The Times-Picayune 07-22-2026 by The Advocate

Bertha hovering offLouisiana coast

BY MIKE SMITH, JONI HESS and LARA NICHOLSON Staff writers

Southeast Louisiana braced for Tropical Storm Bertha as it meandered toward an expectedlandfall Wednesday, but forecasters’ predictions thatits heaviest effects could remain offshore left residents hopeful of escaping serious damage.

While Bertha was far from amajor storm, the flood-prone NewOrleans area has learned not to ignore anypos-

sibility of severeweather.Preparationswere underway to guard against potential risks, withsome ﬂoodgates being closed, sandbags being filled, groceries being bought and boatsbeingmoved to higher ground. Forecasters sketched out ascenario expected to limit Bertha’spower Wind shearand dry airfrom the northeast would likely slice at the disorganized storm’sstructure,preventing it from intensifying. The shear was also expectedtopush Bertha’sconvection to itssouth andkeep much of the

rainfall over the Gulf.

Theriskoftornadoes spinningoff from Bertha’swinds also appeared relatively low,officials said, but the potential forheavy rain, flashfloods andtroublesome storm surge in some areas remained concerns.

Coastal St. Bernard andPlaquemines parishes wereexpected to begin seeing tropical storm conditions as early as Tuesday night. Landfall was likely to occurinPlaqueminesParish late Wednesday afternoon or Wednesday evening. The storm’s maximum sustained

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Cuts in statefunding to city citedinletter

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

Mayor Helena Moreno and New Orleans City Council members on Tuesday asked special prosecutor Laurie White to dismiss charges against Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill, citing escalating tensions between the state and city anda series of funding cuts to NewOrleans.

In aletter to White, officials said thatthe “continuing conflicts” emerging from the July 2charges “distract from the important workbefore us.” “The request is notdrivenbyfear,politics, or personal interest,” wrote Moreno and five of theCityCouncil’sseven members. “It is driven by ourbeliefthatthe public interest is now better served by moving forward rather than by

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Man stabs, wounds

tourists near Acropolis

ATHENS Greece A man stabbed and wounded two tourists Tuesday morning near the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece’s top tourist attraction, police said, in what appeared to be a random attack.

The assailant, identiﬁed only as a 60-year-old Greek man, attacked a Greek American couple with a knife on a pedestrian street near an entrance to the archaeological site and near the entrance to the Acropolis Museum, which lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill.

The 53-year-old male victim suffered a serious wound to his arm which required a tourniquet to be applied, while the 48-year-old woman was more lightly wounded in the leg, police said.

Both were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital Neither of their injuries was reported to be life-threatening.

The attacker was detained at the scene and was to appear in court before a prosecutor later Tuesday to be formally charged, police said. Authorities did not provide further details on his identity, in line with Greek law regarding the identification of suspects.

The motivation for the attack was not immediately clear, but police said the assailant appeared to have been suffering from psychological problems.

Blast at plant leaves 12 dead, 13 missing

GUWAHATI, India A suspected gas explosion collapsed part of a tunnel under construction at a hydropower project in India’s northeastern Himalayan state of Sikkim, leaving at least 12 people dead and 13 missing, ofﬁcials said Tuesday Rescue teams with oxygen gear raced to find survivors Tuesday as toxic levels of gas were detected at the disaster site in Samardung village near the Chinese border

The blast had ripped through the tunnel Monday while 21 laborers were inside working on the 500-megawatt Teesta hydroelectric project, officials said Two of them managed to escape. Six power utility officials later entered the tunnel to help in the rescue, but became trapped themselves, officials said

The explosion was believed triggered by a buildup of methane, said State Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, who visited the site Tuesday Survivors told authorities they heard a loud explosion before debris came crashing through the tunnel, civil ofﬁcial Anupama Tamling said.

Officials had recovered 12 bodies on Tuesday while rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force raced to reach the 13 people believed to be still trapped

“We found toxic gases such as methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulﬁde inside the tunnel,” NDRF ofﬁcial Nitin Kumar said at the scene.

150 migrants dead or missing off West Africa

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania The United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday it is “extremely saddened” after nearly 150 people died or went missing from boats off Mauritania last week while trying to make their way to Europe.

The agency said 144 people were dead or missing after two incidents between July 14 and 18. It said 387 people were rescued.

Mauritania’s coast guard has said 122 people went missing off the coast near the capital, Nouakchott.

It said the boat carrying 160 people from Gambia toward the Canary Islands ran out of fuel and was stranded at sea for 25 days. In a separate incident, the coast guard said it rescued 179 people who had boarded a boat from Senegal on Saturday The difference in the numbers given was not immediately clear

Mauritania’s waters have become a major route for people from sub-Saharan Africa seeking a better life in Europe as economic opportunities remain scarce at home.

New UK prime minister assembles Cabinet

Starmer supporters are pushed away

BY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

LONDON New U.K. Prime

Minister Andy Burnham gathered his Cabinet for its ﬁrst meeting on Tuesday and vowed to take a “oneteam approach” despite purging allies of predecessor Keir Starmer from the government.

Burnham told his top team that he would lead a “cost-of-living government” focused on easing the economic burden felt by millions of people.

“We need to think every day, what can we do just to take that little bit of pressure off people’s shoulders, to give them that little extra sense that help is coming, so they can have that bit of hope that things are

getting better,” Burnham said.

He made a small down payment on that pledge by announcing a tax cut on domestic electricity bills that will save the average household about $60 a year The cut will take effect Oct. 1, Burnham said, with the funding coming from scrapping a plan for digital ID cards announced by Starmer

The former mayor of Greater Manchester entered Downing Street on Monday after replacing Starmer as leader of the governing Labour Party becoming Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016. Starmer resigned just two years after winning a landslide election victory forced out by his party after missteps and U-turns.

a time of rising threats. In an interview after he quit, Healey called the Treasury “a dead hand on dynamic government” and “in denial.”

In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham pledged to ease the cost of living, decentralize political power, revitalize industry and end street sleeping by homeless people — a tall order, especially given Britain’s sluggish economic growth in recent years.

Burnham acknowledged at the Cabinet meeting that the government would have to make difficult financial decisions and “take a really hard look at what our priorities are.”

U.S. sends food aid to Cuban residents

Island’s government still under pressure

BY DANIEL KOZIN and DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

MIAMI A Cuba-bound cargo plane carrying food and hygiene kits left Miami on Tuesday under U.S. efforts to give direct assistance to the island’s residents while continuing to pressure their government.

The flight carrying 700 packages is meant to bypass the Cuban government, with the items distributed directly to the Cuban people by Catholic groups in Cuba, according to the U.S. State Department.

Tuesday’s shipment is a $60 million first tranche of a total of $100 million the U.S. offered to Cuba some time ago. It comes after months of intensified U.S. pressure on the Cuban government and government-related institutions that has focused mainly on imposing significant sanctions against the country’s military and intelligence apparatus. The imposition of an energy and oil blockade has practically paralyzed the Cuban economy and the daily lives of people on the island.

The latest iteration of this was a lengthy document released by the State Department on Monday accusing Cuba of running a vast espionage and left-wing inﬂuence operation in the U.S. over the past ﬁve decades.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, has taken a personal interest in pushing Cuba to make changes to its socialist system, while President Donald Trump has on several occasions suggested that the U.S could take military action to topple the island’s communist government

Jeremy Lewin, the State Department’s senior ofﬁcial for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, said the partnership builds upon a program that last year delivered $9 million in support following Hurricane Melissa He said challenges have included convincing the Cuban government to allow the aid’s distribution and agree not to intercept and take it for themselves. Lewin said that since local priests and Catholic groups are distributing the assistance directly, “there’s very little, if any, opportunity for the regime to interfere with the delivery of the assistance.”

Man thrown by bison says hitting ground was worst part

BY MEAD GRUVER Associated Press

Bison that appear to be grazing peacefully are able to accelerate into a terrifying pace, making them among the most dangerous animals in Yellowstone, where one of the giant bovines recently charged at and tossed a grandfather Carl McDaniel, 65, suffered multiple bone fractures in the July 10 attack at the national park but lived to tell the tale, as seen in a video he recorded a few days later from his hospital bed in southern Montana.

Bison can run up to 35 mph, faster than the men’s world record in the 100-meter dash. They stand up to 6 feet tall, weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and are North America’s biggest land animal.

Yellowstone records on average a couple of bison attacks every year At least two people were attacked in the park in 2025.

After taking ofﬁce Monday, Burnham set about remaking the government. Starmer’s finance minister, Rachel Reeves, was ousted, replaced by John Healey, a former defense secretary who resigned in June and accused the Treasury of failing to spend enough on the military at

Healey has said defense spending, due to be 2.6% of GDP next year, should rise to 3% by 2030. Now he will have to ﬁnd the money Wes Streeting, whose resignation as health secretary in May helped topple Starmer, took over the defense portfolio. Other key Cabinet appointees include Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who has an expanded brief that includes innovation and science.

Louise Haigh, a key Burnham ally who helped engineer his rise to the top, was named First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, effectively the deputy prime minister

Zelenskyy fires top military chief

BY HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press

KYIV Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday ﬁred Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as commanderin-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces following days of mass protests in Kyiv, the country’s capital, and other cities nationwide demanding his removal. Zelenskyy appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief, according to a statement on social media.

“Our shared wish is one victory over the enemy and conditions at the front and in pressure on Russia that would force Russia toward peace,” Zelenskyy said. It was the second major reversal Zelenskyy has made under street pressure, after protests last summer forced him to undo a law weakening Ukraine’s

anti-corruption watchdogs. The Ukrainian leader said he made the decision to appoint the new army chief after a series of meetings with military commanders. They began shortly after protests broke out demanding the reinstatement of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, seen by demonstrators as a driver of military modernization, and the removal of Syrskyi, who they said embodied the army’s old, Soviet-style command culture.

Zelenskyy thanked Syrskyi for his achievements in Ukraine’s fight against Russia and praised him for the defense of Kyiv and for operations in Kharkiv and Kursk. “I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our warriors for Ukraine’s strong front-line positions,” he said.

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“He wasn’t showing aggression or anything like that until it picked a target. That target happened to be me,” McDaniel said in the video posted on Instagram on Saturday McDaniel was on a stroll with his grandson when the attack happened at Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake.

Bozeman Health emergency department Dr Eric Lowe said in the video that McDaniel suffered fractures in multiple places. McDaniel said the hardest part wasn’t the creature’s horns.

“They move faster than you could ever imagine. He just kept coming,” he said.

“I didn’t get bruises from him launching me in air,” he said. “It was the landing that became the problem.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LyNNE SLADKy

People load pallets containing food and hygiene kits for a humanitarian assistance flight to Cuba organized by the Trump administration on Tuesday in Miami.

Syrskyi

PROVIDED PHOTO Carl McDaniel speaks from in a hospital bed after he was thrown by a bison in yellowstone National Park.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EDDIE MULHOLLAND

Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham, center, attends his first cabinet meeting as prime minister at 10 Downing St. in London on Tuesday.

HegsethsaysIranwar cost $37.5B at fieryhearing

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON Defense Sec-

retary Pete Hegseth faced ﬁery questions and protests Tuesday over the U.S. war with Iran, which he estimated has cost $37.5 billion so far, as Republicans prepare a$95 billionGOP budget package to fund the military,along withother White House priorities.

Hegseth provided the new estimate,upfrom earlier assessments, during acombative Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, which came days after the Pentagon announced that three more American servicemembers have died in the conflict, bringing the death toll to 17, and thatmore than 100 have been injured since early July.Several times protesters interrupted his opening remarks

Hegseth said the supplemental war funding is an “urgent, necessary” injection of money,and with President Donald Trump’sproposed $1.5 trillion defense budget, agenerationalinvestmentin the military

“Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls,” Hegseth testiﬁed.

But Sen. Patty Murray,the topDemocrat on the panel, warned of “another forever

war.”

“Thiswar is nowspiraling out of controlagain,” Murray saidinher opening remarks. Trump has said repeatedly that“adealisnear, andthe war willbeover soon,” she said.“Butnow,he’sasking for $70 billion more —and for us to just trust him it’ll all work out ﬁne.”

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins werealso testifying before the panel.

Theproposed budget package includes $60 billion and $12 billion for othernational security needs,along with $10 billion for farm aidand $10 billion for voting law changes.

Beforethe hearing, the White House issued astate-

ment urging support of the budget resolution, “without modification —immediately.”

Warfunding makes up the bulk of the GOP’snew budgetproposal, one last prioritypackage theRepublicans hope to launchbeforelawmakersrecesstocampaign for themidterm elections. The packageaimstohelp farmers struggling under Trump’stariffs and to pay for voter lawchanges, none of it paid for with offsets

Most Americans continue to disapprove of how Trump is handlingIran, according to an AP-NORC poll. Gas prices have spiked as Iran works to controloil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. munitions are running low from the onslaught of Ameri-

WhiteHouse pushes to reopen Libyan embassy

BY MATTHEW LEE AP diplomatic writer

WASHINGTON— The State Department has informed Congress that it plans to move ahead with thepotential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Libya, proposingto allocate nearly $41 million to restore America’sformal diplomaticpresence in the North African nation after a near 14-year absence.

The department told lawmakers on Monday that the money would cover “a range of security-relatedactivities associated with plans forthe

potentialphasedresumption of embassy operations in Libya,” accordingtoacopy of thenotiﬁcation obtained by The Associated Press.

The move to reopen the embassy “is essential to advancingU.S. national security interests,” it said. “The United States mustremain engagedinregions where near-peer competitors and other adversarialactorsare actively expanding their inﬂuence.”

“Libya’sstrategic location on the Mediterranean and its role in regional security, energy markets, andmigra-

tion ﬂows make it vital to U.S interests,” it said. “The country’s instabilityhas drawn increased involvement from near-peer competitors, notably Russia, which threatens U.S. and allied objectives in North Africa.”

Libyan officials representingboth thewestern and eastern regions of the country thathave been in conflict for more than adecade have recently met with top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos.

can missile strikes, and Trumphas shifted away from hisown campaignpromise not to draw theU.S. intoprolonged military conﬂicts.

Trumphas shown no signs of backing off thewar,and theRepublicans have largely refused to confronthis strategy or use Congress’ power of the purse and war powersauthority to halt the conﬂict.

“The commanderinchief andthe whole Departmentof Warare working very hard to bring this to aresolution,” saidHouse Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday Hegseth appeared before the panelfacing atorrentof questions aboutnot only the war,but his own leadership of the department

Sen. Susan Collins,the Republican chair of thecommittee, opened the hearing saying it’s“deeply troubling” that the Pentagon has blocked or denied promotions to vari-

ousofficers, particularly women andminorities.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire questioned whyHegseth is asking for moremoney when thedepartment hasnot yetspent about half the $150 billion Republicansprovidedthe Pentagon in lastyear’sbig budgetbill.

“Why are you asking the American people to absorb the cost of awar they don’t support?” askedShaheen

When Hegseth started describing the “historic nature” of Trump’smilitary strategy, she cut him off. Hegseth later explainedthatthe rest of last year’s budgetpackagewould be spent by September

When GOP Sen. Mike Rounds wanted to know if this funding request would be enough to “getthe jobdone,” the generaldemurred.

“I can’t answerthe question on what it will cost, because the enemy hasa vote,” Caine

said. Republican Sen. JohnKennedy,ofMadisonville, was amongseveral senators demanding answers over the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, asking if Iranwill impose tolls on what historically has been an open waterway vitaltothe ﬂowofoil.

Caine said, “That’sahypothetical question, and Idon’t knowthe answertothat.”

But Kennedy retorted: “Guys, we need straight answers.”

Tensions exploded toward the endofthe more than three-hour hearing.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y., told Hegseth ﬂatly that his war claims don’tadd up. Has the U.S. obliterated Iran’snuclear capabilitiesor not? she demanded to know.

“We’re staying laserfocused on the objective,” Hegseth responded, “and you’re trying to make campaign commercials.”

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ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethtestifies at aSenate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Scan Me

U.S., Iran attacks overshadow efforts to keep diplomacy alive

Strikes continue as attempts to salvage ceasefire go on

BY JON GAMBRELL and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press

ISLAMABAD The U.S. military

said it launched an 11th night of strikes on Iran early Wednesday as attacks across the Middle East overshadowed diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to salvage an interim ceaseﬁre deal that has collapsed U.S. Central Command did not immediately reveal the targets being struck in the latest wave, which comes after President Donald Trump telegraphed that strikes would be intensifying Before the newest barrage, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conﬂict seeking to revamp diplomacy But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war, which lately has become a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to world energy supplies.

Speaking from the Oval Ofﬁce on Tuesday, Trump gave a dim view on possible talks, saying the U.S had “no interest in meeting.” He signaled that U.S. forces could soon target an area of Iran close to one of its main sites for enriching uranium.

With negotiations and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz largely stalled, both sides have sought to gain leverage by targeting civilian infrastructure in the region relied on by millions.

A barrage of U.S. strikes hasn’t loosened Iran’s grip on the strait, through which about one-ﬁfth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas was shipped before the war

The U.S. continued its airstrikes on the Islamic Republic Tuesday, and Iran attacked a tanker in the strait, forcing the crew to abandon the ship. Iran also kept up attacks against U.S. allies in the region. Sirens in Bahrain and Kuwait warned residents of incoming projectiles.

Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, left, meets with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, right, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday

The escalation pushed energy prices higher.

The international benchmark for crude oil traded Tuesday above $91 a barrel and regular gas in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon.

The number of wounded U.S. personnel in the Iran war has grown to well over 500 troops, a U.S. ofﬁcial told The Associated Press. The total is higher than the Pentagon’s ofﬁcial tally on the Defense Casualty Analysis System, which currently shows 482 wounded.

The U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the system has a significant lag in reporting injuries. The official said that was a function of its design and not intentional

In the Red Sea, Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthi rebels have opened a new front against Saudi Arabia by declaring a naval blockade of the kingdom, threatening the ﬂow of global oil supplies and trade.

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to get millions of barrels of oil out to market.

A news agency in Yemen that is run by the Houthis, SABA, said Tuesday that six ships in the Red

Sea were forced to reroute after they received warnings from the rebel group. The Associated Press could not conﬁrm the claim.

Three Houthi ofﬁcials said the group warned international shipping companies on Monday to avoid transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz

The ofﬁcials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they weren’t authorized to speak to journalists.

Momeni, Iran’s interior minister met Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to two ofﬁcials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations. Momeni later met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In a statement, Sharif expressed deep concern over the recent U.S.-Iran escalation, and urged all sides to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further destabilize the region.

Pakistan’s political leadership and Munir, who serves as both the chief of army staff and defense forces, played a key role in brokering last month’s interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Islamabad has been working to persuade both sides to return to the negotiating table.

U.S.-Lebanon flights can resume,

president says

Trump pledges help for country after meeting its leader

BY KAREEM CHEHAYEB and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump pledged to help Lebanon “a lot” during a White House meeting on Tuesday with the country’s leader, Joseph Aoun, who came to push for long-term calm after months of war between Israel and the Iranbacked Hezbollah militant group.

The U.S. has championed peace in Lebanon but has been increasingly distracted by new escalation of the war in Iran, which has destabilized much of the Middle East. Trump says he now has little interest in talks with Iran’s leaders to end the war In the meantime, Lebanon and Israel have held rare direct talks mediated by Washington.

“It’s been a very badly treated place and country, and we’re going to have it properly treated and treated with the respect it deserves,” Trump told Aoun during a meeting which wrapped the Lebanese leader’s four-day visit to Washington.

“We’re gonna help it a lot,” he said of Lebanon, without giving concrete details.

Hours later, Trump made the surprise announcement that he’d allow American carriers to resume direct ﬂights to Lebanon for the ﬁrst time in 40-plus years after the U.S. suspended the route.

“I am hereby directing my Administration to allow all U.S airline carriers to ﬂy directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land,” Trump said on social media after Aoun had left the White House.

It is highly unlikely U.S. carriers will want to fly into Lebanon in the near future, however, as the situation in Iran disrupts larger air traffic and questions about Hezbollah’s influence in parts of the country remain.

Direct ﬂights between the U.S. and Lebanon were suspended in 1985 by the Reagan administration

following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.

Lebanon hopes the Washington talks result in Israeli troops withdrawing from large swaths of southern Lebanon that they currently occupy, and the Lebanese military receiving support to assert full control in areas where Hezbollah militants had held sway Trump said of Israel’s army withdrawing from Lebanon, “They’re in the process of doing that,” but didn’t elaborate.

Aoun told Trump, “Your vision is peace,” calling it Trump’s “legacy.” He also said Trump was a “great president.”

Trump responded by joking, “I do agree with that” and said Aoun was handsome and “knows how to get to me,” adding “Now he can have anything.”

Lebanon and Israel announced a “framework agreement” on June 26, setting a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw and for the disarmament of Hezbollah, which for decades had a strong presence in southern Lebanon. The deal’s implementation was to begin in small “pilot zones.”

The U.S. State Department said Monday that operations in three villages of one pilot zone had begun.

Two of them — Froun and Srifa — were not under Israeli military control to begin with, and the Lebanese army was already present there, while Israeli forces were at one point in a part of the third village, Zawtar al-Gharbieh.

BY ALLEN G. BREED, DAVE

COLLINS and KONSTATIN

TOROPIN Associated Press

RALEIGH, North Carolina The U.S. military has conﬁrmed that a third service member is believed to be dead in Friday’s attack on a base in Jordan and identiﬁed them as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of New York.

The confirmation brings the death toll to 18 U.S. service members killed since the war began.

On Monday, the Pentagon identiﬁed 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, as the two other soldiers who were killed in Jordan in Friday’s attacks.

The soldiers were killed by Iranian ballistic missile and

drone attacks in the first troop deaths from direct Iranian ﬁre since the opening days of the war They were deployed to support a U.S. mission against the Islamic State group, a U.S. Central Command statement said. After the attack, U.S. Central Command announced that two servicemembers were killed and another was missing

The following day the military command said that troops found unidentified remains and that an examination process to verify the remains was underway Now, the Pentagon says that Rampersad is believed to be that missing soldier and her ofﬁcial status is now “Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown” and she is “believed to be deceased.”

Rampersad belonged to

the same unit as Gonzales the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command based in Ansbach, Germany

Also, a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone was identiﬁed as Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old father from North Carolina who had served for nearly a decade, according to a military statement Tuesday and his family

Swinton will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. The Army said it was investigating the circumstances of his death Sunday at an air base in Irbil.

He leaves behind a 6-yearold son and a 4-year-old daughter his mother said.

PROVIDED PHOTO

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO President Donald Trump greets Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House on Tuesday in Washington.

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Forthe next 7days, we are offeringaspecial Decompression Evaluation-atnocosttoyou!

What does this offer include? Everything we normally do in ournew patientevaluations:

•Anin-depthconsultationabout your health andwellbeing wherewewill listen .really listen to thedetails of your case

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•Athorough analysis of your exam andX-rays. Yousit with thedoctorone-on-onetoreviewyour findings in detail

It is importanttonotethatnot everypatient is a candidatefor Spinal Decompression, whichiswhy we prioritize athoroughindividualassessment andX-ray analysis foreachpersonwho walks throughour doors.

At LeBlancSpine Center,

We arehonestwithour patients andour consistently high successratestems from our commitment to only taking on patients whom we confidently believewecan help

If youhaveseenour adsinthe past andhave thoughtabout calling, don’thesitate!

We spendtimeanswering allofyour questionswhenyou come in foryourfree evaluation Thereisnochargeatall andyou don’tneedtobuy anything,soyou have nothingtolose.

We trulyenjoy meetingwithpatients, reviewingX-rayswiththem, andhelping them find outifSpinalDecompressioncould be their pain solution,likeithas been forso many others

Iwas suffering with lowerbackpainfor years, anditwas gettingworse andworse It wassopainful that Icould notfunction.I couldnot getout thebed withoutfalling tothe floor. Ihad triedorthopedicdoctors,medication scans, physical therapy- alltonoavail IcametoLeBlanc SpineCenter, andI startedSpinalDecompression treatments in August…and Inow feel 100% improved! Iamnow sleeping better,drivingwithout pain,walking further–all of theseactivities

Ican nowdo, andIhaveenergythatIonly hadwhenI wasyoung Iamtreated wonderfully by thestaff at LeBlanc SpineCenter. They aresopolite andcaring. Dr.Scott andDr. Dana are unbelievably helpful. Thetreatment is not painful, andIenjoy themusic whileIam theretoo! If askedtorecommend LeBlancSpine Center, Iwould saythatIamconvinced that you will improvea bigamount, if not100%. Decompression therapyisthe waytogo!

RonnieHebert

(Civil Engineer) Hometown -Plaquemine, LA

Ihad been sufferingwithpainfrom herniateddiscs in my lowerback. Icould notstand for longerthan5minutes withoutpain. Ihad triedepiduralsteroid injectionsand physical therapyinthe past,but wasstillsuffering. Ihavealways been active andmybackpainwas affectingmylifestylegreatly IcametoLeBlancSpine Centerand began Decompressiontreatment andIamnow 100% improved! Ican do everything Idid beforemypain started, andmyfavoritepartabout this treatmentisthe results! Ican do allofmydaily activities without anypain. Thedoctors andstaff here have also treatedmegreat IhaverecommendedLeBlancSpine Center to manypeople. andwill continue to do so!

Mark Evans (FormerHighSchoolCoach and InsuranceAgent)

Hometown -Baton Rouge,LA

Ihavebeensuffering with sharppainful back achescausing immobility foryears butcameherewhenmypainwas more severe.Ibegan Spinal Decompression treatments at LeBlancSpine Centerand Iamnow 80-90% improved! Ican stilldo my hobbies andworkwithlesspainthan before,I am also sleeping better andIhavemore mobility.Ifeelsomuchbetter! Thestaff here is alwayscaring, helpful, andaccommodating. Thedoctors are alwaysassessing andevaluatingissues trying to find asolution.One of thebest things Ilikeabout my care at LeBlanc SpineCenteristhateveryoneissocaring andthe attentivenessIreceive! Iwould 100% recommendLeBlancSpine Center, thestaff is alwaysniceand helpful.Dr. Scottand Dr.Dana have alwaysbeen proactiveand thorough when trying to find asolution!

Cory Manuel (Project Management) Hometown -Gonzales, LA

BeforecomingtoLeBlanc SpineCenter, Isuffered from lowerbackpainwhen standing andaconstantdullpaininmy lowerlefthip fornearlythree years. Ihad CT scans, an MRI, andeventriedphysical therapy, whichonlygavemesome relief.AfriendrecommendedLeBlanc SpineCenter, andI’m so gladtheydid Thedoctors andstaff are top-notchwonderful,competent,and genuinely interested in helping theirpatients.Since startingcare, I’ve improved about80% Ican nowstand longer,walk, fish,and enjoyactivitiesthatwerepreviously limitedbypain. In fact,I’m even planning twovacationsthisyear. Beforemyvisits,I felt like my world wasshrinking. LeBlanc SpineCentergavethatworld back to me andIrecommend them with enthusiasm

Leonard Kleinpeter

(Retired government worker andowner of Southern Hydroseeders) Hometown -Baton Rouge,LA

Dr.Scott LeBlanc, D.C. Dr.DanaLeBlanc, D.C.

BYALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

While U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow, RBaton Rouge, still has abig fundraisingadvantage in thecontest for U.S. Senate, Democrat Jamie Davis’ campaign is touting ahaul of $1.6 million as evidence he can run acompetitive race. Davis raised that amount between April and June, according to thelatest campaign ﬁnance disclosures. That brings his total amount raised to just under $2 million;his campaign has $479,000 cash on hand as of June 30.

BENSON

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Ave. for more than two decades.

Asalepricewas not disclosed. Benson said she purchased the properties because she believesthat “investing in New Orleans is investing in its future.”

“My longtime commitment has been to bring historic buildings and underutilized properties back into commerce, strengthen our neighborhoods and create opportunities forgrowth,” Benson said in astatement Monday. “The acquisitionof thesepropertiesonHarmony Circlereﬂectsthat same commitment.”

Her spokesperson Greg Bensel said it’stoo soon to saywhat Benson has planned for the properties but that she is “working through anumber of discussion items at present.”

Representatives from the Taylor Foundation, which is located just off Harmony Circle on Andrew Higgins Boulevard, did not reply to amessage seeking comment on the sale.

Future plans

The acquisitions are the latest of severalfor Benson who has been expanding the downtown footprintof her real estate company in recent years. And it comes nearly two years after the Downtown Development District announced an effort to “reimagine” the traffic circleand green space with new landscaping, lighting and amenities.

Harmony Circle, once knownasLee Circle, became aﬂashpoint for controversy over the city’sracist past in the 2010s because of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that towered over the circle atop a68-foot pedestal.In2017, thestatue was removed, and the circle was renamed.

In the years since, the pedestal has loomed bare over the circle, though it has occasionallyhoused temporary art installations. In 2024, the district said it wanted to rethink the important public space in hopes that it could come to repre-

“The peopleare showingthey want to hear about ourvisionfor aLouisianawecan all afford,” Davissaidinastatement. “The smart money said afarmer from Tensas Parish couldn’tdothis. The people of Louisiana justprovedotherwise.” Davis’ campaign said themoney came from 60,000 donors in all 50 states.

Letlow raised slightlylessthan Davis in thesecondquarter,bringing in about $1.5 million, accordingtofederal campaign finance records. But she still has amajor moneyadvantage In total, Letlow has raised $6.2 million.That includes money totalingroughly $4 million from Letlow’sHouse campaign fund and otherPACs. At theend of June,her

Senate campaignhad $1.4 million in cash on hand.

“This campaign has always been about ﬁghting for our families, our values, and the future we leave to our children,”Letlow saidina statement. “I will continue working every day to earn their trust andsupport as we head toward November.”

To be sure,Letlow enjoysseveralsignificant advantages.She has President Donald Trump’s

endorsement, which helped her oust incumbentSen.BillCassidy, R-Baton Rouge, in the primary

Andshe is running in asolidly red state: the GOPcurrently holds allstatewide elected ofﬁces and has supermajorities in the Legislature, andTrump overwhelmingly won Louisiana in the past three presidential elections.

ButDavis’ recent fundraising which drewoncontributions from across the country —suggests a broad optimism aboutDemocrats’ prospects, given thatthe conditions arefavorablefor them to succeed in the midterm elections this fall, said Robert Hogan, aprofessorand chair of Political Science Department at LSU.

Somehad questioned whether Democrats could ﬁeld acompetitive candidate after none of the party’sestablished politicalfigures —like former Gov.John Bel Edwards —signed up to run.

HogansaidDavis’fundraising does appear to show somedegree of strength, but he also acknowledgedthatGOP candidates typically prevail in major races in Louisiana.

“I think that that’stapping into an enthusiasm for Democrats nationwide that may not necessarily reflect the reality of the party’s prospects in the state,” he said. Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

“Itisa surprising amount of moneythathe’sbeenabletoraise,” Hogan said. “That’sasigniﬁcant haul foraDemocratic candidate.”

sentthe city’s future instead of thepast. In the nearly two years since,however,nothing has happenedwiththoseplans, according to district President and CEO Seth Knudsen, who was not with the agency at thetime. Though unfamiliarwith Benson’spurchase, Knudsen said Tuesday,“We are excited for her continued investment in downtownand look forwardtolearning more abouther plans.”

Long history

Of the three properties Benson purchased, the Taylor Building is the largest —a 26,000-square-foot office building sitting on nearly half an acre nextto theHoliday Inn Express. It datestothe early 1900s and has asentimental value to Benson, shesaid. That’sbecause it was once owned by oiloperator John Mecom, the founder of the New Orleans Saints.

Apicture from The Times Picayune on March 8, 1967, showsaline of Saints fans outside what was then called theMecom Building, waiting to buy tickets tothe ﬁrst game of the city’snew NFL team.

“There is ameaningful connection to the Taylor Building, which played an importantroleinthe early history of theNew Orleans Saints, making this investmentespecially signiﬁcant to me,” Benson said.

Taylor had owned the building since2012, when she purchaseditfromthe UniversityofNew Orleans Foundation for $2 million, property recordsshow. The Foundation hadpreviously leased it to Taylor Energy

The three-storystructure at 1032 St.Charles Ave. is one of the oldeststructures on the Circle, showcasing elements of Italianate,Gothic Revival and Victorian architecture, propertyrecords show.Itwas built in 1883 and served as theoffices

of Louisiana’sﬁrst licensed female physician, Dr.ElizabethMagnus Cohen.

More recently,itwas home to the Circle Bar,a popular dive bar known for its live music that operated from 1999-2020, when it was closed due to thepandemic. It has been vacant ever since.

Benson also acquired the vacant lot next to 1032 St. Charles Ave. at the corner of Harmony Circle andAndrew Higgins Boulevard.

Commercial real estate broker Cres Gardner,of Beau Box, whowas not involved in thetransactions, said the properties Benson acquired have alot of potential because of their location on the edge of the Warehouse Districtand their proximity to the National World WarIIMuseum

“Well located buildings in theWarehouse District are trading very quickly,some selling for as highas$200 a square foot,” Gardner said.

WhileHarmony Circle would likely notbeasattractive to apotential restaurant or retail tenant as aprime space on Julia or Magazine streets, he said, the properties would be good forofﬁce or residential uses.

“Imaginea newfour- or

ﬁve-story condo there,” he said.“It wouldbea pretty cool address.”

Growingpresence

The acquisitions come as Benson is expanding herreal estate portfolio in downtown NewOrleans. Lastsummer, she bought the 27-story ofﬁce tower at 1515 Poydras St. across from Caesars Superdomeand Benson Towerand annex, which she already owns.

Bensonbought Corporate Realty in late 2021, saying at the time that she aimed to expand her real estate holdings throughout the Gulf region. She has since madeinvestments in residential real estate in Atlanta and Dallas, as wellasbuying an ofﬁce block from the estate of former car dealer Ray Brandt. She has also taken over management of twooffice towers formerly run by HertzInvestment Group: theEnergy Centre in New Orleans and the Pinnacle building in Jackson, Mississippi.

Email StephanieRiegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Gayle Benson has purchased the Taylor Building,left, and the former Circle Barbuilding and thevacant lot next to it,right, on HarmonyCircle.

Legislature redrew congressional map to favor Republicans

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields will not seek reelection to Congress after the Louisiana Legislature redrew his district into one that heavily favors Republicans.

Instead, Fields, D-Baton Rouge, said in a news release Tuesday that he will run for the seat in the state Senate that he previously held. His successor to that seat, Sen. Larry Selders, died recently from a heart condition.

“After a great deal of prayer and reflection, I have decided not to seek reelection to Congress, in the 6th District or any other district in Louisiana,” Fields said in a statement Tuesday afternoon “Instead,

BERTHA

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winds were at 60 mph late Tuesday afternoon, and National Weather Service forecasters said additional strengthening seemed unlikely The New Orleans area was part of a broad swath of the region under a tropical storm warning. In addition to tropical storm-force winds, the region was expecting between 2-4 inches of rainfall, and potentially 6 inches in isolated areas, through Thursday Storm surge could rise to up to four feet in some coastal areas, which could pose problems, particularly if it occurs at high tide.

In New Orleans itself, the Sewerage & Water Board said 87 of 93 major pumps were available along with plenty of electricity to power them. Renewed focus has been placed on the city’s drainage system after seven pump stations lost power as the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur swept through last month.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said the city was preparing despite forecasts showing many of Bertha’s most signiﬁcant impacts occurring to the south.

“Our public safety agencies here locally, they’ve been coordinating with the state, and we’re going to be ready for whatever comes our way,” she said.

Damon Singleton, NOLA. com’s senior meteorologist, said it seemed “most of the rainfall is going to be over the Gulf of Mexico.”

“I’m still expecting showers and storms across the area,” he said “I think this is going to be an all-day event for your Wednesday You’re going to notice the winds picking up and the showers and maybe even some tropical downpours at times.”

Weather service forecasters issued similar predictions while saying Bertha was expected to gradually weaken Wednesday through Friday as it moved along the

I will be running to ﬁll the unexpired term for the state Senate in the 14th District. I feel my calling to serve the people is better put to use back home than here in D.C., and I intend to answer that call.”

Republicans continue to control the House.

Fie lds ma de his decision the day after the National Republican Congressi onal Committee added Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District to its list of 36 House seats held by Democratic representatives the GOP will target its resources to try to defeat.

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, a respected Washington campaign handicapper, put the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District as one of ﬁve seats presently held by Democrats that have been redistricted to “Solid Republican” for the midterm elections that will determine whether

“It gives him an opportunity to still stay in the game, stay on the ﬁeld and in an arena,” said Randal Gaines, chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party. “He has a strong chance of winning (Fields’ old state Senate seat), as opposed to getting a race he has a chance of winning, but would be much more challenging.”

Republicans nationwide are bracing for the possibility that Democratic candidates win at least 218 of the 435 House seats in the Nov 3 midterm elections and assume the majority when the next Congress convenes in January Fields’ seat at core of battle

It was Fields’ congressional seat that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutionally composed to favor Black voters.

In their April 29 decision in Callais v. Louisiana, a 6-3 high court majority found that the Louisiana

Legislature relied too much on race to draw the 6th Congressional District in 2024. The majority ruled that state legislators could gerrymander congressional districts based on political party but not on race. The 6th District that Fields has represented since January 2025 includes majority-Black precincts from Baton Rouge and Lafayette, up Interstate 49 to Shreveport, with about 55% Black constituents.

Legislators drew the districts from which representatives are elected in 2024 to comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Garret Graves, a Baton Rouge Republican, had represented the 6th District for a decade but declined to run after the Legislature’s 2024 map that gave Black voters a better chance at winning the election. He did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The high court decision came

coast toward Texas.

‘Rather be prepared’

For many New Orleans residents, it was business as usual Tuesday Michelle McMillan, a manager at Rouses Market in Mid-City, said she wasn’t worried about the weather and was instead looking forward to hitting the casino during a planned Gulfport trip this week

McMillan said she has taken note, however of customers stocking up on goods that are typical mainstays before major weather events

“I’ve noticed a lot of people getting tuna, sardines, lunch meat, bread and water,” she said.

Tessie Wilkins was one of those shoppers. Her basket was stockpiled with extra toilet paper, cases of water and nonperishable foods.

“You never know what’s going to happen in this city, so I’d rather be prepared than sorry,” she said In southeast Louisiana’s coastal communities, officials and residents monitored the incoming storm but said they weren’t fazed by the looming weather Grand Isle Mayor David Carmardelle declined to issue a voluntary evacuation for his town, located on a

barrier island off Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. He said Tuesday he saw both residents and visitors for the annual Tarpon Rodeo out on the town’s beaches and campgrounds as normal.

“We’re going to monitor the storm, batten down the hatches. The storm will come through, and it’s supposed to be sunshine the next day,” Carmardelle said.

The Tarpon Rodeo, a three-day party and important tourism event for the island, delayed its Thursday kickoff by several hours in anticipation of the coming storm. The Jefferson Parish Council relocated its annual Grand Isle meeting scheduled for Wednesday to Gretna.

Donna Baker, the town’s postal worker, echoed that she wasn’t concerned about the storm and didn’t plan to leave Grand Isle.

In Plaquemines Parish, where Bertha is expected to make landfall Wednesday parish President Keith Hinkley said the only area of possible concern would be the 14-mile stretch of lower Plaquemines from Phoenix to Bohemia, where storm surge of over 5 feet could ﬂood La. 39. However officials did

not elect to issue a voluntary evacuation. Hinkley said as far as storms go, it’s “really kind of calm” in Plaquemines.

‘No strangers to this’

during a time when Trump was demanding Republican-dominated states redistrict now — the process usually begins after the U.S. Census is completed every 10 years — in order to acquire more House seats with GOP-leaning voters for the November midterms.

District is now solidly GOP

Within hours of the Supreme Court’s decision, Gov Jeff Landry called on state legislators to redraw the 6th District. The Republican supermajority in the Louisiana Legislature redrew the 6th District, drawing its lines closer to Baton Rouge. It is now composed of 61.1% of the voters who backed Trump for president in 2024, with 65.2% of the vote and 66.4% of the vote in 2020.

The Republican supermajority in the Louisiana Legislature approved the new 6th District, which curls around the majority-Black 2nd Congressional District along the Mississippi River, and Landry

er storms. Large sandbags were also being placed in vulnerable spots.

Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes drained their canals ahead of Bertha’s arrival, and Jefferson Parish will staff its Emergency Operations Center from 7 p.m. Tuesday through the duration of the storm. But both parishes plan to operate their government buildings as normal Wednesday

St. Charles Parish was projected to see 1-2 inches of rainfall total and, as a precaution, established self-service sandbag stations at the East and West Bank Bridge Parks, as well as at Badeaux Lane in Des Allemands. The Des Allemands Boat Launch under U.S. 90 and Sellers Canal Sector Gate closed at noon Tuesday and will reopen once tides subside.

In lower St. Bernard Parish outside the New Orleans area’s main levee system, some people moved boats and trailers to higher ground, though far fewer than is customary for larg-

Plaquemines Parish council member Mitch Jurisch advised residents to “stay vigilant” nonetheless, as forecasts could change ahead of landfall. He said fishermen outside the levee protection system there relocated their boats Monday and Tuesday a lesson they learned in 1997 when Hurricane Danny wiped out vessels.

Danny, a Category 1 hurricane, took an unusual path northeast through Plaquemines Parish, making landfall near Buras, before heading to Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

“We’re no strangers to this in Plaquemines Parish, believe me,” Jurisch said. “Are we panicking? By no means, no. We just tell people to be diligent.”

Staff writers Michelle Hunter and Chris Granger contributed to this report. Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com.

Fields

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER Plaquemines Parish

Tropical Storm Bertha on Tuesday.

prolonging litigation.”

White did not immediately respond to arequest forcomment Representatives for Gov.Jeff Landry and Murrill’soffice also didnot return arequestfor comment.

The request to drop theindictment comes after Landry vetoed more than $33 million in state funding lawmakers intended to send to New Orleans and after Moreno withdrew her request for StateBondCommission approval of a$110 million bond sale, citing warnings that Landry and Murrill would not support it.

The withdrawal prompted a war of words between Landry andMoreno in which Landry said that Louisiana is “tired” of New Orleans thinking it’s“so special.”

In an interview,Moreno said that NewOrleans “is unlike any other city in Louisiana” and is “the economic engine of this state ”Requests by Moreno fora meeting with Landry have gone unmet

The indictment, brought by an Orleans Parish grand jury,saddled Murrillwith16felony countsof malfeasance in ofﬁce and intimidation over lettersshe sent in May to several NewOrleansofﬁcials threatening theirpositionsafter they opposed anew statelaw consolidating the city’scriminal and district clerks of court. Murrill called the indictment “corrupt,” andLandry vowedto pardon her

MURRILL

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reports had revealed the existence of the secret probe. White told him grand jurors were “making patriotic statements” and that an indictment would notbe“good for my career,” Sinqueﬁeld said in an afﬁdavit.

Moreno and councilmembers have said thattheyhad no knowledge ofthe indictment,which accused the Republican attorney general of malfeasance andintimidation,before it wasissued.

Morenoand City Council members JP Morrell, Matthew Willard, Aimee McCarron, Freddie King andJason Hughes said in their let-

terthatthe indictment hasbreda toxic environment that has resulted in losses for New Orleans.

Whitealsocalled veteran attorney Pat Fanning,a TV legal analyst, to quibble about his on-airviews of the possible indictment. According to Murrill’sattorneys, White told Fanning she had tried to dissuade the grand jury The next day in the courthouse garage,White remarked to aprosecutor from Murrill’sofﬁce, Daniel Smart, that she was trying to keep the grand jury from voting, Smart says in astatement. After the indictment, White thanked Fanninginatext message “for your adviceonthe malfeasance. Itried to talk them out of this and couldn’t. Hope I’m more persuasive with ajury!!” In alegal filing Tuesday Murrill’s lawyers alleged that each of those contacts violated grand jury secrecy,asthey gear up to ask a judge to quash the indictment accusing Murrill of public intimidation and malfeasance in ofﬁce. The Republican attorney general came outfiring in asking an ad hoc judge, Robert Chaisson, to enforce subpoenas seeking records

and communications from Whiteand Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams about the origins of the grandjury’sinquiry Hours later,Williams issued apublic letter toWhite in which he urgedcaution over aprosecution thathas sparked heavy blowback from Gov.JeffLandry and other Republican stateleaders. Mayor Helena Moreno andﬁve City Council members issued their own letter to White soon after,requesting the charges against Murrill be dismissed. Williams touted acollaborationwith Murrill thathas coincided with steep crime reductions in New Orleans He declaredher indictment ariskydistraction that “jeopardizesthat continued partnership whichhas been ahallmark of my administration.”

White had no immediate comment.

She and Williamsinsisted in separate motions Friday that Murrill is embarking on an epic ﬁshingexpedition with subpoenas that exceed what the LouisianaSupreme Courtcontemplated when it froze the case.

White accused the attorneygeneral and her legal team of a“retaliatorycampaigntoharass and intimidate”her andWilliams.

Murrill’sattorneys, Blake Arcuri andLauraCannizzaro Rodrigue, arguedTuesdaythattheyneeda host of recordsfrom White andWilliams to prove misconduct in the lead-up to the indictment They cite the Louisiana SupremeCourt’sextraordinary stay order in the case, which pointed to “apparent proceduralirregularities” and “likely conflicts of in-

prove recreationand public safety Money forhousing, resilience and healthcare infrastructure projects wasalso cut.

Though theindictmentalleges intimidation,itshould be dismissed, the mayor and council members said, because “we were not intimidated.”

“While thecorrespondenceat issue contained threatening languagedirectedtoward public officials, we neverbelievedthose threats could lawfully or practically be carried out,” they said.

OrleansParish District Attorney Jason Williams also issued a public letteronTuesday to White While stopping short of asking White to dropthe charges against Murrill, Williams urged caution over the caseand said thatthe indictment “jeopardizes” the partnership between his and Murrill’s ofﬁces to prosecute violent crime in the city

In aseparate letter,retired Judge Calvin Johnson also asked White to dismiss the charges. Williams andWhitehavealso landed in asubpoena ﬁght as Murrill and her attorneys attempt to prove misconduct in the lead-up to theindictment. Murrill’slawyers are preparingtoask ajudge to quash the indictment.

“Since thelegislative session concluded, important priorities, Lincoln Beach,major drainage investments, theMunicipalAuditorium, BehrmanStadium, and other initiatives have already experienced cuts,” the local ofﬁcials said. “Regardless of the cause, extendedand escalating conﬂict carries real consequences for the people we serve.”

terest” that could disqualify White.

The SupremeCourt allowed Murrill to “assert any andall necessary defensive pleadings,including amotion to quash” the indictment. To file thatmotion, Murrill’sattorneys argue they need moreevidence.

The subpoenas suggesta politically motivated ﬁx involving Whiteand Williams, and possibly others.

Murrill’s team seeks any correspondence from Williamsand White involving thegrandjury or the judge who oversawits proceedings,Criminal District Court Judge Leon Roche. They have also sought Williams’ communications with Mayor Helena Moreno, City Council PresidentJPMorrell, former Congressman CedricRichmond, state Sen. Gary Carter or news media relatedtothe grand jury inquiry.From White, Murrill’s attorneys seek correspondencewith Roche, Moreno or membersofthe news media.

“Defendant has areasonable, good faith basis to believe that Mrs. White’spresentation of this matterto thegrandjurywas informed or assisted by personnel or resources of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce, notwithstanding that ofﬁce’spublic position that it played no role in this prosecution,”Murrill’sattorneys wrote.

The ﬁling is the latest volley in aconflagration that began May 13, when Murrill sent letters to Williams, Moreno and ﬁve CityCouncil members, warning they could lose their jobs for bucking the Legislature to back an election for citywide court clerk.

Williams’recusal notice

The roughly $33 million would have funded thosepriorities, as well as adesign for anew City Hall civic complex, support for organizations that work to reduce homelessness and that worktoim-

Prosecution of thecharges has been pausedsincethe Louisiana Supreme Court issued an extraordinary stay order in thecase the day after the indictment was ﬁled.

Email SophieKasakove at sophie.kasakove@theadvocate. com.

says Murrill “invoked (and appeared to intentionally misconstrue) an obscure set of laws regarding ‘usurpation’ to threaten D.A. Williams with immediate removal if he did not change his position.”

First Assistant District AttorneyNed McGowan wrote in the recusal notice that the jury foreperson notiﬁed him on May 22, nine days after the letters, “that thegrand jury hadindependently decidedtoinvestigate Attorney General LizMurrill for possible violationsofstate law.” Rather than kick thecase to the attorney general— the target —McGowanrec-

ommended that Roche appoint aspecial prosecutor Roche signed the recusal on June 1and two days later appointedWhite, aformer criminal court judge who resignedin2023, to guide the grand jury Williams argues that the subpoena targeting his communications is “facially defectiveand contraryto law.” Murrill’sattorneys dismissed Williams’arguments as adodge.

“If OPDA truly had no role in this investigation or prosecution, the honest answer to thissubpoena is acertiﬁcation that adiligent search turned up nothing,not seven

overlapping legal theories of why the search need never happen,” Murrill’slegal team responded. McGowan wrote that Murrill’ssubpoena was far too broad, seeking “almost every communication in any form with everyone ‘who was not an empaneled member of the grand jury.’ He wrote thatthe subpoenatoWilliams impugns victim rights law as well as restrictions on compelling testimony from lawyers. It wasuncertainTuesday when Chaisson might rule over the motions to quash the subpoenasorifhewill ﬁrst schedule ahearing.

Murrill

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Call

N.J. registers6,600 noncitizensto vote

aftererror,itsays

Software system to blame, governor says

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press

HADDONFIELD,New Jersey—

About 6,600 people who indicated they were noncitizens while obtainingNew Jersey driver’slicenses and other state IDs were improperly registered to vote in 2023 and 2024, Gov.Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday The Democratic governor,who took office this year, blamed aMotor Vehicle Commission system software error but said apreliminary analysis showed that fewer than 400ofthose who registered that way went on to cast ballots.

wouldrequire peopleto show documentary proof of citizenshipbefore they register to vote andimpose voter IDrequirements nationwide. The measure has passed theU.S. House but has not gotten avoteinthe Senate, where even some Republicans oppose it

“American voters deserve to have confidence that our elections are safe andsecure,” WhiteHouse spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in astatement.

Sherrill also notedthatthe noncitizens who registered did so as Democrats, Republicans and indepe nde nts.

About6.9 million people in New Jersey are registered to vote and morethan 4million cast ballots in the 2024presidential election.

The revelation comes as President Donald Trump and other Republicans continue to assert that voting by noncitizens is rampant in U.S. elections, even though it’srare and, when caught, can be punished as afelony that can lead to deportation.

Sherrill promised immediate action and said she has orderedthat all erroneously added voter registrations from that period be removed. She also is replacing the vendor who ran the system and is launching an investigation into how the error happened.

“I am appalled by the reckless failuresthat allowed this to happen and the lack of transparency shown by those in charge at the time,” she said in a statement. She also attempted to head off any future criticism of the issue from the president.

“As the Trump Administration tries to weaponize elections for political gain, Iamensuring we protect our elections,” she said

The White House on Tuesday used the revelation to promote Trump’s SAVE America Act, which

Phil Murphy,also aDemocrat,was governor when theerror occurred.A representative for the former governor did not immediatelyrespond to arequest for comment.

Christine Hanlon, chair of theRepublicanparty organization in New Jersey,said voter registration needstobeimproved and that abipartisaninvestigation should dig into what happened, including why the registrations weren’t disclosed previously “The system and verification process must be improved in ordertosafeguard our elections,” she saidinastatement Tuesday “The public also deserves to knowwhy this wascovered up and who was responsible for keeping this critical information from the public.”

In aspeech last week, Trump touted an investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, which said ithad identiﬁed about 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote infederal elections acrossthe country It saidmost of them were in California, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

920 SCARROLL‐TON AV UNIT T NEW ORLEANS, LA70118 LOTS:1,2,3,4,5 26AND B, SQUARE: 108 SEVENTHMU‐NICIPAL DIS‐TRICT ACQMIN: 1346049 WRIT AMOUNT: $275,998.24

Seized in the above suit, TERMS -CASH. Thepurchaser atthe moment ofadjudication tomakea de‐posit of tenper‐centofthe pur‐chase price, and the balance withinthirty daysthereafter Note: Thepay‐mentmustbe Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 17 LOGS LEGAL GROUP LLP504838-7535 AMYR.ORTIS TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

Courtrejects Biden’s bidfor appeal

He’s seekingtoblock releaseoftranscripts

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Afederal appeals court has rejected arequest by Joe Biden to block the releaseofaudio recordings andtranscripts of his interviews with amemoir ghostwriter before he was elected president.

Adivided three-judge panel from the U.S. CourtofAppeals forthe District of Columbia Circuit suspended its decision until Aug. 3toallow moretime for Biden to consider another appeal.

The panel’s2-1 ruling late Monday found there is a“substantial”public interest in disclosing the material that Biden wantstokeep underwraps.Redactions to the recordings would help protect Biden’sprivacy,the majority noted

“Weconclude that anyremaining incursion on personal privacy from disclosure of the now-redacted materials likely does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure,” the ruling says.

Judge Florence Pan, who was nominated by Biden, aDemocrat, wrote a dissenting opinion in which shesaid Bidenhas shown a“substantialprivacy interest” in keeping the material hidden.

“Theconversationsatissue took place in Biden’shome, and the recordings of them were obtained by thegovernment in the course of acriminal investigation that did not lead to an indictment,” she wrote.

The appeal also was heard by D.C. Circuit Chief Judge SriSrinivasan and Judge Gregory Katsas. Srinivasan

was nominated by President Barack Obama, aDemocrat who chose Biden as his vice president. Katsas wasnominated by President Donald Trump, a Republican whoaspresident lost to Biden in 2020 but waselected again to theWhiteHouse in 2024.

Mark Zwonitzer,who worked with Bidenontwo memoirs, 2007’s“Promises to Keep” and 2017’s“Promise Me, Dad,” interviewed him at his home in 2016 and 2017. Biden’slawyers say the conversations were candid, personal and intended to remain private. Biden spokesperson T.J. Ducklo said theformer president disagrees with theruling but “respects the courts and thevital role an independent judiciary plays in ahealthy democracy.”

“President Biden’sconversations for abook adecade ago that discussed his late son are private, and were provided to the Department of Justice on the express condition they stay that way,” Ducklo said in astatement. “Reversing course and making them public is just the latest example of this administration weaponizing the(Justice Department) forpolitical retribution.”

The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur,who investigated Biden’shandling of classiﬁed documentsfrom his time as asenator from Delawareand as Obama’svice president. RepublicansinCongress demanded the material after Hur declinedtoﬁle chargesagainst the thenpresident.

Decision that freedactivistisreversed

It opensdoorfor Mohsen Mahdawi to be rearrested

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

andother activists to McCarthyist repression.

In their unanimousdecision, the panel found that the judge had oversteppedhis authority by intervening in Mahdawi’scase before it had moved fully through the immigration court system

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUNDBEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER3919-21 HAMBURG STREET,CITYOF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED: LA CAPITAL FED‐ERALCREDIT UNION VERSUS JOYNALC ABDIN

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-5765 By virtue of a WritofSeizure and Sale di‐rectedtomeby the Honorable JudgesofCivil DistrictCourt for theParishof Orleans,inthe above entitled cause,I will pro‐ceed to sell by publicauction, onthe ground ﬂoor of theCivil DistrictCourt Building, 421 LoyolaAvenue inthe FirstDis‐trict of theCity onAugust27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon, the following described prop‐ertytowit: 3919-21 HAM‐BURGSTNEW ORLEANS,LA 70122

LOT: 20-A, SQUARE: 2691 THIRDMUNICI‐PAL DISTRICT ACQMIN:

NEW YORK Afederal appeals panel hasreversed alower court decision ordering therelease of pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, opening the door to therearrest of astudent protest organizer whom the Trump administration has spent morethan ayear trying to deport Tuesday’sruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in NewYork overturns aprevious decision by afederal judge in Vermont, which likened the government’sefforts to expelhim

1391790 WRIT AMOUNT: $136,956.11

Seized in the above suit, TERMS -10% deposit dueat momentofad‐judication; bal‐ancedue by 4:00PMthe sameday

Note:The pay‐mentmustbe Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

BD 25 WHITLOWLAW FIRM, LLC

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

The ruling mirrors aseparate appellate panel’sdecision earlier this year against Mahmoud Khalil, aformer classmateofMahdawi’satColumbia University

As with theruling against Khalil, the appealscourt did not weigh in on the merits of Mahdawi’sclaim that he was unconstitutionally targeted for criticizing Israel. He can seek a review from thefederal courts over thoseclaims once he has exhausted his optionsinthe immigrationcourts, the panel wrote. Mahdawi, 35, is currently appealing an order of removal issuedagainsthim by theBoard of Immigration Appeals. Attorneysfor theAmericanCivil

CAPACITY BUT SOLELYINITS CAPACITYAS OWNER TRUSTEEFOR CASCADE FUND‐INGMORTGAGE TRUST HB2VERSUSVE‐LARIA SMITH BURDA/K/A VA‐LERIA SMITH BURD CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2022-1304

j to make ade‐posit of tenper‐centofthe pur‐chase price, and the balance withinthirty daysthereafter. Note: Thepay‐mentmustbe Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 24

THELAW OF‐FICES OF HER‐SCHEL C. AD‐COCK, JR.,L.L.C (225) 756-0373 COREYJ.GIROIR

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

OWNER TRUSTEE FOR REO TRUST 2017-RPL1 VER‐SUS JAMESP ANDERSON, SR ANDAUDREY TAYLORANDER‐SON

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-10077 By virtue of a WritofSeizure and Sale di‐rectedtomeby the Honorable JudgesofCivil DistrictCourt for theParishof Orleans,inthe above entitled cause,I will pro‐ceed to sell by publicauction, onthe ground ﬂoor of theCivil DistrictCourt Building, 421 LoyolaAvenue, inthe FirstDis‐trict of theCity onAugust27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon the following described prop‐ertytowit: 1700 ST MAU‐RICEAVNEW ORLEANS,LA 70117

LOTQ -SQUARE 822 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1134132 WRIT AMOUNT: $44,394.42

Seized in the above suit, TERMS -CASH. Thepurchaser atthe moment ofadjudication tomakea de‐posit of tenper‐centofthe pur‐chase price,and h b l

Liberties Union, which represents Mahdawi, said Tuesday that the government could not detain or deport their client as the appeals process proceeds. In astatement, Mahdawi called the appealscourt decision“agravesetback,” adding that it would hand the government “the power to intimidate, censor,and punish dissent without meaningful restraint.”

An emailed inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned. Mahdawi was born in arefugee camp in the Israeli-occupiedWest Bank and became alegal permanent resident of the U.S. in 2015. He wasarrestedbyimmigration agents during acitizenship interview in April 2025, part of the Trump administration’ssweeping efforts to expel noncitizens whocriticized Israel and protested against the war in Gaza. He wasreleased twoweeks later and graduated from Columbia soon after

p thebalance withinthirty daysthereafter

Note: Thepay‐mentmustbe Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 2

HALLIDAY, WATKINS& MANNP.C.AT‐TORNEYS AT

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO

Former PresidentJoe Biden seekstoblock the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with amemoir ghostwriter before he was elected president.

Sherrill

Mahdawi

Secretiveprocess leaves clientsindark

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME The lawyer for ﬁvewomen whosay they were sexually and spiritually abused by aformer Jesuit priest and internationally known religious artist penned a scathing denunciation Tuesday of theVatican’s secretive legalsystem, in which her clientshave no right to know any details ofthe trial. In alettertothe Vatican, attorney Laura Sgro demandedto know the status of the Vatican investigation into the Rev.Marko Ivan Rupnik after an Italian blog, Messa in Latino, reported Monday that Rupnik had been absolvedina canonical trial

The Vatican has never said what allegedcrimes Rupnik faced in its in-house church tribunal, so there was no way to know if he had possibly been absolved of somecharges

while theinvestigation continues into others. Vaticanofﬁcials said Tuesday thecase was ongoing.

The Rupnikscandal has become one of the most sensitive matters for the Holy See in recent years, given suggestionsthatthe Slovenianpriest wasprotected for over three decadesbyhis Jesuit superiors and the Vatican hierarchy,up to andincluding Pope Francis Rupnik had been one of themost celebrated contemporaryreligious artists in the Catholic Church, designing stylized mosaics that decoratechurchesand basilicas around theworld, including at Lourdes and theVatican.

Thescandal explodedinlate 2022, when Italianblogs first reportedclaims of misconduct against him by women and nuns dating back to the 1990s that had beenconsistently dismissedbythe Catholic hierarchy

The Jesuits admitted that he had beenexcommunicated brieﬂyin 2020 for having committed one of theCatholicChurch’smostserious crimes: usingthe confessional

to absolve awoman with whom he had engaged in sexual activity

But the Vatican later refused to prosecuteclaims of other women againsthim, arguing theyweretoo old and involved adult women, not minors, at thetime of thealleged abuse.

TheJesuits expelledRupnik from theirorder in 2023after morethan two dozen women came forward to say he had sexually,spiritually or psychologically abused them over 30 years,some while they were collaborating with him on artworks. He remains apriest and his supporters have denied he did anything wrong. Maria Campatelli, director of theRome-based Aletti CenterthatRupnik foundedhas said the claims against himwere “defamatory and unproven” and amountedtoaform of media “lynching.

Under pressurefrom suspicions he had protected his fellow Jesuit Francis in 2023 waived thestatute of limitations on the older claims so that the Vatican couldopena

GatesFoundationmet with Epstein30times,reviewsays

Report:No evidence anything illegaloccurred

BY JAMES POLLARD Associated Press

NEW YORK BillGates and the staff of his charitable foundation met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than two dozen times even as employees expressed concerns about the reputational risk of working with him, an external review commissioned by the Gates Foundation found.

The conversations ap-

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, leavesafter acloseddoor interview withthe House Oversight Committee investigating convicted sex offender JeffreyEpstein on June 10 in Washington.

proper canonical trial

It took the Vatican two years to appointjudges. Late last year, Pope Leo XIV conﬁrmedthatthe trial had opened. While identifying the women who accused Rupnik as “victims,”heurged them to be patient.

“Processesfor justice take along time and Iknow it’svery difﬁcult for the victims to ask that they be patientbut thechurchneeds to respect the rights of all people,”

Leo saidNov.4.“The principle of innocent until you’re proven guilty is also trueinthe church. And hopefully this trial that is just beginning will be able to give some clarity and justicetoall those involved.”

Given the sensitivity of the case, andhow its outcome will likely impact Francis’ legacy,any news about the Rupnik trial has been closely followed by victimsand their advocates.

Sgro, the lawyer forthe ﬁve victims,tookissuewith thechurch’s secretive approach to the case and refusal to conﬁrm or deny the blog report

In aletter to the head of the Vatican ofﬁce that handlessex abuse cases, Sgro complained that no one from the Vatican had ever respondedtoher calls or emails seeking information about the case, and that her clients had never even been interviewed.

“How can what is happening be reconciled with the concepts of law,truth, justice, and fairness? With the words that the Holy Father constantly speaks on behalf of the victimsofabuse?” Sgro wrote CardinalVictor Manuel Fernández,prefect of the Vatican’sdoctrine ofﬁce.

“I therefore askyou once again, Your Eminence, to answer some simple, basic questions regarding acriminal trialinvolving victims who first filed complaints more than thirty years ago: Has the trial begun? If so, what is the current status of the case? Who arethe judges? What has becomeofmy clients’ requests to be admitted as injured parties in the trial? Why were these women not called to testify?”

India’sprotestersdemandreforms

youth-ledCockroach movement seeks accountability

BY SHEIKH SAALIQ and SHONAL GANGULY Associated Press

NEW DELHI Supporters of India’s youth-led Cockroach movement demanding educational reforms and government accountabilityrefused to leave their New Delhiprotest site Tuesday,aday after their thousands-strong march toward Parliament drew police tear gas, beatings and anew wave of sympathy from across the country

The movement, now attracting professionals and families beyond students, represents arare public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’sgovernment, reviving criticism overits handling of dissent and use of force torespond to protests.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and dozens of his Congress party lawmakers showed their support Tuesday withasit-in outside Modi’s residence before police forcibly removedthem in adramaticescalation.

Footage showed Gandhi, who had urged “every patriotic Indian who believesthat our studentsshould get justice” to join,resisting. Government minister Jitendra Singh said Gandhi was told the location was not “suitable fora sit-in.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters remained camped at Jantar Mantar,adesignated protest site, under heavy police presence, sayingthey wouldstay until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns over alleged failures in India’s examination system

“Weare goingtocontinueour protest,” said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CockroachJanta Party, which emerged just two months agoasasatiricalprotest after a Supreme Court judge described India’syouthas“cockroaches” but quicklyevolved. It gained momentum over the weekend after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose threeweek hunger strike became asymbol of theprotests, was forcibly taken to ahospital by police.

Video ofpolice beating protesters anddragging them away spread on social media, fueling public outrage. Footageshowedyoung protesters crying and pleading with ofﬁcers not to hit them, while oth-

ers stood their ground and endured blows.

Delhi Police saidnearly 180people were injured, including 118 security personnel and 60 protesters.

Sona Bisht, a20-year-old student who was part of the protest, said theconfrontation strengthened her resolve.

“If the government thinks that doing this withGen Z, theycan stop us, thenthat won’thappen. We are here talking about education, talking about securing our future. And till thetime our demands are not met, we will not move from here,” she said.

After nearlya month of silence, the government made its ﬁrst apparent move to engage with the protesters Monday, when asenior minister held talks with movement representatives. The outreach failed to ease tensions.

Movement leaders said they wanted action rather thanassurances, including Pradhan’sresignation,examination reforms and compensation for familiesofstudents who died by suicide after alleged exam irregularities.

Dipkeaccused authorities of breaking their word, saying police resorted toabaton charge after protesters were invited for talks.

2couples among5 people whodrowned in Ohio river

Authoritiesconfirm that four are Honduran citizens

BY PATRICK AFTOORA-ORSAGOS and MARLON GONZÁLEZ Associated Press

POWELL, Ohio The skies were mostly clear and weeks of sweltering heat had ﬁnally broken as 33-year-old Jose Mario Pineda Dias and his 28-year-old wife, Marina Suyapa Regalado, set outwiththeir two children for some leisurely ﬁshing in an Ohio river.A secondHonduran couple andanadult friend joined them.

Aphoto snappedbyapassing boater sometime Sunday apparentlyshows them aboutthigh deep in the Scioto River,ﬁshing poles in hand, standing around abig log.

Calm as the surface appeared, the river was running high and fast,according to U.S. Geological Survey data.All ﬁve adults ended up drowning, authorities have said.

Afterthe photo was taken, if it wasindeed them,the group might have returned to shore. It is notquiteclear.WhatDelaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has said is that one of the adults was struggling to swim in the river when several others wentinto the water to help. All five weresweptunder,hesaid. The twowomen’sbodies were recovered Sunday and the three men’sbodieswerefound Monday On Tuesday,Honduran authorities confirmed that four of the five adults were Honduran citizens —Diasand Regalado andanothermarriedcouple whose names have not yet been released.The fifthadult also has yet to be identified.

Flabia Zamora, director of consularaffairsatthe Honduran Foreign Ministry,toldreporters Tuesday that they were working with U.S. authorities to bring their bodies home. She said the couple’schildren areinthe careofthe state of Ohioand that arrangements will be made to reunitethemwith relatives in Honduras.

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

An attorney for the family of Nolan Wells says he will release theresults of an independent autopsy into the 18-year-old’s death on Wednesday morning. The preliminary ﬁndings are set to be made public during anews conference held at the annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago, according to the civil rights attorney Ben Crump, whoisrepresenting the family.Wells’ parents are expected to attend. Crump hasvowed to conduct his own investigation intothe circumstances of the teenager’s disappearance,which followed aJuly 4boat trip with friends to an island off the coast of Mississippi.Wells did not return to the

mainland withhis friends. His body was found ﬂoating offthe island’scoast two days later

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’sOfﬁce conducted its ownautopsy but has yet to release the results.

The second autopsy wasarranged by the family and Crump, and paid forbyformer NFLplayer Colin Kaepernick. Crump said it would determine if Wells “had any physical injuries to his body beyond drowning.”

Thestill-unknowncircumstances around Wells’ death have touchedoff rampant online speculation andprompted calls from Black leaders fortransparency from local authorities. Wells, whowas Black, had traveled to theisland witha group of high school friends, all of whom are White.

GOLD BUYER

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SHEKHAR yADAV

Supporters gather at the camping site of the Cockroach Janta PartyatJantar Mantar in NewDelhi on Tuesday.

Ethics Review BoardreappointsCziment

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

The city’sEthics Review Board voted on Tuesday to reappoint Independent Police Monitor Stella Cziment to asecond four-year term, concluding anationwide search that drew criticism over what meeting attendees described as asecretive selection process. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity to serve New Orleans and to be abletodo this important work,” Cziment said following her reappointment. “If there’sone thing that Icould take away from this, it’sthat we’re at avery important point, and the community is nervous thehard-won progress will be lost.”

The appointment comes at apivotal moment,eight months after theNew Orleans Police Department exitedfederal oversight.

Cziment led theOfﬁce of the Independent Police Monitor, thecity’scivilianpolice oversight agency,asthe federal consent decree that had governedthe department

since 2012 came to an end.

Board members Cherrell Taplin, Nick Harris, Holly Callia and Tyrone Jeffersonvoted to reappoint Cziment after expressingtheir concerns about a processthatattendees said lacked transparency.A

virtual public information meeting in June yielded no attendees from the public, said Dane Ciolino, the board’sgeneral counsel and executive administrator Tuesday’smeeting in City Councilchambers was publicized only by anotice on the Ethic Review Board’s website.

Many attendees during apublic commentperiod voiced their discontent with asearch processtheysaid

had excluded meaningful community participation.

“This process looks like fraud to me,” community activist Belden “Noonie Man” Batiste said during thepublic comment period.

“No one knew about it. It raisessomanyconcerns, and we want and we deserve better,” Rose Preston said. Cziment said she will applythe public’s “illuminat-

ST.TAMMANY PARISH

Ex-interim Slidell police chief to runfor sheriff

Seuzeneauseeks parishwide role

BY JIM DERRY Staff writer

Daniel Seuzeneau, alongtime pub-

lic figure in the Slidell Police Department and who most recently spent eight months as the city’sinterim chief, became the first high-profile candidate to announce he’s running for St. Tammany Parish sheriff. With freshly made campaign signs postedthroughout the Sadie Jane in north Slidell on Tuesday and with many high-ranking city officials and family members by his side, Seuzeneau detailed his decision during a61/2-minute speech.

“There comes amoment in life when you have to decidewhether you’re willing to leave what is comfortable in order to do the right thing. And today,for me,thatmoment is now,” he said. “It is time for anew generation of leadership.”

Aspecial election is needed to ﬁll the remaining term of former Sheriff Randy Smith, who resigned and pleaded guilty to second-degree battery lastmonth for attacking aman in alocal steakhouse in May

That term runs through June 2028, and interim SheriffBert Iberthas held the spot since Smith’s departure. Qualifying will take place from Aug. 5through Aug. 7, and the election will be held on Nov.5.Ifarunoff is needed, it would be on Dec. 12.

Scott Illing, who formerlywas a U.S. marshal and Louisiana state trooper,announced his candidacy early last week. More candidates are expected in the comingweeks. Seuzeneau, 43, is one of themost recognized faces in law enforcement across the parish and has been with the Slidell force since 2006. He often appearedonnational television police shows,including “Live PD” and “The First 48,” and he started the Slidell PD Facebook page, which has more than 241,000 followers.They have another 50,000-plus followers on other social mediapages, includingX,Instagram and TikTok.

He said Tuesday he is “humbled” by the amount of support he has received in the short timesince he decided to run. And he stressed that he will need the support,ashe knows the path to becoming the parish’snext sheriff won’tbeeasy

“Anyone who says they enjoy running for apublic ofﬁceneeds to be checked,”Seuzeneau said. “There’s nothing fun about it, except for meeting people, trying to make a positive change and give the people hope that you know there is honor in public service. That’sthe message.”

Slidell Mayor Randy Fandal, Chief of Police Tommy Williams and Trey Brownfield, theCity Council’sboard president, were among those flanked next to

ä See SHERIFF, page 2B

ON ALGIERSTURF

An employee of VDiamond Turf Sports Construction Co., which installed thefield, sweeps crumb rubber infill intothe artificial turf at Morris F.X. JeffSr. Stadium in Algiers on Monday.A major renovation of the Algiers stadium is nearingcompletion, bringing aprofessional-grade artificial playing surface to theWest Bank venue. The fieldincorporates excess turf produced for Super Bowl LIX, which was played in New Orleans in 2025. The renovation is estimated to cost between $750,000 and $1 million and is expectedto be completedaround Aug. 1, ahead of the 2026 high school football season. Formerly known as Behrman Stadium, the facility is thehome fieldfor the Edna Karr and L.B. Landry high school football teams. The project is apartnership between the city of New Orleans and Friends of InspireNOLA Charter Schools Thecity provided the turf and contributed $100,000 in bond funding. Theupgraded field will provide anew playing surface for student-athletes and arefurbished footballvenue for theWest Bankcommunity

N.O. educationleaders vent to BESE aboutcuts

Some program, staff reductions planned

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

During atense meeting with a state board of education member, New Orleans-area education leaders expressed frustration and worry over recent state funding cuts. Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member Joseph Cao, whose district includes the Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishschool systems,got an earfulwhile speaking with morethan adozen representatives from thosedistricts last week. School board members and district officials saidGov.Jeff Landry’sorderto cut $168 million from school districtbudgets to payfor teacher stipends has forcedthemtorevisetheir budgetsand dipinto rainy day accountstomakeup for the lost money

“We’re sounding thealarm that this is not sustainable,” Jefferson ParishSchool Boardmember Kriss Fortunato told Cao during the meeting at Discovery High School in Kenner.“It’sleading up to potentially catastrophic situations.”

Caoinvitedthe local education leaderstojoin him Thursday for a“thoughtful discussion on the potential impact” of Landry’s plan to have school districtspay for the$2,000 stipends for teachers and $1,000 for supportstaff. The state board of education controls the school-funding formula, but itsmembers did not have a say in Landry’sproposal.

Attendees used the meetingas an opportunity to vent their frustrations,saying districts likely will have to eliminatesomeprogramsand staff positions and tap reserve funds, which they argued could leave schools more vulnerabletonaturaldisasters and

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Afederal jury convicted aNew Orleans-area pastor last week of more than two-dozen fraud charges,finding he siphoned some $340,000 from his congregations to spend on gambling, meals andliving expenses. During the ﬁve-day trial,prosecutors told jurors how pastor DaleSanders, 56, withdrewcash and made wire transfers from bank accounts belonging to congregations he led in Metairie and New Orleans. Sanders has

led worship at both Second New Guide Missionary Baptist Church in Metairie andFifth African Baptist Church in NewOrleans since2013, according to his social media pages. Sanders’ lawyer, Michael Magner,argued at trial that hisclient’suse of achurchdebit card was authorizedundera“corporate resolution” betweenSandersand church ofﬁcials, which they entered after Sanders agreed to stoptaking asalary as the churchsought to exit dire ﬁnancialstraits. “Wepresented compelling evidencethat the church sustainednolossand, in fact, owes Rev. Sanders well over $200,000 in back salary,” Magner said Tuesday

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

ä See BOARD, page 2B

Cziment

NewOrleans womanfound guilty in twokillings

Self-defense claim rejected by jurors

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

When police arrested Laura Collins for fatally striking abicyclist while driving near Canal Street in early 2020, her ﬁancé, Gerald Robicheaux, bailed her out of jail.

Buttheir relationshipsoured while she awaited trial forthe fatal Mid-City hit-and-run. Ayear after the wreck, Collins strangled Robicheaux to death during an argument inside their St. Claude duplex.

Collins claimed she “choked him out” after he attacked and tried to kill her in ajealous rage as she ﬁlmed alive video streamonsocial media.

But apanel of Orleans Parish jurors rejected her self-defense claim at the end of aweeklong trial ending Friday

BUDGET

Continued from page1B

other emergencies.

The governor and some lawmakers have said districts must reexamine their prioritiestoaccommodate the funding cut, with Landry suggesting that too much money is currently being funneled to central ofﬁcebudgets andstateof-the-art athletic facilities.

Cao, whowas appointed by Landry in January and won aRepublican primary election last month, told attendees he heard their frustrations. But he also said he wasn’tthere to criticize the governor, adding that districts must ﬁnd ways to operate with fewer funds.

“Wedon’texpect the state to simply hand us the money,” he said.

“So how can we make our school systems more efﬁcient without the state needing to spend money?”

Warningabout possible impact

Accordingtostate estimates, the funding reduction will costJeffersonParishclose to $11 million

SHERIFF

Continued from page1B

Seuzeneau to offer support.

When Williams tookofﬁce earlier this month, he made Seuzeneau assistant police chief. While he hates to lose him now,heunderstands the decision.

“Running for ofﬁce is tough, and it’seven tougher on your family as it is on you,” Williams said. “Daniel is what this parish needs. He is ready to lead, he has the polished degrees, the police experienceand the leadership experience. It is a huge hole for me to ﬁll, but it is a huge plus for St. TammanyParish St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper also showed up. He said it was important for him tobe there, but he is not ready to make an endorsement just yet “I have great interest in who our

BOARD

Continued from page1B

ing” and “powerful” feedback to hernext tenure as police monitor. She initially hesitated to seek reappointment because of aproposed restriction that would have barred police monitors from serving in any political capacity or accepting apolitical appointment forfour years after leaving ofﬁce. The Ethics ReviewBoard ultimately rejected that restriction. In February,itlaunched anational search that attractedmore than 160 applicants.Michael Cowan served as aconsultant in reviewingthe applications, and the board

Thejury deliberated for about 90 minutes before ﬁnding Collins, 39,guilty in bothkillings. She was convicted of manslaughter without intent to cause death and obstruction of justiceinthe crashthat killed 62-year-old LloydSmith and of second-degree murder for choking the life out of her ﬁancé.

Criminal District Judge Simone Levine set Collins’ sentencing for July 30. Collinsfacesamandatory life sentence from the murder conviction.

Pedestrian crash

Collins rear-endedSmith while driving aJeep Cherokee near the intersection of Canal and North Rendonstreetsthe night of Jan. 9, 2020, sending Smith ﬂying from his bike. Avendor at theNew Orleans French Market, he died shortly after Collins drove off.

Forensic pathologistErin O’Sullivan testified that theimpactfractured Smith’svertebrae at the base of his skull, resulting

and OrleansParish $10 million. St. Tammany is expectedtolose about $9.7 million

Mostmeeting attendees said they have enough reserve funds to make up forthe cut, butwarned it couldhaveimmediate and longerterm consequences In St. Tammany,administrators said they plan to eliminate roughly 300 positions through attrition over the next year.InJefferson Parish, Superintendent James Gray said the district will likely have to forgoa1% raise it planned to give teachers and support staff, which he said couldmakeitharder for thedistrict to compete with nearby school systems for teachers. Board members alsosaid the district will likely have to postpone plans to update the district’s technology.

Amanda Martin, amember of the St. Tammany School Board, said lawmakers need to understand thatdisinvesting in local schools will drive morefamilies away from thestate.

“From aparent’sperspective,” shesaid,“moneyisnow being taken away that’ssupposed to be used

in “internal decapitation.” Smith also sufferedasevered aorta and pelvic and other spinal fractures. Collins’ attorney,Michael Kennedy,confronted O’Sullivanwith the fact astreetcar ranover Smith’s bicycle before ﬁrst responders arrived. O’Sullivan said none of his injuries were postmortem.

Toxicology tests showedSmith had a0.175 blood alcohol level at the time, butO’Sullivantestified that it didn’tcontribute to hisdeath ‘All Idid wasdefendmyself’ Barely ayear later,onJan.12, 2021, while out on $45,000 bail setbythen-Judge Laurie White NOPD officers respondedtoan early morning domestic violence call at the shotgun house that Robicheauxand Collins sharedin the3100 block of North Claiborne Avenue.

Collins told Officer Lanie DeRoche Morgan, thefirst to arrive on thescene, that her fiancé attacked her while she was livestreaming

to educate my child.”

Orleans ParishSchool Board member Olin Parkersaid Louisiana school districtsgenerally have fewer emergency funds than those in neighboring states. Forcingdistricts to pull from those reserves puts them in amore precarious position if thereare emergencies, such as adestructive hurricane.

JeffersonParish School Board member MichaelPedalinoargued thatLandry’sorderundermines local leaders by dictating how districts can use their own funds.

“What do youneed us for?” he said.

Fortunato added that it’sunfair forlawmakers to shift the burden of teacher raises from thestate to districts. In 2019, Jefferson Parish votersapproved an $8 million property tax increasethat gave thedistrict’steachers permanent raises. Asecondmillage vote to further raise pay failed in 2024.

“Our constituents are tapped out,” she said. “Weastaxpayers are tapped out.”

Email ElyseCarmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

next sheriff will be,” he said. “I am heretoshow support to Daniel as he embarks on this run. Iwill be showing support for others as we go through this, and ultimately I will pick acandidate to back.”

Seuzeneau’swife, Rachel Seuzeneau, was there with him, as was as

selected three ﬁnalists for interviews. All three ﬁnalists currently work for entities overseen by the Ethics Review Board.

Cziment applied as thesitting independent police monitor.Formerepidemiologist and attorney PatriceRoseischiefofinspectionsand evaluations at the Ofﬁce of Inspector General. Former FBI agentSteven Krueger is assistant inspector general Rose introduced herself to the panel and acrowd of about 40 peopleasa New Orleansnative and mother.Sincejoining theOIG in 2022,she hasworked on 17 reports examining NOPD policies and procedures.Rose sought to expand the ofﬁce’sstaff and closely monitorthe department’s early warning

on thedating app MeetMe. She said he pulled her to the ﬂoor by her hair,punched her and broke her cellphone.

Collins demonstrated forMorgan the sleeper hold she said she put Robicheaux in, claiming, “he got pissed tonight and dragged me off my stream anddraggedme down to the ground.”

ButCollins could not explain alargegash to the back of Robicheaux’sheadwhenthe ofﬁcer found him bloodied and unresponsive on abedroom ﬂoor

“All Idid was defend myself when he attacked me,” Collins could be heard crying on bodycam footage played forthe jurors.

“At some point,I believedthere was more to thestorybased on what Iwas hearingfrom Ms.Collins,” the ofﬁcer testiﬁedWednesday

Dr.Rae Taylor,aLoyola University criminologist who specializes in domestic violenceresearch,testiﬁed Friday as adefense expertin gender-based violence between in-

PASTOR

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timate partners. She interviewedCollins and reviewed police reports from previous abuse cases involving Collins, including twowhere she was the alleged perpetrator TaylortestiﬁedthatRobicheaux exhibited signs of “coercive control,” akey predictor of escalating violence in abusive relationships.

“It’s notunusualfor victims of romantic violence to also strike back sometimes,” Taylor told jurors. Kennedysaidhewas mostdisappointed in the jury’s guiltyverdict on the second-degree murder charge and plans to appeal it.

“Webelieved ourexpertestablished that Laura wasdefinitely the victim,” Kennedy said. “The fact that thejuryturned ablind eyeto testimony regarding the abuse that my client suffered and couldn’t even find it to give hera break to manslaughter,Ifind that shocking.”

Email Matt Bruceatmatt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

Daniel Seuzeneau, center,who has servedthe Slidell Police Departmentfor nearly twodecades, announced his candidacy for sheriff of St.Tammany Parish on Tuesdayin Slidell.

STAFF PHOTO By JIM DERRy

his 9-year-old daughter, Danielle. He also hasa 25-year-old daughter, Gabrielle Seuzeneau.

He graduated from Slidell High in 2001 and earned abachelor’sdegree in 2015 from Louisiana Tech and amaster’sinbusiness administration in 2019.

system, which identiﬁespatterns of ofﬁcer behavior that may signal arisk of negative interactionswith thepublic.

“IfIwas appointed, my goal would not be to dismantle all the workthat is being done,” Rose said.“Rather,itwould be to carefully consider each program.”

Kruegerpointed to theconsent decree monitors’ final report, which submits that the independent police monitorshouldhave lawenforcementexperience to contextualize itsoperations. Krueger’sFBI career,which includeda probe of theCentral police department, qualiﬁedhim for the post,heargued. Former lead monitor Jonathan Aronie was one of Krueger’sreferences.

The jury,which convened before U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long,ultimately sided with prosecutors’ argument that Sanders’ spending on casino gambling, hotel staysand other itemsconstituted theft from the congregation andviolated federal wire fraud and access device fraud statutes. In all, he wasconvictedof15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of access device fraud and asingle countofimpedinga federalinvestigation. He wasacquitted on one wire fraud count. The verdict capped arelatively swiftprosecution thatstemmed from aparochial financial dispute that hadcleaved Sanders’ Metairie congregation —awinding ordeal that Sanders said inflicted a tollonhim and his family since he joined the church in 2013. Magner said Sanders, arespected clergyman “admired by his congregants,”respectsthe verdict but was “surprisedand disappointed” by its decision. He said Sanders plans to fileanappeal. Prosecutors indicted Sanders on 11 counts on April 28 tied to his use of theMetairiechurch’s debit cardand other transactions over five years beginning in 2019. They hithim in aJunesuperseding indictment with17more charges, detailing newtransactions they argued were part of his theft from the churches. Transactions detailed in the superseding indictment include a$5,000 check he deposited from the NewOrleans-based church; a$1,172purchaseat aHard Rock Hotel in Florida; $1,300 in charges at aMississippicasino;and a$226 charge at aKenner veterinarian, among others.

In avideopostedonFacebook six days before his initial indictment, Sanders sought to clear the air with his congregants.

“I believethisinvolvesanin-

“The FBI workisnot your normal state or local policing work. We have the responsibility for policing the police,” Krueger said.

Cziment listed herpastaccomplishments as police monitor, includingcreating a24-hour tip hotline, attending hundreds of disciplinary hearings, submitting hundreds of letters of complaint and monitoring officer-involved shootings. She also shared avision to fortify thePoliceCommunity Advisory Boards, create aformal peer-to-peer mediation program in theNOPD, expand public accessto NOPD complaints anddisciplinary records,and ensure policy compliance through audits.

AlthoughEthics Review Board membersconsidered postponing

ternal church matter that do not have anything to do with the public or thestate,” he said to start the 15-minute video. He recounted arriving to lead Second New Guide Baptist in 2013 to find a“fractured”congregationbeset by financial mismanagement. Arift between some board members and the former church ﬁnance director had cleaved the congregation, he explained.Hedescribed the church’sinsurance lapsing andwhathecalled aseriesof costly andmisguided purchases, such as a$30,000 intercom system he said the church did not need.

Amid the ongoing financial woes, Sanders said he agreed not to take asalary,instead striking the agreement with board leaders to use the church’sdebit card. “For morethan four years, Ireceived asalary of zero from the Second NewGuide Missionary Baptist Church. During that time period,I sufferedimmensely,” he said.

Sanders said he eventually fired the finance director,whom he did not nameinthe video. He blamed the man for escalating the matter to federal court. Magner, Sanders’attorney, saidthe chairand financial secretary of Fifth African Baptist Church —identified in charging documents only as “Church B,” while Second NewGuide Missionary Baptist is called“Church A” —testified at Sanders’ trial “that they were in no way defrauded by Rev.Sanders andtheyconsidered him to be an exceptional pastor.”

Sanders was investigated by theFBI andprosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn McHugh and Tracey Knight. Each fraud countcarries up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Long set his sentencing forOct. 13. James Finncovers federal law enforcementfor The Times-Picayune |The Advocate. Email himatjﬁnn@ theadvocate.com or contact himonSignal at jamesﬁnn.82.

their vote because of limitedpublicengagement, they ultimately approved amotion to proceed.

“Stella,will youacceptthe reappointment?” Callia askedasapplause and cheers broke out.

“I’m just excited to get to work,” Cziment said.

LOTTERY

Judge approves $1.5B Anthropic settlement

SAN FRANCISCO Afederal judge has approved a$1.5 billion copyright settlement in which artiﬁcial intelligence company Anthropic will pay thousands of authors about$3,000per book after usingpirated copies of their works to train its Claude chatbot.

DistrictJudge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said in aMonday ruling that the class-action settlement provides “meaningful relief” to affected authors and publishers.

About 91% of the more than 482,000bookscovered by the ruling havebeen claimed by authorsorpublishers who are now due payment.

Plaintiff attorney Justin Nelson said in astatement that the settlement was “the largest known copyright recovery in history.Welook forward to making distributions to theClass as promptly as possible.”

U.S. District Judge William Alsup issued the preliminary approval in San Francisco federal court last September and has since retired. Alsup had dealt the caseamixed rulinglast summer, ﬁnding that training AI chatbots on copyrighted books wasn’tillegalbut that Anthropic wrongfullyacquired millions of books through pirate websites.

French lawmakers pass social media ban

PARIS France banned childrenunder 15 fromusing social media on Tuesday,becoming the first country in the European Union to pass ablanket ban on the platformsasconcerns grow worldwide over the harmful effects of digital content on kids

Both chambers of the Parliamentvoted in favor ofthe measure, aflagship initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron’ssecond term.The bill also bans the use of mobile phones in high schools.

Several families in France have suedTikTok overteen suicides they sayare linked to harmfulcontent. Children’sadvocates and parents applauded the vote.

“We’ve been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly,wehave no other option,noother way to counter tech giants,” said Gaëlle Berbonde, a52-year-oldwho lives in the Paris region. “The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect our childrenfrom drinking alcohol.”

Berbonde told The Associated Press that her daughter was in seventh grade when she got her first smartphone. Aparental control app helped monitor what she did online, butBerbonde had no ideawhat TikTok really was. After afew months,the family realized that the daughter was cutting herself and was sufferingfrom anorexia and depression. She spentayear anda half in the hospitalbut is now 16 and well.

Disney layoffs hit Pixar, National Geographic

Walt Disney Co. is laying off several hundred employees, includingatPixar Animation Studios andNationalGeographic, acompany spokesperson said Tuesday Pixar is eliminating less than 10% of its staff, and thecuts are concentrated mostly in productionand operations, accordingtoaperson familiar with the matter who declined to be named.

TheBurbankmediaand entertainment giant began notifyingaffected employeesTuesday morning. In addition to Pixar and National Geographic, certain corporate functions were also affected by thelayoffs,aswas ESPN, which cut several wellknown on-air analysts and reporters This is Disney’sthird round of layoffs and is part of abroader corporate restructuring signaled earlier this year by Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro. At the time, he said the company neededtobemore agile and technologically-enabled due to the fast pace of the industry

Carney:Trade talkstointensify

U.S. increasestariffs on Canada by 50%

BY JIMMORRIS Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia CanadianPrimeMinister Mark Carney said Tuesday that he and Donald Trump have agreed to intensify negotiationsona tradeagreement between Canada,the U.S and Mexico aday after theU.S presidentannounced50% tariffs on most Canadian goods. Carney’scomments came after

Trump declared that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products. Thenew tariffs were scheduledtocome into effect 30 days from Monday “I spoke this morning with the U.S.president andweagreed to deepen andspeed up ournegotiationsover the next few weeks,” Carney said in Ottawa. “Canada will do allthatisnecessary to supportour jobs, ourworkers, ourfarmers andtomakeCanada stronger,moreindependent and moreresilient.”

Thetariffs couldunleash anew

wave of economic chaos, with risksofhigherinflationand further fraying of relationsbetween two nations that previously had warm, close tiesbeforeTrump’s return to the White House. The administration official previewing theactionMonday said Canada was one of the only nations other than China that retaliated against Trump’sprevious tariffs and must be held accountable. Thenew 50% tariffswould exclude energy products, potash, fish andcritical minerals, but would include goods previously protected from import taxes by the United

States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. That 2020 tradepact was notrenewed by the U.S., triggering anew set of negotiations that could run until 2036. Carney said he planned to meet virtually with the country’spremiers later in theday Tuesday. British Columbia Premier David Eby wasblunt in his criticism of Trumpand the proposed tariffs “Thisfeels like an increasingly desperate and ﬂailing approach to relationships with our country,” he said in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where premiers and territorial leaders were meeting.

Conflicts, energy shocks threaten global hunger progress,reportwarns

BY GIADAZAMPANOand PAOLO SANTALUCIA

Associated Press

ROME Conﬂicts and disruptions to global energymarkets could push millions more people into hunger by driving up fuel, fertilizer and food costs, the head of theRomebased International Fund for Agricultural Development warned, as anew United Nations report showed global progressagainst hunger remains fragile.

The U.N.food security report, released Tuesday,found global hunger has eased modestly in recent years, but projected more than 500 million people could still face chronic hunger by 2030. Africaisexpected to bearthe largest share of that burden.

In an interview with The Associated Press on July 10, IFAD President AlvaroLario said geopolitical tensions and potentialdisruptions to shippingand energy supplies, including uncertainty surrounding theStrait of Hormuz during theIran war,could leave an additional 9-18 million people facing hungerifthe shocks persist

“Weare in acurrent era wherewehave thehighestnumber of conﬂictsand are still increasing,” Lario said. “Wheneverthere is a conﬂict, also hunger,displacement, refugees increase.”

Conflictfuels food insecurity

Conﬂict remains one of the biggest obsta-

cles to reducinghungerworldwide,Lario added.

Wars and geopolitical tensions can disrupt shipping,energy supplies andagricultural inputs, increasing costsacross food systems already strained by inflation. Lario stressed that hunger and conflict often reinforce one another,creating acycle that is difficult to break without greater stability.

Higher energy prices arealready affecting fertilizers and agricultural production, he said. The impact is especially signiﬁcant for small-scale farmers, manyofwhom rely on dieselfueltopump water,harvest crops and transport goods to market

Rising fuel costs increaseproduction expensesand can feed directly into higherfood prices.

Climateshocksadd pressure

The new report identiﬁes affordability as one of the world’sbiggest food security challenges.While food production continues to grow,roughlyathird of theglobal populationstill can’tafford ahealthy diet. In lowincomecountries, that ﬁgure rises to about 77%, according to Lario.

“The biggest challenge is no longer simply producing enough food, but making healthy dietsaffordable,” he said.

Climatechange is adding further pressure to food systems and rural livelihoods.

Lario noted that ﬂoods,prolonged droughts

and extreme heat are increasingly disrupting agriculture around the world andhave becomea common reality formany communities.

Governments should focus on resilience and adaptation before disasters strike, rather than relying solely on emergency responses afterward, he said.

“This is just becoming the new normal,” Lario said. “Weare seeing ﬂoods in many countries. We’restill seeing droughtsthat have been expanding forfour or ﬁve years.”

The fund is increasing investments in climate-adaptation programsaimed at helpingrural communities withstandfloods droughts and extreme heat, he said, arguing that support is urgently needed for the millions of small farmers whoproduce much of the world’sfood.

Africa emergesasthe epicenter

The report highlights Africa as the world’s mostpressing food-security challenge. For theﬁrsttime, thecontinenthas overtaken Asia as the region with the largest number of hungry people, and nearly 60% of the world’schronically undernourished people could live there by 2030.

Larioattributed theshift partlytorapid population growth and slower economic gainsthaninparts of Asia,and he called forgreater investment in agriculture, infrastructure and food systems.

BY STAN CHOE AP business

writer

NEW YORK More gains for makersofcomputer chips and other winners of the artiﬁcial-intelligence boom carried Wall Street higher Tuesday The S&P 500 climbed 0.9%.The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 385 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.3%. AI stocks once again wereatthe center of the action, and theyrose for asecond straight day after tumbling the week before. After rocketing higher because of the boom in investment in AI chips and data centers, they’ve come under pressure in recent weeks on worries that they shot too high. Concerns are alsoweighing that investment in AI may falloff if it doesn’tproduce as much proﬁt and productivity as hoped.

Micron Technology jumped 12.2% and added to its 1.9% gain from the day before, coming offits 13.3% dropfrom last week.Nvidia added 2%, andthey were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. The gains came despite more climbs for oil prices, andBrent crude oil briefly got near $92 per barrelfor thefirst time in more than five weeks because of continued attacksbetween the United States and Iran. It later pared its gain to 2% and

settled at $91.01.That’supfromless than $72 early this month, which is roughly whereitwas before the war withIran. Rising oil prices are threatening areacceleration of inﬂation, just as increases for prices were slowing morethan economists expected That in turncouldpushthe Federal Reserveand other central banks to raise interest rates,whichwould sloweconomies and undercut prices for stocks and other investments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.63% from 4.60% late Monday and from just 3.97% before the war withIran began. On Wall Street, several strongerthan-expected proﬁt reports from

big U.S. companies helped stocks to strengthendespitethe addedpressure. 3M climbed 7.3% after topping analysts’ expectations forboth profit andrevenue in thelatest quarter.It also raised itsforecast forprofit. Hasbro rallied 8.8% after the toy makersaidits Magic: TheGathering game topped $500 millioninrevenue foraquarter forthe first time. It also raisedits revenue forecast forthe year General Motors cruised 4.9% higherafter theautomaker’s

TheU.N. food security report, released Tuesday, found global hunger has eased

millionpeople could still face chronic hunger by 2030.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Castrogiovanni,Carrie

Chachere, George Conner, Lucina Galloway,John

Nicholas, Carlous

PicouHebert, Jean

Thomas,Augustine

Tullier, Joan

Villarrubia, Forrest

Obituaries

Castrogiovanni, Carrie Ann Arvello

On July 18, 2026,Carrie Ann Arvello Castrogiovanni, surrounded by her family, was delivered home to reunite with her husband, Dr. Jack C. Castrogiovanni M.D.,as well as her parents, Brazil John Arvello Sr. and Lena TamborellaArvello. She wasthe longest surviving of eight brothers and sisters, Paul Arvello, Lawrence Arvello, Brazil (Junior) Arvello, Salvadore (Sam) Arvello, Joseph Arvello, Lena Arvello Letillier, and Mary Arvello Miller. She was 82. She leaves behind aloving family of four children and four grandchildren. NicholasBrazil Castrogiovanni, Jeanine Castrogiovanni Burgan (Ryan), Jacquelyn Castrogiovanni Migdal (John), and Giacomo Antonio Castrogiovanni (Jordan), as well as her beautiful grandchildren who doted on her: Marley Grace Migdal, Miles Edward Migdal, Giacomo (Jack) Calcedonio Castrogiovanni, II, & Vittoria Elizabeth

Castrogiovanni. Carrie Ann was born on January 31, 1944, in Independence Louisiana, and lived the majority of her youth in Hammond. She began her younger years as amedical stenographer (where she met her husband to be, Dr. Jack) and eventuallyearned her Bachelor of English and thenher Masters in English, Summa Cum Laude, at the Universityof New Orleans. She worked as areal estate agent and taught as asubstitute teacheratthe high school level. She was highly involved in and held leadership positions (board member president, vice-president, historian, treasurer, secretary) in many philanthropic and socialorganizations including the Elenian Club, Aesculapians, the Lake Vista Garden Club, Lake Vista Women's Club, Heart Ambassadors, Cancer Crusaders, Orleans Parish Medical Society Alliance, Volunteers of America Auxiliary, Louisiana State Medical Society Alliance Goodwill Industries Volunteer Services, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Children's Hospital Guild, St. Michael's, and the Heart Ambassadors. She coordinated fundraisers and events

benefiting educational fundsfor nurses and medical assistants, children's playgrounds,the families of deceased physicians, and amyriad of other charitable interests.

Shewas avoracious reader, havingread tens of thousands of booksover her lifetime. She especially loved horror fiction and Southernliterature; and enjoyed comedic films above melodrama

Shewas also socially activeinMardiGrasfestivities, particularlyinthe KreweofEros (both of her daughters enjoyed being Queen, and her husband King) and the Krewe of Pontchartrain. Carrie enduredtwentyfive years of Parkinsons disease,and boreitwith a brave face. Although she suffered, she did not complain, and instead chose to focusonthe bright partsof life. She enjoyed visiting with friends, the company of her adultchildren, and above allelse hergrandchildren.

Carrie and the family wouldliketoextenda specialthanks to Magnolia Caregiverswhoseexceptional attentionand tireless workserved to make themost difficult years of her life more enjoyable

Family and friends are invited to attend the evening visitation scheduled for Friday July 24, 2026,from5:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Jacob Schoen& Son, 3827 CanalStreet, New Orleans, LA. The funeral masswill be celebratedat1:00 PM on Saturday July25, 2026,at St. Dominic's Church, 775 Harrison Ave,New Orleans, LA 70124. Visitation will be from 11:00 am andcontinue until mass time. Interment willfollowatAll Saints Mausoleum directly afterwards. Arrangements by Jacob Schoen &Son Funeral Home. Condolences may be leftat www.schoenfh.com.

Chachere,George Carmen

George Carmen Chachereentered eternal rest June 26, 2026,atage 86. Born January20, 1940, in Mobile, Alabama, he was seventh of ten children. He graduated from Holy Rosary in Lafayette and Xavier University of Louisiana.Georgedevoted his careertopublicservice.AtTCA,a New Orleans anti-poverty agency, he directed theNew Careersjob-training program, helping underemployed residentsprepare formeaningful work.He later servedasDirector of Economic Development for the Urban League;Director of Employee Relations for the US PostalService; PostmasterinChalmette; and SpecialAssistant to Mayor SidneyBarthelemy. George said whathe meant and meant what he said. Action-oriented, he showed love through service.Therewas littlehe could not build, fix, or improve. He is survived by his son,GarretChachere; daughter-in-law, Lauren

DuplessisChachere, and grandchildren, Grant Noah, and Jackson Chachere; many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. Visitation willbe Saturday, July25, at 10 AM, followedbyan11AM. funeral Mass at St.Leo the Great Catholic Church.

Lucina "Lucy" Garcia Conner passed peacefully in her sleep,atthe age of 95, on July15, 2026.

Lucy is survivedbyher sons, Lawrence Larry" C. Conner (Toni)and Richard "Ricky" M. Conner (Kori); her grandchildren, Jeffery Allan Carlson (Michelle), Erica CarlsonArrington (Trey), Kristen Conner Boargoub (Adam), Courtney Conner Landry (Taylor), and Brian Tregre Conner (Emily); and her great-grandchildren, Delilah Arrington, Madison Arrington, David Pitfield, JudeJoyce,Aliyah Boargoub,Elijah Boargoub, and CaiaLucina Conner. She is also survivedby her nieces, Diana Kay Roof (Rick) and LaurieKay Dangler(Jeep); her nephews Michael Kay (Gladys), BobbyConner, Mickey Conner, and Steve Conner;and many other much-loved nieces and nephews in both Venezuelaand theUnited States.

While we willmiss her dearly, we take comfort in knowing she has finally been reunited in Heaven with her beloved husband of 60 years, Martin C. Conner,and her children, Harold L. Conner,Cynthia Conner Carlson,and Brian David Conner. Bornin1931 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Lucy was thethird of nine children. As achild, she attendedSunny Hills boarding schoolwithher siblings in theUnited States and spokeoften of the wonderfulmemories she had from that time in her life.One of Lucy's proudest moments as an adult was being granted American citizenshipafter years of study.

She mether husband Marty whileworking as an executivesecretary at Shell OilCompanyin Venezuelainthe 1950s. They were married in 1958, and acouple of years later moved to Holland. Upon returning to theUnited States, she and Martysettled first in Lafayette, then in Algiers,where they raised their five children. They attended St.Andrew theApostlechurch in Algiers for37years, until they moved to the Northshore in 2004. There, they became parishioners of Mary Queen of Peace After retirement, Marty and Lucy made pilgrimages to many of the world's most meaningful Catholicholysites, each journey deepening their faith and filling her heart with gratitude.They traveled theworld together, ateatwonderfulrestaurants, saw all thesights they wanted to see,and simply enjoyed thelife they had builttogether.

Lucy's family was her life.She was awife,mother, and grandmother first and everything else came second.She was an incred-

ible mom who always led thefamily throughfaith and love.She was our NorthStar.She had aspecial relationshipwitheach of herchildrenand grandchildren, and each for a different reason. She enjoyed "girls' nights" with her granddaughtersand was so very proud of the men both of her grandsons had become Lucy was abright light wherever she went. Whether she was feeding theturtles and alligators in thelakebehind her home, enjoying chargrilled oysters withanold-fashioned or a"Puerto Rican" Irish coffee at Don's, or just doing chores around her condo,she saw thepositive in everything and everyone. She possessed aquiet strength,humility, and dignity that ledher to find a way to laughthrough the tough times, and she inspired allofustodothe same She was and will always be our favoriteGoldenGirl. The family wishes to extend aheartfeltthank you to the5th floorteamat Lakeview Regional Medical Center fortheir special loving care.

Visitation willbeat Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 1501 W. Causeway Approach, Mandeville, LA 70471 on July 28, 2026, from10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and Mass willbecelebrated at 11:00 a.m. Burialwillbeat Westlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers,please donatetothe charity of your choice for earthquake relief assistance in Venezuela.

E.J. Fielding Funeral Home has been entrusted with funeral arrangements. Please sign the guestbookat www.ejfieldingfh.com.

John Emerson Galloway passed away peacefully at hishome in the earlyhours of July15, 2026, surrounded by his loving family and devoted caregivers. He was 78 years old. It's impossibletocapture John in flowery words youhad to feelhis presence to understand and if youhad thegoodluck to be in his presence forany lengthoftime,you already know. So we'llfollow his example and keep it simple: Think of someone that is unfailingly good, wise, strong, stoic, steady,patient,reliable,and devastatingly witty. Multiply each of those qualities by ten. Nowyou're halfway to theoak treeofa man we had thehonortocallour Dad BornonDecember 22, 1947, to Edgar Emerson Galloway and Mary Frances Fagan Galloway, John was raised in New Orleans—a city he loved with all his heart.Hecherishedits people,its traditions, itsculture, and,of course,its incomparable food.New Orleans shaped him, and he never lost his affectionfor itsunique spirit that makes it unlike any other place in the world

John graduated from East Jefferson High School before attending Louisiana StateUniversity, where he earnedboth his undergraduateand lawdegrees.

At LSU, he wasanactive member of PhiGamma Delta(Fiji) fraternityand participated in theReserve Officers'Training Corps (ROTC). He served honorablyasanofficer in the United States Army. John began practicing law with Deutsch, Kerrigan &Stilesbeforejoining McGlinchey, Stafford, Mintz& Hoffman, wherehe practicedfor many years. In 1987, he andhis partners founded Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr& Smith, afirmthat, over the ensuing decades, grew into oneofthe most respected litigation firms in Louisiana andthroughout theGulfCoast. John took immensepride notonlyin thefirm'ssuccess, but in thepeople whobuilt it and theculture of professionalism, integrity, andcollegiality that continues to defineittothisday. Avery giftedtrial lawyer, John devotedhis career to maritime andinsurance defense litigation.Heearned theadmiration of judges, clients, and fellow attorneys notsimply because he woncases,but because of theway he practiced law—withmeticulous preparation,unwavering honesty, civility toward opposingcounsel,and profoundrespectfor the legal profession. Those qualities were recognized when he received theNew Orleans Bar Association's Professionalism Award oneofthe profession's highest honorsand afitting tribute to alawyer whose reputationwas built on integrity as much as excellence As accomplished as he wasprofessionally, those closest to John will remember somethingeven more special: hislegendarywit.Whether recounting an eventfromthe courtroom, familylife, or growingupinNew Orleans, John had an uncannyability to captivate everyonearoundhim. At familyorfirmgatherings, he wasrarelythe loudest voice. Instead, he listened. He leteveryoneelse have theirsay. Then, when the conversation hadrun its course, John wouldoffer a single sentence—insight-

ful,perfectlytimed,and almost invariably hilarious andpithy.Somehow, in just afew words, he would settle the discussion,make everyonelaugh,and leave theroom smiling. It was oneofhis many gifts. For all of hisaccomplishments, John'sgreatest sourceofpride washis family. He wasa devoted husband, father,grandfather,brother,uncle, mentor, andfriend. He taught notthrough speeches, but by example.His life reflected honesty, humility, kindness, perseverance,and quietstrength.Those lessons continuetoliveon in thefamilyheloved so dearly. Aboveall else, John was devotedtohis beloved wife, Blanche. She was the love of his life, and theirs wasa marriagedefinedby unwaveringloyalty, deep affection, shared laughter, andcompletedevotion Thosewho knew them understoodthattheywere partners in everysense of the word.Johncared for Blanche faithfullythrough everyseason of life, and afterher passing,his love forher remained constant. Their marriagestands as a lastingexample of enduringlove. John wasprecededin death by hiswife,Blanche Loretta Pearson Galloway, by hisparents, Edgar Emerson Galloway and Mary Frances Fagan Galloway, andbyhis preciousdog, Buddy. He is survived by hischildren, MelbourneErnest"Trey" Joseph,III (wife, Lynn Keenan Joseph, and son, ZacharyMichael Joseph andwife,SamanthaYrle Joseph); and Robert Raymond Joseph (wife, Leslie Spano Joseph,and son, JackFrancis Rutledge Joseph). He is also survived by hissister,Carolyn Pace, andher children Stephen Pace(Rose Williams), DanielPace (wife, Margaret Greco) andJonathan Pace(wife, Vanessah, and daughter, Bernadette). Ever humble, John requestedthat therebeno funeral service or formal celebrationofhis life at this time.Hebelievedthe recent beautifulcelebra-

Conner,Lucina Garcia 'Lucy'

Galloway, JohnEmerson

tion of life held for Blanche had already honoredthe remarkable life they shared together in the best way imaginable, with so many family, dear friends and colleagues (he called it "the perfect day" which "couldn't be topped"). He loved that he was able to attend his own wake. His family will honor those wishes, for now.

The family would like to recognize and thank the wonderful staff at both Care Associates Hospice and Palliative Care, and NOLA Home Care, who made it possible for John to spend his last days well caredfor at home as he wanted.

We can never repay all that he gave us. We can only honor him by tryingto live our lives with incredible love, strength, integrity, and humor, in accordance with his splendid example.

Nicholas, Carlous Linnerius

Carlous Linnerius Nicholas departed this life on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at the age of 67. Relatives and friendsof the family are invited to attend aMemorial Service at D. W. RhodesFuneral Home,3933 Washington Ave. New Orleans, LA 70125 on Friday, July 24, 2026 at 1:00 pm. Visitation willbeginat12:00 pm. Arrangements by D. W. Rhodes Funeral Home Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to sign the online guestbook

Picou Hebert,JeanA.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jean Picou Hebert, who departedthis life on July 8, 2026, atthe ageof74. Born on July 17, 1951,inNew Orleans, Louisiana,Jeanliveda life filledwith love, kindness, and dedicationtofamily and friends. Shewas known for crocheting, dancing, being afoodie and chocolate cake queen who touched the lives of everyone she knew. Jean is survived by her parents Donald Picou, Sr (Eloise), Dorothy M. Banks, children: Jason Hebert (Deceased), Christopher C. Picou (Kenia), Miranda A. Picou, brothers and sisters: Lil DonaldPicou (Charlene), Eric Picou, Keith Picou (Vennie), Brian Picou (Monique), Donna Picou, MirleBentley Goodwin (Stanley), Albert Bentley, Jr.(Deceased), grandchildren: JaliyahA Picou, Lloyd M. McKissick; god-child Deirdre Adams, and ahost of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends. Jean was educatedin the NewOrleans school system attending St Mary'sAcademy and Spencer Business College. Sheworked at Odeco (Ocean Drilling& Exploration Company),for many yearsasan ExecutiveAdministrative Assistant and the Barstow Police Department as a dispatcher.

D. Boyd Owners/Funeral Directors.

Thomas,Augustine

Augustine Alverez

Tullier,Joan Adams

will begin at 11:00 andinterment will follow at Holy Rosary Mausoleum.

Thomas entered eternal rest on Friday, July10, 2026, at theage of 93. Belovedwife of thelate OliverThomas. Loving mother of Laronda Kellar, Lynette Thomas, Kenneth Thomas (Kim), and thelate Lisa Jenkins. Devoted grandmother of LaKese Thomas, Jerell,Chad (Brittany) Jenkins, Reggie Williams, Kennethand Kelsey Thomas, and 8 great-grandchildren. Augustine is the daughter of thelate Albert and Leola Alverez. Sister of Roosevelt (Celeste), Lionel Alverez, CarolynRicks, Gloria Rainey, EmeldaPierre, and thelateAlbert,Julius, Allen, Huey, Harold Alverez, LoverniaSmith, and Inez Jackson. Also survivedbya host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Family and friends are invitedtoa CelebrationofLife Service to be held at Mt.Nebo Bible Baptist Church, 1720 FloodSt., NewOrleans, LA on Friday, July 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Visitation at 9:00 a.m. Officiated by Pastor Charles Duplessis. Interment at Lake Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, NewOrleans, LA.Please signguestbookatwww.ch arbonnetfuneralhome.com. CharbonnetLabat Glapion Directors, (504) 581-4411.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Jean's life on Thursday, July 23, 2026,for 1:00 p.m. at The Boyd FamilyFuneral Home, 5001 ChefMenteurHwy, New Orleans,LA70126. Visitationwillbegin at 12:30p.m. ReverendHarold Johnson, officiating Guestbook Online:www.an ewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin

Joan Tullier,alifelong Louisiana resident,passed away on July18th, 2026, peacefully surrounded by theloveofher family.Born February 19, 1951, Joan was raised in NewSarpy, Louisiana, where she developed thevalues of family,hard work,and kindness that remained with her throughout her life. Shewas aproud graduate of Destrehan High School, Class of 1969. Joan shared 37 wonderfulyears of marriagewiththe love of her life,Thomas Tullier. Together they builta life centered on faith, family, and making cherished memories.She was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond Adams and Hilda Caillouet Adams.Those left to cherish her memory include her devoted husband, Thomas Tullier; her children,David Wactor Jr. (Hannah) and Kristy Moss (Henry) as well as Amy Hunt Crochet, her daughter's lifelong best friend and thefamily's "adopted daughter"; her sisters, Linda Jackson (Richard Marino)and Cynthia Adams; and her brothers, Randy Adams (Netta)and Barry Adams.Joan was the proud grandmotherofsix grandchildrenand was also blessed with threegreat -grandchildren, allof whom brought her immeasurable joy. She found happiness in thesimple pleasures of life,especiallyhiking,camping,and spending timewithher grandchildren. Her love for theoutdoors and thememoriesshe created withher family willbetreasured forever.Inlieuofflowers, thefamily kindly requests that memorial donations be madetoSt. Jude Children's Research HospitalinJoan'smemory. Avisitation willbeheldon Thursday, July23, 2026 from 9:30 a.m-11:00 a.m at St.Mark CatholicChurch, 42021 Highway 621, Gonzales, LA,70737. Mass

"Ifever Iwrite abook, thename of it would be Barefoot Boy from Lacombe," he often said He wasthe last of 10 children,borninLacombe on November 20,1925 in his familyhome,which was oneofthe oldest homes in theLouisianaTerritory. He died of natural causesin NewOrleans on July 18, 2026, at 100 years old and eightmonths. In hisformative years he spent his summers on Bayou Lacombe. He often spoke of hisgloriouschildhood wherehespent most of his days in apirogueonthe bayou.A fabulousswimmer and marksman,he wouldbring home any fish or bird he'd shottohis mother, Corinne, an incredibleFrenchcook. He also lovedclimbing the moss-drapedancient oak in front of thehouse.There wasa huge branchthatextended over thestreet, and he'd sit there,unseen,behind aclump of moss and wait fora funeral to pass. Somewhatofatrickster, he woulddroplittle pebbles andmoss on thecasket. Forrestproudly joined theMarines at 17 to fight for hiscountry against fascism in WorldWar II. He wasdeployed to the Pacific, wherehis assignment was to climbtrees andhookupradios for communication. Once,he heardabulletracepast his earfrom"friendly fire."He always said "Withthe help of God and afew marines, MacArthur is backinthe Philippines".Henever thoughtthathewould make it home to marryhis first andonlysweetheart, Audrey, whodiedinhis arms at home after complications from multiple sclerosis. Theymet when he was12and she was11on Sherwood Forest Drive in NewOrleans,where they both lived.Hewas herconstant companion andcaregiver.Upon graduating

from TulaneUniversity, ForrestworkedatMaison BlancheonCanal Street andquickly became the store's youngest buyer. He finished his working years at theToy Center located on Washington and JeffersonDavis Pkwy, wherehewas manager andpartowner.There,he wasloved andknown as Mr.V.After thedeathof hisbeloved Audrey, he accruedover5000 hoursvolunteeringfor many years at the WorldWar II Museum, meeting thepublicand tellingstories of his time in the PacificTheater When someone wouldask for apicture of him, he wouldsay, "After you give me ahug." They always would. Forrestispreceded in death by hisfather and mother,ElvinJoseph Edward Villarrubia and CorinneCastaing Villarrubia; hisloving wife, AudreyLevyVillarrubia. He is survivedbyhis cherished daughters Jan Villarrubia, Kay Casey (Byron), and Nancy Bernadas (Louis); four lovinggrandchildrenRebecca Bernadas Williams (Dave), Jennifer Bernadas Nettles (Daniel), Dr.ChristopherD Bernadas (Rachel) and ForrestMerrell (Nicole); great grandchildren Jackson-Emma Nettles, BennettNettles, Anna Marie Nettles, Nathan Bernadas, William Nettles, Reid Bernadas, Jace Merrelland Kaden Merrell; MaverickWilliams (Katie) andMorgan Williams. The familywould also like to thank all of hismany friends, extendedfamily members andcare givers, especially nurse Denise Debbe, whohave been so supportive over thesepast years including his"second" familyatthe WWII Museum especially Beth Kliebert. Serviceswill be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026 at Lake LawnFuneral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., NewOrleans,La. Visitation from 10 AM to 12 noon followed by Mass at 12 with the internment to follow at themausoleum In lieu of flowers, please make adonation to the WorldWar II Museum.

Villarrubia, Forrest D.

OUR VIEWS

Thanks to Doug Thornton, theSuperdome exec whobrought theiconback afterKatrina

When longtime Superdome executive Doug Thornton steps down in afew weeksafter29 years at the forefront of New Orleans sports management ,hewill leave one of the greatest legaciesofcivic achievement in the state’shistory.Indoing so, he not onlyensured professional sports wouldremain in Louisiana,but thrive even after Hurricane Katrina ripped the roof off the stadium while it was packed with evacuees. Thornton, 68, will be sorely missed, and we wish him well.

Back in 1988, Thornton was onthe ground ﬂoor of discussions as the Young Leadership Council of New Orleans helped to spearheadcreationof an entity called the Greater New OrleansSports Foundation, designed to coordinate the city’s sports-hospitality efforts.

Within avery short time,Thornton becamethe foundation’spresident andCEO. He helped make it the driving force behind what seemed like a wild dream of securing theOlympic trials for track and field; and it also led the hosting efforts for the Junior Olympics,the National Gymnastics Championships, both men’sand women’s NCAA basketball Final Fours and more. Thornton left the foundationin1997tobecome general manager of the Superdome and the thenNew Orleans Arena. In that role and subsequent jobs (still working from aSuperdome office), Thornton was the proverbial“essentialman” as the Dome cemented its status as thenation’s most storied and treasuredbig-sports-event facility Saints fans should particularlythank Thornton for his key role in securing the team’slease extension with the Superdome in 2001. The negotiations were highly contentious, with owner Tom Benson threateningtosellthe team or move it to Mississippi, but Thorntongot itdone. Then, heroically,Thorntonremained in the Dome during the nightmare of Hurricane Katrina and, afterward, somehow managedwithin asingle year to lead the stadium’s850-worker rebuilding effort to repair $336 millionindamages in time for the next year’sNFL season. It was an epic accomplishment, culminating in the unforgettable reopening homegameinwhich our Who Datstrampledthe AtlantaFalcons In 2009, it was Thorntonagain who capped three years of negotiations with Saints executive Dennis Lauscha —this time,with both sides determined to be cooperative despite daunting challenges —byconcocting acreativeleasearrangement that satisfied all sides and kept the Saints firmly committed for the long haul. And there’ssomuch more to the story of the myriadwaysinwhich Thorntonhas showncivic leadership and successfully worked forthe bettermentofnot just the city,but the wholestate that benefitsfrom the tourism and sporting events he has courted for so long andsowell. Thorntonsurely has greatnew chaptersto be part of, but finally now without the pressure cooker that for 29 years has been hisvocation. Massive thanks are due to him, fromastate much better through his efforts.

and the writer’scity of

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

OPINION

An‘all-of-the-above’energy strategy needed forLa.’s future

Louisiana’senergy future is changing rapidly.Major datacenter investments, industrial expansion and growing electricity demand are reshaping thestate’s energy landscape. These projects promise billions in investment and thousands of jobs,but theyalso require new power generationand grid infrastructure. Meeting this demand will require an “all-of-theabove” energy strategy that prioritizes reliability,affordability and American energy production. Recognizing thesechallenges, the Louisiana Legislatureadopted Act279, creating astatewide permitting frameworkfor utility-scale solar while preserving local authority through aparish opt-out process.

Since then, parishes across thestate have reviewed renewable energy ordinances,tackling issues such as setbacks,buffers, decommissioning, emergency planning, road maintenance and agricultural compatibility.These areimportant local concerns, but regulations should protect communities without imposing unnecessary requirementsthatdiscourage responsible investment

Louisiana’senergy future should not be framed as one energy source vs. an-

other.Natural gas and nuclear energy will remain essential for grid reliability, while utility-scale solar and battery storage can be deployedmore quickly to meet rapidly growing demand and reducestrain during peak periods. Alongside transmission upgrades and infrastructure modernization, these resources can help ensure the state remains competitive as energy needs grow Preparation, not reaction, must guide Louisiana’spath forward. By sharing best practices, learning from neighboring parishes and working collaboratively withindustry, utilities and local stakeholders, communitiescan develop balanced policies that protect local priorities while encouraging investment. At Energy Right and America First Energy Project Louisiana, we work to provide factual information, model ordinances and technicalresources so everyparishcan make informeddecisions thatrespect private property, strengthenlocal economiesand ensure Louisiana has thereliable,affordable energy needed to power its future.

JEFF ARNOLD executivedirector,AmericaFirst Energy ProjectLouisiana Metairie

Napoleon’s misadventuresled to La.Purchase

FurthertoNancy Landry’srecent guest column on Napoleon, titled “An inconceivable offer,” an important footnote should be added.

Napoleon had just been beaten badly on the island of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti)

Napoleon invaded the island, tricking the leader of theslave insurgency, Toussaint Louverture, into aFrench prison. Louverture was intentionally maltreated until he died in captivity Despiteoverwhelming numbers of soldiers and tall ships, Napoleon’sarmy

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

was soundly defeated on the island, and by 1803 was in total retreat.

The fighting, bloodshed and chaos on the island forced many thousands of refugees to flee, first to Cuba, then to the Orleans Territory.These Creoles arrivedvia theMississippi River to New Orleans,changing New Orleans, Louisiana and the United States forever

However,Napoleon’sthirst for money and blood continued unabated, et voila, the Louisiana Purchase happened.

CHARLES DEAN DOMINGUE Baton Rouge

Stricter rulesare needed to stop fraudulent

ColumnistSteve Roberts repeats the Democrat mantra, saying thatstudies showevidence of voter fraudisrare. He is correct. If voter ID andproofof citizenshipare notrequired, there will be little or no evidence of nonresidents voting. If nonrequested ballots are mailed to everyone on the voter rolls, harvested andsubmittedby“volunteers” andthencounted withoutstrict validation, therewill be scantevidence of deadpersonsand non-residentsvot-

voting

ing. France, for one, ceased most mail-in ballots precisely becauseoffraud. If police areprohibitedfromusing radarand sobriety/license checkpoints, there will be little or no evidenceofpeoplespeeding while drinking anddriving withoutalicense. It is remarkable how hard Democrats ﬁght to stopsolutions to problems they insist do notexist.

DALE MORRIS Destrehan

As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of our nation’sfounding, we should remember that our Founding Fathers built arepublic not on unanimity,but on principled debate mutualrespect and ashared commitment to the commongood. That lesson is especially important today

The ongoing public back-and-forth between Louisiana’sstate leaders and New Orleans’ elected ofﬁcials has become an unnecessary distraction. Healthy disagreement is part of democracy.Personal attacks, political theater and endless sniping are not. The people of Louisiana deserve better

Taxpayers expect their elected leaders to focus on public safety,education, infrastructure, economic opportunity and improving the quality of life for every citizen —not wasting valuable time and resources on avoidable conﬂict. Leadership is not measured by who wins the latest political argument. It is measured by who solves problems, builds consensus and puts the public interest ahead of personal pride or political advantage.

We can disagree without being disagreeable. We can defend our convictions while respecting those with whomwediffer.That is the essence of statesmanship.

Louisiana and New Orleans are blessed with extraordinary people, rich history,vibrant culture and tremendous opportunity.Weshould be united by our shared commitment to serve the citizens who entrusted us with public ofﬁce.

Ioffer asimple appeal to every elected ofﬁcial: Choose leadership over division. Choose respect over rhetoric. Drop the bullying. Dropthe personal attacks. Drop the unnecessary charges and sniping.

Work together where you can, disagree respectfully where you must and never lose sight of the people you were elected to serve.

The American experiment has endured for 250 years because leaders understood that freedom requires responsibility

The people deserve your very best. Let’sprove we are worthy of their trust.

ADRIAN

BRUNEAU chairman, Orleans Parish Republican ExecutiveCommittee NewOrleans

YOUR VIEWS

NolanWells’death speaks to only Blackpersoninthe room

Nolan Wells has been laid to rest, but the court of publicopinionisnot at rest.

There’slittle knownabout why he is dead, and what little we know is disturbing

I’ve watched this real-life drama unfold for weeks. Ayoungman went offfor aFourth of July day of funwith friends and went missing.Atthat point, it wasn’tmuch of anews story

His picture was released as law enforcement ofﬁcials, his family and others lookedfor him

His friends’ pictures were published. He was Black. They are White.

LikeNolan Wells, I’ve been the only one too manytimes to count. This is whysome of us go to all- or mostly-Black high schools and universities. It’swhy someofusjoin Black fraternities and social clubs. It’swhy some of us join Black nature, ski and snow groups. Anything can happen, but it feels safe.

Graham’s critics swarmed to hislight, buttheydon’t know him

COLUMBIA, S.C. It is often said that if you’re not disliked, you haven’tdone anything notable during your Earth cycle.

Victor Hugo warned of this in his essay “Villemain,” published in 1845: “You have enemies? Why,itisthe story of every man whohas done agreat deed or created anew idea. It is the cloud which thunders around everything that shines. Famemust have enemies, as light must have gnats.”

Lindsey Graham, the longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, had barely drawnhis last breath before the gnats swarmed and the clouds thundered. His death Saturday from a“brief and sudden illness,” later determined to be an aortic dissection, brought out the best and worst of our humanity.Graham’s adoption of his sister after their parents died when he was 22 and she was 13 was the ﬁrst hint of the kind of man he was and would become—generous; caring; afriend to all, including his political foes; and acheerfulwarrior whose witcould makeamannequin laugh. He wasalso amilitary lawyer and retired as acolonel in the Air Force Reserve after serving for33years.

Unapologetically hawkish, Graham had just returned to Washington Saturday after ameeting in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Will Sutton

If you think race doesn’tmatter,consider why this became an international story.Why? Becauseracematters.

As Iwatchedthe Nolan Wells service online, Iwas pleased to see Black and White mourners.

If you’ve neverbeen theonly one, you don’tknow how that feels. If you’ve neverbeen the only Black person in agroup, you don’tknow how it feels. If you’ve never been the only Black friend, you don’tknow howit feels.

Nearly everybody who knows me knows I’m aproud Black man.I am proud of my ethnicity and my race.I’m also proud to be an American

My grandfather,aproud Black man,was the only one working at arural Mississippi hotel. With an eighth grade education, he was nice to the White people and did his job to feed his family.Iimagine he hidhis grimaces and was happy when he could smile. Better to feel safe.

My father,aproud Black man,ﬁnished high school at Alexander High School in Brookhaven, Mississippi, because his Monticello high school didn’t have what he needed to advance. His mother sent him away to something that was nothing like aboarding school; it was aroom in anice woman’shouse, aplace to study andsleep and return to school the next day.Fortunately,he made lifelong friends with some proud Black men,men Igot to know.Each went to historically Black colleges and universities. Each earned doctorates. Each becameuniversityexecutives.

Twobecame university presidents, includingmyfather

With all of that success, they often found themselves as the only one in the room,and the only one among friends. They would talk about what it was like being theonly one in the room My dad taught me to be aproud Black man He taught me to be agood human. He taught me to be proud and appreciate others. As alongtime member of a multi-racial church, an active member of anational organization of Christians and Jews and amember of boards on which he was one of afew,one of two or the only one, he taught me to accept all people. Still, race was and is afact of life. No matter the group, we want to be safe.

Beforethis, Nolan Wells’ parents hadnoreason to distrust their son’s friends, but Wells not having his keys or his phone, and the deletion of data on friends’ phones —and on his phone —raises serious concerns and questions.

When something like this happens ayoung man going missing —alot of us proud Black men wonder whether he was Black

When we hear friends were involved, we almost always ask, “Black or White?”

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

3reasons nottovisit Europe this summer

For some reason, many Americans seem convinced they havetotourEurope this summer —despite the heat, oppressive crowds and high prices all descending on the continent. And if anyone needs afourth reason, it’sto recognize the growing resentment among many Europeans as the tourist hordes turn their town centers into trinketmalls, eroding their way of life and,in the process, stripping what made those places worth visiting in theﬁrst place. The mystery remains whysomany Americans insist on their grand tour when they,too, are made miserable by the big three discomforts. Theheathas become especially brutal. Paris traditionally enjoys atemperateclimate This year,aheat wave has pushed temperatures there wellabove 100 degrees. Even now,there isn’tmuchair conditioning in Paris. Spain seems the current ground zero forlocals trying to get throughthe rampart of tourists as they go about their day.Barcelona has become the main battleground for overtourism. The city now has acommissioner for “sustainable tourism.” He sayshis goal is to keep the numbers down, especially among the (unruly) brigades thereto party rather than absorbthe local culture. The city,hesays,stillwelcomes foreigners coming on business.

Ileave conspiracy theorists to their delusions while also reminding them,along with Graham’s critics, that death imposes agrace period out of respect forthe late and the bereaved. We once knew this as anation, but social media has no patience.

Graham’scolleagues seemed to agree that if you didn’tlike the senator,you didn’tknow him Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey told MS NOWthat Graham wasthe kind of guy whowould ﬁght ferociously in public, but “when the spotlight was off, he was like, ‘Hey Cory,can we talk and try to ﬁgure out is there a way to makeadeal?’”

Even the media liked the quippy Graham especially during the 2016 presidential primarydebates when he was relegated to the undercard “kids’ table,” from which he reigned hilariously,usually at Donald Trump’sexpense. His manymemorable quotes on and off the stage haunted him as he morphed into Trump’s trusted sidekick.

In recent years, countless people have asked me, “What in the world happened to Lindsey Graham?” They couldn’twrap their minds around the Graham whoonce seemed to despise Trumpand the Graham whowas Trump’s gleeful golﬁng pal. The answer is that Graham was above all apragmatist. He could either be in the room and play arole in history,orwhat? Continue to snipe and becomeirrelevant? Graham decided he could do moreonthe inside than on the outside.

Not only washeinevery room,hewas often there before anyone else.

Barcelona’sLaBoqueria was considered one of Europe’sgreatest food markets. It offered abounty of vegetables,ﬁsh and meat that the locals would buy to cook at home.Vendors selling street food to touristshave taken it over,causing many residents to stop going there.

This dry,hot summer has set off walls of ﬂame now engulfingparts of Spain, Portugal andGreece. There are many deaths. In Spain alone, over adozen retirees, mainly Britishand Belgian, have gone missing.Yet the tourists keep pouring in.

Three years ago, we foundourselves in Parisfor afamily wedding. The wide plaza fronting Notre Dame Cathedral was so clogged with tourists, we had to walk by in the street. The crazy part was that Notre Dame wasn’teven open then. It was still closed for reconstruction following adevastating ﬁre several years before. That reminded me of an unhappy hour oncespent waiting in the hot Roman sun to gain entry to the Colosseum. It was afabulous thing to see, but thediscomfort of getting in was as memorable as the place itself.

TheEuropean Union now has aprocess at theborder called the Entry-Exit System. What it does is subject non-EU visitors to amore exhaustive identity

process.The goal —tostop foreigners from sneaking into the Schengen visafree travel area —isunderstandable. Butitends up subjecting visitors from theU.S., Britain and other nonEU-countries to endless waits to get through passport control. Onesurvey found that negotiating thelongest airport lines took over three hours. (Then it’soff to baggage claim.)

The post-pandemic inﬂation that Americanscomplained about was worse in much of Europe, and that’s reﬂected in the prices for restaurant meals,hotels and airfare. Making it still moreexpensive is adollar that has weakened against theeuro. Its buying power is down about 4.2% from two years ago. Back home, we have shade trees, a bedofzinnias and cardinals splashing in the birdbath. Life outdoorsisgood or at least not miserable. When the temps pass 90, we retreat intothe AC. Iwas once determined to visit part of Europe every year or two. It’snow been three since I’ve been back. Sure, I’d like to see Barcelona. ButI’m going to do myself and the Barcelonans afavor by not going, even though I’m anice person and can speak Spanish. Save themicrowaved paella for someone else.

Froma Harrop is on Twitter,@FromaHarrop.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, served on the Senate Judiciary Committee with Graham and worked with him as part of the GangofEight to reform immigration policy.Durbin recalled seeing Graham at the NATO summitthis month in Turkey

When Durbin and other members of the House and Senate arrived, Graham was already working the room of 50 or 60 people, “walking them through, one at atime, his vision on how we could end the warinUkraine and the legislation we needed to accomplish that. Typical of Lindsey Graham,” Durbin said.

SupremeCourt Justice Elena Kagan, appointed by President Barack Obama, gave Graham credit forclinching her conﬁrmation by giving her achance to show her sense of humor.During aSenate hearing, he had asked her where she was at Christmas. Kagan answered: “Like all Jews, Iwas probably at aChinese restaurant.”

Like everyone, Graham wasn’tjust one thing, and his legacy should be judged eventually by the entirety of his lifeand work. The short version is that he was aSouthern gentleman who loved his country and would rather hold ameeting of the minds than agrudge, even if he had to ﬁght to get there.

Provocateur,diplomat, humorist, warrior compromiser and friend, Graham devoted his lifetohis country.May he rest in peace, and may we heed Hugo’sadvice on how to regard one’scritics: “Donot bother yourself about it; disdain. Keepyour mind serene as you keep your lifeclear.”

Kathleen Parker is on X, at @kathleenparker

Kathleen Parker

Froma Harrop

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Family andfriendsofNolan Wells pause in front of his casket during amemorial service at Center PointeChurch in Ocean Springs, Miss., on Monday.

Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage fortheir entire workinglife, through employer-provided benefits.When those benefits endwith retirement, paying dental billsout-of-pocket cancome as a shock, leadingpeopletoput off or even go without care.

Simplyput —without dental insurance, there may be an important gap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparingplans ...

 Look forcoverage that helps pay formajor services. Some plans may limitthe number of procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to payhundreds out of pocketbefore benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewith no annual maximum on cash benefits. Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1

That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover everything. That means if youwant protection, you need to purchase individual insurance.

Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensiveones.

The best way to preventlargedental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.

“Medicare&You,”Centersfor Medicare&Medicaid

Previous dental work canwear out. Even if you’vehad qualitydentalwork in the past,you shouldn’t take your dentalhealth forgranted. In fact, your odds of havinga dental problem only go up as youage.2

Treatment is expensive— especiallythe servicespeople over 50 often need.

Consider these national averagecostsof treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethis canbeareal burden, especially if you’re on afixedincome.

SPORTS

SECMEDIA DAYS

‘BRIGHT’ TROLL

Georgiacoach Smartriffs on LSU’sKiffin, whom he praisesfor hisoffensive mind

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

TAMPA, Fla. Georgia coach

Kirby Smart is well-versed in manythings.

He’sanexpert at motivating football players. He’sa genius at drawingupsuffocating defensive schemes.He’salso an enjoyer of the FloridaStrawberry Festival, reminding reporters at SEC media dayson Tuesday that he’sanativeof Plant City,Florida.

“If you don’tknow,you don’t know,” Smart said. “Andifyou know, you do know.”

What Smart doesn’tknow as well is the deﬁnition ofcertain words.

Like “troll,” which areporter used to describe LSU coach Lane Kifﬁn, afellow assistant at Alabamafrom 2014-15 who remains in Smart’stext-mes-

‘Happy’

saging group chats.

“People say that allthe time. Canyou deﬁne what a‘troll’ is forme, please?” Smart quizzed hisquestioner

He was told it means Kifﬁn likes to “stir the pot”and “poke fun” during hisin-personand social-media interactions.

“Yep,” Smart deadpanned. “That’shim.”

Kiffincertainly stirredthe SEC pot this offseason, jumping from Ole Miss to LSUbefore theRebels’ season ended.

He hasn’tposted to social mediamuchlately, whichis perhaps asign the 51-year-old is maturing. ButKifﬁn did toss aline to Vanity Fair about the difﬁcultiesofrecruiting Black players to Mississippi, which added fuel to thebridge he left burning behind him.

He’s known at anational level as achaos agent, but Smart

Former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, left, and GeorgiacoachKirby Smart embrace at midfield after agameonOct. 18 in Athens, Ga. Kiffinand Smart gottoknoweach other as coordinators under NickSaban for twoseasons at Alabama.

has an understanding of Kifﬁn that’sa bitmore nuanced He knows Kiffin’spride as a father of three, including his son Knox, who is now aquarterback at University High in

Baton Rouge. He knows Kifﬁn’slove forhis late father,Monte, the legendary Bucs defensive coordinator

ä See SMART, page 4C

Golesh aims to reboot once-proud Auburn

TAMPA, Fla. This timelastyear,Idelighted in poking abit of eye-rolling fun at Auburn for suddenly claiming seven morenational championships than the two it’shistorically credited with(1957 and 2010)

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

That familiar, gravel-tonedvoice hadbeenbouncing around the room for afew minutes when its Cajun-bornsource pointed to aprojector screen inthe corner Ed Orgeronspoke like he’s given this presentation many times over the years. The versionhegavetothe Louisiana High School Coaches Association on Tuesday, though, wasalittle extra special. It washis ﬁrst public appearance sincehebegan his secondstint at LSU—the program he once led to one of the best seasons in college football history

“Allright, here we go,”Orgeron said.“Iwanttotalk to you today about pass rush.”

And then Orgeron spentthe next 45 minutes guidingaballroom of high school coaches at theCrowne Plaza in Baton Rouge througha crashcourse on passrushing techniques, strategies and philosophies. He didn’tdetail how he approaches his new responsibilitiesona day-to-day basis, but he did offer aglimpse into how he’sbeen assisting coach Lane Kifﬁn since he joined his staff in May

This was Orgeron back in his element.Energetic. Jocular.Focused on the three things he’s bestknown for: his recruitingchops, his Louisiana rootsand his pass-rushing expertise.

Orgeron, 64, brought aslide-showdeck with him, along with old practice footage and game ﬁlm.He crouched into different stances, mimickingopposing offensive linemen, then asked acoach from thefront

row to stand up and show thecrowd how to best attack each one. He also sprinkled in afew anecdotes from the2019 season and, in the middle of one of his demonstrations,widened hiseyes, looked up at the crowd andlaughedabout howexcitedhewas to hop off the bus ahead of LSU’sshowdown withOle Miss on Sept. 19 —“Woo, that’s‘gon be fun, bay-beh!” On Monday,Orgeron toldthe LSUdefensive linementhat they shouldalready be studyingClemson’s pass protectors. The goal, he said, is to pinpoint some of theirtendencies andbegin schemingupways to beat them before the season opens in Tiger Stadium

Oneofthose new “championships” is actually from 1958, the year 9-0-1 Auburn ﬁnished No. 4inboth major national polls —AP’smedia and UPI’scoaches —behind 11-0 LSU. That’sbecause it was declared the champs by two previously,ahem, unheralded selectors: the Howell Ratings and the Montgomery Full Season Selector Would thatbethe Thurston Howell III Ratings and the Montgomery,Alabama, Full Season Selector? Those would be just as legitimate. College football’shistory is litteredwith mythical national championships. Anaysayer could argue againstLSU’s1958 title because it was won long before theBCS/ CFP era, so let Auburn have abit of mythical fun. Iexpect Auburn will be rolling the trees in Toomer’s Corner for those 1910, 1913 and 1914 claimed titlesany day now There’snoquestion no one at Auburn is claiming any national championships from the past ﬁve seasons. Five straight losing seasons, mind you, the program’sworst such streak since 1946-50. Aprogram that is hometothree

COLLEGE BASEBALL

in progress undercoach Uhlman

BY GUERRYSMITH Contributing writer

After plummeting to last place in the American Conference this past season, the Tulane baseball team is ready for areset under coach JayUhlman. Gone is pitching coach Anthony Izzio, who wasthe final remaining staff memberfrom Uhlman’s first season in 2023. Also headingelsewhere are leading hitter Jason Wachs, who transferred to LSU; centerfielder Tanner Chun (Hawaii); and pitchers Jack Frankel(Texas-SanAntonio) and SamLarson (drafted).

Five other position starters and all but twopitchers whothrew 20 or more innings ﬁnished their college eligibility

“Any time you have change, there’salways an opportunity for adifferentpathofgrowth anddevelopment,”Uhlmansaid.

“Everything needs to be better We were below standard forTulane baseball, so that certainly falls on me as the headcoach, and everyone else needs to pick up their game.” Uhlman started by hiring Yale’s

“Wewerebelow standard forTulane baseball, so that certainly falls on me as the head coach, and everyone else needs to pick up their game.”

JAyUHLMAN,Tulane coach

Chris Wojick to replace Izzio as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.Tulane never finishedbetter than sixthamong American teamsinERA (5.42 in 2024)under Izzio,who landed at Conference USA tournament champion Jacksonville State as associatecoach.Yaleled theIvy League and ranked ﬁfth nationally in ERA in 2024, its second of three consecutive seasons as one of the top twopitching teamsin the Ivy. Look formuchlessofanemphasis on height under Wojick Tulane’s pitchingstaff resembled abasketball team in recent years —and moreonthe ﬂight of the baseball.

Scott Rabalais

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HUNTER DAWKINS

Georgia coach KirbySmart discusses theupcomingseason at SECmedia days on Tuesday in Tampa,Fla.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By COLIN HUBBARD

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS LSU assistant coach Ed Orgeron speaks during alecture at the Louisiana High School Coaches Association summer coaching clinic on Tuesdayatthe Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO AuburncoachAlex Golesh addresses reporters at SEC media days on TuesdayinTampa, Fla

4:15

North America had World Cup success

BY DAVID BRANDT AP sportswriter

There are a lot of things that could have gone wrong during this summer’s World Cup — a complicated logistical undertaking that included three host nations, 16 stadiums, 48 teams, 104 games and endless opportunities for controversy on and off the soccer ﬁeld.

But in retrospect, a lot of things went right.

The United States, Canada and Mexico spent nearly six weeks hosting soccer’s biggest showcase and — at least for the most part — the action stayed on the ﬁeld. Star players like Argentina’s Lionel Messi, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland became household names across North America, television ratings remained high in the U.S. even after the Americans were eliminated and despite high ticket prices, most games featured packed stadiums.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave effusive praise to the host countries on Sunday after Spain won the ﬁnal by beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time.

Attendance was good Fox broadcast all 104 games in English on its platforms and American viewership remained strong even after the U.S. was eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16.

Spanish broadcasts on Telemundo were also a popular option — even for non-native speakers.

Fox hasn’t yet released its viewership numbers for Sunday’s ﬁnal, but Telemundo’s preliminary numbers show the Spain-Argentina matchup had a total audience of 22.6 million, putting it on track to become the most-watched World Cup final in Spanish-language media history

The US-Belgium game on July 6 was watched by more than 45 million, including 33.1 million on Fox and 12 million on Telemundo. And despite a few early hiccups, stadium attendance was strong throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

“We have had a record number of spectators in the stadiums, almost 7 million,” Infantino said “We will have had, I mean the ofﬁcial ﬁgures will come out soon, but probably over 6 billion people watching it from home.”

The weather cooperated

Fans and players from other countries found out what Americans, Canadians and Mexicans have known for a long time — it can get pretty hot here in the summer Climate change isn’t helping matters.

But Mother Nature could have been a lot meaner than she decided to be.

Even so, there were a handful of games that featured particularly hot and muggy conditions.

The best example was a knockoutround game between Paraguay and France on July 4 in Philadelphia when temperatures hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit

The World Cup ﬁnal on Sunday also dodged a potential problem when smoke from Canadian wildﬁres that wrapped the Northeast in haze mostly cleared from the New Jersey area just in time thanks to some well-timed thunderstorms.

Size doesn’t matter

This year’s 48-team World Cup ﬁeld was the biggest in the tournament’s history and many thought

it would water down the competition. That wasn’t the case. Cape Verde held eventual champion Spain to a draw in its opening game, advanced to the round of 32 and gave Argentina a scare before losing 3-2 in extra time in a World Cup classic. Congo also advanced beyond the group stage and pushed England before eventually losing, while Curaçao was still in with a chance of making the knockouts going into its ﬁnal group match. After those Cinderella stories, fans eventually got to enjoy semiﬁnal games full of heavyweights England, Argentina, Spain and France were the top four in the world rankings. Politics can’t be ignored

The World Cup is famously a petri dish for political conﬂict, and this year’s version provided its share of strife.

Iran’s participation in the tournament amid the war in the Middle East was a particularly thorny issue and the team had to move its base camp from Arizona to

Mexico. The Iranians’ participation was overshadowed by travel complaints and visa issues, with the U.S. refusing visas to several members of Iran’s delegation.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s relationship with Infantino was scrutinized after American striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban for a red card was suspended ahead of the team’s round of 16 game against Belgium.

Travel restrictions for a series of countries prevented some fans from traveling to the U.S., but there were no reports of the aggressive immigration enforcement that some human rights groups had feared could take place around World Cup stadiums. Infantino brushed aside most of the controversies, instead focusing on the positives. While the FIFA president has a vested interest in painting a rosy picture of this year’s World Cup, there’s little doubt the tournament was a hit from a soccer perspective.

“I think we have to invent a new vocabulary, new words to deﬁne the success of this World Cup,” Infantino said.

Women’s World Cup is up next in Brazil

BY ANNE M. PETERSON AP soccer writer

It’s the women’s turn now. The next World Cup, the women’s edition, is set for next summer in Brazil. Just as Spain won the men’s trophy in the recently concluded tournament, that nation’s women were the champions three years ago. Currently the top-ranked women’s team in the world, Spain topped England 1-0 in the 2023 Women’s World Cup ﬁnal in Sydney That squad was loaded with talent, including Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, as well as young star Salma Paralluelo.

In a television interview following the men’s ﬁnal, Spain star Rodri paid Bonmati the ultimate compliment: “I’m trying to see if I can get to her level.”

The memories of 2023 aren’t so sweet for the United States, which was knocked out of the tournament in the round of 16 by Sweden. Still, the U.S. has won four World Cup titles and is currently ranked No. 2 in the world

The United States will host Spain twice in October serving as a tuneup for CONCACAF qualifying to start in late November in Texas. The friendly matches against Spain could provide a glimpse of what both teams might look like next summer

“We know Spain is an amazing team, and I think we’re just really looking forward to having this prep. Especially before qualifying,” said U.S. midﬁelder Lily Yo-

hannes. “And yeah, I think it will be a really great opportunity for us. Playing these players, I played against them in the Champions League, and I know how great they are.”

The road to Brazil

Qualiﬁcation for the World Cup is well under way, with 14 teams already securing berths. Brazil, which has an automatic spot as host, has never won the women’s tournament.

“Some time ago the opportunities for men and women were not equal. But that’s changing. This World Cup has tremendous potential to make that change truly hap-

pen,” said former Brazil defender Aline Pellegrino, now executive director of legacy and stakeholder affairs for Women’s World Cup in Brazil. “So there’s a great deal of excitement and expectation that we’ll have the best possible atmosphere in our stadiums, just as we recently saw in the two matches between the Brazilian national team and the United States. FIFA, together with the federal government and the host cities have been working very hard to ensure that we’ll have full stadiums and that everything runs as efﬁciently as possible.”

The biggest question around the Brazilians is the status of vet-

LB Brooks agrees to 3-year extension with Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jordyn Brooks has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Miami Dolphins, ensuring the veteran linebacker remains a core piece of the team’s rebuild, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. ESPN first reported the deal, which said it is worth $51.3 million with $35 million guaranteed. Brooks was an All-Pro selection for the first time in his career last season after leading the NFL with 183 tackles, including 99 solo tackles. He was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season that saw general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel fired. Brooks, a 2020 first-round pick by Seattle, signed with Miami in free agency ahead of the 2024 season and has become a leader

Panthers RT to miss start of season due to blood clot

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton will miss the start of the regular season after being diagnosed last month with a blood clot in his lung.

The Panthers announced Tuesday that Moton and cornerback Jaycee Horn will be placed on the reserve/non-football injury list, the day before the start of training camp. Horn is sidelined after cutting his foot while running and requiring stitches. The Panthers anticipate Horn returning early in camp.

Moton was placed on blood thinners after his diagnosis and is being monitored by the team’s medical staff. He’s expected to return at some point during the regular season.

Back-to-back stage victories by Evenepoel in Tour de France THONON-LES-BAINS, France Time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel was fastest Tuesday as he won the 16th stage of the Tour de France to shave 28 seconds off Tadej Pogacar’s commanding lead. Evenepoel completed the 26.1-kilometer individual time trial in 32 minutes, 19 seconds, more than a minute faster than Mattias Skjelmose, the previous quickest, before the Belgian rider waited to see Pogacar cross the line with the second-best effort of the day It is the third year straight that Evenepoel has won a time trial at the Tour His parents and family members were present on Belgium’s national holiday to see him take back-to-back stage victories after winning the 15th stage on Sunday Monday was a rest day

SafeSport Center to begin publicizing banned list

eran captain Marta, the nation’s all-time leading scorer with 122 goals. Marta retired from international play following Brazil’s 1-0 loss to the United States in the gold-medal match at the Paris Olympics, but returned the next year for the Copa America Femenina. She will be 41 when her nation hosts the World Cup.

The United States visited Brazil for a pair of matches in June, falling 2-1 in Sao Paulo before a 1-0 victory in Fortaleza. U.S. coach Emma Hayes said the team needed to embrace those “moments of chaos” in a hostile environment. Who’s in so far?

Australia, the Philippines, Japan, North Korea, China, South Korea, Argentina, Colombia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Spain and Denmark are among the nations that have qualiﬁed. Germany the 2003 and 2011 world champions, are ranked No. 3 globally Brazil previously hosted both the men’s World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. All eight cities that will host women’s matches next year also hosted men’s games in 2014: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte Brasilia Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador Next year’s tournament will be the last with 32 teams before jumping up to 48 teams like the men’s tournament The 2031 Women’s World Cup is expected to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. The formal decision will likely be announced in November

The U.S. Center for SafeSport began making public announcements of people placed on its disciplinary database Tuesday, a move designed to increase transparency and bring more attention to what the center believes is one of its top tools in the ﬁght against sex abuse.

The center, in charge of combating abuse in Olympic sports, has long published what it calls its Centralized Disciplinary Database. But without publicizing who lands on the list, people had to access the database and know who they were looking for to learn about banned and restricted people in their orbit. Now, the center will share weekly updates about people added to the list; the updates will include cases taken to arbitration that have reached a decision.

LIV Golf suffers setback as Asian Tour joins alliance

LIV Golf suffered a potential setback Tuesday when the PGA Tour, European tour and Asian Tour announced a strategic alliance aimed at global collaboration that is likely to affect the partnership the Asian Tour had with LIV In an alliance that takes immediate effect through 2029, the PGA Tour and European tour will partner with the Asian Tour to help provide commercial and playing opportunities and establish a path for Asian Tour members to join European circuits. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour as it is known commercially — have a separate alliance that has yet to be renewed, which includes 10 top European tour players earning PGA Tour cards. Ofﬁcials from both tours met at the British Open.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIO CORTEZ

Spain’s Rodri, left, kisses the trophy alongside Spain’s Mikel Merino,right, during the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New york on Sunday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO Team Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning the Women’s World Cup soccer final against England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 20, 2023.

Training campsset to open with newheadcoaches,QBs

BY ROBMAADDI Associated Press

The countdown is over. NFL training camp has arrived. Every team is 0-0 so there’shope in each city that this season ends with achampionshipparade.

Bryce Young and the reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers report Wednesday.So do the Arizona Cardinals, led by rookie head coach Mike LaFleur.

The teams will meet in the Hall of Fame Game that kicks off the preseason on Aug. 6.

The reigning Super Bowlchampion Seattle Seahawksand the New England Patriots open camp on Friday.They’ll face off in aSuper Bowl rematch that opens the regular seasononSept. 9.

Many teams have plenty of questions to answer beforeWeek 1. It’s along road to Los Angeles, which hosts Super Bowl 61 onFeb.14. Valentine’sDay will be the latest date the gamewill have been played. That just means more football.

Training camp starts

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers reporttocamp on Saturday,making it six teams in before the end of this week. The NFC West rivals will play the ﬁrst regular-season game in Australia on Sept. 10. The remaining 26 teams are due in next Tuesday Coachesinnew places

John Harbaugh joined the New York Giants after he was ﬁredby Baltimore following 18 seasons He has Jaxson Dart and sometalented players to buildaround.

Two-time AP NFL Coachofthe Year Kevin Stefanski took over in Atlanta after six seasonsinCleveland. He inherits ateamthat has plenty of playmakersonoffense, including All-Pro runningback Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts.

They have to ﬁgure whetherTua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix will be the quarterback.

Robert Saleh is the new man in charge in Tennessee. The Titans are coming off consecutive 3-14 seasons, but Saleh already has a franchise QB in Cam Ward and he broughtinBrian Daboll to develop himand runthe offense.

MikeMcCarthyand Aaron Rodgers arereunited in Pittsburgh. They wona SuperBowltogether in Green Bay and aim to get the Steelersatleast their ﬁrst playoff win since January 2017. The other six new head coaches are first-timers. LaFleur has a toughtaskinArizona. KlintKubiakhelped Sam Darnold win a SuperBowl in Seattle and hopes to rebuild the Las VegasRaiders. Jeff Hafley went from running Green Bay’sdefense to leading the MiamiDolphins. Joe Brady replaced Sean McDermott in Buffalo after theBills kept falling short in theplayoffs.

Todd Monken replaced Stefanski in Cleveland, and Jesse Minter is Baltimore’snew coach.

Quarterbackcarouselturns

Tagovailoahas achancetorevive hiscareer with Stefanski in Atlanta after adisappointingend in Miami. Kyler Murrayleft Arizona for Minnesota,where the Vikings hope he can stay healthy and regain his Pro Bowl form.

Kirk Cousins is the stopgap for the Raiders, who drafted Fernando Mendozawith the No. 1overall pick. Malik Willis parlayed three solid starts in two seasons with the Packers into a$67.5 million contract with the Dolphins that includes $45 million fully guaranteed.

Geno Smith returned to theJets.

Justin Fields is the new backup for PatrickMahomes in Kansas City

Kenny Pickett is Carolina’snew No. 2; veteran AndyDalton joined Philadelphia to play behindJalen

Hurts; and Gardner Minshew went to theCardinals.

SeveralQBcompetitions

Tagovailoaand Penix will competeinAtlanta. Cousins is expected to start in Las Vegas, but Mendoza could endupstarting sooner than later.Murrayhas to beat out J.J. McCarthy,who was theVikings’ ﬁrst-round pick in 2024. The mostinteresting battlewill be for the Browns’ starting job. Deshaun Watson is back after missing 2025 tocompete with Shedeur Sanders.

Othertop storylines

Will Baker Mayfield get acontractextension from theTampa Bay Buccaneers? Mayfield is in the finalseason of athree-year, $100 million deal. He’sexpected to get around $55 million per season, and another three-year deal makes sense. Will Aaron Donald comeout of retirement to join two-timeAP NFLDefensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in Los Angeles? TheRams acquiredthe five-time All-Pro from the Browns and bolstered their secondary by adding cornerbacksTrent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Donald, athreetime Defensive Player of theYear, is 35 and hasn’tplayed since retiring after the 2023 season.

Jointpractices

More teamschoose to use practices against other opponents to prepare their quarterbacks and keystarters forthe regularseason instead of preseason games.

Only the Lions,Chiefs, Broncos andSteelers are notparticipating in any joint sessions.

When arethe roster cuts?

Teamscan carry amaximum of 90 playersthroughouttraining campand forall of theirpreseason games. Rosters must be trimmed to 53 by Aug. 30.

Messireturns to Argentinafor rest afterlossinWorld Cupﬁnal

BY HERNÁN ÁLVAREZ Associated Press

ROSARIO,Argentina Lionel Messi arrived backinArgentina on Tuesday for afew days of rest following the World Cup ﬁnal loss to Spain. Messi’s private jet landed near hishometownofRosariofromFort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6:27 a.m. Although many fans were waiting with signs and flags, he did not make apublic appearance.

“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal,” he posted on his Instagram account.

“I cherish all the good moments, memoriesthat will last forever —and the support of an entire nationwhich, combined with this group’shard work and effort, propelled us once againinto the ranksofthe world’sbest.”

Supporters only caught abrief glimpse of theSUV that met Messi on the tarmac to transport himand his family to the private neighborhood of Funes, roughly 185 miles north of Buenos Aires

The Argentinacaptain reportedly traveled with hiswife, Antonela Roccuzzo, andtheirthree children, all of whom had accompanied him throughout the tournament in North America. Waiting for him in Rosariowas his68-year-old father, Jorge, whose ongoing medical treatment foranundisclosed illness had been revealed by the family duringthe World Cup.

Fans had gathered at theairport as early as 3:30 a.m. hoping to catch asight of the star.Among themwere two young girls in Albiceleste jerseys holding welcome signs, one of which read: “Messi: You’re alegend. Thank youfor bringing joy to ourhearts. Awhole country loves you!”

Messiisexpectedtorejoin Inter Miami in late July or early August forthe ongoing MLS season.

Fifteen members of Argentina’s 26-player WorldCup roster,led by coach Lionel Scaloni, landed at BuenosAires’ Ezeiza Airport on Monday onachartered ﬂight

The squad’sarrival followed Sunday’s1-0 extra-time loss to Spain in the World Cup ﬁnal in East Rutherford, New Jersey,decided by aFerran Torres goal. Scaloniarrived at his family home in Pujato onTuesday,and it wasquite an eventashis neigh-

ESPN cuts include ex-LSU star Clark

BY JOE REEDY AssociatedPress

ESPN is undergoing asigniﬁcant round of layoffs forthe ﬁrst time in three years after taking over NFL NetworkinApril.

ChairmanJimmy Pitaro said in amemo to employees Tuesday morning, obtained by TheAssociated Press, that mostmoves are theresult of ESPN’sacquisition of NFL Network andother league digital assets last year

The deal was announced last August andalso includedNFL Fantasyand the rights to distributethe RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators. In return, the NFL got a10% equity stake in ESPN. It was approved by government regulators in January.NFL Network employees became part of ESPN on April 1.

“Overthe past several months, we’ve made signiﬁcant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired intoESPN,” Pitaro wroteinthe memo. “Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizationalstructure to best position us for the future. As aresult,wehad to make somedifﬁcult decisions aboutjob impactsthat we will be communicating today

“While most of the jobimpacts are tiedtothe acquisition, we will also notify colleaguesinother partsofthe company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect andtoproviding support as they navigate this transition.”

While mostofthe layoffs affect production and behind-thescenes personnel,some on-air

talent were affected. Former LSU star Ryan Clark, whojoined ESPNin2015 as an NFL analyst, learned of his layoff while on “NFL Live” on Monday.Aperson familiar with the situation said Clark was originally going to be told Tuesday morning before reports leaked about the decision. Clark was told by company executives rather than hear about it elsewhere. He did not ﬁnish his appearance on the show

Thepersonspoke to theAPon conditionofanonymitybecause theywerenot at liberty to discuss personnel decisions.

Clarktooktosocialmedia on Tuesday to address the layoffs. He also shared avideo of himself working out.

“Sendingprayersand love to all those laid off today by ESPN. So manyofyou have poured your life into that company,&I know how you’re feeling right now,” Clark wrote on X. “My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. Godbless!”

Othernotable namesinclude Karl Ravech,who hadbeen with ESPNsince1993 and had been an integral part of its baseball coverage. Ravech was the voice of “SundayNight Baseball” from 2022-25 before the package moved to NBCthis season. He did call Monday night’sgame between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. TomPelissero, who had been with NFLNetworksince2017, is also part of the cuts. ESPN had recently signed NFLinsiders Ian Rapoport andAdamSchefter to extensions.

The ESPN cutbacks are also part of other reductions that are taking place throughout the Walt Disney Co. this week.

MLBplayers unionwants to expand drafteligibility

BY RONALD BLUM Associated Press

NEWYORK— Baseball players proposed expanding eligibility for the amateur draft rather thandecreasing it,maintaining 20 rounds of selections andmoving it back to June in asignalthe sport is heading to alabor confrontation this offseason.

for professional careers. MLB also proposed cutting the draft to 12 rounds in 2027

The unionalso wants to maintain the ability for players to negotiate dealsrather than have ﬁxed slots, reducepenalties for exceeding signing bonus pools, allowmoredraft selections to be traded and keep competitive balance round selections.

bors gathered to welcome him

He signed Argentina jerseys handed to him by the crowd, as well as posed for photos.

“Wedidn’twin, but we can be satisﬁed. It hurts not to have been able to bring that joy,” Scaloni told reporters. “Welostbecause they were better perhaps we were running on fumes. It’s good to acknowledge that—itwill make us better.”

Scaloni said he would honor his contractwith the Argentine Football Association throughDec. 31, though he stopped short of conﬁrming whether he would continue beyond that date. Sunday was Messi’sthirdWorld Cup finalappearance, following 2014 and2022. He endedthe tournamentasthe runner-up for the Golden Boot with eight goals, two behind France’sKylian Mbappé.

Mbappé tops theall-time World Cupgoal-scoring chart with 22, one more than Messi.

“It is hardtofully appreciate our achievement right now,but this group reached two consecutive World Cup ﬁnals. Thank you all from thebottom of my heart forevery greeting andmessage,” Messi said. “I also wanttocongratulateSpain on winning the championship.

During atwo-hour bargaining session Tuesday at Major League Baseball’sheadquarters, the unionproposedallowing college sophomores to be eligible for the draft along with those ﬁnishing their junior years, agroup eligible under the current rules along with high school seniors. Players proposed moving the draft back to June, when it was held through 2020. They asked thatdraft slot values continue to be increased at the samepercentage as industry revenue through 2027 andmay not be decreased for the remainder of the agreement. Baseball’s ﬁve-year labor contract expires Dec. 1and amanagementlockout is expected that would halt offseason trades and signings,and threaten thestart of spring trainingworkoutson Feb.9 andopening day on March 24.

MLB in Mayproposed asalary cap for theﬁrst time sinceplayers fought off aproposal during a71/2-month strike in 1994-95 that ledtothe ﬁrst cancellation of the World Seriesin90years. Players vownever to accept acap

MLB said last month it wanted to eliminate eligibility forhigh school seniors andjuniorcollege players, arguingcollege programs offer better preparation

It would allowa $2 million signing bonus pool increase fora revenue-sharing recipient team that is not in alarge marketin one draft from 2027-31 and also allowthose teamstosign two players drafted before the third round to major league contracts ratherthanminorleague deals. Revenue-sharing recipients that reach the postseason would receive an extra $1 millionin their signing bonus pool in the following draft.

Teams exceeding their signing bonuspools by up to 15%would notlosea pick in thenextdraft, up from5%.

For players not drafted in the ﬁrst 10 rounds, the signing bonus pool exemption would increase from $150,000 to $1,000 over the ﬁgure forthe last 10th-round selection, which was $191,900 this year For draft andfollow players —those who playanadditional junior college season after the draft —the signing bonusmaximumwould rise from $225,000to $75,000 abovethe last 10th-round pick’sslotvalue Players would agreetoMLB’s proposal that draft picks could be traded during aperiod of abouta monthstarting in early November and for the month priortothe draft.

Messi

Carolina Panthersquarterback Bryceyoung passes during the team’spractice on June

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By REED HOFFMANN ESPN commentator Ryan Clark appears on ‘MondayNightCountdown’

SECMEDIA DAYS

THREEAND OUT: SCOTTRABALAIS’ TOPTHREE TAKEAWAySFROMDAy

ANCHOR UP?

1

Rarely have the words “Vanderbilt football” and “heightened expectations”been fused togetherinthe same sentence.But the Commodores facethat new reality in 2026 after going 10-3, making back-to-backbowls forjust the second time andnearly reaching theCFP.Now coach Clark Lea must build anotherwinnerwithout sparkplug quarterback DiegoPavia.“This group has inherited something that previous teams did not,”Lea said.“AVanderbilt football program that expects to win.” Can it is the question.

SMART

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whowas just as reveredfor therelationships he built as the plays he called.

Kifﬁn often brings up atext message he received from one of his dad’sbest players, Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks, who still had Monte on his mind all these years later

“You gotta have agroup to share that with to get your self-worthand your motivation. Ithink him, sharing those things, reminds me alot of times of my dad,” Smart said.“You want somebody to appreciate what your dad did. Youdon’thave him to share that with.”

Kiffin has put together quite a career himself. He was fired by both the Raiders and Southern Cal before he revived his career as an Alabama assistant, climbingthe ladder as aheadcoach again with Florida Atlantic and then Ole Miss Smart respects Kiffin because he not only helped Nick Saban win national titles but also pushed an old-school coach to rethinkhis offensive philosophies.

“He made coach Saban uncomfortable,”Smart said. “Let’sjustsay what it is: He helped revolutionize that offense and bring it along and (do) some really goodthings in a day and age when people weren’t doing them. But he does agreat job. He’shard to play.”

Smart doesn’tthink Kiffin gets enough credit for the team he built around Jaxson Dart, who amassed 10,000-plus passing yardswith Ole Miss after transferring in from Southern Cal. He became afirstround pick of the Giantsin2025.

Kifﬁn just built aplayoff team led by former Ferris State quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who threw for 3,937 yards and 22 scores last season

“This guy (Chambliss)was not even spoken about at this time last year.Nobody knew who hewas and he got his opportunityby way of injury.What if he didn’t?” Smart said. “He’smade players successful in his system just as easy as the players can make him successful.”

Smart will have to faceOle Miss and Chambliss this season, but he won’t game-planagainst Kifﬁnunless LSU and Georgia match up in an SEC title game or the College Football Playoff. But this week offered an opportunity forsome verbal jabs to be thrown. Tennessee coachJosh Heupel joked Knoxville should load up with golf balls and mustard bottles for Kifﬁn,who leftfor Southern California after just one seasoncoaching the Volunteers andhad those items tossedat himduringa 2021 return to Neyland Stadium as the Ole Miss coach.

Smart called Kifﬁn,who has become ahot yoga aﬁcionado in recent years, “the Adonis of college football coaches” because of his increasingly toned physique. In selfdeprecating fashion, Smart said his own appearance could be compared to atroll.

And yes, Kifﬁn could be described as one, just in adifferent sense “But he is very bright,” Smart said.“He does an incrediblejob of evolving college football.”

Email Jon Blau at jon.blau @theadvocate.com

RABALAIS

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Heisman Trophy winners —Pat Sullivan in 1971,BoJackson in 1985and CamNewtonin2010 has lost its way.The misguided hires of Bryan Harsin (ﬁred midway through his second season) and Hugh Freeze (ﬁred midway through his third) left Auburn with acombined 27-35 record, including the wreckage of a3-13 Southeastern Conferencemark the past two seasons. Enter Alex Golesh, 42, who left Tampa’spalm trees after three seasons at South Floridafor the plains of east Alabama and another shot at areclamation project. Golesh, who Ifeel safe in say-

CAN SELLERS DELIVER?

2

Ayearago,South Carolina quarterback LaNorrisSellers wasthe coaches’ preseason second-team All-SEC choice behindGarrett NussmeierofLSU.Neither was able to liveuptothose expectations. NowNussmeier is with the Kansas City Chiefs,but Sellers is back, athird-yearstarter and themost talented quarterback in the league that hardly anyone is talking about. Receiver Nyck Harbor believestheyshould.“He’s become that voice that everybodyneeded and everybodywants to hear,” he said.“He commands practices now.

3 STILL KICKING

Alex McPhersonofAuburnisthe only kicker at SEC media days.There are tworeasons for that: his talent (87% on field goals in 2025, 100% on extra points)and his story. McPhersonwas diagnosed in 2024 with ulcerativecolitis,dropped to 110 poundsand underwent extensivesurgery. He’sback up to 165 poundsnow,still kicking despitehaving to wear acolostomy bagand telling reporters he booted acouple of 60-yarders before coming to Tampa. Remarkable.

Smartnot opposed to SECbreakingaway

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

TAMPA, Fla. Aday after SEC commissioner Greg Sankey acknowledged the conference has had “real” discussions about breaking away from the NCAA, theleague’s longest-tenured football coachstarted his SEC media days tourwith an endorsement ofthe idea.

“Until we get governance, and we have someonewho actually has the power to makedecisions, or we can make decisions within ourown community,we’renot going to have muchcontrol,” Georgia coach KirbySmart told ESPN’s“GetUp” on Tuesday “That’sunfortunatebut that’s where we sit right now,” Smart continued. “If (self-governance is) the best alternative to get everybody playing by the same rules, I’d want to do that.”

There is an ongoing dialogue betweenthe SECand lawmakers aboutthe Protect College Sports Act, Sankey said Monday, andtalk of abreakaway isn’tbeing used to pressure Congress into meeting theconference’s demands.

On Tuesday,Smarttook to the daistosay he’d likenonstop discussions aboutthe “landscape” of collegefootball to end.

“I’ve hadquestions about expansion, moreSEC games, (transfer) portal, college and federal legislation to navigate the NILera we’re in, players leaving, coaches leaving, Smart said. “That’sall people wannatalk about. At the end of the day,Idon’tenjoy talking aboutall these things.

“I enjoy talkingabout what wins.”

Smart, headinginto his 11th season at Georgia,has been good at winning. The Bulldogs are back-to-back SEC championsand holda 117-21 record during his tenure with two national championships.

ing is the first SEC football coach ever born in Moscow(Russia, not Idaho),has experience at digging programsout of the mud. USF wonacombined four games in the threeseasons before Golesharrived, where he went 7-6, 7-6 and 9-4. They’re not naming astreet running past theUSF campus for Golesh, but hisrunning of the Bulls was certainly enough to draw theattentionof SECprograms such as Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and, atleast peripherally,LSU. LSUplays at AuburnonOct. 24, the first meetingbetween thetwo former SECWest rivals since 2023 and their first gameatAuburn since 2022.

Golesh was asked here Tuesday whatgoals he has for hisﬁrst season at Auburn, alegitimately proudprogram with ahistory of

Smart understands he’s the most veterancoach in the league, which meanspeople wanthis opiniononbiggerissues. But he doesn’tget avote on asolution.

Butifthe solution is theSEC governing itself so it can create enforceable rules regarding athlete pay, playermovement and eligibility? He’sfor it.

“I’ve been saying that for a long time to our president and ouradministrators,” Smart said.

“I learned this 11 years ago, my ﬁrst SEC head coaches meeting, Ihad acoach tell me,‘We will not get anything done in these meetings because we don’thave any power or any control.’ ”

Beamer discussesNIL

College coaches don’treally know howmuchplayers at other schools are being paid because there has been no public disclosure of athletes’ NIL deals.

SouthCarolinacoach Shane Beamer has aworkaround —his coaching friends.

“An agent tells you that his client is getting Xamount from this school,” Beamer said. “I get along with alot of coaches …so I’vebeen knowntopick up the phone and call (a coach) and say, ‘Are you really paying so-and-so this amount of money?’ I’vegottenthose calls from other coaches, too. That happens regularly.”

Thereare exceptions, however “If you’re at Ole Miss and I’m at South Carolina,and Iknow I’m competing withyou for a kid from Ole Miss, I’m not going to call up Pete Goldingand ask what he’spaying,” Beamer said. “But in other instances I’vebeen known, or we’ve been known, to do that.”

Coaches have to get intel wherever they can,and relationshipshelp. Relationships

Heisman winners, SEC championships andnational titles (your mileagemay vary).

“I don’tset goals,”Golesh said awise answer for any ﬁrst-year coach.“I’ve alwaysthought that that’salittle bit likeNew Year’s resolutions. They usually work for alittle bitand you kind of keep it moving.

“I set standards. We setstandardsasaprogram. Our standard is to be the best version of us every single day.The standard when I gottoAuburnwas to getasgood as we possibly can as fast as we can How do we do that? By our daily process. By how we attack every single day.”

Golesh built hisreputation as a highlyregarded offensive mind, startingwith stints as co-offensive coordinator at Central Floridain

between aplayer and coach still matter,too.

“I don’tever want aplayerto choose South Carolinabecause of money,”Beamer said. “Because if the only reason they come to South Carolina is money they’re going to be in my ofﬁce every January threatening to go in the portalbecause of money.”

Leaonrunning game

Vanderbilt play-caller TimBeck has to ﬁgure outhow to operate a Diego Pavia-less offense, which means he not only hastoreplace Pavia’spassing but also the 800plus yards the quarterback picked up on theground in each of the last twoseasons.

The emphasis forthe Commodores’ runninggame likely will shift to their running backs.

“The guycarrying the ball is only as good as the people moving the line of scrimmage,”

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said.“If we canestablish a great run game in front of the quarterback,I think we take pressure off, and we allowthe ball to be distributed to the perimeter in ways thatwecan becomethe explosive team that we’ve been.”

LSU coach Lane Kiffin and hisoffensive line face asimilar challenge becausethe Tigers were oneofthe worst running teams in college football last season.

In fact,Lea received aquestionTuesday aboutall of the programsincollege football struggling to run the ball, and LSU was included in the questioner’slist.

“I want to stop short of commenting on any of thoseprograms. Ithink everyoneistrying to ﬁnd their unique path to winning,”Lea said. “Vanderbilt football is about aphysical style of play.It’sabout an effort,anattitude. That’sthe starting point.”

Email Jon Blau at jon.blau @theadvocate.com

2020 andTennessee in 2021-22. At USF this past season, theBulls ranked No. 2nationally in total offense (501.7 yards per game),No. 5 in scoring (43.0 ppg) and recorded 500-plusyards of offense eight times. Quarterback Byrum Brown, who followed Golesh to Auburn, became the 12thquarterback ever with 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in aseason, theﬁrst to do that since Jayden Daniels’ Heisman-winning campaign at LSUin2023.

“He demands the absolutevery best from everyone thathecomes in contact with,” Brown said of Golesh on Tuesday.“He cares for hisplayers deeply,(his) coaches deeply.He’snot going to ask you to do anything thathewouldn’tdo himself.” Despite all the offensive ﬂash

ON STAGEWEDNESDAY

ALABAMA

LAST YEAR:11-4 (7-1 SEC)

COACH:KalenDeBoer(3rdyear)

PLAYERS:DB ZabienBrown,WR Ryan ColemanWilliams, DB Bray

Hubbard THEBUZZ:Alabama wonaplayoff game and gave DeBoera lucrative contract extension. So everything’s good in Tuscaloosa, right?Well, it depends on whom youask. Blowout postseason losses to Georgia (in the SECchampionship game) and Indiana (inthe CFP quarterfinals) souredthe endofanotherwise successful 2025 season.The Crimson Tide needs to move closertotitle contention in 2026.

FLORIDA

LAST YEAR:4-8 (2-6 SEC)

COACH:Jon Sumrall (1styear)

PLAYERS:RB Jadan Baugh, LB Myles Graham,WR VernellBrown

THEBUZZ:Sumrall started building his Florida coaching staffand roster at the sametime he wascoaching aplayoff-bound Tulane teamlast December.The outcomeofthat audacious experiment will setthe tone forhis tenure withthe Gators, whohaveatalentedoffense and a question mark at quarterback.The likelystarterisGeorgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo.

OLE MISS

LAST YEAR:13-2 (7-1 SEC)

COACH:PeteGolding (1styear)

PLAYERS: QB Trinidad Chambliss, RB KewanLacy,DLWill Echoles

THE BUZZ:Mostofthe buzz surrounding Ole Misscenters on Lane Kiffin. Golding,Chambliss and Lacy can’t quiet that noiseatmedia days, but theycan on Sept. 19 when they hostLSU in the most-anticipatedgame of the 2026 season. Don’t forget that trio brought the Rebels to the doorstep of the national title game last year

TEXAS A&M

LAST YEAR:11-2 (7-1 SEC)

COACH:MikeElko(3rdyear)

PLAYERS:QB Marcel Reed, LB Daymion Sanford, SMarcus Ratcliffe

THE BUZZ:Elkohas Texas A&M in anice spot.The Aggies arebringing back thebulk of the team that won11 gameslast season, and they’realso on theverge of signing thenation’sNo. 1freshman class. Reed is one of the country’s most dynamic passers, and he’sback for another year as astarter ReedDarcey

and dash from their USF days, Golesh said he wants Auburn to develop aphysical identity.A“violent” identity

“I think asuccessful Year Oneis if we can have afoundation of who we are, proof of concept offensively,defensively,sowecan continue to recruit to thatidentity,” Golesh said. “We’re going to run the… ball.”

While Golesh has time to build, some of theplayers he inherited do not. Playerssuch as ﬁfth-year senior kicker Alex McPherson, who has never experienced awinning season at Auburn.

“Wewant to put Auburn football back where it should be,”hesaid. “Wewant to seta foundation.” Perhaps, one day,afoundation thatcan lead to another indisputable national championship.

NOTEBOOK

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOByCOLIN HUBBARD

Georgia coach KirbySmart reacts duringwarmups before agameagainst Austin Peay on Sept. 6inAthens, Ga

UL AD Maggardleaves forposition with Missouri

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The UL athletic department is looking for anew leader after Tuesday’sannouncement that athletic director Bryan Maggard is returning to Missouri as deputy athletic director and chief operating ofﬁcer Maggard has beenatULsince 2017 and willremain with theuniversity for another month to ease with the transition.

During his time leading the Ragin’ Cajuns, Maggardhired football coaches Billy Napier and Michael Desormeaux,oversaw a $65 million stadium renovation, led the department’slargestfundraising campaign and guided one of the most successful periods in school history before navigating deep budget cuts in recentyears.

UL deputy athletic director Trey Frazier will serve as the interim athletic director during the transition.

“Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics, the University,and Lafayette, Louisiana will forever hold aspecial place in Kerry and my hearts,” Maggard said in astatement. “We always knew it would take somethingextremely specialfor us to leave this placewecalledhome for nearly adecade.”

TULANE

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“We’re going after strikethrowers that come from winning programs,” Wojick said. “That’s something I’ve always really valued. I’m actually really conﬁdent with the guys we’ve been able to bring in so far.”

Wojick and Uhlman mentioned alarger focus on the high school and junior college market than last year,when aslew of highly rated transfer portal additions did not pan out. Wojick also will use his longtime connections to the Northeast, where he coached for the past 16 years (Wesleyan University,Eastern Connecticut State, Yale), and Texas, where Yale recruited extensively in Houston and Dallas.

Wesleyan won its ﬁrst two conference championships while he was there.Eastern Connecticut State led Division IIIinERA in 2022. Yale produced the Ivy League pitcher of the year the past two seasons.

“He (Wojick) did more withless from afinancial dollars standpoint,” Uhlman said. “You go from no scholarships to what we have, and that’slike giving ahungry guy abox of crackers. He thinksit’sa 12-ounce ﬁlet.”

Still, it could be tough goingfor Tulane without increased scholarship support from the administration. While the maximum number of scholarships in college baseball increased in 2025-26 to 34 from 11.7, the Green Wave total remained at 11.7 —signiﬁcantly lower than American competitors East Carolina,South Florida,

ORGERON

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Maggardand his wife, Kerry, recently welcomed anew granddaughter in Missouri.

“With thebirth of ourgranddaughter andatremendousopportunity provided by Mizzou, we simply couldnot pass up the chance toreturn close to family,”

Maggardsaidinthe release.

Overthe past two years, Maggard’stenure was burdened by auniversity-side ﬁnancial crisis, causing theathletic director to cut his department’s staff by 25%.

In recent months,there wasa high-proﬁledismissal of longtime football coach and administrator

Troy Wingerter after astate audit uncovered protocol irregularities in theprogram’srecruiting budget

Earlyinhis stintatUL, Maggard oversaw therise of the football program toTop 25 status for the first time in school history

Steady bowlappearances began priortoMaggard startingin2011, but the programenjoyedeight consecutivebowl appearances underhis leadership —something only six other programs nationally achieved

“I am extremely proud of the many accomplishmentsthat were made asaresult of the hard work and dedicationofsomany people,” Maggardsaid. “I will always

be grateful tothe amazing coaches, student-athletes,and staff that Ihad the privilege to workalongside over the past years.”

Maggard is best known for his headcoach hirings.First, he hired Napier to lead thefootballprogram,followed by Desormeaux.

After thedeath of baseball coach Tony Robichaux, Maggard hired MattDeggs, who has led the Cajuns to NCAA regional round in four of thepast ﬁve seasons.

He also hired Gerry Glasco to run the softball program. Glasco kept UL in thenational spotlight for seven seasons beforegoing to TexasTech,where he was the national runner-up in two straight seasons.

Maggardalsooversaw thebiggest fundraising campaign in departmenthistorybyraising $30 millionand pulling off the$65 million Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium renovation project In addition to family in Missouri, Maggard spent over two decades in Columbia. It’swhere he gothis doctorate andlater worked as aprofessor and in the athletic department priortobecoming the athleticdirectoratULonFeb.1, 2017.

Email KevinFooteat kfoote@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FIILE PHOTOByCHRISGRANGER

Tulane baseball coach JayUhlman chats withthe homeplate umpire during agame against SouthernMiss on April 28 at Turchin Stadium

Memphisand Wichita State.

How much that total changes for 2026-27 remainstobeseen.

“I know thatanincrease in scholarships andother resources shouldbeapartofthe discussion,” Tulane athletic director David Harris said. “While Idon’t have the exact numbers at themoment,I do anticipatethere will be an increase in scholarships with baseball. We are trying to ﬁndcreativewaystobeable to do that. At aplace like Tulane, it can be expensive, but it’sachallengewe’re going to takeon.”

Eitherway,itisa race to build aviable rosterfor 2027. Star Holy Crossshortstop Dom Pellegrin, who signed with the Wave in November, choseprofessional baseball instead after getting picked in thefourthround of the MLB draft earlier this month.Not since pitcher Casey Daigle of Sulphur High went31st overallwith

on Sept. 5. Orgeron also said he’sbeen encouraging LSU’stwo five-star freshman defensive linemen, Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson, to “find out who they are.” They’re bothlarge and powerful, so he wants them each to learnhow to “run that son-of-a-gun over” first andthen use that bull-rush technique to set up more of their finesse moves later

It’sbeen four years since Orgeron last offered that kind of coaching.Hespent most of that time in Miami with his wife, Brandy collecting the buyout payments he was scheduled to receive through December 2025 and enjoying alargely anonymous lifestyle. On South Beach, he joked,hemight aswell have been an ordinaryman named “RaúlOrtega.”

“I enjoyed it,” Orgeron said. I’m notcomplaining. But after awhile,the beachisthe beach, right? Youknow what I’msaying? Ireally missed Louisiana.”

So Orgeronmoved back into his University Club house and started looking for jobs. He began giving media interviews again incaseone of them would catch the eye of aprogramthat was looking for either ahead man or adefensive line coach. He would’ve accepted either role, but the hiring cyclecameand went, and nothing materialized.

That is, until Kifﬁn called with ajob offer.

“’Hey,it’stime,” Orgeron recalledhim saying over the phone. “How soon can you be here?’

“I said, ‘Five minutes.’ And Iwas rolling.” Orgeronwas givena newtitle —special

ASSOCIATEDPRESS OHOTO By DAVID

Foxkeeps BritishOpen from beingremembered forthe wrongreasons

SOUTHPORT,England Ryan Fox doesn’thave aYouTube channel, only the best content: asilver claret jug.

TheBritish Open was on the verge of being remembered for allthe wrongreasons —mostof them involving Bryson DeChambeau —until Foxtookhis placein history.More than justwinning his ﬁrst major,itwas how he did it.

There have been birdies on the 72nd hole with the ﬁnalshotofthe major to win by one, most recently by Xander Schauffele in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla

Young did nottakequestions from the media when it was over He should have.It’spart of the deal forany athlete who performs before thousands on theground and millions on television. And it’s part of archives for the championship’srich history.

the initial supplementalselection at the end of the first round in 1999 had any Tulane signee gone higher “Wehave tremendous gratitude for that kid (Pellegrin),” Uhlman said. “Heand his family could have decommitted and signed with Ole Miss or LSU, but they didn’t. We’re really happy forhim thathegot what he waslooking for.”

Tulane’stransfer portalcommitments aresophomores Ryan Darrah, an outfielderwho playedin four games at Arizona State, and infielder/outfielderOwenMorgan, who playedin21games at Oregon.

“Our depth’snot necessarily where Ilike it, especially with the returners,” Uhlman said. “(Inﬁelder) NateJohnson (43 starts, .277 average) and alittle bit of (catcher) Johnny Elliott(22 starts, .240) arethe only proven guys we have. Alot’s going to be on the newcomers.

“I enjoyed it. I’m not complaining. But after awhile, the beachisthe beach, right? Youknow what I’msaying? Ireally missed Louisiana.”

ED ORGERON,LSU assistant coachonhis time spent in Miami before moving back to Baton Rouge

assistant to recruiting anddefense —and a modest $100,000 contract that runs through January.

LSUwas scheduled to hostrecruits on ofﬁcial visits the week it ofﬁcially announced his return, so Orgeron jumpedback into action quickly. He led tours of Tiger Stadium and thefootball operations building. During a conversationwith No. 1recruit Jalen Brewster,heFaceTimed Hall of Fame widereceiver Michael Irvin. It remains to be seen,though, how Orgeron will coach during practices and games. Will he be runningdrills?

Will he be offering instructions to players on the sideline? Orgerondidn’toffer much clarity Tuesday,choosing instead togive abroad description of what he’strying to accomplish in hisnew role.

“Are we getting afterit?” Orgeronsaid. “Are we in good shape? Those are the two things that I’m concentrating on right now as acoach.”

Which meansOrgeron’sresponsibilities are much narrower than they were when he was head coach five years ago. Now he’sanambassador of sortsfor LSU and Kiffin, who hopes to benefitfromthatfamiliarvoice that filled an area hotel ballroom Tuesday

“Kifﬁn says this place is different,” Orgeron said. “It is different. Because of you guys. Louisiana is so important to us in recruiting. I’m happy to be back.”

But the 9-iron Fox hit from 175 yards on thetoughesthole at Royal Birkdale ranks up there with Sandy Lyle’sfairway bunkershoton the 18th at AugustaNationalto winthe 1988 Masters.

“That’sone of the shots you dream of hitting,” Fox said after his one-shot victory over Cameron Young. “Toexecute like that under pressure, yeah, very proudofmyself to do that.”

Adding to the dramawas Young, once known as the talentedAmerican who endured nearlyfour years of close calls before getting hisfirst PGATourvictory (and then some). Now he can start adding the heartacheinmajors.

He hadfinishedhis Sundaybest 64 more than two hoursearlier,when the leaders wereonthe front nine, and before long the leader was Young. Justin Thomas also hadtowaitwhatfeltlike an eternity when he closed witha 65 at thePGA Championship, but he never reached the top of the board.

The image of Young was hard to watch. He was on therange waiting, waiting —until hearing that explosivecheer forFox.He lifted his driveroverhis shoulder with hishead down and tapped it afew times on theground—not as hard as Robert MacIntyre and Jon Rahm, who both were issued code-of conductwarnings —and then Young packedupand left.

It wasreminiscent of Ernie Els on theputting green at the 2004 Masters when he heard thesudden burst of cheers forPhil Mickelson making an 18-footbirdie for his ﬁrst majorchampionship.

Sam Burns wasabig part of this British Open,too,asthe player whohad no intentionofcoming over until his wifegave birth to their secondchild 11 days earlier than expected—her due date was the Tuesday of the Open —and then encouraged herhusband to fly acrosssix time zones and play Burns was runner-up at the U.S. Open after he narrowly missed a 17-foot birdie putt on the last hole to potentially force aplayoff. And then he was poised to win the major he wasn’tsupposed to play. An early birdie gave hima two-shot lead. Three straight bogeys cost him the lead. Twelve straight pars to finish left him with nothing to do but applaud Fox after thewinning putt, aclassy gesture. Equally classy wasFox,the 39-year-old from New Zealand, who uponmaking the biggestputt of his life didn’trace over to anyoneuntil he shared amomentwith Burns. That’srare with so much immediate emotion involved in winning amajor. Capturing all the warmth at Royal Birkdale from his opening tee shot Thursday to his birdie on the finalholeSundaywas Tommy Fleetwood, playing amajor in his hometown. No cheer was louder than when he holed a65-foot putt forbirdietostart Sunday.Hegot within one shot of the lead playingthe ninth hole,onlytomiss two fairways and one green,all of them bogeys.

“I don’tget that emotional, but yeah,thatwas like thatwas heavy stuff,” Fleetwood said. “I do know howincredibly lucky Iamto have experienced that.”

Allofthose great moments came on Sunday,along with defending champion Scottie Scheffler getting two badbounces and thenone amazing break with anothing-toloseshot on the 17th hole that was lost because it didn’thavetobe found when it was seen going into an area marked as amassive temporary immovable obstruction. TheMasters is alittle more than eight months away

GOLDMAN

Ryan Fox of NewZealand poses with the claret jug after winning the British Open at RoyalBirkdale golf club in Southport, England, on Sunday.Fox wonwithabirdie putt on holeNo. 18.

Doug Ferguson

DUÉ MARKET

3306 Esplanade Ave., (504)910-2979 l

Terranova grocery becomesa newdelifor Italianstaples

BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer

INITIAL HOURS: daily 7a.m. to 9p.m. (morning hours to come) for latest Vi m/

For100 years, thefamily-run grocery and Italian butcher Terranova served the Faubourg St.John neighborhoodasacornermarket for daily staples. The heart of the old store lives on just next door,atthe same family’sTerranova’sMeats butcher shop. But now the original grocery has become anew businesscalled Dué Market(3306 Esplanade Ave.), abodega with Italian deli sandwiches, agelato counter,acoffee bar and sno-balls, plus an assortment of specialty groceries.

Dué Market was opened this week by longtime neighbors Cecile and Barre Tanguis and their partners. The name (pronounced DOO-eh) is Italianfor two, and signiﬁes asecond chapter for theneighborhood business (it’salsothe nameofthe Tanguis family’spug).

ä See DUÉ MARKET, page 2D

sandwich are servedatDué Market, adeliand cafe in NewOrleans near City Park

BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer

The FIFA World Cup is over, but an event that’sessentially the World Cup of cuisine is aboutto begin in New Orleans.

Tworelated global culinary competitions, Bocuse d’Or andCoupe du Monde de la Patisserie (akathe PastryWorld Cup),are held with suchprestige that for chefs it really is like striving for aglobal championship.

The theme on aplatter entry for Team USA at Bocuse d’Or 2025 was an interpretation of East Coastlobster rollthrough the Californiaculinary landscape.

CHARLOTTE’S 3607Magazine St l Projected opening: October 2026

Etoile gave Uptown NewOrleans aﬁne-dining tasting menu restaurant with afarm-to-table approach in an elegant historic townhouse. It has now closed after a runofabout two years while anew restaurant is already taking shape toopeninits place. Kyle Brechtel has bought thestately property at 3607 Magazine St. Restaurateur to open newspot on Magazine as Etoile closes

ä See CHARLOTTE’S, page 2D

They areshowcases for peak performance in pursuit of national glory.Reputations are mintedin their winners’ circles. Supporters follow them from home to cheer their progress, manycladinnational colors, waving flagsand singing anthems.

The ﬁnals for both areheld every other year in Lyon, regardedasthe gastronomic capital of France.

Like sporting championships, these competitions each have qualifying rounds. In order for national teamsfromNorth Americaand South America to reach the ﬁnals,

theroadonce again runsthrough NewOrleans. This continental qualifying round is called theAmericas Selections forBocuse d’Or and the Pastry WorldCup, andthey’re both happening this weekend (July 25-26) at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center,where an exhibition hall will be turned intoanarena-sized competition kitchen.

It’sbringing world-class chefs, their coaches and their supporters, whoinclude names from the high-

est levels of global cuisine. This year,the competitions are being held in conjunctionwith the Louisiana Restaurant Association Showcase, the industry group’sannual trade show. That means rather than general admission tickets, access to the competitions is through trade show registration, which is open to people who work in the hospitality ﬁeld. For guidelines and registration see lra.org/showcase.

STAFFPHOTO By IAN McNULTy

The Italian beef sandwich and Italian hero

Chefs competing at Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France, send their toques aloft in celebration. The world-class culinaryevent has its continental qualifying roundsinNew Orleans for 2026. | FILE PHOTO By WHITE MIRROR PHOTOGRAPHy

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, July 22, the 203rd day of 2026. There are 162 days left in the year

Today in History: On July 22, 1933, aviator Wiley Post landed at Floyd Bennett Field in New York City, completing the ﬁrst solo ﬂight around the world in 7 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes.

Also on this date:

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln presented to his Cabinet a preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.

In 1934, bank robber John Dillinger was shot to death by federal agents outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater, where he had just seen the Clark Gable movie “Manhattan Melodrama.”

In 1942, the Nazis began transporting Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp.

In 1975, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in voting to restore the American citizenship of Confederate Gen Robert E. Lee.

In 1991, police in Milwaukee arrested Jeffrey Dahmer, who later confessed to killing 17 men and boys. (Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison and was killed by another inmate in 1994).

In 1992, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar escaped from his luxury prison near Medellin (He was killed by security forces in December 1993.)

In 2011, Anders Breivik, a selfdescribed “militant nationalist,” massacred 69 people at a Norwegian island youth retreat after detonating a bomb in nearby

Oslo that killed eight others in the nation’s worst violence since World War II.

In 2015, a federal grand jury indictment charged Dylann Roof, the young man accused of killing nine Black church members in Charleston, South Carolina, with 33 counts including hate crimes that made him eligible for the death penalty (Roof would become the ﬁrst person sentenced to death for a federal hate crime; he is on death row at a federal prison in Indiana.)

In 2022, Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, was convicted of contempt charges for defying a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. (After challenging his conviction, Bannon served a fourmonth prison sentence in 2024 and was released.)

Today’s birthdays: Singer George Clinton is 85. Movie writerdirector Paul Schrader is 80. Actor Danny Glover is 80. Singer Mireille Mathieu is 80. Actorcomedian-director Albert Brooks is 79. Rock singer Don Henley is 79. Author S.E. Hinton is 78. Film composer Alan Menken is 77. Jazz musician Al Di Meola is 72. Actor Willem Dafoe is 71. Actor John Leguizamo is 66. R&B singer Keith Sweat is 65. Folk singer Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) is 63. Actor-comedian David Spade is 62. Actor Rhys Ifans is 59. Actor/singer Jaime Camil is 53. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 53.

Actor Selena Gomez is 34. Prince George of Wales eldest son of Britain’s Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, is 13.

CHARLOTTE’S

Continued from page 1D

His Brechtel Hospitality Group is now developing it into a new and more causal restaurant called Charlotte’s. It is expected to open in October

“It will be an all-day neighborhood restaurant for Uptown, polished but approachable for anytime visits,” Brechtel said.

Brechtel’s New Orleans-based company includes Copper Vine, Vintage Rock Club and the bowling alley/tavern Fulton Alley all downtown, and operates franchise locations of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux and Small’s Sliders. He’s been looking for his next project Uptown, and found a match when Etoile went up for sale earlier this year French inspiration Copper Vine chef Amy Mehrtens is building the Charlotte’s menu now The focus will be French traditions, including crepes and steak frites.

Brechtel’s father Skip Brechtel, who died last year, had a passion for French cuisine and wine. Charlotte’s is inspired in part by his memory Another inspiration is the location itself.

“I love this stretch here, it’s iconic New Orleans,” Brechtel said of this part of Magazine Street, lined with small businesses and oak trees.

Charlotte’s is aiming for a midrange niche between ﬁne dining and casual café. It will start with either breakfast or brunch daily (the morning format is still being determined) and continue through to lunch, happy hour and dinner

Charlotte’s is named for Brechtel’s teenage daughter, who is now helping her dad with design and branding work for the new restaurant.

A round of renovations is underway, though the new restaurant will keep the same layout as before. Brechtel is particularly excited about the porch and patio along Magazine Street, and new landscaping here is in the works. End for Etoile

The building is an 1880s-era townhouse that carries a vestigial

BOCUSE

Continued from page 1D

Having the events back in New Orleans speaks to the city’s prominent place as a culinary destination, said E.J. Lagasse, chef of Emeril’s Restaurant, and honorary president for the Bocuse d’Or competition in New Orleans. It’s another in a run of great “culinary moments,” he said, including its debut in the Michelin Guide last fall and hosting the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony last spring.

“There’s a real sense of excellence to all of it,” Lagasse said. “Some of the best chefs in the world are bringing teams they’ve coached to compete, and they’re spending time in New Orleans, visiting our restaurants, seeing what New Orleans cuisine is about now We’re welcoming them with open arms.”

What it takes

No ordinary cooking contest, the dishes created in these competitions are one-of-a-kind works of culinary art. Dessert platters might fill entire tables and can resemble life-sized sculptures rendered in chocolate and sugar Savory dishes are intricate as jewelry displays, but must also taste as good as they look.

Competing chefs are chosen through trials and testing. They spend months away from their restaurant jobs training with assistants and coaches on everything from technique to managing their kitchen space, knowing judges will watch every aspect of their performance.

Josh Johnson, a coach for Pas-

try Team USA this year, was a competitor on the American team that won a bronze medal in Lyon in 2015. He described the intensity of the competition as “a combination of a marathon mindset and riding an off-road mountain bike trail. You have to make split-second decisions and execute with accuracy and conﬁdence.”

Committing to compete at this level draws on different motivations, Johnson said.

“It’s a passion for the craft, the pursuit of excellence, the honor of representing the United States on a global stage (and) personal growth,” he said. “For every chef, it is the moment when all of those things come together, the chance to discover what you are truly capable of.”

New Orleans as host

vibe of its past through connecting parlors, small rooms and corridors, along the sweep of its staircase and out across the front porch.

It was used as a gallery until it was first converted to its first incarnation as a restaurant, Cavan, from the LeBlanc+Smith group, in 2016 Cavan closed in 2021, when Hurricane Ida’s impact proved the final blow after weathering the pandemic.

Etoile represented a homecoming for its chef and owner, Chris Dupont, a Gretna native who built his career over 30 years in Alabama. His restaurant Café Dupont was a pioneer in the modern farmto-table style for Birmingham

He created Etoile around the same ethos of arms-length supply chains and local sourcing relationships. The printed menus at Etoile included a map of Louisiana and adjacent states, marking the sources of ingredients, from rabbit and chicken to garlic and cornmeal.

Small courses were served on a collection of vintage serving ware in the restaurant’s grand parlor, which would seat only a handful of diners at a time. It offered a high-end experience, with a set menu for $175 per person, at a time when more New Orleans restaurants are embracing tasting menus.

The new restaurant was a long time coming. Dupont bought the property early in 2022. Later that year a ﬁlm crew took over, temporarily transforming the building into a set and pushing back its opening schedule. That work wrapped in 2023, and then Dupont spent months building a network of small-scale suppliers behind his menus before opening in June 2024. He put the property up for sale in February

Brechtel has experience with creating new concepts in historic properties. Copper Vine is in the Poydras Street address that for more than a century, from 1876 to 1986, was home to the Creole restaurant Maylie’s (it later became part of a Smith & Wollensky’s steakhouse, which never returned after Hurricane Katrina).

His company will also oversee food and beverage for the forthcoming hotel The Whit, now taking shape in a 1850s-era Lower Garden District mansion at Prytania Street and Jackson Avenue, and expected to open this fall.

These international teams are now in New Orleans in the days ahead of the competition, ﬁnalizing their preparations in borrowed kitchens around the city Emeril’s Restaurant, for instance, is hosting the Bocuse d’Or Team USA, while the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute hosts Pastry Team USA.

DUÉ MARKET

Continued from page 1D

The opening deli menu has sandwiches on a choice of breads, tramezzini (smaller, snack-sized sandwiches made on brioche buns) and salads.

The hero of Italian cured meats and cheese sluiced with vinaigrette has a spicy edge from capicola. Get it on a Dong Phuong Bakery pistolette, a suitable local substitute to meet a craving for a classic hoagie or grinder from Northeast traditions.

The Italian beef has chunks of tender balsamic-braised meat with provolone melted over a layer of caramelized onions. Get it on pan de cristal a bread that resembles focaccia but is thinner and more crisp, with a shattering crust and an airy interior of pockets to catch the juices.

Dylan Brumﬁeld, most recently of nearby Mid-City Pizza, runs the deli counter while Chrissy Hardy manages the store.

She scoops gelato and sorbetto supplied by the Miami-based brand Gelato Go. In the early days, a Dubai chocolate gelato with a nutty-rich ﬂavor has been a hit.

The shop has an espresso bar for coffee drinks, and pastries and cookies from local bakery Bittersweet Confections.

The familiar outline of the old grocery is still intact, while the broad windows, once covered, now frame leafy views outside. There are butcher block-style counters and a few seats to chow down on a sandwich inside, plus a few café tables outside for that sno-ball or gelato.

Terranova continues

Terranova Supermarket opened in 1925 and endured a century of change in the grocery business. Last year, the third-generation own-

When New Orleans hosted both events for the ﬁrst time in 2024, it was the ﬁrst time the competitions had visited North America to increase its visibility in new markets.

“We could not think of a better place than New Orleans. We have that connection through our history we’re French cousins,”

chef Jérome Bocuse, president of Bocuse d’Or, said when New Orleans was selected to again host the qualifying round. “It was all so wonderful there last time, it was all that we could have wished for.”

Bocuse d’Or was created in 1987 by his father, the late chef Paul Bocuse, the father of French nouvelle cuisine. He wanted to make the world’s most rigorous culinary competition. Today, teams from 24 countries take part in the finals, after advancing through continentalbased qualifiers. In New Orleans, the Pastry World Cup qualifiers begin the competition on July 25, when seven teams representing Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and the U.S. will compete. Three will advance to Lyon.

Bocuse d’Or follows on July 26, with eight teams representing Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and the U.S. Five will advance to Lyon.

Competition access is through LRA Showcase trade show registration, which is open to people in the hospitality business. See registration information lra. org/showcase.

ers announced they would retire and close the store, news that drew an emotional outpouring of wellwishers to attend their ﬁnal day

But just three months later, the doors opened at Terranova’s Meats (3308 Esplanade Ave.), which the next generation created in a smaller part of the building to keep the butcher shop portion of the business going.

It continues to make the best Italian sausage in the area, as well as hog head cheese, stuffed pork chops and chickens, and offers steaks and ﬁsh along with a reminder of the old way of doing business.

The family renovated the rest of the old grocery and put it up for commercial lease.

The Tanguis family who live a few blocks away, saw the sign and sensed an opportunity Their company runs the local Poke Loa brand and a food hall in Miami, among other concepts. But they saw a different path for this space, one that could complement the cluster of restaurants and businesses nearby It’s a place for quick deli sandwiches, a place to sit with coffee

and dessert after dinner nearby a spot to shop for that specialty item or pick up a kitchen gift. The retail racks have pastas and sauces, snacks, desserts, olive oils and cookbooks, with more inventory to come.

The deli menu will expand too, but one sandwich Dué Market speciﬁcally won’t make is a muffuletta, thanks to a neighborly agreement with the Terranova family For many years, the grocery made a batch of muffulettas once a week, on Saturdays only They rank among the very best in New Orleans, thanks to the quality of ingredients, correct ratios and care in preparation. That tradition continues at Terranova’s Meats, with muffulettas still made on Saturdays (and sometimes other days now too).

However, in the future Dué Market may start making Italian sausage red gravy sandwiches using Terranova’s best-in-class links. There could be more take-andbake items for home too, like lasagna and other family-sized items. Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By IAN McNULTy

The New Orleans grocery that for 100 years was home to Terranova Supermarket is now Dué Market, with a deli for Italian sandwiches, a gelato counter and sno-balls, while Terranova’s Meats continues next door

STAFF FILE PHOTO By IAN McNULTy

The now closed Etoile restaurant was located in a historic townhouse on Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans. A new restaurant is already taking shape to open in its place.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By IAN McNULTy

Chefs in New Orleans for the Bocuse d’Or and Pastry World Cup Americas selection gather at a reception at Arnaud’s Restaurant to sample local Creole cuisine prior to the international competition in 2024.

PROVIDED FILE PHOTO By JULIEN BOUVIER

The theme on a platter entry for Team USA at Bocuse d’Or is composed of bass and lobster roulade, lobster ‘Americaine sabayon, celeric paive and celery branch.

Circuiting

n Speakeasy

Does It!

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

During Prohibition in the 1920s, when alcohol was forbidden in the U.S., secret bars sold the libations. To avoid the police, those on the quest had to “speak easy” to avoid arrest. Now for athrowback thrill and with the alcohol onus long since lifted, small bars of that nature still exist, anumber in New Orleans, and customers need aspecial knock on the door or password to enter Party planners in the city continue to use the speakeasy theme with tongue-in-cheek cachet. Such was the case at the recent American Heart Association HeartBall, which bannered the bash “Speakeasy” and encouraged invitees to follow suit. Quite afew folks complied, adding to the overall fun for which black tie was also recommended. The Sheraton New Orleans was the site for the night and Alyana Samai and Walt LegerIII were the respective gala chairperson and executive leadership champion. She is the corporate vice president, Neuroscience &Musculoskeletal Service Lines,LCMC Health. In her welcoming words in the printed program, she placed an emphasisonstroke and its prevention, impact, and, especially,the importance of timely intervention. Walt Leger III is the President/CEO of New Orleansand Company.Both were hailed for event leadership. Gussied-up guests, who started arriving around 7p.m., began perusing the35-item silent auction. Less than an hour later,all satfor theplated dinner of short rib and lobster tail, as well as the program andthe Mark Romig-led live auction of four covetable choices. Atop bidder in theoverall auction action was Skye LaJaunie, who copped theSouth American Hunt by MGW Outﬁtters. Additional bidding buzz concerned “Dinner with theKing …of the Jungle,” aﬁve-course wine dinner in the Lion Exhibit of Audubon Zoo. TheOpen Your Heart speaker was Antoine,alocal stroke survivor (whochose nottogivehis surname). Successive notables were the4Chambers Honorees: Dr Jennifer Avegno (Access), Avis Gray (Knowledge), Dr Sarah Lindsey (Discovery), and Dr James Gray (Advocacy) Dickie Brennan, KristenGradney, and Brooks Boue were theCaretakers of the Torch honorees.All the while, photographer ErikaPearce snapped pictures. Among themany notables were Danielle Leger with Walt, Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO MikeSawayaand Leslie Cath Lab Director LCMC Health Dr Frank Wilklow,CarlArredondo, Brett and KellyPerrier,Allie Shapiro Dandry, Cassie Schirm, Stephanie and Terrance Osborne, Corey and Hillary Rosales, Christopher Daniel, Dr ShondraWilliams, CarleneWhite, and Drs. Maya and Anand Irimpen.

Thein-attendance Dr Alisha Reed,founder of Your Self Care Prescription, LLC, chairs the AHANew Orleans Board of Directors. Boardmembers include theabove Aly Samai, Carlene Whiteand Dr.James Gray,aswell as Dr Allison Augustus-Wallace, Dr Takeisha Davis, Caleb H. Didriksen, Rafael Flores, Dr Stephen Jones, Molly Kimball, Brandon Lewis,Ann Marr Dr Sheryl Martin-Schild,Ashley McGaha, Christy Ross, and KristenSimpson. Adistinguished list, running alphabetically from Donald T.“Boysie” Bollinger to Jeanne Turner (andincluding someofthe above), names those New Orleans Cor Vitae (heartoflife) Society members, the annual giving society,whose “generouscommitments arehelping to change and save lives.”The 2026 ball’stop sponsor was LCMC Health

Aspecial wall of greenery wasset up forpeopletoplace awhite rose “in honor of” someone with aheart or stroke condition, the“Heart &Stroke Warriors.”Itwas touching to see the many names recognized. In keeping with the speakeasy theme,there were various typesofdecorations, suchas the white feather wall by LuxeMagnolia forphoto ops, Herbivore florals, and red fabric bunting and lighting. ABourbon Tastingdonated by Sean and AdriannaSmith sold tickets for $30. Outfits, too, includedflapper fringe, headbands andpearl sautoirs. Encore AV produced the audiovisuals.

Whereas “Speakeasy” was thethematic focus,decibelscameinto play later when the band No Idea mounted the red-lighted stage.Their high-energy live music spoke loud and clear as asummons tothe danceﬂoor

n Emeritus

The Tulane Alumni Association and Newcomb Alumnae Association welcomed constituencytothe Class of 1976, 50th Reunion, and Emeritus Club Induction and Awards Dinner, at the Audubon TeaRoom. Tom Hopkins, Markham Oswald and Debra Darnell Rees chaired the reunion and Joanie Cleary, Clare HooperDoyle, Louise Ragsdale Foreman, RobertG Freeland,Gail and Michael Habif,Dawn I. Herrington,Tricia BowenJones,Dr. MaryPuissegur Lupo, Denise Murray,CeleneDelgado Oken, John Powell, Drucilla Crabtree Pugh,Anne MolonyRicheson, Lawrence M.v.D.Schloss, Suzanne Haik Terrell, and Sarah and Bob Warren composedthe class committee. Mary Lynn Hyde presides over the Emeritus Club.

Lori A. Hurvitz,associate vice president, Alumni Relations, stepped forward for the welcome. Attendees enjoyed several dinner courses at tables

centered with arrangements of white tulipsand roses, and accents of greenery.Thencame theEmeritusClub Welcomeby Paula Perrone, N’73, L’75, president-elect of the Tulane EmeritusClub. She then presented theclub’sOutstanding Alumni Award for theClass of 1976 to Victoria ReggieKennedy, N’76, L’79, andaboveMarkham Oswald, A&S’76. Dwight LeBlanc Jr., B’59, L’61, andchair of theclub’s awardscommittee, presented theDan Hurley Emeritus

n Banking on food

Harvest is deﬁned as “the act or process of gathering acrop.” In thecase of arecent social event, the gathering was acrowd. Held at the beautiful, historic homeand property of Ayesha and Aaron Motwani,a Garden District residence that has been featured in national and international publications as the Cornstalk Fence House, theSecond Harvest Food BankHarvest at Homehailed as co-chairs Aimeeand West Freeman and Elizabeth and CliftonLeBlanc. JonToups,who wasjoined by spouse Dawn,answers to Second Harvest President and CEO. Maggie Scales, executive pastry chef of the Link Restaurant Group, wasthe featuredchef. During the patron party,guests enjoyed her hors d’oeuvre selection of gougère withbacon jam, abiscuit, butcher ham and pepper jelly.Second Harvest Food Bankchefs Michael McGuire and Ishman Boles Jr provided acrawﬁsh-gouda tartlet and awild mushroom tartine.

For themain party,chef Scales of La Boulangerie, confected astrawberry olive oil cake. Further featured chefs were MegBickford of Commander’sPalace; Sophina Uong,Mister Mao; Alfredo “Fredo” Nogueira, CaféConmingo &Vals; Edgar Caro, Baru Bistro &Tapas; Susan Spicer, Rosedale; Sue Zemanick, Zasu; and Tyler Spreen Herbsaint. Every offering rated raves.

Wheatley Mule and Handly &Schiller Old Fashioned, the specialty cocktails, werecompliments of Sazerac. The wine and Champagne came from W.I.N.O. (Wine Institute of New Orleans). Among the “gathered crowd,” all enjoying the al fresco aspects of the soiree, wereSecond Harvest Board Chair BillHoffman with Denise, Christine and Price LeBlanc, MikeMotwani,Alecia and Adam Holinga, Patricia and Alan Fiorenza, Dr Ali and ReneeSadeghi,Dr. Neiland Rena Jolly,Jenny and Robb Vorhoff, Bob Vorhoff and Holly Abbott, Kate and David deKay, MelanieLoomis, Elly and Rex 2026 Merritt Lane, Leann and TedMoses, Susu and Andrew Stall, and Archbishop James F. Checchio.Second Harvest Food Bankisaministry of the Archdiocese of NewOrleans, amember of FeedingAmerica, and aUnited WayPartner Agency.The mission is “to lead the ﬁght against hunger andbuild food security in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy,education,and disaster response.”

This prandial party with apurpose also reveled in the desserts of music. Ajazzy group, New OrleansHigh Society,added morelifttothe levity

Award to James R.“Jimmy” Nieset, A&S ’64, L’67. Mr.LeBlanc was therecipient at that award a year ago. Applause abounded. The next agenda item was Paula Perrone’sinduction of the1976

class into theEmeritus Club, which is open to those graduates of 50 or more years. At theprogram’sconclusion, all the new inductees gathered at the stage for aclass picture. Smiles abounded.

PHOTOSByREAGANLAQUE

Walt Leger,Alyana Samai

Dr.Jennifer Avegno, Dickie Brennan, Sarah Lindsey

Drs. Anand and Maya Irimpen, Dr.Sabrina White, Carlene White

David Briggs,Coretta LaGarde, Mark Romig

PHOTOSByREAGAN LAQUE West and Aimee Freeman, Elizabeth and Clifton LeBlanc

Bill Hoffman, Archbishop James Checchio, JonToups

Susu Stall, Melanie Loomis

Aaron Motwani,MaggieScales, Ayesha Motwani

PHOTOSByREAGAN LAQUE

Vicki Reggie Kennedy, TomHopkins,Debbie Darnell Rees, Mark Oswald

Robin Giarrusso, Dwight LeBlanc, Jr., Sharon Carter Sheridan

Mercyand Jimmy Nieset

MaryLynn Hyde, Paula Perrone

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Take care of situations that involve financial and medical institutions or government agencies. A change at home that is within budget but makes your life easier will buy you the time you need for personal growth.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) You have plenty of choices, but not all are created equal Slow down, reflect and consider how to make the most of your time, money and emotional wellness. Put your energy into diversification.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Keep the peace, go about your business and focus on details and completing tasks. Be cautious of people who promise too much or who use emotional tactics to push you in a direction you don't relish.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Concentrate on your responsibilities. Tidy up loose ends and update or cancel subscriptions you don't use enough to warrant the cost. A well-run business or home will help keep your costs down.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Put your heart and soul into learning, researching and acquiring information that will help you excel personally and professionally. A friendship will have a chance to grow.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) You have more wiggle room than you think. Consider what's important to you, and put your heart and soul into turning your objective into something tangible.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Spend time nurturing both personal and profes-

sional relationships. Speak about your concerns, and be prepared to compromise when necessary. Listen to complaints.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb 19) Change begins with you. Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and put your energy behind your promises to yourself and to others. Proceed with confidence.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Talks will offer more than anticipated. Be the one to start a conversation or to approach someone of interest. A positive attitude will make those you encounter feel comfortable.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Be the one to set high standards and to follow through Refuse to let negative people slow you down. The more aggressive you are, the higher the returns. Put your thoughts and actions to work for you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Avoid tempting suggestions that can have a poor effect on your health, wealth or domestic situation. Think matters through before taking a leap of faith. Ask hard questions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Choose events and activities carefully. Someone will mislead you if given the chance. Use your intuition and intelligence to counter pressure tactics or manipulation. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

TODAy'S CLUE: W EQUALS S

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Mostbridgedealsareabattle.Oneside

is trying to execute a plan, while the other side is trying either to do the same or to thwart the opposition’s scheme.

In this deal, South was in three notrump. What was the East-West strategy and how did South counter it? As a secondary issue, what do you think of the auction?

This deal occurred after the organized part of one of my “bridge camps without tents” (details on my web site). Four of my students were just shuffling, dealing and playing.

In the auction, I think North ought to have used Stayman to try to find a 4-4 spade fit. Here, that would have resulted in a contract of four spades. With the trumps 3-2 and the heart ace onside, this wouldhavemadeeasily,Southlosingone spade, one heart and one diamond.

In three no-trump, declarer started with only six top tricks: two spades, one heart(giventhelead)andthreeclubs.He planned to play on diamonds to establish the extra tricks he needed, but that was going to give the lead back to the defenders.

East and West were hoping to establish and run the heart suit. To that end, West led the heart queen and East signaled encouragingly with her six.

South correctly did not win the first trick.

He had to cut the communications between the defenders. West continued with another heart. East won with her ace and returned the suit, but South won and played a diamond, hoping that either East would take the trick or that the hearts were splitting 4-4. As you can see, declarer was home

Previous answers:

InstRuctIOns:

tODAY’s WORD — AGEnEsIs: ay-JEN-ih-sus: The failure of development, as of a body part.

Average mark 17 words

Time limit 35 minutes

Can you find 29 or more words in AGENESIS?

YEstERDAY’s WORD — VIRGuLE

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

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.

GramS Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

WiShinG Well

Scrabble

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe animal crackerS

DuStin

Drabble Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

Building,602 NorthFifth Street,Baton Rouge, Louisiana70802 To requesta copy of the proposed settlement submit acompleted Pub‐licRecordRequest Form (DEQ Form ISD-0005-01) Theformand instruc‐tionsfor completion may be found on theDEQ Websiteatthe following address: http://deq. louisiana.gov/assets/ docs/General/PublicR ecordsRequestForm.pdf or by callingthe Cus‐tomerService Center at 1-866-896-5337. Pursuant to La.R.S 30:2050.7(D),the Depart‐ment of Environmental Qualitymay hold apublic hearingregarding this proposed settlement when either of thefol‐lowing conditions are met: 1) awrittenrequest forpublichearing has been filedbytwenty-five (25) persons, by agov‐ernmentalsubdivision or agency,orbyanassocia‐tion having notlessthan twenty-five (25) mem‐bers who reside in the parish in which thefacil‐ityislocated;or2)the secretary findsa signifi‐cant degree of public in‐terestinthissettlement. Forfurther information, youmay call theLegal Division of theLouisiana Department of Environ‐mental Qualityat(225) 219-3985. 194813-jul22-1t $68.85

g 0022, concerning the State's allegationsofen‐vironmentalviolationsby Respondent at itsfacility in OrleansParish, Louisiana, which allega‐tionsare setforth in Con‐solidatedCompliance Order& Notice of Poten‐tial Penalty, Enforcement Tracking No.MM-CN-2400154. TheDepartmentofEnvi‐ronmentalQuality will accept comments on the proposed settlement for thenextforty-five (45) days.The public is in‐vitedand encouraged to submit writtencom‐mentstothe Louisiana Department of Environ‐mental Quality, Office of theSecretary,Legal Divi‐sion,PostOffice Box 4302, BatonRouge Louisiana70821-4302, At‐tention: MichaelJ Daniels, Attorney.All commentswillbecon‐sideredbythe Depart‐ment of Environmental Qualityinreachinga de‐cision on whether to make thesettlement final. Termsand conditions of theproposedsettlement agreementmay be re‐viewed on theDepart‐ment of Environmental Quality’s websiteat d l i i Q y www deq louisiana.gov, by selecting AboutLDEQ Enforcement,and Settle‐ments.The document mayalsobeviewedat, andcopiesobtained from,the LouisianaDe‐partment of Environmen‐talQuality,Public RecordsCenter, Room 127, Galvez Building,602 NorthFifth Street,Baton Rouge, Louisiana70802 To requesta copy of the proposed settlement submit acompleted Pub‐licRecordRequest Form (DEQ Form ISD-0005-01) Theformand instruc‐tionsfor completion may be found on theDEQ Websiteatthe following address: http://deq louisiana.gov/assets/ docs/General/PublicR ecordsRequestForm.pdf or by callingthe Cus‐tomerService Center at 1-866-896-5337. Pursuant to La.R.S 30:2050.7(D),the Depart‐ment of Environmental Qualitymay hold apublic hearingregarding this proposed settlement when either of thefol‐lowing conditions are met: 1) awrittenrequest forpublichearing has been filedbytwenty-five (25) persons, by agov‐ernmentalsubdivision or agency,orbyanassocia‐i h i l h

mental Qualityat(225) 219-3985. 194814-jul22-1t $68.85

g comprised of representa‐tives of civic, profes‐sional andacademicor‐ganizationsreviews ap‐plications andrecom‐mendsindividuals

veyatLouisiana State University,Associationof StateFloodplainMan‐agers, National Society of BlackEngineers, Col‐lege of Engineeringat theUniversityofNew Or‐leans, School of Science andEngineeringatTu‐lane University,College f i i h y g of Engineering at South‐ern University andAgri‐cultural andMechanical College, CollegeofEngi‐neeringatLouisiana StateUniversity, LouisianaEngineering Society, American Soci‐etyofCivil Engineers, andCoastal Protection andRestoration Author‐ity(CPRA). CurrentVacancies: TheNominatingCommit‐teeisaccepting applica‐tionsfor thepositions listed belowonthe SLFPA-EBoard of Com‐

of Jean Lafittemet in aRegular

with thefollowing members present:Councilman Bartholomew,Councilwoman Creppel, Councilman Darda, Councilman Kerner Jr.and Councilwoman

to order at 6:32 p.m. asking everyone to rise and pledgeallegiance to the flag of theUnited States of America.

On amotion by Councilwoman Smith andsecondedby Councilman Darda thefollowing was offered: Amotion to accept theminutes of theRegular Meeting of June 10th, 2026.

YEAS:5 NAYS:0 ABSENT:0

State Representative TimothyKerner gave aLegislative overview Councilman TimothyKerner Jr.gave an update on projects in District 1.

RESOLUTION #2494

On amotion by Councilwoman Smith andsecondedby Councilwoman Creppelthe following resolutionwas adopted:

Aresolution honoring JimmyLeBlanc forhis dedication and commitmenttoour community

WHEREAS,the strengthofour community is built on the dedication and generosity of individuals who willingly give their time to others

WHEREAS,Jimmy has shownanoutstanding commitment to the youth and their families of our communitythrough countless hours of volunteer service at theQuinton Couevas baseball field.

WHEREAS,hehas assisted alongwith JeffersonParish Schools with upkeep of thefacility.

WHEREAS,Jimmy has volunteered at games, supporting coaches and players andoverall helping provide apositive experience for thebaseball program.

WHEREAS,the Town of Jean Lafitteappreciates his service and dedication to our community.

YEAS: 5NAYS: 0ABSENT:0

Councilman Bartholomew

Councilwoman Creppel

Councilman Darda

Councilman Kerner Jr

Councilwoman Smith

RESUBDIVISON ORDINANCE#419

On amotion by Councilman Bartholomew andseconded by CouncilwomanCreppelthe following resubdivision ordinance was adopted:

An ordinance approving theplan of the resubdivision of Lots H-6-A andH-6-B, Berthoud Plantantation,beingaportion of,Town of Jean Lafitte, Jefferson Parish, into LotsH-6-A-1 and H-6-B-1 all in accordance with aplan design by R.W. Krebs, dated April 21, 2026.

WHEREAS,Steven Sandoz and Jannel Sandozand Suzanne Boudreaux Haynie are theowners of said lots H-6-A and H-6-B of BerthoudPlanation, Town of Jean Lafitte, Parishof Jefferson.

WHEREAS,said owner desires to subdivide said LotH-6-A and H-6-B into lotsH-6-A-1 and H-6-B-1 all in accordance with aplan of survey and resubdivision by Richmond Krebs dated April 21, 2026.

SECTION 1.The Mayorofthe Town of Jean Lafitte is hereby authorized to signand approveany and all documents necessary to give full force and effect to this resolution.

YEAS: 5NAYS: 0ABSENT:0

Councilman Bartholomew CouncilwomanCreppel Councilman Darda Councilman Kerner Jr CouncilwomanSmith

ORDINANCE#535

On amotion by Councilman Bartholomew and seconded by Councilwoman Creppelthe followingordinance was adopted: An ordinance amendingOrdinance #532 establishing asalary forthe Town Clerk.

WHEREAS,the salary of theTownClerk will be $62,000.00

YEAS: 5NAYS: 0ABSENT:0 Councilman Bartholomew

CouncilwomanCreppel Councilman Darda Councilman Kerner Jr CouncilwomanSmith

RESOLUTION #2489

On amotion by Councilman Barthalomew and seconded by CouncilwomanSmith thefollowing resolution was adopted: Aresolution approving theagreement of professional services, Amendment No.2 from Meyers Engineers forthe Lafitte Dental/Medical Center

WHEREAS,basic service increaseis$40,000 revisingthe amountestablishedunder AmendmentNo.1 from$186,027 to $226,027.

SECTION 1.The Mayor of theTown of Jean Lafitte is hereby authorized to signand approveany and alldocuments necessary to give full forceand effect to this resolution.

YEAS: 5NAYS: 0ABSENT:0

Councilman Bartholomew

Councilwoman Creppel Councilman Darda Councilman Kerner Jr Councilwoman Smith

RESOLUTION #2490

On amotion by Councilwoman Creppel and seconded by Councilwoman Smith thefollowing resolution was adopted: Aresolution approving prayer at theJean Lafitte SeniorCenter

WHEREAS,The Town of Jean Lafitte owns and maintains the SeniorCenter forthe benefitand useofthe public.

WHEREAS,the participation in any prayer conducted within theJean Lafitte Senior Center is voluntary,nopersonshall be required or coerced to participate.

SECTION 1.The Mayorofthe Town of Jean Lafitte is hereby authorized to signand approve anyand all documents necessary to give full forceand effect to this resolution.

YEAS: 5NAYS: 0ABSENT:0

Councilman Bartholomew

CouncilwomanCreppel

Councilman Darda

Councilman Kerner Jr Councilwoman Smith

RESOLUTION #2491

On amotion by Councilman Darda and seconded by Councilman Kerner Jr.the following resolution was adopted: Aresolution approving theTownofJean Lafitte’s commitmentfor thebalance of the construction costs forthe Manilla Villageproject over and above theState’sparticipation.

WHEREAS,the Town of Jean Lafitte will commit to the difference between theacceptedlow bid award amount and thestates contribution amount

WHEREAS,itisnecessary forthe Town of Jean Lafitte

SECTION

YEAS:

TOWN OF JEAN LAFITTE LEGALS

PROCEEDINGS ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH COUNCIL TUESDAY, JUNE 23RD, 2026 CHAIRMAN ROBERTARCURI VICE-CHAIRWOMAN TAMMY HOUSTON

The Council of the Parish of St. John the Baptist Parish, State of Louisiana, metinRegular Session in the St. John the Baptist Parish Government ComplexChambers, LaPlace, Louisiana on Tuesday,June 23rd, 2026, at 6:00PM.

CALL TO ORDER:

ROLL CALL: Lennix Madere, Jr., Councilman-at-Large, Div.A,Michael Wright, Councilman-at-Large, Div.B,Virgie Johnson, Councilwoman District I, Warren Torres, Jr Councilman District II, Tammy Houston, Councilwoman District III, Tyra Duhe-Griffin, Councilwoman District IV Robert Arcuri, Councilman District V, Vernon Bailey,Sr.,Councilman District VI, Dixie Ramirez, Councilwoman District VII

ABSENT: None

Dixie Ramirez led the Prayer and Lennix Madere, Jr.led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Legal CounselKeith Green, Jr.and Kennilyn Schmill werepresent. PUBLIC COMMENT– AGENDAITEMS ONLY(3minutes percitizen) Therewas no public comment at this time.

SPECIAL BUSINESS: Jaclyn Hotard–Proclamation– Supporting Community Blood Donation in June &July 2026

CONSENT AGENDA -Approval of Minutes –June 9th,2026, Council Meeting; Permit Approval –51st Annual Andouille Festival –October 1618, 2026 –Onthe grounds of the St. John Parish Community Center and Thomas F. Daley Memorial Park. The festival will begin on Friday,October 16th at 6:00 PM and end on Sunday,October 18th at 8:00 PM.

MOTION: Councilman Bailey moved and Councilwoman Johnson seconded the motion to approve consent agenda consisting of Approval of Minutes –June 9th,2026, Council Meeting; Permit Approval –51st Annual Andouille Festival –October 16-18, 2026 –On the groundsofthe St. John Parish Community Center and Thomas F. DaleyMemorial Park. The festival will begin on Friday,October 16th at 6:00 PM and end on Sunday,October 18th at 8:00 PM. The motion passed with Councilman Torres against.

EXECUTIVE SESSION: Norvel Joseph Lassere, Jr.Trustthrough its trustee, Norvel Joseph Lassere, Jr.v.St. John the Baptist Parish Government, 40th JDC Docket No. 83985 Div.“B”

MOTION: Councilman Maderemoved and Councilwoman Ramirez seconded the motion to go into Executive Session to discuss Norvel Joseph Lassere, Jr.Trust through its trustee, Norvel Joseph Lassere, Jr.v St. John the Baptist Parish Government, 40th JDC Docket No. 83985 Div “B”. The motion passed unanimously

MOTION: Councilwoman Houston moved and Councilwoman DuheGriffinseconded the motion to go into Regular Session. The motion passed with Councilwoman Ramirez absent. Therewas no action taken as aresultofExecutive Session.

REPORTS:

President’sReport

Jaclyn Hotard–Monthly Financial Report(May 2026)

PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE(S)

26-43 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of fiber optics along Derek Lane by municipal address 25 Derek Lane, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19579) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of fiber optics along Cinclair Loop by municipal address 1817 Cinclair Loop, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19661) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of fiber optics along Ridgewood Drive by municipal address 13 Ridgewood Drive, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19662) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

MOTION: Councilman Wright moved and Councilman Madereseconded the motion to approve Ordinance 26-43. The motion passed unanimously

26-44 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along Southdown Road, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19707) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along South Sugar Ridge Drive, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19708) (J. Hotard/R.Rome)

MOTION: Councilwoman Duhe-Griffinmoved and Councilman Wright seconded the motion to approve Ordinance 26-44. The motion passed unanimously

26-45 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along West 2nd Street, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19730) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along St. Andrews Boulevard, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19731) (J. Hotard/R. Rome) And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along Live Oak Landing Subdivision, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19732) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along SycamoreLoop, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No.19733) (J. Hotard/R.Rome)

MOTION: Councilman Wright moved and Councilwoman Ramirez seconded the motion to approve Ordinance 26-45. The motion passed unanimously NEW BUSINESS: Robert Arcuri –Selection of the L’Observateur as the Official Journal for St. John the Baptist Parish Government

MOTION: Councilwoman Houston moved and Councilman Wright seconded the motion to amend the agenda to remove theword L’Observateur from this item. The motion passed with 7yeas and 2 against (Duhe-Griffin, Torres).

MOTION: Councilwoman Houston moved and Councilman Bailey seconded the motion to select the Advocate as the officialjournal for St. Johnthe Baptist Parish Government. The motion passed unanimously Jaclyn Hotard/Jason Akers –Resolution– R26-81 –AResolution providing for canvasing the returns and declaring the results of the special election held in the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana, on May 16, 2026, to vote upon the adoptionofan amendment to the current St. John the Baptist Parish Home Rule Charter with respect to compensation of Parish Council Members

MOTION: Councilwoman Ramirez moved and Councilwoman Houston secondedthe motion to approve Resolution R26-81. AResolution providing for canvassing the returns and declaring the results of the special election held in the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana, on May 16, 2026, to vote upon the adoption of an amendment to the current St. John the Baptist Parish Home Rule Home Charter with respecttocompensation of Parish Council Members. BE IT RESOLVED by the Parish of St. John the Baptist, State of Louisiana (the “Governing Authority”),acting as the governing authority of the Parish of

Promulgation of

The results of said

be promulgated by publication in the manner provided by

receipt from the SecretaryofState’soffice of the actual costs of the election, as required by §18:1292 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended. SECTION 4. Declaration. The foregoing results of the Electionare hereby declared by this Governing Authority and shall be published as required by law.SECTION 5. Procès Verbal. AProcès Verbal of the canvass of the returns of said election shall be made and acertified copy thereof shall be forwarded to the SecretaryofState, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who shall recordthe same in her office; and another copy thereof shallbe retained in the archives of this Governing Authority. The motionpassed with Councilman Torres against.

Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-82 –AResolution

authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to adopt aRecords Retention Policy Plan for Federal Disaster &Non-disaster Programs as required by the State of Louisiana, Division of Administration, Office of Community Development (OCD),Governor’s Office of Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program

MOTION: Councilwoman Houston moved and Councilman Wright seconded the motiontoapprove Resolution R26-82. AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish to adopt aRecords Retention Policy Plan for Federal Disaster &Non-disaster Programs as required by the StateofLouisiana, Division of Administration, Office of Community Development (OCD), Governor’sOffice of Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the CommunityDevelopment Block Grant (CDBG)Program. WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5) of the St.John the Baptist Parish Home RuleCharter permits the Parish Council to adopt aresolution when authorizing adesignated person(s) to execute apreviously approved contract on its behalf and/or to perform a ministerial act related to the administrative business of the Parish; and, WHEREAS, St.John the Baptist Parish receives and administers federal financial assistance which aregoverned by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and AuditRequirements for Federal Awards (2 CFRPart 200.303) and State CDBG regulations found in 24 CFR 570.490; and, WHEREAS,per 2CFR 200.334 the organizationmust retain financial,supporting, and statistical records for three years following the final expenditurereport submission; and, WHEREAS, 2CFR 200.334 dictates specificexceptions, including longer retentionifrequired by afederal agency,records regarding real property/equipment (3 years after final disposition), and retentionduring ongoing litigation, claims, or audits; and, WHEREAS, the organization seeks to establish formal compliance procedures for these requirements; and, WHEREAS, under 2CFR 200.303, recipients of federal awards must establish and maintain effective internal controls to properly manage and safeguardfederal funds, as well as sensitive or personally identifiable information;and, WHEREAS, St.John the Baptist RecordManagement Policy Plan to reflect compliance with current policies and procedures as promulgated by the StateofLouisiana, Division of Administration and OCD for the CDBG Program to apply for futurefunding and grants; and, WHEREAS, St.John the Baptist Parish will be adopting and following these policies: 1. General Retention: Records will be kept for at least three years post-final expenditurereport.2.Extended Retention: Records must be held beyond three years foractive audits/litigation,property/ equipment until three years after final disposition, or as dictated by federal awarding agencies. 3. Storage &Destruction:Records must be accessible and safelystoredinelectronicorphysical formats, with securedisposal allowed after the retentionperiod, provided no active inquiries exist. 4. Implementation: The [Title, e.g., CEO] is authorized to implement procedures ensuringcompliance with 2CFR 200.334. NOW LET IT THEREFORE BE RESOLVED, that the St John the Baptist Parish Council,that St.John the Baptist Parish is hereby authorized to adopt aRecords management Policy Plan, attached hereto and made apart hereof, as required by the StateofLouisiana, Division of Administration, OCD, GOHSEP and CDBG Program. The motionpassed unanimously INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES:

26-46 An ordinance naming the Cambridge Park in honorofLarry Snyder Sr located in the Cambridge Subdivision in the town of LaPlace, Louisiana –“The Larry Snyder,Sr. Memorial Park” in accordance with Ordinance 26-20, Article III, SectionA7(a), (b) and (xi) of the St.John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, and notwithstanding the LA Rev.Statute 42:267 (V.Bailey)

26-47 An ordinance approving the resubdivision of Lot 1and Lot 2ofthe Thelma T. Tassin Tract, located at 121 Tassin Drive, Wallace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (PZS-1475) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

26-48 An ordinance approving the resubdivision of aportionofthe Henry C. MaurinSr. Lot, located at 263 West 5th Street, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (PZS-1476) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

26-49 An ordinance approving the resubdivision of the JasonAugust Lot, located 134 Lapeyrolerie Lane, Edgard, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (PZS-1477) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

26-50 An ordinance approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way forthe installationof fiber optics along English Colony Drive by municipal address 1400 English Colony Drive, LaPlace, St.John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No.19701) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installationof fiber optics along Oak Point Drive by municipal address 336 Oak Point Drive, LaPlace, St.John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No.19709) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of fiber optics along Devon Road by municipal address 304 Devon Road, LaPlace, St.John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No.19723) (J. Hotard/ R. Rome)

26-51 And ordinance approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installationofgas lines along Fairway Drive, LaPlace, St John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No.19736) (J. Hotard/R.Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installationofgas lines along Doral Boulevard, LaPlace, St.John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No.19737) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

ADJOURNMENT:

At 6:40 PM,Councilman Bailey moved and Councilman Wright seconded the motiontoadjourn. The motion passed unanimously.

COUNCILCHAIRMANLEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT

ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH GOVERNING AUTHORITY

PARISH OF ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST

STATEOFLOUISIANA

Council member Bailey introduced the ordinance on Tuesday,June 23, 2026.

Council member Bailey moved to approve the ordinance. Council member Madereoffered asecond to the motion.

ORDINANCE NO. 26-46

NAMING CAMBRIDGE PARK –“THE LARRY SNYDER, SR. MEMORIAL PARK”

An ordinance naming the Cambridge Park in honorofLarry Snyder,Sr. located in the Cambridge Subdivision in the town of LaPlace, Louisiana –“The Larry Snyder,Sr. Memorial Park” in accordance with Ordinance 2620, Article III, SectionA7(a), (b) and (xi) of the St.John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, and notwithstanding the LA Rev. Statute 42:267. ** *

The St.John the Baptist Parish Council hereby ordains: WHEREAS,Larry Snyder,Sr.,alifelong resident of LaPlace, and aformer Councilman, having served for 8years on John the Baptist Parish Council District VI, which encompasses the Cambridge Subdivision; and WHEREAS,Mr. Snyder never hesitated to open hishome or diginto his pockets to provide for someone in need. More than aformer councilman, he was the pillar of the community,acoach, an educator,acook, and a

retiree of Dow Chemical;and

WHEREAS,Mr. Snyderwas adedicated family manwith agift of bringing everyone together. He is rememberedinCambridge Subdivision,asthe man who roundedupschool buses, trucks, andboats to rescue neighbors from risingwaters during HurricaneIsaac in 2012. His home onceagain became asafehaven during HurricaneIda in August 2021; and

WHEREAS,Mr. Snyderand his friends would cook for hundreds of children for Blessed to be aBlessing Backpack Extravaganzas. On a social media post, afterHurricaneIda, one gentleman recountedhow Mr Snyderhelped him as he wascoming down Cambridge Drive, bleeding, andMr. Snydertook him in andprovided him with clothing andbandages; and WHEREAS,Mr. Snyderwas adeaconatPilgrim Baptist Church,where his father, the late Rev.Peter Snyder, Sr.was the pastor.Helater became adevotedmember of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Churchwhere he was ateacher

WHEREAS,St. John the Baptist Parish Council, desires to name the Cambridge Park “TheLarry Snyder, Sr.MemorialPark”, 601 Colony Drive, LaPlace, Louisiana,70068.

This ordinance shall become effective at 8:00 am (CST), July 30, 2026. The above ordinance having been submitted to avote;the vote thereon was as follows:

YEAS: Madere, Johnson, Torres, Duhe-Griffin, Arcuri, Houston, Bailey, Ramirez

NAYS: None ABSENT:Wright

ABSTAINING: None

Thus, this ordinanceisdeclared adopted on the 14th day of July 2026. /s/ Robert Arcuri /s/ Donna Barber /s/ Jaclyn Hotard

COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON LEGISLATIVE PARISH PRESIDENT ASSISTANT TO THE COUNCIL

DatesignedDatesignedDatesigned

CERTIFIED, to be atrueand correct copy of an ordinanceadopted by the St. John the Baptist Parish Council on the day of 2026.

LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT TO THE COUNCIL

ST.JOHN THE BAPTISTPARISH STATEOFLOUISIANA ORDINANCE 26-47

Mrs. Hotard introduced the following ordinance. Mrs. Johnson proposed andMr. Madere seconded the following ordinance.

St.John the Baptist ParishCouncil herebyordains:

An ordinance approvingthe resubdivision of Lot 1and Lot 2ofthe

Thelma T. TassinTract, located at 121 TassinDrive, Wallace, St.John the Baptist Parish, LA. (PZS-1475).

Unless specified, this ordinancebecomeseffective five (5)days after publication in the Official Journal.

The above ordinance having been submitted to avote;the vote thereon wasasfollows:

YEAS: Madere, Johnson, Torres, Duhe-Griffin, Arcuri, Houston, Bailey Ramirez

NAYS: None ABSENT: Wright ABSTAINING: None

The result of the vote on the ordinancewas 8 YEAS,0 NAYS,1 ABSENT,0 ABSTAINING,and this ordinancewas declared adopted on the 14th day of July 2026.

/s/ Robert Arcuri /s/ Donna Barber /s/ Jaclyn Hotard

COUNCIL CHAIR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT PARISH PRESIDENT

DatesignedDatesignedDatesigned CERTIFIED, to be atrueand correct copy of an ordinanceadopted by the St. John the Baptist Parish Council on the day of 2026.

LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT

ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH STATEOFLOUISIANA ORDINANCE 26-48

Mrs. Hotard introduced the following ordinance. Ms. Houston proposed andMrs. Ramirezseconded the following ordinance.

St.John the Baptist ParishCouncilhereby ordains: An ordinance approving the resubdivision of aportion of the Henry C. MaurinSr. Lot, located at 263 West 5thStreet, LaPlace, St.John the Baptist Parish, LA. (PZS-1476).

Unless specified, this ordinancebecomeseffective five (5)days after publication in the Official Journal.

The above ordinance having been submitted to avote;the vote thereon was as follows:

YEAS: Madere, Johnson, Torres, Duhe-Griffin, Arcuri, Houston, Bailey, Ramirez

NAYS:None ABSENT:Wright ABSTAINING:None

The result of the vote on the ordinancewas 8 YEAS,0 NAYS,1 ABSENT,0 ABSTAINING,and this ordinancewas declared adopted on the 14th day of July 2026.

/s/ Robert Arcuri /s/ Donna Barber /s/ Jaclyn Hotard

COUNCIL CHAIR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT PARISH PRESIDENT

DatesignedDatesignedDatesigned

CERTIFIED, to be atrueand correct copy of an ordinanceadopted by the St. John the Baptist Parish Council on the day of 2026.

LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT

ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH STATEOFLOUISIANA ORDINANCE 26-49

Mrs. Hotard introduced the following ordinance. Mrs. Johnson proposed andMr. Baileysecondedthe following ordinance. St.John the Baptist ParishCouncil herebyordains: An ordinance approvingthe resubdivision of the Jason August Lot, located at 134 Lapeyrolerie Lane, Edgard, St.John the Baptist Parish, LA.(PZS-1477)

Unless specified, this ordinancebecomeseffective five (5)days after

The

YEAS:

/s/

ordinance.

WALESST, CITY OFNEW ORLEANS, IN THE MATTEREN‐TITLED: AMERI‐CAN NEIGHBOR‐HOOD MORT‐GAGEACCEP‐TANCE COM‐PANY, LLC VERSUS BOBBY CARTERA/K/A BOBBY LEON CARTER, SR CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-10042

By virtue of a WritofSeizure and Sale di‐rectedtomeby the Honorable JudgesofCivil DistrictCourt for theParishof Orleans,inthe above entitled cause,I will pro‐ceed to sell by publicauction, onthe ground ﬂoorofthe Civil DistrictCourt Building, 421 LoyolaAvenue, inthe FirstDis‐trict of theCity onAugust27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon the following described prop‐ertytowit: ONECERTAIN LOT OF GROUND, together with all thebuildings and improve‐ments thereon, andall the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereunto belongingorin the THIRDMU‐NICIPAL DIS‐TRICT of the CITYOFNEW ORLEANS,STATE OF LOUISIANA, in Grove 11, Sec‐tion10ofthe New Orleans Lakeshore Land Company Tract, whichsaidlot is designatedas LOT NO.8 B2 being aresubdi‐visionofLot No 8 B, in accordance with theresub‐divisionplan madeby MandieSurvey‐ing,Inc Plan‐ningCommis‐sion underDocket No. 131/84 dated March13, 1984, registered inC.O.B:795, folio 696, and according thereto, said lot isina square which is bounded by Hayne Boule‐vard, Edward Street, St.Charles Road, Wales Street,Curran Road, Ebbtide feet fronton Wales Street samewidth in therear, by a depth of 200 feet between

The above ordinance having been submitted to avote; the vote thereon was as follows:

YEAS: Madere, Johnson, Torres, Duhe-Griffin, Arcuri, Houston, Bailey Ramirez

NAYS:None ABSENT:Wright ABSTAINING:None

The result of the vote on the ordinance was 8 YEAS,0 NAYS,1

ABSENT,0 ABSTAINING,and this ordinance was declared adopted on the 14th day of July 2026.

/s/ Robert Arcuri/s/ Donna Barber /s/ Jaclyn Hotard

COUNCIL CHAIR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANTPARISH PRESIDENT

Date signed Date signed Date signed

CERTIFIED, to be atrue and correct copy of an ordinance adopted by the St. John the Baptist Parish Councilonthe day of 2026.

LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT

ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH STATEOFLOUISIANA ORDINANCE 26-51

Mrs. Hotardintroduced the following ordinance. Mrs. Ramirez proposed and Mrs. Johnson seconded the following ordinance.

equaland paral‐lel lines. Andac‐cording to asur‐vey made by Gilbert, Kelly &Cou‐turie,Inc., Sur‐veying& Engi‐neering,dated April 25, 1985, saidlot hasthe same designation,lo‐cationand di‐mensionsas mentioned above, except saidlot is showntocom‐mence at adis‐tance of 910.40 feet from the cornerofEd‐wards Street and Hayne Boulevard; sub‐jecttorestric‐tions,servi‐tudes,rightsof way andout‐standingmin‐eralrightsof record affecting the property

WRIT AMOUNT: $266,221.26

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 6 HALLIDAY, WATKINS& MANNP.C.AT‐TORNEYS AT LAW 318388 1440

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

A/K/AKERRY K. STEWARD A/K/A KERRY STEW‐ARD ANDTHE UNOPENED SUC‐CESSION OF AND UNKNOWN HEIRS OF JU‐DITHRUBEN‐STEIN STEWARD A/K/A JUDITH RUBENSTEIN STEWARDA/K/A JUDITH R. STEW‐ARD A/K/AJU‐DITHSTEWARD

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2026-1046 By virtue of a WritofSeizure and Sale di‐rectedtomeby the Honorable JudgesofCivil DistrictCourt for theParishof Orleans,inthe above entitled cause,I will pro‐ceed to sell by publicauction, onthe ground ﬂoor of theCivil DistrictCourt Building, 421 LoyolaAvenue, inthe FirstDis‐trict of theCity onJuly23, 2026 at12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowingde‐scribed prop‐ertytowit: 900MOSSST NEW ORLEANS, LA70119 LOT#A, SQUARE #463 2NDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN #1227577 WRIT AMOUNT: $434,103.91

Seized in the above suit TERMS -CASH. Thepurchaser atthe moment ofadjudication tomakea de‐posit of tenper‐centofthe pur‐chase price, and the balance withinthirty daysthereafter Note: Thepay‐mentmustbe Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 20 THELAW OF‐FICES OF HER‐SCHEL C. AD‐COCK, JR. LLC (225) 756-0373 COREYJ.GIROIR

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026 jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUNDBEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 7001 MORRISON ROAD,THIS CITY, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED: WILM‐INGTON SAV‐INGS FUND SO‐CIETY,FSB,NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF STARWOOD MORTGAGE RES‐IDENTIALTRUST 2020-INV1 VER‐SUS HAITRAN AND MTKTCAPITAL CORP.AND MTK‐TCAPITALCORP., TRUSTEE

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-4491

Seized in the above suit, TERMS -CASH. Thepurchaser atthe moment ofadjudication tomakea de‐posit of tenper‐centofthe pur‐chase price, and the balance withinthirty daysthereafter. Note: Thepay‐mentmustbe Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M.

St.John the Baptist ParishCouncil hereby ordains: An ordinance approving excavation withinParish Rights-of-way for the installationofgas lines

Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 17 LOGS LEGAL GROUP LLP 504838-7535

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026 jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUNDBEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS26282630 N. VILLERE ST, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THE MATTER EN‐TITLED: US BANKTRUST NATIONALAS‐SOCIATION,NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELYAS OWNER TRUSTEEFOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST VERSUS MICHAEL L. FAR‐LEY A/K/A MICHAELFAR‐LEY

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-6608

p ment must be Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 16 HALLIDAY, WATKINS& MANNP.C.AT‐TORNEYS AT LAW 318-3881440

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026 jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUNDBEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 4937 ROBINHOOD DR, CITYOFNEW ORLEANS, IN THE MATTER EN‐TITLED: LAKE‐VIEWLOANSER‐VICING, LLC VERSUSJIMMY RICARDO FRISBY, JR

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2026-1271 By virtue of a WritofSeizure and Sale di‐rectedtomeby the Honorable JudgesofCivil DistrictCourt for theParishof Orleans,inthe above entitled cause,I will pro‐ceed to sell by publicauction onthe ground ﬂoor of theCivil DistrictCourt Building, 421 LoyolaAvenue, inthe FirstDis‐trict of theCity onJuly23, 2026, at12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowingde‐scribed prop‐ertytowit: 4937 ROBIN‐HOODDRNEW ORLEANS,LA 70128

LOT5-ASQUAREP 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1453525 SHERWOOD FOREST SUBDI‐VISION WRIT AMOUNT: $157,576.19

Seized in the above suit, TERMS- CASH

Thepurchaser atthe moment ofadjudication tomakea de‐posit of tenper‐centofthe pur‐chase price, and the balance withinthirty daysthereafter Note: Thepay‐mentmustbe Cash, Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed Check or Money Order.NoPer‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS AND TEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 14 JACKSON& MCPHERSON LLC504-5819444 KATE A. SOTO‐LONGO

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026 jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUNDBEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER6566 COLBERT ST, CITYOFNEW ORLEANSINTHE MATTERENTI‐TLED: U.S. BANK NATIONALAS‐SOCIATION,NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UAL CAPACITY BUTSOLELYAS OWNER TRUSTEEFOR RCAFACQISI‐TIONTRUST VERSUS MICHELLE BRID‐GET POHLMANN CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2026-881 By virtue of a WritofSeizure and Sale di‐rectedtomeby the Honorable JudgesofCivil DistrictCourt for theParishof Orleans,inthe above entitled cause,I will pro‐ceed to sell by publicauction onthe ground ﬂoor of theCivil DistrictCourt Building, 421 LoyolaAvenue, inthe FirstDis‐trict of theCity onJuly23, 2026, at12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowingde‐scribed prop‐ertytowit: 6566 COLBERT ST NEWOR‐

LEANS, LA 70124 LOTS43& 44 & SQUARE#174 SECOND MUNIC‐IPALDISTRICT ACQMIN #1260284 LAKEVIEW SUB‐DIVISION WRIT AMOUNT: $391,966.35

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans TJ 11 JACKSON& MCPHERSON LLC504-5819444 CRIS R. JACK‐SON

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026 jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUNDBEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER7527 MICHIGANST, CITYOFNEW ORLEANSINTHE MATTERENTI‐TLED: WILMING‐TON SAVINGS FUNDSOCIETY, FSB AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF CFS15GRANTOR TRUST VERSUS JOYCE ANNA SAVOCAA/K/A JOYCE A. SAV‐OCA A/K/A JOYCE SAVOCA CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2026-2284

District Court Building, 421 LoyolaAvenue, inthe FirstDis‐trict of theCity onJuly23, 2026, at12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowingde‐scribed prop‐ertytowit: 7527 MICHIGAN STNEW OR‐LEANS,LA70128 LOTS 36 &37& SQUARE#184 THIRDMUNICI‐PAL DISTRICT ACQMIN 200863882 EDGELAKE LANDS, INC. WRIT AMOUNT: $158,066.27

TJ 9 HALLIDAY WATKINS& MANNP.C.AT‐TORNEYS AT LAW 318-3881440 ELIZABETHC PRICE

TheN.O.Advo‐cateDate (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026 jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUNDBEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL

forthe Parishof Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on July 23, 2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

2222 HALSEY AV NEWORLEANS, LA 70114 LOT42, SQUARE 11 FIFTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1408116 BEHRMAN HEIGHTSSUBDI‐VISION WRIT AMOUNT:

$173,392.93

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH

Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 6 GRAHAM,ARCE‐NEAUX& ALLEN, LLC504-5228256 LOUISG.ARCE‐NEAUX

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026

jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 7541 EASTMORE ROAD,CITYOF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:BOKF, N.A. VERSUS LEONARDSTEW‐ART, JR. SOLELY IN HISCAPACITY AS INDEPEN‐DENT ADMINIS‐TRATOR FOR THESUCCES‐SION OF DONNA ROBERTSON STEWART, DE‐CEASED

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-11714

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH

Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of the pur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check or Money Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

TJ 4 GRAHAM,ARCE‐NEAUX& ALLEN, LLC504-5228256 FOERSTNERG MEYER

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 6/17/2026 & 7/22/2026 jun17-jul22-2t

PUBLIC NOTICESALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1715 PACE BD,CITY OF NEWOR‐LEANS, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:CAR‐RINGTONMORT‐GAGE SERVICES, LLCVERSUS GLYNIS ARDIS JONES (A/K/A GLYNIS ROBERT‐SON, GLYNIS KELLUP,GLYNIS A. JONES

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-7267

LOT5 -SQUARE 16 5THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1129274 WRIT AMOUNT: $20,582.63

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at the moment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and the balance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 14 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504838-7535 EMILYA MUELLER

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s):

7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS4123 AND4125 EDEN ST,CITYOFNEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:U.S BANKNATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEEFOR THEC-BASS MORTGAGE LOAN ASSETBACKED CER‐TIFICATES, SE‐RIES 2006-RP2 VERSUS BERTHA L. GRIFFINAND BESSIEM.GRIF‐FIN

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S CaseNo: 2016-3095

By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on August 27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clocknoon thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 4123 AND4125 EDEN ST NEW ORLEANS, LA 70125 LOTC -SQUARE 161 6THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT WRIT AMOUNT:

$54,394.35

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of the pur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans RB 16 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504838-7535 AMYR.ORTIS

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1811 LAURADALEDR, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:CHASE MORTGAGE HOLDINGS,INC S/B/MTOJPMC SPECIALTY MORTGAGE LLC VERSUS THE OPENED SUC‐CESSION OF JOHN HENRY HALL,JR. ( A/K/AJOHNH HALL JR) ANDTHE OPENED SUC‐CESSIONOFPA‐TRICIA BATES HALL

Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on August 27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 1811 LAU‐RADALE DR NEW ORLEANS, LA 70114 LOT2 -SQUARE

8 5THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1065208

LAURADALE SUBDIVISION WRIT AMOUNT: $28,001.13

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check,Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 15 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504838-7535 AMYORTIS

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 2111-13 REVJOHN RAPHAELJR. WAY, THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:LION REOTXLLC VER‐SUSLAVIGNE INVESTMENT PROPERTIES LLC

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2022-9366

By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on August 27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 2111-13 REV JOHN RAPHAEL JR. WY NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70113 SQUARE 347, LOT22-C FOURTH MUNIC‐IPAL DISTRICT ACQ MIN:1421662 WRIT AMOUNT: $248,200.28

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐posit of ten per‐f h

p p cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

MichelleM Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

BD 8

HALLIDAY WATKINS, AND MANN, P.C318388-1440

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 2339 LAFRENIERE ST CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:HAN‐COCK WHITNEY BANK VERSUS ELSIEJ.BAILEY ANDTHE UNOPENED SUC‐CESSION OF OTIS D. BAILEY DECEASED

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-120028

Seized in the above suit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 4

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS8421 JEANNETTE STREET,CITYOF NEWORLEANS IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:TRA‐DITIONAL MORTGAGE AC‐CEPTANCE COR‐PORATION VER‐SUS BERNADINE COCO

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-10455

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING.

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 11 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR., LLC(225) 7560373

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 2811 POWHATAN ST CITY OF NEW ORLEANSINTHE MATTERENTI‐TLED:GREEN PRAIRIES,LLC VERSUS PAIDYN REALTY LLC CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2026-2965

y in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on August 27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clocknoon thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 2811 POWHATAN ST NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70126 LOT#20 & SQUARE #6 THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN #1387815 FOREST PARK SUBDIVISION WRIT AMOUNT: $152,396.04

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

TJ 10 KEAN MILLER LLP 504-5853050 KATILYNM HOLLOWELL

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS2335 ANDRYSTREET, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:PENNY‐MACLOANSER‐VICES, LLCVER‐SUSDASJANAE MURNISHA MAJLIO A/K/A DASJANAE M. MAJLIO A/K/A DASJANAE MA‐JLIO

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-8307 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on August 27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 2335 ANDRYST NEWORLEANS, LA 70117 LOT: 3, SQUARE: 1252 A THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1351618 WRIT AMOUNT: $100,727.81

ARE REQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

BD 13 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR., LLC(225) 7560373

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS86308632 DINKINSST, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:LAKE‐VIEW LOAN SER‐VICING,LLC VERSUS BEN‐JAMINOSBORNE

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-6048

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING. Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 12 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR., LLC(225) 7560373

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

VELOCITY COMMERCIAL CAPITALLOAN TRUST2019-1 VERSUS PYRA‐MIDHOUSE,LLC

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-2313 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on August 27, 2026, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 3330 CANALST NEWORLEANS LA 70119 LOTS:2 AND3, SQUARE:683 FIRSTMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1290159 WRIT AMOUNT: $388,958.04

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- 100% CASH AT THE MOMENT OF AD‐JUDICATION

Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonal Checks FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

Michelle M. Woodfork Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 20 MCCABE LAW FIRM,LLC 504782-3436 RYAN MCCABE

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

GRAHAM,ARCE‐NEAUX& ALLEN, LLC504-5228256

LOUISG.ARCE‐NEAUX

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 7/22/2026 & 8/26/2026 jul22-aug26-2t

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 3330 CANALSTREET THIS CITY,IN THE MATTER ENTI‐TLED:U.S.BANK TRUSTCOM‐PANY,NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEEFOR