Facebook, where Irealized that three years ago, she had sent me afriend request.

Maybe that waswhen she gathered her old postcards and sent them my way.She and Ihad other mutual friends. Istarted talking to people whoknew her and learned that she was as delightful as Iimagined.

One distant relative described

Lafayette professor conquers highest point in U.S.

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

For this University of Louisiana at Lafayette finance professor curiosity led him somewhere no Louisianan had gone before.

For 29 days, Linus Wilson hauled more than 200 pounds of food, fuel, and survival gear across glaciers, up icy slopes and through subzero temperatures on North America’s tallest mountain.

When Wilson stepped onto Denali’s 20,310-foot summit on June 17, he accomplished more than reaching the highest point in North America.

He became the first known Louisiana resident to stand on top the highest natural point in all 50 states, a milestone few even hope to achieve. But surprisingly this only became a personal goal a few years ago.

Before climbing became his passion, Wilson’s outdoor interests centered on distance running, marathons and long-distance sailing.

He even sailed around the world aboard a 31-foot sailboat, crossing the South Pacific after passing through the Panama Canal.

That journey came to an abrupt pause after the pandemic stranded his sailboat overseas, so Wilson turned to exploring the United States by road instead. While visiting South Dakota, Wilson climbed Black Elk Peak, which is the state’s highest natural point. That hike in-

spired him to start climbing the highest point in every U.S state. By the end of 2023, Wilson had climbed fewer than 10 state high points. Soon afterward, though, he committed himself to reaching them all.

“I was just surprised,”

Wilson said after learning he had become the first known Louisiana resident to complete the challenge “It makes sense because most people who do this are from places like Colorado or Washington.”

His final summit was Denali in Alaska, which he said had been by far the most difficult. The expedition lasted

29 days.

Unlike many of the world’s other famous climbs, like Mount Everest, Denali doesn’t offer any outside assistance. There are no porters to carry equipment, no stocked camps waiting with food or water and no shelters along the route, Wilson said. Everything needed to survive tents, sleeping bags, fuel, food, and emergency gear must be carried onto the mountain.

Wilson estimated he brought more than 200 pounds of equipment, hauling roughly 150 pounds to the 14,000-foot camp before making multiple trips high-

er up the mountain.

“The biggest issue is just moving the gear,” he said “There’s no food. There’s no water There’s no shelter waiting for you. You have to take all of that with you.”

The conditions only added to the challenge.

Temperatures often dropped to 40 degrees below zero, even in June. Water vapor froze on Wilson’s beard as he stood on top of the summit and at times, snowstorms forced him to stop moving altogether

Other days were spent making repeated trips between camps to position food, fuel and equipment higher on

the mountain before advancing.

“There were days when the weather wouldn’t let you move,” Wilson said. “You just try to do what you can do that day and control what you can control.”

Preparation began months before Wilson arrived in Alaska.

Knowing Denali would demand more than cardiovascular fitness, he shifted part of his training toward strength, adding weightlifting. He also traveled to Mount Rainier in Washington to practice pulling expedition sleds, camp on snow and complete crevasse rescue training.

While many climbers focus primarily on endurance, Wilson said strength played an equally important role on the mountain because every pound of gear had to be moved by hand.

“The summit is halfway,” Wilson said. “So once you reach it, you get your pictures and videos, get something to drink, eat something and then go back down.”

Back home, he learned just how rare his accomplishment was after the Highpointers Club confirmed he had completed all 50 state high points, making him the first known Louisiana resident to do so.

His climbing experiences have also influenced his academic work. In addition to teaching finance at UL Lafayette, Wilson has authored travel books documenting

his adventures and published academic research examining the difficulty of reaching state high points and climbing trends on Denali.

Long before Alaska, Wilson had already completed several of the country’s most demanding climbs. Wyoming’s Gannett Peak and Montana’s Granite Peak each required weeklong expeditions through remote wilderness, testing both endurance and logistics. Although he has completed one of the nation’s rarest mountaineering achievements, Wilson isn’t finished exploring. His next climbing goal is Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain in the Americas. He attempted the climb in 2023 but did not reach the summit Beyond mountaineering, he also hopes to return to sailing by completing the Great Loop, a boating route that circles much of the eastern United States through rivers, canals, the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. For anyone inspired to pursue state high-pointing or mountaineering, Wilson encourages climbers to build experience gradually, joining clubs like Highpointers, and tackling smaller peaks before attempting mountains like Denali.

“I think anybody can kind of start the high-pointing journey,” Wilson said. “It’s something amazing to see when you visit a state.”

Volunteers in Nashville relay calm info during storms

BY TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Anyone who has watched an episode of “9-1-1: Nashville” could be forgiven for thinking the city is constantly beset by tornadoes that turn outdoor concerts into scenes of carnage and blow scooter-riding tourists onto the tops of water towers.

That may be a TV exaggeration, but tornadoes and other dangerous storms do hit the city regularly When they do, many people here turn to Nashville Severe Weather

This group of dedicated volunteers can be found on social media, calmly explaining the storm movement, advising when to take cover and giving the “all clear.” The coverage by Will Minkoff, Andrew Leeper and Tom Johnstone draws tens of thousands of viewers who interact with them in real time. It’s a service that evokes the early promise of the internet, before the rise of the influencer

This is happening at a time when many people no longer watch local news and weather reports. Yet Kevin Trowbridge, who teaches strategic communication at Belmont University in Nashville, says an informal survey of his students found many are tuning in to Nashville Severe Weather

“The millennials and Gen Z — and teaching college students, I know this all too well — their source of information is that handheld device,” he says. “It’s not turning on a TV And it’s not even looking at a traditional media outlet’s online pres-

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her as “pure sunshine.” Seemed appropriate.

I was able to track down her son, Dr Greg Gelpi in Baton Rouge. I knew, based on the details of her life I had learned, that she didn’t meet and marry his father for several years after Bob sent this postcard in 1953. Still, asking about a parent’s old romance takes a certain sensitivity Explaining the postcard to him turned out to be trickier than I expected. Bob had written it to Janie. When I read that version of the card to Dr Gelpi, he didn’t register the connec-

ence. It’s finding sources that provide them quick information when they need it.”

‘Prepared, not scared’

The rise of Nashville Severe Weather is a modern case study in multiple areas — a shifting Tornado Alley, a changing climate, the prevalence of social media and the value of instantaneous, hyperlocal information that can save the day or save lives.

The initiative has evolved over more than a decade from its origins as a Twitter feed and blog. Today volunteers livestream on their YouTube channel whenever Nashville or surrounding counties face severe weather Because Leeper Minkoff and Johnstone all live here, they are facing the same threats as their audience.

“There’s something about Nash Severe Weather that’s different from the hobbyist enthusiast,” Trowbridge says. “I think that’s why people are following them. That’s why they are trusting them. That’s why they’re tuning in and turning to them It is authentic and real.”

Leeper, a church pastor, has a soothing voice and a sign on a shelf behind him that reads “prepared not scared.” He has had to leave the stream to wake up his family and hunker down in their safe space. He did so calmly, modeling the behavior of his motto. After the threat passed, he rejoined the stream. Katherine Moffat, who works as the executive director of the Tennessee Academy of Physician

tion “Well, I don’t know either of those people,” he said at first. I then explained that it was addressed to his mom and, apparently, whoever Bob was had called her “Janie.”

Oh. “Nobody really called her ‘Janie,’ but she might have been called that when she was at Marygrove or something,” he said. He explained that in his mother’s last days, she told him she had been engaged to someone else before she met his dad. Was it Bob?

We’re not certain. I told Dr. Gelpi that everyone I spoke with who knew his mom said that she was an incredible human.

rare, if they ever happen,” he says.

A ‘volunteer heart’

The popularity of Nashville Severe Weather defies much of the received logic about how to build an audience on social media. There’s nothing fancy or highly produced about their livestreams. They don’t try to play up danger or excitement. They certainly don’t try to chase down tornadoes or run around outside in hurricane-force winds.

Assistants, says local TV weather can be “a little over-the-top” when storms are threatening. Nashville Severe Weather, she says, is different.

“They’re a little more calm and telling it to you straight,” she says. “They don’t get people overly excited.”

Tornado Alley has shifted

The need for their service has never been greater “Tornado Alley” has been shifting from the Midwest plains to states further east, says Johnstone, a meteorologist who joined the group last year after 33 years with the National Weather Service.

“The mid-South, especially down through Alabama, Mississippi, and into Tennessee and western Kentucky, has been where tornadoes have been most frequent and people have been dying in the highest numbers,” he says. Michelle Stewart gets all

her weather information via push notifications from Nashville Severe Weather on her phone. It’s a service she found invaluable during an ice storm that left much of the city without power or internet service for days.

“They are very informative about, not just what to expect, but how to be prepared, and just giving everybody the lay of the land without it being too sciencey. You know, it kind of feels like you’re talking to your neighbor,” says Stewart, a project manager at a healthcare research company “They are so calming to me during those live events.”

Brett Withers, a former Nashville city councilman who saw two people die in his district during a 2020 tornado that killed 24 people in Tennessee, calls Nashville Severe Weather a “godsend.”

“We have so many people moving to Nashville, and they might move from places where tornadoes are

Their streams are visually dominated by weather radar Minkoff, Leeper and Johnstone, sometimes joined by other volunteers, each stream from their own homes and appear in little boxes at the bottom or side of the screen. Graphics, when they have them at all, look like they could have been drawn by a 5-year-old.

Take the beloved “Dry Air Monster,” a stick figure with an huge head and chomping Godzilla jaws.

Nashville Severe Weather co-founder David Drobny drew this to explain how dry air could “eat” snow that was headed toward Nashville. In a Southern town that usually sees snow on the ground only a few days each year, many people look forward to it as a mini-vacation The monster’s motto is “No Snow for You.”

Hyperlocal focus

Their hyperlocal focus allows Nashville Severe Weather to fill a niche left open by the local TV meteorologists who have to report on dozens of counties.

“One of the things that Nash Severe can do that

status in bridge. I regretted not knowing her I said, “She must have read that I was looking for postcards.”

That made sense, he said.

“All the way up to her death, she was very hyper She had 10 million things going on with the dietetic stuff and her food service career,” he said. “That would make sense that if she saw you were collecting cards.” I solved only half the mystery Without more than “Bob,” I didn’t have enough to go on — no last name, no college.

even the TV stations have trouble doing is really bring it down to intersection level, school level, church level to let people know where the danger and the threat is,” Johnstone says. Their coverage is a twoway street. Audience members provide photos and video showing on-the-ground conditions and comment in the chat. Nashville Severe Weather shares that information with the National Weather Service and TV meteorologists. They also try to answer people’s questions as they stream. Leeper remembers a day when schoolchildren were sent home because of a tornado threat. When one child commented in the chat about being home alone, his heart sank.

“We just stopped what we were saying on the stream, and I said, ‘Hey It dawns on me that we’ve got a bunch of kiddos at home that are maybe by themselves. Hey Here’s what you do’,” Leeper recalls. “I love those moments where we can just sort of put everything else aside to talk to the people who are listening, in whatever situation they’re in.” It’s moments like that that help them stay grounded. In 2023, a tornado killed a mother and young child here who lived in a trailer Leeper didn’t know them, but he attended the visitation.

“It just creates a whole other emotion when you walk into a funeral visitation for hurting families when it’s a weather event that you covered,” he says. “It’s not all action and adventure. It really affects people’s lives forever.”

In 1967, she was working on the cutting edge of comput-

erization. At the age of 91, she earned her Life Master

One postcard carried me into the life of a woman I never met and a man whose name I may never know That’s the magic of post-

cards they can outlive moments they were meant to preserve. Sometimes they outlive the people who wrote or received them. Nine states remain unclaimed in the 2026 Postcard Project. New, old or handmade postcards are welcome. We are missing: Connecticut, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Vermont. The 2026 Postcard Project ends on Labor Day If you’d like to participate, send postcards to Jan Risher The Advocate, 10705 Rieger Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.

Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

PROVIDED PHOTO

University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor Linus Wilson became the first Louisianan to summit the highest natural point in all 50 states.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Andrew Leeper left, Will Minkoff and Tom Johnstone, right, of Nashville Severe Weather look over weather data on April 20 in Nashville, Tenn.

THERE’S GOOD NEWS, TOO

STORIES OF GLOBAL PROGRESS, COMPILED By FIX THE NEWS

OREGON CUTS BEE DEATHS RELATED TO PESTICIDE

In 2013, the state of Oregon set up a Pollinator Health Task Force and trained around 13,000 licensed pesticide applicators to reduce the number of pesticide-related bee deaths And it worked. Since 2020, the state has not recorded a confirmed pesticide-related bee kill, according to researchers at Oregon State University as reported by Jefferson Public Radio

The program helps professionals recognize high-risk situations that harm bees, like adjusting spraying practices.

“Andony Melathopoulos, an Oregon State University associate professor of pollinator health, said the training helps applicators balance pest management needs with pollinator protection,” Jefferson Public Radio reported.

And while pesticide poisonings have declines, honeybees still face threats from Varroa mites, viruses and poor nutrition. Beyond honeybees, though, researchers with the university are documenting Oregon’s wild bee populations through the Oregon Bee Atlas, which has identified more than 560 species so far

VACCINE DOSES GIVEN TO KIDS IN HORN OF AFRICA

The International Rescue Committee reported in February that the Reaching Every Child in Humanitarian Settings consortium administered 9 million vaccine doses to children living in “humanitarian and conflictaffected regions” across the Horn of Africa protecting against diseases like measles and diphtheria.This effort marks a milestone in trying to reach children who previously lacked access to routine immunization.

The main target group of the initiative — funded by Gavi, the

Vaccine Alliance, and led by the International Rescue Committee — is “zero-dose children,” or children who have never received a vaccine shot. Data shows that, worldwide, 21 million children remain underimmunized, including 14.5 million who have received no vaccines at all. Since launching in 2022, REACH has expanded its footprint.The consortium increased humanitarian access from 16% of its 156 target communities to 96%, using mobile clinics, community outreach units, geospatial mapping and local partners to deliver vaccines where existing government health systems cannot operate. “Moreover, in low and middle-

Powering Progress

income countries the costs for vaccine delivery range from less than US$1 to US$11 per dose; Gavi and IRC estimates that to date REACH has delivered at an average cost of US$4 per dose in the Horn of Africa, at a lower and cost-effective end of the range,” the International Rescue Committee reported.

Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, told the committee that it’s essential to build on this progress in the Horn of Africa as Gavi looks to its next five-year strategic period.

GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT LEAD POISONING

New research presented at the Center for Global Development‘s

Second Annual Research Conference on Global Lead Exposure suggests food may be the largest single pathway for lead exposure potentially accounting for about half of all human exposure The conference included 40 presenters from 14 countries who examined sources of lead exposure and policy solutions. Other sources include battery recycling adulterated spices, water in lower-income countries, pots and pans, edible clays and kohl eyeliners. Studies linked leafy vegetables in Nairobi to emissions from battery recycling plants, while surveys in India found high levels of adulterated turmeric in some regions.

But there’s also progress. Efforts to stop adulteration in Bangladesh has been “sustained over five years and has reduced blood lead levels by 25%.” Researchers at the conference also discussed advances in blood lead surveillance, new methods for identifying enforcement points for lead regulation, the prospect of a new, safe chelation pill to treat lead poisoning and more.

Fixthenews.com is a solutions journalism newsletter that finds stories of progress and shares them with readers from across the world. Acclaimed author Steven Pinker calls Fix the News “the best source for positive news on the internet.”

With thousands of Shell men and women across thestate,we areworking everyday to reduce emissions, while increasing efficiency in ouroperations

Our tomorrowdepends on what we do today. Together, we arepoweringprogressfor abrighter future. Louisiana is whereweliveand we’reproud to call it home

STAFF FILE PHOTO By By JILL PICKETT

Since 2020, Oregon has not recorded a confirmed pesticide-related bee death, according to researchers at Oregon State University, as reported by Jefferson Public Radio.

Robotic elephants draw crowds, controversy in India

Use at some Hindu temples causes contention

BY DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press

CHALAKUDY, India The lifesize robotic elephants in Prasanth Prakashan’s backyard workshop have ears that flap, tails that swish and trunks that squirt water

But that’s about all they have in common with their real-life counterparts revered across India as manifestations of the divine. The animatrons, crafted from fiberglass, iron and rubber, are intended to take the place of live elephants in Hindu temples.

The change pleases animal welfare activists but upsets those who passionately believe real elephants are inextricable from the temple rituals and festivals where they are bestowed superstar status.

The animal welfare group PETA and other nonprofits have donated about 40 robotic elephants, costing about $6,000 each, to Indian temples to replace live elephants.

A robotic elephant is much lighter and lacks the fluid grace of the majestic pachyderm. Electric motors move its head and eyeballs. Body parts are pliable in an attempt to make them lifelike.

Prakashan, who holds a mechanical engineering degree, knows his elephant is far from the real thing.

“You can’t create an original elephant just as you cannot duplicate a human,” Prakashan said. “But we try to capture the majestic animal’s essence as much as we can.”

One thing his elephants can’t yet do is walk.

“But they will,” Prakashan said, smiling. “I’m working on it.”

Symbols of divinity Venerating elephants is not a concept unique to Kerala or Hinduism.

Buddhists believe el-

RIDES

Continued from page 1y

$600 to $1,000 to give a kid a new SE bike. No grants, no foundations. With their own money they’d replace tubes and fix chains. On the rides, stopping at a corner market or grocery store, they’d buy the kids snacks and drinks.

“Being in that space was something sacred,” Norris said. “Everybody was looking out for everybody.”

The ride itself works that way, too. On a recent Thursday, Richard rode in front, looking left and right, front and back. Riders came to him with problems — a flat tire, a bad back. Young people on e-bikes flew alongside and ahead of the group, navigating streetlights and streetcars. Parents held up the back, protecting the pack

The youngest riders rode in the center, testing new tricks.

On Esplanade Avenue, Khloe Rodrigues, 6, stepped onto the seat of the e-bike moving beneath her, balancing for one second, then five. Rodrigues’ mom expected her to wear dresses and bows, said father Joshua Rodrigues, also along for the ride. Instead, her long blonde hair streams behind her bright green helmet as she zooms down the street on her Razor electric dirt bike, her “most favorite thing in the world.”

“She inspires,” her dad said. These days, 1Up attracts all types, from Rodrigues, who lives in Metairie, to a 15-year-old from the Upper 9th Ward But for years, it attracted mostly Black teen boys. Takwon Edwards, who goes by Kwon, trekked to City Park from Avondale each week, a trip that involved a ferry ride. He now lives in Houston.

“It’d be therapy for real,” he said, “therapy for life.” Quickly Edwards grew close to the regulars: “We’re

ephants are Buddha-like, symbolizing patience, wisdom and enlightenment. In Kandy, Sri Lanka, 100 decorated elephants parade the streets, the largest carrying the Buddha’s tooth relic in a golden casket.

In Kerala, festivals with live elephants are crowdpullers. The Thrissur Vadakkunnathan temple’s annual Pooram parade features about 100 elephants adorned in golden headgear and colorful silk caparisons. The elephants are escorted by handlers who fan them with peacock feathers and yakhair whisks.

About 40 miles away, the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple houses nearly 50 elephants. The temple also holds an annual elephant race and a feeding ritual where, following prayers, the animals are given rice, ghee, jaggery, fruits and vegetables.

Elsewhere in Kerala, St. George Orthodox Syrian Church in Kunnamkulam and the Pattambi Mosque in Palakkad district routinely feature elephant parades during their festivals.

Some temple elephants are celebrities.

An elephant named Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran has close to 150,000 fans on Facebook. Guruvayur Keshavan, arguably the most celebrated temple elephant who died in 1976, has been memorialized with a life-sized statue near the temple he served; his life story has been the subject of a film and a television series. Andrea Gutierrez, a University of Texas professor who researched captive elephants in South Asia, said Kerala’s temple elephants are male, which poses a problem. Adult males go through musth, a periodic condition that heightens their aggression. It’s a dramatic surge in testosterone up to 60 times their normal levels.

“But people want these huge impressive tusks, which almost feels like a military presence,” Gutierrez said.

Despite tighter restrictions on owning and maintaining elephants, nearly 400 animals are still captive in Kerala, out of about 2,500 across India. That count is down by about half since 2010.

Perfecting the robots

Khushboo Gupta, vice president of policy at PETA India, said the aesthetic appeal of live elephants doesn’t justify shackling, beating and separating them from their families. Stressed elephants can also be deadly For example, nine people died in 2024 from elephant rampages at Kerala temple festivals.

“These elephants are forced to stand there for hours in the heat, with large crowds, drums and fireworks,” Gupta said. “Any trigger could cause them to go on a rampage.”

Prakashan, who builds animatronics for malls, parks and carnivals, got PETA’s attention in 2023 with a viral video of robotic elephants at a Dubai festival. Gupta contacted him and Sooraj Nambiat, another Kochi-based artist who makes elephant sculptures, about

all brothers.” They attended one another’s birthday parties and graduations and, too often, funerals. A 1Up kid named Rickey Hamilton was 17 years old when he was shot and killed in 2024 while sitting in a car on Freret Street

“We’ve lost three, four kids to gun violence,” Richard said.

“It’s just crazy what they have to combat compared to 15 minutes up the road ” Richard, who is White, grew up 15 minutes up that road, in River Ridge. With 1Up, he’s often understanding while Norris, who grew up with a single parent in north Louisiana, is more likely to be strict.

“I know how to interact with the kids who are maybe choosing that street life,” Norris said.

Together, they offer guidance rather than rules, and act as brothers rather than parents.

Victor was grateful that her son, Pajeaud, “found something out of the neighborhood to do,” she said.

In those early years, on Father’s Day, Victor texted Richard: “Happy bike dad day.” He and Norris attended Pajeaud’s graduation from Eleanor McMain Secondary School. “Here’s this blonde, curly haired guy cheering for him as he crossed the stage.” A photo of that day shows them with their arms around Pajeaud, in cap and gown.

“They were like proud big brothers,” Victor said. Richard, Norris and Pajeaud speak of that era of 1Up with nostalgia. They’re

making a robotic version for temples. Prakashan’s elephants were immediately in demand.

His first was encased in rubber, but he’s moved on to more durable fiberglass molds. The moving rubber parts are shaped by artists who pay close attention to minute details, from the animal’s wrinkly skin to the veins that pop from its fanning ears. The entire process from mold making to animating the elephant now takes Prakashan and his crew about 15 days.

But being a pioneer comes with challenges.

“It was something we had to figure out on our own,” Prakashan said.

Embracing the robots Prakashan’s first robotic elephant, Irinjadapilly Raman, came to the Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in 2023.

On a recent afternoon outside the temple in central Kerala, Raman stood motionless as two children played, giggling and hugging its trunk.

Rajkumar Namboothiri, the temple’s head priest, said children would never

be able to approach a live elephant so freely

He said tantric texts, which spell out the rules for daily rituals in Kerala temples, don’t require live elephants. He believes the practice came about when elephants were a part of kings’ cavalries and palaces a few centuries ago.

“They had trees and forests before,” Namboothiri said “Now, we have concrete jungles, heat and noise. Elephants are tortured and abused. It’s not right.”

The animals were also chosen as vehicles for deities during processions because of their height. But, that could be accomplished with portable palanquins and chariots, Namboothiri said.

P.C. Subhash, a temple devotee, said he is in favor of upholding tradition with live elephants in larger temples, but believes robotic elephants are more feasible for smaller temples, given the steep costs, including liability insurance coverage.

“I really hope more people come to accept them,” Subhash said.

K.I. Purushottaman, pres-

ident of the Cheekamundi

Sri Mahavishnu Temple in Thrissur, said their robotic elephant has brought him peace of mind because he and other administrators feared the possibility of a fatal elephant attack.

“With a robotic elephant, we don’t have that fear,” he said. “That’s a big relief.”

Resisting the change

Still, many traditionalists don’t believe robotic elephants belong in temples.

K. Mahesh rents out his real elephant for festivals about 45 days a year He believes elephants are holy

“If you don’t believe elephants are sacred, what’s the point of a robotic elephant in a temple?” he asked. Mahesh has had his elephant for 25 years and says the animal “is like a family member or a pet” who brings joy to all, provided it is treated with care and caution.

Several temple administrators have denounced robotic elephants for rituals and festivals.

Nambiat, the artist, said he can’t attend temple festivals anymore because many resent his work.

“This is my trade I’m not out to ruin their tradition,” he said “But, if we don’t stop treating elephants like commodities, future generations won’t have them.”

P.S. Easa, a Kerala-based wildlife biologist and elephant expert, helped draft the state’s captive elephant regulations. While hard to enforce, they have helped protect elephants to some extent, he said.

“Sadly, there’s a lot of money to be made with elephants,” he said. “It’s not about spirituality or even tradition. It’s religious tourism.”

Easa is not sure if robotic elephants will be accepted in his lifetime.

“You cannot change centuries-old tradition anytime soon,” he said. “But who knows? Maybe if these robotic elephants can start walking.”

figuring out what’s next for the Thursday rides, how to continue the giveaways, and if it makes sense to formalize the group. They’re taking dozens of kids to the X Games League this month. Over a year, a pair of filmmakers shot a documentary about the rides, which is now in postproduction. Pajeaud, now 21, still rides. On that night in early

June, he zipped along on an e-bike, steering the group around the Superdome, then onto Canal Street. An older woman in a Camry shook her fist at them. A man in an SUV leaned out his window filming them as they passed. They pedaled by the Joy Theater, its marquee blinking J, then O, then Y. A few of them had cameras strapped

or their handlebars, and they’d act tough for one another their faces stoic even as they swerved and bounced and swung their front wheels into the air But the young ones were less guarded, grinning as they rode.

Contact reporter Jenna Ross at jenna.ross @theadvocate.com.

Tommy Richard talks to Jose Fuentes, 15, before 1Up BikeLife rolls through the city at City Park in New Orleans.

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Landon Landry rolls down Girod Street near Caesars Superdome as 1Up BikeLife rides through New Orleans on June 11.

Khloe Rodrigues, 6, stands on her motorbike as 1Up BikeLife rolls up Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans.

Siah Pajeaud poses in the parking lot of Rouses in New Orleans as riders of 1Up BikeLife take a break to get snacks and water

to their heads

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AIJAZ RAHI

Prasanth Prakashan, a mechanical engineer stands on May 22 in front of a robotic elephant at his backyard workshop in Chalakudy, in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

SUNDAY, JUlY 19, 2026

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ROSEBUDS / by Supr Dee

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

grams

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

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 — eLectors: e-LEKters: People qualified to vote in an election.

Average mark 36 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 59 or more words in ELECTORS?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

By rebecca goldstein

Surprising play

Gabriel Chagas has been Brazil’s greatest player, winning several World Championships over the past 50 years. He was South in today’s deal. Aggressive bidding by Chagas got him to a poor slam. Could he find a way to make it?

wuzzLes

super Quiz

Chagas won the opening spade lead and led a club to his queen. He had to risk the heart finesse so he led a heart to dummy’s jack. First hurdle cleared. He cashed the king of hearts, led a club to his jack, and discarded a spade from dummy on the ace of hearts. He ruffed his remaining spade and had to make a play in the diamond suit. He led a low diamond from dummy and played the nine from his hand! West won but had to concede a ruff-sluff and Chagas’s diamond loser disappeared. Why this play rather than the expected ace of diamonds and a diamond to the queen? Chagas reasoned that West, to avoid giving a ruffsluff, would have to lead a dia-

mond if he had one and give Chagas a chance to play the queen from dummy This was just a free extra chance that paid dividends on this lie of the cards. Well done!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2026 Tribune Content Agency goren Bridge

lifestyle. Do the legwork instead of relying on someone else.

dreams and having conversations with someone who makes you realize your potential will help you take a step toward a lifestyle change that offers convenience.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Reviewyour financial situation. What comes in and goes out may require an adjustment if you intend to maintain your

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Do something that sparks your imagination and brings you closer to the people you love, and the personal growth you experience will give you the push necessary to follow your heart.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) The process of recognizing your feelings and what you want and following through with a plan and a budget you can sustain — will help build confidence and encourage you to reach for higher goals.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) You have choices. Ignoring the problem solves nothing, but telling it like it is will help you eliminate a discrepancy you have with someone causing you grief.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Talks can help you alleviate stress. Nothing will change if you don’t share your thoughts and feelings and offer compromises and incentives to ensure a better future.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) A healthy attitude can help you achieve what you set out to do, but negativity and letting outside influences take over

will set you back. Don’t be afraid to embrace change and to do things differently

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Interacting with people you can relate to will help you see your personal situation better and offer insight into the changes necessary to achieve peace of mind.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Consider the cost involved before you start a project or decide to spend on entertainment, projects or loved ones. Cap your spending. Look for deals, and oversee any costly changes you wish to pursue.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Working on self-improvement projects and surrounding yourself with people who encourage you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) You’ll be torn between temptation and what you should actually do. Don’t let lovers, children or those you constantly try to please talk you into something questionable.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Answers to puzzles

super

1. Spain.2.Nepal. 3. Cuba. 4. Iran.5.Chile 6. Peru. 7. Chad.8.China.9.Kenya.10. Ireland 11. Oman.12. Norway.13. Malta. 14. France. 15. India

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

CryptoquoteAnswer word

Saturday's Cryptoquote: It's asuresign of summer if thechair gets up whenyou do. Walter Winchell

sudoKu Answer jumble Answer

CrosswordAnswers

sCrAbble Answers wuzzles Answers

Ken Ken Answers hidAtoAnswers

jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly

FoXtrot/ by BillAmend

dustin /bySteve Kelley&JeffParker