The Advocate 07-25-2026

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH

Mayor, council at odds over St. George suit

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ criticism Thursday of the parish attorney for seeking to involve the city-parish government in a lawsuit about St. George drew icy reactions from East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council members that night and through the day Friday And, while the mayor appeared to have mended some fences by the end of the day, some council members were still asking questions about his comment that city leaders had reached an “agreement in principle” with St. George about significant disputes over the cities’ finances.

“I was certainly caught off guard to learn that there was a potential agreement on the table and the council had no knowledge. I would like to at least have some knowledge about what’s taking place.”

LAURIE ADAMS, East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member

“I was certainly caught off guard to learn that there was a potential agreement on the table and the council had no knowledge,” said council member Laurie Adams. “I would like to at least have some knowledge about what’s taking place.”

The roughly 24-hour spat began Thursday afternoon. In a legal filing, Parish Attorney John McLindon asked a Baton Rouge judge to bring the city-parish government into a lawsuit filed by a developer challenging the city’s zoning laws. McLindon argued the city-parish has a significant interest in one question the lawsuit raises: When was St. George officially incorporated? If the city was incorporated in 2019, when voters approved its creation, East Baton Rouge could owe St. George tens

Edwards comment about ‘agreement in principle’ questioned ä See SUIT, page 5A

Fields sees no path for reelection to Congress

Democrat eyed other districts before deciding to seek state Senate seat

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Before deciding that he would not run for Congress again, U.S Rep Cleo Fields looked at running in four different districts — but, after Republican state lawmakers redrew Louisiana’s congressional map this spring, he said he realized he couldn’t win “When I run for office, I don’t run just to run; I run to win,” Fields, D-Ba-

ton Rouge, said at a news conference Friday “I was in deep conversations with members of Congress in Washington, and there was a lot of push. But at the end of the day, I didn’t see the winning path.” Fields said he did not consider a bid in the two New Orleans-area congressional districts represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter and Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, but he evaluated the other four.

“I had to run in one of the four or not run at all, and that was a tough decision,” he said. Now, Fields says he is returning to his roots and wants to continue in public service “closer to home.”

He announced last week that he’ll run to finish the term of the late state Sen. Larry Selders, a Democrat from Baton Rouge who unexpectedly died earlier this month from a heart condition. “The moment has called me to do this,” Fields said. “We’re gonna do our best to fill those shoes of Larry Selders.”

A special primary election for the vacant District 14 state Senate seat is scheduled for Dec. 12 with a runoff on Jan. 9 if needed. All seats in the Legislature are up for election for full fouryear terms in fall of 2027.

ä See FIELDS, page 5A

Livingston council OKs development code

For the first time, parish has single rule book

BY GIGI LIMAN Staff writer

The Livingston Parish Council on Thursday adopted a Unified Development Code, capping a yearslong effort to control how and where land is developed — and prevent flooding in one of the state’s fastest-growing parishes.

For the first time, the parish has a single rule book for development. It includes what can be built where, how land may be split into lots, how new construction must handle drainage and flooding, and detailed processes for getting projects approved.

Applause filled the room as the vote was announced, and the people in the public gallery who had spent years assisting the council with the code turned to shake hands.

“This UDC is the last step in getting our parish in the right direction,” council member John Wascom said.

Council members likened it to a constitution for development: a central document that holds all the rules in one place but can be amended over time.

“This UDC is the last step in getting our parish in the right direction.”

JOHN WASCOM, Livingston Parish Council member

The 243-page document also includes new restrictions for developers. Large commercial, industrial and residential projects must now produce drainage and traffic studies before they can be approved. Carving land into multiple lots will face stricter review And waivers, which grant exemptions from established rules, must now pass through a multilayered approval process, including a checklist and review by the Planning Commission and the council.

“Because we did not have this in place, it created so many challenges for our people with

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields announces his decision Friday not to run for reelection but rather to seek a seat in the Louisiana Senate.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards criticized the parish attorney for seeking to involve the city-parish government in a lawsuit about St. George.

Biden drops suit seeking to block recordings

WASHINGTON Joe Biden on Friday dropped a lawsuit in which he sought block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with a memoir ghostwriter before the Delaware Democrat was elected president, paving the way for the material to be released to a Republican-led congressional committee.

Biden’s attorneys filed the notice of voluntary dismissal less than a week after a divided panel of appeals court judges rejected his bid to block the material’s release Biden could have petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene or asked for a rehearing by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

In a 2-1 ruling on Monday, a three-judge panel from the circuit court found a “substantial” public interest in disclosing the material that Biden wants to keep under wraps. The panel had suspended its decision until Aug. 3 to allow more time for Biden to consider his appellate options.

Bomber, gunmen attack, kill 15 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD A suicide bomber backed by gunmen attacked a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, killing 15 members of the security forces, the military said Friday

In a statement, the military said troops repelled the overnight assault in Tank, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and killed 12 militants.

The military blamed the attack on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP

The group is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing sanctuary to TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies.

There was no immediate comment from the group.

According to the military, the attackers attempted to storm the checkpoint but were pushed back by security forces before ramming an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall, triggering a powerful blast that severely damaged the checkpoint.

The military said those killed included 12 soldiers, two police officers and a former forest department official.

Police intercept bomb, charge law student

LONDON An Irish law student was charged Friday with possessing explosives after being arrested with what police called an “extremely significant” car bomb they intercepted near the Northern Ireland border during an investigation of dissident republicans Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, was stopped while driving Wednesday on a highway near Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, police said They discovered plastic explosives and a detonator in a bag in the back of the car

“What we found was an extremely significant seizure,” Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said. “This was an explosive device.” An Irish military bomb disposal team was called to examine the car, though no details were provided on how they disposed of the ordnance.

Defense lawyer Gavin Booth said Sullivan had been manipulated and was unaware of the contents of a bag she was asked to take to the north. She was freed on $17,054 bail after her appearance in Trim District Court. While it’s unclear where the car was headed, there have been two car bomb incidents this year in Northern Ireland that police have blamed on dissident republicans, including one that exploded outside a police station on the outskirts of Belfast in April. No one was injured and an earlier attempted bombing at a police station was thwarted by officers who detonated the bomb in a controlled explosion.

Police requested as a condition of release that Sullivan not contact anyone with Saoradh, the Irish republican revolutionary party or the New Irish Republican Army

Trump: U.S. to probe EU trade rules

President claims bloc unfairly fined tech giants

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON The United States will open a formal investigation into the European Union’s trade practices, President Donald Trump said on Friday, claiming the bloc has unfairly levied billions of dollars of fines against Google, Apple and other U.S. tech giants.

The Republican president made the announcement a day after the EU hit Google with a fine of $1 billion after it said the technology behemoth broke digital antitrust regulations by setting up Google Play and its ubiquitous search engine to corral consumers toward its own services and apps to the detriment of competitors.

In a lengthy post on social media, Trump said he has warned the EU about its practice of fining U.S. tech companies. He named Google,

Apple, Meta, Amazon and others.

“The United States of America is nota‘PIGGYBANK’forEurope,nor will we allow it to be!” Trump said, adding that his post should serve as notice of an immediate trade investigation “into the practice of ‘ROBBING’ American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer.”

“The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about,” he said.

In the post, Trump asserted that the penalties against the companies “will be entirely reversed” and predicted “a substantial TARIFF” would be placed on the EU “at the earliest possible moment.”

Investigation follows new tariffs

Trump’s move comes a day after the White House announced double-digit tariffs on imports from more than 60 countries, accusing

them of inadequately enforcing bans on goods produced by forced labor

The new tariffs replace temporary 10% worldwide import taxes that Trump imposed after the Supreme Court struck down his biggest tariffs.

The new tariffs are being implemented using Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits the president to impose import taxes and other sanctions against countries found to engage in “unjustifiable,” “unreasonable” or “discriminatory” trade practices.

José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said the company has worked hard to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act and has expressed its concerns about the effects of recent decisions by the European Commission.

“We appreciate the engagement by the administration and U.S. government,” he said.

Representatives of Amazon, Ap-

Over 200,000 people flee wildfires in France, Spain

Strong shifting winds complicate efforts to control spread

BY CAROLINE BLUMBERG, SAMUEL PETREQUIN and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press

ARCACHON, France Massive forest fires

burned out of control in southwestern France and central Spain on Friday, prompting authorities to evacuate an estimated 200,000 people from their homes. Some even fled by boat when flames swept through the touristic area on France’s Atlantic coast.

Dozens of firefighters were injured, authorities said in France, but no deaths were reported in either country

Some 141,000 fled homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in France, the French interior ministry said. In central Spain, 60,000 were forced from their homes, the Spanish interior ministry said France’s Interior minister Laurent Nunez said that the large wildfire that ravaged large swaths of land in southwestern France in now heading toward the city of Bordeaux.

Speaking to French TV channel Tf1, Nunez said the wildfire that earlier in the day forced the evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula has swept across 140 square kilometers, with 110,000 people fleeing their homes in the Gironde region.

“We learned in the middle of the afternoon that, following the wind shift, it had become a large, self-sustaining fire that is extremely difficult to bring under control,” Nunez said. “It is now moving east, toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area.

We are going to reorganize our response

so we can fight it from the ground and prevent it from advancing toward Bordeaux.”

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has asked the Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to activate the government’s crisis response unit, and has instructed the armed forces to mobilize in order to provide the maximum possible reinforcement to the civilian emergency services. Asked whether Bordeaux is under threat, Nunez said: “For the time being, no. We will, of course, do everything we can to protect it using ground resources, including requisitioned military assets and our firefighters.”

A separate wildfire broke out in Landes, causing 31,000 evacuations, while both France and Spain asked fellow European Union members for help.

Spain struggles amid a heatwave

In Spain, the government declared a national emergency for wildfires for the first time as the blazes in Madrid and the nearby province of Ávila prompted the evacuation of some 60,000 people from towns west of the capital.

The fires are being fanned by a heat wave with temperatures expected to top 102 Fahrenheit in parts of Spain.

ThetwomajorfiresnearMadridmerged into one single blaze that had quickly charred 11.5 square miles by Friday afternoon. Regional President Isabel Díaz-Ayuso called it the worst in Madrid’s history

Meanwhile, a blaze in Ávila, less than two hours northwest of Madrid, had consumed34squaremiles.Spain’sCivilGuard arrested one man and is investigating another for allegedly having used heavy machinery in an area where it was prohibited for fire risk. Police believe a spark ignited the fire on Thursday

Trump orders signs outside Smithsonian

BY JONATHAN J COOPER Associated Press

President Donald Trump ordered his administration Friday to install signs in front of the Smithsonian Institution’s U.S. history museum telling visitors that some of the exhibits are inaccurate, his latest move to reshape how the story of the United States is told.

Trump’s move follows a report released July 4 by his Domestic Policy Council saying leaders of the Smithsonian and its National Museum of American History don’t tell history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”

The president lacks authority to quickly fire the Smithsonian leadership or to order changes to exhibits, so his executive order targets the sidewalks

out front, which are maintained by the National Park Service. His executive order calls for signs telling visitors about the White House report and directing them to resources for what he calls “accurate information regarding America’s history.” It also calls for a temporary exhibit that corrects information he deems inaccurate.

Smithsonian officials declined to comment on Trump’s order Anthea M. Hartig, director of the American history museum, pushed back on the White House report during congressional hearings this week.

“As we continue to fact check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum,” she told lawmakers.

ple, Meta, and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment There also was no immediate comment from the Brusselsbased European Commission. Retaliation over EU fines

The EU’s billion-dollar fine against Google was the latest major crackdown on Big Tech by Brussels, which has led the world in reining in some of the world’s largest companies from Silicon Valley to Beijing. It has done so despite the risk of incurring the wrath of Trump, who has lashed out at the 27-nation bloc’s digital regulations in a broader campaign against Europe: imposing high tariffs, making threats to seize Greenland from Denmark by force, and rattling trust within the NATO military alliance.

Trump had threatened retaliation if American tech companies are penalized.

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch and highest antitrust enforcer, said it was acting in the interest of consumers after an investigation of Google.

U.S. measles cases surpass 2025 record

2026 has become worst year for disease since 1991

BY DEVI SHASTRI AP health writer

The number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025, with five more months of 2026 still to come. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logged 2,318 cases of measles as of Thursday, according to an agency update on Friday

The nation had 2,289 cases in 2025, the worst year for measles in more than three decades. Now, 2026 has easily become the U.S.’s worst year for measles since 1991, as major outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah and Arizona have sickened hundreds and smaller clusters of cases sparked in other states.

In November international health officials will meet to determine if the U.S. and Mexico have lost

their measles-free status.

The U.S. eliminated local measles spread in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, which have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks. While measles cases in the U.S are climbing, it may be impossible to say exactly how far-reaching the spread is. Public health departments and disease researchers have long acknowledged that official counts are incomplete, because some people get sick and don’t seek out treatment — something not unique to measles. Furthermore, experts say the spread might be greater than what’s known because the virus is one of the most contagious known to medicine and vaccination rates nationwide have declined. National vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella — which dropped to 92.5% among kindergartners in the 2024-25 school year from 95.2% in 2019-20 — obscure even lower rates in certain communities.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANU FERNANDEZ

Smoke and flames rise as a wildfire advances near La Adrada, Ávila province, Spain, on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of people have had to evacuate in France and Spain.

ASSOCIATED

Clashesrocknorthern West Bank,spurlockdown

Israel deploys troops in Nablus

BY MAJDI MOHAMMED, AREF TUFAHA, ERIN

CUNNINGHAM and SAM MCNEIL

Press

NABLUS,West Bank Israel

widely deployed troops in the West Bank after clashes broke out Friday acrossthe occupied territory following the killing of an Israeli settlertriggered violence that left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers dead. Palestinians in the West Bank have been facinga wave ofviolence as Israel’s hard-line government, dominated by settler leaders and supporters, has overseen asurgeinsettlement construction over the past four years. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

6killedasfearescalates

The PalestinianHealth Ministry said Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinians in the village of Tell in the northern West Bank while themilitary reported the deaths of two soldiers, one of whom was asettler in alocal defense squad.

Twoother Israelis and four more Palestinians were wounded, health officials said, and the Israeli military announced it was preparing for an “extensive” counterterror operation in the West Bank. It saiditconducting amanhunt for Palestinians suspected of attacking Israelis andthat it had apprehended two during araidinNablus.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in ajoint statement with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, called Friday for more troops to the West Bank and the razing of the homes of the accused in Tell, as well as collect-

ing weapons and revoking work permits in thevillage.

“The security forces must be allowed to act freely and with fullforce againstterrorism,” they said.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went farther,saying that the villages of Tell, Iraq Burin and BeitFurik “need to look exactly like the refugee camps in Nablus and Tulkarm,” referring to the massdemolitioncampaign that displacedtensofthousands in theWestBank towns last year “It is necessary to evacuatethe population therefor their protectionand to clear these villages of terrorist infrastructure,” Smotrich said. “A sharp, determined, and unequivocal military action is required here and now.”

Human rights group B’Tselem warned the violence could spin outofcontrolasIsraelisettlers and soldiers amass nearmultiple Palestinian cities.

“Israeli violence is spreading across the West Bank, fueled by Israelipoliticians openlycallingfor revenge,” said Yuli Novak, the group’s executive director.“We know where this leads. Millions of Palestinians are now completely exposed to further attacks,with no one protectingthem.”

Unclearconfrontation

Theexact circumstances of Friday’s incident remainedunclear, butIsraeli media reportsand interviewswith localPalestinian officials suggested agroup of settlersenteredTelland were confronted by residents who were fearful of an attack

The village is off-limits to Israelis as part of Area Bunder the1993 Oslo Accords struck afterthe first Palestinian Intifada.

According to the Israeli military,one of the villagers took one of thesettlers’ weapons and fired on the group, killing Benayahu Mellet, 32, asecurity guard

in asettlement nearby

In avideo of the incident, confirmed by theIsraeli military and circulated online by the military correspondent forIsrael’s Army Radio, two armed men in civilianclothing, as well as at leastone Israeli soldier, areshown pointing their weapons at agroupofPalestinians who had gathered in afield.

At one point,the two armed men rushed toward several Palestinian residentswiththeir guns drawn. In thefootage, the residentstry to pushthem back and appear todisarm oneofthe menbeforeopening fire.

In astatement, theIsraeli military said it killed the man who took the settler’s weapon and thathewas armed when soldiers shot him. But aseparate video, published by Israeli media outlets and confirmed by themilitary,showed Israeli forces firing on agroup of Palestinians in the same field who werealready on theground.

More than adozen gunshots can be heard in the footage, which is less than aminute long. The military said thesuspect was one of the people killedinthe field. It didnot respond to questions about why soldiers killedthe other men—all of whom were related —or how long after the original altercation the killings took place.

Later,army chiefEyal Zamir said he was sending more troops to the occupied West Bank.

YossiDagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, asettler group in thenorthern West Bank, posted a video online in the wakeof the Tell confrontation demanding the government crack down hard on Palestinians.

“Wedemandaniron fist andfor thegovernment to carry out awide militaryoperation against the PalestinianAuthority and against Hamas,” he said.

Attorney:Madison officer should be criminally charged

Family

promises to seek justicefor ‘unjustified’death

BY SCOTTBAUER and REBECCA BOONE Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. The Madison police officer who shot andkilledCorey Ruiz should face criminal charges, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Friday,after protests eruptedinangerovervideos of their struggle.

“They not only tackled him, notonly tased him, not only kicked him, but you saw they shot him three times in his head andother parts of his body,” Crumpsaid.

He spokeatanemotional news conference with Ruiz’s mother,siblings and 13-yearolddaughter, Kah’liyahAliomar Ruiz, 38, was killedona busy city street Wednesday, just acouple of blocksaway from his daughter’shome and along the route she walks to school. Policesay Ruiz pulleda knife during a struggle withfour officers, injuring one of them. That officer then fired theshots, according to police. All four officers have been placed on administrative leave pending astate investigation, and the officer whofired theshots has not yet been identified.

Aliomarcried as she described learning of her father’sdeath.

“My heart was broken and hurtsomuch knowing Ican’t see my father anymore,” she said.

Hismother ElsaRuizsaid she never imagined she would have to bury her son.

“He was my love.Heloved hisdaughter,heloved his family.Hedid notdeserveto be taken out like that. They took my baby from me,” she said, sobbing.

Thefamily promisedto

seek justice forRuiz’sdeath, which Crump calledanunjustified “execution.”

“Anytime there is excessive useofforce, there should be accountability,” Crump said. He said it was “shocking on every level.”

The shooting wascaptured on cellphone video that was widely shared online,though Madison Police Chief John Patterson cautioned Thursday that the video didnot show thealtercation from the policeofficers’ perspective.

But unlikenearlyevery other similarly sizedcity, Madison doesn’trequire itspolicetouse body-worn cameras, so there is no footage from the officers’ perspective. Over the last decade city officialshave repeatedly debated adopting the cameras —attimes creating subcommittees and doing studies on the idea —but local officials have primarily blamed budget concerns and political inertia for the ongoing stalemate.

Another commonsource of opposition,identifiedina 2021 feasibility study,came fromcommunity groups worried the cameras would be used to surveil and criminalizemarginalizedgroups.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said Thursdaythatshe expects thenew

budget that takes effect in January to include funding forbody-worn cameras.

“Thank God there was video,” Crump said. “If there wasn’tvideo, imagine what the narrative would have been.”

Wisconsin court records show Ruiz had been in and outofjail over thepast decade for mostly misdemeanor offenses including disorderly conduct, drug possession,autotheft,batteryand invasion of privacy.Hewas also convicted of felonies including possession of cocaine andmarijuana,robbery,strangulation,resisting an officer and causing bodily harm

“Peopleare saying he’s a criminal. So what? He had a family,hehad me,” Aliomar said, breaking down into tears.

Police said they were at the street to investigate reports that someone was trying to enter parked cars, something Crump said amounted to only the suspicion of alow-level property crime.

“I need somebody to help me understand whythey felt it was OK to execute my brother based on no facts at all,” Veronica Ruiz said. “I hope everyonecontinues to support andcome together and find justice forhim.”

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOBySCOTT BAUER

Kah’liyah Aliomar,the daughter of CoreyRuiz, whowas shot and killedbyaMadison policeofficer,wipes away tears as attorneyBen Crump speaksatanewsconferenceonFriday.

Russian ballistic strike kills 10

Site near Kyiv was hosting U.S company making Patriot missiles

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV

Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine

A Russian at-

tack Friday on a site near Kyiv that was hosting a defense industry event killed at least 10 people and wounded nearly 100 others, Ukrainian government and industry officials said.

The ballistic missile strike came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with senior representatives of Raytheon, the U.S. company that makes the Patriot air defense systems that Ukraine desperately needs to counter the devastating ballistic missiles Russia uses to advance its invasion Raytheon didn’t immediately respond to an email inquiring whether any of its workers were at the event.

“Missiles for Patriot systems are the number one priority,” Zelenskyy said on social media, where he reported the attack.

The attack hit the grounds of a privately operated military training site that was hosting an event, acting regional military administration head Ruslan Oliinyk wrote on Facebook, citing preliminary information. The site is about 12-19 miles from central Kyiv, in the Bucha district.

Emergency crews responded to the area, where 27 homes and 44 vehicles also were damaged, Oliinyk said.

The Ukrainian Defense Industry Council, which describes itself as the country’s largest association of private defense manufacturers said industry representatives were at the site when it was hit, although it did not immediately pro-

PHOTO PROVIDED By UKRAINIAN EMERGENCy SERVICE

Emergency crews work at the site of Russian missile strikes in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Friday The strike came a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with senior representatives of Raytheon, the U.S. company that makes the Patriot air defense systems.

vide further details.

Ruslan Kravchenko, the country’s prosecutor general, opened a war crimes investigation into the attack and a separate criminal case over possible negligence in organizing the event.

Investigators will examine who approved its location, timing and format, and whether adequate precautions were taken, Kravchenko said

The Ukrainian government imposed reporting restrictions on the attack.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian attack on a military plant in Russia killed six people and wounded 26 others, the regional governor said Meeting with Raytheon

The Raytheon meeting came less than three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to give Ukraine a license to produce Patriots. The pledge marked an important shift, as Trump recently adopted a more positive tone toward Zelenskyy In another sign that Ukraine is changing minds in Washington ardent Trump ally Laura Loomer met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday. After years

of minimizing the invasion, she rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin for missile attacks on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader said late Thursday that he held talks with a Raytheon delegation, adding that the company was ready to jointly produce Patriot interceptors with Ukraine. The system is comprised of radars, command-and-control systems, and different types of interceptor missiles

The company made no immediate comment about the meeting on its website or social media accounts.

“Our teams — both at the government level and from the private sector — will stay in close touch to work (it) out,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

Zelenskyy is keen to move quickly on a coproduction agreement as Russia relentlessly fires ballistic missiles that are hard to stop and cause civilian casualties as well as inflicting huge damage on civilian areas.

Zelenskyy has for several years been pleading for more and quicker Patriot deliveries from Western partners. Ukraine has developed its own innovative

air defenses, but large-scale production is vital.

Even so, experts and Kyiv officials have cautioned that setting up production in Ukraine would likely take years.

Ukraine hits another hub

When the Trump administration engaged in a diplomatic effort to end the war last year, Putin portrayed Russia as negotiating from a position of strength. The peace efforts have produced no results so far

But since first attacking its neighbor in 2014, Russia has captured only around 20% of the country

Now, the Russian army’s advance is stalling due to Ukraine’s successful frontline and mid- and longrange attacks using cuttingedge drone technology it has developed at home and that is now coveted by other countries, Western officials and analysts say Ukraine has expanded its campaign of disruption with bigger and increasingly frequent drone attacks inside Russia that are hitting high-profile targets, causing fuel shortages and piling pressure on Putin.

Supreme Court litigator gets 6 years for tax evasion, gambled millions

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON A prominent Supreme Court litigator was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison for evading a multimilliondollar IRS tax debt and engaging in mortgage fraud, a case that cast a spotlight on his secretive lifestyle as a high-stakes poker player and featured trial testimony from a Hollywood movie star Thomas Goldstein, who also published a popular blog about the nation’s highest court, had asked U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby to spare him from a prison sentence. Instead, the judge sentenced Goldstein to five years of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay over $3.1 million in restitution, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland.

Goldstein, 56, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, cofounded SCOTUSblog and argued over 40 cases before the Supreme Court b efore retiring in 2023 at age 52. He was a member of Democrat Al Gore’s legal team in the Supreme Court litigation over the 2000 election ultimately won by Republican President George W. Bush.

Many friends and colleagues didn’t know the extent of Goldstein’s gambling until his January 2025 indictment, which sent shock waves through the legal community in Washington, D.C.

A jury found Goldstein guilty of 12 of 16 counts, including eight felonies, after a six-week trial that ended in February Jurors convicted him of one count of tax

evasion, four counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, four counts of willfully failing to pay taxes and three counts of mortgage fraud.

Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of just over eight years for Goldstein. They say he concealed more than $25 million in income between 2016 and 2023, depriving the federal government of over $9.5 million in unpaid taxes.

“His motivation was singular: pure, unrelenting greed,” prosecutors wrote. “Whether funneling gambling income through offshore bank accounts shaving millions off his true law firm income, or lying to his lenders, Goldstein’s crimes always sought to advance and maintain his exorbitant lifestyle, replete with Bentleys, globetrotting vacations, and a $200,000 watch.”

Brazil working with Peru to protect border Indigenous lands

Gangs increasingly encroach on river territories

BY GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA Associated Press

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples said Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Peru’s Ministry of Culture to strengthen cooperation in protecting Indigenous territories, particularly those of isolated peoples along the border between the two countries.

The agreement, which the Brazilian government said is expected to be published in the coming weeks, has been under negotiation since 2024. It will establish a framework for sharing information and coordinating protection efforts, the ministry said.

The announcement comes after a group of Ashaninka Indigenous leaders began meetings with federal officials in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, seeking urgent protection for their territory

Earlier this month, five armed men carrying machine guns invaded their land, threatened families and searched for their main leaders. The Ashaninka territory spans the BrazilPeru border in the western Amazon.

The ministry said that safeguarding Indigenous territories and the communities living there requires a “coordinated response to shared threats, such as invasions, illegal activities and pressure on traditional lands.”

Peru’s Ministry of Culture could not immediately be reached for comment.

Gangs and drug traffickers are increasingly en-

croaching on Ashaninka land and using the rivers in the Amazon and adjacent land for drug routes. The recent invasion is part of a broad transformation of the Amazon border as criminal routes expand, through what experts call the Solimoes River route.

Indigenous territories are key to this route. Experts say protecting Indigenous land is one of the most effective ways to curb deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest and a key regulator of global climate. But the very forests these communities help protect leave them vulnerable: Dense tree cover in remote, hard-to-reach areas offers attractive hiding sites for drug traffickers.

The ministry also said the federal police opened an investigation into the attacks on Ashaninka territory On Monday, they launched an operation in the region alongside state authorities.

“The operation aims to prevent and combat incursions into Indigenous territories, criminal organizations, drug trafficking, environmental crimes and other cross-border offenses,” it said.

In a separate statement, the Brazilian Army said it had reinforced its presence along the border by deploying about 30 troops to the area. Various Indigenous groups have previously criticized these deployments for being temporary while the threats remain permanent. The Army said it continues to patrol the region and that preliminary information from Indigenous leaders and government agencies suggests the armed men were Peruvians who entered the Indigenous territory from across the border

Administration wants to rename Penn Station

Transportation secretary says ‘Trump Station’ has a nice ring

BY PHILIP MARCELO

Associated Press

NEW YORK Will President Donald Trump’s name grace one of the most famous — and sometimes maligned landmarks in his hometown of New York City?

The Republican administration this week urged leading U.S. Senators to rename Penn Station as it undertakes a projected $8 billion redesign of the dreary, underground Manhattan transit hub that also happens to be the busiest in the western hemisphere But the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, in a Wednesday letter seeking congressional funding approval for the rehab and oth-

er major transportation priorities, stopped short of saying what the station’s moniker should be changed to. Spokespersons for the transportation agency provided the letter but didn’t respond to follow-up questions Thursday Duffy has made it no secret he would welcome seeing his current boss’ name etched across the rail station’s façade.

“I imagine you’re asking, ‘Is this going to be Trump Station?’” the former Wisconsin congressman said last summer as officials sought bids for the project’s master developer “I think that has a nice ring to it.”

Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, when asked earlier this year, simply responded: “Why not?” Trump, for his part, has acknowledged a possible name change was floated in talks with the Senate’s top Democrat, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

Goldstein

U.S. firesonmerchantvesselinGulfofOman

Iran targetsAmerican strongholdsinregion

BY JULIA FRANKEL, STELLA MARTANY and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

IRBIL, Iraq

The U.S. military said Friday thatitfired on another merchant vessel that was trying to breach its blockade of Iranianports,while Iran targeted American strongholds around the Persian Gulf.

theport city of Hodeida in Yemen in response to Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oiltankers in theRed Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday.The Houthis said the group wouldescalate after tensionshave been brewing for weeks, breakingayearslong calm.

The U.S. and Iran showed no sign of backing away from their conflict after a 13th straight night of strikes. With fighting flaring again anddiplomacy uncertain, both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible. U.S. embassies in the Middle East began alerting Americans in the region that optionsto leave could become morelimited, while Iran’sRevolutionary Guard advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.

Meanwhile,Saudi Arabia struck

SUIT

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of millions of dollars

In astatement released Thursday—while Edwards was coaching at afootball event —the mayorsaid he strongly disagreed with the decision to intervene in the suit. The parish attorney reports to the council, not the mayor Edwards’ statement said his team and St. George leaders had negotiated an “agreement in principle” months prior that he said would have allowed the parish and its newest cityto move forward together but McLindon’sfiling complicated things.

The Edwards administration did not respond to questions Friday asking for clarity on that agreement.

Late Thursday night, Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel, the council’s leader, shot back at Edwards’team, questioned who wrote the

CODE

Continued from page1A

infrastructure, drainage, electricity,gas, roads,” council member Erin Sandefur said. “Hopefully this can regulate and bring us back up to where we need to be to serve the peoplehere.” The effort to createthe development code began after the historic August 2016 flood, which devastated much of south Louisiana. An eye-popping 20,808 households —about half the homes in Livingston Parish —were hit by the flood. In all, the storm was estimatedtohave flooded 50,000 to 75,000 structures and claimed the lives of 13. As residents whose homes were destroyed moved out, developersmoved in. The

FIELDS

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Fieldspreviously held that seat before he was elected to Congress, which created an opening for Selders. On Friday,Fields also addressed speculation that he was under consideration to be president of the Southern University system.

“The Southern University presidency is just not agood fit for me,” he said. “I don’t view myself as apresident. Iview myself more as a legislator.Myjob is to go to the Legislature and fight for Southernand give them the funding that they deserve.” Fieldssaid he was“honored” that anyone would consider him for the job, but he said being president of the HBCU system “was never part of my calculation.”

The GOP-controlled Legislature took up redistricting this year after President Donald Trump called for

American forces disabledthe M/T Lavine in theGulf of Oman after theship attempted to run the blockade at leastfour times, Capt. TimHawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Associated Press. Hawkins stressed that theship’s crew was warned and didn’t complywith commands. The military then fired into itsengine room. It’sthe second commercial ship to be disabled since themilitary reimposed its blockade.U.S.Central Command saiditalso has redirected 12 vessels.

The same day the naval blockade wasreimposed,the U.S. military said it opened fire on theCuracaoflagged oil tanker Belma sailing toward Kharg Island, Iran’smain oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. After the ship “ignored mul-

mayor’s statementand why thecouncil had been keptin the dark

“Tosay that we were blindsided would be an understatement,” said Noel, adding he was “very confused” by the administration’snews release.

After meetinginthe Mayor’sOffice at 3p.m. Friday, Edwards and Noel released ajointstatementthatsaid they agreed to newpolicies that willleadtobettercommunication between the Mayor’sOffice, the Metro Counciland theparish attorney

“Weare proposing that, when appropriate, an item be placed on the MetropolitanCouncil agendabefore theCity-Parishinitiates or responds to legal action,” Edwards and Noel said.

“Thiswill ensure thatthe Mayor-President and MetropolitanCouncilmembers have avoice and that the public hasanopportunity to be heard.”

McLindon said Friday he and the mayorcleared

parish had long managed with no zoningand decadesold development rules. But when Livingston became thefastest-growingparish in thestate,itbecameevident thatmore regulations were needed.

“Wewere the wild, wild West without zoningand theUDC,” council President JohnMangussaid Soon afterthe parish began drawing up zoning maps in 2021, it was handed afederal lawsuit. AscensionPropertiesInc., which was developing Deer Run, aplanned2,000-lot subdivision at 4-HClub Road across from Hillon Hood Road, sued the council, claimingit hadn’tfollowed the proper procedures when enacting its Zone 5map andthat it had unfairly targeted Deer Run.

The parishsettledin2023 in an agreement that slightly

new maps with moreRepublican seats followed by a seismic U.S. Supreme Court decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act and allowed lawmakers to getrid of Black-majority congressional districts,which generally elect Democrats. When Louisiana Republicans resolved toeliminate eitherFields’ orCarter’s seat,Fields rejectedthe prospect ofabattle between thetwo Black Democrats andsaidhewouldn’tchallenge Carter

It was the second time Fields was effectively ousted as an incumbent in Congress due to redistrictingbattles and court orders to eliminate hismajority-Black district, which also happened to him in the mid-1990s Andit’sthe second time he’splanning areturn to the Louisiana Senateafter a stint on Capitol Hill.

Fields said his returnto BatonRouge is nota step down fromWashington. “This is whereI feel like

tiple warnings,” aU.S. aircraft disabled the merchant vesselbyfiring amissile into theship’ssmokestack on July 15.

Earlier on Friday,U.S. President Donald Trump described negotiationswith Iran as “by far themost serious that we’veseen,”evenas the U.S. haslauncheddaily strikes. Trump addedthathe’s“notina hurry” to end the war

parish leaders.

things up about what happened theday before.

“The mayor came up to my office thismorning and explained how themiscommunication happened,” McLindon said. “I accepted hisexplanation,and Ilook forward to working withthe mayor going forward.”

Questionslinger

Still, some council members raised questions about theagreement with St. Georgeand expressedirritation that they had not been included in the negotiations. Adealwould likely require council approval, they argue.

“I would really like to see theagreement,” said council member Jen Racca, a Republican. “I’d really also like to know theparties that were involved in drafting this agreement.” Attempts to reach St George officials Friday were unsuccessful.

Some said the mix-up showed the need forbetter communication between top

reduced thenumber of Deer Run lots, voidedDistrict5’s zoning map andrequired theparishtopay AscensionProperties morethan $100,000. Thecouncil then startedover,partnering withthe globalengineering andinfrastructure consultingfirmWSP to design an updated master plan, implementparishwide zoning and craft the Unified DevelopmentCode.

“I’d like to congratulate LivingstonParish government andall theindividuals thatworked to make this a success,” said WSPSenior Vice President Max Nassar “Webelieve that Livingston hasone of thebestmaster plans, unified development codes and zoning codes in thestate.”

The Unified Development Code will nowhead to Parish President Randy Delatte’s office for his signature.

I’vebeen mosteffective,” he said. “It’shard to getthings done in Washington.”

Today,hesaid, Congress is “just so partisan,” and Republicansand Democrats no longerget to knoweach other on apersonal leveloutside theCapitol Building

That’sa lot different from histimeinWashington in the1990s. Fieldssaid he shared his personal experience of being raisedbyhis mother with 10 children, and he managed to soften the views of former Republican U.S.House Speaker Newt Gingrich on the need for the free lunch program.

“Newt lightened up alittle bit,” he said. “But those conversationsare not taking place today.”

Fields said he’llserve out his full termuntil Jan. 3. His office in Washington will closeNov.12, and his districtoffices in Louisiana will close Dec. 18. Email AlysePfeilatalyse. pfeil@theadvocate.com.

Vowing that Iran“will notbow to U.S.” bullying, IranianForeign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted ongoingdiscussions with two global powers often at odds with Americans —China and Russia —and warned in an interview with the semiofficial news outlet Tasnim that theIslamic Republic is “neitherintimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure.”

Council member Anthony Kenney, aDemocrat, said he thinks any talksbetween theMayor’s Office andSt. Georgewere likely done in good faith but said the council needstobebriefed before anything is finalized.

He said setting an incorporation date is crucialand complimented the parish attorney for taking theinitiative. But he saidthe recent spat could have been avoided with better procedures in place between theparish attorney andmayor,aswell as the parish attorney and council.

“I just think it’s alot of miscommunication that happened on bothsides,” Kenneysaid. “ButI thinkboth sides arereally working to try to get an incorporation date.

Theplanofgovernment defines theparishattorney

At thecenter of thefight is the Strait of Hormuz, acrucial passage forworld energy supplies that has been effectively shut downbyIranian attacks, sending fuelprices soaring and causing widespread economic turmoil.

In the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, whichishome to acontingent of American military advisers, security officials said Friday that U.S.-led forces hadshotdownfive explosive-laden drones. Repeated blasts echoed in Irbil, the capital of Iraq’ssemiautonomous Kurdish region, and plumes of black smoke wereseen near its airport, where U.S. forces are based. U.S. military officials did not respond to a request forcomment on the apparent attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran’sRevolutionary Guard said it had targeted the U.S. base in Udairi, Kuwait, setting ablaze and destroying three ammunitionand storage sheds. It also claimed to have struckawatchtower forthe U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, basedinBahrain, whichit said was damaged.

U.S. CentralCommanddid not respond to inquiries aboutthe claims.

as “the legal adviser of the Council, the Mayor-President, and all departments” —but it is the council that appoints the position.

Whythe date matters

The St. George movement first achieved voter approval to incorporate in 2019.

Shortly after, lawsuits werefiled during the Broomeadministration challenging theincorporation, which tied things up forfive years in various courts.

During that period, the city-parish continued to collect and use sales taxes in the St. George boundary to provide residents services.

Some St.Georgeleaders have argued that the new cityisentitled to thosetax dollars —estimated to be more than$200 million since their true date of incorporation is 2019. A2024 incorporation date

would negate any liability for thecity-parish regarding those funds. Also, St. George would likely begin paying $9 million to $11 million to thecity-parish each year forlegacyretirement costsonceanincorporation date is set. Adams applaudedthe decision to try and get acourt to resolve theunanswered question.

“If adecision is going to be made on theincorporation date, certainly the 459,000 residents of the parish need to be at the table in this lawsuit,” Adams said. “Having the parish attorney at the table during those conversations is, Ithink, good legal practice and ensures the people of the parish are well represented.”

Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STELLA MARTANy

Black smokerises followingexplosions near amilitarybase hosting U.S. forces in the northernIraqi city of Irbil on Friday.

Edwards hiredfor fire trucklawsuit

does, Louisiana’sformergovernor wouldtry the case

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Baton Rouge could soonjoin doz-

ens of local governments across the country in suing the nation’slargest

fire truck manufacturersover alleged antitrust violations —and if it

On Wednesday,the East Baton Rouge Parish MetroCouncil approved an agreement with theFishmanHaygoodlaw firm—where former Gov.John Bel Edwardsis now apartner —toexplore filing an antitrustlawsuit.

Over thepast year,anumber of lawsuits have been filed across the country against three manufacturers. LosAngeles County,Milwaukee and other local governments have accused Pierce Manufacturing,

RosenbauerAmerica andREV Group of working together to limit competition,chargehigher prices andforce fire departments to wait yearsfor new engine and ladder trucks.

The three companies belong to a trade group called theFire ApparatusManufacturers Association, and they own about 70% of the market, accordingtodata from theInterna-

tional Association of Firefighters.

In 2017, REV Group acquired Ferrara Fire Apparatus, which is based in Holden.

Money has been tight in the cityparish’s budget over the past few years, andChristelSlaughter, chief operations officer forthe mayorpresident, said rising costs of firefighting equipment is an issue

“It’sastronomical,” Slaughter said. “And when one is ordered, yousometimeshavetowaiteven two years for it to be delivered. It’s aburden.”

In testimony before the U.S. Senate in 2025, union leaders told lawmakers that theaverageprice of ladder trucks had risen from around $589,000 in 2020 to nearly $1.1 million in five years. Thecost of anew fire engine can range from $2 milliontoabout $2.5 million.

Baton Rouge has one of the highest-rated departments in the country,whichkeepsinsurance rates low.

CRAB ANDGO

Tropical StormBerthamay have delayed the start of the annual International GrandIsle Tarpon Rodeo, butonFriday,the party carried on, even though rough water made the fishing lessdesirable. An event that alwaysdrawsacrowdisthe children’s crab racing, which is held daily. The fishing competition runs through Saturday night with live music by The Wise Guys andDJs throughout the afternoon andafterthe final weigh-in

declared obsolete

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

BREC is moving forwardwith plans to sell two parks afterthey weredeemed obsolete.

On Thursday, the East BatonRouge Parish Recreation and Park Commissionunanimously voted to declare Blueberry Street andBelfair parks obsolete, which authorizes the parks agency superintendent to sell the properties, following no public commentonthe moves. The actions required that the Blueberry Street Park property be sold at no less than its appraised value of $125,000 and the Belfair Park property at $30,000.

ä

BY CHARLESLUSSIER Staff writer

Louisiana’stop school board failed to properly alert members of the public that it wasconsidering taking over two low-performingschoolsin Baker,anappellate court has found. The decision by afive-judge panel could force changes at the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, or BESE. The agenda forBESE’smeeting on March 12, 2025, madenodirect mentionofthe schoolsinBaker or thetakeovers. Instead,the agenda referenced areportbya BESE committeethat

ä See BESE, page 2B

International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo PresidentLiz Murrill speaks before the Children’sCrab Races on Friday.

STAFF PHOTOSBySOPHIAGERMER

St. Charles ParishAssessor and TarponRodeo Admiral of the Fleet TabTroxler releases the crabs for thecrabraces during the International Grand Isle TarponRodeo in Grand Isle on Friday

Ablue crab is entered intothe Children’sCrab Races during the International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.

Developer to build new housing for SU students

Blighted building will be turned into apartment complex

BY AVERY WHITE Staff writer

Construction is expected to begin soon on a new housing complex near Southern University, where developers plan to convert a blighted building into student living space.

Jaguar Colosseum, a $1 million development announced by Southern alumnusandprojectdeveloperDex-

ter Henderson, will sit along Scenic Highway a couple of miles from the university’s campus, repurposing a long-vacant building

The new student housing will have at least six fully furnished, four-bed, two-bath apartments for more than 20 students. The apartments will come stocked with a full kitchen and high-speed internet. The site also will include community and study spaces.

The developers have no plans to knock down the building, and instead are opting to gut the inside and build up from within. Architects believe the concrete building, which

is rumored to have once held fireworks, is one of the strongest structures in the city, Henderson said.

“If there was some bad weather or something happened in Baton Rouge, that would probably be the safest building in Baton Rouge,” Henderson said.

Henderson is a 1983 graduate and former football player for Southern who says he wants to give back to the school after finding success in his career He started with providing support to the university’s STEM programs, but Henderson saw a need for housing and wanted to help by creating Jaguar Colosse-

um, which has been in development for about a year, Henderson said.

“Knowing that Southern had an issue with housing for students, I thought it would be a great opportunity, a great investment, not only in the community but also to help Southern grow,” Henderson said.

Community leaders and developers on the project believe the project will be the next step in the revitalization of the Scenic Highway and north Baton Rouge.

“This is exactly the type of investment our community needs,” said Metro Council member Anthony Kenney, who represents Scotland-

ville. “The Jaguar Colosseum transforms blight into opportunity while creating new housing options that support Southern University and strengthen North Baton Rouge.” With permits secure, construction is expected to be completed for opening in early 2027.

This story was reported and written by a student with the support of the nonprofit Louisiana Collegiate News Collaborative, an LSU-led coalition of eight universities funded by the Henry Luce and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundations.

State whooping crane program sets fledging record

It brings the bird population to 84, officials say

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Louisiana’s whooping crane reintroduction program set a record this spring, with 10 chicks fledging during the 2026 nesting season, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced Wednesday The total is the highest recorded since the state’s experimental reintroduction program began in 2011 and surpasses the previous record of eight fledged chicks in 2022. Wildlife officials said it is also the highest number recorded

by any whooping crane reintroduction program. Eighteen of the 20 nesting pairs successfully hatched chicks this season. The record year brings Loui-

Angelo Brocato III, of historic N.O. dessert shop, dies at 85

BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer

Dropping in for a cup of gelato or a cannoli at Angelo Brocato Ice Cream and Confectionery can make anyone feel just a bit more Italian. For many years, a greeting from co-owner Angelo Brocato III, with a big smile under a bushy mustache and his trademark straw hat could feel like visiting with an Italian uncle over the sweet treats.

Now the Brocato family, and the extended community they’ve built around the New Orleans area, are mourning his loss.

After immigrating to the U.S., he worked sugar cane fields in the River Parishes to earn money to open his own shop in 1905.

It originally opened in the French Quarter, which at the time was the city’s Little Italy, packed with Sicilian immigrants and businesses serving them.

Brocato died Wednesday at home while in hospice care following a long illness, confirmed his brother Arthur Brocato. He was 85

“It was his joy,” he said of his brother’s love of the business.

“There was a lot of pride in his Sicilian heritage here, and he just enjoyed being around the people.”

Arthur Brocato and his wife, Jolie, have managed the family business for many years and continue to operate it. The Mid-City shop at 214 N. Carrollton Ave. opened for business as usual the day after the elder Brocato’s death. Some of the first customers walking in expressed sympathy over the dessert counter and shared stories of their old friend.

There are plenty to tell.

The Brocato family traces a direct line back to Sicily, and the village of Cefalu, near Palermo. That’s where namesake Angelo Brocato Sr was born and where he first learned the gelato trade as a young boy

LAWSUIT

Continued from page 1B

“But a lot of that rating is based on your water pressure, it’s based on the number of engines you have rolling, on how many people you have on those trucks,” said city-parish Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Jeff LeDuff. “So having the equipment is essential. Delays and these costs are an issue.”

Governor turned litigator

Edwards served as Louisiana’s 56th governor from 2016 to 2024. After leaving office, he joined Fishman Haygood and was elected partner in February this year, where he has worked alongside the firm’s business and litigation teams. Before his political career Edwards worked as a civil attorney

Angelo Brocato’s shop became a staple, sourcing fruit from the nearby French Market for its granitas and gelato with traditions from the old country, like specialty pastries for the Catholic holidays. In 1979, the shop moved to its current location on North Carrollton Avenue.

Brocato III, like his brother Arthur grew up in the business and was part of the third generation to take over in the early 1970s.

For more than 50 years, they ran the shop together, with a network of relatives stepping in for different roles, just like the family always had

Angelo Brocato III found his niche as essentially the Brocato’s brand ambassador, his brother said.

For many years, he handled deliveries to the grocery stores and restaurants that use Angelo Brocato desserts.

“He loved to make the rounds, that was his thing,” he brother recalled. “He would make the delivery, and then the restaurants were always feeding him, he’d be invited in for the staff meal red beans in the kitchen at Antoine’s or an escarole soup at Tony Angelo’s. He’d deliver cookies to Central Grocery in the French Quarter and talk about the racehorses.”

in Amite. Edwards was present at Wednesday’s council meeting and said the agreement between the city-parish and his law firm comes with no cost to taxpayers. If a lawsuit is filed and there is a favorable outcome in which the city-parish is awarded funds, then Fishman Haygood would be paid a percentage.

The former governor did not speak at Wednesday’s meeting about the details of a possible lawsuit, advising the council against discussing legal strategies publicly Slaughter said Edwards and the firm approached the mayorpresident’s team about a possible case and saw the other suits being filed across the country

“He obviously brings a lot to the table, and his firm brings a lot to the table,” Slaughter said. “So, we think we’re in very good hands.”

Louisiana’s whooping crane reintroduction program had a record-breaking spring with 10 chicks fledging, the most since the program started in 2011.

PROVIDED PHOTO By THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES

siana’s whooping crane population to 84 birds, including 32 that hatched in the wild. The first wild-hatched chick in the state’s reintroduction effort was born in April 2016, marking the first

BESE

Continued from page 1B

met the day before; that committee had recommended taking over the two schools.

Four of the five judges from the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal found that wasn’t enough to comply with state open meetings law

“The agenda item does not state what actions the committee was to take or consider at the meeting,” according to the panel’s 10-page opinion. “Without any reference to other agendas or outside information, an observer would not be able to discern what actions the committee or BESE as a whole would have taken in the March 12, 2025 meeting with respect to taking control of the two Baker schools.”

If the ruling stands, the 11-member state education body will need to add a lot more detail to the traditionally bare-bones agendas of the seven or eight regular meetings it holds in a year The ruling could force other public bodies in Louisiana that act similarly to make changes of their own.

And the ruling, which was issued Tuesday could open the door for others unhappy with recent BESE decisions to seek further litigation on similar grounds.

The First Circuit panel sent the matter back to a Baton Rouge judge for “further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”

Dannie Garrett, an attorney representing the City of Baker School District, said he plans to ask that 19th Judicial District Judge Eboni Johnson Rose declare BESE’s vote last March as “null and void.” Garrett said he also plans to ask Rose to award him attorney fees.

Regine Williams, a spokesperson for BESE, said the board is mulling whether or not to appeal.

“BESE has always sought to conduct its meetings in compliance with Louisiana law,” Williams said. “We will carefully review the court’s opinion and consider whether any changes to meeting agendas or related procedures are appropriate to ensure continued transparency and compliance with applicable legal requirements.”

The takeover of Baker Heights Elementary and Baker Middle schools was put on hold soon after BESE approved the idea.

The initial state plan was to take over one of the schools, Baker Middle, in May 2025 and hand it over to an Indiana-based charter school network, GEO Academies.

The City of Baker City School Board filed two lawsuits. One is the case involving state open meetings law The other alleges that BESE failed to follow state laws associated with school takeovers.

That latter lawsuit prevailed initially Judge Tarvald Smith in April 2025 temporarily blocked the state takeover Smith found that BESE erred when it neglected to first accept or reject a required

whooping crane hatch in Louisiana in more than 75 years.

“As the population gets older, we see some of the breeding pairs have more success, probably because of experience,” LDWF biologist Sara Zimorski, who oversees the project, said in a statement. “We have some pairs that are rock solid They’re consistently successful. It’s like they have figured it out.”

She added that even pairs that did not successfully fledge chicks gained valuable breeding experience. One breeding pair that failed to hatch a chick in 2025 successfully fledged one this year The season also marked the first fledged chick produced by a pair of cranes that were both hatched in the wild in Louisiana.

reconstitution plan for the two Frated schools submitted months earlier by the school district.

The state appealed, and five months later a different 1st Circuit panel reversed Smith’s ruling. That panel found the state had sufficient power to take over the schools because both had been labeled as academically unacceptable for four consecutive years. Indeed, Baker Middle had been an F school for nine years.

The open meetings lawsuit followed the opposite path.

Ad hoc Judge Michael McDonald ruled in May on that case. He was filling in for Rose, who at the time was suspended from the court. McDonald agreed that the wording of the March 12, 2025, BESE agenda “does leave some room for improvement,” but found that it did not violate state open meetings law

The appeals court came to the opposite conclusion.

The appellate judges zeroed in on a state law that requires that items on the agenda of a public meeting “shall be listed separately and described with reasonable specificity.” The judges found that McDonald erred by giving weight to the BESE committee meeting the day before the final vote, its “agenda and minutes were improperly admitted into evidence” and that such information is “extraneous to the issue before us.”

The only thing that matters is whether the agenda for the March 12, 2025, BESE meeting “lacked the required statutory detail, not whether the agenda and minutes of another committee sitting on a different day complied with the law.”

The prevailing judges were Kelly Balfour, Blair Edwards, Christopher Hester and Walter Lanier III.

The only dissenter was Judge Elizabeth “Beth” Wolfe, who said she would have upheld McDonald’s ruling on the open meetings law She said McDonald was the “fact finder” and his conclusion was “reasonable in light of the record reviewed in its entirety.”

As courts have considered these lawsuits, the Baker school district has taken action on its own, hiring Helix Community Schools to educate children in the school district. Helix is a charter group whose president and CEO is Preston Castille.

Castille is also a BESE member whose district includes Baker and was once a resident of the small city Castille was the only BESE member who voted against the Baker school takeovers.

Helix’s current schools in Baker Baker High and Park Ridge Elementary School — both showed notable academic improvement in one year under Helix, especially the elementary school where the percentage of students at the mastery level on LEAP tests improved 7 percentage points compared to the year before.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate.com.

The reintroduction program began in 2011 when wildlife officials released 10 juvenile whooping cranes at the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermilion Parish, marking the return of wild whooping cranes to Louisiana for the first time since 1950.

Whooping cranes are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and Louisiana law. Wildlife officials ask anyone who sees a whooping crane to observe it from a distance and report the sighting to LDWF. Anyone who witnesses suspicious activity involving the birds should contact the department’s Enforcement Division.

Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate.com.

PARKS

Continued from page 1B

Officials have said proceeds from any sales will be set aside in a separate fund and will be available only for BREC in that service area. The potential sales are part of a larger plan to reduce BREC’s land portfolio, which officials say will better prioritize the system’s resources. St. George Mayor Dustin Yates, who sits on the BREC Commission, emphasized at the Thursday meeting that approving the parks as obsolete does not immediately put them up for sale.

Yates also said that he recognizes that other local groups of residents might be interested in the parks’ properties.

“This does not sell the property,” Yates said. “I know that we’ve had some other groups that have shown interest in either purchasing the property or entering a cooperative endeavor agreement on the property, and none of that changes tonight.” At previous commission meetings, some residents spoke about potentially entering cooperative endeavor agreements with BREC to utilize the park property

At the April commission meeting, the governing board voted to declare Alexander Street, Dover Street, Lanier Drive, an outparcel at Corlett Drive at Sharon Hills, and Wenonah Street parks obsolete and then sell them.

According to the BREC Commission Chairman Mike Polito, BREC is considering selling more than 50 parks spanning the districts for Metro Council members Brandon Noel, Anthony Kenney, Aaron Moak, Darryl Hurst, Cleve Dunn Jr., Twahna P. Harris, Dwight Hudson and Carolyn Coleman. These districts encompass the entire region above Florida Boulevard, including north Baton Rouge and the cities of Central, Baker and Zachary. However, they also include parts of downtown, Mid City and the western portion of St. George.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.

Brocato

Jamesheadingto76ers

BY DANGELSTON AP sportswriter

PHILADELPHIA LeBron James’ first “final” decision was that he would retire. Weeks of deep reflection led him to change hismind, however,with all the familiaroptions in front of him to extend his career; athird trip with Cleveland, asecondstop in Miami, maybe even stay in California forahighprofile union in Golden State.

Nope —toall of those teams.

The blaring headline in bold letters still seemed like afeverish dreamtothe bulk of afan base that wasn’tevenalive thelast time the franchisewon atitle, but it’strue:

LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia76ers.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer made theannouncementonsocial media Friday, saying it will be his “last decision” and that it comesafter he stronglyconsideredretirement.

“I believe Ican help make thePhiladelphia76ers achampionship team and I am so excited to energize anew fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James said.

Afour-time NBA champion, James wrote he was “done” when his23rdNBA season

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BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

SAINTS PREVIEW SECONDARy

Expectations are high for LSU football ahead of its first season under coach Lane Kiffin.

Just how high are they?

TheTigers were picked to finishfifthin the SEC in the 2026edition of the league’s annual preseason poll, the results of which were released on Friday.Media members pegged LSU to land behind Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M but ahead of Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Florida. Only10times since 1992 hasthe media’s preseason predicted champion proceeded to winthe SEC title game.

Nine TigerswerevotedontoanAll-SEC team,too. Tightend Trey’DezGreen andlefttackle Jordan Seaton weregiven spots on the firstteam offense, while center Braelin Moore landed aplace on the third-team offense. Edge rusherPrincewill Umanmielenand linebackerWhit Weekseach picked up enough votes to land on thefirst-team defense. Cornerback DJ Pickett and safety Ty ä See LSU, page 3C

THE FO UP

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

At his locker in December, Alontae Taylor begandiscussing the future of theSaints’cornerbacks. He said he believed Quincy Riley and Kool-Aid McKinstry would be the “best duo” in theleague nextseason. But when it was pointed out that it couldbea trio notjustaduo —Taylorlaughed.Itwasn’t hardtoread between the lines.

“Nah. It’ll be the best duo, though,” Taylor said. Taylor wasn’tjust being humble.The 27-year-old could see his time with the franchise coming to an end —and months later, that’s exactly what happened. In March, Taylor signed athree-year,$60 millioncontract withthe Tennessee Titans.Inaninstant, the Saints losttheir top corner —adefender whocould playinside andout —on the open market.

But there’sreason to be optimistic that the Saints’ secondary will be fine after losing such an important chess piece. And it has alot todowith Taylor’soriginal outlook, as hyperbolic as it may have come across. The Saints are high on McKinstry and Riley—the black and gold’s1-2 punchonthe outside. And twoyoung promisingcornersslotinnicelywith agroupthat’salsodeep at safety Without them, Taylor’sdeparture would look bleak. But that’sfar from thecase.

Cornerback depthchart (name, height,weight, experience)

n Kool-Aid McKinstry, 5-foot-11, 199 pounds, 3years

n Quincy Riley,5-11, 195, 2

n Martin Emerson, 6-2, 201, 5

n Isaac Yiadom, 6-1, 188, 9

n Rejzohn Wright, 6-2, 193, 3

n Jayden Price, 5-11, 185, 1

n T.J. Hall, 6-0, 189, rookie

n Beanie Bishop, 5-10, 184, 2

n Dalys Beanum,6-1, 200, 1

Safety depthchart

n Justin Reid,6-1, 207, 9

n Julian Blackmon,6-0, 202, 7

n Jonas Sanker,6-1, 211, 2

n Jordan Howden, 6-0, 209, 4

n Terrell Burgess, 5-11, 202, 6

n Lorenzo Styles, 6-0, 194, R

n Elliott Davison, 6-0, 190, 1

Number to know:179.2

The Saintsheld opponentstojust 179.2 passing yards pergame last season,the fourth-best rate in the NFL. Andwhile theSaints trailed in many of those games,

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BY MARK LONG AP sportswriter

Aphotographer’scell phone started blaringa musical ringtone whileJon Sumrall spoke at SEC media days, and the first-year Florida coach responded with the kind of candor that has his players and his fanbase fired up about the program’s future.

“You would be kicked out of our team meeting, Iswear,” Sumrall said. “Like, you’re lucky I’m not going to throw this podium right now.That drives me crazy.I would (ask) whoisthat, but I’mnot going to embarrass anybody.”

Sumralllater insisted he wasjoking. Regardless, it wasaglimpse of just how comfortable theformer Troy andTulane coach is withbeing himself—honest, authentic and unapologetic.

He was hardly alone at the four-day event in downtown Tampa, Florida,thatkickedoff the season for afootball league desperate to enda three-year slumpwithout anational championship. Several of the league’ssix new coaches an SEC record —made arun at “winning” the annual media event. Now,more importantly,we’llsee

Saints safety Jonas Sanker runs adrill during practice on June 17 in Metairie. AP FILEPHOTO By MATTHEWHINTON

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Former Cowboys QB Romo arrested on suspicion of DUI

MILWAUKEE CBS NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has been arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office’s arrest report, Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests after getting stopped while driving south on Interstate 43 on Thursday Sheriff’s officials said Romo was taken into custody, booked and released.

A court appearance is set for Sept. 21.

Romo went to high school about 35 miles from Milwaukee in Burlington, Wisconsin.

The 46-year-ol has been the lead game analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage since 2017 after making four Pro Bowl appearances during an NFL career that ran from 2004-16.

Hamilton looks to pressure Antonelli

Formula 1 title race heads to Hungary

BY JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP sportswriter

Lewis Hamilton has a chance to pile pressure on Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes as the Formula 1 title race heads to Hungary, and there were promising signs Friday as Ferrari seemed to have the pace in practice.

Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix eight times, making it his most successful event besides his home British Grand Prix. It’s a track where cornering ability, not raw power, tends to make the difference, which could suit his Ferrari.

“I think we’ve got a car that can compete. Mercedes is still the car to beat, and they won’t be easy to beat this weekend, but I do think we’ve made subtle progress,” Hamilton said this week. “Hopefully we can be fighting with them this weekend.”

Ferrari leads the way

It certainly seemed that way as Ferrari topped Friday’s two practice sessions.

Hamilton set the fastest time of the day as he beat Leclerc by 0.148 of a second in the second session, with Lando Norris a distant third for McLaren, 499 away George Russell was the best Mercedes in fifth and Antonelli only 13th in a session interrupted by a red flag when Franco Colapinto spun into a barrier

In the first session, Leclerc went fastest by nearly half a second from Max Verstappen of Red Bull, with Hamilton a close third. Russell was fifth fastest in that session, too, while Antonelli sat out as the team worked toward its quota of practice sessions for non-regular drivers. Reserve Fred Vesti was seventh.

Struggling Aston Martin made some progress with an upgraded

car as Fernando Alonso placed 13th in the first session but a suspension failure sent teammate Lance Stroll spinning wildly The damage ruled Stroll out of the second session

It’s the last race before F1’s annual midseason break, and the next race won’t be until the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug 23.

One Mercedes driver leads

“Still a lot of work to do, still a mountain to climb in the second half of the season, but I’m more focused than ever and really believe that we can fight,” Hamilton said.

After the last race ended with celebrations for one Mercedes star and rancor from the other, this week in Hungary is a test of whether F1’s top team can stay united.

Antonelli almost doubled his lead to 45 points over Hamilton, and 50 over teammate George Russell, with a win in Belgium last week after Hamilton sent Russell spinning off the track on the opening lap. Russell vented his frustration in an expletive-filled radio message asking Mercedes why he’d suddenly lost speed and dropped behind Hamilton, forcing him

into a risky overtake.

Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta said Friday it was down to “a bug in our software” and the team found the problem. “We think we’ve finally understood it and nailed it coming into Budapest,” he said.

Fewer software quirks

After one race where mysterious software issues played an outsize role, expect Hungary to be a more traditional race, though maybe not an exciting one.

It’s a slow, winding layout with plenty of places where the cars can recover electrical energy under braking.

Belgium was the opposite, with long straights which left cars running out of charge and amplified the slightest differences in how and when electrical energy kicks in.

Drivers don’t directly control how much electrical power they use and Belgium highlighted just how much they’re at the mercy of the algorithms controlling how the energy is deployed at various points around the circuit.

Asked if he sometimes felt like a passenger, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri said: “Sometimes, yes. Again at a track like Spa or a track like Silverstone, it’s going to be worse.”

He added: “Here, I really don’t expect there to be many problems at all with that kind of thing, because the straights are so much shorter, so even if there are differences they should be a lot less. But the principle of driving a race car that loses effectively half of its power before the end of the straight is hard to get your head around sometimes.” Budapest has traditionally hosted processional races with few obvious places to overtake. Sunday’s race will be a test of whether the 2026-specification cars and their battery-boosted overtaking can bring an oftendull race to life.

Kim shoots a 59 at the 3M Open, only 15th in history

BY MIKE COOK Associated Press

BLAINE, Minn. — Michael Kim carded the 15th 59 in PGA Tour history on Friday, making a 24-foot putt for birdie on the 18th hole at the 3M Open. Kim birdied the final four holes of his bogey-free round at TPC Twin Cities to get to 14-under for the tournament.

This marks the fourth 59 on tour since 2024. Jake Knapp was the last to do so during the first round of the 2025 Cognizant Classic. Jim Furyk holds the tour record with a 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.

“Today was an awesome day, but still, I’m only halfway there so still need to kind of get focused up for the weekend,” said Kim, who shot 69 Thursday and holds a threeshot lead over first-round leader Ben Kohles after the Friday morning rounds. Kohles shot a 2-under 69 to get to 11-under His post-round interview was interrupted by a roar when Kim made his final putt.

“That’s sick,” he said smiling. “There’s a 59. I guess 62 wasn’t as good.”

Kim’s mindset is to not play “too protective.” That is not easy at the par-3 No. 17 and par-5 No 18 where water lines each hole.

“I tend to leave those short when it’s that uphill and I just, last thing was just get it there, just don’t leave it short,” said Kim, who raised his hands and did a few fist bumps when the ball sank into the cup. Kim, whose previous career low round was 62, made five straight birdies beginning on No 3 and added three in a four-hole stretch beginning on No. 9.

Eight of his birdies were from more than 10 feet.

“When you hit a putt and it does exactly what you kind of envisioned before you hit it, it’s an awesome feeling. Felt like that all day out there,” said Kim, whose lone tour win came at the 2018 John Deere Classic.

Second in the Valero Texas Open in April, Kim’s best finish in 12 tournaments since was 17th, and he missed four cuts, including the past three weeks at the British Open, Scottish Open and John Deere Classic.

the Women’s Scottish Open by five strokes after two rounds at Dundonald Links on Friday Shin started the second round with a bogey and shrugged it off with six birdies, including on her final hole, for a 5-under 67. She’s at 11 under overall. “Tried really hard not to make any three-putts,” Shin said. Shin was co-leader with American Lauren Coughlin on 6 under after day one of the tournament co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour But Coughlin who won the Aramco Championship in April and the Scottish Open in 2024, hit 2 over on Friday and dropped to 4 under and a tie for fourth with Japan’s Erika Hara. The closest to Shin was German golfer Esther Henseleit, who carded 4-under 68 with two birdies and an eagle.

South Korea’s A Lim Kim remained at 5 under and in third place after an even par round with two birdies and two bogeys.

F1 parent company reaches settlement in ticket lawsuit

LAS VEGAS Formula 1 parent company Liberty Media, which also promotes the Las Vegas Grand Prix, has agreed to a settlement of about $3 million to end a class-action lawsuit brought by spectators regarding the inaugural 2023 race. The opening-night practice session on Nov 16, 2023, was halted after nine minutes when Carlos Sainz Jr drove over a water valve cover that severely damaged his Ferrari. Practice didn’t resume until the early morning hours of Nov. 17, ending at about 4 a.m local time.

Those who had tickets for only that practice session or bought three-night tickets are eligible for compensation under the settlement. Claims must be filed by Aug. 27.

IOC won’t pursue member Infantino over red-card ruling

GENEVA IOC member and FIFA leader Gianni Infantino will not have to explain to the Olympic body how U.S. President Donald Trump helped to stop a player’s ban at the World Cup.

The IOC said on Friday it has no jurisdiction to investigate Infantino’s alleged lack of political neutrality

A London-based NGO formally complained this month to the International Olympic Committee ethics commission about Infantino, including his part in ensuring United States forward Folarin Balogun did not serve a mandatory one-game ban despite being sent off in the previous game.. Action has been taken against just one IOC member in the past eight years for unethical conduct.

Tennessee State places AD Allen on administrative leave NASHVILLE,Tenn. — Tennessee State University president Dwayne Tucker on Thursday placed athletic director Mikki Allen on administrative leave following an internal investigation which was prompted by a vote of no confidence from six coaches at the school.

Tucker’s investigation followed a May 28 letter from coaches at the school who expressed concerns about the athletic department’s leadership, direction, communication and operations.

“We were made aware of multiple concerns surrounding the leadership of the TSU athletic department through an open letter from six head coaches on May 28, 2026,” Turner said in a statement released to The Associated Press.

Man City and Spain midfielder Rodri to have back surgery

MANCHESTER, England Manchester City midfielder Rodri will undergo back surgery next week, coach Enzo Maresca confirmed Friday Rodri, who sustained an ACL damage in 2024 endured an injury disrupted campaign last season before winning the World Cup with Spain.

“I just kind of told myself like, ‘Hey, this is the way, this is the moment to get into the history books and let’s go for it, let’s not try to luck our way into it, let’s try to step up and hit some really good shots,’” he said Kim made a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 17, and a wedge from 124 yards landed pin high but rolled to the fringe of the 18th green, leaving an uphill putt with little break.

Playing the previous five weeks, Kim thought about skipping this week’s tour stop.

“I felt decent energy-wise,” Kim said, “so I went home after I missed the cut at the Open, just spent a couple days relaxing and came up here and really happy I did.”

LPGA Scottish Open

South Korea’s Jenny Shin led

Asked about her earmuffs, Kim said, “They keep my ears warm and my confidence is higher.”

World No 1 Nelly Korda was at 4 over, two above the cut line, after finishing her round of 76 with four straight bogeys.

Defending champion Lottie Woad was in a tie for 11th at par after a 2-under 70.

Maresca did not say how long it would take for him to recover from his latest setback, but confirmed he wanted the former Ballon d’Or winner to stay at the club amid speculation about his future.

“Around a big player, there are always speculation so I’m not worried about that. I think it’s normal also because they won the World Cup. He was one of the best players and I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he’s a top player,” Maresca said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DARKO BANDIC

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain walks past supporters after the first free practice ahead of the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix in Mogyorod, near Budapest Hungary, on Friday.

AP PHOTO By DAVID GOLDMAN

Michael Kim of the United States, shown at the British Open last Friday, carded just the 15th 59 in PGA Tour history on Friday to take the lead at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn.

QB battles, injured stars among NFL’s top storylines

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

Aaron Donald’s potential comeback bid, Patrick Mahomes’ recovery and several quarterback battles are just a few of the top NFL storylines entering training camp

The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots opened camp on Friday, joining the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers. The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers report on Saturday, and the remaining 26 teams start on Tuesday Ten teams have new head coaches, 21 have new offensive coordinators and 14 brought in new defensive coordinators.

Here are the top stories to watch:

DE Aaron Donald comeback

The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year is contemplating a comeback to team with star edge rusher Myles Garrett and increase the Rams’ chances of winning another Super Bowl in their home stadium. Donald is 35 and hasn’t played since retiring after the 2023 season. He played a key role for Los Angeles when the Rams won the Super Bowl five years ago.

Mahomes be ready for Week 1?

The three-time Super Bowl MVP tore two ligaments in his left knee last Dec. 14 as the Chiefs were on their way to a 6-11 finish. Mahomes had surgery to repair his ACL and LCL a day later, and participated in Kansas City’s offseason practices.

He is on track to play against Denver on Sept. 14, barring any setbacks. If Mahomes starts the opener it’ll be eight months post-injury QB Mayfield extension Mayfield is in the final season

of a three-year $100 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He tailed off after an outstanding start last season when he played through several injuries. Mayfield wants to stay with Tampa Bay and the Bucs want him. He’s expected to get around $55 million per season and it’s just a matter of when the two sides reach an agreement.

Starting QBs battle

There’s a battle between two lefties in Atlanta where Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr will compete. A change of scenery could help Tagovailoa regain his Pro Bowl form

Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy fight for the starting job in Minnesota. Murray, a two-time Pro Bowl QB in Arizona, is the favorite to start Week 1. McCarthy was the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2024 and could even end up No. 3 behind veteran Carson Wentz.

Deshaun Watson has a shot to start in Cleveland after tearing his right Achilles tendon twice in a span of three months and sitting out the 2025 season. Watson is in the final year of a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

Sheduer Sanders, who was 3-4 as a starter as a rookie, showed glimpses of his potential and will get an opportunity to win the job

Mendoza first-team reps

Kirk Cousins is expected to start in Las Vegas but Mendoza could end up starting sooner than later It’ll be interesting to see how many first-team snaps rookie coach Klint Kubiak gives Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, national champion and No. 1 overall pick.

Mannion change the Eagles’ offense?

The 2024 Super Bowl champs won 11 games last season despite

an inconsistent offense that cost Kevin Patullo his job as offensive coordinator Sean Mannion took over after coaching Green Bay’s QBs last season He was a journeyman quarterback in the NFL between 2015-23 and brings a new system that’s rooted in Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan’s philosophies of pre-snap motion, under-center plays and use of play-action.

He’ll be the sixth OC in seven seasons for Jalen Hurts, who won’t have A.J. Brown as his primary receiver this season.

Seahawks transition to Fleury

The Super Bowl champs replaced Kubiak with another one of Shanahan’s disciples. Kubiak and Fleury worked together previously in San Francisco. Fleury served in various roles with the 49ers and coaches tight ends and was the run game coordinator in 2025. He plans to keep much of Kubiak’s system, which allowed Sam Darnold to thrive.

Injury returns QBs Bo Nix (ankle) and Daniel Jones (Achilles) are expected to be ready for Week 1 Nix was injured in Denver’s playoff win against Buffalo and missed the AFC title game. Jones got hurt in Week 14 last season as the Colts were in the middle of a 7-game losing streak to end a season they began 8-2.

Tight end George Kittle (Achilles) could return to San Francisco’s lineup in the first month. Giants running back Cam Skattebo (tibia/ankle), Dolphins RB De’Von Achane (shoulder), 49ers edges Nick Bosa (ACL), Mykell Williams (ACL), Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter (LCL) and Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (ACL) are also coming back from significant injuries.

A Super Bowl in Charlotte? Tepper’s $1.3B renovation could help pave way

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Carolina Pan-

thers owner David Tepper is investing an additional $500 million into ongoing stadium renovations to improve overall fan experience with an eye toward potentially bringing the Super Bowl, NFL draft, 2031 Women’s World Cup and other major sporting events to Charlotte. The investment coincides with the team announcing it has reached a long-term extension on a stadium naming rights deal Thursday with Bank of America. The additional investment in the 30-year-old downtown stadium brings the total cost of renovations to $1.3 billion. The project is expected to be completed by 2030.

The Panthers released new stadium renderings highlighting enhancements and a broader vision of what is referred to as the new “Charlotte corridor,” which includes a 4,400-seat music venue designed to help make the city a

more attractive year-round weekend destination

“The long-term extension with Bank of America reflects the strength of our partnership and our shared commitment to the Carolinas,” Tepper the owner and chairman of Tepper Sports & Entertainment (TSE), said in a statement “For over three decades, Bank of America Stadium has helped create lasting memories for our fans and we’re excited for them to see what’s ahead. Our goal is to create experiences that enhance the passion and energy of the region while transforming this corridor into a weekend destination for world class sports, entertainment and community events.” Bank of America Stadium is currently home to the Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC, as well as the Panthers. It regularly hosts concerts as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and, most recently, a soccer match between the United States and Senegal which served as

Saints DE Jordan debuts new look at youth camp

BY ROD WALKER Sports writer

There are two things you can always count on this time of year from New Orleans Saints’ defensive end Cam Jordan.

1. Jordan hosting his annual camp for children.

2. A new hairstyle.

Jordan revealed his latest hairdo on Friday morning, the same day 215 girls and boys went through football drills at the Saints’ practice facility

This year, Jordan’s hair is short and blonde on top.

The inspiration behind this look?

“The World Cup just happened,” Jordan explained. “My man (French soccer player) Paul Pogba was one of my favorite guys in the 2018 World Cup. So it started there. Then I was watching the movie ‘Demolition Man’ the other night. That cemented it. I said, ‘You know what?’ Let’s have some fun with it.’”

The fun didn’t stop there for Jordan. He has just as much fun interacting with the kids at his camp.

The Saints’ all-time sacks leader served as quarterback during the eighth annual C3 Youth Football Camp, tossing passes to participants in one of the group sessions. Each camp participant was gifted a backpack, a bobblehead, a lithograph photograph, plus a meal and a sno-ball. Winners of a trivia contest at the end of camp received prizes that included autographed jerseys, gloves and helmets.

Jordan is entering his 16th season with the Saints. He signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal in June in what could be his final season.

“I was going to do this camp regardless,” Jordan said. “The fact that I was able to do it in the Saints’ building right before camp, I’m blessed. Now I have a third of the kids coming up to me and asking, ‘Hey, do you remember me when I first came to camp?’ I love that continuity that these kids keep coming back.” And Jordan, whose community service off the field has matched his production on the field, says he will keep coming back and holding his camp even after he hangs up his No. 94 jersey for good.

“Absolutely,” Jordan said. “One hundred percent. I don’t sell wolf tickets. I sell genuine love for this city.”

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setting up the opposing team’s run game, New Orleans’ defense also graded favorably on metrics such as passing expected points added per play, which accounts for game situation, opponent, and other factors.

The Saints’ pass EPA of -0.09 ranked 12th. And the change in scheme helped. By playing lots of Cover 3 and two-high safety looks, the Saints emphasized taking away the deep shot and forced opponents to take underneath options. The Saints went from allowing 6.4 passing yards per play in 2024 (ninth-most) to 5.7 (11th-fewest) last year

New Orleans also cut down on its explosive plays allowed, at times their Achilles heel in former coach Dennis Allen’s final season.

The lowdown

a precursor to the World Cup.

First-ever Super Bowl in Charlotte?

When asked directly if the Panthers are considering submitting a bid to host a first-ever Super Bowl in Charlotte, team president and TSE CEO Kristi Coleman replied, “We would love to get a Super Bowl. I think doing projects like this help you get it. It for sure helps your resume.”

Of course, there are other factors that go into ultimately landing the NFL’s biggest event, including number of hotels and other infrastructure.

“Does this guarantee (a Super Bowl)? No. But does this help? Yes,” Coleman said.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was in Charlotte on Thursday night for a ceremony celebrating the stadium renovations, was asked about the feasibility of Charlotte hosting a Super Bowl.

“I think if the growth (in this city) continues that is probably somewhere down the line,” Goodell said.

The Saints may be positive they can make up for Taylor’s absence, but there is still some question over how they go about doing so. During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, the Saints elected to put second-year safety Jonas Sanker at the “star,” Staley’s version of the slot cornerback position that Taylor occupied. That’s putting a lot of trust in the 23-year-old, but New Orleans’ staff strongly believes he’s up for the task. As a rookie, Sanker started every game at safety after Julian Blackmon suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. They believe he’s smart enough to handle all the different intricacies the position requires. But there is a difference between being a good fit on paper and showing that he’s up for the task. And as confident as the Saints are in Sanker, the former third-rounder will have to show he’s capable of protecting the slot as Taylor once did. There are also questions about New Orleans’ depth at corner If

Sanker gets hurt, for instance, who is the next man up at star?

Jayden Price and Beanie Bishop took the backup reps during the spring; both were on the practice squad a year ago. On the outside, Martin Emerson and Isaac Yiadom provide a veteran presence in case Riley or McKinstry gets hurt, but Emerson is coming off a torn Achilles and Yiadom was benched last season.

Still, if this group can stay healthy the Saints have plenty to like. New Orleans’ secondary features observant players who react quickly and understand the complex match-zone concepts that Staley deploys.

Training camp battle to watch In practices open to the media this offseason, the Saints used only Sanker in Taylor’s old spot But under coach Kellen Moore last year, New Orleans waited until training camp for position battles to truly begin. If that pattern holds, perhaps the Saints will try several combinations with the first-team to see what they have before the season begins.

“Our goal is to get the best five (defensive backs) on the field,” safeties coach Terry Joseph said. There are other combinations that the Saints can try One simply entails swapping Blackmon and Sanker, with Sanker moving back to safety and Blackmon playing inside. But it would benefit the Saints to experiment with other looks, given Blackmon’s lengthy injury history That could mean New Orleans trying Riley or McKinstry inside, with Emerson in one of their outside spots. It also remains to be seen whether any of the Saints’ draft picks can contribute this season. Lorenzo Styles, a fifth-round pick, played in the slot at Ohio State but is considered a raw prospect. The same can also be said about seventh-rounder T.J. Hall, who is seen more as an outside corner Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry runs a drill during organized team activities on June 10 in Metairie. McKinstry is looking to establish himself as a leader in his third year with the Saints.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hands off the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14 in Kansas City, Mo.

STAFF PHOTO By ROD WALKER Texas quarterback Arch Manning scores a touchdown past Texas A&M cornerback Will Lee on Nov. 28 in Austin, Texas.

WNBA star Reese gets her own Barbie in return to Chicago

BY JAY COHEN AP sportswriter

CHICAGO Bayou Barbie is back in Chicago With her own Barbie, too.

Angel Reese is playing in her third WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday at the United Center This time, she is representing Atlanta in her first season with the Dream following a messy split with the Chicago Sky

“It’s so crazy, full circle,” Reese said, “I’m back here in Chicago, again, where it kind of all started.

Coming to Atlanta, I mean it’s been a dream come true, literally It’s helped me in so many different ways.” Reese, 24, is on “Team Coop” for this weekend’s showcase event, alongside Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces headline “Team Spoon.”

WNBA greats Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon drafted the All-Star teams from players that were either voted as starters by fans, media and fellow players or chosen as reserves by the league’s coaches. Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon is coaching Cooper’s team, and Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve is in charge of Weatherspoon’s squad.

“Honestly I’m just really happy

JAMES

Continued from page 1C

ended and that it was his last with the Los Angeles Lakers

“I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game,” James wrote. “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”

The 41-year-old James is set to sign a modest $8 million, two-year contract on the veterans’ minimum with the Sixers according to ESPN. He made nearly $53 million last season.

“I’m not going for money I’m not

to be here and be surrounded by so many amazing women and All-Stars and Hall of Famers and people that I’ve looked up to my entire life,” Bueckers said. “I never want to take these moments for granted and just really soak it up and enjoy building relationships with people.”

Minnesota guard Olivia Miles, part of “Team Spoon,” is the only rookie picked for the All-Star Game in the WNBA’s 30th season.

The No 2 pick in this year’s draft is averaging 19.3 points and 5.9 assists in 26 games for the Lynx.

“It’s definitely weird being the only rookie, but I know I belong and I’m happy to be here,” Miles said. “It’s an honor Definitely grateful, and yeah, just soaking it all in.”

Reese starred at LSU before she was selected by Chicago with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft.

The 6-foot-4 forward earned the nickname “Bayou Barbie” while helping the Tigers win the 2023 national championship.

Fast forward to Friday, when Mattel unveiled a Reese Barbie doll with a pink Angel No. 5 jersey and special Reebok basketball shoes.

“I remember, I think it’s been three years now, since the Bayou Barbie came about when I was in

going for family,” James wrote.

“What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice.

I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning.”

James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” the adopted sports anthem of city teams.

The video ends with the lyric, “hold up, wait a minute. Y’all thought I was finished?” and cuts to a 76ers’ logo.

Fanatics already had his No. 23 jersey on sale for $125 with delivery not expected until the end of August. The company sold out

ADVERTISEMENT

Baton Rouge, and I used to put Barbie stuff on merch and stuff, and I wasn’t really supposed to,” Reese said. “So I told them I really

within hours of the announcement.

Much as James did for Cleveland when he ended a 56-year championship drought for the city by leading the Cavaliers to the title in 2016, he can snap a lengthy title drought for the Sixers.

The Sixers went 45-37 last season and were swept in the second round by the NBA champion New York Knicks.

Most betting sites had the Sixers as 9-1 favorites to win the championship behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, as of Friday afternoon.

James joins a 76ers team that has not won an NBA championship since 1983 and has not advanced out of the second round of

When you’re comparingplans ...

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

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to pay hundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid

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

Previous dental work canwear out.

Even if you’ve had quality dentalwork in the past, you shouldn’t take your dentalhealth forgranted.Infact,yourodds of havinga dental problem only go up as you age.2

Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best way to preventlargedental bills is preventive care. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.

Treatment is expensive especially the servicespeople over 50 often need.

Consider these national average costs of treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethis can be areal burden, especially if you’re on afixed income.

“Medicare&You,”Centersfor Medicare&Medicaid Services,2025. 2 “Aging changesinteeth and gums”, medlineplus.gov,4/17/2022. 3 FairHealth, Inc. National average dentalfees. Datacurrent as of July 2025;subject to change

“Absolutely love” “I absolutely love my dental insurance. My dentaloffice files the claims,leaving me with very little balancetopay.” Dorothy P.,TN

12.9 rebounds over his first two seasons with Chicago. But the Sky won just 23 games in her two years with the team.

Reese was critical of Chicago’s play at the end of last season. She apologized to the team for her comments and was suspended for the first half of a game against Las Vegas.

She was shipped off to her new home in April, traded to the Dream for two first-round draft picks

“The double-doubles, they don’t matter unless we’re winning,” Reese said. “So I’m just really happy to be with Atlanta. They have welcomed me with open arms. It feels like a really safe place for me. It’s the safest I’ve ever felt, the most loved I’ve ever felt. And I’m really happy be with them.”

Atlanta is 16-10 at the break, and Chicago has a 9-18 record. Reese is one of three All-Stars from the Dream, joining Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray

While Reese is suiting up for “Team Coop,” Howard and Gray are playing for “Team Spoon.” Weatherspoon coached Chicago during Reese’s rookie year

“I love her Like you see her, she’s so positive,” Reese said of Weatherspoon. “She comes in every day and just is always just happy And you just want somebody in your

wanted to have a Barbie doll one day, and to have Barbie is like, you got to be iconic.” Reese averaged 14.1 points and

the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.

The 76ers should boast one of the top starting fives in the NBA with second-year standout VJ Edgecombe, fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer this past season acquired in a stunning offseason deal with the Celtics. Maxey posted an Instagram story of him celebrating in a gym and yelling “what!? what?!” over the news while Brown wrote on X “#throwtheballup.” Brown wrote the same phrase in his introductory note to Philadelphia, and it has already been branded on billboards throughout the city Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro even proclaimed Friday as LeBron James Day in the state. Turned out with the Brown deal, new 76ers team president Mike Gansey — an Ohio prep basketball star with James — was just getting started with his summer of surprises. No move, of course, hits like James’ arrival. Playing with his home team in Cleveland to the bright lights of Los Angeles and with the talent he took to Miami, James won an NBA championship everywhere he played. James left the Lakers after an eight-season run highlighted by the 2020 NBA title.

TerryRobinson

FAITH MATTERS

Speakerfinds happinessin ‘Theologyof theBody’

The right theology led Evan Lemoine to happiness and his life’scalling.

The Baton Rouge native is an internationally known speaker and expert on “Theology of the Body.” Now living in Mexico, Lemoine recently returned for presentations at St. Agnes Catholic Church, including ayoung adult sessiontitled “Does God Want Me Happy? Who IAmand Who God is Based on the Theology of the Body.”

“The Theology of the Body gave me the understandingthat God calls me to happiness anda very intimate relationship with him,” said Lemoine, aCatholic High and LSU graduate.

Based on aseries of 129 teachings developed by Pope John Paul II, Theology of the Body presents God’splan for human love, sexuality and dignity

“The body and only the body is capable of making visible the invisible,the divine spiritual and the divine. It transfers early reality,the mystery of God, to all eternity,” Lemoine said, quoting John Paul II. Lemoine, 44, explained that the teachings stress God’sdesires for people to experience alife of abundance, not merely enduresacrifice and suffering.

“He wantshappiness,” Lemoine said. “He wants his glory for us here on earth and in heaven. It’snot just aboutsucking it up until we die and hope it was all worth it.” The teachings helped transform Lemoine’slife as a 21-year-old LSU student.

Lemoine said his world was “rocked” in high school when his parentsseparated briefly After they reconciled, Lemoine asked his father how theywere able to rebuildthe marriage.

“He said, ‘You have two options: Youcan either build your house on sand, or you can build it on solid rock,’”Lemoine recalled.“’For the first 25 years of our marriage, we built it on sand, and you saw what happened.

ä See FAITH, page 3D

As the school year starts, we’re thinkingabout thepeoplewho stand at the front of the room, who open classroom doorswith asmile. Sometimes astranger in August becomes the person a student never forgets.

Certain teachers saysomething on arandom October afternoon and studentsrepeat it for decades to come —orateacher mayleadbyexample and give in waysthat changes lives.

We invite readers to tell us about that teacher who made all the difference: write aletter directly to the teacher and send it to us. Or tell the story plain:a name, aclassroomand the moment that stuck. We’relooking forthe lessons that have outlasted the chalkboard(or the dry-erase board,as the case maybe). Send your letter or story,includingthe name of the teacher, name of school, city andyear to jan.risher@ theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. July 28. Photos of the teacher arealso welcome.

Cutie-pie Cognac takes aselfie

withreporter Maddie Scott after hanging out for afew hours.

DOG DATE

BR shelterletsyou take adog foraday, so Cognac

andI watched’90scartoons

BYMADDIESCOTT

off while watching ‘Couragethe Cowardly Dog.’ Cognac,a pit bull mix, wasadopted from the Companion Animal Alliancelast week.

BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Learning on

taff writer

It was arainy Monday afternoon, and Iwas sitting n the couch watching “Courage the Cowardly Dog” with a65-pound furball pure of heart.

Meet Cognac, a7-to8-year-old pit bull mix, who I met through theDate-A-Dog program at Companion Animal Alliance in Baton Rouge. The program tranitioned to include public participation in January,alowinganimal lovers to take adog outfor adate,on utings like awalk around the LSU lakes, grabbing a up cuporhanging out at home.

For Cognac and I, it was watching cartoons on a loomysummer afternoon. He laid on the couch, noding off halfwaythrough an episode of “Courage the Cowardly Dog”while cuddling aSaints blanket that I aught in this year’sSpanish Town parade.

CAA is anonprofit that began in 2010 and is the only pen-intake shelter in East Baton Rouge Parish. The helter has acontract withEast Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control, and by law,CAA can’tturn any animals away unless they’re found outside of the parish, ccording to Collins Fairley,programsdirector at CAA.This includes livestock, gerbils, rabbits, ferrets, reptiles, birds and more. Fairley oversees ahandful of programs, including

STAFF PHOTOSByMADDIESCOTT Cognac nods

PROVIDED PHOTOFROMFOOD NETWORK Duana Lawrence, fromleft, Dionne Lewisand Sherman Clarke are Team Stuph’donthisseason of ‘The Great Food TruckRace.’

See DOG, page 2D

RELIGION BRIEFS

Womandatingfriend’s former one-nightstand

Dear Harriette: Ijust found out my friend is dating a guy Islept with acouple of years ago back in college. None of my friends knew; it was aonenight stand, and I was too ashamed to tell them asecret that Ithought would never resurface. Now,two years later,one of my bestfriends is seriously dating the guy They’ve been going steady for afew months now.Myfriend and Ilive states away and don’tcatch up as often as we should, which is why I’m only just finding out. Idon’tbelieve they’ve been intimate yet, but Iwonder if Ishould be honest withmyfriend about the night Ishared

Seventh-day Adventist Grill &Chill event

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

with this guy. Would Iberuining somethinggood with old,irrelevant news? Or would my friendgenuinely want to know? The other factor that keeps gnawingatmeisthat he knows of our friendship. Now,he could havegrown genuine feelings for my friend, but Ifeel alittle uneasy that he wouldpursue the friendofsomeone he’salready slept with. I’m not sure howtoproceed. If youwere inthissituation, would you tell your best friend? —Love Triangle Dear Love Triangle: I’mguessing that if what you hadwith this guy was only aonenight stand, it doesn’tmean anythingtoeither of you.

Ihatetosay it, but thereis even achance thathemay not remember.That said, you called her one of your best friends. Idon’tthink you should hide it from her, nor make it abig deal. Tell her you went out with him once and whatever your impression was. If he seemed like anice guy,say so.Ifshe wantstoknow more, spill the beans: It was aone-night stand, and aone-night stand only.There it is, on the table. She will have the information. Youwill have been transparent,and it shouldn’t be abig deal.

Send questions to askharriette@harriettecole. com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

DOG

Continued from page1D

Date-A-Dog, which began about three and ahalf years ago as avolunteer-only program during COVID.InJanuary,the program openedto anyone interested.

“Wewanted more of our animals to get outside of these four wallsand be seen,”Fairley said. “And by being seen while they’re out there, we’re learning about them. You’re going to see personality traits that you just do not see in this shelter.”

Fairley said the shelter’s chaotic environment can start to weigh on the animals physically,sowith this program, dogs can catch a break.

“Any dog that’sbeen in the shelter for over 30 days, we’re going to start working alittle harder to findplacement, because every 30 days, you’re going to start to see behaviors compound,” she said. “You’re going to start to see physical changes in thedog.”

Howtosignup

To partake in the DateA-Dog program, those interested can visit CAA at 2550 GourrierAve., fillout aGoogle form (which is accessible through aQRcode

waste bag,a resource card, plus the collar,leash and ‘adopt me’ bandana worn by the pup.

near thefront doors),watch aquick orientation video andpay a$5participation fee.

“That participation fee is adonation,” Fairleysaid.

“It comes back to our shelter and ideally allows us to keep thesupplies needed for Date-A-Dog but also to our enrichmentprogram.”

From there, participants get to pick adog from acurated list. To getonthe list, dogs must meet three criteria: they must be spayed or neutered, microchipped andrabies vaccinated. Dogs also make the list basedoff length of stay

Onceboththe human and dog are date-ready,participants can pick up apooch during CAA’s operating hours.Besureto drop your dateback off by5 p.m After thedate, the shelter

encourages participants to fill outa“report card,” an online formthatasks how the date went. Where did you go? How were the dog’s leash manners? Did your dateknow any commands?

Cognac thecutie-pie

During my day with Cognac, thesky couldn’tdecide whether it wanted to rain or not,sowekept busy with indoor activities, otherthan a short walkaround the neighborhood.

Isaw alot of personality in Cognac. He’sa laid-back sweetheart whofollowed me wherever Iwent. When Iwashed dishes, he joined, plopping on the kitchen floor until Iwas done. When Isat next to him, he always rolled onto his side to ask for belly rubs.

Itriedtogive him aSlowpoke Pokémon stuffy,but he wasn’tinterested. Cartoons seemed tosuffice.

I’mhappytoreport that Cognac was adopted on July 18,just fivedaysafter our date.Ifyou’reinterested in taking other dogs outona date, visit CompanionAnimalAlliance. Or better yet, adopt!

CompanionAnimalAlliance, 2550 Gourrier Ave., BatonRouge. Date-A-Dog pickups are available noon to 4p.m.Monday,Wednesday,Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Tuesday

Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, 5100 Osborne Ave., Baton Rouge, will host afree Community Grill &Chill from 6p.m. to 8p.m. Saturday

The evening will offer grilledhot dogs andhamburgers, chilled watermelon, assorted beverages, live and recorded music, fun activities for allagesand prayer for those who desire it

The community is invited.

Missionaryevent set for Aug. 4-6

First Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church,575

Education St., Baton Rouge, will host arevival TuesdayThursday,Aug. 4-6, with prayer,praise and worship from 6p.m. to 7p.m., followed by the revival service at 7p.m.each evening.

The guest speaker for all three nights will be the Rev. RicardoL Handy Sr of Mount Zion Inner-City Church, Plaquemine. The revival themeis“YouMust Leave the Boat,” based on Matthew 4:18-22.

The Rev.Henry J. Brown is the host pastor.Partici-

pating churchesinclude Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church and Greater Beulah Baptist Church. The public is invited.

Greater Mt. Carmel Back 2School Bash

Greater Mt. Carmel Baptist Church of Scotlandville, 1414 Sora St., will host its annual Back 2School Bash from 10 a.m. to 1p.m.Saturday,Aug. 1. Sponsored by theABWM Sisterhood Ministry,this year’s school supply giveaway is themed “Preparing Our Youth for aBrighter Tomorrow.” For moreinformation, call (225) 775-7372.

reasserted his authority.)

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday

July 25, the 206th day of 2026. There are 159 days left in the year

TodayinHistory: On July 25, 1972, the notoriousTuskegee syphilis experiment came to light as The Associated Press reported that for the previous four decades, theU.S. Public HealthService, in conjunction with the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, had been allowing poor,rural Black male patientswith syphilis to go without treatment, even allowing more than 100 of them to die, as away of studying thedisease.

Also on this date: In 1866, Ulysses S. Grant was named General of the Army of the United States, thefirst officer tohold the rank.

In 1898, U.S. military forces landed in Guánica, Puerto Rico, during the Spanish-American War; Puerto Rico would become aself-governing U.S. commonwealth with theadoption of aconstitution.

In 1943, Benito Mussolini was dismissed as premier of Italy by King Victor Emmanuel III, and placed under arrest.(He was later rescued by theNazis and

In 1956, the Italian liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish passenger ship Stockholm off the NewEngland coast late at night and began sinking; 51 people —46from the Andrea Doria, five from the Stockholm —were killed. (The Andrea Doria capsized and sank the following morning.)

In 1960, aWoolworth’s store in Greensboro, North Carolina, that had been the scene of nearly six months of sit-in protests against its Whites-only lunch counter, dropped its segregation policy

In 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the first “test tube baby,” wasborn in Oldham,England; she’d been conceived through the technique of in vitro fertilization.

In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan’sKing Hussein signed adeclaration at the White House ending their countries’ 46-year-old formal state of war

In 2010, the online whistleblower WikiLeaks posted some90,000 leaked U.S. military records that amounted to ablow-byblow account of the Afghanistan War, including unreported incidents of

Afghan civilian killings as well as covert operations against Taliban figures. In 2019, President Donald Trumphad asecond phone call with the new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy during which he solicited Zelenskyy’shelp in gathering potentially damaging information about former Vice President Joe Biden; that night, astaffmember at the White House Office of Management and Budget signed adocument that officially put military aid forUkraine on hold.

Today’sbirthdays: Folk-pop singer-musician Bruce Woodley (The Seekers) is 84. Rock musician Jim McCarty (The Yardbirds) is 83. Reggae singer Rita Marley is 80. Musician Verdine White (Earth, Wind &Fire) is 75. Modelactor Imanis71. Rock musician Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) is 68. Celebrity chef/TV personality Geoffrey Zakarian is 67. Actor Matt LeBlanc is 59. Actor Wendy Raquel Robinson is 59. Actor David Denman is 53. Actor Jay R. Ferguson is 52. Actor James Lafferty (TV:“One Tree Hill”) is 41. Actor Meg Donnelly (TV:“American Housewife”) is

Cognac was recently adopted from the CompanionAnimal Alliance in Baton Rouge.

Don’tbitethe hand that filesyourtaxes

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Ivolunteer at acenter that provides free tax prep for seniors. Iamthe greeter,and am really tiredofpeople’sarrogant and rude behavior to me

Ihave received rude and nasty remarks from way too many clients. And this year,I’ve been told, “Get on your feet, honey,” and “This is women’swork” when asking peopletofill out arequired form. Please help me deal withthisissue. Why people think it is OK to behave so rudely to avolunteer not that people should be rudeto anyone —isconfounding

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

GENTLE READER: It is counterintuitive, as well: Since this is afree

service, they need you more than youdothem Etiquette does not require you to tolerate such behavior, Miss Manner assures you.A shocked “I beg your pardon?” is warranted, as well as the polite suggestion that if these offenders are unable to perform thenecessary taskswithout insult, they maywanttolook elsewhere for their services. Whether or not you get on your feet to help them is up to you.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Lately,I’ve noticed alot of my friends REALLY wanttovisit my house. They tell me allthe time, and some even invite themselves over

I’ve never experienced anythinglike this before. My home is nothing special, but Iget the feeling that my friends think it’sa magical place.

For background, I’m acrafty person, and abit of asocial butterfly.Over thelast few months, I’ve made amajor effort to combat my loneliness: being more friendly,building relationships and relearning the in-person social skills that have eroded in the internet age.

For thesereasons, Ithink my friends are under theimpression that my home is an extension of thewelcoming, comforting vibe Itry to foster as aperson. They thinkthey’ll find afun, creative and colorful theme park, instead

of a370-square-foot studio apartmentwith bare walls and abunch of clutter Ilove my apartment; I’mproud of living within my humble means. Iwant to have afriend or two over every so often, and can handle an occasional relaxed visit,but Iwant it to be on my terms.Right now,I feel like the expectation is that Iprovide some sort of immersive and social media-worthy pop-up experience that my friends should have access to on demand. In reality,all Ihave is aquiet, cozy homefor one, which Ishouldn’tbemade to feel ashamed of.

I’m on theverge of just making theplace as messy and disgusting as possible, then throwing aparty

Disposeofpaper withoutshredder

Dear Heloise: If you don’t own apaper shredder here’sasecond solution: For alarge amount of paper withpersonal information on it, you can place it in adish pan and fill the pan with water and acup of bleach. The ink will mostly dissolve, and the paper will become mushy.Then you can just put it in the trash. —Bill B.,in Benton,Arkansas

Prepping forthe cold

to nip the whole thing in the bud, but I’mwondering if Miss Manners might have abetter solution. Maybe one involving manners?

GENTLE READER: Yes, that would be preferable to adisgusting apartmentmeant to deter the friends you have worked so hard to procure. Since you stated that you do not mind having one or two over,why not start with that? Invite them individually,over time. If your apartment is as unimpressive as you say,Miss Manners is sure that word will spread. Better that than germs.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.

FAITH

Continued from page1D

used all the time. Here it is:

topher West, president of Theology of the Body Institute in Philadelphia.

inside and outside— as well as thescreens. We mulch thegarden,stock upon firewoodfor ourtwo fireplaces, stockup on canned goodsin case we can’t get to thestore, and fillour large freezer with various meats and poultry

Dear Heloise: Rightaround this time of year,myhusband and Imake achecklist of things that we need to do before the cold weather hits, which is as soon as September for us. This includes tasks such as washing all the windows

RACE

Continued from page1D

“Race” in April

“That was the reallyexciting part about it all,” said Lawrence, 45, on agroup call on Monday.“That was our first time doinga food truck or being on afood truck.”

The series’ casting team reached out to the trio after seeing areview on socialmedia about their St. ClaudeAvenue eatery,which they’ve operated for 10 years. The menu features traditional beignets, sweet-stuffed beignets (Oreo, sweet potato pie and praline cheesecake among the choices), and savory beignets (veggie, barbecue beef, and surf and turf.)

Aregular burger is available on the menu, but there’salso cheddar and jalapeño-stuffed burgers, hot sausage-stuffed burgers, shrimp-stuffed burgers and more.

The “stuffed-ness” is what makes theburgers stand

Iwash all theblankets,callinacompany to steam clean thecarpets,and get our handyman to check out thefurnace and fireplaces. We place fresh batteries in thesmoke detectorsand make sure that we have flashlights and aportable radio. If we’re hitwith anasty snowstorm (andweusually have oneor more of thesecome winter), we’ll be OK. My husband bought a generatorand amedical

emergency kit this summer as well. It’sbetter to be prepared than not.

—Deanna T.,in North Dakota

Asimplefacialmask

Dear Heloise: Youonce printed arecipe for afacial mask that tightens the skin and makes the skin look fabulous. Itried it before for abig party,and everyone said Ilooked like Ihad just gotten back from avacation. Iknow it had powdered milk,but Idon’t remember what elsewas in the mixture. Would you reprint this “recipe” for me andothers who want their skin to look good after spending thesummer in the sun?

—MaryAnn P.,inNewport, Rhode Island

MaryAnn, yes, of course I’ll reprint this time-honored facial that my mother

out, Clarke, 55, said Stuph’d Beignets and Burgers is asmall operation —five employeesand limited hours rightnow.The colorful, eclectic dining area’s walls spotlight New Orleans artists, including Sheila Bankston’s(@EyezArtwork) paintings and amural by Journey Allen

With onlytheir hometaught culinary skills, the Stuph’d team headed for “Race’s” starting line along

withfellow contestants: Bug &Bear’sCannoli, Los Angeles (JosephSerpico, MatthewWilson, Dina Pecci); Cason Funnel Cakes,Richmond, Virginia (Terrance Cason, Andre Cason, Morris Green);Deadproof Pizza Co., Derry,New Hampshire (Thomas Lomanno, Dante Marino, Lisa Bosteels); Grounds Donut House, Bronx, New York (Carmela Varotta, Gabriella Amoroso, Stephanie Hill);Hele

1egg white

1teaspoon of powdered milk

½teaspoon of olive or coconut oil

Vigorously stir theingredientstogether until everythingismixed well. Using an artist’s1-inch-wide brush, apply this mixture all over your face and neck, and allow it to remain on your skin for 20-30 minutes. Youmight want to do this when you have time to lay down and relax. Afterward, wash off with warm water (Theeasiest way to wash it off is in the shower.)

Readers, do any of you have afacial you routinely use that is made from items found in your kitchen? Let us know at Heloise@Heloise.com. —Heloise

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

Rolls,Kapolei, Hawaii (BrittanyLopez, Jasmine Milam, MariWills); Jollof Bowl, Baltimore, Maryland (Ethel Kamara, AndreaKamara, LekanOketunji);and Waffadilla, Hampshire, Illinois (Shawn Peterson, Madison Peterson, Gavin Mari)

We hada blast. It was tiring. It was filled withlessons,”LSU graduateLewis, 26, said. “Itshowed us how much we can come together andmakesomething happen when we really want to.”

Veteran TV food personality andrestaurateurFlorence also passed along some knowledge.

“I understand cheftalk now. T-Man(Florence) has taught me so much chef talk,” Lewis said. “I understand the importance of differences in textures and colors.All of that matters. I neverthought aboutany of that stuff prior to meeting Chef Tyler.”

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.

Nowwe’re built on rock, andthatrock is having God at thecenter and learning howtolove oneanother the wayGod loves.’”

The father then introduced him to Theology of the Body

“Itechoed so deeply in my heart,” he said. “This is what my desires were screaming at me, and Ijust was feeding my desires and appetite for something that was never going to satisfyme.”

His understanding deepened after he attended a course in Baton Rouge by renowned author Chris-

“(West) said at the end of the course that some people here might feel the call to spend the rest of their lives diving deep into this and spread it around the world, and Ifelt that call,” Lemoine said. Since 2008, he has served with the Theology of the Body Institute, presenting its teachings worldwide in English and Spanish. In 2013, Lemoine helped found the Amar al MáximoInstitute, aCatholic educational ministry in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Contact Terry Robinson at terryrobinson622@ gmail.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM FOOD NETWORK

Duana Lawrence races to finish acooking challengeon‘The GreatFood Truck Race.’Season 19 premieres on Sundayon Food Network.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Sign up foranevent that you feel passionateabout, and do your part. With an open mind and acreative spirit, you will contribute plenty and drum up someenthusiasm from those in aposition to help.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Keep your eye on your target.Emotions will surface if you aren't articulate regarding what you can do. Focus on money matters, investmentsand debt. Jointventures may tempt you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Do what you say and say what you do. Letting your actions speak for youwill help you build astellarreputation as well as the fundamentals for good relationships withfamily, friends andassociates.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You'll fall short if you aren't reasonable or costefficient or don't follow through. Akind word will make adifferencetothose who look up to you or need your help

SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 23-Dec.21) Achange will turn into more thanyou bargained for.Takeastepbackand monitor promises, reactionsand what'spossible before you agree to ajoint ventureor investment.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Reach out, pay back, turn any wrong into aright and practice what youpreach.It's never too late to take the positive path andbethe onetorectify problems. Step into the spotlight.

AQUARIUS (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Envision the life you want and the relationships

thatmakeyou happy, and adjust your schedule to fulfillyour heart'sdesires Opportunity is apparent, but you must do your part.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Reach out to those who can offer insight into what's available. Someone will captivate your attention, but before you trust them or make acommitment, verify factsand the person'sintegrity.

ARIES (March 21-April19) Do something creative. Invest time in learning about andproducing something that brings youjoy,such as extra cash, or pleases someone you love.A change is on the horizon.

TAURUS (April 20-May20) Leavenothing to the imagination. Figure out every angle, situation and potential loss or gain that will manifestdue to your actions. Take amoment to consider howyourwords will affect others.

GEMINI (May 21-June20) Achange is overdue. Research, pick apathand begin your journey. Doors will open if you start conversations with people who have experience andinsight into whatyou want to pursue CANCER (June 21-July22) If youquestion everything, you will discover how to use your insight andinnovation to mastermind yourway to abetter headspace. Attitude can change everything.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact ©2026 by NEA, Inc.,dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Charles Baudouin said, “No matter howhard youwork for success, if your thought is saturated with the fear of failure, it will kill yourefforts,neutralize your endeavors and make success impossible.” Thatcan applyatthe bridge table. In today’sdeal, though, Southhas to try to neutralize the threat of East’sheart suit. Southisinthreeno-trumpandWestleads the heart six. What should declarer do?

South starts with seven top tricks: one spade, one heart (given thelead),four diamonds andone club. At leasttwo more tricks are available from theclub suit. But is there anydanger?

If, at trickone, declarer plays low from the dummy andwins East’s nine with his king, then, when he takes the losing club finesse, West will lead his second heart and the defenders will winone club and four hearts.

The result will be the sameifSouth plays dummy’sheart10and takes East’s jack with his king.

Instead, declarer should call for dummy’squeen.Easthastotakethetrickwith his ace; otherwise, South gets two heart tricks. But what does East do now?

If he leads another heart,hegives declarertwotricksinthesuit.Soheshifts to the spade king. South could win that trick, but does better to duck it. What-

everhappensafterthat,declarertakesat leastonespade,oneheart,fourdiamonds and three clubs (and can squeeze East in the majors for an overtrick).

Finally, the curious may work out how East-West can defeat three no-trumpif declarerallowsEasttowintrickonewith his heart nine.

©2026 by NEA, Inc dist.ByAndrews

McMeel Syndication

EachWuzzle is awordriddle whichcreates adisguised word, phrase,name, place, saying, etc. For example:NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words mustbeoffour or moreletters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words arenot allowed.

toDAY’sWoRD FERVIDLY: FUR-vid-lee: With extreme feeling.

Averagemark 37 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 54 or more words in FERVIDLY?

YEstERDAY’sWoRD —DEMEAns

dame damn dean deem demean dense ease edema emend enema made

mane manse mead mean mend mesa amen amend name need same sand sane seam seamed seamen sedan seed seem seen send

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer today’sthought

“And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, andprayed.” Luke 5:16

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

If Jesus prayed we certainly need to

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

mallard fillmore

ageand Display:

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3-AofRussell Long Prop‐erty,inSec.50, 51, 52, T8S, R2E, GLD, EBR. The applicantrequestsmajor changestothe Long Farm PlannedUnitDevel‐opment ConceptPlan withinthe R-9Residen‐tial-9 andMX-4MixedUseRegionalzoningdis‐tricts/PO-PUD-4-09 PlannedOverlay,includ‐ingrevisions to land use acreages,parcelloca‐tions, circulationplan andother relatedmat‐ters.(Applicant: Zach Schmidt, Westwood Pro‐fessionalServices, on be‐half of RKLFarm, LLC) Z-26-0002 R1 to B1 at 15222 PerkinsRd: This ±2.334-acre property is locatedona portionof Lot7.4 AC.ofthe Mildred L. MangrumCurtis, 1/2 USUF locatedinSec.61, T8S, R2E, GLD. Theappli‐cant requests to rezone from R1 Residential-1to B1 Business-1ZoningDis‐trict. (Applicant:Duane Mizell, D&TRentalProp‐erties,LLC,onbehalfof MildredL.Mangrum Cur‐tis, TheOlenDoddCurtis Testamentary Trust) T-26-0006 Outdoor Stor‐