The Acadiana Advocate 07-29-2026

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Lafayette Regional Airport adds $1.8M firefighting vehicle

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, speaks to Secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, right, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday.

Netanyahu calls Trump meeting ‘excellent’ STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

The new 2026 Oshkosh Striker 6x6 aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle sprays water from its front bumper turret during a news conference Monday at the Lafayette Regional Airport Fire Station.

The Lafayette Regional Airport has added a new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle to strengthen its emergency response capabilities.

The new 2026 Oshkosh Striker carries 3,000 gallons of water and is equipped with Purple-K dry chemical, a nonhazardous fire suppressant used to combat fuel fires.The specialized vehicle cost about $1.8 million.

Funding was provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Louisiana department of Transportation and development’s Office of Aviation and the Capt. Grant Credeur, bottom, speaks with Airport Commissioners Patrick Lafayette Airport Commission.

Edmond Sr., center, and Terry Hurd about the new firefighting vehicle.

Airport Executive director Steven Picou said the truck’s pumping capacity exceeds The new 2026 that of a typical municipal fire hydrant.

Oshkosh Striker 6x6 aircraft rescue “I’m not a firefighter, but I’ve been told it and firefighting will outpump any city fire hydrant,” Picou vehicle cost $1.8 said.“Fire hydrants can’t keep up with it.” million.

Picou said the vehicle is a significant technological upgrade, featuring the latest firefighting equipment and technology.

Leaders together for first time since start of Iran war

BY ERIN CUNNINGHAM, MICHELLE L. PRICE and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had an “excellent” meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, their first sitdown since launching a joint war against Iran that offered Netanyahu a chance to smooth out strains in their relationship.

The closed-door meeting lasted nearly an hour and a half and was “positive and productive,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The White House did not immediately offer more details.

It comes as both leaders face growing pressures at home. Netanyahu is up for reelection and is embattled in part because of his deteriorating relationship with Trump.

Trump is under pressure to end an unpopular war that has wreaked economic havoc and driven prices higher ahead of midterm elections this November.

An Israeli official briefed on the meeting said Netanyahu made it clear to Trump and his Cabinet that if Iran were to attack Israel, they would respond, but that beyond that, they would trust the judgment of the president regarding next steps. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a private meeting.

Despite signs of tension between the two before the meeting, Netanyahu was effusive afterward in a post on Instagram,

— Kristin Askelson

ä See MEETING, page 6A

Ex-charter school employees arrested

La. Supreme Court chief justice, former colleagues clash

Williams, regional school 2 workers accused operations administrator, of payroll fraud and Bazile, administrative

dispute may trigger recusal

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

BY JOHN SIMERMAN

Staff writer

The Louisiana Supreme Court is weighing whether to recuse Chief Justice John Weimer from cases involving a former colleague, after a bitter exchange this month that re-aired a lingering beef at the state’s highest court.

Former Justice Scott Crichton argued in a recent letter to Weimer that the chief judge has gone out of his way to publicly disparage him and that his “intense prejudice, if not outright hatred, for me” should bar him from any case Crichton handles as an attorney.

ä See CLASH, page 6A

WEATHER HIGH 95 LOW 79 PAGE 8A

STAFF PHOTO By BRAd KEMP

Two former employees of Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy have been arrested in a payroll fraud investigation.

Two former employees of the Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy have been arrested in a payroll fraud investigation at the tax-funded kindergarten through fourth grade school.

Shameka Bazile, 40, and Marva Williams, 49, were arrested Monday and booked on behalf of the Lafayette Police Department into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.

Business ...................10C Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................3B Living............................5C Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

assistant, were booked on counts of forgery, public payroll fraud and theft (swindling/false pretenses), according to jail records.

The two were identified as being involved in the payroll fraud in March 30 letters to officials, including the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office and District Attorney Don Landry, by Charter Schools USA State Superintendent Alonzo Luce.

Williams was released on a $4,500 bail. Bazile was re-

ä See ARRESTED, page 6A

102Nd yEAR, NO. 29

2A ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Ky. governor demands McConnell prove fitness

WASHINGTON — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a rising national figure in the Democratic Party, is calling on the state’s Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell to either prove that he is fit to continue serving after his lengthy hospital stay or resign from office.

Beshear made the demand in a letter after McConnell’s office said Monday that the 84-yearold senator had not yet been medically cleared to leave the rehabilitation facility where he has been undergoing physical therapy. The office said he would miss a major Kentucky political event and upcoming Senate votes. McConnell was hospitalized June 14 and disclosed weeks later that it was the result of a fall.

Beshear, who is widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, first urged McConnell in early July to release more information about his condition after weeks of public silence.

His letter Tuesday marked a significant escalation.

“I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,” Beshear wrote to McConnell.

Beshear also sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, urging him to investigate McConnell’s condition if the senator does not demonstrate that he is capable of continuing to serve. McConnell and Thune’s offices did not provide comment on the letter.

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Teen in Ga. shooting gets life 2 students, 2 teachers were killed

BY KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press

A judge on Tuesday sentenced a teenager who killed two students and two teachers in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, calling his crimes “deliberate, contemplated evil.”

Colt Gray, 16, had pleaded guilty Friday to 55 counts, including murder, Gray in the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm handed down the sentence after hearing from family members of those killed and victims, as well as investigators, Gray’s grandmother

and a forensic psychologist who had evaluated Gray.

Murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison in Georgia, so the only decision Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm had to make was whether Gray should ever be eligible for parole. He decided the teen should never be allowed out.

“You do not seem to be tormented by what you did. You seem to relish following in the footsteps of the murderers you idolize. You aren’t wracked with guilt. You’re proud of yourself,” Primm said.

“We’ve seen no evidence he has any ability to develop a conscience or any ability ever to fully value human life,” District Attorney Brad Smith had said during his closing argument, insisting that Gray “cannot be in society.”

Defense attorney W. Charlton Allen told the judge his client was “not irretrievably broken.”

Teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, died in

the shooting. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded, seven of them hit by gunfire.

Victims of the shooting and family members of those killed conveyed their anger and grief to Primm on Friday, almost all of them asking him not to allow the possibility of parole.

Aspired to be a mass shooter Investigators testified during the three-day sentencing hearing that Gray idolized mass shooters, talking about them online with other members of the “true crime community,” a group of young people online who are fascinated with such attacks. Gray had chatted online about gaining notoriety through a school shooting.

Prosecutors played recordings of phone conversations Gray had with his mother, Marcee Gray, from a youth detention center in the months after the shooting.

During those calls, he directed his mother to look up what people were saying about him online. He was excited when she described

Coast Guard stops marijuana-laden boat U.S. Coast Guard crews intercepted a boat off the Bahamas on Saturday that was hauling almost 100 bales of marijuana, the service said.

Small boat crews from the Cutter Charles Sexton, along with Royal Defense Force crews, intercepted the boat off about 80 miles southwest of Inagua, an island off the eastern tip of Cuba, the Coast Guard said in a press release.

The Coast Guard released a photo of the smuggling vessel, showing it to be a twin-engine white speedboat.

The agency estimates the value of the drugs to be $2.8 million.

The combined weight of the load was 2,380 pounds, according to the Coast Guard.

The three people on the boat and the contraband were handed over to Bahamian authorities, the Coast Guard said.

Grandma said he needed help “Colt got less stability than he needed, which made him even more vulnerable,” Allen, the defense attorney, argued. He said his client got wrapped up in an online community where he found the acceptance he craved but wasn’t getting at home.

Gray’s maternal grandmother, Debbie Polhamus, testified that the teen had a troubled childhood and that his parents failed him.

Her grandson had grown “highly agitated and aggressive” in the weeks before the shooting, she said, adding that she had urged his parents to get him some help but they didn’t follow through. “I tried to help Colt because nobody else was helping him,” she said.

Trump’s teleprompter operator out of a job inside knowledge to win Accused of using his more than $100,000 beton what the president inside knowledge ting would say in big speeches.

White House press secto make bets retary Karoline Leavitt

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

Lifeguard hailed as hero after rescuing a boy SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A lifeguard who dove into massive waves to save a boy in a dramatic rescue off the California coast has caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday that he would invite him to the White House.

The lifeguard, who hasn’t been identified, is being hailed as a hero after he risked his life last weekend to save the boy, who was being pulled into the ocean by huge waves that suddenly came ashore at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, about 60 miles down the coast from San Francisco.

“We’re going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honor. Very brave, he deserves it!” Trump wrote on social media.

A witness captured video of the rescue.

“The waves, I wouldn’t say they were tranquil, but they were what you’d expect, a normal cadence and intensity,” Scott Vander Dussen told KNTV-TV. “And then that just changed in a heartbeat. It caught a lot of people off guard.

Unfortunately, this young man was overwhelmed and swept out in just a moment’s time. I’m glad it ended the way it did.”

In the video, the lifeguard can be seen rushing into the water after seeing the boy struggle.

After reaching the boy, the young lifeguard dove into a coming wave while holding tight to the boy, who was going limp.

Eventually, the lifeguard and one of his colleagues managed to get the boy safely out of the water.

“fan art” drawings depicting him or comments people made about him and the attention he was getting online.

Gray had the “mental wherewithal” to mimic details of other mass killings on the day of the shooting, Smith said.

KyOdO NEWS PHOTO

This aerial image shows the damaged AEON Mall following an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, on Tuesday.

Earthquake hits Japan’s southern Kyushu island

vital signs, while the conditions of dozens missing or injured out nine others were unknown, the team said.

The Fire and Disaster Management after magnitude 7.1 strike Agency said more than 260,000 people

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI

Associated Press

TOKYO — A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, leaving dozens of people injured or missing after part of a shopping center and a huge chimney at a paper factory collapsed, officials said. A tsunami advisory was issued but quickly lifted. There were fears that at least two people were dead.

In Kashima Town, the quake collapsed the second floor of the Aeon Mall shopping center, trapping an unknown number of people there, according to the fire department in the prefectural capital of Kumamoto. Japan’s NHK national television said the collapse came after an explosion, believed to have been triggered by a gas leak at the building.

Four people were pulled out with injuries and taken to a hospital, while 10 others were unaccounted for, the Kumamoto prefectural emergency response team said. It said the extent of the damage was still being investigated as the search and rescue effort continued.

At the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, where a chimney collapsed and the building was damaged, 11 people were trapped underneath the debris, the Kumamoto emergency team said. Two of them were later found with-

were advised to evacuate, most of them in Kumamoto prefecture, but also in the neighboring Nagasaki prefecture.

The affected area is about 540 miles southwest of Tokyo, the country’s capital.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told journalists that there were reports of damage to roads, bridges and buildings, as well as blackouts and fires, though details were unclear.

Kyodo News said a hospital in the city of Yatsushiro took in about 40 people with injuries and about 50 others were taken to a hospital in Kumamoto city.

Shinkansen bullet trains and local trains in Kyushu were suspended for safety checks, and the runway at Aso Kumamoto Airport was closed, with “no prospect of resuming operations” anytime soon, according to a notice on the airport’s website. There were no details.

A train derailed and fell on its side at Yatsushiro station, and stone walls were damaged at Kumamoto Castle, a main tourist destination that was badly damaged in the 2016 quake and is still being repaired, Kyodo said.

“The shaking reminded me of the Kumamoto quake (10 years ago) and I was frightened,” said Hiroki Shimoda, an official at Mifune town hall, who saw roof tiles of nearby homes crash to the ground.

Kumamoto was hit with a deadly quake in 2016 that killed at least 50 people.

Keiko Fujimori inaugurated in Peru

BY FRANKLIN BRICEÑO Associated Press

LIMA, Peru — Conservative leader Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru’s president on Tuesday after winning the June presidential runoff by a margin of fewer than 50,000 votes.

With the ceremony, Fujimori, 51, a four-time presidential candidate and leader of Peru’s largest political party, takes office as the country’s ninth president in a decade. She is hoping to stabilize Peru’s turbulent politics, reduce crime and boost economic growth.

Over the past decade, only three of Peru’s presidents have been elected by popular vote. The rest have come into office after their predecessors resigned or were removed

by Congress amid protests or corruption scandals.

Fujimori’s Popular Force party and its main ally, Popular Renovation, will hold half the Senate seats once the new Legislature is installed, making it harder for opposing legislators to attempt to remove her as president.

Fujimori centered her campaign around prom-

ises to improve security in a nation where extortion rackets have become a significant problem.

She is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who led the country in the 1990s and stabilized its economy while defeating terror groups, but was later imprisoned for human rights abuses committed under his rule by the Peruvian military as his government took an authoritarian turn. He was pardoned in December 2023 and died in September the following year.

WASHINGTON — A White House teleprompter operator who was put on unpaid leave after news reports he had used inside knowledge to make bets about President Donald Trump’s speeches on the online prediction market Kalshi is no longer in his post, according to a White House official.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the personnel matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday that teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, “no longer works in the federal government.” The official would not say whether he resigned or was fired.

The White House confirmed earlier this month that Perez had been placed on unpaid leave after ABC News reported he had used

had described the reports of the insider trading as “deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace.”

Robert Denault, Kalshi’s lawyer and head of enforcement, said on X following the ABC News report that the “Kalshi surveillance team promptly flagged, investigated and referred these trades” to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission that has regulatory authority over such matters. His statement did not name Perez.

The ABC report described suspicious activity on Kalshi’s “Mentions” market, in which users can place bets on what phrases and specific words might be used in public speeches. Kalshi recently began requiring users to disclose their place of employment, and the platform’s policy prohibits betting based on information that users gain because of their job.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● 3A

Graham eulogized as ‘American original’ lll

BY LISA MASCARO, MEG KINNARD and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham, the son of pool hall owners who rose to become one of his generation’s more influential U.S. politicians at home and abroad, was eulogized Tuesday as “a true American original” during memorial services in Washington.

Graham’s flag-draped casket arrived for a tribute at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican served for more than 30 years as an indefatigable dealmaker who talked and laughed and badgered his colleagues into action. Later, President Donald Trump joined foreign leaders for a funeral at Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham’s stature on the global stage.

Trump called Graham “a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon.”

In mostly prepared remarks, Trump described his onetime presidential rival turned ally as “the first person to make you laugh and one of the last people that you’ve really ever wanted to fight.”

Trump told the story of how he had publicly disclosed Graham’s cellphone number on the campaign trail, reciting the number in the cathedral, but said the senator had the last laugh because “Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years.”

Among those gathered were Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders of two countries fighting separate wars, a nod to Graham’s role as a foremost believer in the power of the U.S. and its military to intervene in the world’s prob-

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

President donald Trump, Vice President Jd Vance and other guests attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Tuesday at Washington National Cathedral in Washington. lems. Fox News’ Sean Hannity, in his remarks, said Graham would have been moved that they both made the long journeys to attend.

Trump Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and current and former senators and lawmakers joined in the pews, as did Graham’s sister, now-Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed by the state’s governor to fill the remainder of her brother’s term.

It was the start of two days of services, with burial Wednesday in Graham’s home state of South Car-

olina. Joint Base Charleston will be renamed in his honor, an Air Force official said. Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his home in Washington of a likely aortic tear, according to preliminary findings. He had just returned from a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his birthday, and a visit to Ukraine. He was 71.

‘Swashbuckling’ senator During the morning service in the Capitol Rotunda, Vice President JD Vance described Graham as a man of “swashbuckling” stature — “who swashbuckled into the Senate” with his suit jacket open

— and was impossible not to like.

“Lindsey was a towering figure,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, choking back tears during his remarks.

First elected to Congress in the 1994 Republican revolt that swept the GOP to power, Graham was part of a new era of conservatives to take their seats in the House — and among the first Republicans from his Southern state since Reconstruction.

He quickly rose to prominence as a manager in Democrat Bill Clinton’s presidential impeachment, and he was elected to the Senate in the 2002 election. There,

he formed an alliance with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., in what would become the “three amigos,” globetrotting the world focused on national security issues.

Vance recalled how he argued with Graham over the senator’s staunch support for aid to Ukraine, which has divided the GOP, but praised his legacy saying Kavanaugh “would not be on the Supreme Court” were it not for Graham’s “fierce advocacy” during the confirmation hearing.

For decades, Graham had been at the center of the action — a member of virtually every bipartisan gang in Congress — with a relentless ability to adapt to political realities, particularly when it came to Trump.

One by one, many of Graham’s colleagues said their goodbyes in the Rotunda. Former Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., bowed and delivered a brief kiss and Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, gave a fist bump.

Last mission: Russia sanctions Perhaps nowhere was Graham’s political dexterity on display more as when he navigated his on-again, off-again relationship with Trump.

Graham had denounced Trump as a “unfit for office” during the 2016 presidential campaign, but over time he had become what colleagues called the “Trump whisperer,” someone even world leaders relied on to understand the president.

Days before his death, Graham had won Trump’s support for a long-fought bipartisan proposal to impose sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, in what would be one of the strongest U.S. efforts to hamper Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to prolong the conflict.

Congress prepares for August recess

BY VALERIE YURK and NINA HELLER

CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON — Few things are certain in Congress anymore. One thing lawmakers can still count on? August recess.

But the five-week break for the House isn’t all fun and games — especially ahead of the tight midterm elections battle for the majority.

Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, is packing his bags for a campaign blitz with incumbents and challengers across 17 states, not including his home state, and 30 districts and cities, per a leadership aide.

And Democrats are launching their own “100 days of action,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said, starting with events over the weekend to mark 100 days until Election Day. Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who is facing a true toss-up race for Wisconsin’s 3rd District, said he’s hitting the road.

“I’m going to be with my constituents as much as possible, riding my motorcycle from point to point,” he said Thursday. “It can take, like, five hours to go from one point of my district to another, and we do six or seven events a day. That’s every day.”

“But you know what?

That’s part of the job, and it’s great because that’s the only time we really get to see people,” he said, adding that “sitting around having cheese curds and beer” beats meeting over Zoom.

Aside from campaigning, lawmakers have district work, like meeting with constituents and fielding their requests, waiting for them at home.

Rep. Tim Burchett, RTenn., said he’ll be out “getting reelected — knocking on doors, working the polls, putting up some yard signs.”

But he’s also looking forward to checking some items off of his to-do list and spending time with his family.

“My donkeys just tear up my fences all the time, so I’ve got a little sawmill, I’m gonna cut some wood,” he said. “I do more work when I’m home than I am here, honestly.”

Pictured L to R: Rob Stuart, LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation President & CEO; Wade Rousse, LSU President; Rochelle Touchard, Shell, Corporate Relations Regional Lead; Colette Hirstius, Shell USA, President; Lee Stockwell, Shell, General Manager, Carbon Capture and Storage North America; Krista Raney, LSU Foundation President & CEO; Robb Brumfield, LSU College of Science Interim Dean

Shell Powers Progress at LSU This article is brought to you by Shell.

The LSU community, lead donors and friends cut the ribbon on the new Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building on April 17, 2026. The premier facility has been the university’s top capital priority for catalyzing its vision for the future of STEM education, research and impact.

Colette Hirstius, President, Shell USA said, “The opening of the LSU Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building is a testament to the power of partnership and what can be achieved when industry and academia come together around a shared vision. We are proud to support a space where students, faculty and industry can collaborate to drive discovery, explore new frontiers and develop the next generation of scientists, engineers and energy leaders.”

The fourth f loor of Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building includes:

Shell Research Laboratories, advanced research environments that

will support interdisciplinary scientific discovery and enable faculty and students to work together on complex, real world challenges.

Shell Interdisciplinary Collaboration Zone, focused space for collaboration across disciplines that will encourage exchange of ideas, partnership and team-based research.

Shell USA, Inc. committed $2.5 million to the Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science

Building as part of a $27.5 million investment in energy-related initiatives at LSU. LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton said, “The Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building will be integral to preparing the next scientists in biology, chemistry, geology, math, physics and astronomy.

Graduates from these programs go onto promising careers in the STEM fields across the state of Louisiana.

Alongside the elite academic experience students will receive here, world-class faculty will partner together and with industry leaders in the state-of-the-art laboratories to advance scientific discovery and move the LSU flagship toward its goal of becoming a top 50 research university.”

4A ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Wis. tornado was on ground for 20 minutes

BY DAVID COLLINS, ED WHITE and LAURA TURBAY Associated Press

First responders searched homes and buildings on Tuesday for possible victims of a powerful tornado that ravaged several northeastern Wisconsin communities.

The Fox Cities region, which is home to more than 100,000 people in the cities of Appleton, Menasha and Neenah, was left in shambles by Monday’s twister, with homes leveled, cars flipped, and power lines and trees toppled.

“The depth of the tornado and its impact is incredible, devastating. We’re really still at the assessment stage,” Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz said at a news conference Tuesday.

David Chew, 55, said a tree smashed through his roof in Menasha, and he still hadn’t

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By KAyLA WOLF

debris surrounds a damaged warehouse in the aftermath of a tornado that tore through Appleton, Wis., on Tuesday. located an outdoor patio lounger swept away by the storm. But he’s better off than a neighbor: A portion of her roof was ripped clean, with furniture and drywall “sucked out.”

“It was just a shocker,” said Chew, who had rushed to the basement with his wife and son.

Despite widespread damage, the timing of the storm could be why there have been no reported deaths.

The tornado arrived in the early afternoon, authorities noted, when most people were awake and after warnings had been issued.

“Everybody was at work.

It was the middle of the day,”

Fla. executes 2 men in 1 day

BY DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

STARKE, Fla. — Florida on Tuesday became the first state in nearly a decade to carry out two executions in a single day, putting to death an 80-year-old man who was the second-oldest inmate known to receive a lethal injection in modern U.S. history.

Hours earlier, the state executed a former police officer convicted of the killing of a young girl.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has made Florida’s death chamber the nation’s busiest at the end of his final term, saying too many families have waited too long to see justice. The lethal injections just hours apart were the first nearly back-to-back executions since Arkansas put two men to death three hours apart in 2017.

DeSantis, who has the authority under Florida law to

set execution dates, decided earlier this month to carry out both executions on the same day.

Dominick Anthony Occhicone, the octogenarian, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke following a threedrug injection. His execution came shortly less than five hours after the ex-police officer, James Aren Duckett, 68, received a lethal dose in the same death chamber.

Occhicone, who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 1986, is the oldest prisoner executed in Florida’s history since modern record-keeping began a century ago. Nationwide, an older inmate, 83-year-old Walter Moody Jr., received a lethal injection in Alabama in 2018 for a wave of mail bombs in 1989 that killed a federal judge and wounded a Black civil rights attorney.

Earlier Tuesday after-

noon, Duckett became the 11th inmate executed by the state of Florida this year. He was convicted of raping and drowning 11-year-old Teresa McAbee while he was working as a police officer in central Florida in 1987.

Afterward, the girl’s family members said they had suffered for decades.

“I waited nearly 40 years to have him dead,” Dorthy Tula, the victim’s mother, said before breaking down.

“This man took advantage of his badge,” said Tracy Mcfall-Buskirk, the girl’s cousin.

Just before Duckett was scheduled to be executed in March, the Florida Supreme Court issued a stay to allow for DNA testing of old evidence. The results were inconclusive, meaning they did not exonerate Duckett or definitively connect him to the crime. Judges have allowed the jury verdict to stand.

Menasha Police Chief Matt Albrecht said. “Most people were not at home and at their place of employment.”

Dozens of people were injured, and officers were still going door-to-door a day later in search of possible victims.

The tornado touched down around 1 p.m. and remained on the ground for more than 20 minutes, cutting a roughly 12-mile path of destruction, the National Weather Service reported. The area is about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee.

It was classified as an EF3 tornado — the strongest to strike Outagamie and Winnebago counties since an EF4 touched down in April 1984, the weather service said.

Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency for the affected areas.

As chain saws roared in the background, Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford said

a number of neighborhoods were “truly devastated.”

Like elsewhere in the region, electricity lines were tangled around broken trees, making power restoration a slow, risky process.

More than 10,000 customers in Winnebago and Outagamie counties were still without power, according to utilities that serve them. It could be several days before power is fully restored.

The twister was spun off by a large storm system that moved through the Great Lakes and was fueled by a buildup of heat and humidity, the weather service said.

ThedaCare Regional Medical Centers in Appleton and Neenah said it treated 40 people, mostly for minor storm-related injuries. Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton said it saw about 30 patients, all with minor injuries.

Rachel Bernhardt, 56, said she grabbed her dog and dashed to her basement in the village of Fox Crossing after she saw a steel swing spinning in the yard.

When the storm passed, her second-floor bedroom was covered in glass and a tree branch was resting on her bed. The carpet was soaked.

“We can’t be in there anymore,” said Bernhardt, who is sleeping on the first floor and using a generator to keep the refrigerator going.

Luigi’s Pizza in Menasha set up a food trailer to distribute hygiene packs and free slices after donors kicked in enough money to make at least 125 pizzas Tuesday.

“Sometimes a hot pizza, a taco, and a reminder that your community cares can mean more than words,” said Duncan’s Window & Door, which chipped in for 50 pizzas.

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Welcoming Paul Eason

to CLB the Community Bank’s Board of Directors is proud to announce the appointment of Mr. Paul Eason to its Board of Directors.

With more than 30 years of leadership in media, marketing, and real estate development, Paul brings deep experience and a strong commitment to the Acadiana community.

Paul Eason: Thirty years of leadership in media and real estate

Paul Eason

Board Member

A Lafayette native, Paul is a graduate of Cathedral-Carmel High School and the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He founded Eason Advertising, a Lafayette-based marketing and public relations firm, and has spent more than three decades serving the Acadiana region in the media sector.

Paul currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Billeaud Companies, a Lafayette real estate and development company with more than 800,000 square feet of business property for lease, as well as hundreds of acres of undeveloped land in Acadiana. His combined expertise in media and real estate development makes him a valuable addition to the bank’s Board of Directors.

Throughout his career, Paul has supported numerous community organizations, including Presidents Club of the Chamber of Commerce, membership board member of Lafayette General Hospital, Chairman of Martial F. Billeaud Sr. Foundation and board member of Lafayette Crime Stoppers. Paul; his wife, Suzanne, of 42 years; their son, Ross (Morgan); and granddaughter, Riley Alexandra, are lifelong residents of Acadiana. His longstanding commitment to service reflects the values of a bank that puts community first.

CLB The Community Bank is excited to welcome Paul Eason to its Board of Directors.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● 5A

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MEETING

Continued from page 1A noting that the meeting included Trump’s “entire senior team.”

Vice President JD Vance, who has had critical words for Israel and in June warned Israeli officials that Trump was their only friend among world leaders, was among those in the meeting.

“When I say excellent, I don’t mean it in a superficial way,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew. “A conversation with full partnership, with mutual support, with an understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and other goals as well.”

Netanyahu later joined Vance and Trump at a funeral for Sen. Lindsey Graham, where the Israeli leader was seen speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with Trump earlier in the day.

Trump revealed some tension with Netanyahu ahead of their meeting, complaining about reports that the Israeli leader planned to discuss intelligence on Iranian activities at Pickaxe Mountain, a potential nuclear site that the U.S. president has threatened repeatedly to bomb.

“I know exactly what’s go-

CLASH

Continued from page 1A Crichton cited a letter from Weimer dated July 4 in which the chief justice accuses him of knowingly breaking the law by voting in policies as a justice to benefit himself financially.

Weimer sought a Weimer public apology and reimbursement while scorning Crichton.

Former Justice James Genovese, who left the court in 2024 to be president of Northwestern State University, said Weimer sent him a letter “just as nasty and caustic” dated the same day.

Why is unclear. Weimer did not respond to a call seeking comment.

Crichton, who aged out of office at the end of 2024 and is now in private practice, has his own views on the matter. He wrote that Weimer held a “fixated and obsessive disdain for me and Genovese.”

Crichton also filed a motion to recuse Weimer in a case involving a $421 million jury verdict in New Orleans against Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. He argues that Weimer should add him to an automatic recusal list. Crichton has asked the court to seal his recusal motion.

The rhetoric echoes a bitter dispute over judicial compensation in which Weimer has remained steadfast and alone in arguing that colleagues have ille-

lll

ing on at Pickaxe,” Trump told “Fox & Friends.” He insisted that whatever Iran is doing is “not a big problem” and that “Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved.”

“Why do you have to announce to the world?”

Trump added, flashing his frustrations with his ally.

The Israeli official said that Netanyahu reiterated to Trump during the meeting that Israel will always share its intelligence with the U.S. but that it also understands that Washington has its own timeline and considerations to factor in, including other allied countries in the region that would be affected if Washington were to escalate militarily.

Trump has had a hot-andcold history with Netanyahu over the years, but upon his return to the White House last year, their alliance seemed stronger than ever. When they started the war together in February, it was with a united front, touting their respective militaries as acting in lockstep to take out Iran’s leadership and pave the way for a government more friendly to the West.

But as Iran fought back — sending drones and missiles slamming into U.S. bases and high-rises in cities in the Gulf, and choking off the Strait of Hormuz — Trump came under immense pressure both at

home and by allies in the region to end the conflict.

Since then, Netanyahu, who wanted to continue the fighting in Iran and against its ally, Hezbollah, in Lebanon, has been sidelined as Trump sought a deal with Tehran. Disagreements with Trump and Vance have burst into the open over the war in Iran and more.

“The Americans are making it clear to the Israelis they are the ones who are running the war,” Israeli journalist and political analyst Amit Segal wrote Monday in the daily newspaper Israel Hayom. “It is clear to everyone that Israel has been put in the back seat.”

Of Trump, Netanyahu said Sunday that “many ways, it’s his decision” on how to move forward. “If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not?”

“But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program,” Netanyahu told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” about Iran.

The Israeli official said the two leaders also discussed the framework agreement that the U.S. and Israel signed with Lebanon over the Israel-Hezbollah war and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, which have Arab and Muslim-majority nations normalize ties with Israel.

gally padded their incomes.

Weimer’s insistence has come with a price, according to the exchange of letters and Genovese. In 2023, all six of his fellow justices voted to strip him of administrative powers as chief judge in favor of a new “executive committee.” The court named Crichton as its chair, he wrote.

“The reason for the executive committee is Chief Justice Weimer continued to act without authority of the court, and he wouldn’t stop it,” Genovese said in an interview. “It was definitely necessary.”

Weimer’s administrative curbing does not appear to have been previously reported. Last week, in another letter to Crichton, he wrote that his colleagues had created the “so-called” committee “to usurp the constitutionally mandated duties of the Chief Justice.”

Weimer called it an unprecedented effort to silence and punish him. He added that its “very existence is tied to my attempt to insure (sic) fiscal responsibility, integrity, and transparency in the judiciary.”

Weimer wrote that he “continued to discharge all the duties and responsibilities of the Chief Justice” in spite of the committee.

Weimer has long called out colleagues for distributing a supplemental fund to pad judicial salaries without first paying all of its bills. He also claims colleagues took a judicial stipend illegally in upfront lump sums.

And Weimer accuses Crichton and Genovese, in particular, of exploiting a $118 meal per diem like no other judges, claiming they double-dipped

in the process by topping off a monthly stipend for housing and other expenses.

“I suggest that you apologize to the people of Louisiana and reimburse them for the extravagant and unjustified income you took from them for your benefit in meals per diem, stipend, and supplem e n t , ” We i m e r wrote Crichton.

Crichton Crichton declined to comment, citing the pending motion to keep the matter confidential.

Genovese said he has no business before the court and that Weimer’s letter came out of the blue.

“I don’t know why he’s still angry with me. I’ve been off the court for two years,” Genovese said. “This is old news and he’s still blowing the same horn.”

The chief justice rejected the push for his recusal in a response on Friday. Weimer agreed that his views are nothing new, arguing that Crichton’s request for a blanket recusal invites judge shopping.

“I have no ill will toward former Justice Crichton’s clients,” Weimer wrote.

“I have no malice towards Scott Crichton as an individual or an attorney. I simply remain disappointed in his actions related to votes he took behind closed doors while serving as an Associate Justice on this court to favor himself financially.”

Weimer argued against Crichton’s motion to seal his recusal motion.

Netanyahu also needed to persuade Trump that he won’t play spoiler to U.S. diplomatic and reconstruction efforts in Gaza and Lebanon, where the president has previously complained that “too many people are being killed” by Israeli strikes.

In Lebanon, where the Israeli military occupies much of the south, Israel agreed to allow the Lebanese army to deploy to some villages as part of a “pilot program” testing its ability to secure areas where Hezbollah once operated.

The U.S. State Department says the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place next week in Rome with a focus on expanding the program.

On Gaza, Israel’s security cabinet green-lit on Sunday a measure that would, in theory, grant entry to the first members of an international stabilization force outlined last year in a U.S.backed ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

ARRESTED

Continued from page 1A leased on a $15,000 bail.

Both women provided statements to CSUSA during its investigation. The statements were obtained by The Acadiana Advocate through a public records request.

Williams, a 10-year employee of the charter academy, indicated that she is accused of forging payroll documents on behalf of her daughter, a substitute teacher at the school, but cannot recall specific details.

“Regarding the allegations of entering or modifying timecard information on behalf of my daughter, clocking her in or out when she may not have been present or performing assigned duties, and allowing or facilitating payment for time that may not have been worked,” Williams wrote, “I respectfully state that I am unable to recall specific details at this time

and therefore cannot provide a definitive account of how my actions may or may not have contributed to this inquiry.”

Williams said her daughter was not involved and had no knowledge of what was taking place.

Bazile, who worked at the school 11 years, indicated in her March 28 letter to CSUSA that the allegations against her also involve payments to her daughter who had worked as a substitute teacher at the school.

She wrote that she and Williams met with Principal Clovis Benoit about their daughters “being paid under a substitute teacher” to keep them employed at the school and that he approved the new position as of August 2025.

On March 28, Bazile wrote, she learned that Benoit had not approved of what was taking place.

Bazile also said her daughter was unaware of the payments and offered to pay the money back.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● 7A

lll

Zelenskyy has ‘good meeting’ with Trump

BY SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, with the two leaders discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and “other ideas that could help” in its ongoing war against Russia.

The sit-down in the Oval Office, which was closed to the media, followed a consequential meeting at the NATO summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump announced that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot defense systems — a long-running request from Kyiv to counter Russian missile attacks.

Taken together, those meetings underscore how much the U.S. president, once a major skeptic of continued assistance to Kyiv, has warmed to Zelenskyy as Ukraine continues to withstand the Russian barrage more than four years after Moscow’s invasion in 2022.

The Ukrainian leader, whose relationship with Trump in his second term was marked by a raucous White House visit in which he was denigrated for being ungra-

cious, has worked to court the Republican administration while relying on both likely and unlikely allies in Trump’s orbit to exert their influence with the president.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has consumed much of the Trump administration’s focus this year, has also become gradually entwined with Ukraine, with Ukraine firing on at least one Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea over the weekend while Zelenskyy asserts that Russia has been offering satellite imagery of U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf to Iran.

In a post on social media after the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the “good meeting” and the Republican administration’s efforts to aid Kyiv in the longrunning war.

“The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help,” said Zelenskyy, who also noted that he offered condolences to Trump for the death of Graham, a close ally. “We also spoke about diplomacy — it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said both the Zelenskyy meeting and a separate, later

sit-down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were “positive and productive.”

Later during his whirlwind, one-day visit to Washington, Zelenskyy posted that he met with officials from Lockheed Martin for further cooperation in both defense production and exchanging of technologies, saying, “Ukraine has a lot to share with those who help us protect lives.”

Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the conservativeleaning Hudson Institute, said expanding production capacity for Patriot interceptors is not only vital for Ukraine, but also for the U.S. and its Gulf allies, particularly as supply runs low during the war in Iran.

“Ukraine has shown that its defense industry is capable, innovative and creative,” Coffey said. “I have no doubt that when they’re granted the license, they will be able to produce these missiles which will hopefully mean there will be more available for the U.S.” Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House as the Ukrainian leader traveled to Washington to honor Graham, whose final act as a public official was visiting Kyiv and securing an agreement on a package of

sanctions that seek to punish countries that purchase Russian oil, gas and other exports.

In a Fox News Channel interview Tuesday, Trump recalled Graham’s hawkishness and said the Republican South Carolina senator’s support for Ukraine never wavered. Trump said Graham had suggested it was time to make a deal with Iran but had no similar suggestion for the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Ukraine, he’s very militant about,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.” “I mean, Lindsey liked war, to be honest with you.”

Ahead of the meeting, Zelenskyy also warned that Russia has been aiding Iran as the war persists by capturing satellite imagery of U.S. bases in the Gulf region that later appear in Iran.

The Ukrainian president

also asserted that there was a “clear correlation” between Russia’s images and subsequent Iranian strikes.

Iran is a key ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine and has helped Moscow build up its drone expertise.

But on Monday, Trump downplayed any impact of potential Russian assistance for Iran, even as he said he would raise the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I don’t think they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Michigan.

“And if they have, it has been very un-impactful.”

On the Caspian Sea attack, the foreign ministers of Iran and Ukraine spoke about the matter, according to statements posted on social media Tuesday. Ukrainian For-

eign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the conversation “frank” and said Ukraine’s focus is “solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people.”

Iran has said at least one sailor was killed in the attack.

Republican leadership is hoping to advance Graham’s sanctions legislation this week, although the Senate is juggling several other priorities.

The bill has dozens of backers from both major political parties and is seen as the main policy tribute to Graham, who died unexpectedly this month from a tear in his aorta. It imposes tariffs on goods from the world’s top five purchasers of Russia oil or natural gas, including China and India.

Richland Parish businesses experience an uptick in sales and services as construction on the Meta AI Data Center begins

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com This story is brought to you by Meta.

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With the world’s largest data center yet being built in Richland Parish, Louisiana, local businesses are adapting and evolving to meet the growing needs of the incoming investment. More jobs and increased sales are creating a steady stream of business for local companies, and the impact is beginning to show.

For Will Dear, owner of Rayville Tire & Service Center and lifelong resident of the area, the effect has been positive, allowing his business to expand further than he had previously imagined. Kelsey Higdon, Digital Sales Manager for Nola.com and The Advocate, sat down with him to hear the full story.

Can you tell me about Rayville Tire & Service Center and what a typical week looked like before the investment was announced?

We were always busy. We live in a farming community so it’s non-stop every day, especially during the planting and harvest season. I never thought we could be any busier than we were, but now here we are.

We are taking it one day at a time.

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I’ve hired a lot more employees and more managers to help run things, because it has been non-stop. There’s more in and out, and everything is moving a lot faster than anything I’ve seen in my life.

I can get vehicles in and out a lot faster than before it started picking up. It used to be that I would order the part and let the customer know they could come in a couple of days later. Now, sometimes they can bring it in, and we can have them out by lunch. We are turning out a lot more work because of it.

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How have you had to adapt your inventory? Are you stocking additional parts or tires because of the new vehicles that are coming into the market?

We used to stock some things before this, mostly semi-vehicle parts, but now, since we know the vehicles out there, we stock

tires for every one of them. If a construction vehicle comes in, we already know what’s going to be on it. We also keep our toolboxes well stocked and always have our emergency lights because we use those every day on the trucks that come in.

What makes Richland Parish such a special place to operate a business right now?

Richland Parish is like a big family.

Everybody knows everybody. Everyone knows my dad and where my sibling and I come from. Before this project came in, everyone was very tight-knit, and we just relied on our farmers and locals to keep us afloat. Now, this project is helping everyone out, not just our local tire shop.

How do you see your business evolving even once the project is complete?

To be honest, I’ve learned more about business in the past year than I have in my entire life. I would have said I knew business before, but I didn’t really know business until we had this much work. Once the project is all said and done, I think I’ll carry that experience into the next chapter with me. I’ve gained a lot of contacts, and even when they move on to another job, we are still going to be reaching out to one another when we need help with this or that.

If I maintain the relationship, these are the types of guys who will work with you until the end of their career.

For more information on Rayville Tire & Service Center, follow them on Facebook or call (318) 728-1155.

For more information on the Meta project in Richland Parish, see meta.com/ BuildingLouisiana.

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8A ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A stray afternoon thunderstorm

A t-storm around in the a.m.

Partly sunny with a t-storm

A t-storm around in the a.m.

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

95° 79°

LOW

HIGH

95° 79°

LOW

94° 79°

Beaumont 95/77 Port Arthur 93/78

Baton Rouge 96/78

Lake Charles 95/78

New Orleans 97/80 Houma 94/78

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

0s

Hattiesburg 99/77

Alexandria 97/78

Lafayette 95/79

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

HIGH

LOW

93° 76°

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

YESTERDAY

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

JUL 29

City

Austin Boston dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

PRECIPITATION

95°/79° 92°/75° 94°/75° 100° in 1960 67° in 1897

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

FULL

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

LOW

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Tuesday

Jackson 98/76 Many 97/76

HIGH

92° 77°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 100/77

-0s

LOW

Monroe 98/78

Shreveport 99/78

-10s

HIGH

94° 79°

The heat continues to be our biggest issue this week, weatherwise.

In fact, heat advisory conditions are expected for all of southwest Louisiana because heat index or “feels-like” temperatures could rise to 107 or higher, while the actual temperatures are in the mid-90s.

We are also under either a major or an extreme heat risk today, so heat illnesses are a real threat if you don’t take precautions. The UV index is just below the extreme level today and will likely be as high or higher tomorrow.

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

HIGH

8:36p 2:49p 6:42a 9:28a 10:14a 9:35a 11:22a

6:25 a.m.

8:04 p.m.

8:23 p.m.

6:18 a.m.

LAST

NEW

AUG 5

Hi

100 71 102 67 87 110 85 94 91

TODAY Lo

77 67 82 51 75 85 64 79 67

FIRST

AUG 12

W

s r pc pc sh s s t s

AUG 19

Hi

99 67 102 68 90 112 87 95 90

THU. Lo

75 63 83 48 77 87 67 80 64

W

s sh s c sh s s t s

FT.

LOW

0.00” 6.38” 5.69” 40.79” 36.84”

FT.

HIGH

0.7 7:42a -0.1 1.6 12:55a -0.2 1.7 8:40a 1.6 1.9 12:26a 0.1 1.4 9:16p 0.0 1.6 7:35p -0.1 1.7 10:18p 0.0

FT.

--- ----- --1:42p 1.7 --- ----- ----- ----- ---

MOdERATE

REAdING 45 MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

SOURCE: LOUISIANA dEQ ANd AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

--- ----- --8:57p -0.3 --- ----- ----- ----- ---

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MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

City

11:54a 5:42a ---- 6:05p 12:18a 6:30a 12:41p 6:52p 1:07a 7:17a 1:28p 7:39p 1:55a 8:05a 2:16p 8:27p 2:43a 8:54a 3:04p 9:15p 3:32a 9:43a 3:54p 10:05p 4:21a 10:33a 4:45p 10:57p

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FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

TUE. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

5.91 27.99 30.68 15.43 8.42 6.62 4.55

+0.10 -0.64 -1.28 -1.27 -0.89 -0.70 +0.06

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19

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-0.02 -0.03 -0.57

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-0.04 -0.02

47 34 29 20 12 6

13.23 9.45 7.65 6.97 6.00 2.72

-1.00 -0.79 -0.59 -0.57 none -0.22

data as of 7 a.m. Tuesday

Forecasts and graphics, except for damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026

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W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 29, 2026

1Bn

Trash collection day set to change for some

are needed because par- securely bagged household Make sure cart lids close Affected households will be notified by mail, email esticipation in the parish’s res- trash at the curb in addition completely. n

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON

day beginning next week, according to Lafayette ConStaff writer solidated Government.

The changes affect curbAbout 7,000 households in the city of Lafayette and un- side trash, recycling, yard incorporated areas of Lafay- waste and bulky item colette Parish will have a new lection. residential trash collection Residents whose collec-

tion day is changing are being notified by mail and, when available, by email.

Collection schedules can also be confirmed through the address lookup tool at LCG’s website.

LCG said the route chang-

idential recycling program has nearly doubled since 2023, increasing the amount of material collected and creating uneven collection routes.

To ease the transition, Acadiana Waste Services will allow residents to place

to their collection cart during the week starting Monday only.

Officials also asked residents to: n Place carts and other collection items at least 3 feet apart. n Avoid overfilling carts.

Residents can contact LCG’s Environmental Quality Division or Acadiana Waste Services for more information.

Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate. com.

Cajun Navy 2016 files defamation lawsuit Nonprofit alleges United Cajun Navy has damaged its reputation

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

Cajun Navy 2016, a nonprofit founded after the devastating floods that hit Louisiana 10 years ago, has filed a lawsuit against the organization United Cajun Navy and its top officials, saying that group has damaged its reputation with “a multi-year campaign of false and defamatory statements.”

The lawsuit was filed Friday in the 19th Judicial District Court against United Cajun Navy, as well as the organization’s president, Todd Terrell, and vice president, Brian Thrasher.

The lawsuit seeks damages authorized under Louisiana law, together with injunctive and declaratory relief, to prevent further defamatory conduct, Cajun Navy 2016 said in an online post.

“The lawsuit does not challenge the work of other disaster relief organizations,” the post said. “Instead, it alleges that repeated false statements about Cajun Navy 2016 crossed the line from protected criticism into defamation.”

Terrell said Monday, “United Cajun Navy has been around a long time and we’ve helped a lot of people in times of disasters.”

He said the organization also helps people outside of disasters.

“I want our day in court,” he said.

Cajun Navy 2016 and United Cajun Navy are two of about a halfdozen rescue groups, all with some version of Cajun Navy in their name, that grew out of a grassroots aid response following the widespread flooding caused hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

The groups use boats and highwater vehicles to respond to natural disasters.

Cajun Navy 2016, based in Watson, is one of the more well-known groups. United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit based out of Baton Rouge, says it has provided relief from more than 40 disasters across 17 states.

The lawsuit said that after the United Cajun Navy was established as a nonprofit in 2018, it began “distributing false information and false statements to the public” about Cajun Navy 2016.

One of several examples of those statements, provided as exhibits in the lawsuit, is an online post that United Cajun Navy made as Cajun

SPLASH ROYALE

Broussard Fire Department celebrated mascot Ember’s 7th birthday with a water war and party at Arceneaux Park on Saturday. Along with a birthday cake, young and old participated in the water wars.

ABOVE: Firefighter Nathan Roy, right, sprays water during Ember’s birthday party.

RIGHT: Firefighter Dru Davis gets sprayed with water during Saturday’s celebration.

Children reload their water weapons, spray and play during the water war between young and old.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAd KEMP

ä See LAWSUIT, page 6B

St. Landry officer arrested on drug, malfeasance counts CRIME BLOTTER Advocate staff reports

A correctional officer employed by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office was arrested Tuesday on counts relating to drug possession and manufacturing.

Mary Clark, 57,

was taken into custody alongside her husband, Brian Clark, 47, following an investigation that culminated in a search warrant of their Sunset residence.

Police say they found 27 hydrocodone pills in the residence, along with pyplobenzaprine and methocarbamol tablets and equipment for manufacturing cocaine. Au-

thorities further reported that the equipment in the residence tested positive for cocaine.

Because of her employment with the Sheriff’s Office, Mary Clark was issued an additional count of malfeasance in office, while her husband received an additional count relating to an outstanding bench warrant.

In a news release issued Tuesday, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said Mary Clark had been terminated from her position.

“Should any employee with this agency involve themselves in any criminal action, they will be arrested. Mary Clark is terminated from her employment with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office,”

Guidroz said in the news release.

Guidroz said there is no evidence suggesting that inmates in the St. Landry Parish Jail received any illicit substances through Mary Clark.

The Sheriff’s Office requests that anyone with additional

ä See BLOTTER, page 6B

2B ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate Legal Notices

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Lafayette Parish School Board - Board Insurance Committee Meeting (RESCHEDULED) - May 13, 2026 - ***REVISED*** Minutes at 9:00 AM Lafayette Parish School Board 202 Rue Iberville Lafayette, LA 70508 Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM.

3.3

COMMITTEE: Review and Approval of LPSB - Board Insurance Committee Meeting Minutes on March 4, 2026 - Mason LPSB - Board Insurance Committee Meeting - Mar 04 2026 Minutes - Html That the committee approve the minutes from the Board Insurance Committee Meeting on March 4, 2026.

Moved by: David LeJeune; seconded by: Robert Davidson Yes: Hannah Smith Mason, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 3-0 INSURANCE: Discussion and/or action regarding the Gallagher Report - Gardner/LeBouef Public comment was received.

Melody Terral with Gallagher reviewed the Financial Monitoring Summary for Fiscal Year 2025/26 from July 2025 through March 2026. Ms. Terral pointed out the retirees with no Medicare will always have the highest cost claimants PMPM (per member per month). She also made note that claims through March are running on average 5% less than the last 12 months. The average medical inflation trend in Louisiana is 10%. Ms. Terral indicated that Verity has better discounts than Blue Cross.

Superintendent Touchet stated he feels the district has been under funding the actual budget for insurance.

Ms. Terral recommended the district should have a reserve amount of $18 million - typically three months of claims. Mr. Anthony Mouton, Chief Financial Officer, indicated that currently Lafayette Parish School System does not have an insurance reserve; therefore, the Board would have to approve taking the money from the General Fund.

Lana Labourdette with Gallagher performed a market check for a Wellness Program. Gallagher was looking for a program that would have long-term positive effects on LPSS members’ health. Gallagher narrowed the four vendors down to two based on cost, solutions and integration. Gallagher landed on a company called WellRight. According to Ms. Labourdette, WellRight is customizable and Gallagher feels it best fits the needs of Lafayette Parish School System. The overall price is $1.85 per employee per month, which is a technology fee.

Members would have $45.00 on-site biometric screenings, which members currently receive. Please note the on-site biometric screenings will only be for active members and non-Medicare retirees. Members would also receive $30.00 flu shots. Ms. Labourdette recommended to the committee not to go with the additional options/costs of $.50 PEPM (per employee per month) coaching fees and $225.00 Tobacco Cessation Program. She also does not recommend the $8.00 PCP Forms because they can pull claims in from Meritain and Gallagher will not have to spend those dollars on the physical forms the doctor completes in order to show the member completed the doctor visit that counts towards preventative. Ms. Labourdette indicated the annual base technology fee would be $124,320, which has been built into the budget. WellRight would be available to all active and non-Medicare retirees effective January 1, 2027.

Lana Bourdette presented a custom search engine called DocConnect. DocConnect is a tailored provider search tool that applies the plan’s specific networks, tiers and rules in real time which makes it easier for members to find the right in-network providers. DocConnect removes the guesswork for members to find providers who participate in their specific networks.

All members would have access to DocConnect. The cost is $1.16 per employee per month ($73,776 annually). The cost is not included in the budget. Committee Chairperson Hannah Smith Mason indicated she is concerned about the cost of the program. Melody Terral offered advice on making sure contracts are cancelable and to only sign a one year contract.

Superintendent Touchet asked Ms. Terral if this is the right time to go with DocConnect. Ms. Terral indicated she felt it could wait. Mr. Touchet then indicated he would want a free trial to see what DocConnect looks like because he feels this will not go as smooth as Gallagher is predicting. Mr. Touchet also indicated there are things the district thought would happen with Meritain and those things have not happened. He feels before making an investment for this program, the district should have an opportunity to see if Meritain will keep their word and follow through on their claims. Board Member David LeJeune questioned what Meritain is doing to improve on their service for members. Ms. Terral indicated Meritain is limiting the number of customer service representatives allowed to take phone calls from members so those individuals can better understand in volume how to respond to the questions coming in. Meritain is also recording all calls and every third day they are doing sample checks on the responses. Ms. Terral also stated Gallagher has hired an individual to help Trish LeBouef, Director of Insurance & Benefits, with the calls she is receiving. Meritain is providing Gallagher with reports of claims that have been reprocessed since the coordination of benefits issue with Medicare. Ms. LeBouef indicated communication was sent to Medicare A and B members to provide information on who they could connect with if they are having issues and to connect back with Lafayette Parish School System if they continue to have issues.

Superintendent Touchet suggested the Insurance Department take a survey to see if customer support from Meritain has improved.

3.6

INSURANCE: Discussion and/or action regarding DocConnect Custom Search Engine Proposal - Gardner/LeBouef DocConnect is a tailored search engine platform that streamlines the process of locating an in-network Group Health Insurance provider thereby allowing members quick and efficient access to care.

TDA - 2026 Journal of Record Letter-Lafayette School.pdf Lafayette audit.pdf Acadiana Official Journal Bid School Board 2026-27.pdf Resolution 06-026-2180 Official Journal.pdf (1) (1).docx (1).pdf That the Board approve Resolution 06-026-2180 Official Journal for Lafayette Parish School Board.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0 4.3

Recommend that the Board Insurance Committee (BIC) authorize the Superintendent to direct staff to initiate an RFP for Voluntary Benefits in accordance with the Calendar of Events section.

Following the evaluation, the Board Insurance Committee (BIC) will review the top finalists and make a recommendation to the full Board for award of contract.

EMPLOYEE SERVICES: Discussion and/or action concerning the proposed revisions to job descriptions related thereto Rabalais/Gardner/Clement The following Job Descriptions will be eliminated: School Accounting Auditor and Internal Control Officer Maintenance Technician III - Food Services Food Service Cafeteria Manager I (12 positions) 6/30/2026 Food Service Cafeteria Manager II (18 positions) 6/30/2026 Food Service Cafeteria Manager III (11 positions) 6/30/2026 The following Job Descriptions will be added: Food Service Manager (41 positions) 7/1/2026 Changes to job descriptions and corresponding organizational charts will be effective as noted above, with any associated budgetary impact to be absorbed by Fund 70.

Moved by: David LeJeune; seconded by: Robert Davidson Yes: None No: Hannah Smith Mason, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Failed 0-3

Food Service Manager Job Description New.pdf That the Board approve the proposed revisions to job descriptions as related thereto.

4. ADJOURN 4.1 There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0

/s/Francis Touchet, Jr. Francis Touchet, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer 4.4

EMPLOYEE SERVICES: Discussion and/or action concerning an adjustment to the 2026-27 Salary Schedule – Gardner/Mouton/ Clement 2026-2027 Salary Schedule Booklet v2.pdf That the Board approve the revisions to the 2026-27 Salary Schedule.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0

Lafayette Parish School Board - Regular Board Meeting - June 11, 2026 Minutes Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 5:30 PM 202 Rue Iberville Lafayette, LA 70508 Meeting called to order at 5:30 PM. 1. MEETING OPENINGS 1.1 Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag followed by a Moment of Silence Board President Hannah Smith Mason asked Mr. David LeJeune to lead the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

1.2

1.3

4.5

Board Member Roll Call Board members present: LeJeune, Davidson, Edmond, Trahan, Latiolais, Bergeron, Labue, Mason and Hidalgo Board members absent: None Opening Comments - Superintendent Superintendent Francis Touchet, Jr. passed on making any opening comments.

RFP# 46-26 Specs.pd RFP# 46-26 Addendum #1.pdf PyeBarker.pdf That the Board approve Pye-Barker Fire and Safety for the maintenance of the Fire Alarm Inspections, Testing, and Monitoring Services; Sprinkler System Inspections and Testing Services; Kitchen Hood Inspections and Fire Extinguisher Inspections.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0

Mrs. Ginger Richard, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, announced Superintendent Touchet was awarded Louisiana 4-H State Superintendent for the work he has done with 4-H and the LSU AgCenter. The work was centered around Health Rocks, which is a program that helps middle school students stay clean of substance abuse.

Board President Hannah Mason asked fellow Board members if they had any objections to move the agenda item regarding Ovey Comeaux High before the consent agenda section of the agenda. There were no objections from fellow Board members.

4.6

3. LITIGATION 3.1 BOARD: Discussion and/or action concerning potential litigation involving damage to the Le Triomphe front entrance sign - Early

That the Board approve the Servitude Agreement with the City of Lafayette for a Permanent Utilities Servitude at 3000 W Congress Street.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0 4.7

BOARD: Discussion and/or action concerning prospective litigation in the matter of Shawana Johnson relative to her Workers’ Compensation claim - Early That the Board enter into executive session to discuss items 3.1 and 3.2.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Carried 9-0

That the Board approve the use of $80,000 from the Departmental Needs Set Aside within the Capital Improvement Fund to purchase a server for the School Food Service Department.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0 4.8

4. CONSENT AGENDA 4.1

ACADEMICS: Discussion and/or action concerning the 20262027 Pupil Progression Plan - Melton 2026-2027Pupil Progression Plan Lafayette Parish School System.pdf That the Board approve the 2026-2027 Pupil Progression Plan as attached above.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0

FINANCE: Discussion and/or action concerning revision to Policy DJED - Bids and Quotations - Mouton DJED Bids and Quotations - redline.pdf DJED revised 2026 final. pdf That the Board approve the revision to Policy DJED - Bids and Quotations as attached in the public content section of this agenda item.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0

That the Board return to regular session.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, and Robert Davidson Absent: David LeJeune Motion Carried 8-0 That the Board accept counsel’s recommendations for 3.1 and 3.2.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Carried 9-0

FINANCE: Discussion and/or action for the purchase of a new server within the Capital Improvement Fund - Cassidy/Mouton/ Rabalais The MCS software has reached its end-of-life on our current server infrastructure and is no longer supported. To mitigate operational risks and ensure system stability, staff requests funding for a cloud server migration to replace the outdated system.

That the Board accept counsel’s recommendations for both 3.1 and 3.2.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Carried 9-0 3.2

FACILITIES: Discussion and/or action concerning a Servitude Agreement with the City of Lafayette - Touchet/Rabalais Public comment was received.

Lafayette High School 5.19.26.pdf Easements Plat SS 5-18-26. pdf

That the Board enter into executive session to discuss items 3.1 and 3.2.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Carried 9-0 That the Board return to regular session.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, and Robert Davidson Absent: David LeJeune Motion Carried 8-0

FACILITIES: Discussion and/or action regarding the Fire Alarm Inspections, Testing, and Monitoring Services; Sprinkler System Inspections and Testing Services; Kitchen Hood Inspections and Fire Extinguisher Inspections - Rabalais/Fontenot LPSS intends to award an initial three-year (3) contract with two (2) one-year (1) optional extensions. LPSS’s goal is to engage the services of one (1) Contractor that will maintain all of the equipment and systems, per associated codes and manufacturer recommendations. The base contract will be effective from issuance of notice to proceed (pending Board approval) and end as detailed in the Request for Proposal.

2. INFORMATION ITEMS 2.1 SUPERINTENDENT: Superintendent Francis Touchet, Jr. awarded Louisiana 4-H State Superintendent Award - Richard

Associated base program costs with the implementation of this program are $1.85 PEPM ($124,320 annually) for 5,600 active employees and non-Medicare members. Supplemental services are available at an additional cost per service.

3.5

COMMUNICATIONS: Discussion and/or action concerning Resolution 06-026-2180 Official Journal for Lafayette Parish School Board - Wirtz

The Acadiana Advocate offers a digital edition that includes all public notices published in the print addition and participates in a free online database of the Louisiana public notices.

5.11.26 FINAL Voluntary Benefits RFP.pdf

/s/Hannah Smith Mason Hannah Smith Mason, Board President

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We have 42,582 paid digital subscribers and an average of 430,000 sessions per month on our Acadiana Advocate site.

INSURANCE: Discussion and/or action regarding the Voluntary Benefits Request for Proposal (RFP) - Gardner/LeBouef Public comment was received.

LPSS intends to award an initial one-year contract, effective January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2027. The agreement includes the option to renew for up to three (3) additional oneyear terms. Please note, the successful Administrator must begin implementation and support services prior to the formal start date to facilitate the Fall 2026 Open Enrollment period.

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The Acadiana Advocate has a total paid daily circulation of 3,122 and a total paid Sunday Circulation of 3,430

The Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) is requesting proposals from an integrated Third-Party Administrator (TPA) consultant and brokerage services to manage its voluntary benefits and administrative services. The selected partner will oversee the entire lifecycle of the District’s voluntary benefits programs from strategic planning and implementation to daily administration and ongoing communications.

INSURANCE: Discussion and/or action regarding the WellRight Wellness Program Proposal - Gardner/LeBouef WellRight is a wellness platform that drives employee engagement and health outcomes. Implementing a comprehensive wellness program, for all LPSS Group Health Insurance participants, provides a strategic long term investment to member wellbeing.

That the Board Insurance Committee (BIC) recommend to the full Board to approve WellRight as the official wellness program of the Lafayette Parish School System beginning January 1, 2027, and to authorize staff to begin the administrative and implementation process immediately following the Board’s adoption.

Moved by: David LeJeune; seconded by: Robert Davidson Yes: Hannah Smith Mason, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Carried 3-0

4.2

Table this item and see if we can negotiate a trial period.

Moved by: Robert Davidson; seconded by: David LeJeune Yes: Hannah Smith Mason, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Carried 3-0

5.6.26 Gallagher BIC Presentation.pdf 3.4

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That the Board Insurance Committee (BIC) recommend to the full Board to authorize an agreement with DocConnect to streamline the in-network provider search and enhance the healthcare experience for all LPSS Group Health Insurance participants.

3. ADJOURN 3.1 COMMITTEE: Selection of Board Insurance/Finance Committee Chairperson - Mason After Mrs. Mason was elected by acclamation, she made note after Chad Desormeaux resigned from the board, there needed to be changes to committees.

Mr. Davidson placed in nomination Mrs. Mason for chair of the Board Insurance Committee for 2026.

Moved by: Robert Davidson; seconded by: David LeJeune Yes: None Mrs. Mason was elected by acclamation. 0-0 3.2

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Associated costs with the implementation of this program are $1.16 PEPM ($73,776 annually).

1. ROLL CALL 1.1 Roll Call - Board Insurance/Finance Committee David LeJeune - District 1; Robert “Ted” Davidson - District 2 and Hannah Smith Mason - District 8 Members present: LeJeune, Davidson and Mason Members absent: None Other members present: Hidalgo 2. INFORMATION ITEM 2.1 COMMITTEE: Update from Mr. Kelly Cox in Reference to Contracts - Mason Kelly Cox provided the committee with a description of the services he is providing for Lafayette Parish School System.

He indicated he is partnering with the largest and most premier health care providers in the community to get cost savings. Mr. Cox is continuing to evaluate claims to determine if there could be more cost savings to the district. Mrs. Mason asked Mr. Cox what is the difference in what he is working on and what Gallagher is doing. Mr. Cox indicated he is contracting with individual providers and negotiating with providers in networks.

Legal Notices

4.9

FINANCE: Discussion and/or action concerning the June Budget-to-Actual/Revisions for FY 25-26 - Mouton/LeBlanc GF Revision #11.pdf FY26 Capital Improvement Fund BTA-Revision #11.pdf FY26 Self-Funded Construction Fund BTA-Revision #11.pdf FY26 2025 Bond Construction Fund BTA - Budget Revision #3 (REVISED 06.01.26).pdf FY26 2025A Bond Construction Fund BTA - Budget Revision #2.pdf FY 26 Sales Tax Fund Combined BTA 043026.pdf FY26 2002 Sales Tax BTA #4.pdf FY26 Debt Service - Budget Revision #5.pdf FY26 Group Insurance Fund BTA-Revision #4.pdf FY26 Special Revenue Budget Federal & State.pdf FY26 Special Revenue Budget State & Local BTA #7 v2.pdf That the Board approve the June Budget-to-Actual/Revisions for FY 25-26 as attached in the Public Content section of this agenda item.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● 3B

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4.10 INSURANCE: Discussion and/or action regarding the Voluntary Benefits Request for Proposal (RFP) - Hidalgo Agenda item pulled by Jeremy Hidalgo for further discussion.

Public comment was received.

After evaluating and ranking the proposals based on the established criteria, the RFP Selection Committee will send the top three finalists to the Superintendent. The proposers will be notified and invited to present to the Board Insurance Committee (BIC). The BIC will then provide its recommendation to the LPSB, with the full Board holding final approval for the contract award.

1 - 6.8.26 Voluntary Benefits RFP - Google Docs.pdf That the Board gives the Superintendent authority to direct staff to initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Voluntary Benefits, adhering to the timeline and specifications outlined in the 1.1 Calendar of Events section.

Moved by: David LeJeune; seconded by: Jeremy Hidalgo Yes: Britt Latiolais, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, and Joshua Edmond No: Hannah Smith Mason, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Carried 6-3 4.11 INSURANCE: Discussion and/or action regarding the WellRight Wellness Program - Gardner / LeBouef WellRight is a wellness platform that drives employee engagement and health outcomes. Implementing a comprehensive wellness program for all LPSS Group Health Insurance participants provides a strategic long term investment to member wellbeing.

Associated base program costs with the implementation of this program is $1.85 PEPM ($124,320 annually) for 5,600 active employees and non-Medicare members. Supplemental services are available at an additional cost per service. This program has been built into the FY26/27 Insurance budget from January June 2027.

That the Board adopt the May 13, 2026 recommendation of the Board Insurance Committee (BIC) to approve WellRight as the official LPSS wellness program effective January 1, 2027 and authorize staff to begin the implementation process upon Board approval.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Joshua Edmond Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0 4.12 RISK MANAGEMENT: Discussion and/or action concerning consultant recommendations for property and casualty insurance coverages, including student coverages for the 20262027 fiscal year and authorization to put broker agreement(s) in place - Early Agenda item was pulled by Jeremy Hidalgo for further discussion.

Public comment was received.

Lafayette PSB liability package bid 4 2026 (2).pdf Lafayette PSB insurance summary.pdf Lafayette PSB letter of recommendation 2026 (1).pdf Policy EG.pdf That the Board approve the consultant’s property and casualty insurance renewal recommendations for the 2026 -2027 fiscal year, including student coverages, with the exception of the liability coverage. To maintain compliance with Policy EG, which requires all property and casualty policies to be managed by a single broker, we recommend accepting the revised quote from American Alternative through Alliant.

I move that we amend Policy EG by removing the last

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sentence of paragraph four (4) in order to allow for the use of multiple brokers/agencies, and that we approve our insurance consultant’s recommendations as to the placement of property and casualty insurance coverages, including student coverages, for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Moved by: Jeremy Hidalgo; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, and Robert Davidson No: Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, and David LeJeune Motion Carried 6-3 4.13 RISK MANAGEMENT: Discussion and/or action concerning compensation to School Bus Owners-Operators for insurance - Early/Jeffers 2026_2027 - LPSB School Bus Use Agreement.pdf That the Board approve compensation to be paid to school bus owner-operators for the 2026/2027 school year for $5,000.00 (total) for the cost of insurance for those entering agreements for a term of 1-year effective July 2026 and up to $4,587.00 (pro-rated) for those entering agreements for a term of less than one year after the start of the school year, provided the school bus owner-operator executes a School Bus Use Agreement prepared by the Board’s legal counsel.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0 4.14 SUPERINTENDENT: Discussion and/or action concerning the Minutes of May 14, 2026 and June 2, 2026 - Touchet LPSB - Public Hearing on Budget - May 14, 2026 - Minutes Html LPSB - Special Board Meeting (Budget Adoption) - May 14, 2026 - Minutes - Html LPSB - Regular Board Meeting - May 14, 2026 - Minutes - Html LPSB - Public Hearing Regarding Potential Closure and Repurpose of Ovey Comeaux High - June 2, 2026 - Minutes - Html That the Board approve the minutes of May 14, 2026 and June 2, 2026 as attached to this agenda item.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0 4.15 Approval of all Action Consent Items That the Board approve all Action Consent agenda items with the exception of items pulled.

Moved by: Britt Latiolais; seconded by: Roddy Bergeron Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, Joshua Edmond, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Carried 9-0

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2029 Academic School Year. The existing sports facilities will be repurposed and renovated to create the Lafayette Parish Schools Sports Complex, a centralized sports complex in Lafayette Parish for Lafayette Parish schools. Ovey Comeaux High School will be renamed Ovey Comeaux Workforce Innovation Academy The 2026-27 Ovey Comeaux High students rezoning maps are attached below.

Acadiana HS 11x17 (1).pdf Lafayette HS 11x17 (1).pdf Southside HS 11x17 (1).pdf Please note by taking Ovey Comeaux High School offline, the District’s General Fund would have an estimated cost savings of $2,069,976.

That the Board approve taking Ovey Comeaux High School offline beginning with the 2026-27 school year to begin renovations to repurpose the campus as outlined.

Moved by: Kate Bailey Labue; seconded by: Britt Latiolais Yes: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Roddy Bergeron, and Robert Davidson No: Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, Joshua Edmond, and David LeJeune Motion Carried 5-4 Substitute Motion: That we table agenda item 5.1 pending thorough review of the facility planning and a full Board workshop with the facility committee coupled with expanding additional programs to move into the Paul Breaux Middle School complex that will be vacated at the next half of the next school year.

Moved by: Amy Trahan; seconded by: Joshua Edmond Yes: Amy Trahan, Jeremy Hidalgo, and Joshua Edmond No: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Roddy Bergeron, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Failed 3-6 Substitute Motion: That we maintain the current Career Center open at it’s current site and add additional programs at the Paul Breaux Middle site and we look at developing a phase out of Comeaux High through the 28-29 school year which would allow the freshmen that are rising seniors, sophomores to actually go through their senior year at Comeaux High and upon offlining at that time turn the Comeaux High site to the LPSS sports complex.

Moved by: Amy Trahan; seconded by: Joshua Edmond Yes: Amy Trahan and Joshua Edmond No: Britt Latiolais, Hannah Smith Mason, Kate Bailey Labue, Jeremy Hidalgo, Roddy Bergeron, David LeJeune, and Robert Davidson Motion Failed 2-7 6. ADJOURN 6.1 There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:47 PM. /s/Francis Touchet, Jr. Francis Touchet, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer

5. ACTION 5.1 BOARD: Discussion and/or action to take Ovey Comeaux High School offline for the 2026-27 school year and Re-purpose the Campus - Mason/Labue

/s/Hannah Smith Mason Hannah Smith Mason, Board President

Public comment was received.

Ovey Comeaux High School will be taken offline at the end of the 2025-2026 Academic School Year in anticipation of renovations for the new academy. Ovey Comeaux HS facility will be repurposed and renovated to accommodate the W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center and E.J. Sam Accelerated School with the anticipation to service students no later than the 2028-

195527-672116-jul 29-1t $ 792.34

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

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PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

received either electroni‐ cally at https://lafayet tecsdgovla.tylerportico. com/va/vendor-access/ registration or in the of‐ fice of the Purchasing Di‐ vision at the Lafayette Consolidated Govern‐ ment Building, located at 705 West University Av‐ enue, Lafayette, Louisiana, until 3:00 pm Central Time on the 13th day of August, 2026 for h f ll i

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals g y the following: HYDRO VAC TRAILER and will, shortly there‐ after, be opened and read aloud in City Hall lo‐ cated at 705 West Univer‐ sity Avenue, Lafayette, LA. Bids received after the above specified time for opening shall not be considered and shall be returned unopened to the sender. Bidders are

Legal Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

encouraged to attend the bid opening virtually by using the following link https://us02web.zoom. us/j/85077817058? pwd=gaSN9cdGYDvhrYx klE6DUzjeSujI0J.1 Meet‐ ing ID: 850 7781 7058 Passcode: 865598 In accordance with Louisiana RS 38:2212. vendors may submit their bid electronically at the website listed above.

Bidders wishing to sub‐ mit their bid electroni‐ cally must first be regis‐ tered within LCG Vendor Access at the website listed above. The regis‐ tration process can take some time; therefore, LCG recommends regis‐ tering days in advance of the time that bids are due. It is the sole respon‐ sibility of the bidder to ensure their bid is deliv‐ ered (whether electroni‐ cally via Vendor Access, in person, or via mail) to the Purchasing Division prior to the scheduled date and time of the bid opening. Vendors may request the bid package electronically from Thomas Metrejean at tg‐ metrejean@lafayettela.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

gov.

Vendors submitting bids electronically are re‐ quired to provide the same documents as bid‐ ders submitting through the mail as soon as avail‐ able. Only a bid bond, certified check or cashier’s check shall be submitted as the bid se‐ curity. Electronic copies of both the front and back of the check or bid bond shall be included with the electronic bid.

Bids must be signed in accordance with LRS Title 38:2212(B)5. A Cor‐ porate Resolution or Cer‐ tificate of Authority au‐ thorizing the person signing the bid is re‐ quired to be submitted with bid. Failure to sub‐ mit a Corporate Resolu‐ tion or Certificate of Au‐ thority with the bid shall be cause for rejection of bid.

Copies of the bidding documents are available at the Purchasing Office located at 705 West Uni‐ versity Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506. Tele‐ phone number (337) 2917187 (Attn: Thomas Me‐

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

trejean). Bidding docu‐ ments shall be available until twenty-four (24) hours before the bid opening date.

Bidder must be properly licensed in accordance with LA RS 32:1254 and must include valid copy of said license in the bid submitted in accordance with LA 38:2212.8.

Each bid shall be accom‐ panied by a certified check, cashier’s check or bid bond payable to the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the amount of which shall be five percent (5%) of the total extended price. If a bid bond is used, it shall be written by a surety or in‐ surance company cur‐ rently on the U.S. Depart‐ ment of the Treasury Fi‐ nancial Management Service list of approved companies bonding which is published annu‐ ally in the Federal Regis‐ ter, or by a Louisiana domiciled insurance company with at least an A-Rating in the latest printing of the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide to write individual bonds up to ten percent (10%) f li h ld l

p p of policyholders’ surplus as shown in the A.M. Best’s Key Rating Guide, or by an insurance com‐ pany in good standing li‐ censed to write bid bonds which is either domiciled in Louisiana or owned by Louisiana resi‐ dents. The bid bond shall be issued by a company licensed to do business in Louisiana and counter‐ signed by a person who is under contract with re‐ siding in this state. The certified check, cashier’s check, or bid bond shall be given as a guarantee that the bidder shall exe‐ cute the contract, should it be awarded to him, in conformity with the con‐ tract documents within ten (10) days.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for at least fortyfive (45) days after the time scheduled for the opening of bids. Each bid shall be submitted only on the bid form provided with the specifications.

Bids will be evaluated by the Purchaser based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid sub‐ mitted which is also in compliance with the bid documents.

The Lafayette Consolidated Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause in ac‐ cordance with LA R.S. 38§2214.B. The Lafayette Consoli‐ dated Government strongly encourages the participation of DBEs (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) in all con‐ tracts or procurements let by the Lafayette Con‐ solidated Government for goods and services and labor and material.

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

To that end, all contrac‐ tors and suppliers are encouraged to utilize DBEs business enter‐ prises in the purchase or sub-contracting of mate‐ rials, supplies, services and labor and material in which disadvantaged business are available.

Assistance in identifying said businesses may be obtained by calling 2918410.

PURCHASING DIVISION Lafayette Consolidated Government PUBLISH DATES: 7/29/26, 8/2/26 DPR # 1005761

Public Notices Bids/Proposals q y and adaptability of said items.

Bidders must comply with all condi‐ tions submitted in bid specifications. The Sher‐ iff reserves the right to reject any and all bids deemed unsuitable in the best public interest. __ _ ________________ Mark T. Garber, Sheriff Parish of Lafayette Publish ads: July 22nd; July 29th 194969 22, 29, 2t $21.94

195649 July 29, Aug. 2, 2t $103.82 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be ac‐ cepted until 10:00 a.m., Thursday, August 6th, 2026, at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office at 316 W. Main Street, Lafayette, Louisiana for the follow‐ ing: #2027-02 Mechanical Plant Boiler Replacement For information on this bid, contact the Finance Office at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Documents are also available at the Sheriff’s Office Website at www. lafayettesheriff.com and www.centralauctionh ouse.com. Bids received after the above date and time will be returned un‐ opened. Bids will be eval‐ uated by and purchased based on quality, cost d d bili f id

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

Funding review for education can bear fruit if done right We agree with Gov. Jeff Landry and legislators that it’s time for the Minimum Foundation Program, the state’s primary method of delivering funding to school districts, to be reviewed.

Louisiana doles out MFP funds to local districts based on the number of students. MFP funding makes up about 40% of total education funding for most districts. Currently, the MFP pays a base of about $4,000 per student, a number that has risen only about $600 in the last two decades. If the allocation had kept pace with inflation, the MFP would now pay about $5,600 per pupil.

So we’re cautiously hopeful that a new task force, created this year by the Legislature initially as a way to find permanent funding for teacher raises, will chart a path forward. But we share the concerns of education advocates and others that its timeline is too compressed.

We urge members to take the time to do the job right.

What they are attempting is no small task. The 15 members of the task force — mostly legislators or their designees — are charged with creating a “revised or replacement formula” by Jan. 1, according to the resolution that formed it. Given that their first meeting will take place next month, that’s a very quick turnaround.

Other states that have conducted similar reviews in recent years, such as Tennessee and Texas, have taken longer and involved more people.

Nevertheless, we don’t think the short timeline makes the job impossible. The process can bear valuable fruit if legislators follow some simple maxims.

First, the group must focus on building on recent successes. For the last few years, Louisiana students have made impressive gains in the classroom, turning the state into an improbable success story among education wonks.

Those improvements have come on the back of a renewed focus on classroom instruction. Any change to the MFP must keep the teaching of students at its center.

Of course, that includes finding permanent funding for raises. Many of the gains should be credited to teachers, and they deserve more than the uncertainty that has characterized the last several years.

Second, the task force should not remove any options from the table. When Tennessee and Texas finished their reviews, they concluded that more funding was needed. Louisiana’s leaders should be open to similar conclusions. As mentioned above, the MFP has barely increased in two decades even as the demands on school systems have grown.

The task force must do all this while putting aside the temptation to pursue strictly political aims. Louisiana’s education formula can improve — for taxpayers, teachers and students — only if it is done without the partisan maneuvering that so often characterizes state government.

There are plenty of questions as the task force begins its work. But with the right priorities, we believe it can yield good results.

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AI may force Congress to adopt long-rejected solutions

Give states time to prepare for law that could cut food access Louisiana families should be able to sit down at the dinner table knowing there will be enough food tomorrow. Yet high grocery, housing and utility costs are making that increasingly difficult.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps more than 800,000 Louisiana residents afford groceries each month, including children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and working families. At Feeding Louisiana and our five regional food banks, we see how SNAP helps families remain stable. SNAP also strengthens Louisiana’s economy. Benefits are spent at grocery stores, farmers markets and other food retailers, supporting local businesses, farmers and jobs.

A new federal law will require states, for the first time, to pay a portion of SNAP benefits based on administrative payment error rates. Louisiana could face an estimated annual cost of $184 million.

Louisiana has traditionally maintained a relatively low SNAP payment error rate. We recognize and appreciate that the Louisiana Department of Health is

working hard to improve the state’s current rate and ensure benefits are issued accurately.

Payment errors should be corrected, but they are not fraud. They often result from complicated rules, outdated technology, staffing challenges or paperwork mistakes. Imposing a major new cost before improvements are completed could force Louisiana to cut services or restrict SNAP access.

A two-year delay is the responsible solution. It would give Louisiana time to modernize systems, train staff, implement new requirements and improve accuracy without disrupting food assistance.

Feeding Louisiana urges Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy to support legislation delaying the SNAP cost shift for two years. Louisiana cannot balance its budget on the plates of working families. Congress should give our state time to strengthen SNAP while protecting the neighbors who depend on it.

The July 11 editorial by Ron Faucheux, “The next American revolution is already here,” speculating on future Democratic and Republican remedies to the rapidity of change being brought by AI, was very provocative.

He mentions such traditional Democratic solutions as Medicare for All, cash assistance for the disadvantaged, higher taxes on the rich and an array of free or subsidized social services.

Republicans and Congress itself may be forced into accepting such policies when faced with an economic crisis from the impacts of AI, which forces “the government to think and act differently.” Faucheux even mentions Elon Musk’s comment that universal basic income (UBI) may be needed as AI changes the work landscape.

As college economics students decades ago, we studied the economic remedies Faucheux mentions and are reminded of Thomas Paine’s quote in Common Sense: “A long habit of not thinking a thing is wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.”

When it comes to our government’s economic response to AI in the workplace — however obstructive the GOP may be — time will convert all of us to the old/new ways of the solution.

PAT VAN BURKLEO executive director, Feeding Louisiana Baton Rouge

Police work is only part of making city safer The recent editorial, ”Historic drop in New Orleans crime is worth celebrating,” rightly celebrates our city’s progress in reducing crime. However, it overlooks an important part of the story: Public safety is about more than policing.

To be sure, New Orleans’ declining crime rate is a victory for the people who call this city home, for our families, friends, neighbors and communities. It is rooted more than anything in the fact that we, as a city, have more stable, healthy lives.

While law enforcement plays a role in public safety, so do public defenders, community organizations and well-resourced communities that address the issues often underlying justice system involvement. Every day, we represent people struggling with mental illness, substance use disorders, housing instability and other unmet needs. Arrests and incarceration alone do little to improve long-term public safety when those challenges remain unaddressed.

At Orleans Public Defenders, attor-

neys work alongside social workers, client advocates and investigators to connect clients with treatment, housing, employment assistance and other resources that reduce future system interaction. Public defense is an investment in people; helping individuals move from crisis to stability, supporting families and fostering safer neighborhoods.

If New Orleans’ health and safety progress is to continue, we cannot rely solely on enforcement and incarceration. Lasting crime reduction requires continued investment in the community organizations doing the often unseen work to prevent violence and increase stability for the most vulnerable in our city — and yes, public defense as well.

Those investments make our city safer for residents and visitors alike, and they deserve recognition as part of New Orleans’ success.

TERRY VERIGAN KATHY HIGGINS Metairie

Looking forward to writer Jan Risher’s uplifting columns

DANNY ENGELBERG chief public defender, Orleans Public defenders New Orleans

I love reading Jan Risher’s column. It’s uplifting and informative.

I can’t wait to read it tomorrow.

Messi’s nod to winning team was a classy move Lionel Messi, the world-renowned soccer player from Argentina, played his heart out in the final World Cup game.

But his side lost.

In his statement to the press, Messi said, “I feel sad. They were better, to be honest.”

LISA JONES Thibodaux

In the streetside language of my youth, what a class act! Wasn’t Messi’s loss statement better than what we usually hear now in our country: “We got screwed”?

SAM GALLO Baton Rouge

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COMMENTARY Exposing academia’s cluelessness It can’t have been fun for the anequivalent of turning an astronomy thropologists when their discipline department into an astrology departwas singled out as a hive of political ment.” groupthink. In fact, they got very When the interviewer pushes back on angry about the “Report on the State that last point, she tries to dodge and of Scholarship in the Humaniweave, but has no idea what an effective dodge would be. So we ties and the Humanistic Social end up watching an unintentionSciences,” commissioned by Vanderbilt and Washington al comedian take repeated pratUniversity in St. Louis. falls, such as suggesting that The 10 scholars who authored people who believe sex is binary the report, which was released Megan M eega gan maybe “want to kill babies that in June, offered anthropology McArdle aren’t just XX presenting XX as an example of a field where or XY presenting XY,” and that “we see a widespread deterioteaching that sex is binary is ration in scholarly standards … togeth- as inappropriate in a classroom as deer with a toxic intellectual climate in bating the pros and cons of interning which reasonable dissent on politically Japanese people. Perhaps this sounds charged topics is routinely suppressed more coherent if you are fluent in Anand punished.” For instance: The thropologese, but to those outside the American Anthropological Association tribe? Woof. canceled a 2023 conference panel on It makes for painful reading, not just the relevance of biological sex to anbecause Rouse can’t seem to untangle her foot from her tonsils, but because thropology. she exemplifies some of the deepest Carolyn Rouse, the president of the problems with academia today.

American Anthropological AssociaRouse comes off as someone who tion, was not one to stay silent while has not talked to anyone outside of outsiders claimed that her field had abandoned rigorous argument in favor academia for a long, long time. That can’t actually be true, since she menof social justice orthodoxy. No, sir.

Instead, she opened her mouth and tions her extensive fieldwork in a rural proved it.

White community. This boast makes Her interview with the Chronicle of it even more disturbing that she is so Higher Education has to be read to be comically bad at communicating with believed. No, strike that, I’ve read it normal people. three times, and I am still struggling to Rouse had one job in that interview: convince myself that it’s real. to defend the integrity of her disci“They used AI,” said the Princeton pline. She botched that assignment anthropology professor, apparently un- because the only audience she cared about believes it has no reason to be aware that using artificial intelligence defensive. It is the latest in a long line to survey large bodies of text is an increasingly common method in many of such errors: the college presidents who fumbled their congressional hearsocial science fields. She rambled about a couple of passing references ing, the public health experts who isto Socrates as if this somehow discred- sued a get-out-of-lockdown-free pass ited the report. She asserted that teach- for George Floyd protests, and the ending there are two sexes would be “the less think pieces arguing that reform-

ers who are trying to rebuild trust are quislings handing academia’s enemies more ammunition.

This inward-focused culture was bred when a college diploma was a near-guaranteed ticket to a good job, and public faith in academia was high.

Academics didn’t have to cater to the public; the public had to cater to them.

Those days are over, though word does not yet seem to have reached the faculty lounge. Only 50% of Democrats now express much confidence in higher education. Independents are at 39%, Republicans at 23%. The most common reason given for distrusting academia is “political agenda,” closely followed by “cost” and the perception that degrees no longer prepare graduates for the workforce. Meanwhile, a demographic cliff is hitting enrollments.

Academics need to sell the public on the value of their project. Many people in academia do understand this, including the administrators who commissioned that report.

But many others are still clueless.

Even if they grasp, dimly, that something is seriously amiss, they do not understand what it will take to fix the problem.

They can get away with this in the classroom. They can play those lines for applause at disciplinary conferences.

But in the world outside, “experts say” no longer works. Academics spent years lending their institutional credibility to various political projects.

Now they are reputationally bankrupt.

If they don’t repair the damage and convince people to keep writing the checks, many institutions will eventually be financially bankrupt as well.

Megan McArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

The case against confirming Todd Blanche What benefit of norms is owed to someone who disdains norms? There are many sufficient reasons to oppose confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general.

Presidents generally are owed some deference in selecting Cabinet memGeorge bers, but “some” implies Will limits, lest the Senate’s advice-and-consent duty be drained of responsibility. And not all presidents are equally owed. Today’s president is owed little, given his contempt for the unwritten rules of civility that can lubricate a congenial society’s governance.

Eight days after the 2024 election, Donald Trump set the tone of his second term by announcing his beau ideal of an attorney general: Rep. Matt Gaetz. This insult lasted eight days, until Gaetz withdrew as nominee. He had resigned from the House earlier, reportedly to prevent release of the House Ethics Committee’s report on his alleged drug use and sexual misconduct, which a woman said included sex with her twice when she was 17.

Trump settled for Pam Bondi as attorney general, with Blanche as her deputy. While Blanche was the Justice Department’s second-in-command, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a Justice appendage, sought criminal indictments of six congressional Democrats, all with military or intelligence backgrounds. They had made a video.

Made while Trump’s administration was killing people on boats (in international waters) suspected of carrying drugs, the video said what the Uniform Code of Military Justice says: Do not obey illegal orders. A grand jury did something vanishingly rare in criminal cases. It refused to indict the six.

Blanche was acting attorney general when the Justice Department took seriously Seashellgate. His department secured a second indictment of former FBI director James B. Comey, this time for posting a photograph of shells arranged on a beach to read “86 47”; “86” is slang for “remove.” Trump is the 47th president. Blanche’s DOJ pretended to regard Comey’s infantile gesture as a prosecutable threat.

Republican senators now have demanded Blanche’s assurances that the proposed $1.776 billion slush fund, for compensating persons Trump designates as victims of Biden administration persecution, is dead. But this grift was incubated in Blanche’s DOJ.

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche talks with reporters after attending a meeting related to survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Blanche, who serves at the pleasure Trump’s pardons of almost all the apof the president, signed a memo pledg- proximately 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters when, to a gathering of Trump supporters, ing that the IRS is “Forever Barred” from “examinations” of Trump, certain he praised the “generous” pardons as one of the administration’s accomplishmembers of his family, the Trump Organization and “related or affiliated in- ments.

If at most four Republican senators dividuals.” This “negotiated” — try not had, in committee or floor votes, beto snicker — settlement between the president and the executive branch he haved as independently as the Foundheads exemplifies the administration’s ers thought senators would, Bondi, sludge of self-dealing.

Kristi Noem, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Trump sicced Blanche’s compliHegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others would not have been confirmed ant Justice Department on Federal to offices far above their competences.

Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell, osChildren probably have died of meatensibly about fictitious criminality in construction spending, actually to pres- sles, and of hepatitis B passed from mothers to infants, because of vaccine sure Powell to resign. With Blanche as hesitancy promoted by Kennedy, who deputy, then acting, attorney general, the Justice Department (per the Econo- lied when he promised not to indulge in such quackery if confirmed as Secremist) gave courts inaccurate information “nearly 100 times in Mr Trump’s tary of Health and Human Services. first 14 months.”

Now comes Blanche. He received In April, Blanche became acting this embarrassingly backhanded enattorney general when Trump fired dorsement (in the Wall Street Journal) Bondi. “Nobody has any idea why,” said from former attorney general William Blanche.

Barr: Blanche “will run the department Plausible reports said Trump conas effectively as anyone could under President Trump.” Is this sufficient sidered Bondi insufficiently aggresreassurance for Republican senators? sive about prosecuting his enemies.

Blanche has said, cloudily, that “some” Or will, at last, a nominee trigger their gag reflexes?

Justice Department prosecutions “inOnce, when someone noted that volve men, women, and entities” that Sen. Richard Russell, the Georgia Trump “has had issues with. … That is his right, and indeed it is his duty to do Democrat, had “served under” six presidents, Russell bristled, saying he that, meaning, to lead this country.” “served with” six. It will be a pleasant Blanche said it is “completely false” surprise if, concerning Blanche, a few that the president targets political enRepublican senators become similarly emies. Trump merely “wants justice.” sensitive about those prepositions.

Blanche said he was not “celebrating”

A congregation turns on the pastor of a S.C. church PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. — This peaceful coastal community has been swept by a tsunami of outrage after residents learned about allegations that a convicted sex offender was allowed to volunteer at a church that operates a daycare center and school.

The growing scandal and resulting criminal investigation led to the arrests of the registered Kathleen sex offender and three leadParker ers at Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy. The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office learned about the allegations in the case on July 12 after a parent found Warren Perry, 70, listed on a sex offender registry.

The parent told investigators that Perry was in close proximity to children at the church academy.

At a recent news conference, Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver announced that investigators had arrested and brought criminal charges against Perry, whom the children called “Mr. Warren,” according to a lawsuit filed against the church and academy. Weaver said former pastor Don Williams and former academy director Jennifer Nicole “Niki” Howard were each charged with obstruction of justice, unlawfully placing a child at risk and criminal conspiracy. Ginny Williams, the pastor’s wife and former guest services director at the church, was charged with criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The pastor, his wife and Howard had resigned from their positions days before their arrests.

Perry was charged with obstruction of justice and criminal conspiracy and is being held without bond.

Weaver said Perry was charged by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in August 2020 with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. In November 2023, Perry was found guilty of one of those counts. He was placed on probation for five years with restrictions on contact with minors.

Details regarding whether Perry was an employee or a volunteer are murky, which is significant because state law requires background checks of anyone employed at a licensed childcare facility. Weaver said Perry became “employed” at the Pawleys Island church and academy in a maintenance position shortly after his arrest in 2020. The sheriff described Perry’s role as “what anybody would call employed.”

At the news conference, Weaver displayed two pictures that he said show Perry near children. One of the photos appears to show an adult washing Perry’s feet with children close by.

Other allegations make this story uniquely disturbing: According to a lawsuit, the church academy advertised an auction in which children who won would get to spend a day with one of two maintenance workers, including Perry. Seriously? A day with a sex offender? No wonder parents are on the warpath.

Four lawsuits, including a $25 million classaction complaint, have been filed against the church and its leaders.

At a community meeting Williams hosted at his church on July 15, the pastor insisted that Perry was never supposed to be alone with children and was closely supervised. Members of the packed audience responded that the pastor should be in jail, among other withering suggestions.

Williams’ feeble attempt to quell his congregation’s anger was almost comical as he read stiffly from a prepared statement while the crowd roared its disapproval. Their protests were so deafening that you could barely hear the words, but Williams kept reading, as though talking to himself, until the last page. Williams explained that only a core group knew about Perry’s background — staff, church leaders and he and his wife. When he talked about the decision not to share “sensitive information” about Perry with teachers and parents, the sanctuary erupted in fury.

I guess it’s up to parents to demand proof that all employees and volunteers have clean slates. To find out that a sex offender had access to children for so long was breathtaking and heartbreaking for parents. Williams tried to make the case that, as Christians, his flock should be willing to forgive Perry for his transgressions. This didn’t go over well.

Forgiveness is a lovely concept and fundamental to the Christian faith. I, too, believe in turning the other cheek most of the time, but some cases tax one’s principles more than others. I draw the line at children. The sexual predation of children is especially unforgivable given the disparity between a child’s innocence and the predator’s power. Children trust and look to adults to protect them. The shattering of that trust through sexual exploitation imposes lifelong consequences that warrant a strong sentence.

I like to think of forgiveness and justice as cellmates. Those who would knowingly and intentionally harm a child are best forgiven behind bars.

Kathleen Parker is on X, @kathleenparker.

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6B ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BR police ‘remain hopeful’ in search for teen Officials have no plans to halt landfill operation

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

As the search for Ja’Derrius Minnieweather’s body in the Baton Rouge landfill enters its third week, law enforcement officials said they are making significant progress while maintaining the safety of all personnel involved and have no end date in sight.

“At this time, there is no established end date for the operation.

The Baton Rouge Police Department remains committed to continuing the search and remains hopeful that its objective will be achieved before all available resources have been exhausted,” police said in a statement released Tuesday.

As of Monday, crews had covered 2,679 square yards of the landfill, about 86% of the original 0.64-acre search area, the department said.

During the past three weeks, 1,054 tons of waste have been processed.

“The operation has continually evaluated and refined its search methods, increasing daily productivity from approximately 90 tons per day to 150 tons per day,” police said.

Because the landfill is a hazardous area with needles, glass and potentially hazardous gases lurking below, law enforcement has worked in search party teams to maintain efficiency and safety.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

Officials have been searching for the body of 15-year-old Ja’derrius Minnieweather in the Baton Rouge landfill for three weeks. Law enforcement ‘remains hopeful’ in the search.

Officials have been searching for the body of Minnieweather, 15, in the landfill since July 13. The teen is presumed dead, and police have said they believe his body was dumped in a garbage bin, picked up by a garbage truck and dumped somewhere in the landfill.

Since the start of the search, more than 395 search shifts have been completed with an average

of 15 people per team across three daily shifts, police say. Each search team is allotted 30 to 45 minutes of active work before its members undergo a period of rehabilitation lasting more than an hour.

The rehabilitation includes decontamination from landfill hazards, rehydration, medical evaluations and putting on personal protective equipment before re-

turning to the search.

Seventy to 80 personnel are required each day, including search teams, logistics, medical support, equipment operators, command staff and numerous support personnel who work behind the scenes to keep the operation running safely and efficiently, police say.

The biggest challenges law enforcement has faced during the

search have been weather conditions, including severe heat, available crews, equipment capabilities and environmental conditions of the landfill.

The Baton Rouge Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services have been at the scene continuously, monitoring the health and well-being of all personnel on-site.

The BRPD is the lead agency on the case but has enlisted the help of various federal and local agencies, including specialty teams from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana National Guard and the United Cajun Navy.

“The United Cajun Navy stands with all of the agencies and personnel involved in this operation. We know the physical and emotional toll these missions take, and we remain grateful for every individual who refuses to give up in the pursuit of truth,” the United Cajun Navy said in a statement on Facebook.

Minnieweather has been missing since June 5.

Maurice Parms, 51, who was arrested June 20 on a first-degree murder count, is accused of dumping the teen’s body in a garbage bin in the early morning hours on June 5. The garbage truck was scheduled to pick up the trash that morning at 6 a.m., according to Parms’ arrest warrant.

Police have said Parms has made no statement or offered any help to locate Minnieweather’s body. He remains in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and is held without bail. His next court date will be on Oct. 15 for a bail review hearing.

Parms faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder.

BR man accused of towing vehicles, selling them for parts Police: Forged paperwork used for sales

BY BLAKE LESCHBER Staff writer

A man is wanted in Baton Rouge after police say he stole vehicles with a tow truck and sold them for parts while forging paperwork to scrap them.

Matthew Dunn, 35, is wanted on five counts of theft of a motor vehicle, five counts of filing false public records and four counts of forgery, according to a warrant for his arrest.

Baton Rouge police of-

ficers were called on May 14 to the 12000 block of La Margie Avenue in response to a motor vehicle theft.

The victim said he last saw his 2010 Nissan Titan at 8 a.m., then returned about 5:30 p.m. to find it missing, police documents said.

Members of the apartment complex management team told police that Dunn said he worked for the towing company contracted by the complex and he was there to remove abandoned vehicles, police said.

Dunn brought the Nissan to a Baton Rouge junkyard, where it was crushed for recycling, according to the arrest warrant. Police said he made $585 in the sale.

On July 20, Dunn was ar-

rested on a count related to the May 14 Nissan theft, and a $15,000 bail was set the next day. He was released around Saturday, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison database.

Now, police say Dunn is wanted in five other vehicle thefts: n On April 8, a resident reported his inoperable vehicle had been stolen from the driveway of his house. Police said the vehicle was taken to a scrap yard, where Dunn sold it for about $260. n Baton Rouge police officers were dispatched on May 13 to an apartment complex in the 12000 block of La Margie Avenue,

LAWSUIT

Baton Rouge’s Roger Mitchell, standing, center, and Lee Mouk, standing, right, both members of the Cajun Navy 2016 contingent, ferry evacuees Isabel Herrera, left, and her husband, John, of Katy, Texas, and their dogs, daisy and Max, on Aug. 29, 2017, in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

Continued from page 1B Navy 2016 was responding to flooding in Kerr County, Texas, earlier this month.

“FRAUD ALERT,” the post begins. “The grifters and scammers are at it again! A group identifying as ‘Cajun Navy 2016’ who is NOT authorized by any EOC (emergency operation center) in Texas is posting copied images to raise money

STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRAdLING

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B information on this contact it at (33) 948-6516.

Man pleads guilty to false citizenship claim A man pleaded guilty Thursday to falsely claiming United States citizenship while seeking employment at a Morgan City business.

Eduardo Perez-Calderon, 34, of Mexico, entered his plea in federal court.

According to court documents, on March 26, Immigration and Customs Enforcement received information from the Morgan City Police Department about identification documents submitted by an individual seeking employment at a business in Morgan City.

The investigation revealed that on Jan. 5, Perez-Calderon completed a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services form and falsely selected the op-

where a Chevrolet Impala had been stolen. n A man contacted the Baton Rouge Police Department about a month later to report his 2004 Ford pickup truck had been stolen. The vehicle had been parked at a church in the 3800 block of Keokuk Street and was last seen on June 9. When he returned to the location on June 12, the pickup was missing. n On June 22, another person contacted the BRPD, stating she had left her 1999 Chevrolet C1000 pickup truck in a parking space at her residence in the 2900 block of Lorraine Street because the battery was missing. The victim was out of town June 14-

tion that indicated he was a United States citizen.

He then signed the document in the name of another individual and provided a false Social Security number.

Perez-Calderon admitted that he made these misrepresentations deliberately and with the intent to disobey the law. He faces up to three years in federal prison for the charge and is also potentially subject to removal proceedings.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana announced the guilty plea.

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19 and returned to find the truck gone. n Officers responded to the same location on June 25, where a separate person stated she left a 2009 Chevrolet Equinox for her husband to do maintenance work on it. It was last seen on the morning of June 25, according to police records.

According to arrest warrants, during the investigation of the May 14 theft, officers obtained a search warrant for Dunn’s transaction records for a Baton Rouge scrap yard.

Records showed Dunn transported these vehicles to the scrap yard and sold them, police said. He did so by submitting fraudulent paperwork that represented

him as the legal owner of the vehicles, police sadi.

The false bills of sale listed Dunn as the purchaser of the vehicles from an individual named “Kevin King.”

A search of vehicle registration information showed that King was not the registered owner of the vehicles, police said. Investigators believe that King is a fake seller made up by Dunn to create false bills of sale and other documents, according to the arrest warrant.

All of the victims said they did not know Dunn or King and did not sell or transfer their vehicles to him for scrap, police said.

Dunn told police he “scraps vehicles for a living,” they said.

pretending to be us.

Please be aware, don’t get SCAMMED! WE ARE THE ONLY LEGIT CAJUN NAVY!” Cajun Navy 2016 said the false statements questioned the organization’s legitimacy, integrity and disaster response efforts.

In its online statement, Jon Bridgers, the chief executive officer and founder of the organization, said, “For years, we’ve stayed focused on serving others.

Unfortunately, the false statements have contin-

ued, and protecting our reputation has become necessary to protect our mission.”

“When floodwaters rise, families don’t have time to sort through competing claims on social media,” Bridgers said. “They need to know who is actually showing up. Our reputation is one of the most important tools we have when lives are on the line.”

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate. com.

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Lafayette High tries to take next step in 3-5A football race

OFFICIAL NEWS PARTNER OF THE LOUISIANA RAGIN’ CAJUNS

SPORTS

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

|

W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 29, 2026

PAGE 3C

1Cn

SAINTS TRAINING CAMP “They have the opportunity to continue their career with the Saints and only the Saints. I think that’s really special, and it’s meaningful to them and meaningful to us.”

MICKEy LOOMIS, Saints general manager, on re-signing veteran stars Alvin Kamara and Cam Jordan

Sideline standings After significant turnover, here is how SEC coaches stack up

In my nearly 25 years as a sports columnist I’ve never done a ranking of Southeastern Conference football coaches. But considering new LSU coach Lane Kiffin is one of six SEC coaches in new venues this fall, I thought this was a good time to start.

Scott Most of these Rabalais rankings are based on achievement, some on expectations, a couple on flipped coins (no, not really). Hardly a scientific quantification, but rankings and opinions are the grease that lubricates the American sports engine — especially in the offseason.

So, to quote Jackie Gleason, “And away we go …”

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT dUKE

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis speaks about training camp during a news conference on Tuesday at the team’s practice facility in Metairie. The Saints are trying to end a five-year playoff drought.

Old guard’s role

Loomis explains why Jordan, Kamara are crucial to meeting expectations

BY MATTHEW PARAS

Staff writer

To be the team the New Orleans Saints want to be in 2026, general manager Mickey Loomis is counting on the black and gold’s young foundation to take a leap. The executive wasn’t shy about rattling off examples, either.

The Saints want to see cornerback KoolAid McKinstry make yet another jump after being pleased by his growth from Year 1 to Year 2, Loomis said. New Orleans also wants the cornerback across from McKinstry, Quincy Riley, to build on a promising rookie year. Loomis didn’t even have to mention Tyler Shough as the quarterback’s importance should go without saying.

But for the Saints to finally snap a fiveyear playoff drought, Loomis concluded they still need running back Alvin Kamara and defensive end Cam Jordan, too.

“They have the opportunity to continue their career with the Saints and only the Saints,” Loomis said. “I think that’s really special, and it’s meaningful to them and meaningful to us.”

Another training camp is here as players reported to the Saints’ facility Tuesday in advance of Wednesday’s first practice. New Orleans begins camp this year with relatively high expectations after

Age: 50 Career record: 117-21 Hot seat rating (10 hottest, 0 coldest): 1 Smart’s Bulldogs have lost a little off their fastball since backto-back national titles in 2021-22, but Georgia is still the two-time reigning SEC champion and picked to win the SEC again. In an ever more competitive league, Smart has maintained almost Saban-esque levels of success.

2. Lane Kiffin, LSU Age: 51 Career record: 116-53 Hot seat rating: 1 His early coaching career (Raiders, Tennessee, USC) was a minefield, but Kiffin was 81-32 combined at Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. Hard to believe he has the second-most wins of any active SEC coach, but it’s true.

Kiffin said he will win a national championship at LSU. He has all the tools to do it.

3. Steve Sarkisian, Texas

STAFF ANd AP FILE PHOTOS

Saints running back Alvin Kamara, top, and defensive end Cam Jordan, right, give the Saints veteran leadership going into the season.

last season’s strong finish and optimism around Shough.

Just as notable, the Saints will start camp without any major drama. While questions over Kamara’s future had lingered throughout the offseason, he and New Orleans seemingly resolved that issue earlier this month by agreeing to a pay cut that will keep the Saints’ all-time leading rusher on the roster. That deal came a month after the Saints brought back Jordan, the franchise’s all-time sacks leader, on a one-year deal.

The lack of distractions should pave the way for coach Kellen Moore and his staff to focus on fostering the development required for the Saints to take that envisioned leap.

“Anytime there’s definition, it allows us to build plans,” Moore said of the clarity from having the situations addressed.

“It’s the NFL — there are always a million moving pieces. That’s just inevitable.

These rosters are always moving, but

ä See SAINTS, page 2C

Age: 52 Career record: 94-55 Hot seat rating: 3 Sark is 35-8 the past three seasons in Austin, but the overall record (48-20) doesn’t overwhelm. I also can’t get past how the Longhorns plodded through much of last season (10-3) offensively, missing the CFP despite lofty expectations. There are no excuses this season for Texas.

4. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Age: 51 Career record: 57-17 Hot seat rating: 4 DeBoer in two years got Bama to the SEC championship game and the CFP. But the fear factor with Alabama football is gone.

That 38-3 thumping by Indiana in the CFP quarterfinals looms

ä See RABALAIS, page 4C

Many NFL teams enter camp without QB settled

BY DAVE CAMPBELL AP pro football writer

EAGAN, Minn. — The quarterback position took even more heat — and hits — than usual last season around the NFL. Ill-timed injuries to Daniel Jones, Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix left their teams in the lurch.

Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels and Lamar Jackson had trouble staying healthy.

Others once trained as franchise players were either sidetracked or discarded, as J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray, Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa found themselves on insecure ground.

Training camps always present a fresh start. Jones, Mahomes ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI and Nix have been cleared for full Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders, left, and deshaun activity, stabilizing or energizing the huddle in Indianapolis, KanWatson throw during practice Tuesday in Berea, Ohio.

the connection to the perpetually shuffling depth chart at quarterback, with 42 different starters over those 27 years.

The latest was Shedeur Sanders, who fell to the Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 draft after they’d selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Sanders is now competing for the job with Deshaun Watson, the fallen star whose health problems and off-the-field trouble have limited him to just 19 games over the last five seasons.

Watson last played on Oct. 20, 2024, before an Achilles tendon rupture kept him sidelined in 2025. Rookie coach Todd Monken Browns had hoped to name a starter by Since Cleveland got its NFL the start of training camp, but the team back in 1999, the Browns competition will last at least a few have made the playoffs just three more weeks. times — and won only one postä See QB, page 2C season game. There’s no arguing sas City and Denver. Cincinnati, Washington and Baltimore are plenty happy to turn anew to Burrow, Daniels and Jackson. Murray (Minnesota) and Tagovailoa (Atlanta) flew to new places for welcomed scenery changes.

After all 32 reset buttons have been pushed, a handful of teams have reported with varying levels of intrigue and scrutiny surrounding the most important position on the field. Here’s a closer look at the camps where there’s either a legitimate competition for the seasonopening starter or a measure of uncertainty:

H 2C ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Saints, Olave still eyeing extension

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

The last major domino of the New Orleans Saints’ offseason has yet to fall, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t work being done behind the scenes.

Unless something changes quickly, Chris Olave will show up for his fifth training camp Wednesday entering the final year of his rookie contract. General manager Mickey Loomis said both the organiSaints zation and Olave’s notebook representatives are continuing to have talks about a long-term deal that will keep Olave in New Orleans.

“We’re having a lot of discussions,” Loomis said. “We’re just not there yet. We’re hopeful.”

Olave is coming off the best season of his professional career, posting career-highs in receptions (100), receiving yards (1,163) and receiving touchdowns (nine) on his way to second-team All-Pro honors.

Perhaps most importantly, he matched his career-high in games played (16) after missing nine games in 2024 with a series of concussions that forced Olave to consider an early retirement.

He did suffer a blood clot that forced him out of the lineup for the Saints’ Week 18 loss to Atlanta, but after missing some of the summer program, Olave has been cleared for training camp, Loomis said.

The injury history is a “variable” in contract discussions, Loomis said, but it hasn’t changed the Saints’ desire to get a new contract in place for the young receiver.

“We want to get it done,” Loomis said. “Chris and his agents, Jason and Drew Rosenhaus, I know they want to get it done. We all do, but it’s got to be right for both parties.”

New Orleans could be motivated to get something done before the start of the season so it doesn’t have to keep seeing the bar set higher by new receiver contracts.

Olave’s college teammate, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, signed the richest contract ever for a receiver in the offseason (four years, $168 million). Eleven receivers currently make more than $30 million annually, and that doesn’t include Rams wideout Puka Nacua, who could surpass Smith-Njigba’s contract when he signs.

The Saints are also motivated

QB

Continued from page 1C

Falcons Atlanta had a big hand in the offseason quarterback carousel, cutting Kirk Cousins to clear salarycap space after two unfulfilling seasons and signing Tagovailoa after Miami dumped him and ate a record $99 million in dead money against the cap.

Cousins’ status immediately got complicated when the Falcons drafted Penix eighth overall in 2024, and the situation grew murkier last year when Penix tore the ACL in his left knee.

Penix had not yet been cleared for full-team work when the Falcons were last on the field at minicamp, so health and experience make Tagovailoa the front-runner for the job, though new coach

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C Cam, Alvin, they’re really talented players and they mean a lot to this organization.”

Those pieces, as Moore said, continue to move. The Saints have yet to reach a long-term extension with star wide receiver Chris Olave. Rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson’s workload is expected to be carefully managed after he was limited by a monthslong hamstring injury. There will be other issues that pop up between now and the regular season.

But Moore and Loomis gladly will embrace the expectations,

Vikings sign veteran Adams to bolster defense

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings signed 10th-year veteran Jamal Adams to bolster their depth at the beginning of training camp on Tuesday, adding a safetyturned-linebacker with pass-rushing skill for defensive coordinator Brian Flores to work with.

Adams, a former LSU player, was the sixth overall pick in the 2017 draft, made three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2019 with the New York Jets. He has been an excellent blitzer who set the NFL season record for sacks by a defensive back (91/ 2) in 2020 after being traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Injuries have derailed him since then, with Minnesota becoming his fifth team in four years. Adams severely tore his quadriceps in the 2022 season opener in Seattle.

Eagles set to make Carter highest-paid DT in NFL

STAFF PHOTO By dAVId GRUNFELd

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, left, scores a touchdown against New york Jets safety dean Clark during a game at the Caesars Superdome on dec. 21. because they see Olave as a foundational piece.

“Chris has been as enthusiastic and optimistic as anyone,” Loomis said. “So I really appreciate the way he’s conducted himself. And that’s not just this year; it’s every year with Chris.”

Rookie ready to go Jordyn Tyson spent most of the offseason program watching from the sidelines, but it sounds like that is about to change.

The Saints still will monitor Tyson closely and manage his workload in training camp, but he will be out there playing with the rest of his teammates when camp opens Wednesday.

“I think we’ll see him play football tomorrow,” coach Kellen Moore said.

Tyson endured several injuries throughout his college career at Colorado and Arizona State, the latest being a hamstring injury that limited him to nine games in 2025. That injury lingered through the pre-draft process, and Loomis said Tuesday that Tyson suffered a “recurrence” of the injury before the Saints selected him.

He participated in the first day of rookie minicamp but was then held out of team drills for the re-

mainder of the summer.

While Moore didn’t explicitly say Tyson would go through competitive periods this week, he did say Tyson has “done an awesome job through this whole process” and that he would ramp up with the rest of his teammates toward the first padded practice on Aug. 3.

Saints director of sports science Ted Rath has devised much of the plan for Tyson to this point, giving the team signals for when to push the rookie and when to back off.

“One thing I’ve discovered in the last season was Ted Rath knows his stuff,” Loomis said. “So we’re going to rely on him and (director of sports medicine Ben Stollberg and head athletic trainer Shone Gipson) in terms of managing (Tyson) through this early part of training camp.”

Transaction

Injury updates Loomis said Tuesday afternoon that the team was placing receiver Mason Tipton and defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver on the physically unable to perform list (PUP), while rookie defensive tackle Zxavian Harris will begin camp on the nonfootball injury list dating back to a college injury. Loomis also said rookie tight end Cody Hardy failed the conditioning test, which will keep him off the field.

Loomis said none of those players are likely to miss significant time.

Players who begin camp on the active PUP list are eligible to return at any time, and they continue to count against the 90-man roster limit.

Notably, this group does not include running back Kendre Miller, who is aiming to return from a torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2025 season after eight games.

The Saints made one roster move Tuesday, signing cornerback Mike Reid and waiving Beanie Bishop.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Reid signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent last season. He spent the campaign with both the Panthers and Seahawks practice squads, then re-signed with Carolina this offseason be- Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com. fore his recent release.

Kevin Stefanski has declared this list of quarterback uncertainty an open competition.

— until satisfying veteran frontrunner Jacoby Brissett with a new Vikings contract and formalizing his place McCarthy struggled with con- atop the depth chart on Sunday. sistency and injuries that further Fellow journeyman Gardner Minhindered his opportunities to learn shew and third-round draft pick and improve in his debut with the Carson Beck are waiting behind Vikings last season, so the club him in case a significant injury or reopened the search this year and costly interceptions were to give found Murray available for the new coach Mike LaFleur pause at some point this season. veteran’s minimum salary.

Brissett, who’s in his 11th year The Vikings have not given up on McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the NFL, started 12 games last in the 2024 draft, and they’ll split season after Murray’s injury. Afturns with the first-team offense ter switching teams five times at least for the early stage of train- in five years, Brissett has stayed ing camp. But if Murray is healthy, put for the first time since a fourafter spraining his foot last season season stint with Indianapolis. and missing time between 2022-23 He was the starter for the Colts to recover from knee surgery, he’s in 2017 and 2019. Minshew, who’s on his sixth team in eight years the clear favorite. in the league, was the primary Cardinals starter for the Colts in 2023 after After moving on from Murray, replacing then-rookie Anthony the Cardinals landed on this short Richardson.

with each acknowledging they’d rather there be a positive outlook than a negative one. The latter was the case a year ago when the Saints were routinely projected to be the league’s worst team during Moore’s first season.

New Orleans, even at 6-11, defied those projections and has since become a trendy pick to be one of the NFL’s most improved teams.

Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports said he believes the Saints will be a “nine-to-10-win” team. ESPN’s Mina Kimes has been bullish on Shough, particularly believing in his connection with Olave and Tyson. And the Saints often have been mentioned as a team that could go from “worst to first,”

Bishop joined the Saints midway through last season after the Steelers cut him. He was facing an NFL suspension to start the season after the league found he violated its policy on substance abuse.

experiencing the kind of turnaround that has become common in the league.

“We like expectations,” Loomis said. “I want our guys, and I want us to have expectations that we want to meet. But we can’t let the expectations interfere with the process. We’ve got a lot of guys that we’re optimistic about. But they still have to perform. They have to get better.

“And our coaches and myself, all of our building, we have to create an environment where they can get better and help them to do that.”

That environment also explains why the Saints wanted Kamara and Jordan to stick around. Loomis pointed to each of their re-

Raiders The best long-term outlook of the group clearly belongs to Las Vegas after taking Heisman Trophy and national championship winner Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the draft. The Raiders under new head coach Klint Kubiak also brought in a sturdy bridge to that bright future by signing Cousins to help ease the rookie in.

Cousins is on top of the depth chart to start camp and the favorite to lead the Las Vegas offense in the opener, which would stop a streak of six straight quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall starting their season opener — following Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Murray. Baker Mayfield in 2018 with the Browns was the last quarterback who didn’t start his first game as the first overall pick.

sumes, noting they have a “positive influence” on the roster.

Loomis also said they can still contribute on the field — even if that could be in reduced roles.

Jordan, despite coming off a 101/ 2sack season, will have to carve out time in a rotation.

Kamara likely will see fewer snaps because of Travis Etienne’s signing.

Loomis said he talked with both players about expectations before their deals were reached.

“These guys have a lot left in the tank,” Loomis said. “It’s up to us to put them in positions that we can take advantage of that.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles are set to make two-time Pro Bowl selection Jalen Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The Eagles and Carter announced that they agreed to terms on a fouryear extension through the 2031 season.

Carter was runner-up for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2023 to Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson. He has 13½ sacks in 43 career games — he missed three games last season with injuries.

Carter earned Pro Bowl selections for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

The Eagles have re-signed two of their top young defensive tackles this offseason, including Jordan Davis.

49ers coach Shanahan takes blame for car crash

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan took the blame for the car crash that left him with a concussion and other injuries, saying he took his eyes off the road to reach for his fallen cellphone before hitting another vehicle.

Shanahan crashed into a 21-yearold woman driving in the other direction in Palo Alto on July 14 and was left with a concussion, broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken left hand and stitches for a large cut above his right eye. Shanahan was briefly hospitalized after the crash while the other driver suffered minor injuries and did not need to be hospitalized.

Shanahan has been unable to run the team or practice since training camp started on Saturday.

Forward Green signs 1-year extension with Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green has agreed to a one-year, $27.7 million deal to return to the Golden State Warriors, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Green will sign the contract that essentially matches the deal he opted out of last month before the Warriors made an unsuccessful bid to sign LeBron James, the person said.

Green is now set to play his 15th season with the Warriors and if he plays in 51 games he will join Stephen Curry as the only players in franchise history to appear in at least 1,000 contests.

Golden State last won the title in 2022 and hasn’t made it past the second round of the playoffs since then.

Zidane takes charge of French national team

PARIS — Moments after being announced as France’s new coach on Tuesday, Zinedine Zidane clenched his fists and his usually measured voice trembled a little.

“I’m excited,” he said. “The France team makes you dream. We have extraordinary players, an extraordinary team.”

Zidane coached Real Madrid until leaving in 2021. He replaces Didier Deschamps at the helm of the France team he led to glory as arguably its greatest ever player.

French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo announced Zidane’s appointment at the FFF headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, saying he has been given a 4-year contract.

Diallo called the hiring of Zidane “an exceptional moment,” calling Zidane “one of the legends of French soccer.”

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● 3C

lll

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Lafayette

2026 SCHEDULE Date

Opponent

Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 15 Oct. 23 Oct. 30 Nov. 6

Live Oak FRANKLIN Erath Barbe St. Thomas More SAM HOUSTON SOUTHSIdE NEW IBERIA Sulphur ACAdIANAN

PLAYERS TO WATCH Richmond Saunier QB, 6-3, 200, Sr. Saunier has shown the ability to affect the game as both a passer and runner. Saunier is a strong and physical runner who has the arm strength to make all of the throws in the passing game.

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Kyle Savoy SS, 5-10, 170, Jr. A three-year starter for the Lions, Savoy is one of the most experienced defenders on the team. He has good Savoy recognition skills, is good in coverage and has proven to be a great tackler.

PAST FIVE YEARS 2025: 6-5 2024: 5-6 2023: 3-7 2022: 4-6 2021: 5-6

PROJECTED STARTERS Offense WR dwayne Batiste (6-1, 165, Jr.) WR Jayden Jenkins (5-11, 155, Sr.) TE Hayes Swain (6-3, 235, Sr.)* LT d’myrie Clay (6-2, 275, Sr.) LG Eli Bolivar (6-0, 265, Jr.) C Grigore Roman (6-2, 250, Jr.) RG Evan dulaney (6-1, 275, Sr.)* RT Jamari Perkins (6-2, 315, Jr.)* QB Richmond Saunier (6-3, 200, Sr.)* RB Jaden Celestine (5-10, 185, Sr.) RB Jaiden Portalis (5-7, 170, Jr.) Defense dE Larry Vallier (6-4, 230, Sr.) dT Jovontre Robertson (6-1, 315, Jr.) dE Amore Shelvin (6-2, 235, Jr.) dT Javien Williams (5-11, 230, So.)* LB Bryson Lee (5-11, 180, Jr.)* LB Grant Sliman (5-10, 175, Sr.) LB Clark Griffen (5-10, 170, So.)* CB Jordan Portalis (5-7, 170, Jr.) CB Owen dozier (5-10, 170, Jr.)* SS Kyle Savoy (5-10, 170, Jr.)* FS Amontee Abraham (5-10, 170, Sr.)* * RETURNING STARTER

COACHES Head coach: Stephen Hearen (28-18) Assistant coaches: Beau Badon (OLBs/dC), Sam Taulli III (ILBs), Landon Ward (d-line), Hunter Welch (offensive backfield/ST coordinator), Andrew Menard (O-line), Brad Bergeron (O-line), Todd Noel (O-line), Hunter Sims (d-line/ST coordinator), Johnathon Edmond (dBs), Mike Revere (kickers), Aaron Woods (RBs), Marcques Lewis (dBs), Romelo Joseph (WRs), Sam Taulli (QBs), darryl Johnson (d-line), Cole Cooper (LBs).

STAFF PHOTO By ERIC NARCISSE

Lafayette High defensive standouts include, from top left, Bryson Lee, Clark Griffen, Owen dozier-George and Grant Sliman, and from bottom left, Amontee Abraham, Kyle Savoy and Javien Williams.

What we know

pect that side of the football to be the strength of the team because of the experience they return.

The defense is led by junior defensive backs Kyle Lafayette High’s offensive success will start with the running game, as the Lions are equipped with Savoy, who was the leading tackler last year, and Owen Dozier, and sophomore defensive tackle Jaone of the best backfields in the area.

Not only do the Lions return vien Williams. quarterback Richmond Saunier but also added two Comeaux High What we don’t know transfers to their backfield, includWhile there’s no question about which players ing one of the best running backs will spearhead the rushing attack, it’s a little difin the state in Jaden Celestine ferent when it comes to the passing game. along with Jaiden Portalis.

Saunier returns under center for the Lions, but he “It’s great to have Richmond will have a new cast of receivers after losing his top back,” Lions coach Stephen Hear- three targets from last season to graduation.

Hearen “The biggest question mark on our team is the en said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s a steady presence for us on new faces that we’ll have at receiver,” Hearen said. offense. Having Richmond is like having a coach “Our wide receivers are all new, so we’re going to need those guys to come in and gain some confiinside the huddle.”

With the Spartans, Celestine rushed for 1,648 dence.” yards and 24 touchdowns, leading Comeaux to its Hearen believes the Lions have a host of talented first non-losing season since 2019. players on the perimeter, but they are lacking in “Jaden hasn’t been with us long, but he has shown experience. great leadership and he has a great work ethic,” The receivers will be led by senior Jayden JenHearen said. “He’s a dynamic ball carrier. Last kins and junior Dwayne Batiste. year, he got a lot of yards after contact.”

“We don’t lack talent at the receiver position,” The Lions’ lofty offensive expectations aren’t Hearen said. “We are lacking experience. We have based solely on the talent they possess in the back- six to eight guys that we feel really good about. It’s field. Their offensive line is also expected to play a great group, and I think the ceiling is high for an instrumental role in their ability to move the those guys.” football.

“We don’t only feel good about our ball carriers,” How we see it Hearen said. “We feel really good about our offenHearen isn’t one to make predictions, but the sive line, also. We have a lot of potential upfront, second-year coach is thrilled about his team’s but potential is only good on paper. Nobody cares outlook.

Like most teams, staying healthy is going to about our potential.”

The Lions have only two returning starters up- be paramount. If the Lions are able to live up to front in senior right guard Evan Dulaney and ju- expectations in the running game and get their nior right tackle Jamari Perkins, but Hearen is receivers to be consistent threats on the perimexcited about a unit that also includes senior left eter, Lafayette should be in contention for the tackle D’myrie Clay, and juniors Eli Bolivar at left playoffs. guard and Grigore Roman at center.

“Our goal is to be a week better a week at a time,” “We want to establish the running game,” Hearen Hearen said. “Everybody wants to win. There’s no said. “If you can run the football, it makes every as- one in the state that doesn’t want to win. If we can pect of your offense better. You’re able to be more stay healthy, I think we can be a really good football team.” versatile.”

Eric Narcisse Defensively, the Lions have talent, and they ex-

Javien Williams DT, 5-11, 230, So. Williams, who plays with a low center of gravity, is a disruptive force along the defensive line. He is quick Williams off the snap and often overpowers opposing offensive linemen with his strength.

Jaden Celestine RB, 5-10, 185, Sr. Celestine, who is one of the best running backs in the state, runs with great balance. The former Comeaux star is a Celestine threat to score any time he touches the football.

Owen Dozier-George CB, 5-10, 170, Jr. dozier, who is in his second year starting, is a great athlete. The veteran defensive back not only is strong in coverage Dozier-George but also isn’t afraid to come up and make a tackle in run support.

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one

Connecticut at Washington, n Toronto at Minnesota, n Indiana at Seattle, n New York at Los Angeles, n Portland at Las Vegas, n

Roland Lyons

Course: Beaver Creek Hole: No. 17 Club: A wedge Witness: Ronald Abarrow

Major League Baseball American League East Division

Odds Sports Betting Line MLB Wednesday

UNDERDOG LINE Baltimore +141 Texas +116 at WHITE SOX +119 Kansas City OFF Houston OFF at ATHLETICS +125 UNDERDOG at MIAMI Arizona Atlanta at SAN FRAN Colorado Atlanta Chicago Cubs

LINE +140 +113 OFF +125 +188 OFF OFF

UNDERDOG LINE at WASH +100 at CINCINNATI +112 Seattle OFF

Pro basketball WNBA Glance Indiana Atlanta New York Washington Toronto Chicago Connecticut

W 17 16 15 14 10 9 7

L 10 10 12 12 16 18 20

Pct .630 .615 .556 .538 .385 .333 .259

Minnesota Golden State Las Vegas Dallas Portland Los Angeles Phoenix Seattle

W 22 19 18 18 11 10 10 6

L 6 8 8 9 16 16 18 23

Pct GB .786 — .704 2½ .692 3 .667 3½ .407 10½ .385 11 .357 12 .207 16½

Monday’s Games

No games scheduled.

Tuesday’s Games

Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto

L 43 46 50 55 58

Pct .590 .566 .524 .486 .458

GB — 2½ 7 11 14

Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 55 54 53 50 45

L 50 53 54 57 62

Pct .524 .505 .495 .467 .421

GB — 2 3 6 11

Texas Houston Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 54 53 52 44 42

L 52 55 55 62 65

Pct .509 .491 .486 .415 .393

GB — 2 2½ 10 12½

GB — ½ 2 2½ 6½ 8 10

West Division

Monday’s Games

Texas 7, Seattle 3 Baltimore 8, Detroit 5 Toronto 3, Washington 2 N.Y. Yankees 9, Chicago White Sox 5 Boston 4, Athletics 2 Houston 6, L.A. Angels 4 Cleveland at Cincinnati, ppd.

Tuesday’s Games

Cleveland 6, Cincinnati 5, 1st game Baltimore at Detroit, n Texas at Tampa Bay, n Toronto at Washington, n Cleveland at Cincinnati, n, 2nd game Kansas City at Minnesota, n N.Y. Yankees at Chicago White Sox, n Houston at L.A. Angels, n Boston at Athletics, n Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, n

Wednesday’s Games

Atlanta Philadelphia Washington Miami New York

W 62 57 54 53 45

L 44 50 53 54 62

Pct .585 .533 .505 .495 .421

GB — 5½ 8½ 9½ 17½

Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati

W 66 60 55 53 49

L 40 46 52 53 55

Pct .623 .566 .514 .500 .471

GB — 6 11½ 13 16

Pct .632 .514 .500 .425 .393

GB — 12½ 14 22 25½

Central Division

W 62 60 55 52 49

Central Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

East Division

Atlanta at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Golden State at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

Course: The University Club Hole: No. 8 Yardage: 170 yards Club: 8 iron Witnesses: Buster Couhig

EASTERN CONFERENCE

National League

Wednesday’s Games

Mac Couhig

American League FAVORITE LINE at DETROIT -174 at TAMPA BAY -134 N.Y Yankees -146 at MINNESOTA OFF at LA ANGELS OFF Boston -155 National League FAVORITE LINE Philadelphia -166 at PITTSBURGH -138 at N.Y METS OFF Milwaukee -155 at SAN DIEGO -236 at N.Y METS OFF at ST. LOUIS OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE Toronto -123 Cleveland -132 at LA DODGERS OFF

5-4), 8:40 p.m.

Seattle (Hancock 6-4) at L.A. Dodgers (Lauer 5-5), 9:10 p.m.

Toronto (Yesavage 4-5) at Washington (Littell 7-8), 12:05 p.m.

Baltimore (Rogers 6-7) at Detroit (Skubal 7-5), 12:10 p.m.

Texas (Gore 6-8) at Tampa Bay (Seymour 6-3), 5:40 p.m.

Cleveland (Cantillo 8-6) at Cincinnati (Lowder 3-7), 6:10 p.m.

Kansas City (Dobnak 0-0) at Minnesota (Ryan 6-6), 6:40 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Schlittler 10-6) at Chicago White Sox (Martin 9-5), 6:40 p.m.

Houston (TBD) at L.A. Angels (Rodriguez 3-3), 8:38 p.m.

Boston (Sandoval 0-0) at Athletics (Lopez

West Division Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

W 67 55 53 45 42

Monday’s Games

L 39 52 53 61 65

Toronto 3, Washington 2 Miami 8, Philadelphia 7 N.Y. Mets 14, Atlanta 3 Pittsburgh 3, Arizona 2, 10 innings Chicago Cubs 7, St. Louis 3 San Francisco 3, Milwaukee 0 Cleveland at Cincinnati, ppd.

Tuesday’s Games

Cleveland 6, Cincinnati 5, 1st game Arizona at Pittsburgh, n Philadelphia at Miami, n Toronto at Washington, n Atlanta at N.Y. Mets, n Cleveland at Cincinnati, n, 2nd game Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, n Colorado at San Diego, n Milwaukee at San Francisco, n Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, n

Wednesday’s Games

Philadelphia (Luzardo 9-5) at Miami (TBD), 11:10 a.m.

Arizona (Rodriguez 9-3) at Pittsburgh (Jones 2-1), 11:35 a.m.

Toronto (Yesavage 4-5) at Washington (Littell 7-8), 12:05 p.m.

Atlanta (Holmes 6-4) at N.Y. Mets (Manaea 2-5), 12:10 p.m.

Milwaukee (Drohan 5-4) at San Francisco (Webb 5-7), 2:45 p.m.

Colorado (Hughes 0-2) at San Diego (Canning 1-9), 3:10 p.m.

Cleveland (Cantillo 8-6) at Cincinnati (Lowder 3-7), 6:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Boyd 6-1) at St. Louis (May 5-7), 6:45 p.m.

Seattle (Hancock 6-4) at L.A. Dodgers (Lauer 5-5), 9:10 p.m.

Soccer MLS Glance Western Conference

Vancouver Los Angeles FC San Jose Real Salt Lake Houston FC Dallas St Louis City Seattle Minnesota United Portland LA Galaxy San Diego FC Colorado Austin FC Sporting Kansas City

W L T Pts 10 3 3 33 10 5 3 33 10 4 3 33 8 6 2 26 8 6 2 26 7 5 5 26 7 6 4 25 7 6 3 24 6 6 5 23 6 8 3 21 5 7 6 21 5 7 5 20 6 10 1 19 4 8 5 17 4 11 2 14

Eastern Conference

GF GA 37 16 34 18 35 20 28 24 23 24 32 25 23 23 19 20 19 24 31 32 24 29 31 28 26 25 22 35 18 44

W L T Pts GF GA Nashville 12 2 3 39 33 12 Inter Miami CF 11 2 4 37 43 30 New England 9 5 2 29 26 19 Chicago 8 6 2 26 30 22 New York City FC 7 6 4 25 30 23 Charlotte FC 7 6 4 25 28 25 Cincinnati 6 6 5 23 41 42 New York 6 7 4 22 26 37 D.C. United 5 5 7 22 24 27 Orlando City 6 9 2 20 28 44 Columbus 5 8 4 19 24 26 Toronto FC 3 7 7 16 23 31 CF Montréal 4 10 3 15 22 33 Philadelphia 3 10 4 13 22 31 Atlanta 3 11 3 12 17 30 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Wednesday, July 22

Cincinnati 4, Vancouver 3 New York City FC 2, Columbus 1 Miami 3, Chicago 2 Toronto FC 0, New England 0, tie Philadelphia 3, New York 1 Atlanta 2, Charlotte FC 2, tie D.C. United 1, Houston 1, tie Sporting Kansas City 2, Minnesota 1 Nashville 1, CF Montréal 0 Austin FC 3, Seattle 1 Colorado 1, San Diego FC 0 St Louis City 3, LA Galaxy 1 Los Angeles FC 3, Real Salt Lake 1 FC Dallas 2, Portland 2, tie Orlando City 4, San Jose 0

Saturday, July 25

Charlotte FC 2, New York 0 Columbus 2, Cincinnati 1 D.C. United 2, Toronto FC 1 Miami 1, CF Montréal 0 New England 4, Atlanta 1 New York City FC 3, Chicago 1 Philadelphia 1, Seattle 0 Houston 3, Austin FC 0 Vancouver 0, Minnesota 0, tie St Louis City 1, Colorado 0 Orlando City 1, Nashville 0 San Diego FC 1, FC Dallas 0 Los Angeles FC 4, Sporting Kansas City 0 Portland 2, Real Salt Lake 1 LA Galaxy 1, San Jose 1, tie

Friday, July 31

Toronto FC at New York City FC, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 1

San Jose at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m.

Nashville at D.C. United, 6:30 p.m.

Columbus at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

New England at CF Montréal, 6:30 p.m.

Orlando City at New York, 6:30 p.m.

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m.

Los Angeles FC at Vancouver, 6:30 p.m.

Charlotte FC at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Houston at Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.

San Diego FC at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Real Salt Lake at St Louis City, 7:30 p.m.

Austin FC at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.

FC Dallas at LA Galaxy, 9:30 p.m.

Seattle at Portland, 9:30 p.m.

Auto racing NASCAR Cup Series Points Leaders Through July 27

1. Denny Hamlin, 886.

2. Tyler Reddick, 802.

3. Ryan Blaney, 766.

4. Ty Gibbs, 751.

5. Carson Hocevar, 638.

6. Chase Elliott, 635.

7. Chase Briscoe, 623.

8. Kyle Larson, 617.

9. Chris Buescher, 613.

10. Christopher Bell, 609.

11. Daniel Suárez, 583.

12. William Byron, 568.

13. Joey Logano, 545.

14. Bubba Wallace, 540.

15. Shane Van Gisbergen, 537.

16. Austin Cindric, 518.

17. Ryan Preece, 480.

18. Erik Jones, 474.

19. Brad Keselowski, 468.

20. Michael McDowell, 442.

21. Ross Chastain, 436.

22. AJ Allmendinger, 409.

23. Todd Gilliland, 406.

24. Zane Smith, 393.

25. Riley Herbst, 370.

26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 364.

27. John H. Nemechek, 355.

28. Austin Dillon, 349.

29. Alex Bowman, 310.

30. Cole Custer, 270.

31. Noah Gragson, 268.

32. Ty Dillon, 266.

33. Josh Berry, 264.

34. Connor Zilisch, 216.

35. Cody Ware, 183.

36. Casey Mears, 12.

37. Kevin Magnussen, 11.

38. Jimmie Johnson, 9.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League DETROIT TIGERS — Reinstated SS Javier Báez from the 60-day IL. Designated C Jake Rogers for assignment.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Recalled RHP Easton McGee from Omaha. Placed RHP Beck Way on the 15-day IL. Sent 3B Maikel Garcia on a rehab assignment to Northwest Arkansas.

4C ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

Cane Cutters hope to remain hot at home

In his last start, Baker Additional relievers who will ible pace,” Dukes said.

Acadiana facing Lake Charles in best-of-3 series Tuesday.

“With him and third baseman (1-1, 1.98 ERA, 13 strikeouts in 13 / be on call include J.B. Landrum, 2

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

There has been no place like home for the Acadiana Cane Cutters.

With a 24-21 overall record, Acadiana posted a 16-7 record at Fabacher Field in Youngsville this summer in the Texas Collegiate League, which began postseason play Tuesday with a pair of bestof-three series.

Although the Cane Cutters traveled to Lake Charles (27-19) in Game 1 on Tuesday, the series will resume in Youngsville at 7 p.m.

Wednesday. If Game 3 is neces-

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C large. He got a contract extension in April, but that won’t mean much if Alabama stumbles.

5. Mike Elko, Texas A&M Age: 49 Career record: 35-16 overall Hot seat rating: 2 When the Aggies routed LSU 49-25 in October, they looked like the nation’s best team. Then came November, rallying to beat South Carolina 31-30 after a 30-3 halftime deficit, a 27-17 loss at Texas and 10-3 home loss to Miami in the CFP. Elko faces promise and peril going forward.

6. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Age: 44 Career record: 26-36 Hot seat rating: 0 Few SEC coaches have seen their credibility make a bigger one-year leap than Lea last season. If Vandy was Texas, the 10-2 Commodores would have been in the CFP. Lea’s job is safer than safe, but the question remains: Can he keep winning without quarterback Diego Pavia?

7. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Age: 55 Career record: 32-20 Hot seat rating: 3

sary, it also would take place at Fabacher Field.

“We’ve been good at home,” Cane Cutters coach Darien Dukes said.

“You’re able to get away (pitching) with a lot of stuff at Fabacher that you can’t at other places. The ball doesn’t fly (as far) here.”

The Cane Cutters went 7-3 to finish the regular season, which they capped with two wins at home over the Sherman Shadowcats.

“We’re in a good place, attitudewise,” Dukes said. “We’ve been able to rest when needed. The bullpen will be fresh. We have plenty of arms.”

Jacob Baker received the start

Venables guided the Sooners to the CFP after two 6-7 seasons in his first three in Norman. Venables turned the temperature way down, but with quarterback John Mateer returning and a stellar defense, there are no excuses for another downturn in 2026.

8. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri Age: 43 Career record: 58-30 overall Hot seat rating: 3 Drinkwitz has made Mizzou a consistent winner. That said, Drink is 0-16 against SEC teams with winning records, and his record has gone from 11-2 in 2023 to 10-3 to 8-5. Missouri fans don’t expect national titles, but they may tire of just being pretty good.

9. Pete Golding, Ole Miss Age: 42 Career record: 2-1 Hot seat rating: 1 The Hammond native went 2-1 in the CFP, but was that becaue of post-Kiffin momentum or his handiwork? Golding must prove he can run a program 24/7, 365 days. His hot seat rating goes up enormously if he doesn’t beat YouKnow-Who on Sept. 19 in Oxford.

10. Jon Sumrall, Florida Age: 44 Career record: 43-12 Hot seat rating: 1

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

3

innings) threw five shutout innings with seven strikeouts.

“He’s just a strike thrower,” Dukes said. “(His) fastball runs from the upper 80s to low 90s. He gives you good, quick innings.”

Dukes isn’t sure who will start Game 2, which will offer free admission courtesy of Coushatta Casino. Bullpens throw the bulk of the innings in the Texas Collegiate League, and the Cane Cutters have a stable of arms.

“Jack Halbrook came in and emerged as our second-half closer to replace Jack Howell (0.61 ERA in first half of season),” Dukes said. “We feel good if we can get him the ball in the eighth inning.”

Ryan Ursery and Wes Pritchard, who threw three innings with eight strikeouts in a recent win.

“Wes has unbelievable stuff but had been struggling,” Dukes said.

“He’s coming off Tommy John surgery. He was so excited the other night because everything clicked.

He figured out his release point.”

Easton LeBlanc, Jack Jones and Kannon Dempsey all have been coming out of the bullpen.

The offense is powered by the league’s best hitter in Aidan Eshelman, who is batting .417 with 13 doubles, two triples and has one of the team’s six homers in the wooden bat league.

“Eshelman has kept an incred-

Ethan Espricueta, you know what you’re going to get — a tough, grind-it-out at-bat.”

McCann Libbey, who is hitting .318 in 11 games, produced three hits and five RBIs in an 8-2 win over Sherman. Kennedy Leggett had two doubles and two RBIs in the other win, which was 5-1.

The Cane Cutters boast the TCL’s best batting average (.265), and their pitchers have been the toughest in the league to hit (.232) with the second-best ERA. On the other side of the bracket, Victoria (30-18) will face Brazos Valley (24-21).

The championship will be decided by a single game.

Sumrall won at Tulane and Troy in brief two-year bursts. It’s not his fault, but his resume is awfully Billy Napier-ish at this point.

Also not his fault, but Florida has chewed up four coaches since Urban Meyer left Gainesville in 2010.

his arms to the South Carolina section up 30-3 at halftime at Texas A&M is hard to shake. It’s win or go home for Beamer, who showed how dire things are by bringing in Kendal Briles and his baggage to be the team’s offensive coordinator.

the only first-time coach in the SEC. The learning curve will be steep. UK hosts LSU on Oct. 10.

11. Josh Heupel, Tennessee

14. Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas

Age: 48 Career record: 73-28 overall Hot seat rating: 5 The bloom has come off the Heupel rose since an 11-2 record and Orange Bowl appearance in 2022. He’s gone 4-4 in SEC play three times, including this past season, and Tennessee hasn’t made the SEC title game since 2007. It’s 50-50 whether Heupel is back in 2027.

Age: 45 Career record: 50-24 Hot seat rating: 0 Silverfield won every year at Memphis. But resurrecting Arkansas, which the athletic director said isn’t set up to win a national title, isn’t easy. Silverfield is 5-1 against current SEC coaches, but this is a full-time SEC gig now.

12. Alex Golesh, Auburn Age: 42 Career record: 23-15 Hot seat rating: 1 Golesh was Tennessee’s playcaller in 2022. His up-tempo offenses and modest success in three years at South Florida got him this job. Fans are starving for a winner at Auburn after five straight losing seasons, but it may take time.

13. Shane Beamer, So. Carolina Age: 49 Career record: 33-30 Hot seat rating: 10 The sight of Beamer pumping

15. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State Age: 42 Career record: 7-18 Hot seat rating: 8 Lebby is Mississippi State’s sixth head coach since 2017, a string that includes Mike Leach’s untimely death in 2022. A 1-15 conference mark doesn’t give Lebby much leeway if this season goes south.

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

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16. Will Stein, Kentucky Age: 36 Career record: 0-0 Hot seat rating: 0 Stein returns to his home state after three seasons as the Oregon offensive coordinator, but he’s

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W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 29, 2026

Eggplant flatbreads taste like summer

5Cn

Olivier Pucheu, 2, takes a big bite of ice cream from his mother, Sarah, at Moncus Park on July 20, 2025, in Lafayette. | STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAd KEMP

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) As locally grown produce fills farmers markets, there’s never been a better time to embrace seasonal eating.

One favorite summer option, thanks to its neutral flavor and a spongy texture that turns creamy when cooked, is eggplant. Technically a fruit, the dark purple globes and more slender Japanese variety can be fried, baked and/or grilled.

It works just as well as a headliner in eggplant parm as it does in supporting roles — say, a stirfry or curry or seasonal summer stew like ratatouille.

Eggplant provides both soluble and insoluble fiber, and one cup has only 20 calories. It’s also rich in antioxidants that promote healthy aging and support your overall immune system.

The big scoop!

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/ TNS PHOTO By GRETCHEN McKAy

Cheesy Eggplant Flatbread

If you, like me, swear this is the year you’re actually going to get the five daily servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the Department of Agriculture, eggplant is a great place to start. Especially if you do something fun with it, like turn slices into a flatbread for sandwiches.

For this hand-held sandwich, I spread the cheesy eggplant crust with a couple tablespoons of jarred basil pesto, then filled it with a savory mix of sauteed cherry tomato, onion and garlic.

I also added a few thin slices of jamón serrano, a Spanish drycure ham with a mild, salty flavor.

When I texted a picture to my daughter, Olivia, she suggested the sandwich would benefit from some sort of dipping sauce; I countered that would make it too messy for a desk

Beat the heat in these cool Lafayette ice cream parlors with gelato, malts, classic cones and more

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

It’s a steamy summer in Lafayette and the surrounding area, the time of year when having a cool place to retreat indoors is more than worth a few extra calories.

The community is home to several old-fashioned ice cream parlors and sweets shops that are the perfect retreat in the summer months.

From classic ice cream cones to smooth, creamy gelatos, the area has several spots to choose from — and many that offer coffees, shakes or malts as well.

Candyland Cottage in Scott is a unique destination that welcomes travelers right off the interstate, as well as locals stopping in to stock up on retro candies, fudge and ice cream — and year-round Christmas decor kept up by animated elves.

Other local spots like Sunday’s Soda Fountain and Twin’s Burgers and Sweets in Lafayette offer family-friendly meals alongside their ice cream offerings, such as burgers, hot dogs, loaded fries and grilled cheese.

ä See FLATBREAD, page 6C

Maybe as you walked out of the first Ice Water round, it hit you.

Maybe it was a door that opened — or one that didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t until the next year when you were on the other side of the process. It could have been a moment standing in a hallway, waiting, that you can still describe in detail years later.

We’re inviting readers who went through sorority recruitment — recently or decades ago — to tell us about it: What’s the specific moment from Rush week you still think about? And what did Rush teach you that you didn’t expect? Send your response to jan.risher@theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. Aug. 10.

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN

Gelato from Carpe diem Cafe & Wine Bar at 812 Jefferson St.

Lafayette is also home to the last Borden’s ice cream parlor, scooping up malts, banana splits, sundaes, sherbet freezes and other old-fashioned treats for people who are looking for a nostalgic experience. It’s a great place to bring the

kids, but if you’d rather bring your laptop and get a little work done, Rêve Coffee Lab in River Ranch has plenty of seating, a bustling vibe and a little ice cream counter for a sweet treat to go with a cappuccino.

With plenty of ice cream options to choose from, my favorite stop in the area might be Carpe Diem Cafe & Wine Bar, known for its gelato counter with a rotating mix of flavors.

Gelato uses less cream than ice cream and no eggs, and it is churned slowly for a smooth, rich consistency where the flavors really shine. Biscoff is Carpe Diem’s most popular flavor, and nutty options like pistachio stracciatella and caramel almond espresso are also big sellers, according to employee Kallyn Clark.

I went for a double scoop with peanut butter Oreo and chocolate lavender gelato on a recent visit, which paired perfectly with a smooth shot of espresso (trying this combo as an affogato, or gelato

ä See ICE CREAM, page 6C

Savor our recent favorite dishes with big flavors Butter chicken and garlic naan from Spice Junction in Baton Rouge

STAFF PHOTO

By JOy HOLdEN

Staff report

Butter chicken

n Spice Junction, 11777 Coursey

Blvd., Baton Rouge

I had been hearing about the new Indian restaurant on Coursey Boulevard, so I stopped in for lunch. I ordered garlic naan and butter chicken. The rice was cooked perfectly, fluffy

and separate, which is a big deal to me. The butter chicken was the epitome of comfort food — flavorful with just enough spice.

There was plenty to bring home as well.

I also tried the sweet thali dessert, which is a sampler of three popular desserts — Gulab Jamun, Rasmalai and Badaami

ä See BEST, page 6C

6C ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press

STAFF PHOTO By MAddIE SCOTT

Fried chicken, mac and cheese, potato salad and a roll from Chicken Shack

BEST

Meatball stew

n Gravy, 107 E. Main St.,

Continued from page 5C

Lafayette

Kheer. Of the three, the Badaami Kheer, a creamy almond-infused rice pudding with saffron and cardamom, was my favorite.

— Joy Holden, features reporter

Fried chicken dinner

n Chicken Shack, 413 N. Aca-

dian Highway, Baton Rouge

After writing about different local chefs’ favorite fried chicken in Baton Rouge, I decided it was time to visit my favorite spot.

On the way home from work, I stopped at Chicken Shack and ordered the twopiece dinner, which has fried chicken, two sides (I picked potato salad and mac and cheese) and a roll.

I opened the plate and realized they gave me an

With no shortage of spots to get a delicious plate lunch in the Lafayette area, somehow, rice and gravy still never gets old.

Gravy, a new plate lunch restaurant from the restaurateurs behind Pamplona in downtown Lafayette, offers their own spin on an Acadiana classic with a rich, STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN tasty meatball stew, side of Meatball stew from Gravy in savory collards and a spicy, Lafayette mustardy potato salad that brings an elevated flavor to extra piece of chicken, the tender meatballs (yes, which may not have been when it comes to a plate intentional, but hey, a win lunch, the foods mix on my is a win! I dove in and, fork). y’all, this hit all the right Come hungry, and ideally, spots. This longtime Baton bring a friend — Gravy’s Rouge staple was a taste daily plates include meatof comfort after a long day ball stew, sticky chicken, of work, and I think that’s beef debris and smothered why I love Chicken Shack sausage, and you’ll want to so much. try at least a couple.

— Maddie Scott, — Joanna Brown, features reporter staff writer

Cheesy Eggplant flatbread Makes 1 large wrap. Recipe is from Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. zarella. Lay the eggplant slices on top of cheese in rows, overlaying the edges slightly, to form a solid rectangle. (I used 12 slices of eggplant.)

4. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella, then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden and bubbling.

5. While eggplant is baking, drizzle a little oil in a saute pan and, when it sizzles, add cherry tomatoes, red onion and garlic. Cook, tossing occasionally, until tomatoes burst and onion softens, then set aside.

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly, then lay another sheet of parchment paper on top, and flip the eggplant flatbread over onto a prep surface.

7. Spread basil pesto evenly on the cheese base,

then layer with the tomatoonion mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around the toppings. Add the ham and basil leaves, then roll tightly from the bottom up, pressing gently to compact the ingredients. Use the edge of your parchment paper to help lift and tightly roll the flatbread from the bottom upward. (Press gently as you roll to keep the wrap compact and secure.)

8. Unwrap the roll, then slice it in half using a sharp knife and enjoy.

COOK’S NOTE: Pick an eggplant that has a firm skin and gives a light spring when squeezed; if it’s mushy, it’s over-ripe. Also, the cap and stem should be green. Eggplants with wrinkled skin are dehydrated, and past peak freshness.

not a bad idea, depending on the mix of ingredients.

Continued from page 5C Rather keep it strictly vegetarian? Build a Capresestyle sandwich with tomato, lunch. Then again, my sister slices of fresh mozzarella, ate one of the halves with a a handful of arugula and a knife and fork, so maybe it’s drizzle of balsamic glaze.

A creamy hummus would also make a fantastic filler, as would a heartier combo of your favorite meat and cheese — say turkey, bacon and provolone. When it comes to flatbreads, the sky’s the limit.

1 large eggplant, thinly sliced Sea salt 2 cups shredded mozzarella or mozzarella-Parmesan mix cheese, divided Oil, for drizzling 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes ½ small red onion, thinly sliced 1 or 2 garlic cloves, finely minced 2 tablespoons homemade or jarred basil pesto 1 ounce thinly sliced ham, such as jamón serrano Fresh basil leaves 1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 F. 2. Sprinkle eggplant slices liberally with salt, and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes on a cutting board or other prep surface to draw out the water.

Pat dry with a paper towel.

3. To prepared pan, add a thin layer of shredded moz-

FLATBREAD

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Today is Wednesday, July 29, the 210th day of 2026. There are 155 days left in the year.

Today in history: On July 29, 1967, an accidental rocket launch on the deck of the supercarrier USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin resulted in a fire and explosions that killed 134 service members.

Also on this date: In 1836, the newly completed Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated in Paris.

In 1858, the United States and Japan signed the Harris Treaty, formalizing diplomatic relations and trading rights between the two countries.

In 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers-surOise, France.

In 1914, transcontinental telephone service in the U.S. became operational with the first test conversation between New York and San Francisco.

In 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party.

In 1954, the first volume of JRR Tolkien’s novel “The Lord of the Rings”

ICE CREAM

Continued from page 5C topped with espresso, is especially delightful). Some of Carpe Diem’s unique gelato flavors available this summer have included Thai tea, s’mores, Almond Joy, almond and Earl Grey, and lavender honey.

“We have 70-plus flavors, and we’re always coming up with new ones,” Clark said. “The combos are just experiments, happy accidents. We think about what kind of flavors go together in baking or cocktails or cooking, and go for that.”

(“The Fellowship of the Ring”) was published.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA. In 1981, Britain’s Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in a glittering ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. (They divorced in 1996.)

In 1986, a federal jury in New York found that the National Football League had committed an antitrust violation against the rival United States Football League, but the jury ordered the NFL to pay token damages of just $3.

In 1994, abortion opponent Paul Hill shot and killed Dr. John Bayard Britton and Britton’s escort, James H. Barrett, outside the Ladies Center clinic in Pensacola, Florida.

In 1999, a former day trader, apparently upset over stock losses, opened fire in two Atlanta brokerage offices, killing nine people and wounding 13 before shooting himself; authorities said Mark O. Barton had also killed his wife and two children.

In 2016, former suburban Chicago police officer Drew Peterson was given an addi-

tional 40 years in prison for trying to hire someone to kill the prosecutor who put him behind bars for killing his third wife.

In 2021, a newly arrived Russian science lab briefly knocked the International Space Station out of position when it accidentally fired its thrusters. For 47 minutes, the space station lost control of its orientation when the firing occurred after docking, altering a key position for communications and for getting power from its solar panels.

Today’s birthdays: Former Sen. Nancy KassebaumBaker is 94. Former Sen. Elizabeth H. Dole is 90.

Artist Jenny Holzer is 76. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns is 73.

Style guru Tim Gunn is 73. Rock singer-musician Geddy Lee (Rush) is 73.

Rock singer Patti Scialfa (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) is 73.

Actor Alexandra Paul is 63. Country singer Martina McBride is 60. Actor Wil Wheaton is 54. R&B singer Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men) is 53. Actor Stephen Dorff is 53. Actor Josh Radnor is 52. Hip-hop DJ/ music producer Danger Mouse is 49. NFL quarterback Dak Prescott is 33.

If you’re planning an ice cream outing in Lafayette before summer ends, check out these area shops offering an indoor cafe experience with ice cream, coffees, shakes and other sweet treats: n Andy’s Frozen Custard, 2301 Kaliste Saloom Road, Lafayette, and 2908 E. Milton Ave., Youngsville n Baskin Robbins, 4807 Johnston St., Lafayette, and 1911 Chemin Metairie Parkway, Youngsville n Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe, 1103 Jefferson St., Lafayette n Candyland Cottage & Ice Cream Shoppe, 109 Benoit Patin Road, Scott n Carpe Diem Cafe & Wine Bar,

812 Jefferson St., Lafayette n Emmy’s Ice Cream Bar, 481 Albertson’s Parkway, Broussard n Marble Slab Creamery, 3500 N.E. Evangeline Thruway, Lafayette, and 2018 Chemin Metairie Parkway, Youngsville n Reve Coffee Lab River Ranch, 1042 Camellia Blvd., Lafayette n Sunday’s Soda Fountain, 431 Jefferson St., Lafayette n Twin’s Burgers and Sweets, 2801 Johnston St., Lafayette n Yogurtland, 104 E. Kaliste Saloom Road, Lafayette.

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

zodIAC LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Set up meaningful conversations that can open doors or help you envision how you can reach your goals. Refuse to let a lack of knowledge or not sharing your plans be your nemesis.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Keep your plans and your actions to yourself. Working behind the scenes will help you get things done without interference.

Invest more time in yourself and your objectives.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Engage in an activity that serves as a platform to showcase your skills, projects and longterm goals. The people you encounter and what they offer will be eye-opening. Embrace the possibilities. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Stop, listen and observe before you decide to join in.

Your intentions may be honorable, but you aren't likely to be met with positive feedback if you are restrictive or pushy. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Spend more time at home and doing what you can to lower your overhead. You can cut your losses if you walk away from what's holding you back. Say no to subscriptions you no longer use. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pay attention to detail, money management and your health. Put time aside to nurture yourself and your relationships with those who contribute to your happiness.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Rely on your own devices instead of waiting for someone to do the work for you. It's

time to take responsibility and to apply your skills, knowledge and experience to make headway.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Refuse to let what others do make you angry. Freedom to do as you please comes at a price. Weigh the pros and cons, then proceed with honorable intentions.

Explore the possibilities.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Take an interest in others, events and activities that grab your attention. Being an enthusiast will lead to friendships with likeminded people and information that can enrich your life. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Overindulgence will set you back. Concentrate on decluttering and minimizing your stress. Distance yourself from emotional issues and people who tend to bring you down or cost you emotionally or financially.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A change of routine will boost your ego and your enthusiasm. Engage in events that look promising and help you connect to someone who shares your beliefs and goals. Don't take risks. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Pick and choose carefully. Anger and manipulation will set you back. If you want something, proceed with a kind word and a positive attitude. Be willing to give and take.

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

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: L EQuALs D

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

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La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Simone de Beauvoir, a French writer, said, “I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth — and truth rewarded me.”

At the bridge table, the truth is that we love certainties — lines of play or defense that are guaranteed to work. In this deal, is there a way for South to make sure of six no-trump, given that clubs are not breaking 5-0?

South’s two-diamond rebid was fourthsuit game-forcing. When North bid four hearts, he showed a minimum opening bid. With extras he would have controlbid (cue-bid) four clubs. South signed off in six no-trump to protect his diamond holding, expecting North’s values to be in his long suits.

Declarer starts with 10 top tricks: two spades, five hearts, one diamond and two clubs. His plan should be to win four club tricks — but how?

The club nine in South’s hand makes getting four tricks a near-certainty.

After winning the first trick with his spade ace, declarer should play a club to dummy’s ace, then return a low club and cover East’s eight with his nine.

Here, that ends South’s problems. But if his nine were to lose to the 10, the suit

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

would be splitting 3-2 and the contract would be home.

Finally, if East shows out on the second round of clubs, declarer wins with his king and leads back through West’s queen up to North’s jack.

Note that six hearts can be made by taking the same safety-play. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

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

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD — KILLDEER: KIL-deer: An American plover.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 21 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 30 or more words in KILLDEER? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — WARDRooM ward warm wood word worm ardor armor arrow ramrod road roam

roar rood room doom door dorm dram draw odor marrow mood

moor morrow

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45 Our words will give us away. What’s in our hearts? G.E. Dean

10C ● Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

DOW 52,747.32 537.24 1.03%

NASDAQ 24,876.91 -55.17 -0.22%

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Oil prices ease as tech stocks tumble

NEW YORK — Most of Wall Street rose Tuesday, even as stocks of computer chipmakers continued to tumble worldwide. Oil prices, meanwhile, eased further from the two-month high they hit last week.

The majority of the U.S. market rose after more companies delivered stronger profits for the spring than analysts expected. Coca-Cola climbed 5% after its revenue rose 7% despite what CEO Henrique Braun called “a dynamic consumer landscape.”

Sherwin-Williams rallied 8.3%, and Illinois Tool Works rose 3.6% after both likewise reported stronger earnings for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Stock prices generally follow the trend of corporate profits over the long term, and expectations are high for this most recent round of reports with the U.S. stock market still near its all-time high.

Such expectations are weighing particularly heavily on stocks of chipmakers and other companies that have been huge winners from the boom in artificial-intelligence technology.

But worries are rising about whether such growth is sustainable. Big spenders on computer memory could pull back on investments if AI does not produce as much profit or productivity as promised.

S&P 500 7,428.78 15.60 0.21%

EURO 1.1391 0.0018 0.16%

CRUDE OIL 82.61 -6.70 -7.50%

GOLD 4,036.30 -38.20 -0.94%

6-MO T-BILLS 4.03 -0.05 -1.23%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.09 -0.04 -0.8%

Confidence in U.S. economy falls

modestly in June as gas a risk to President Donald Trump 33% more expensive since the beRising inflation costs proved prices came down to around $3.70 and Republicans in the midterm ginning of 2019. To navigate those gallon from more than $4.50 a elections, which are now less than higher prices, Americans have blamed on gas prices agallon in late April and early May. 100 days away. turned to coupons, comparison

BY MATT OTT

Associated Press WASHINGTON — Americans’ confidence in the economy fell this month as gas prices resumed their climb after the U.S. and Iran stepped up their fighting.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 90.8 in July from 92.2 in June. That’s essentially the same tepid range its been in since the beginning of the year. In late 2024 and early 2025 the readings were well above 100.

Consumer attitudes had im-

But as fighting in the Middle East escalated, the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. started to rise again. On Tuesday it was $4.10, according to the auto club AAA. After being attacked by the U.S. and Israel in late February, Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil travels, causing a spike in gas prices. That accelerated inflation, causing Americans’ inflation-adjusted incomes to decline.

Americans remain sour on the economy after five years of elevated inflation, potentially posing

Trump continues to blame inflation on his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden. Yet inflation has risen since Trump’s inauguration last year, to 3.5% from 3% in January 2025. It jumped even further after the Iran war began Feb. 28, when it was just 2.4%.

Write-in responses to the survey, which were collected July 1-22, remained pessimistic. The Board said references to gas prices were down slightly but remained elevated. Respondents’ mention of food and grocery prices increased.

Government data shows that buying food to bring home has gotten

shopping and cutting back as they absorb the biggest jump in grocery prices in a half-century.

Beef epitomizes out-of-control grocery prices for many Americans with ground beef reaching $6.82 a pound in June — 79% more than at the beginning of 2019, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

References to jobs and unemployment picked up slightly this month and views of the current job market fell. Expectations of how the labor market will be six months going forward improved slightly, but remained in negative territory.

‘The original celebrity chef’

BuzzFeed slashing workforce by 35% BuzzFeed is cutting roughly 35% of its workforce in its first major restructuring since media mogul Byron Allen bought a majority stake in the firm two months ago.

The layoffs, outlined in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday, will affect about 180 staff and contract positions across BuzzFeed and its sister brands HuffPost and Tasty.

“We’ve been actively managing costs for some time, working through scenarios to save as many jobs as possible,” BuzzFeed’s leadership team said in the memo. “Unfortunately, the elimination of certain roles is still required.”

The company said the changes are necessary to “put our business on a path to profitable and sustainable growth.”

The BuzzFeed purchase is the latest in a series of business moves Allen has made in recent years to build his entertainment empire. The former standup comedian recently purchased a portion of CBS’s late-night block earlier this year, taking over the time slot for the 2026-27 season.

The slot once belonged to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which was canceled last year and aired its final episode in May. BuzzFeed was founded in 2006. The website became known as a pop culture hub, where readers could indulge in the latest celebrity gossip or discover a unique cooking recipe.

Settlement proposed to end longtime talc suit Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $5.5 billion to tie up remaining lawsuits that claim its talc products caused ovarian cancer.

The drugmaker, which has been fighting talc-related lawsuits for more than a decade, said that the settlement is conditioned on at least 95% of remaining claimants participating.

A U.S. bankruptcy court judge denied a $9 billion settlement proposed by company subsidiary Red River Talc last year that would have been one of the biggest mass tort settlements in history.

Johnson & Johnson decided not to appeal that ruling and instead fight on in court.

A federal judge last week ordered plaintiffs in the case against Johnson & Johnson to show why the remaining pending talc claims should not be dismissed after their witnesses could not provide a direct link between the company’s product and cancer.

KFC founder Colonel Sanders’ personal items, former home, restaurant up for auction

BY DYLAN LOVAN

ABOVE: Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk said there’s a little-known secret behind the bow tie.

‘Not a lot of people know; he did wear clip-ons.’

LEFT: Klunk stands behind a display of personal items owned by KFC founder Harland Sanders.

Associated Press

SHELBYVILLE,Ky. — KFC founder Colonel Sanders ‘ pressure cooker, black bow tie and dozens of other personal items are up for public auction Tuesday night, along with his former home and a dinner house Sanders opened after selling his iconic restaurant chain.

Harland Sanders, still known as the face of the worldwide chain originally known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, established the Shelbyville property as the first headquarters of his restaurant business in the late 1950s. He sold the property, which included his home and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, to Tommy and Cherry Settle in 1974, who have run the restaurant since then.

“Colonel Sanders was the original celebrity chef,” said Bill Menish, whose firm, The Menish Group, is conducting the auction.

“The feedback has been worldwide, so we needed to have an auction that would cater to that worldwide audience.”

Online pre-bidding concludes with a live, in-person auction for the Sanders memorabilia on Tuesday evening. Sealed bids for the restaurant and Sanders’ former 5,000-square-foot home, which he named Blackwood Hall, will be taken until Friday.

Sanders’ personal watches, an original cash register, his cutlery set, a bust sculpted by his daughter and a commercial gas range from the colonel’s former residence are among the items up for bidding. The bust had a bid of $4,400 on Tuesday morning, and

AP PHOTOS the cash register was bidding at $5,000.

Sanders sold KFC in 1964 to a group of investors, but continued as a brand ambassador for the company.

Menish called Sanders a “marketing genius” for creating the character of the colonel.

“He didn’t dress like that before he was starting to build Kentucky Fried Chicken,” Menish said. “He adopted the colonel: the clothes, the bow tie, the glasses, the goatee.”

One of the most intriguing pieces could be a personal 1964 planner with a handwritten herbs and spices recipe that was later the subject of an early 2000s lawsuit filed by the KFC Corp. to keep the contents private. KFC

later dropped the legal action, saying after reviewing the planner the ingredients didn’t match Sanders’ secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and was likely for a stuffing recipe.

“What a keepsake,” Menish said.

The current high bid Tuesday was for a 1955 certificate naming Sanders as an honorary Kentucky Colonel that is fetching $7,500 so far.

One of Sanders’ signature black bow ties is also up for auction. The highest online bid for the tie was more than $4,000 on Tuesday.

Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk said there’s a little-known secret behind the bow tie.

“Not a lot of people know; he did wear clipons.”

Minnesota’s ban of prediction markets halted in federal court

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A federal judge has temporarily blocked Minnesota’s first-in-the-nation law banning prediction markets just days before it was to take effect, the latest clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and states over who regulates operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket.

Monday’s decision is the latest setback for states trying to outlaw or regulate fast-growing prediction market platforms.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez in Minnesota found that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trad-

ing Commission, Kalshi and Polymarket were likely to succeed in their challenge to the law and that letting it take effect would cause “irreparable harm” to the operators.

The law was scheduled to take effect Saturday.

It would have made it a crime to create or operate prediction markets or help administer nearly any activity connected to one. The law will remain blocked while the lawsuit proceeds.

Kalshi, Polymarket and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission want the law permanently blocked and argue that federal law gives the CFTC exclusive jurisdic-

tion to regulate the type of “eventcontract transactions” offered by Kalshi and Polymarket.

States argue that the vast majority of the business on prediction market platforms is sports betting, which they are empowered to regulate, and that is completely different from the commodities and futures contracts that the commission has historically regulated.

In a statement Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said prediction markets are “gambling, plain and simple.”

“And Minnesota has every right to keep predatory gambling out of our communities,” Ellison said.

Neal Kumar, Polymarket’s chief

legal officer, said in a statement that the decision makes clear that prediction markets on commission-registered exchanges “are governed by federal law, not a patchwork of state rules.”

A Kalshi spokesperson, Elisabeth Diana, said in a statement that “states cannot ban things that they don’t have jurisdiction over.”

Menendez’s decision follows a declaration in February by Trump’s appointee atop the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that the agency “will no longer sit idly by” while states aim to regulate or ban prediction markets and “undermine the agency’s exclusive jurisdiction.”