The Advocate 07-29-2026 by The Advocate

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EBR schools chief Cole target of investigation

LaMont Cole has served as superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish schools since 2024.

Probe is tied to his time on the Metro Council

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Baton Rouge schools Superintendent

LaMont Cole is being investigated by a state grand jury about matters stemming from his time as a Metro Council member part of an ongoing, wider probe into corruption in city government, multiple sources said Cole has been under investigation by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office for several months, multiple sources familiar with the probe said. The grand jury has already brought

charges against several Baton Rouge officials, including Metro Council member Cleve Dunn Jr and Courtney Scott, a top aide to Sharon Weston Broome during her tenure as mayorpresident.

Reached Tuesday, Cole did not immediately comment. The Attorney General’s Ofﬁce declined to comment

A spokesperson for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system sent an email to all district staff Tuesday after The Advocate published a story about the investigation into Cole.

“We understand that news like this

can create uncertainty and concern.

During this time, we encourage everyone to remain calm, avoid speculation, and allow the appropriate processes to move forward,” wrote Taylor Gast, administrative director of communications. “Our focus remains on what matters most. We will continue serving our students, supporting one another, and continuing the important work happening in our schools and departments each day

“We ask that you keep faith in the

ä See COLE, page 9A

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 relation-

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

ä See MEETING, page 8A

State Supreme Court chief justice clashes with former colleagues

Dispute triggers recusal from case

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

The Louisiana Supreme Court recused Chief Justice

John Weimer from a major case involving a former colleague as an attorney, 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 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 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

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.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

U.S. says it knocked down Iranian missile attack. PAGE 10A

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 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

Lifeguard hailed as hero after rescuing a boy

SAN FRANCISCO A lifeguard who dove into pounding surf 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 has not 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 powerful swells that suddenly came ashore at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, about 60 miles 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 Saturday

“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 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 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.

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, 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

on Tuesday.

Earthquake hits Japan’s southern Kyushu island

Dozens missing or injured after 7.1 magnitude strike

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-

out vital signs, while the conditions of nine others were unknown, the team said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said more than 260,000 people 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

“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.

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

Accused of using inside knowledge to make bets

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

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

his inside knowledge to win more than $100,000 betting on what the president would say in big speeches. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt 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.

Customer Service: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COMor225-388-0200 News Tips /Stories:

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KyODO NEWS PHOTO This aerial image shows the damaged AEON Mall following an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan,

Tornadoin Wisconsinwas on ground for20minutes

BY DAVID COLLINS, ED WHITE and LAURA TURBAY Associated Press

First responders searched homes and buildingson Tuesday for possible victims of apowerful 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’stwister, 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 Hintzsaid ata news conference Tuesday David Chew,55, said atree smashed through his roofin Menasha, and he still hadn’t located an outdoor patio lounger swept away by the

storm. But he’s better off than aneighbor: Aportion of her roof was ripped clean, with furnitureand drywall

“sucked out.”

“It was just ashocker,” saidChew,who hadrushed to the basement with his wife and son.

Despite widespread damage, the timing of the storm couldbewhy therehave beennoreported deaths

Thetornado arrived inthe early afternoon, authorities noted, when most people were awake and after warnings had been issued

“Everybody was at work. It wasthe middle of the day,”

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

Dozens of people wereinjured,and ofﬁcers were still goingdoor-to-door aday later in search of possible victims.

The tornado touched down around1 p.m.and remained on thegroundfor more than

20 minutes, cutting aroughly 12-mile path of destruction,the National Weather Servicereported. The area is about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee. It was classiﬁed as an EF3 tornado —the strongest to strike Outagamie andWinnebago counties since an EF4 touched down in April 1984, the weather service said. Gov. Tony Evers declared astate of emergency for the affected areas. As chain saws roared in the background, Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford said anumber of neighborhoods were “trulydevastated.”

Like elsewhereinthe region, electricitylines were tangledaround broken trees,making power restoration aslow,risky process.

More than 10,000 customers in Winnebago and Outagamie counties were still without power, accordingto utilitiesthatservethem. It could be severaldaysbefore

France orders 4,000moreevacuated

By The Associated Press

LEGE-CAP FERRET,France

French authorities ordered

4,000more people evacuated from tourist sites along its Atlantic coastonTuesday,widening what may be France’slargest peacetime evacuation as returning heat threatened firefighters’ fragile hold on avast wildfire west of Bordeaux.

Fresh flames erupted later Tuesday near Grand Crohot, apopular Atlantic beach on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula, local authorities said. A fleet of 23 planes and helicopters droppedwater and fire retardantascrews fought to keep the renewed flames from spreading.

“The situation remains complicated. That’sclear We’re not out of the woods,” Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said. She said that about 60,000 residents who were evacuated as aprecaution from Le Haillan and parts of Mérignac and Eysines outside Bordeaux’sring road could return on Tuesday.Noﬁres had broken out in the three areas, but residents were told to keep their mobile phones on and emergency bags packed. The opposing movements —thousands ordered out of coastal resorts while those returning told to be on the alert —underscored how precarious the ﬁre’shold remained.

Across France and Spain, roughly 330,000 people have been driven from homes and vacation sites by huge wildﬁres. Spain braced for its fourth heat wave of the summer,with several blazes still burning out of control, including the largest in its recorded history

Even so, Spanish authorities began lifting evacuation and stay-at-home ordersfor thousands of peopleafter ﬁreﬁghters made progress overnight

The Gironde fire has burnedanarea four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to evacuate Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has said it is “very likely” the largest civilian evacuation operation carried out in the countryoutside of war

The precautionary evacuation order covered campsites, holiday villages, tourist residences and leisure parks around the resort of Lacanau, Gironderegional authorities said.

Even as nearby homes burned and authorities urged tourists to stay away, one family told Le Parisien newspaper it had gone ahead with its trip rather than forfeit a$4,558 holiday, while another group debated abandoning avacation that had cost $741 each.

Fire makesits ownweather

At its most violent, the Gironde blaze created agargantuan black thundercloud, electriﬁed and lit from within. It generated lightning, violent winds and new ﬁres beyond theoriginal front The phenomenon, known as apyrocumulonimbus cloud, was the first recorded in France.

France’snational weather service placed Gironde under ayellow heat warningbeginning at midday Tuesday,forecasting inland temperaturesof91to95degrees. More than 448 square miles have burned across France this year, according to the InteriorMinistry In Le Porge alone, west of Bordeaux, the municipal government said about 150 homeswere destroyed

Officials warned that smoldering vegetation, risingtemperaturesand falling humidity could produce fresh outbreaksalong the fire’svast perimeter Military engineers and forest-fire prevention crews resumedcutting firebreaks early Tuesday.Authorities saidcrews had completed 64 miles of firebreaks.

At least110 firefighters have been injured, the prefecture said.

power is fully restored.

Thetwister was spun off by alarge storm system that moved through theGreat Lakes andwas fueled by a buildup of heat andhumidity,the weather service said.

ThedaCareRegional Medical Centers in Appleton and Neenah said it treated 40 people, mostly for minor storm-related injuries.Ascension St. ElizabethHospitalinAppleton saiditsaw 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 sawa steel swing spinning in the yard.

Whenthe storm passed, her second-floor bedroom was covered in glass and atree branch wasresting on her bed. The carpet wassoaked.

“Wecan’tbeinthere anymore,” said Bernhardt, who is sleeping on the ﬁrst ﬂoor

and using agenerator to keep the refrigerator going.

Luigi’sPizza in Menasha set up afood trailer to distribute hygiene packsand free slices after donors kicked in enough money to make at least 125 pizzas Tuesday

“Sometimes ahot pizza, ataco, anda reminder that your community cares can mean more thanwords, said Duncan’sWindow & Door,which chipped in for 50 pizzas.

ShellResearchLaboratories, advanced research environments that

TheLSU community, lead donors andfriends cutthe ribbon on the newOur Lady of theLakeHealth InterdisciplinaryScience Building on April17, 2026.The premier facility hasbeenthe university’s topcapital priority forcatalyzing itsvisionfor thefutureofSTEM education, research andimpact.

ColetteHirstius, President, Shell USAsaid, “The openingofthe LSUOur Lady of theLakeHealth InterdisciplinaryScience Building is atestament to thepowerofpartnershipand what canbeachievedwhen industry andacademiacometogether around asharedvision. We areproud to supportaspace wherestudents, faculty andindustry cancollaborate to drive discovery, explorenew frontiersand developthe next generation of scientists, engineersand energy leaders.”

willsupport interdisciplinaryscientiﬁc discoveryand enable facultyand students to work together on complex, real world challenges

ShellInterdisciplinaryCollaborationZone,focused spacefor collaborationacrossdisciplines that will encourageexchangeof ideas, partnershipand team-based research

Building as part of a$27.5 millioninvestment in energy-related initiatives at LSU. LSUChancellorJim Dalton said, “The OurLadyofthe Lake Health InterdisciplinaryScience Building willbe integral to preparingthe next scientistsinbiology,chemistry,geology, math,physics andastronomy Graduatesfromthese programs go onto promisingcareers in theSTEM fieldsacrossthe stateofLouisiana Alongsidethe eliteacademicexperience students willreceivehere, world-classfaculty willpartner togetherandwithindustryleadersin thestate-of-the-artlaboratoriesto advancescientific discoveryand move the LSUflagship toward itsgoalofbecoming

50 research university.

Thefourthfloor of OurLadyofthe Lake Health InterdisciplinaryScience Building includes:

ShellUSA,Inc.committed $2.5 milliontothe OurLadyofthe Lake Health InterdisciplinaryScience

Zelenskyy has‘good meeting’ with Trump

BY SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump andUkrainian 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 themedia,followeda consequential meeting at the NATO summit earlier this monthinAnkara, Turkey, where Trumpannounced that the U.S. willgive Ukraine alicense to make Patriot defense systems —a long-running requestfrom Kyiv to counter Russian missile attacks.

Taken together,those meetings underscore how much the U.S. president, once amajor skeptic of continued assistance to Kyiv has warmed to Zelenskyyas Ukraine continues to withstandthe Russian barrage more than four years after Moscow’s invasionin2022.

The Ukrainian leader, whose relationship with Trump in his second term was marked by araucous White House visit in which he was denigrated for being ungracious, has worked to court the Republican administration while relyingonboth likely and unlikely allies in Trump’sorbit to exert their inﬂuence with the president.

The ongoing conﬂict in the Middle East, which has consumed much of the Trump administration’sfocus 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 apost on social media afterthe meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the“good meeting” and the Republican administration’s efforts to aidKyiv in the long-running war. “The President and Idiscussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help,” said Zelenskyy, whoalso noted that he offered condolences to Trump for the death of Graham, a close ally.“We also spoke about diplomacy —it’simportant that thediplomatic process be reinvigorated.”

WhiteHouse presssecretary KarolineLeavitt said both the Zelenskyy meeting and aseparate, 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 metwithofficials from Lockheed Martin for further cooperation in both defense production and exchanging of technologies, saying, “Ukraine hasalot to share with those who help us protect lives.”

Later,inameetingwith senators at theCapitol,Zelensky again made hiscase for why Ukraine needs Patriotinterceptors, as well as asweeping sanctions bill to impact moraleand increase pressure on Russia, according to two people with direct knowledgeof theprivate discussion. They were granted anonymity to disclose details of acloseddoormeeting.

Luke Coffey,a seniorfellow at theconservativeleaning HudsonInstitute, said expanding production capacity for Patriot inter-

ceptors is not only vital for Ukraine, but also forthe U.S. and its Gulf allies, particularlyassupply runs low during thewar in Iran.

“Ukraine has shown that its defense industry is capable, innovative and creative,” Coffey said. “I have no doubt thatwhen 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 theWhiteHouse as theUkrainian leader traveled to Washington to honor Graham,whose ﬁnal act as apublic official was visiting Kyiv and securing an agreement on apackageof sanctions that seek to punishcountries that purchase Russian oil, gas andother exports.

In aFox News Channel interview Tuesday,Trump recalled Graham’shawkishness and said theRepublican South Carolina senator’ssupport for Ukraine never wavered.TrumpsaidGraham hadsuggesteditwas time to make adeal with Iran but hadnosimilarsuggestionfor the Russia-Ukraine war “Ukraine, he’svery militantabout,” Trumpsaid on “Fox&Friends.”“Imean, Lindsey liked war,tobehonest with you.

Ahead of the meeting, Zelenskyy alsowarned that Russia has been aiding Iran as the warpersistsbycapturing satellite imagery of U.S. bases in theGulf region that later appear in Iran. The Ukrainian president also asserted that there was a“clearcorrelation” between Russia’s images and subsequent Iranian strikes Iran is akey ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine and has helped Moscow build up its drone expertise. But on Monday, Trump

downplayedany impact of potential Russian assistance for Iran, even as he said he would raise the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin

“I don’tthink they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level,” Trumptold reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Michigan. “And if they have, it has been very un-impactful.”

On theCaspian Sea attack, the foreign ministers of Iran

and Ukraine spoke about the matter,according to statements posted on socialmedia Tuesday. UkrainianForeign 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 hassaidatleast one sailor was killed in the attack.

Republican leadership is hoping to advanceGraham’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 mainpolicy tribute to Graham. It imposes tariffs on goods from the world’s top ﬁve purchasers of Russia oil or natural gas, including China and India.

BY MARYCLARE JALONICK and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate has conﬁrmed JayClayton to become headofthe nation’s intelligence agencies,putting apermanent director in place weeks afterPresident Donald Trump sought to delay his nomination. Clayton,the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and aformer Securities and Exchange Commission chair,was conﬁrmed 51-47 along party lines. Republicans had initially hoped to confirm Clayton in June, butTrump delayed his hearing in order to allow his temporary pick for the job, Bill Pulte, to take over for several weeks after former directorTulsi Gabbard resigned.

Senators from both parties have expressed concerns about Pulte, aformer housing regulator who had no intelligence experience. Pulte was in charge when Trump

delivered aspeechfromthe WhiteHouse earlier this monthdoublingdown on his false claims about the 2020 election,which he lost,and released classified documentsthat he saidwere relevanttohis arguments.

Pulte has alsosaid hehas presidedover adownsizing of thenationalintelligence office, which functions as acoordinatinghub forthe U.S. government’s intelligence agencies. He boasted on social mediathat with a latestroundofjob cuts, the ofﬁce is carryingout about a30% staffreductionfrom weeks ago. He has not offered details about those cuts,making it hard to immediately corroborate the extentofany reductions.

Democrats have also expressed concerns about Clayton,who lost bipartisan support aftera contentious hearing two weeksago in which he repeatedly refused to say that former President JoeBiden won the2020 election.

Virginia Sen. MarkWarner, the top Democrat on theSenate intelligence committee, said at the end of the hearing that he was “bitterly disappointed” in Clayton after initially praisinghis nomination. Warner said he would opposeClayton’s nomination but acknowledged that Democrats are “between arock and ahard place” withPulte in the job.

Trumphas made revisiting 2020 aprimaryfocus,repeatedly trying to cast doubt on thatelection and amplifying debunked theories about Biden’swin. Clayton said repeatedly at thehearing that the election was“certiﬁed for Biden, declining to say outright that the Democrat won.

Hoursbefore the scheduled Senatevote on Clayton, Pulte released intelligence community documents from 2020 that described China’s capacity to interfere in the American political process as well as vulnerabilities in theelection system.

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com

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With the world’slargest data center yetbeing built in Richland Parish,Louisiana,local businessesare adapting and evolving to meet the growing needs of the incoming investment. More jobsand increased sales arecreating asteady stream of businessfor local companies, andthe impact is beginning to show.

ForWill Dear,owner of Rayville Tire &Service Center and lifelong residentofthe area,the effect has been positive, allowing his businesstoexpand further than he had previously imagined. Kelsey Higdon, Digital Sales Manager forNola.com and TheAdvocate,sat down with him to hear thefull story.

CanyoutellmeaboutRayvilleTire &ServiceCenterandwhatatypical weeklookedlikebeforethe investmentwasannounced?

tires forevery one of them.Ifaconstruction vehicle comesin, we already knowwhat’s going to be on it.Wealsokeep ourtoolboxes well stocked and always have ouremergency lights becauseweuse thoseevery dayonthe trucksthatcome in.

WhatmakesRichlandParishsucha specialplacetooperateabusiness rightnow?

Richland Parish is likeabig family Everybody knows everybody.Everyone knows my dad and wheremysiblingand Icome from. Before this project came in, everyone wasvery tight-knit,and we just relied on our farmersand locals to keep us aﬂoat. Now, this project is helping everyone out, not just ourlocal tireshop

We were always busy. We liveina farming communitysoit’snon-stop every day, especiallyduring the planting and harvest season. Inever thoughtwecouldbeany busier than we were,but nowhereweare Weare taking it one dayatatime. Whatdoesatypicalweeklook likenowsincetheconstruction hasstarted?

I’ve hired alot more employees and more managerstohelp run things, becauseithas been non-stop.There’smoreinand out,and everything is moving alot faster than anything I’ve seen in my life.

Ican getvehicles in and out alot faster than beforeitstarted picking up.Itusedto be thatI would order the partand let the customer knowtheycould come in acouple of days later. Now, sometimes theycan bringitin, and we canhavethem out by lunch.Weare turning outa lot morework becauseofit.

Howhaveyouhadtoadaptyour inventory?Areyoustocking additionalpartsortiresbecause ofthenewvehiclesthatarecoming intothemarket?

We used to stocksomethingsbeforethis, mostly semi-vehicle parts,but now, since we knowthe vehicles out there, we stock

Howdoyouseeyourbusiness evolvingevenoncetheprojectis complete?

To be honest, I’ve learned moreabout business in the pastyearthan Ihavein my entirelife. Iwould have said Iknew business before,but Ididn’treally know business until we had thismuch work. Once the project is all said and done, Ithink I’ll carry thatexperienceintothe next chapter with me. I’ve gainedalot of contacts,and even when theymove on to anotherjob we arestill going to be reaching outtoone anotherwhen we need help with this or that. If Imaintain the relationship,theseare the typesofguyswho will work with youuntil the end of theircareer

Formoreinformation on RayvilleTire& Service Center,followthem on Facebook or call (318) 728-1155

Formoreinformationonthe Meta projectinRichland Parish,see meta.com/ BuildingLouisiana.

BY LISA MASCARO, MEG KINNARD and MARYCLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Sen. Lindsey Graham, the son of poolhall owners who rose to become oneofhis generation’smore inﬂuentialU.S. politicians at home andabroad, was eulogized Tuesday as “a true American original” during memorial services in Washington Graham’sflag-draped casket arrived for atribute at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican served for more than 30 years as an indefatigable dealmaker who talkedand laughed andbadgered his colleagues into action. Later, PresidentDonald Trump joined foreign leaders for afuneral at Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham’sstature 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 describedhis 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 saidthe senator had the last laugh because “Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years.”

Among those gathered were Israel’sBenjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’sVolodymyrZelenskyy, leaders of two countriesﬁghting separate wars, anod to Graham’s role as aforemost believer in the power of the U.S. and its military to intervene in the world’sproblems. 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 CourtJustice Brett Kavanaugh, and currentand former senatorsand 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 remainderof her brother’sterm.

It was thestartoftwo daysof services,with burial Wednesday in Graham’shomestate of SouthCarolina. JointBaseCharleston will be renamedinhis honor,anAir Force official said. Graham diedsuddenly on July 11 at his home in Washington of alikely aortic tear,according to preliminary findings. He hadjust returned from awhirlwind trip to a NATOsummit in Turkey, wherehe celebrated his birthday,and avisit to Ukraine. Hewas 71. Graham hadspent his final days negotiating punishing Russia sanctions intended to help Ukraine, and senators worked quicklyvotingto advance the packagelateTuesday evening,afinal gesture for their colleague.

‘Swashbuckling’senator

During the morning service in the Capitol Rotunda, Vice President JD Vance described Graham as aman of “swashbuckling” stature —“who swashbuckled into the Senate”with hissuit jacket open —and wasimpossible not to like.

“Lindsey was atowering ﬁgure,” Senate MajorityLeader John Thune said, choking back tears during hisremarks.

First elected to Congressinthe 1994 Republican revolt that swept theGOP to power,Graham was part of anew era of conservatives to take their seats in the House and among the ﬁrstRepublicans from his Southern state sinceReconstruction.

He quickly rose to prominence as amanager in DemocratBill Clinton’spresidential impeachment, and he waselected to the Senateinthe 2002 election. There, he formed an alliance with Sen. John McCain,R-Ariz., and Sen. Joe Lieberman,I-Conn., in what would becomethe “three amigos,”globetrotting the worldfocused on national security issues.

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

Fordecades, Graham had been at the center of the action —a member of virtually every bipartisangangin Congress —with arelentless ability to adapt to political realities, partic-

ularly when it came to Trump.

One by one, manyofGraham’s colleaguessaidtheir goodbyes in the Rotunda. Sen. Katie Britt, RAla, placed both hands on his casketand then placed herhand on her heart.Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., saluted fromher wheelchair Former Sen. Richard Burr,R-N.C., bowed and delivered abrief kiss and Sen. John Kennedy,R-Madisonville, gave aﬁst 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“unfitfor office” during the 2016 presidential campaign, but over timehehad become whatcolleaguescalled the “Trump whisperer,” someone even world leaders relied on to understand the president Days before his death, Graham had won Trump’ssupport fora long-fought bipartisan proposal to impose sanctions on Russiaover thewar in Ukraine, in what would be one of the strongest U.S. efforts to hamper Russian President Vladimir Putin’sability to prolong

the conﬂict.

Days before his death, Graham had wonTrump’ssupport for the long-fought bipartisan proposal to impose sanctions on Russia over the warinUkraine, in what would be oneofthe strongest U.S. efforts to hamper Russian President Vladimir Putin’sability to prolong the conﬂict.

Senatorssaidtheymoved the sanctions package as atribute to Graham.After thefuneral Zelenskyy,who had metwith Trump earlier at the White House, arrived at the Capitol to talk with lawmakers ahead of voting. He then watched the roll callfromthe visitors’ gallery inside the Senate chamber Graham’s champions

At the Washington cathedral,a roster of socially conservative and anti-abortion leadersgavereadings, including Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser of SusanB Anthony Pro-LifeAmerica and the Rev.William Franklin Graham III. Lindsey Graham nevermarried, butthe AirForce veteranhelped support his younger sister after both of his parents died while he wasatcollege andthenstarting law school. He becamethe guardian for Darline, who was then 13, and he later in life often extolled thebenefits of SocialSecuritythat helpedkeep them financially afloat.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByJACQUELyN MARTIN

President DonaldTrump, Vice PresidentJDVance and other guests attend the funeral of Sen. LindseyGraham, R-S.C., TuesdayatWashington National Cathedral in Washington.

AP PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON Sen. DarlineGraham, R-S.C., cries during the funeral of her brother,Sen. LindseyGraham, at Washington National Cathedral in Washington on Tuesday.

and hisCabinet that if Iran were to attack Israel, they would respond, but that beyond that, they wouldtrust the judgmentofthe president regarding next steps

The ofﬁcial spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a private meeting.

Despitesigns of tensionbetween the two before the meeting, Netanyahu was effusive afterward in a post on Instagram, noting thatthe meeting included Trump’s“entire seniorteam.”

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

“When Isay excellent,Idon’t meanitina superﬁcial way,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew.“Aconversation with full partnership, with mutual support, with an understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and othergoals as well.”

Netanyahu later joinedVance and Trump at afuneral for Sen. Lindsey Graham,where the Israeli leader was seen speaking to UkrainianPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy,who met with Trump earlier in the day Trump revealed sometension withNetanyahuahead of their meeting, complainingabout reports that theIsraeli leader planned to discuss intelligence on Iranianactivities at Pickaxe Mountain, apotential nuclear site that the U.S. president has threatened repeatedlytobomb.

“I know exactlywhat’sgoing on at Pickaxe,” Trump told “Fox & Friends.”Heinsistedthat whatever Iran is doing is “not abig problem” and that “Bibi’stelling me that because he wants me to stayinvolved.”

“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 shareits intelligence with the U.S. but that it also understandsthat 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 hashad ahot-and-cold history with Netanyahu over the years, but upon his return to the WhiteHouse lastyear, their alliance seemed strongerthan ever When they startedthe war together in February,itwas with aunited front, toutingtheir respective militaries as acting in lockstep to take outIran’s leadership andpave theway for agovernment more friendly to theWest.

But as Iran fought back —sendingdronesand missiles slamming into U.S. bases and high-risesin cities inthe Gulf, and choking off theStrait of Hormuz —Trump came underimmensepressure bothathome and by allies in the region to endthe conﬂict.

Sincethen, Netanyahu, who wantedtocontinue the ﬁghting in Iran and against its ally,Hezbollah, in Lebanon, has been sidelined as Trump sought adeal withTehran. Disagreements with Trumpand Vancehave burst intothe open over thewar in Iran and more.

“The Americans are making it cleartothe Israelis they arethe

ones whoare running thewar,”

Israeli journalist and political analyst AmitSegal wrote Mondayin thedaily newspaperIsrael Hayom “It is clear toeveryone that Israel has been put in theback seat.”

Of Trump, Netanyahu said Sunday that “many ways, it’shis decision” on how to moveforward. “If he can do so without returning to intensemilitaryfighting, that’s ﬁne. Why not?”

“But oneway or theother,they have to endtheir nuclear program,” Netanyahu told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News Channel’s“Sunday

Morning Futures” about Iran.

TheIsraeli ofﬁcial said the two leaders also discussed the framework agreementthatthe U.S. and Israel signed with Lebanon over theIsrael-Hezbollahwar andthe expansion of the AbrahamAccords, whichhave Arab and Muslim-majority nations normalize tieswith Israel.

Netanyahualso needed to persuade Trump that he won’t play spoilertoU.S. diplomatic and reconstruction efforts in Gazaand Lebanon, where the president has previously complainedthat“too many people arebeing killed” by Israeli strikes.

In Lebanon, where the Israeli military occupies much of the south, Israel agreed to allow theLebanese army to deploy to some villages as part of a“pilot program”testing its ability to secure areas where Hezbollah once operated. TheU.S. State Department says the nextround of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place next week in Romewith afocus on expanding the program On Gaza,Israel’ssecuritycabinet green-lit on Sunday ameasure

that would, in theory,grant entry to the ﬁrst members of an international stabilization force outlined last year in aU.S backed ceaseﬁre deal between Israel and Hamas. Few countries have pledged troops, however, andIsrael would approve their entry into Gaza on a case-by-case basis.

The troops —including from Morocco and Uganda —would only be allowedtooperate in a small, desolate area in Rafah in the south, where the plan is to vet and house some displaced Palestinians.

The Israeli military continues to carry outstrikesitsays target militants but that have also killed civilians.

Israelhas lost asignificant amount of bipartisan support in theUnited States,particularly over Gaza. An AP-NORC poll publishedthismonth founda dramatic erosion of support among American adults forIsrael.

Near the WhiteHouse, asmall group of protesters chanted, “Netanyahu, you’re atyrant” and “Bibi, you’re not welcome here,” referencing theprime minister’s nickname.

process and continue moving forward together with integrity and purpose,” Gast continued

Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill’sofﬁce has stated that much of its investigationstemsfrom a previous federal probe intoBaton Rouge government that took place two years ago but yielded no charges. TheFBI gave information they collectedto herteam Cole was one of several council members and other public ofﬁcials named in afederal grandjury sub-

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didnot respond to acall 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 wrotethat

Weimer helda“ﬁxated and obsessive disdain for me and Genovese.”

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

The other six justices agreed late Tuesday to recuseWeimer from the case, saying the “bitter internecine feud” would leave his decision vulnerable to attack from eitherside

The rhetoric echoes abitter dispute over judicial compensation in which Weimerhas remained steadfast and alone in arguing that colleagues have illegally padded their incomes.

Weimer’sinsistencehas come with aprice, 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

poena viewed by The Advocate that wasserved to City Hall in 2024. It requested documents and communications related to the now-defunct Mayor’sHealthy City Initiative.

The HealthyCity nonproﬁt used federal grants to fund programs aimed at violencepreventionand community development during theBroomeadministration. Mayor-PresidentSid Edwards ended it after takingofﬁce last year Sourceswith knowledge of the 2024 federal probe have told The Advocate thatfederal agents collected text messages sent from Cole’s phone to city-parishcontractors

judge in favor of anew “executivecommittee.” The court named Crichton as its chair,hewrote.

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

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

Weimercalled it an unprecedented effort to silence andpunish 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

Also namedinthat subpoena was Terral“TJ” Jackson and Erica Jackson, amarried couple who were awarded several Healthy City contracts between 2022 and 2024.

The grand jury indicted the Jacksons in Januaryovera Capital Area Transit System contract their company received in 2021. Prosecutors say thecontract was to develop COVID-relatedprotocols for the transit system but in reality thetwo werebeing paid public moneytocampaignfor aCATStax proposal.

Cole andTJJackson are close friends, accordingtomultiple sources. Dunn was chargedinthe CATS

“continued to discharge all the duties and responsibilities of theChief Justice” in spiteofthe committee.

Weimer haslong called outcolleaguesfor distributing asupplemental fund to pad judicial salaries without ﬁrst paying allofits bills. He also claims colleaguestook a judicial stipend illegally in upfront lumpsums.

And Weimer accuses Crichtonand Genovese, in particular, of exploitinga $118 meal perdiemlike no other judges, claiming theydouble-dipped in the process by topping off amonthly stipend for housing and other expenses.

“I suggest that you apologize to the people of Louisiana and reimburse them for theextravagant and unjustiﬁed incomeyou took from them for your beneﬁt in mealsper diem, stipend, andsupplement,”Weimer wrote Crichton. Crichton declined to comment, citing the pending

scheme as well, accused of steeringone of thepublicbus company’scontracts to associate Jay Colarwith the help of transit administratorPearlina Thomas. Investigatorssay Colar paid Dunn paid alarge amount of those funds.

In February,Scott —the former Broomeaide —was chargedwith taking part in akickback scheme in which prosecutors say she received nearly $200,000.

Cole was elected to the Metro Council in 2016 andserveduntil he was appointed superintendent in 2024. On thecouncil, he was elected mayor pro tempore by his peers. In October,aspecial grand jury

motion to keep the matter conﬁdential.

Genovese said he has no business beforethe court and thatWeimer’sletter came out of the blue.

“I don’tknow why he’sstill angry with me. I’ve been off the court for two years,” Genovese said. “This is old news andhe’sstillblowing thesame horn.”

led by the state Attorney General’sOffice was empaneled in Judge Brad Myers’ courtroom. During selection, Myers asked potentialjurors if they hadpersonal relationships with any current or former officials in the MayorPresident’sOffice, Metro Council or school system administrators. Last week, councilmember Twahna P. Harris, whoservedas Cole’saide during his timeonthe council, testifiedbeforethe grand jury,asdid former council member Chauna Banks. Email Patrick Sloan-Turner at patrick.sloan-turner@ theadvocate.com.

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’srequest fora blanket recusal invites judge shopping.

“I have no ill will toward former Justice Crichton’s clients,” Weimerwrote. “I have no malicetowards Scott Crichton as an individual or an attorney.I simply remain disappointed in hisactionsrelated to votes he took behind closed doorswhile serving as an Associate Justice on this court to favor himself ﬁnancially.” Weimer argued against Crichton’smotion to seal his recusal motion.

U.S. says it thwarted missileattack

BY BEN FINLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON The U.S. military

said it knocked down an Iranian ballistic missile attack against American forces in the Middle East on Tuesday,shattering a brief pause in the fighting as mediators tried to get both sides back to negotiations

All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted, theU.S CentralCommand said,adding that U.S forces “remain vigilant and at ahigh state of readiness.”

The United States and Iran had experienced aperiod of calm, during which neither announced attacks for days following weeks of escalation over the strategicStrait of Hormuz,the PersianGulfwaterway and narrow chokepoint through which 20% of the world’soil normally ﬂows.

There was no immediate commentfrom Tehran on the U.S. military statement or thestrikes

The resumption of fighting comes at the end of amonth packed withmultiple pressure points on U.S. President Donald Trump over the war.Inrecent weeks, four U.S. troops died during the ﬁghting,while the Pentagon asked an increasingly skeptical Congressfor money to cover the conﬂict’sballooning costs.

Trumphas repeatedly retreated from threatstoknock out bridges, powerplantsand other infrastructure buthetoldFox News Channel in an interview earlier Tuesday that Iran knows he’ll“finish thejob” if its leaders don’tmakea deal to end the war Iran had effectively closed the strait when thewar beganbyfiring at freighters and tankers off its coast or threatening them. Followingthe signing of an interim ceasefire deal in June, abattle for control over thestraiterupted.

Iran demanded that shipsuse a route near its coastlineand said it can potentially charge fees. Ships were increasingly navigatinga

route along the coast of Oman under aU.S. overwatch operation when Iranattacked some vessels. Droneattacks intercepted SaudiArabiasaidearlieron

Tuesday that it shot down drones ﬁred by Iran-backed militias in Iraq for asecond day,while Iranbacked Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have forced aSaudi oil tanker to turn aroundaspartof their self-styled blockade of the kingdom The kingdom’sDefense Ministry said in astatementthat air defenses intercepted and destroyed several drones that had attempted to target petroleum facilities

in thenation’seastern region. It said theattacks were“once again launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iran-afﬁliated terrorist militias.”

IraqiPrime Minister Ali alZaidiordered security agencies to investigate after the Saudis alleged asimilar attack on Monday

The Iraqi military said in astatement that Iraq is committed to “preventing Iraqi territory from being used as aroute or launching point for any attack targeting brotherly or friendly countries.”

The Iraqi militias have denied any role in the drone attacks.

ASaudi oiltankeristargeted

Meanwhile, the Houthis claim to have ﬁred missiles at the Saudi oil tanker NCC Ghazal, forcing it to turn back.Lastweek,theyannounced ablockade of Saudi shipping, puttinganother key Middle Eastern waterway —through the Babel-Mandeb straitleading to theRed Sea —atrisk.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said a tanker reported hearing explosionswhile traveling in the southernRed Sea. It did notname the tanker but saidthe crew and vessel weresafe.

The U.S. ability to intercept Iran’sincoming strikeshas becomeanincreasingly salient issue as lawmakers, membersofthe military andexperts raise concerns over the nation’sdiminishing stockpiles of missile interceptors.

Pentagon createsnew casualty category afterend of ‘EpicFury’

BY KONSTANTINTOROPIN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Pentagon said anew,separate category wascreated in its ofﬁcial casualtysystem to account for those killedand wounded in the renewed U.S.Iran ﬁghting because “Operation Epic Fury,” the military’sname for combat operations against Tehran, has ended.

The Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, has removed the four soldiers killed and dozens of troops wounded in the latest exchange of ﬁre from its ofﬁcial Iran wartally andplaced them in anew category called

“Overseas Operations.”

The overall total of wounded from the conflict now stands at 642 troops, between the figures listed under Operation Epic Fury and those listedinthe newcategoryin the Pentagon’sonline system. APentagon official said Tuesdaythatbecause Operation Epic Fury has concluded, the military has decidedtoclassify casualties tied to the latest strikes in the new category.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, would not offer adate for the formal end of theoperation That characterization raises questionsabout properly count-

ing theimpacttoU.S. service members after the U.S. military carried out nearly twoweeks of consecutive strikes against Iran in abid to gaincontrol of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran respondedbystrikingneighboringcountries in the Middle East that host U.S. forces.

Afterthe four soldiers who were killedthis month were removedfromthe Iran wardeath toll in the online system,Pentagon spokespeople said last week on social media that it was not an effort to hide thegrowing human cost of theconﬂict but rather the result of “anomalies”and “temporary data disruptions” that were being resolved “imminently.”

On Sunday,those troopsappeared by name in the new “Overseas Operations” category

Three soldiers were killed after a base in Jordan was struck July17 by Iranian ballistic missilesand drones, and one died in Iraq aday later during acontrolleddetonation of an Iranian drone.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at aWhite House brieﬁng in May that the operation had “concluded,” saying that “we achievedthe objectivesofthat operation.”

WhenDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifiedbeforeCongress last week, he didn’targue that the Iran warhad concluded.

Fla. executes 2men in 1day

BY DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

STARKE, Fla. Florida on Tuesday became the first state in nearly a decade to carry out twoexecutions in asingle day,the last an 80-yearold manwho wasthe second-oldest inmate known to receive alethal injection in modern U.S. history

Hours earlier,the state executed aformer police ofﬁcer convicted of killing ayoung girl.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has made Florida’sdeath chamber the nation’sbusiest at the end of his ﬁnal term,saying too manyfamilies have waited too long to see justice.

DominickAnthony Occhicone,the octogenarian, waspronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke after athree-drug injection. His execution cameﬁve hours after the former police ofﬁcer,James ArenDuckett,68, receiveda lethal dose in the samedeath chamber

The chamber’scurtainwent up promptly at Occhicone’s6 p.m. scheduled execution hour.Helay strapped to agurneywith an IV in his arm,a spiritual adviser near his feet.

“I know it don’tmean much, but I’msorry,” Occhicone added. “I never meanttodowhat Idid.”

The injection began at 6:02 p.m followed by several minutes of deep breathing. When thebreathing slowed, awarden shook him and yelled his namewithout response.

Occhicone, who wasconvicted of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend’sparents, is the oldest knownprisoner executed in Florida sinceitbegan modern record-keeping acentury ago.

Afterward, the children of victims Raymond and Martha Artzner released astatement saying their family hadcome to “the endofa long and painful journey.”

“The yearssinceJune 10,1986, have been ﬁlled with sleepless nights, empty chairs at family gatherings, and those one-on-one conversations that were lost,” it read in part. Duckett was convicted of raping anddrowning 11-year-old Teresa McAbeewhile he wasworking as a police ofﬁcer in Florida in 1987.

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

“This mantook advantage of his badge,” said Tracy Mcfall-Buskirk, the girl’scousin.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI

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

Ofﬁcials have been searching for the body of Minnieweather, 15, in

LIBRARY MAGIC

Daughter-in-law of LSU board member faces ethics charge

BLAKE LESCHBER

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

Cajun Navy 2016

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 multiyear 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 half-dozen 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.

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Uncle Geebo wows the crowd after pulling a flag and pole out of an impossibly small bag during his magic show at the Main Branch Library in Port Allen on Friday.

RIGHT: Denver, 3, jumps with joy after Uncle Geebo transformed a bird in a cage into a bunny

tricks during a show on Friday

Officials

N.O. businesses hurt by water main construction getgrants

Smallsums greetedwith tepidresponse

BY MARCOCARTOLANO and KASEY BUBNASH Staff writers

New Orleans city officials announced on Monday that $97,500 in grant funding will go to 26 businesses impacted by ongoing construction in the French Quarter along Decatur and St. Peter streets —tomixed reaction from local shops.

Applicants approved for the BusinessStabilization Fund were notified late last week and will receive either $5,000 or $2,500, according to adocument provided by Mayor Helena Moreno’sadministration.

“It’sasmall fraction of what our costs are for one week,” said Katerina Sutton, the owner of Gazebo Cafe at 1018 Decatur St., which was approved for a $5,000 grant.

For Sutton, the grants feel almost like an “attempt to appease everyone.” She said she’salready lost both business and potential employees, who would rather work elsewhere in the city wheretheycouldmake more.

Moreno andother city ofﬁcials announced the ﬁnancial lifeline last month after businesses and residents pushed back on the Sewerage &Water Board’s prolonged effort to replace the 115-year-old water mains below Decatur be-

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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, policesaid.

Dunn brought the Nissan to aBaton 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 arrested on acountrelatedto the May 14 Nissan theft, and a$15,000 bail was set the

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Cajun Navy 2016, basedin Watson, is one of the more well-known groups. United Cajun Navy,anonprofit basedout of BatonRouge, says it hasprovided relief from more than 40 disasters across17states.

tweenEsplanade Avenue and Dumaine Street.The project is approaching its second year and has led to somepermanentbusiness closures.

Moreno said in June that several nonprofits and public bodies hadoffered to partnerwiththe cityto assemble anddistribute $200,000 in funding. Businesseswith fewer than eight employees were to receive aone-time payment of $2,500, whilethose with eight or more would receive twice that.Only businesses facing the construction project street boundariesthathad lost revenuewere eligible for assistance

Lily Gubser, asupervisor at Ra Shopat733 Toulouse St.,said the $5,000 the smoke shop will receive is astep in theright direction, but the city could havedonemoreto help businesses throughout the construction.

“The grant money deﬁnitely helps, but Idon’t feel like the city did much to do anything about it until it was nearing the end of construction, especially forthese businesses on Decatur that shut down,” Gubser said.

Ra Shopand other more established businesses were abletosurvive thanks to their loyal customers, she said, but newer businesses had a harder time dealingwith disruptiveconstruction andlittle communication fromthe city

Kim Greer,a manager at Christmas Quartersat 1027Decatur St., said the

next day.Hewas released around Saturday,according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison database. Now, policesay Dunnis wanted in ﬁve other vehicle thefts:

n On April8,aresident reported his inoperable vehicle had been stolen from thedriveway of his house. Policesaidthe vehicle was taken to ascrap yard,where Dunn sold it for about $260.

n Baton Rougepolice officers were dispatched on May 13 to an apartment complex in the 12000 block of La Margie Avenue, where aChevroletImpala had been stolen.

n Aman contacted the

$2,500 grant they were approvedfor was ablessing, but agreed that it was not enough.

“We’re maybe making 20% of what we normally make,” she saidofcurrent revenue.

Greer said she believed Morenowas trying to help andunderstood that sheinherited the prolongedproject, but she said theworkhas gone on too long.

Suttonand Greer said finishing constructionis still the quickest way to help businesses as the area continuestolose foot trafﬁc, even withthe removal of some barriers.

“Mostpeople when they’re coming from Cafe du Monde,and they see all that construction,they’re goingtomissus,” Greer said. “I thought when thattarpwentdown, it would help us, but it really hasn’t.”

City ofﬁcialsonMonday said they arestill exploringwaystouse remaining funding, whether by offering support to businesses that submitted incomplete applications or for businessesonly adjacent to the construction.

The Moreno administrationand S&WB officials also said they have continued regular meetings with St. Peter and Decatur street business owners to inform them of updates on the project, which is expected to wrap up this fall.

Email Marco Cartolano at Marco.Cartolano@ theadvocate.com

BatonRougePoliceDepartment about amonth later to report his 2004 Ford pickup truck hadbeen stolen. The vehicle hadbeen parkedat achurchinthe 3800 block of Keokuk Street and was last seen on June 9. When he returned to thelocation 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 aparking space at her residence in the2900 block of Lorraine Street because the battery was missing. The victim was out of town June 14-19 and returned to find thetruck gone.

SEARCH

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search team is allotted30to 45 minutesofactiveworkbefore its members undergo a period of rehabilitationlasting morethan an hour

Therehabilitation includes decontamination from landﬁll hazards, rehydration, medical evaluations and putting on personal protective equipment before returning to the search.

Seventy to 80 personnel are required each day, including search teams, logistics,medical support, equipment operators, command staffand numerous support personnel who work behind the scenes to keep theoperation running safely andefﬁciently,police say

The biggest challenges lawenforcementhas faced during thesearch have been weather conditions, includingsevere heat,available crews, equipment capabilities andenvironmentalconditions of the landﬁll.

TheBatonRougeFireDepartmentand Emergency Medical Serviceshavebeen at thescenecontinuously, monitoring the health and well-beingofall personnel on-site.

The BRPD is thelead agency on the case but has

n Officersrespondedto thesame location on June 25, whereaseparate personstated she left a2009 Chevrolet Equinoxfor 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 theinvestigation of the May 14 theft, ofﬁcers obtained asearch warrantfor Dunn’stransaction recordsfor aBaton Rouge scrap yard.

enlistedthe 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 CajunNavy stands withall of the agencies and personnel involved in this operation. We know the physical and emotional toll these missions take, and we remaingrateful forevery individual who refuses to give up in thepursuit of truth,” the UnitedCajun Navy said in a statementonFacebook.

Minnieweather has been missing since June 5.

Maurice Parms, 51,who wasarrestedJune20ona first-degree murder count, is accused of dumping the teen’sbodyinagarbagebin in the early morning hours on June 5. The garbage truck was scheduled to pick up the trash that morning at 6a.m., according to Parms’arrest warrant.

Police have said Parms has madenostatement or offered any help to locate Minnieweather’sbody.He remains in the East Baton RougeParish Prison andis held without bail. Hisnext court date will be on Oct. 15 forabail review hearing.

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

ETHICS

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prohibits immediate familyfrombeing employed in an agency if their family member is the head of that body

Britney Temple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The LSUBoard of Supervisors declined to comment.

Britney Temple is married to Collis Temple III, a formerLSUbasketballstar like his father, Collis Temple Jr., who wasthe first Black player on the team. She was employed by UHigh from February to November 2023 and received $1,875 in compensation, accordingtothe charges. The ethicscodestates that violatorsofthe law maybesubject to fines, andiftheywere found to benefit financially from the arrangement, repaymentofwhat they earned plus penalties. Ahearing is scheduled with the Ethics Adjudicatory Board on Thursday Email HaleyMiller at haley.miller@ theadvocate.com.

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

Allofthe victims saidthey 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 fora living,” they said.

Records showed Dunn transportedthese vehicles to the scrap yard andsold them, police said. He did so by submitting fraudulent paperwork that represented him as the legal owner of thevehicles, policesadi. Thefalse bills of salelisted Dunn as the purchaser of the vehicles from an individual named “Kevin King.”

The lawsuit said that after the United Cajun Navy was established as anonproﬁt in 2018, it began“distributing false information and false statementstothe public” aboutCajunNavy2016.

One of several examples of those statements, provided as exhibits in the lawsuit, is an online post that United Cajun Navy made as Cajun Navy 2016 was responding to ﬂooding in Kerr County, Texas, earlier this month.

“FRAUDALERT,”the post begins. “The grifters and scammersare at it again! A group identifying as ‘Cajun Navy 2016’ who is NOTauthorized by any EOC (emergency operation center) in Texas is posting copied images to raise money pretending to be us. Please be aware, don’tget SCAMMED! WE ARE THE ONLY LEGIT CAJUN NAVY!”

CajunNavy 2016 said the

false statements questioned the organization’slegitimacy,integrityand disaster responseefforts.

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

“When floodwaters rise, families don’thave time to sort through competing claimsonsocial media,” Bridgers said. “Theyneed to know whoisactually showing up. Our reputation is one of the mostimportant tools we have when lives areon the line.”

Email Ellyn Couvillionat ecouvillion@theadvocate. com.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Oil prices ease as tech stocks tumble

NEW YORK MostofWall Street rose Tuesday,even as stocks of computer chipmakerscontinued to tumble worldwide. Oil prices, meanwhile, eased further from the two-month high theyhit last week

The majority of the U.S. market rose aftermore companies delivered stronger profits for the spring than analysts expected. Coca-Colaclimbed 5% after its revenuerose7%despite whatCEO Henrique Braun called “a dynamic consumer landscape.”

Sherwin-Williams rallied 8.3%, and Illinois Tool Works rose 3.6% afterboth likewise reported stronger earnings for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Stockprices generally follow the trend of corporate proﬁts overthe long term, and expectationsare high for this most recent round of reports withthe U.S. stock market still nearits all-time high

Such expectations are weighing particularly heavily on stocks of chipmakers and other companiesthathavebeen 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 backoninvestments if AI does not produceasmuch proﬁt or productivity as promised.

BuzzFeed slashing workforce by 35%

BuzzFeed is cutting roughly 35% of its workforce in its first major restructuring since mediamogul ByronAllen bought amajority stake in the firm two months ago. The layoffs, outlined in aSecurities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday,willaffect about 180 staffand contract positions across BuzzFeed and itssister brands HuffPost and Tasty

“We’ve been actively managing costs for some time, working through scenariostosave as many jobs as possible,” BuzzFeed’sleadership 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 apathtoproﬁtable and sustainable growth.”

The BuzzFeed purchaseis the latest in aseries of business moves Allen has made in recent years to build his entertainment empire. The former standup comedian recently purchased a portion of CBS’slate-nightblock earlier this year,taking overthe time slot for the 2026-27 season. Theslot once belonged to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,”which wascanceledlast yearand aired its ﬁnal episode in May BuzzFeed was founded in 2006. The website became known as apop culture hub, where readers could indulge in the latest celebritygossip or discover aunique cookingrecipe.

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

Thedrugmaker,which has been ﬁghtingtalc-relatedlawsuits for more than adecade, said that the settlement is conditioned on at least 95%of remaining claimants participating.

AU.S. bankruptcy courtjudge denied a$9billion settlement proposed by company subsidiaryRed River Talc lastyear 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. Afederal judge last week orderedplaintiffs in the case against Johnson &Johnson to show whythe remaining pending talcclaims should notbe dismissed after theirwitnesses could not provide adirect link between the company’sproduct and cancer

ConfidenceinU.S.economy falls

Rising inflationcosts blamed on gasprices

BY MATTOTT Associated Press

WASHINGTON Americans’ confidence in the economy fell this month as gas prices resumed their climbafter the U.S.and Iran stepped up their ﬁghting.

The ConferenceBoardsaid Tuesday that its consumer conﬁdence indexfell to 90.8 in July from 92.2 in June. That’sessentially the same tepid range its been in since thebeginning of the year.Inlate2024 and early 2025 thereadings were well above 100.

Consumer attitudes had im-

provedmodestlyinJune as gas prices came down to around $3.70 agallon from morethan $4.50 a gallon in late April and early May Butasﬁghting in theMiddle East escalated,the averageprice for a gallon of gas in theU.S. started to rise again. On Tuesday it was $4.10, according to theautoclub AAA.

Afterbeing attackedbythe U.S. andIsrael in late February,Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which aboutone-fifth of theworld’s oiltravels, causing a spike in gasprices.That accelerated inﬂation, causing Americans’ inflation-adjustedincomes to decline.

Americans remain sour on the economy after five years of elevated inﬂation, potentially posing

arisktoPresident Donald Trump and Republicans in the midterm elections, which are now less than 100days away Trump continues to blameinﬂationonhis predecessor,Democrat Joe Biden. Yetinﬂation has risen sinceTrump’sinauguration last year,to3.5%from3%inJanuary 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 referencestogas prices were down slightly butremained elevated. Respondents’ mention of food and groceryprices increased.

Government data shows that buying food to bring homehas gotten

33% more expensive since the beginning of 2019. To navigate those higher prices, Americans have turned to coupons, comparison shopping and cutting back as they absorb the biggest jump in grocery prices in ahalf-century Beef epitomizesout-of-control grocery prices for many Americans with groundbeefreaching $6.82 apound in June —79% more than at thebeginning of 2019, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

References to jobs and unemployment pickedupslightly 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 celebritychef’

BY DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press

SHELBYVILLE,Ky.— KFCfounder ColonelSanders‘pressure cooker,black bow tie and dozensofother personal items are up for public auction Tuesday night, alongwith his former homeand adinner house Sanders opened aftersellinghis iconic restaurant chain.

HarlandSanders, still known as theface of theworldwide chainoriginally knownas Kentucky Fried Chicken, established the Shelbyville property as the ﬁrst headquarters of his restaurantbusinessinthe late 1950s. He sold the property,which included his homeand the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, to Tommy and Cherry Settle in 1974, whohaverun the restaurant since then.

“Colonel Sanders was the original celebrity chef,” saidBill 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 alive, in-person auctionfor the Sanders memorabilia on Tuesdayevening. Sealedbids 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 cashregister, his cutlery set,abust sculpted by his daughter and acommercial gas range from thecolonel’s former residence areamong the items up for bidding.The bust had abid of $4,400 on Tuesday morning, and

thecash register was bidding at $5,000. Sanders sold KFC in 1964 to agroup of investors, but continued as abrandambassador for the company

Menish called Sanders a“marketing genius” for creating the character of the colonel.

“He didn’tdress like that before he was starting to build Kentucky Fried Chicken,” Menish said. “He adopted thecolonel: the clothes, thebow tie, the glasses, the goatee.”

One of the most intriguing pieces could be apersonal 1964 plannerwitha handwritten herbs and spices recipe thatwas later the subject of an early 2000s lawsuit ﬁled by the KFCCorp. to keep thecontentsprivate. KFC

ABOVE: Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk saidthere’sa little-known secret behind the bowtie. ‘Not alot of people know;hedid wear clip-ons.

LEFT: Klunk stands behind adisplay of personal items owned by KFC founder Harland Sanders.

AP PHOTOS

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 forastufﬁng recipe.

“What akeepsake,” Menish said.

The current high bid Tuesday was fora 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 forauction. The highest online bid forthe tie was morethan $4,000 on Tuesday

Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk said there’sa little-knownsecret behind the bow tie.

“Not alot of people know;hedid wear clipons.”

Minnesota’sban of prediction marketshaltedinfederal court

BY MARCLEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa.— Afederal judge has temporarily blocked Minnesota’sﬁrst-in-the-nation law banning prediction marketsjust days before it was to take effect, thelatest clash between President Donald Trump’sadministration and states over who regulatesoperators such as Kalshiand Polymarket Monday’sdecisionisthe latest setback for states trying to outlaw or regulate fast-growingprediction market platforms U.S. District JudgeKatherine Menendez in Minnesota found that the U.S. CommodityFutures Trad-

ing Commission, Kalshi and Polymarket were likely to succeed in their challenge to the law and that lettingittakeeffect wouldcause “irreparable harm”tothe operators. The law was scheduled to take effect Saturday It would have made it acrimeto createoroperate prediction marketsorhelp administer nearly any activityconnected to one. The law will remain blocked while the lawsuit proceeds. Kalshi, Polymarketand the Commodity Futures Trading Commissionwant the law permanently blocked and argue thatfederal law gives the CFTC exclusive jurisdic-

tion to regulate the type of “eventcontract transactions” offered by Kalshi and Polymarket.

States argue that the vast majorityofthe business on prediction market platforms is sportsbetting, which they are empowered to regulate, and that is completely different from the commodities and futurescontracts that the commission has historically regulated.

In astatement Tuesday,Minnesota Attorney GeneralKeith Ellison saidpredictionmarkets are “gambling,plain and simple.”

“AndMinnesota has every right to keep predatory gambling out of our communities,” Ellison said. Neal Kumar,Polymarket’schief

legal ofﬁcer,said in astatement thatthe decisionmakes clear that prediction markets on commission-registered exchanges “are governed by federal law,not a patchwork of state rules.” AKalshi spokesperson, Elisabeth Diana, said in astatement that “states cannot ban things that they don’thave jurisdiction over.” Menendez’sdecision follows adeclarationinFebruary by Trump’sappointee atop the Commodity Futures Trading Commissionthatthe agency “will no longer sit idly by” while states aim to regulate or ban prediction markets and “undermine the agency’sexclusive jurisdiction.”

KFCfounder Colonel Sanders’ personal items, former home,restaurantupfor auction

Amanda Baggett, 36,of Prairieville, Louisiana, passed awaypeacefullyin her sleep on July 12, 2026. Amanda was adevoted wife,loving mother, cherished daughter,and friend, whoselifewas definedby compassion, kindness, selfless love.Amanda treasuredher family and found joyincreatinglasting memories. Sheleaves behinda legacy of faith, generosity, and unconditional love that willcontinue to inspireall who knew her.

Street,Baker, LA.onJuly 31, 2026, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Sibille, RobertKeith

Robert K. Sibille, 89, of BatonRouge,Louisiana passed away peacefully on July28, 2026.

Robert moved through life with remarkable warmth, patience,and compassion— agentle soul whose kindness and understanding touched everyonefortunate enough

to knowhim. Hisabsence leavesa profound void in thelives of allwho loved him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Sibille and Georgette Mercedes Horaist Sibille; his sisters, Jacklyn Marie SibilleLandry and Georgette Mercedes Sibille Stevenson; and hisgrandson, David Warren Foster, Jr

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Demoruelle Sibille;his son, KeithSibille (Annie); hisdaughters, Karen Sibille (Bruce)and WendyHall(Bob); andhis grandchildren, Alex Sibille, Elyse Sibille,HarrisonTerrell (Alyssa LeBourgeois), WyattSibille,Melaine Sibille,RobertHallJr, and Katherine Hall (Hunter Lambert).

Ourfamilywould like to thank the wonderful staff at OurHouse of Respite for thelove andcompassionate care of ourPapa.

Aservice will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Visitation willbeheld at St George Catholic Church at 10am withMass of Christian burialat11am. In lieu of flowers, donationscan

OPINION

Fundingreview foreducation canbearfruit if done right

We agree withGov.Jeff Landry andlegislators that it’stime for the Minimum Foundation Program, thestate’sprimary methodofdeliveringfunding to school districts, tobereviewed. Louisianadoles outMFP fundstolocal districts based on the number of students.MFP funding makes up about 40%oftotal education funding for most districts. Currently,the MFP pays abase of about $4,000 per student, anumber that has risen only about $600 inthe last two decades. If the allocation hadkeptpacewith inﬂation, theMFP wouldnow pay about$5,600 per pupil.

So we’re cautiously hopeful that anew task force, created this year by theLegislature initially as away to ﬁnd permanentfunding for teacher raises, willchart apathforward. But we share the concerns of education advocates and others that its timelineistoo compressed. We urge membersto takethe time to do the job right.

What theyare attempting is no small task. The 15 members of the task force —mostly legislators or their designees —are chargedwith creating a“revised or replacement formula”by Jan. 1, according to the resolution that formed it. Given that their ﬁrstmeeting will take place next month, that’savery quick turnaround. Other states that have conducted similar reviews in recent years,suchasTennesseeand Texas, have taken longer andinvolvedmore people.

Nevertheless, we don’tthink the shorttimeline makes the job impossible. The processcan bearvaluable fruit if legislators followsome simple maxims.

First, the group must focus on building on recent successes. For thelast fewyears, Louisiana students have made impressivegains in the classroom, turning the stateinto an improbable success story among educationwonks. Those improvements havecome on theback of arenewed focusonclassroom instruction. Any changetothe MFP must keep theteachingof students at its center

Of course, that includes ﬁndingpermanent fundingfor raises. Many of thegains should be credited to teachers, andthey deservemore than the uncertainty that has characterized the last several years.

Second, the task force should not remove any options fromthe table. When Tennesseeand Texas ﬁnished their reviews, they concluded that morefunding was needed. Louisiana’s leaders should be open to similar conclusions. As mentioned above, the MFPhas barelyincreased in two decadeseven as thedemands on school systemshave grown.

Thetaskforce must do all thiswhile putting aside the temptation to pursue strictly political aims. Louisiana’seducation formula can improve —for taxpayers, teachersand students —only if it is done without thepartisan maneuvering thatsooften characterizesstate government.

There are plenty of questions as the task force begins itswork. Butwith theright priorities, we believe it can yield good results.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

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

Louisiana families should be able to sit down at the dinner table knowing there will be enough food tomorrow. Yethigh grocery,housing and utilitycosts are making thatincreasingly difficult. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps morethan 800,000 Louisiana residents affordgroceries each month, including children, seniors, veterans, people withdisabilities and working families.AtFeeding Louisiana and our five regional food banks, we seehow SNAPhelps families remain stable. SNAP also strengthens Louisiana’s economy.Benefits arespent at grocery stores, farmers markets and other food retailers, supporting local businesses, farmers and jobs.

Anew federal law will require states, for the ﬁrst time, to pay aportionof SNAP beneﬁts based on administrative payment error rates. Louisianacould face an estimated annual cost of $184 million. Louisiana has traditionally maintained arelatively low SNAPpayment error rate.Werecognizeand appreciatethat the Louisiana Department of Health is

Those who quote “eye for an eye” from Old Testament passages as ajustiﬁcationfor our modernsystem of execution seem to completely ignorethe New Testament and Jesus, making speciﬁc reference to those ancient passages from the Jewish Torahthat he had grown up with.

In the Sermon on the Mount, he provided anew gospel and new covenant forall to follow.Heemphasizes love, forgiveness, mercy and nonretaliation, teaching thatbelieversshould rise above the naturaldesirefor revenge and instead show love even to enemies.

In modern times,beyond religious values, we know that ourjustice system is ﬂawed and we too often unjustly convict people and sentence them to death.

BryanStevenson’sworkatthe Equal JusticeInitiative shows thatfor every nine convicts executed, one is exonerated. We get it wrong far toooften. Even

Lionel Messi, theworld-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,tobe honest.”

working hardtoimprove the state’scurrent rate and ensure beneﬁts are issued accurately

Payment errors should be corrected, but they arenot fraud. They often result from complicated rules, outdated technology,stafﬁng challenges or paperwork mistakes. Imposing amajor new cost before improvements are completed could force Louisiana to cut services or restrict SNAP access. Atwo-year delay is the responsible solution. It would give Louisiana timeto modernize systems, train staff, implement new requirements and improve accuracy without disrupting food assistance. Feeding Louisiana urgesSens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy to support legislation delaying the SNAP cost shift fortwo years. Louisiana cannot balance its budget on theplates of working families. Congress should give our state time to strengthen SNAP while protecting the neighbors who depend on it.

PATVAN BURKLEO executivedirector,Feeding Louisiana Baton Rouge

once is toomuch.

The work of Sister Helen Prejean from BatonRouge —who has lived alife of servicestarting as aschoolteacher and following Jesus’ call to help the poor, sick and incarcerated —isinformative. She has spent decades as aspiritual adviser to convicts on death rows around the country as well as to families of victims, and she hascome to believe that no personisbeyond redemption even if they have to spend theirlives in prison. Her very insightful books, “Dead Man Walking” and morerecently “River of Fire,” arewell worth reading before advocating for vengeance and the death penalty.She rightly says, “no government is ever innocent enough or wise enough or justenough to lay claim to so absoluteapower as death.”

BILL BRIGMAN Baton Rouge

In thestreetside language of my youth, what aclass act! Wasn’tMessi’s loss statement better than what we usually hear now in our country: “Wegot screwed”?

SAM GALLO Baton Rouge

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 forAll, 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’scomment that universal basic income(UBI) may be needed as AI changes the worklandscape.

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

When it comes to our government’seconomic response to AI in the workplace —however obstructive the GOPmay be timewill convert all of us to the old/new ways of the solution.

TERRYVERIGAN KATHY HIGGINS Metairie

Ilove reading Jan Risher’s column. It’s uplifting and informative.

Ican’twait to read it tomorrow LISA JONES Thibodaux

Exposing academia’s cluelessness

It can’thave been fun for theanthropologists when their discipline was singled out as ahive of political groupthink. In fact, they got very angry about the “Report on theState of Scholarshipinthe Humanities and the Humanistic Social Sciences,”commissionedby Vanderbilt and Washington University in St. Louis.

The 10 scholars who authored the report, which was released in June, offeredanthropology as an example of aﬁeld where “we see awidespread deterioration in scholarly standards …together with atoxic intellectual climatein which reasonable dissentonpolitically charged topics is routinely suppressed and punished.” For instance: The American Anthropological Association canceled a2023 conference panel on the relevance of biological sex to anthropology

equivalentofturning an astronomy departmentintoanastrology department.”

McArdle M n

Carolyn Rouse, the president of the American Anthropological Association, was not one to stay silent while outsiders claimed that her ﬁeld had abandoned rigorous argumentinfavor of social justice orthodoxy. No, sir Instead, she opened her mouthand proved it.

Her interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education has to be read to be believed. No, strike that, I’veread it three times, and Iamstill strugglingto convince myself that it’sreal.

“They used AI,” said the Princeton anthropology professor,apparently unaware that using artiﬁcial intelligence to survey large bodies of text is an increasingly common method in many social science ﬁelds.She rambled about acouple of passingreferences to Socrates as if this somehow discredited the report.She asserted that teachingthere are two sexes would be “the

When the interviewer pushes back on that last point, she tries to dodge and weave, but has no idea what an effective dodge would be. So we endupwatching an unintentional comedian take repeated pratfalls, such as suggesting that peoplewho believe sex is binary maybe “want tokill babies that aren’t just XX presenting XX or XY presenting XY,” and that teaching that sex is binary is as inappropriate in aclassroom as debating the prosand cons of interning Japanese people. Perhaps this sounds more coherent if you are fluent in Anthropologese, but to those outside the tribe? Woof. It makes for painful reading, not just because Rouse can’tseem to untangle herfoot from her tonsils, but because she exemplifies someofthe deepest problemswith academia today Rouse comes off as someone who has not talked to anyone outside of academia for along, long time. That can’t actually be true, since she mentions her extensive fieldworkinarural White community. This boast makes it even more disturbing that she is so comically bad at communicating with normalpeople. Rouse had one job in that interview: to defend theintegrityofher discipline. Shebotched that assignment because the only audience she cared aboutbelieves it has no reason to be defensive. It is the latestinalong line of such errors: the college presidents whofumbled their congressional hearing, the public health experts who issued aget-out-of-lockdown-free pass for GeorgeFloyd protests, and theendless think pieces arguing that reform-

ers who are trying to rebuild trust are quislings handing academia’senemies moreammunition. This inward-focused culture was bred when acollege diploma was a near-guaranteed ticket toagood job, and public faith in academia was high. Academics didn’thave to cater to the public; thepublic 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 theperception that degrees no longer prepare graduates for theworkforce. Meanwhile, ademographic cliff is hittingenrollments. Academics need to sell thepublic on thevalue of their project. Many people in academia do understand this, including the administrators who commissioned that report Butmany others are still clueless. Even if they grasp, dimly,that somethingisseriously amiss, they do not understand what it will take tofixthe problem They can get away with this in the classroom. They can play those lines for applause at disciplinary conferences. Butinthe 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’trepair the damage and convince people to keep writing the checks, many institutions will eventually be financially bankrupt as well. MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

Thecaseagainst confirming Todd Blanche

PAWLEYS ISLAND,S.C. This peaceful coastal community has been swept by atsunamiofoutrage after residents learned about allegations that aconvicted sex offender was allowed to volunteer at achurch that operates adaycare center and school.

The growing scandal and resulting criminal investigation led to the arrests of the registered sex offender and three leaders at Pawleys Island Community Church and Pawleys Island Christian Academy. The GeorgetownCounty Sheriff’sOfﬁce learned about the allegations in the case on July 12 after aparent found Warren Perry,70, listed on asex offender registry

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

At arecent newsconference, Georgetown County SheriffCarter Weaver announced that investigators had arrested and brought criminal charges against Perry,whom the children called “Mr.Warren,” according to alawsuit ﬁled against the church and academy.Weaver said former pastor Don Williamsand former academy director Jennifer Nicole “Niki” Howard were each charged with obstruction of justice, unlawfully placing achild at risk and criminal conspiracy.Ginny Williams, the pastor’swifeand former guest services director at the church, wascharged 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 wascharged by the Georgetown County Sheriff’sOfﬁce in August 2020 with twocounts of sexual exploitation of aminor.InNovember 2023, Perry was found guilty of one of those counts. He was placed on probation forﬁve years with restrictions on contact with minors.

George Will

What benefit of norms is owedto 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 members, but “some” implies limits, lest the Senate’s advice-and-consentduty be drained of responsibility. And notall presidents are equally owed.Today’s president is owed little, given his contempt for the unwritten rules of civility that can lubricate acongenial society’s governance. Eight days after the 2024 election, Donald Trump set the tone of his secondterm by announcing his beau ideal of an attorney general: Rep. Matt Gaetz. This insult lasted eight days, until Gaetzwithdrew as nominee.He had resigned from the House earlier, reportedly to prevent release of the House Ethics Committee’s report on hisalleged drug use and sexual misconduct, which awoman said included sexwith her twice when shewas 17 Trump settled for Pam Bondiasattorney general, with Blancheasher deputy.While Blanche was theJustice Department’s second-in-command, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, aJustice appendage, sought criminal indictments of six congressional Democrats, all with military or intelligence backgrounds. They had made avideo Made while Trump’sadministration was killing people on boats(in international waters) suspected of carrying drugs, the video said what theUniform Code of Military Justicesays: Do not obey illegal orders. Agrand jury did something vanishingly rare in criminal cases. It refused to indict thesix. Blanche was acting attorney general when the Justice Department took seriously Seashellgate. His department secured asecond indictmentof former FBI director James B. Comey, this time for posting aphotographof shells arranged on abeach to read “86 47”;“86”isslang for “remove.” Trump is the 47th president. Blanche’sDOJ pretended to regard Comey’s infantile gesture as aprosecutable threat. Republican senators nowhavedemanded Blanche’sassurances that the proposed $1.776 billion slush fund, for compensating persons Trumpdesignates as victims of Biden administration persecution, is dead. But this grift was incubated in Blanche’sDOJ.

ActingAttorney GeneralToddBlanche talks withreporters after attending

related to survivors of convicted sex offender JeffreyEpstein.

Blanche, who serves at thepleasure of thepresident,signedamemo pledging that theIRS is “Forever Barred” from “examinations” of Trump, certain members of his family,the TrumpOrganization and “related or afﬁliated individuals.”This “negotiated” —try not to snicker —settlement between the presidentand the executive branch he heads exempliﬁes theadministration’s sludge of self-dealing.

Trumpsicced Blanche’scompliant Justice Department on Federal ReserveChairJerome H. Powell, ostensiblyaboutfictitious criminality in construction spending, actually to pressure Powell to resign. With Blanche as deputy, then acting, attorney general, the Justice Department (per the Economist) gavecourts inaccurate information “nearly 100 times in Mr Trump’s first 14 months.” In April, Blanche became acting attorney general when Trumpfired Bondi. “Nobody has any idea why,” said Blanche. Plausiblereportssaid TrumpconsideredBondi insufficiently aggressive aboutprosecuting his enemies. Blanchehas said, cloudily,that “some” Justice Department prosecutions “involve men, women, and entities” that Trump“hashad issues with. …That is hisright, and indeed it is his duty to do that,meaning, to lead this country.” Blanchesaid it is “completely false” that thepresident targets political enemies. Trumpmerely “wants justice.” Blanchesaid he was not “celebrating”

Trump’spardons of almost all theapproximately 1,500 Jan. 6rioters when, to agathering of Trumpsupporters, he praised the“generous” pardons as one of the administration’saccomplishments If at most four Republican senators had, in committee or floor votes, behaved as independently as the Founders thought senators would, Bondi, Kristi Noem, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.and others would not have been confirmed to offices far above their competences. Children probably have died of measles, and of hepatitis Bpassed from motherstoinfants, because of vaccine hesitancy promoted by Kennedy,who lied when he promised not to indulge in such quackeryifconfirmed as SecretaryofHealth and Human Services. Now comes Blanche. He received this embarrassingly backhanded endorsement (in the Wall Street Journal) from former attorney general William Barr: Blanche “will run thedepartment as effectively as anyone could under President Trump.” Is this sufficient reassurance for Republican senators? Or will, at last, anominee trigger their gag reflexes?

Once, when someone noted that Sen. Richard Russell, theGeorgia Democrat, had “served under” six presidents, Russell bristled, saying he “served with” six. It will be apleasant surprise if, concerning Blanche, afew Republican senators becomesimilarly sensitive about those prepositions.

Details regarding whether Perry was an employee or avolunteer are murky,which is signiﬁcant because state law requires background checks of anyone employed at alicensed childcare facility.Weaver said Perry became“employed” at the Pawleys Island church and academy in amaintenance position shortly after his arrest in 2020. The sheriffdescribed Perry’s role as “what anybody would call employed.” At the newsconference, Weaver displayed twopictures that he said show Perry near children. One of the photos appears to show an adult washing Perry’sfeet with children close by Other allegations makethis story uniquely disturbing: According to alawsuit, the church academy advertised an auction in which children whowon would get to spend aday with one of two maintenance workers, including Perry.Seriously? Aday with asex 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 acommunity meeting Williamshosted at his church on July 15, the pastor insisted that Perry wasnever supposed to be alone with children and wasclosely 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’sanger wasalmost comical as he read stifﬂy from aprepared statement while the crowd roared its disapproval. Their protests were so deafening that you could barely hear the words, but Williamskept reading, as though talking to himself, until the last page. Williams explained that only acore group knew about Perry’sbackground —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

Iguess it’suptoparents to demand proof that all employees and volunteers have clean slates. To ﬁnd out that asex offender had access to children forsolong wasbreathtaking and heartbreaking forparents. Williamstried to makethe case that, as Christians, his ﬂock should be willing to forgive Perry forhis transgressions. This didn’tgoover well.

Forgiveness is alovely concept and fundamental to the Christian faith. I, too, believe in turning the other cheek most of the time, but some cases tax one’sprinciples more than others. Idrawthe line at children. The sexual predation of children is especially unforgivable given the disparity between achild’sinnocence 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 astrong sentence. Ilike to think of forgiveness and justice as cellmates. Those whowould knowingly and intentionally harm achild are best forgiven behind bars.

Kathleen Parker is on X, @kathleenparker

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB

ameeting

Kathleen Parker

ega

SPORTS

Sideline standings

Loomis explains why Jordan,Kamaraare crucialtomeeting team’s expectations

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

To be the team the New Orleans Saints wanttobein2026, general manager Mickey Loomis is counting on the black and gold’syoung foundation to take aleap. The executive wasn’t shyabout rattling off examples,either The Saintswant to see cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry make yet another jumpafter being pleased by his growthfromYear 1toYear 2, Loomis said. New Orleans also wantsthe cornerback acrossfromMcKinstry,Quincy Riley,tobuild on apromising rookie year.Loomis didn’teven have to mention Tyler Shough as the quarterback’simportance should go without saying. But forthe Saintstofinally snap aﬁve-year playoff drought, Loomis concluded they still need running back Alvin Kamara and defensive end Cam Jordan, too. “They have the opportunityto continue their career with the Saintsand only the Saints,” Loomissaid. “I think that’sreally special, and it’s meaningful to them and meaningful to us.”

In my nearly 25 years as acolumnistI’ve never done a ranking of Southeastern Conference football coaches.But considering new LSU coachLaneKiffinisone of sixSEC coaches in new venues this fall, I thought this was agood timetostart.Mostof these rankings are basedonachievement, some on expectations, acoupleonflippedcoins (no, not really). Hardly ascientificquantification, but rankings and opinions are thegrease that lubricates the American sports engine —especially in the offseason.

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

1. KirbySmart, Georgia

Age: 50

Career record: 117-21

Hot seat rating (10 hottest, 0coldest): 1

Smart’sBulldogshave lost alittle off their fastball since backto-backnationaltitlesin 2021-22, butGeorgia is still the twotime reigning SEC champion and picked to winthe SECagain. In an ever more competitive league, Smart has maintained almost Saban-esque levels of success

Age: 51

Career record: 116-53

Hot seatrating: 1 Hisearly coaching career (Raiders, Tennessee, USC) was aminefield, but Kiffin was 81-32 combined at Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. Hard to believe he has the second-most wins of any active Southeastern Conference coach, but it’strue. Kiffin said he will win anational championship at LSU. He has all the tools to do it.

3. SteveSarkisian,Texas

Age: 52

Career record: 94-55

Hot seatrating: 3

Sark is 35-8the past threeseasons in Austin, but the overall record (48-20) doesn’toverwhelm. Ialso can’t getpast how the Longhorns ploddedthrough much of last season (10-3) offensively,missing the CFP despite lofty expectations. There are no excusesthis season for Texas.

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-timedinjuriestoDaniel Jones, PatrickMahomes andBo Nix left their teamsinthe lurch. Joe Burrow,Jayden Daniels and LamarJackson had trouble staying healthy Others once trained as franchise players were eithersidetracked or discarded, as J.J. McCarthy,Kyler Murray, Michael Penix andTua Tagovailoa found themselves on insecure ground. Training camps always presentafresh start. Jones,Mahomes and Nix have been cleared for full activity,stabilizingorenergizing the huddle in Indianapolis, Kan-

sas City and Denver.Cincinnati, Washington and Baltimoreare plenty happytoturnanewtoBurrow,Daniels and Jackson. Murray (Minnesota) andTagovailoa (Atlanta) ﬂew to new placesfor welcomed scenery changes. After all 32 reset buttons have been pushed, ahandful of teams have reported with varying levels of intrigue and scrutiny surrounding the mostimportant position on the ﬁeld. Here’sacloser look at the camps where there’seither a legitimate competition forthe season-opening starter or ameasure of uncertainty: Browns

SinceCleveland got its NFL team back in 1999,the Browns have made theplayoffs just three times —and won only one postseason game. There’snoarguing

Another training campishere as playersreported to the Saints’ facility Tuesday in advance of Wednesday’s ﬁrst practice. New Orleansbeginscampthisyear with relatively high expectations afterlast season’sstrong finish and optimismaround Shough. Just as notable, the Saintswill start camp without any major drama. While questions over Kamara’sfuture had lingered throughout theoffseason, he and NewOrleans seemingly resolved that issueearlier this monthby agreeingtoapay cutthat will keep the Saints’ all-time leading rusher on the roster.Thatdeal came amonth after the Saints brought back Jordan, the franchise’sall-timesacks leader,ona

SAINTS, page 2C

a fi

the connection to the perpetually shuffling depth chartatquarterback, with 42 different starters over those 27 years. The latest was Shedeur Sanders, who fell to theBrowns in thefifth roundofthe 2025 draft afterthey’d selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Sandersisnow competing for the job with Deshaun Watson, the fallen star whose health problemsand 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 sidelinedin 2025. Rookie coach Todd

had hoped to name astarter by the start of training camp, but the competition will last at least afew moreweeks.

2. Lane Kiffin, LSU

Sarkisian

Kiffin

Monken

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI Cleveland Browns quarterbacks ShedeurSanders, left,and Deshaun Watson throwduring practice TuesdayinBerea,Ohio.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints general manager Mickey Loomis speaks about training camp during anewsconference on Tuesday at the team’spractice facility in Metairie. The Saints are trying to end

ve-year playoff drought.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATTHEW HINTON

Georgia coach KirbySmartspeaks to quarterback Gunner Stockton before the SugarBowlCollegeFootball Playoff quarterfinal game against Ole MissonJan. 1atthe CaesarsSuperdome.

Scott Rabalais

9:30 p.m. Seattle at L.A. Dodgers MLBN MEN’S SOCCER

6:30 p.m. Wrexham AFCvs. Liverpool ESPN

7:50 p.m. Canada vs.Honduras FS2 WOMEN’S SOCCER

7p.m. Louisville at Kansas City CBSSN

9p.m. Gotham at BayCBSSN SWIMMING

6:30 p.m. USAS Championships NBCSN

6p.m.JHX Hoops at La Familia FS1 TENNIS

10 a.m. Washington D.C.ATP/WTATENNIS

9p.m.Los Cabos-ATP TENNIS WNBA

7p.m.Atlanta at Dallas USA

9p.m.Golden State at Phoenix CNBC

Saints,Olave stilleyeing extension

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

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 asafetyturned-linebacker with pass-rushing skill for defensive coordinator Brian Flores to work with. Adams,aformer LSU player, was thesixth overall pick in the 2017 draft, made three Pro Bowls and wasanAll-Pro in 2019 with the NewYork Jets. He has been an excellent blitzer who set the NFL season recordfor sacks by adefensive back (91/2)in2020 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 quadricepsinthe 2022 season opener in Seattle.

Eagles set to makeCarter highest-paid DT in NFL

PHILADELPHIA The Philadelphia Eagles areset to make two-time Pro Bowl selection Jalen Carter the highest-paiddefensive tackle in NFL history,aperson with knowledge of the deal told TheAssociated Press on Tuesday TheEagles andCarterannounced that theyagreed to terms on afouryear extension through the 2031 season. Carterwas runner-up forthe AP Defensive Rookieofthe Year award in 2023 to Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson. He has 13½ sacks in 43 career games —hemissed three games lastseason with injuries. Carter earned Pro Bowl selections for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. TheEagles have re-signed two of their top young defensive tackles this offseason, including Jordan Davis.

49erscoachShanahan takes blame for carcrash

Saints notebook

The last major domino of the NewOrleans Saints’ offseason has yet to fall, but it doesn’tmean there isn’tworkbeing 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 saidboth the organization and Olave’srepresentatives are continuing to have talks about along-term deal that will keep Olave in New Orleans

“We’re having alot of discussions,” Loomis said. “We’re just notthere yet. We’re hopeful.” Olave is coming offthe 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 aseries of concussions that forced Olave toconsider an early retirement.

He did suffer ablood clot that forced him outofthe lineupfor the Saints’ Week 18 loss to Atlanta, but after missing some of the summer program, Olave has beencleared fortraining camp, Loomis said. The injury history is a“variable” in contract discussions,Loo-

SAINTS

Continued from page

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

“Anytime there’s deﬁnition, it allows us to build plans,” Moore said of the clarityfrom having the situations addressed.“It’sthe NFL—there are always amillion moving pieces. That’sjustinevitable. These rosters arealways moving, butCam, Alvin, they’re really talented players and they meanalot to this organization.”

Those pieces, as Moore said, continue to move. The Saints have yet to reacha long-term extension with star wide receiver Chris Olave. Rookie wide receiver JordynTyson’sworkloadisexpected to be carefully managed after he was limited by amonthslong hamstring injury.There will be other issues thatpop up between now and the regular season.

missaid, but it hasn’tchanged the Saints’ desire to get anew contract in place forthe young receiver “Wewanttoget itdone,” Loomis said. “Chris andhis agents, Jason and Drew Rosenhaus,Iknow they want to get itdone. We all do, but it’sgot to be right forboth parties.”

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

Olave’scollege teammate, Jaxon Smith-Njigba,signedthe richest contract ever for areceiver in the offseason (four years, $168 million). Elevenreceivers currently make morethan $30million annually,and that doesn’tinclude Rams wideout Puka Nacua,who could surpass Smith-Njigba’scontract when he signs.

The Saints are also motivated because they see Olave as afoundational piece

“Chris has been as enthusiastic andoptimistic as anyone,” Loomis said. “So Ireallyappreciatethe way he’sconducted himself.And that’s not just this year; it’severy year with Chris.”

Rookie readytogo

Jordyn Tyson spentmostofthe offseason program watching from the sidelines, but it sounds like that is about to change.

The Saintsstill will monitor Tyson closelyand manage his workload intrainingcamp, but he will be out there playing with the rest of histeammateswhencamp opensWednesday

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

Tyson endured several injuries throughout hiscollege career at Colorado and Arizona State, the latest being ahamstring injury that limited himtoninegames in 2025. Thatinjury lingered through the pre-draftprocess, and Loomis said Tuesday that Tysonsuffered a “recurrence” of the injury before the Saints selected him.

He participated in the ﬁrst day of rookie minicamp butwas then held out of team drills for the remainder of the summer

While Mooredidn’texplicitly say Tyson would go through competitive periods thisweek,hedid sayTyson has “done an awesome job through this wholeprocess” andthathewould ramp up with the rest of his teammates toward the ﬁrstpadded practice on Aug. 3. Saints director of sports science TedRath has devisedmuchofthe plan forTyson to this point,giving the team signals forwhentopush the rookie and when to back off.

“Onething I’ve discovered in the last seasonwas TedRathknows hisstuff,”Loomissaid.“So we’re going to rely on himand (directorofsportsmedicine Ben Stollberg and head athletic trainer Shone Gipson)interms of managing (Tyson) through this early part of training camp.”

Transaction

TheSaints made one roster moveTuesday,signing cornerback MikeReid and waiving Beanie Bishop

But Moore and Loomis gladly will embrace the expectations, with each acknowledging they’d rather there be apositive outlook than anegativeone. Thelatter was the casea yearago when the Saints were routinely projected to be the league’sworst team during Moore’sﬁrst season. NewOrleans, even at 6-11, deﬁed those projections and hassince become atrendy pick to be one of the NFL’smostimprovedteams. Colin CowherdofFox Sports

said he believes the Saints will be a“nine-to-10-win” team. ESPN’s Mina Kimeshas been bullish on Shough, particularlybelieving in hisconnectionwith Olave and Tyson. And the Saints often have been mentioned as ateam that couldgo from “worst to ﬁrst,” experiencing the kind of turnaround thathas becomecommon in the league.

“Welike expectations,”Loomis said. “I want our guys, and Iwant us to have expectations that we want to meet. But we can’tlet the

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Reid signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent last season.Hespent thecampaign with both the Panthers andSeahawks practice squads, then re-signed with Carolina this offseason before his recent release.

Bishop joinedthe Saintsmidway throughlast season after the Steelers cut him. He was facing an NFL suspension to startthe season after the league found he violated its policy on substance abuse.

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 defensivetackle Zxavian Harris will begin camp on the nonfootball injury list dating back to acollege injury.Loomis also said rookie tight end Cody Hardy failed the conditioning test, which will keep him offthe ﬁeld.

Loomis said none of thoseplayers are likely to miss signiﬁcant time.

Playerswho begin camponthe active PUP list areeligible to return at any time, andthey continue to count against the 90-man roster limit.

Notably,this group does not include running back Kendre Miller, whoisaiming to return from a torn ACLthat prematurely ended his 2025 season after eight games.

Email Luke Johnsonat ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

expectations interfere with the process. We’ve got alot of guys thatwe’re optimistic about.But they still have to perform. They have to get better

“Andour coaches and myself, all of our building, we have to createanenvironment wherethey can getbetterand help themto do that.”

Thatenvironment also explains why the Saints wanted Kamara and Jordantostick around. Loomis pointed to each of their resumes, 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 offa 101/2sack season, will have to carve out timeinarotation. Kamara likely will seefewer snaps because of Travis Etienne’s signing.Loomis said he talked withbothplayersabout expectationsbeforetheir deals were reached.

“These guys have alot left in the tank,” Loomis said.

“It’suptoustoput them in positions that we can take advantage of that.”

SANTACLARA, Calif. San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan took the blamefor the car crash that left him withaconcussion and other injuries, saying he took his eyes offthe road to reach for his fallen cellphone before hitting another vehicle.

Shanahancrashedintoa21-yearold woman driving in the other direction in Palo Alto on July 14 and wasleft with aconcussion, broken ribs,a broken nose,a broken left hand andstitches foralarge cut above his right eye. Shanahan was brieﬂy hospitalized after thecrash while the other driver suffered minor injuries and did not need to be hospitalized.

Shanahan has been unable to run the team or practice sincetraining camp started on Saturday

Forward Green signs 1-year extension with Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO— Draymond Green has agreed to aone-year,$27.7 million deal to return to theGolden StateWarriors, aperson familiar with the decision told TheAssociated Press on Tuesday Green will signthe contract that essentiallymatches the deal he opted out of lastmonth before the Warriors made an unsuccessful bid to signLeBronJames,the person said.

Green is now set to play his 15th season with theWarriors and if he plays in 51 games he will joinStephen Curry as the only playersin franchise history to appear in at least1,000 contests.

Golden State last won the title in 2022 and hasn’tmade it past the second round of the playoffs since then.

Zidane takes charge of Frenchnational team

PARIS Moments after being announced as France’snew coach on Tuesday, Zinedine Zidane clenched his ﬁsts and his usually measured voice trembled alittle.

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

Zidane coached Real Madrid until leavingin2021. He replaces Didier Deschamps at thehelm of the Franceteam he ledtoglory as arguablyits greatest everplayer FrenchFootball Federationpresident Philippe Diallo announced Zidane’sappointmentatthe FFF headquarters in Paris on Tuesday,saying he hasbeen givena 4-yearcontract Diallo called thehiringofZidane “an exceptional moment,” callingZidane“oneofthe legendsof Frenchsoccer.”

STAFF AND

FILE PHOTOS Saints running back Alvin Kamara, top, and defensiveend CamJordan, right, givethe Saints veteran leadership going into theseason.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints widereceiver ChrisOlave,left, scores atouchdownagainst Newyork Jets safety DeanClarkduring agameatthe Caesars Superdome on Dec. 21.

Rodgerssays‘zero debate’ this is hislastNFL season

BY WILL GRAVES AP sportswriter

LATROBE, Pa.— Aaron Rodgers said there’s“zero debate” whether thisseason will be his last.

Rodgers

The future Hall of Fame quarterback’sstatus beyond 2026is seemingly one of the few certainties for the Pittsburgh Steele rs, where the only thing familiar about their annualpilgrimage to Saint Vincent College for training camp might be the venue.

Having anew head coach for the ﬁrst time in ageneration will do that.

While native son Mike McCarthy’sPittsburgh roots run deep, he also brings acareer full of experiences built coaching elsewheretoa franchise that has done certainthings acertain way for along, long time. The quaint spectacle of players being swarmed by cameras and microphones as they lugged their bags and personalitems into Rooney Hallisnomore. Most of therosterarrived quietlylate Monday.Nearly all of them were on the ﬁeld for apost-breakfast condi-

tioning test on Tuesday,a gloriﬁed jog that was typically done in the late afternoon during formercoach MikeTomlin’s 19-year run. No wonder linebacker T.J. Watt likenedthe beginning of his10th year in theNFL to the ﬁrst day of school.

“There’sjust alot of unknown,” he said The next three weeks in thewestern Pennsylvania hills are afeeling-out process of sorts for players andcoachesalike. Watt insists heisembracing the new Good thing, because there’splenty to go around The afternoon practices in themidsummerheat that Tomlin leanedinto now will be heldearlier in the day Team meetings will start at 7:30 a.m with allpractices scheduled to wrap up by 1:30p.m. atthe latest, around the same timeTomlin’s practices usually began McCarthy said he’d be ﬁne with practicing right after breakfast if he could. And tackling? Well, that’s mostly out, too.

“You try to reduce risk,” said McCarthy,who said the emphasiswill be onmaking sure players correctly do allthe fundamentalthings requiredfor good tackling form —like footwork— so they’ll be readywhen the gamescount Still, McCarthy is well

aware that trying to prevent all injuries is afool’serrand. If he needed areminder,he got one when veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey tweaked aknee during minicamp,a setback that landed him on thephysically unable to perform list, though McCarthy stressedthe move was precautionaryand that Ramsey is expected back in acouple of weeks.

Alittlemore uncertain is thestatusofcornerback Joey Porter Jr.The club placed him on the PUP list on Tuesdaybut offered no details. Thetiming comes with Porter angling fora new contract as he enters the ﬁnal year of the rookie deal he signed in 2023 afterPittsburgh selectedhim with the ﬁrst pick of the second round.

Porter held himself out of certain team drills duringminicamp in June in an effort to protect his health, saying at the time that he feelslikehe’sone of theelite players at his position in the league.

Theone persongeneral manager Omar Khan won’t have to worry about negotiating with anymore is Rodgers. The four-time MVP said when he signed aone-year deal in May to return to Pittsburgh after leading the Steelers to an AFCNorth title last seasonthat“thisis it.”

Cousinsopens camp atop Raiders’ QB depthchart

BY MARK ANDERSON AP sportswriter

HENDERSON, Nev.— As Klint

Kubiak oversees his first training camp as ahead coach, he is faced with the daunting task of figuring out how to juggle going with Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback —for now while gettingthe most out of overall No. 1draft pick Fernando Mendoza.

Kubiak made clearTuesday that when the Las Vegas Raiders take the ﬁeld early Wednesdayfor their first training camp practice that Cousins will run the firstteam offense. But there also willbe plenty of focus on Mendoza,the Heisman Trophy winner who led Indianato the national championship

Continued from page1C

Falcons

Atlanta had abig hand in the offseason quarterback carousel, cutting Kirk Cousins to clear salary-cap space after two unfulfilling seasons and signing Tagovailoa afterMiami dumpedhim and ate arecord $99 million in dead money againstthe cap. Cousins’status immediately got complicated when the Falconsdrafted Penix eighth overall in 2024,and the situationgrew murkier last year when Penixtore 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 Kevin Stefanski has declared this an open competition.

Vikings McCarthy struggled with consistencyand injuries that further hinderedhis opportunities to learn and improve in his debut with the Vikings last season,so

last season. Mendoza operated the third-team offense in offseasonpractices behind Cousins and Aidan O’Connell, so the Raiders initially eased him into the lineup. Now it comes down to performance.

“It’simportant for me to be fair to the players andtoput the best player out there,” Kubiak said. “When we go out to practicetomorrow,Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback. He’sthe guy, and he’s going to get aton of reps. He deserves them because he has played really good football, but I want Fernando and Iwant Aidan to push him.”

Kubiak and his coaches enter campwith aplanfor how to navigate the quarterback

theclub reopened the search this yearand found Murray available for the veteran’s minimumsalary

TheVikings have not given up on McCarthy,the 10th overall pick in the2024 draft, and they’ll split turns with the ﬁrst-team offense at least forthe earlystage of training camp. But ifMurray is healthy, after spraining his foot last seasonand missing time between202223 to recover from knee surgery,he’sthe clear favorite.

Cardinals

After movingonfrom Murray,the Cardinals landed on this short list of quarterback uncertainty—until satisfying veteran frontrunner Jacoby Brissettwith anew contract and formalizing his place atop the depth chart on Sunday.Fellow journeymanGardner Minshew andthird-rounddraft pick Carson Beck arewaiting behind himincase asigniﬁcant injury or costly interceptionswere to give new coach Mike LaFleur pause at some pointthisseason

Brissett, who’sinhis 11th year in the NFL, started 12 gameslast season after Murray’s injury.After switching teams ﬁvetimes in five years, Brissett has stayed put for the ﬁrst time

JaguarsWRThomas wantstobe‘undeniable’

Ex-LSU star struggledduring second NFL season

BY MARKLONG AP pro football writer

competition early,but they are readytomake adjustments depending on how it plays out

“Wehavea starting point on where those reps want to be for theguys,” Kubiak said. “We’re really thoughtfulabout howmanyreps each guy’sgetting up against what defense. There’sgoing to be times where it moves andcertain guys are with the twos, certain guys are with the threes. We’ll get thesecond guywiththe ones.Wehave an early-on plan, but it’salwaysamoving target.”

Kubiak had said he expected star pass rusher Maxx Crosby,who underwent knee surgery in January, to be ready to go once camp begins.That is indeed thecase.

since afour-season stint with Indianapolis. He was thestarter for the Colts in 2017 and 2019.

Minshew, who’sonhis sixthteam in eight years in theleague, was the primary starter for the Coltsin2023 after replacing then-rookie Anthony Richardson.

Raiders

The bestlong-termoutlook of the group clearly belongs to Las Vegas after taking Heisman Trophy andnational championshipwinner Fernando Mendoza with the ﬁrst pick in the draft. The Raiders under new head coach KlintKubiak also brought in asturdy bridge to that bright future by signing Cousins to help ease the rookie in.

Cousins is on topofthe depth chart to start camp andthe favorite to lead the LasVegas offense in the opener,which would stop astreak of six straight quarterbacks drafted No. 1overall starting theirseason opener —following Cam Ward,Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Murray.Baker Mayﬁeldin2018 with theBrowns was thelast quarterback whodidn’tstart his first gameasthe first overall pick.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. No one in Jacksonville made more plays andturnedmore heads this offseason than receiver Brian Thomas Thethird-year pro out of LSUcaught every pass thrown hisway during organizedteam activitiesand minicamp. It was an encouraging sight for afranchise hoping Thomas can become aNo. 1receiver in 2026 and for yearstocome.

“It’sjust another step,” Thomas said last month. “It’sjust abig step in where I’mtrying to go and where I’m headed.”

Nonetheless, Thomas still hasplenty to prove as training camp opens Wednesday.Heneeds to show he can catch passes in trafﬁc and over the middle,reversing atroubling trend from last season Thomas had 48 receptions on 91 targets, catching just 47.3% of the balls thrown hisway.Hetied for second in the NFLwith10drops and had several more in which he short-armed attempts or stopped running.

He even ducked whilegoing for one pass in the end zone. He made plays,too, but finished with707 yards and two touchdowns ayear afterhauling in 87 passes for1,282 yardsand 10 TDs while making the Pro Bowl as arookie.

No one, not even Thomas, could figure out exactly whyheseemed off all season. The death of his former college teammate, Kyren Lacy,inApril 2025 weighed on his mind. And the mounting drops deﬁnitely affected his conﬁdence.

“It wasjust really alack of concentration, not being focusedonthe task at hand,” Thomas said. “I don’t really try to makeexcuses. Even withall theoff-ﬁeld stuff that’swent on —had a rough last offseason —but I just got to focus on the task at hand, lock in and go out there and do my job.”

He was able to get a “mental reset” after aseason-ending losstoBuffalo in the playoffs and credited his father with helping him regroup in February and March.

“Weheard everything that wasgoing on,all that, but he just told me,‘Come out here andbeundeniable,’ ”Thomas said. “That’sjust something Ilivebyevery day. I want to be undeniable.”

The 23rd pick in the 2024 NFLDraftwas undeniably

When youneed thenews. Wherever youreadthe news

thebestJaguars receiver in offseason drills. He constantlymadebig plays down the ﬁeld and looked morelike he did as asensational rookie than astruggling second-year pro.

“When it all the way clicks for him, Ireally don’t seehow youstophim,”fellow Jaguars receiver Jakobi Meyers said. “But good luck to whoever is trying.” The Jaguars believe they have one of their deepest receiving corps in years, especially if Thomasreturns to form. They acquired Meyers at the trade deadlinelast year,watched Parker Washington emerge as Trevor Lawrence’stop target down the stretch and have two-way standout Travis Hunter returning from a season-ending knee injury Thomas, though, could be themost important guy in the position group.

“It’shardtonot hear everything,” coachLiam Coen said. “For him, Iknowthere werestandards in which he wanted to improve upon.

“I’ve been very pleased with the waythat he has attacked this offseason. He’s come out here and worked his (butt) off, having agreat attitude and then making plays. That is something that you cannot simulate in routes on air.You cannotsimulatethattype of conﬁdence until you do it in practice.”

PHELANM.EBENHACK

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiverBrian Thomas sets up for aplayagainst the Seattle Seahawksduring agameonOct. 12 in Jacksonville, Fla

OleMisssuesLSU players, claims contract breach

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

Ole Miss is seeking nearly $1 million combined from LSU football players Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper for breach of contract.

The Clarion-Ledger obtained acopy of complaints ﬁled byOle Miss in Lafayette County,Mississippi, on Monday,which state that Umanmielen and Harper signed revenue-sharing agreements with the school before entering the

transfer portalinJanuary Umanmielen,the Rebels’ sacks leader in 2025, inked anew deal with Ole Miss at 10:02 p.m. on Jan. 3, accordingtothe university,and Harper,asophomore offensive lineman, signed hisat8:19 a.m. on Jan.6

Harper entered the transfer portal on Jan. 12. Umanmielen entered on Jan. 15, just one day before it closed.Both choseLSU,which is where their head coach, Lane Kifﬁn, ended up after six seasons with theRebels.

Theplayers’ agreements,according to Ole Miss’ legal ﬁling, containedpenalties forbreaching their contracts within a90-day early-termination window Ole Miss is seeking apenalty of $550,000 from Umanmielen and $400,000 from Harper,plus reimbursement for legal fees.

In astatement released Tuesday,Ole Miss said it contacted LSUrequesting payment on each player’sbehalf on March 12. LSU denied Ole Miss’ request on March 18, according to Ole Miss, because

Back in thegame

ProlificwinnerSamplenamed BRCC men’sbasketballcoach

BY CHARLES SALZER

Contributing writer

The speed of the hire spokevolumes. Only two weeks after Baton Rouge Community College announcedthat former men’sbasketball coach Byron Starks was leaving to move closer to family in Lafayette, the Bearsnamed Carlos Sample as their new coach.

What appeared to be aperiod of uncertainty for the program quickly turned into an optimistic buzz. The BRCC program found its man, and it wasted no time reeling him in.

“I saw the openingwhen coach Starks lefttomove closer to home,” Sample said. “I contemplated and thought about it, andit kind of hit me that Ishould talk to them and apply.Wegot adialogue going, and here Iamback in the saddle.”

Sample joins BRCC three years after he stepped awayfromaScotlandville High program he had built into apowerhouse. It was a 16-season run that included 14 consecutive statetitle game appear-

ances and eightchampionships.

Sample grewupinBaton Rouge, andheeventuallymoved on to acollegiate career earningallSouthwestern AthleticConferencehonorstwice under legendary Southern coach BenJobe. It’s all part of aBaton Rouge heritage that made theBRCCopening too appealing for Sample to pass up.

“This is my hometown,”Sample said.“Igrewuphere, and Baton Rougemademe. It just felt right becausethere’s no place like home.”

Sample inherits ateam that competes in the Louisiana Community Colleges Athletic Conference,aleague of NJCAA Division Ischools. The Bears were 14-15 last season, 3-3 in conference play andwent1-1 in the NJCAAtournament.Sample willhaveabout two months to ﬂesh out hisroster before the start of theseason.

Among the Bears’ top performers last season were guard Amir Abdul-Rauf,who wasthe team’s best 3-point shooter while averaging 10.1 points, and point guard Noah Whitehead, who scored8.8 points per outing. Sample will

need to re-recruitthe playersto keep themaround for thecoming season.

“There was alot of turnover after coach Starks left,” Samplesaid. “There are some kids that came in lastyear,but I’m still trying to ﬁgure outthe roster. Right now, I’m just taking the John Calipari approach. I’m going to play dogs, andIdon’t make side deals. I’mgoingtoplay theguys who’llgiveitto me. If they’renot dogs, they won’t play.It’sjust that simple.”

At Scotlandville, Sample was known for running his program similar to that of acollege-level team. There are adjustments he will need to make, including one for ashot clock that doesn’texist in high school games, but the level of his sustained success gives Sample conﬁdence.

“I think Iwas born to play basketball, and Ithink Ihad agreat career,” Sample said. “Now,being able to coach and teach kids, to do my thing, Ithink it’s my calling. Oneofmychurch pastors toldme, ‘Don’tsleep on your gift,’ so I’m trying to get back out and use my gift.”

Rangersingoodpositionas only winning AL West team

BY STEPHEN HAWKINS AP baseball writer

ARLINGTON, Texas— TheTexas Rangers have putthemselves in a good position in the AL West just by having awinning record. Entering play on Tuesday,Texas (54-52) was the only team in the division not under .500 with about one-third of the regular season remaining. The Rangers have a two-game leadover in-state nemesis Houston (53-55) and are 21/2 games in front of reigning division champion Seattle (52-55) aftertaking three of four against the Mariners.

“Every win matters, but Ithink the ones right before the deadline, there’salways alittlemore stress especially in asituation where you could go either way,” said Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson, who homeredtwice

in theseries-ending 7-3 win over Seattle on Monday.“ButIthink we put ourselves in agood spot, and we’vegot to continue to play likethat.”

The Mariners,who last year wontheir ﬁrst AL West title since 2001, havelost 11 of 16 games. They led for only threeinnings during thefour games in Texas, all after afour-run seventh inning Sunday on the waytoa6-4 win, the first time in 46 games this season the Rangerslost when leadingafter six.

“I think we looked at the series as if we splitit, it was afailure, with where the AL West is and the AL wild card is,” Texas ﬁrst basemanJake Burgersaid. “I think we showed what type of team we can be.”

The Rangers won their only World Series title in 2023 after getting into the playoffs as awild

LSU said it was not aparty to the contract

Aspokesmanfor LSU declined to comment.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said earlier this month that theuniversity was considering taking legal action against Umanmielen andHarperifpayment wasn’treceived.

“Those are the kind that, having signed abrand-new rev-share contract basically aweek or two before wanting to leave, put you in abind, especially there in the por-

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

4. KalenDeBoer, Alabama Age: 51 Career record: 57-17 Hot seat rating: 4 DeBoer in two yearsgot Bamatothe SEC championship game and the CFP.But the fear factor with Alabama football is gone. That38-3 thumping by Indiana in the CFP quarterﬁnals looms large. He gotacontract extension in April, but that won’tmean much if Alabama stumbles.

tal cycle,” Carter told the ClarionLedger in aJuly 13 article. “Those two, we’re going to continue to ﬁgure out how to collect. We feel like based on the contract, we deserve to collect.”

Twoweeks later,the school followedthrough by ﬁling lawsuits against each player

Ole Miss said in its statement that it has a“responsibility to enforceits contractualterms” and that it attempted to “amicably” resolve the matter prior to ﬁling its lawsuits.

10.Jon Sumrall, Florida

Age: 44 Career record: 43-12

Hot seat rating: 1 Sumrall won at Tulane and Troy in brief two-year bursts. It’snot his fault, but his resume is awfully Billy Napierish at this point. Also not his fault, but Florida haschewed up four coaches since Urban Meyerleft Gainesville in 2010.

5. Mike Elko,Texas A&M Age: 49 Career record: 35-16 overall Hot seat rating: 2 Whenthe Aggies routed LSU 49-25 in October,they looked like the nation’s bestteam. Then came November,rallying to beat South Carolina 31-30 after a30-3halftime deﬁcit, a27-17 loss at Texas and 10-3 home loss to Miami in the CFP.Elko faces promiseand peril going forward.

6. ClarkLea,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 lastseason. If Vandy was Texas,the 10-2 Commodores would have been in the CFP. Lea’sjob is saferthan safe, but the question remains: Can he keep winning without quarterback Diego Pavia?

7. BrentVenables, Oklahoma Age: 55 Career record: 32-20 Hot seat rating: 3 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 astellar defense, there are no excuses for another downturn in 2026.

card,but theylast wonthe West in 2016. Theymissed the playoffs the past two seasons, whenonly the AL West championmade the postseason —which could very well happen again this year Houston(53-55) won seven of theprevious eightALWesttitles before last season. The Astros had been in third place fora month before afour-run rally in the ninth inning Mondaynight gave them their sixth win in seven games, 6-4 over thelast-place LosAngeles Angels in theopener of a three-game series. Texas alreadyhas clinched its season series —and potential tiebreaker—against theMariners, up 7-3 with athree-game series leftatSeattleinearly September. The Mariners still have ﬁve games to play againstHouston, but theyhave thatseason series in hand by a7-1 margin

8. EliDrinkwitz,Missouri Age: 43 Career record: 58-30 overall Hot seat rating: 3 Drinkwitz has made Mizzou a consistent winner. Thatsaid, Drink is 0-16 against SEC teams with winning records, and his record has gone from11-2 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, OleMiss

Age: 42 Career record: 2-1

Hot seat rating: 1 The Hammond native went 2-1 in the College Football Playoff, 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’tbeat You-Know-Who on Sept. 19 in Oxford, Mississippi.

11.JoshHeupel, Tennessee Age: 48 Career record: 73-28 overall Hot seat rating: 5 The bloom has come off the Heupel rose since an 11-2 recordand Orange Bowl appearance in 2022. He’sgone 4-4 in SEC play three times, including this past season, and Tennessee hasn’t made the SEC title game since 2007.

12.AlexGolesh, Auburn Age: 42 Career record: 23-15 Hot seat rating: 1 Goleshwas Tennessee’s play-caller in 2022. His uptempo offenses and modest successinthree yearsatSouth Florida got him this job. Fans arestarving for awinner at Auburn after ﬁve straight losing seasons,but it maytake time.

13.Shane Beamer,So. Carolina Age: 49 Career record: 33-30 Hot seat rating: 10 The sight of Beamer pumping his arms to the South Carolina section up 30-3 at halftime at Texas A&M is hardtoshake. It’swin or go home forBeamer,who showed how direthings are by bringing in Kendal Briles to be the team’s offensive coordinator

14.RyanSilverfield, Arkansas 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’teasy.Silverﬁeld is 5-1 against current SEC coaches, but this is afull-time SEC gig now.

15.JeffLebby,MississippiState Age: 42 Career record: 7-18

Hot seat rating: 8 Lebby is State’ssixth head coach since 2017, astring that includes Mike Leach’suntimely death in 2022. A 1-15 SEC mark doesn’tgive Lebby much leeway

16.Will Stein, Kentucky

Age: 36

Career record: 0-0

Hot seat rating: 0 Steinreturns to his home state after three seasonsasthe Oregonoffensive coordinator,but he’s the only ﬁrst-time coach in theSEC. Thelearning curve will be steep. Kentucky hosts LSU on Oct. 10.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Carlos Sample coachesScotlandville against Port Allen on Jan. 21, 2023, at Scotlandville HighSchool.

U.S. keeper:Tough to getoverBelgium loss

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Goalkeeper Matt

Freese admits he’snot over the United States’ abrupt exitfrom the 2026 World Cup after a4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16. Quite frankly,he’snot sure he will ever get there.

“Big lossesintough moments are things you never really get over because they stay with you for the restofyour career,” Freese told The Associated Press ahead of the Major League SoccerAll-Star Game coming up Wednesdayin Charlotte, North Carolina. “They continue to motivate you for the rest of your career.”

Freese made acostly mistake in the loss when he rushed wellout of his box to clear along ball, then hesitated under pressuretokick it away.Belgium quickly converted the miscue into agoal to take a 3-1 lead in the 57th minute, allbut sealing the Americans’ fate.

American soccer fans haven’tlet Freese forget about it.

In his ﬁrst MLS match since the World Cup last week, the New York City FC goalkeeper was reportedlybooedbyfans every time he touchedthe ball during thegame in Columbus, Ohio.

“It’simportant to not let bad things deﬁne you, butIthink it’s also important notto letgood

things deﬁneyou,either,”Freese said.“It’s importanttobea consistent presence with consistent energy.”

Freese is one of four U.S. national team players selected tothe MLS All-StarGame.

Another, veteran defenderTim Ream,openly acknowledges he doesn’thavea secret formulafor what it’ll take for theAmericansto one day reach theWorld Cup quarterﬁnals. He can only point to the onething he knows that lendsitself to success: hard work.

“You put your head downand do as much as you possiblycan,”

Ream said.“And, at some point you will break through that barrier.Itjusttakes work, morework and more work. Before you know it, you’repast that.”

Ream said he believes better days are ahead despite theloss.

Wing-back Max Arfsten thinks theincreasedfan attentiononthe WorldCup —withthe majority of gamesplayed inthe United States —will inspire more athletes in the country to takeupthe sport

That, he said, is agood thing.

“The next step for us is to keep growing the sport,” Arfsten said.

“The more people that are playing, the better playersthere will be. The more competitiveness, the more players playing in thetop leaguesinEurope is important as well. Ifeel like all of those com-

bined is going to lead to success.”

Reamaddedthatwhenitcomes to the World Cup, twothings can be true: Playerscan be disappointed over the way theyplayed and “crashed out” against Belgium but also excited aboutwhat they ac-

complished in the earlier games.

“You can be proudofhow much it galvanized the country,the people around it and thesport —and just howmuch fun it was,” Ream said. Freeseagrees.

RoryMcIlroyofNorthernIreland tees off on the fifthholeduring the final dayofthe British Open at Royal BirkdaleonJuly 19 in Southport, England. McIlroyisapproaching TigerWoods’ all-time earningsonthe PGATour

McIlroy,Scheffler approaching Tiger’sall-timePGA earnings

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

TigerWoods went tothe topof thePGA Tour careermoney list when he was runner-up at Torrey Pineson Feb.13, 2000, and he has stayed there ever since.His last check for finishing last at the 2024 Masters ($44,400) pushed his career earnings to $120,999,166. Being passed is inevitable and nowisinclear view.It’sjust a matter of who tops him first. RoryMcIlroy,who lostinthe quarterfinals of the2009 Match Play in his PGA Tour debut, is second on thelist at $116,446,772. ScottieScheffler,who cashed hisfirst PGA Tour checkin 2018, movedto $116,364,411 with his runner-up finish in the 3M Open.

That leaves both of them just over $4 million away from Woods coming into the lucrative FedEx Cup postseason —$20 million purses at two playoff events, and the Tour Championship with its $40million bonus pool that now counts as ofﬁcial money. Expandinghorizons

FormerU.S. Army captain Marcus Plunkett reached one goal when he qualifiedfor his ﬁrst major at the British Open andmade the cut. And then his journey just got started. Plunkett raced back fromRoyal Birkdale to play in aU.S.qualifying tournament for thePGA Tour of Australasia. First, he had to stop at asporting goods store to buy apush cart for the fourround event. He tied for second at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club near Valdosta, Georgia, to earn hiscard for the 2026-27 season.

“I wasdeﬁnitely alittle deliriousround one,but as the week’s gone on, started to feel alittle bit back to normal,”Plunkett said.

He said he has never been to Australia,but all his friends from DownUnder have told him the coffee is the best, “so I’ve got to see if they’re pulling my legor not about that.”

Plunkett, who spent ﬁve years in the Armyafter graduating from West Point, already has had aKorn Ferry Tour card and currently playsthe Asian Tour

“I have Asian Tour status so I’mtrying to ﬁgure out the balance of the two moving forward,” he said. “But I’m really excited toget out to Australia andget on thelinks out there.”

Scheffler’s majors mirror season

Scottie Schefﬂerhad the lowestcombined score to par in the majors this year,finishing at 21-under par,but without amajor trophy for the ﬁrst time since 2023.

The world’s No.1 player was runner-up atthe Masters, tied forfourth in the U.S. Open and British Open and tied for 14th in the PGA Championship. What does it all mean? That he’sbeen playing pretty goodgolf,much like the rest of a2026 season that featuresﬁve runner-upﬁnishes but only one win.

“One of the thingsthat I’vealways kind of prided myself on is theconsistency.That’ssomething that shows that I’m playing some prettygoodgolf,”Schefﬂer said last week before the 3M Open. “It just hasn’t been quite good enough to winsome tournaments.I still feellike my game’s in agoodspotand I’ve played somenice golf. “I haven’tplayed any great

golf yet,but I’ve played some nice golfover the course of the season.”

Thenot-so-magicnumber

Scott Stevens on the PGA Tour Americas in theopening round and Michael Kim on the PGA Tour in the second roundofthe 3M Open arethe latest to join the growing list of 59 or lower on golf circuits around the world.

Most surprising is that it took until July 23 forthe ﬁrstperson of 2026 to post asub-60 round. Golf’s “magic number”has lost alittle bitofmagic during the inevitable evolution of scoring. Al Geibergerwas theoriginalMr. 59 in the 1977 Memphis Classic. Sincethen, there have been 69 sub-60s rounds on 21 recognized tours around the world.

There were eight sub-60 rounds in 2025, and nine sub-60 rounds in 2024.

Divots

Thelast six winners of the Women’sBritishOpen have come from sixcountries —Japan, New Zealand, the United States,South Africa, Sweden and Germany Michael Roman, the former chairman andCEO of 3M,has beenelected to the PGATour policy board ﬁlling an openseat for independent directors. Jackson Koivun became the fourth PGA Tour winner this year to play bogey-free on the weekend, joining Matt Fitzpatrick (Valspar), Ricky Castillo (Puerto Rico) and Nico Echavarria(Cognizant Classic).

The R&A has put together doublemajor winners Nelly Korda and Haeran Ryufor the opening two rounds of the Women’sBritishOpen. They will be joined by Lydia Ko.

“It’s importantfor us to be aware of the positive outcomes that happened in the tournament as wellas use that to inspire new generations to continue to getbetter —toget past that round of 16, to get past the quarterﬁnals and make it to the semis and the ﬁnals,” Freese said.

Charlotte is hosting the MLS All-Star Game for the ﬁrst timeat Charlotte FC owner Dave Tepper’s Bank of America Stadium,but the league will again be without its biggest star forthe showcase event.

Lionel Messi, whohelped Argentina reach theﬁnals of the World Cup before losing to Spain, is taking advantage of someallotted time off before returning to soccer and Inter MiamiCF.

Messi has 12 goals and eight assists this season in MLS play

Several players, including Ream, said they have noticeda big boost in faninterest in MLSgames and soccer in general sincethe World Cup.

“Wecould seeitwhile we were playing in the World Cup, but now it’slike Ican’tleave my house,” Ream said.

He’snot complaining.

“Being able to inspire morepeople to play is obviously secondary to what our job is, which is compete and win games, butit’ssuch arewardingfeeling knowingthat so many more people are paying attention to our sport,” Ream said.

Koivun alreadya PGA winner,but give him time fordevelopment

For asportwith areputation for moving slowly,golf always seems to be in ahurry to appoint the next big star. Jackson Koivun is next on the list andcertainly worth watching. It’snot justbecause he won a PGATour event —which included theNo. 1player in the world —just two monthsafterleaving college. Remember,itwas only two years agowhen Nick Dunlap won The American Express (Scottie Schefﬂer played that one, too) while he was asophomore at Alabama.

greatest value would be getting comfortable in ateam environment —although Koivun didplay in the Walker CupatCypress Point last September —and getting phone numbers for group chats with playershestill hasn’tmet. Picking someonesoraw wouldn’tbeall that unusual on the American side.

Doug Ferguson

Different about Koivun is that he carried the expectations of being the No. 1amateur in the world. He won six times in college, swept all the awards as the best player, led Auburn to another NCAA title and last year had three straight top-10 ﬁnishes in PGA Tour events without ever looking as though the moment was too big. And then in his third start as a pro,Koivun shot 61 on Saturday in the 3M Open after Scheffler hadset the target, and then held offScheffler and everyone else with a66and athree-shot victory

That he played bogey-free on the weekend—only three other PGA Tour winnersthis year have done that —speaks to his poise. There’s also thethree wordshewriteson hisgolfglove —conﬁdence, trust, dominate. Thatlast word he came up with at Auburn“because Ijust want to go seehow good Ican play.”

He can play

So where does he go now? For starters, the Rocket Classic this week in Detroit.

Koivun, who earned his card ayearago as theNo. 1player in the PGA Tour University accelerated programfor underclassmen, movedtoNo. 70 in the FedEx Cup withhis victory at the 3M Open. Twotournaments remain for the top70toqualify for the postseason. Thatwould be impressive.

Butthat’snot enough. There already is chatter about Koivun being an option for Brandt Snedeker to takeasa captain’spickfor the Presidents Cup in September

The notion would seem to follow Europe (never abad idea when it comes to acup) when Ludvig Aberg of Sweden was No. 1inthe PGATour Universityranking in 2023. He didn’twin until his ninth start as apro —atthe European MastersinSwitzerland —but the polish and power weresoevident thatLuke Donald put him on the Ryder Cup team in Italy

The idea was to take aplayer expected to be on many teams for many years and give him ataste of team competition early,especially ahome game. It worked outwell forAberg, who went 2-2 in Rome, and ended the year matching the PGA Tour scoring record(253) to winatSea Island. ThePresidentsCup is nothing like the Ryder Cup, of course. The

Jordan Spieth won his first PGA Tour event at age 19 —hestarted theyear without acard and won in his 15th start as apro —and he waspickedfor the2013Presidents Cup. Spieth qualified forthe postseason and in thesecondplayoff event in Boston shot a62onthe finalday.That led Phil Mickelson to text U.S. captain Fred Couples, “Dude, you’ve gottopick this guy.” He did, and Spieth played on nine of thenext10U.S.teams.Two years after thatpick, Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open, had achance at all fourmajors and reached No. 1inthe world.

Is thatthe road awaiting Koivun? He clearly has the game and can handle the stage.

Evenso, golf is bestviewed with awide lens

There was another California native once looked uponasgolf’s next big thing. Matthew Wolff had enormouspower anda knack for bigmoments,leading Oklahoma State to the NCAA title in 2018 and then crushing the field the next year to winthe NCAA individual title, one of sixcollege wins.

Wolffturned pro and won the 3M Open in his third start in 2019, making eagle on theﬁnal hole to beat Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa. Wolfffinished No. 70 in the FedEx Cup in just six starts, but he lasted only one playoffevent.

The Presidents Cup had four captain’spicks in 2019 (Tiger Woods used one of themonhimself forRoyal Melbourne) and Wolff was anever abig partofthe conversation.

One year later,Wolffhad the 54-hole lead in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot and was on the verge of veritable stardom until DeChambeau raced past him to win. Within sixmonths, Wolff was struggling with expectations and mental health issues.And then in 2022, he was offtoLIV Golf Aberghas takenhis lumpsalong theway —hehas won just once since that blazingstart right out of Texas Tech. Morikawa,who won in his sixth start as apro,had two majors alittle more thantwo years after leaving Cal. Schefﬂer was part of that age group and took nearly four years to win. And then he didn’tstop winning.

“I had adecent college career, but by no means was Ia can’t-miss type of prospect,” Schefﬂer said. Koivun ﬁts thatmold. He hada great college career.Healready has thehype and he already has atrophy. It willbefascinating to seewherehegoes, how quickly he gets there, how long he lasts. Give it time.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PETER MORRISON

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByLINDSEy WASSON

United States goalkeeper Matt Freese reacts following the WorldCup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Belgium in Seattle on July 6.

Golf notebook

7-5. Adrian Mannarino, France, def. Learner Tien (5), United States, 7-5, 6-4. Rafael Jodar, Spain, def. Arthur Fils (8), France, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Cruz Hewitt, Australia, def. Marcos Giron, United States, 6-3, 6-4. Women’s Singles Round of 32 Wang Xinyu, China, def. Julieta Pareja, United States, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Polina Kudermetova, Russia, def. Cristina Bucsa, Spain, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-0. Men’s Doubles Round of 16 Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash (3), Britain, def. Michael Venus, New Zealand, and Yuki Bhambri, India, 6-3, 6-4. Guido Andreozzi, Argentina, and Manuel Guinard (4), France, def. Lucas Miedler, Austria, and Marc Polmans, Australia, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6).

Women’s Doubles Round of 16 Xu Yifan and Qianhui Tang, China, def. Anna Danilina, Kazakhstan, and Leylah Fernandez (4), Canada, 6-2, 6-4. ATP World Tour Los Cabos Open Results Monday At Solaz Resort & Spa Los Cabos Los Cabos, Mexico Purse: $909,790 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor Results Monday from Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel at Solaz Resort & Spa Los Cabos (seedings in parentheses): Men’s Singles Round of 32 Bernard Tomic, Australia, def. Alex Hernandez, Mexico, 6-1, 6-0. Tristan Boyer, United States, def. Gabriel Diallo, Canada, 7-5, 6-2. Cameron Norrie (5), Britain, def. Aleksandar Kovacevic, United States, 6-4, 6-1. Coleman Wong, Hong Kong, China, def. Darwin Blanch, United States, 6-3, 6-4. 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.

Chinese street food restaurant hits BR

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Tiger Tang soft-opened in Siegen Village this month with build-your-own malatang bowls. At 7064 Siegen Lane, Tiger Tang serves build-your-own malatang bowls, atypeofChinese street foodknown for its heat and spicy ﬂavors.

Inside, customers grab their ownbowl and tongs so they can load the bowl up with ingredients held in buffet-style counters. There are leafy greens like spinach and bok choy, vegetables likeonions and broccoli, numerous types of mushrooms, several typesofnoodles and manyprotein optionsfrombeef to chicken to seafood. There’salso asauceand toppings station with six sauces (peanut,sesame, oyster,chili garlic, chili oil or spicy andaromatic sauce), plusgreen onion and chilipeppers.

Once each bowl is filled with ingredients,it’sweighed at the front counter ($10.99 per pound), and the customer tellsthe cashier which of the eight broths they want. Customers can then sit and wait while the bowl is taken to the kitchen and cooked. The restaurant also serve appetizerslike beef or chicken skewers,crabrangoon, gyoza and egg rolls.Acouple of desserts are on the menu, like mochi ice cream and brown sugar rice cakes. For beverages, there are 13 flavorsofmilk tea, such as Thai, taro, mocha or strawberry milk teas. Nondairy options include 10 flavors of fruit teas ranging from mangopassion fruittolychee. Bothteas can be loaded with popping boba, fruitjellies and tapioca. Agrand opening date and normal hours has not been announced yet.

Tiger Tang, 7064 Siegen Lane, Baton Rouge. Open daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

LIVING

‘Madewithlove’

EBY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

very day,76-year-old Cynthia Owens-Green wakes up around 4:30 a.m. to start her job at OwensMarket &Deli, herbusiness that hasserved BatonRouge since 1938.

In Louisiana’sCapital city,Owens Market &Deli first opened as agrocery store anddeliafter the startofWorld WarII. Now,it’sa breakfast and lunch restaurant serving scratch-madeplatesTuesday through Saturday.People stop by for the soul-filled fare, but many usethe opportunitytocatch up with Owens-Green and her familyfilledstaff, whomcustomers have grown with over thedecades.

After Eleanora Wooders, 81, ﬁnished her lunch plate of turkey wings, rice andcollard greenson aWednesdayafternoon,she was blowingkissesand poking hercane across theroom at oneofOwensGreen’sthree daughters, Kristi Green, 54. “They’re my family,”Wooders said. “Their children, my children, they all grew up together.”

Visiting OwensMarket &Deli hasbecome aroutine for Wooders, who drives ashort distance afew

by 2 p.m. Aug. 10.

times every week (ifthe weather is good)toget ataste of OwensGreen’sfood.

Standing thetestoftime

“He hada mindset for math to runanything,torenthouses,” said Owens-Green, after darting around theroomtogreetcustomers and shake hands with regulars. BatonRouge

For 88 years, Owens Market & Deli has stood between the same wallsat2444Balis Drive, where Owens-Green’sparents, David and Emma Owens, startedthe business. Aportraitofthe couplehangs on thewallnext to thefront door, overlooking the restaurant they built from the ground up.

With asixth grade education, David Owens hadtolearnhis own trades, his daughter said.

CyNTHIA OWENS-GREEN,Owens Market &Deliowner

STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Regular Terrance Williams, right, says goodbyetoowner Cynthia Owens-Green after chatting withher at Owens Grocery& Market on July 15 in Baton Rouge.

Ashrimppo-boy withonion rings and peachcobbler

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT

Build-your-own malatang from TigerTang

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIERGALLEGOS

Echo Ratcliff, center,servesherself aplateasregularEleanora Wooders, left, chats with employeeSierra Boyd at Owens Grocery &Market

OWENS

Continued from page1D

In the late 1930s, the grocery store and deli was deckedwithtwo gas pumps, butcher services, produce, sliced meats and everyday essentials, atime before Interstate 10 split Balis Drive in half. Some of her earliestmemories are running around the storeasa little girl.

“They had these things called gondolas,” she said. “It’sabig shelf that they used to have in grocery stores that you could put flour,different items, in. Iremember as thunderstorms came, Iwould hide in them.”

The area around Balis Drive had almost everythingone could need: abarbershop, saloon, laundromat and church.

The family has owned several properties on the street for generations. Next door to the business is the house Owens-Green was born in the youngest daughter of 11 children. Across the street is another family home that used to be adaycare. Many family memberslive justa short walk away Owens-Green eventually took over operations of Owensin1979 at age 29. Her three daughters grew up at the store, helping out with chores and learninghow to cook from their grandmother.One of Owens-Green’s daughters, Malissa Fowler, 45, remembers playing stand-up video game machines like Pac-Man and Donkey Konginthe 1980s. Around 2005, the grocery store gradually shifted operations and started making the bulk of its money from scratch-made food.

Menu rundown

Each day,except Sunday and Monday,has aselection of rotating hot plates. There are dishes like baked chicken, smothered turkey necks, lasagna, fried fish, Salisbury steak and more. There’salso amenu of daily items of burgers, po-boys and sandwiches.

Thursdays and Fridays are “hot days,” OwensGreen said, when the biggest crowds shufﬂe through the front door.They come hungry for the most popular

rotatingdishes: bakedturkey wings on Thursdays and crawfish étoufféeorfried catﬁsh on Fridays.

Thebusiness also has cateringservices for events and family meals.

“They love our food because our food is homemade from scratch,” OwensGreensaid. “It’s made with love.”

Desserts in the form of cakes,cupcakes, cookies and more aresuppliedby Creative Crumbs Cakery, a home bakery owned by Owens-Green’sdaughterErica Matthews,49. In 2021, Matthews opened thebusiness in honor of her 20-year-old son with autism.

“Our plans are toopena facility to employyoung adults like himselfjust to give them awork opportunity,” Matthews said. “That is what we plan to do in the nearfuture ”

Longtime regulars

When longtime Owens regular Terry Vessell was 7years old, she’dvisit the grocery storeonher regular cookie runs, and bothDavid andEmmaOwens would separately sneakher extra butter cookies.

“He wouldsay,‘Now,I’m going to give youanextra cookie. Now don’tyou tell anybody.’ That was Mr Owens, and so Mrs. Emma would do the same thing,” Vessellsaid, laughing with thememory

Decades later,the hunt for buttercookies has evolved into once-a-week visits, oftenfor Vessell’sfavorite plate: thebaked catfish, a heartydish covered in bell peppers and onions.

“When yougive asmile, you’ll always get one back nine times out of 10, and that’swhat she does,” Vessell said aboutOwensGreen. “She shows love and kindness, andlove and kindness comesback to her.

What keeps Vessell coming back to thebusiness isn’t

Sierra Boyd spoons broth over baked chicken and rice at Owens Grocery& Market.

just thefood,but also how thestaff shows love to the community and gives back. Legacy of giving back

For the past nine years, Owens Market&Deli has hosted an annualBack-toSchoolGiveaway for children in Valley Parkand surrounding areas.This year’s giveaway will take place from 11 a.m. to 2p.m. Aug.1

Matthews saidher mother’sheart is in service, something she’spassed down from generation to generation.Owens-Green welcomes those who are hungry and want something to eat. Astack of crates in a corner in thedining room holds various toiletries, reserved for people experiencing homelessness. “It’sablessing that God has still allowed metotry to build my healthand strength to instill in my childrenand to know what service of othersis,”she said.“That’smy thing.”

Overeight decades, Owens Market &Deli has stood thetest of time, and responsibilities have passed down to youngergenerations like her three daughters and her grandchildren, whowork thekitchen from sunriseto sunset

“Weare Black-owned,” Owens-Green said.“The thing about it is, sometimes it’shard for Black owners to trytosucceed and tostay in business. Sometimes it takes alot of effort. There’shard days.

Despitechallengesand abad knee, Owens-Green returnstothe store nearly everyday,overseeing operations,greeting customersand catching up with regulars. She tries to help in the kitchen, but her family memberslovinglytellher to sit down.

“I wantpeople to know that this is what Ilivefor,” Owens-Green said. “And that we’d love to serve you. Just come on by.”

Dear Heloise: For years, I drained greasy foods on paper towels but ended up having to pick off tiny pieces of paper.Finally Ifound abetter way.Webought a new stove and oven combo, and Isaved theoven rack from theold one we had. Now Iplace the oven rack over the sink with newspaper underneathtocatch thegrease and fried foods that get placed on the rack. Idon’tlet grease go down thedrain because a plumber told me that this just clogs the pipes. Lately, I’ve used old cardboard cut out from delivery boxes to catch the grease. —Agnes D. in Lexington,Tennessee Ausefulgift

housewarming party.People brought somevery nice items, but my brother-in-law liked mine the best. Igave them ahand cart to haul heavy or very large objects. They had acouple pieces of furniture that were still in the garage because they couldn’thaul them into the house. Ahand cart makes this possible. When newlyweds buy their ﬁrst house, they usually need practical items. Vases are lovely,and so is aserving platter,but items such as electric scissors, ahand cart, an electric screwdriver,and basic tools are way more useful.

—Victoria J.,inAustin,Texas Securing abookcase

Dear Heloise: My sister and brother-in-law just bought their ﬁrst home and had a

DearHeloise: Ihaveahint thatmight save someone from atrip to the hospital.

If you have abookcase, alarge TV,anaquarium, or heavystone yard art, pleasesecure it so that it cannottopple over.A friend of mine stopped by to say“hello,” andwhile we were talking, her son triedtoclimb my bookcasetoget to my cat and petit. The bookcase came crashing downand thankfully landed on the back of achair,which kept the bookcase from falling on the child. The boy was uninjured, but this wasdue to luck. Ihad my handyman come and see to it that the bookcases weresecured to the wall. —JoanC., in Minnesota

Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock,leading peopletoput offoreven go without care.

Simplyput —without dental insurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcarecoverage

Whenyou’recomparing plans ...

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plans maylimit thenumber of procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoveragewithnodeductibles. Some plans mayrequire you to pay hundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewithnoannual maximumoncash benefits.Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1

That’s right. As good as Medicare is,itwas never meanttocover everything. That means if youwant protection, youneed to purchase individual insurance.

Early detectioncan prevent small problemsfrom becomingexpensive ones

The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkupstwiceayear.

Previous dental work canwearout

Even if you’ve hadqualitydentalworkinthe past, youshouldn’t take your dentalhealth forgranted. In fact, your odds of havinga dentalproblemonly go up as youage.2

Treatment is expensive especially theservicespeople over 50 often need

Consider these national average costsof treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethiscan be areal burden, especially if you’reonafixed income

on July 15 in Baton Rouge.

Partyguestsmakea beeline forthe house

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave a tiny house, so Ienjoy hosting dinner partiesalfresco in my backyard. Irecently invited guests to dine when the weather was lovely, 75 degrees with a soft breeze.

During the ﬁrst course, abumblebee ﬂew over the table and then moved on.

left that she was justhaving abad day To what extent should ahostess accommodate these concerns —or quirks? Ididn’twant hertoeat alone, but it seemed to me she disruptedthe party What would you advise in this situation?

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, July 29, the 210th day of 2026. There are 155 days left in the year

One of my guests announced, “There are bees out here,” picked up her plate, and went inside the house. Her husband followed her Before Icould think of what to do, my other guests stood, took their plates, and went inside, with one saying, “Well, Iguess we have to go in now.” We ﬁnished the meal in my living room withplates balancedprecariously on our laps.

Ihave known this woman for 15 years and know she is not allergic to bees. Her husband told me as they

Gentle reader: The real question is not whoistoblame. Thoughifitwere, MissManners votes for,in order: thebee; theguest who stood up after your friend,asbeingthe person who likely precipitated the group decisiontodecamp; andthe friend’shusband, on grounds ofgeneral ineptitude. The real question is:What could you havedoneabout it?

Youcannot require guests to remain someplace they feel threatened,but you can persuade— which might

have been sufﬁcient in asituation that sounds to have been moreFollow-the-Leader than thought-through. Youmight have instead stood immediately,offered to takeyour friend inside and then attempted to clear out the bee (singular), telling everyone else they were welcome to remain outside —but that they could go in, if they needed to. That might have been enough to stop the mass ingress.

Youcould have then set your friend up indoors and check on her periodically, in between rounds of improvising abee-clearing dance.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick,1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Fried chicken, mac and cheese, potatosalad and aroll from ChickenShack

BEST

Continued from page1D

Kheer.Ofthe three, the Badaami Kheer,acreamy almond-infused rice pudding with saffron and cardamom, was my favorite —Joy Holden features reporter Fried chicken dinner

n Chicken Shack, 413 N. Acadian Highway,Baton Rouge

After writing about different local chefs’favorite fried chicken in Baton Rouge, Idecided it was time to visit my favorite spot. On the way home from work, Istopped at Chicken Shack and orderedthe twopiece dinner,which has fried chicken, two sides (I picked potato salad and mac and cheese) and aroll.

Iopened the plate and realizedthey gave me an

extra piece of chicken, which may not have been intentional, but hey,awin is awin! Idoveinand, y’all, this hitall the right spots. This longtime Baton Rougestaple was ataste of comfort after along day of work,and Ithink that’s whyIlove Chicken Shack so much.

—MaddieScott, features reporter

Meatball stew n Gravy, 107 E. Main St., Lafayette

With no shortage of spots to get adelicious plate lunch in the Lafayette area, somehow,rice and gravy still never getsold.

Gravy,anew plate lunch restaurant from the restaurateurs behind Pamplonain downtown Lafayette, offers their own spin on an Acadiana classic witharich, tasty meatball stew,side of savory collards and aspicy, mustardy potatosalad that brings an elevated ﬂavor to thetender meatballs (yes, when it comes to aplate lunch, the foods mix on my fork).

Come hungry,and ideally bring afriend —Gravy’s daily plates include meatball stew,stickychicken, beef debris and smothered sausage, and you’ll want to tryatleast acouple.

—Joanna Brown, staff writer

Todayinhistory: On July 29, 1967, an accidental rocket launch on thedeck of the supercarrier USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin resulted in aﬁre and explosions that killed 134 service members.

Also on this date:

In 1836, thenewly completed ArcdeTriomphe was inaugurated in Paris.

In 1858, theUnited States and Japan signed theHarris Treaty,formalizing diplomatic relations and trading rightsbetween the two countries.

In 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of an apparent self-inﬂicted gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

In 1914, transcontinental telephone service in theU.S. becameoperational with the ﬁrst test conversation between New York and San Francisco.

In 1921, AdolfHitler became theleader of the National SocialistGerman Workers’ (Nazi)Party

In 1954, theﬁrst volume of JRR Tolkien’snovel “The Lordofthe Rings” (“The Fellowship of the Ring”) was published.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed theNational Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA.

In 1981, Britain’s Prince Charles married LadyDiana Spencer in aglittering ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. (They divorced in 1996.)

In 1986, afederal jury in New York found that theNational Football League had committed an antitrustviolation against therival 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’sescort, James H. Barrett, outside the Ladies Center clinic in Pensacola, Florida.

In 1999, aformer day trader,apparently upset over stock losses, opened ﬁre in twoAtlanta 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 additional 40 years in prison for trying to hire someone to kill the prosecutor whoput him behind bars for killing his third wife

In 2021, anewly 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 akey position for communications and for getting power from its solar panels.

Today’sbirthdays: Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum-Baker is 94. Former Sen. Elizabeth H. Dole is 90. Artist Jenny Holzer is 76. Documentary ﬁlmmaker KenBurns is 73. Style guru TimGunn 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 WilWheaton is 54. R&B singer Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men) is 53.

Josh

DJ/music producer Danger Mouse is 49. NFLquarterback DakPrescott is 33.

Actor Stephen Dorff

53. Actor

Radnor

52. Hip-hop

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIESCOTT

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN Meatball stewfrom Gravy in Lafayette

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Set up meaningful conversations that can open doors or helpyou envisionhow you can reach your goals. Refuse to let alack of knowledge or not sharing your plans be your nemesis.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Keep your plans andyour 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 aplatform to showcaseyour skills, projects and longterm goals. The people youencounter and what theyoffer 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 youaren'tlikelytobemet with positive feedback if you are restrictiveor 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'sholding you back. Say no to subscriptions you no longer use.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pay attention to detail, money management andyour health. Put time aside to nurture yourself andyour 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

timetotake 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 honorableintentions. Explore the possibilities.

ARIEs(March21-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) Achange of routine will boost your egoand your enthusiasm.Engage in eventsthat 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 andmanipulation will setyou back.Ifyou want something, proceed with akind word and apositive attitude. Be willing to give and take.

CelebrityCipher cryptograms are created from quotationsbyfamous people, pastand present.Each letterinthe cipher stands for another.

toDAy'scLuE: LEQuALs D

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containsthe same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increasesfrom Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Simone de Beauvoir, aFrench 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 thisdeal,isthereawayforSouthtomake sure ofsixno-trump,given thatclubsare notbreaking 5-0?

South’s two-diamond rebid was fourthsuit game-forcing. When North bid four hearts, he showedaminimum opening bid. With extras he would have controlbid (cue-bid) four clubs. South signedoff in sixno-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 fourclub tricks —but how?

Finally, if East showsout on the secondround of clubs, declarer wins with his king andleadsback through West’s queen up to North’s jack.

The club nine in South’s hand makes getting four tricks anear-certainty. After winning the first trick with his spade ace, declarer should play aclub to dummy’sace, then return alow club and cover East’s eight withhis nine. Here, that ends South’sproblems. But if his nine were to lose to the 10, the suit would be splitting 3-2 and the contract would be home.

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the additionof“s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,” are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD KILLDEER: KIL-deer:AnAmerican plover.

Average mark 21 words Time limit 35 minutes

Can you find 30 or more words in KILLDEER?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —WARDRooM

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

andany subsequent ad‐dendahavebeen letand posted,noticeand re‐ceiptthereof is consid‐ered formally givenasof theirrespectivedates of posting. Though notre‐quired if receivingsolici‐tation andaddenda no‐ticesfromLaPAC and CentralBidding theCityParish will emailad‐dendatoall vendorscon‐tactingour ofﬁce

LaPAC, thestate’s online electronic bidposting andCentral Biddingnoti‐ﬁcation system,inaddi‐tion to itsstandard meansofadvertising this requirement. LaPACis resident on StatePur‐chasing’swebsite at https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ pubmain.cfm andis availablefor vendor selfenrollment NOTE:This RFPisnot availableto submit online viaCentral Bidding; submissions MUSTbemailedorhand deliveredtothe address mentionedinthe RFP. In that LaPACand Central Biddingprovidesanim‐mediatee-mailnotiﬁca‐tion to subscribingbid‐ders that asolicitation

Mr.BradJ.Daigle Mr.TroyS.LeBoeuf Agenda Item 4- Public Comments: Comments from thepublicregard‐ingany/all of theagenda itemslistedbelow will be accepted at this pointin themeeting. Themeet‐ingchairperson mayalso allowfurther comments from thepublicasand when each agenda item is considered during the meetingprocess. There were no public comments. Agenda Item 5- Approval of minutesofa Commis‐sion meetingheldon Thursday,May 28, 2026. On amotionbyMs. Brenda Hurst, seconded by Ms.LynnRobertson, theminutes were unani‐mously approved Agenda Item 6- Monthly EngineeringReport Mr.Cortney Whitepre‐sented themonthly engi‐neeringreport, as out‐linedindocumentation

presentedtoall Board members.Noactionwas required Agenda Item 7- Financial Report

Ms.Katie LeBlancpre‐sented themonthly ﬁ‐nancialreport. No action wasrequired. Agenda Item 8- Other matters

Mr.Jay Hardmanad‐dressedthe Board, forin‐formationalpurposes only,bystating that Mr JohnnyBradberry apolo‐gizedfor beingunableto attend themeetingand give apresentationon carbon captureand se‐questration. Thepresen‐tation will be resched‐uled at alater date Agenda Item 9- Adjourn‐ment On amotionbyMr. Shel‐tonDixon,secondedby Mr.Bobby Watts,the meetingadjourned Secretary: TedH.Glaser President: Donald M.

Schexnayder Date approved:July23, 2026 195506-JUL29-1T

and on the termsand conditions containedset forthinthe purchase agreement at‐tached to thepetitionto sell immovableproperty: Acertain lotorparcelof ground,together with anybuildings andim‐provements thereon, sit‐uatedinthatsubdivision of theParishofEast BatonRouge,Louisiana knownasPARKFOREST, TENTHFILING, andbeing designated accordingto theofficial mapthereof on file andofrecordin theoffice of theClerk andRecorderfor the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as LOT NINE HUNDREDNINETY FIVE (995),saidsubdivi‐sion,saidlot fronting a totalof80.06 feet on SunnyCline Avenue,with adepth on itswesterly