The Advocate 07-30-2026

MIDDLE EAST: U.S. LAUNCHES

Some La.lawmakers backingout of NDAs

Kevin Janda, center,Meta director of data center strategy, speaks withGov.Jeff Landryand others after an event in 2024 to announce plans for adata center in Richland Parish. Lawmakers have been asked to sign nondisclosure agreements by Louisiana Economic Development as it conducts negotiations to attract companies to the state.

Administrationsaysagreementsvital to secure bigeconomicdeals; legislatorsreportcommunity pushback on secrecy,other concerns

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

Facing pressurefromvoters, some statelawmakersare backing out of nondisclosure agreements that Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration has usedtoconduct secret negotiationswith companies that often receive large tax breaks from the state.

Records showthat 77% of statesenators have signed nondisclosure agreements at the behest of Louisiana Economic Development, the stateagencyincharge of attracting companies here. At least 14 of 105House members, including several committee chairsand SpeakerPhillip Devillier,havesignedNDAs, according to copies of the agreements and alist of lawmakers who declined ThreeRepublicanstate senators from

various parts of thestate —Bill Wheat, Valarie Hodges andBob Hensgens haverequested LED terminate their NDAs, according to emails and records obtained by The Times-Picayune|The Advocate.Democratic stateRep. JoyWalters also asked LED to cancel her nondisclosure agreement over pushback from her constituents, whoare upset aboutan Amazon data center in herCaddo Parish region, she said. Their requests come as theLandry administration’suse of NDAs to negotiate economic development deals draws pushback fromsome residents andadvocacy groups, some of whom have suedover their use. Landry’soffice has used NDAs for several high-profile business deals, includingtokeepnegotiations secretwith the tech giant Meta, as the state worked to lure the company to northLouisiana. The

Trialset to beginin murder-for-hireplot

Siblings, alleged hitman to face jury next week

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

On the morning of Aug. 27, 2024, IbervilleParish sheriff’s deputies found Herman Harris deadinhis home from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Now,two years later,his former boss, her brother andthe hitman theyallegedly hired to killhim are on trial for murder

On Wednesday,the jury whittled down from apool of

around500 —was officially selected inthe 18th Judicial District Court.Judge Alvin Batiste came out of retirement to preside over the trial, which will beginnext week

Much of the evidence the state plans to present has already surfaced in pretrial courtfilings and bail hearings. Harris, 65, lived on La 76 in Maringouin, where he was known as “Rango.” He worked at Brooks Transport andHotshot, atrucking companyowned byRilonda Brooks, 46, who lived across thestreet from him.

ä See TRIAL, page 7A

State pitches nuclear waste initiative

Louisiana offers salt domesaswaste storagelocation

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

Louisiana has pitched the federal government on aplan to store nuclear waste beneath the Gulf, part of abroader effort to attract nuclear development andpower massive new data-center projects in the state.

The federal initiative, called the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses program,pairs states willing to store nuclear waste with potential federal support for new nuclear projects, including for power generation and manufacturing.

companycould getbillions in taxbreaks for its $50 billion datacenter, which is prompting questions about effects on utility rates andwater use, through an incentive created by Landry and the Legislature.

Some FirstAmendment advocatesand scholarscriticizethe broaduse of nondisclosure agreements, saying they raise questions about whether the public is being kept in the dark as state officials promise companies billions in public money

“If you send metoBatonRouge to gain information, Ishould be able to tellthe public what informationI’vegained,” said Hensgens, R-Abbeville. “Togive me detailed information that Ican’ttell my public, it just doesn’tseem right to me.”

ä See LAWMAKERS, page 5A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Dr.AnthonyFauci is sworninbefore the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answerdozens of questionsfrom senators.

BY LAURAN NEERGAARD and ALISWENSON Associated Press

WASHINGTON Dr.Anthony Fauci

on Wednesday repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment anddeclined to answer dozens of questions from senators in aRepublican-led committee hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision,atleast fornow, shieldedFauci from answering questionsthatcould expose him to accusations of lying under oath.

Louisiana wasone of five states selected as programfinalists on Tuesday,out of 26 states that applied. All of the states selected as finalists —the others are Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Idaho are led by Republican governors. The state told the federal Department of Energy that Louisiana is aprime location for the development of next-generation nuclear energy and the storage of nuclear waste, noting that huge amounts of additional nuclear power will be necessary due to the surge in energy demand from data centers. Gov.Jeff Landry celebrated the state’s advancementasa finalist forthe program, andChris Wright, the secretaryofthe Department of Energy,said the state or states selected would benefit fromofmassive economicgrowth, thousands of jobs, and would be “crucial to unleashing America’snuclear renaissance.”

“Louisiana shares the President’svision for nuclear power and America’senergy future,” Landry said in astatement. “Weappreciate Secretary Wright’sleadership and the opportunity provided by the Department of Energy to further America’senergy dominance!”

See NUCLEAR, page 5A

Though he received apardon in early 2025 from Democratic President Joe Biden, someRepublicans pursuing ayearslong campaign for his arrest had suggested he could still face chargesfor anyperjury committedduring Wednesday’s hearing.

The scientist, who helpedlead the nation’sCOVID-19response, was subpoenaed to testify under oath by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky,who has long had an antagonistic relationship with Fauci.

In response to angry,sometimes mocking questions from Republican senators, Fauci declined to answer more than100 times,

See FAUCI, page 7A

STAFF FILEPHOTO By JILL PICKETT

15 elephants in Kenya

die of cyanide poisoning

NAIROBI, Kenya Fifteen elephants that died over the past month in southern Kenya are suspected to have been poisoned by tomatoes contaminated by cyanide, wildlife authorities told local media Wednesday Authorities did not say who they suspected in the contamination of tomatoes from farms neighboring the Amboseli National Park. In the past farmers have been suspected of deliberately poisoning elephants to prevent them from eating crops

The park in southern Kenya borders an area where farming and the raising of livestock are prevalent.

Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga said preliminary laboratory tests detected cyanide “Cyanide is a highly toxic chemical, particularly for elephants,” Kanga told local media.

The Kenya Wildlife Service warned that the contamination could have wider consequences because livestock also graze in the area.

‘Once’ Oscar winner dies in motorcycle crash

LONDON Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who won an Academy Award for the 2007 film “Once,” died in a motorcycle crash on the outskirts of Dublin early Wednesday, his management said. He was 56. Irish police said a man in his 50s died in single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan, on the western outskirts of the Irish capital, before 4:30 a.m. Wednesday The man, who they did not name, was treated at the scene but pronounced dead a short time later.

Hansard combined acting and a musical career. He played a member of a Dublin soul band in the hit 1991 movie “The Commitments” and won an Oscar in 2008 for the song “Falling Slowly,” which he co-wrote for the indie musical “Once” with co-star Markéta Irglová.

“Once,” a love story about two struggling musicians, was later adapted for Broadway, again with songs by Hansard and Irglová. It won eight Tony Awards in 2012, including best musical.

Kavinsky, composer of ‘Nightcall’ and DJ, dies

PARIS Kavinsky the French electro-pop composer whose haunting track “Nightcall” set the musical tone for the movie “Drive” starring Ryan Gosling, has died. He was 50.

Culture Minister Catherine Pégard described the performer who appeared at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024, as one of France’s “most singular voices.”

“Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to resonate across generations and borders,” the minister said in a post on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a post on Facebook: “Kavinsky, forever a source of French pride.”

The performer, whose real name was Vincent Belorgey, was found dead at his home on Tuesday evening, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.

Marjorie Taylor Greene marries in Las Vegas

Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and journalist Brian Glenn tied the knot during a ritzy ceremony in Las Vegas this week, according to reports.

The conservative couple exchanged vows Tuesday at the Terrazza di Sogno in The Bellagio, TMZ reported. In images published by the outlet, 52-year-old Greene can be seen sporting an elegant long white dress with sparkly floral details around her shoulders and waist while Glenn sported a classic black suit for the occasion.

It marks the second wedding for both Greene and Glenn, each of whom were still married when they met for the first time back in 2022. They coupled up shortly after Marjorie’s ex-husband, Perry Greene, filed for divorce and Glenn ended his marriage to Kerry Michelle Glenn They became engaged in December 2025, after three years of dating.

Search on for earthquake survivors

Death toll in Japan has reached 18

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

KUMAMOTO, Japan Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people, including a foreigner, in southwestern Japan.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit a day earlier in the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu also left at least 62 people injured, six of them seriously, the prefectural government said. The tally has been steadily growing, fanning fears it may continue to rise.

Some of the most serious damage was at the Aeon Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, which was bustling with thousands of people when the quake

happened. The company said some 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot before a gas explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some people were still working.

Fumika Ono was shopping at a mall with her older sister when the ground shook so fiercely she lost her balance and ducked. Children began screaming and goods scattered on the floor The 19-year-old was among the crowd of shoppers who managed to escape safely

The sweltering weather heightened worries about the survivors as rescuers braved the heat. It remained unclear how many people might still be missing.

The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people. Witnesses said the explosion shook the area as much as the quake.

Three people remained missing, while four deaths were confirmed at the mall site, according to Aeon President Akio Yoshida.

“We take it seriously that an explosion happened and precious lives were lost,” Yoshida told a

news conference in Kumamoto, where he bowed deeply along with two other executives.

Japanese media footage of the mall showed that part of the ceiling had caved in, and metal pieces and other debris were scattered about as helmeted and masked rescue workers searched the area.

In the Nuyamazu district, a pair of temple gates at a 16th-century Buddhist temple collapsed. They had just been repaired five years ago.

Yuki Kiyozumi, deputy chief priest at the temple, recalled how she had to crawl on the floor because the shaking was so violent. She had just returned home from a meeting and was about to feed her cat.

“I don’t even know if or how we can rebuild them again,” she said, while cleaning up damaged ornaments and furniture.

In nearby Yatsushiro, a chimney collapse at a Nippon Paper Industries factory killed five people while seven others were rescued from the debris, according to the

Trump announces $22.5B Dulles airport makeover

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE and MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal.

In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy

The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029.

Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial.

But of all the construction projects

Trump is pursuing, the renovations at Dulles could prove to be his most popular and benefit the greatest number of people. The airport, which is the primary international airport in the area, served roughly 29 million passengers over the past year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Trump: Modernization ‘sorely needed’

Trump, who used a laser pointer to explain the renovations displayed on renderings, said the “crazy distances” travelers must walk to get from place to place make Dulles “the worst airport.”

Congress would need to approve some aspects of the renovation plan, Trump said. Construction could start next spring, Duffy said.

Officials said the airlines and the airport authority that operates Dulles would pay for the project with municipal bonds, but they did not spell out how much of the cost might be passed on to travelers through higher fees or ticket prices when flying out of the airport

John Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates Dulles, said his agency, United Airlines and other airlines operating there have agreed “to fund this thing.” Dulles is one of United’s

hubs.

“So this is not requiring federal dollars,” Potter said at the Oval Office event. “This is going to be airport-generated dollars airline contributions, which is phenomenal.”

Dulles, located in northern Virginia, is about 25 miles from downtown Washington. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is located in Arlington, Virginia, which is closer to downtown, making it popular with members of Congress and local residents.

The president, a former real estate developer, said in December that Dulles was “incorrectly designed.” He nonetheless praised Eero Saarinen, the FinnishAmerican architect and designer of the airport’s main terminal. Trump and Duffy said the president reviewed presentations from about 30 architects before Trump settled on the redesign he announced Wednesday

People movers from 1962 unpopular

Designed by Chrysler Corp., the people movers shuttle passengers between the terminal and aircraft. The airport operates a fleet of 19 mobile lounges, each capable of carrying up to 102 passengers, according to its website.

When Dulles debuted, the airport touted the system as a major convenience.

Passengers, it said, “had to walk only 200 feet once they entered the terminal until they were seated in a mobile lounge for the short trip directly to their aircraft,” a service it described as unique to Dulles.

But they have become one of passengers’ least favorite aspects of transiting through Dulles, with travelers and Trump — complaining that the system is outdated, balky and slow

One of the lounges crashed in November, sending 18 people to the hospital.

Dulles began a multibillion-dollar construction program in 2000 to begin to address future passenger demand. Major projects included two new parking garages, a fourth runway, a new concourse, a new air traffic control tower, pedestrian walks and an airport train system, according to the airports authority website.

The airports authority says significant modernization work is already underway at Dulles. Later this year, the first segment of the new Concourse E will open with 14 additional United gates that will help the airline expand its international network, provide direct access to the airport’s AeroTrain system and debut new and enhanced concessions options and passenger lounges.

Kumamoto prefectural government disaster team.

Four people were still believed to be trapped there, it said. In the first reported death of a foreign national, a Vietnamese technical intern was killed after a crane fell on him at a factory where he worked, according to the Vietnamese government. He had arrived in Japan in January Seven other Vietnamese technical interns at the factory evacuated safely Separately, a Vietnamese woman married to one of the workers was injured when a wall collapsed and was being treated at a hospital.

Nearly 34,900 homes were still without electricity and some 15,000 homes without running water, Kumamoto officials said. More than 8,800 people left their homes to stay in over 400 shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.

Aerial police footage showed some homes in residential areas were completely flattened, including a few that crumbled into a nearby river

Forensic teams search suspected mass grave from the Kosovo war

BY ZANA CIMILI Associated Press

KALLUDER,Kosovo Authorities in Kosovo have begun excavations in a northern village after the discovery of human remains there that are believed to be of people missing since the 1998-99 Kosovo war in what at the time was a Serbian province.

Authorities say the site in Kalluder, in the municipality of Zubin Potok, has been cordoned off and had not been previously excavated in the search for evidence of war crimes.

The separatist war with Serbia began in 1998 when the ethnic Albanian rebel Kosovo Liberation Army launched a struggle for independence and Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown. The war ended after NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999, eventually forcing a withdrawal of its troops from the territory

On Monday, Kosovo police arrested two Kosovo

Serbs in connection with the case linked to the Kalluder site on suspicion of war crimes against the civilian population.

In Belgrade, the capital of neighboring Serbia, the government’s Office for Kosovo denounced the arrests, describing them as “terrorism, revenge and intimidation” of members of the Serbian community in Kosovo.

Ditor Haliti, a forensic team member, said preliminary assessments confirmed the remains were “of human origin and are of forensic significance.” Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Wednesday that authorities need to determine exactly what has been found.

“Our immediate suspicion, after learning that human remains had been found, was naturally that they could belong to the group of 23 intellectuals who were abducted and forcibly disappeared on April 19, 1999, in Mitrovica,” Kurti said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

President Donald Trump and Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, listen as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks in the Oval Office of the White House about Dulles International Airport modernization Wednesday in Washington.

U.S. launches strikesonIranian targets

BY QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

BAGHDAD The U.S.military launched retaliatory strikes Wednesday on Iranian targets in response to Tehran’sattack on American forces in Jordan. The barrage came after the U.S. partnered with Saudi Arabia to strike Iran-backed militias in neighboring Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers Thenew strikescame hours after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to hit Iran “very hard” after it targeted abase in Jordan that hosts U.S. troops. Iranian state media said two people were injured in attacks on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz and that explosions were also reported in Khuzestan province to the northwest Elsewhere, drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey.Itwas notimmediately clear who was responsible for the strikesona U.S.-ownedfloating storage facility and aGreek-owned tanker.Noinjuries were reported. The flare-ups on multiple fronts after several days of relativecalm raised the risk of areturn to all-outwar.It also underscored the diffi-

CO IN T MI EAST NFLICT HE DDLE AS

culty of winding down afivemonth conflictthat has jolted theworld economy and is unpopular among Americans. The fighting was also likely to add to concerns that the U.S.isfurtherdrawing down already diminished stockpilesofsophisticated munitions needed to defend its bases andallies. Egypt, aclose U.S. ally and regional mediator,isone of the onlycountries inthe Middle East to have been spared direct military action during thewar.A strike by Iran or its allies,ifconfirmed, wouldmarka significant widening of the conflict.

Asked during an Oval Office event if Iran was responsible for the strikes on the natural gasvessels, Trump responded: “It’sa little more of thesame.”

“In themeantime, we’re goingtobehitting them very hard because it’sour turn to hit them,” he added.

SaudiArabiahad accused the Iraqi militias of firing drones againstits oil facilities over thepast two days. An umbrellagroup of Iraqi militiasinitially deniedthe allegations, while another Iran-backed group —the Houthi rebels in Yemen— said theyhad attacked Saudi

LindseyGrahamfuneral held in S.C.

BY MEG KINNARD and JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. Sen. Lindsey Graham returnedfor thelasttime Wednesday to South Carolina, where powerful friends remembered him as someone who never stopped working for the state he loved After Graham was eulogized Tuesdayin the nation’scapital as an indefatigable dealmaker by the president, vice president and others, mourners in Columbia recalledhim as the son of poolhall owners who “was born with aplastic fork in his mouth,” as former Rep. Trey Gowdy put it.

The Republican seemed to know every mayor and small-townpolicechief and the location of every Chick-fil-A in South Carolina, and made sure GOP candidateshad moneytorun in legislative and localelections across the state.

“Lindsey Grahamunderstood the hopes anddreams and needs of his state and delivered every time,” said Republican Gov. Henry McMaster,who ended his remarks by telling Grahamheloved him.

Friendsrecallhumor,workethic

Graham died suddenly on July11athis home in Washington, likely of an aortic tear, according to preliminary findings.

He had just returned from awhirlwind trip to aNATOsummit in Turkey,where he celebrated his 71st birthday,and avisit to Ukraine as he negotiatedpunishing sanctions against Russia. Senators voted late Tuesday to advance the package as afinal gesture for their colleague.

Wednesday’sfuneral was at First Baptist, the giant downtown churchwhere his predecessor Republican Sen.Strom Thurmond was eulogized 23 years ago.

One of Graham’smany friends inCongress, Gowdy said the senator rose topower through humor,genuine caring forall people and arelentlessworkethic.

“It wasn’tthe trapping ofoffice hecared about. It was the work,” Gowdysaid.

Peacemaking, unpopularvotes Gowdyspoke for nearly 30 minutes. He

remembered aman who knew who he was, cast unpopular votes because they were the right thingtodo, loved kids even though he was never married or afather —one joking bit of advice Graham gave youngsters was to “never do for yourself what someoneelse will do for you” —and was the least pretentious person in politics.

“He was the worst at carrying agrudge,” Gowdy related, drawing laughterfromthe crowd.“Ihad to keep alist of who we were mad at because he could not remember who had done what.”

Peoplewho thought Graham was awarmonger were wrong, Gowdy said. President DonaldTrump said Tuesday that “Lindsey liked war.”

“Blessed be the peacemakers. He was on a trip that turned out to be his last trip trying to broker peace in awar where hundreds of thousands of people lost theirlives,” Gowdy said.

DemocraticU.S. Rep. JimClyburn, the only remaining member of theSouth Carolinadelegation in power when Graham arrived in Washington in 1995, read Psalm 23. Horse-drawncaisson

On Tuesday,Graham’s flag-draped casket was at the U.S. Capitol,where the Republican spentmore than 30 years talking and laughing and badgering his colleaguesinto action

Trump then joined foreign leadersata memorialservice at theWashington National Cathedral, atestament to Graham’sstature on the global stage, calling him “a giant of theUnited States Senate, atrueAmerican original who left us much too soon.”

Wednesday’sceremonies began at the Statehouse, where Graham started his political career in 1993. Ahorse-drawncaisson carrying his casket paused in front of a dozen law enforcement officers for aflyover by four military jets,and then proceeded to thechurch, wherehis family followed militarypallbearers inside. A130-member choir sang hymns Graham’sburial Wednesday near his home in PickensCounty was plannedasa private ceremony

Trump, DOJask SupremeCourt to toss $83M defamation verdictinCarroll case

BY LINDSAYWHITEHURST and LARRYNEUMEISTER Associated Press

WASHINGTON— President

Donald Trump andthe Justice Department are asking the Supreme Court to toss an $83 million defamation verdict won by writerE Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault, saying he can’tbesuedfor comments he made whilehe was president.

It’sthe second time Trump has asked the justices to nix damages awarded by ajury to Carroll, alongtime advice columnist and former TV talk show host. The Supreme Court refused in June to hear his appeal of another

verdict,for $5 million,that found him liable for sexual abuse anddefamation

The latest casecenters on comments Trumpmadeduringhis first term as president.The JusticeDepartment wants toinvoke the Westfall Act, which shields government employees from being sued for doing their jobs.

“Absentthis Court’sintervention, the sittingPresident is facing nearlyahundred million dollars of personal liability for conduct thatwas well within the scope of his federal office,” federal attorneys wrote Trump’slawyers, meanwhile,argued that an appeals court “engaged in

proceduralcontortions” to avoid addressing Trump’s claims thatpresidential immunityprotects him from the $83 millionaward because he made the statements in questionin2019 while he was president.

“This is the firstcasein our nation’shistory in which acourt has imposed damages liabilityonapresident for hisconductinoffice,” the lawyers wrote.

Trumphas long argued he cannotbesuedovercomments he made about Carrollduring his first term where he disavowed knowing herand attacked her motivationsfor going public with her story in arecent memoir

fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, acrucial waterway for globalenergy suppliesthat Iranian attacks have again effectively closed.

Aregional officialsaidmediators are “still trying with both sides” to restore calm andget the ceasefire back on track. He gave no details on whether progress wasbeing madeand spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomacy

Regional countries will continue to push to de-escalatethe situation, said an Arab official, adding that prospects for successful mediation wereslim as both sidescontinue to launchattacks on theother andhave shownnoinclination to stop.

“We’re in avery badplace right now,” said theofficial, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe an internalassessment of the situation.

primarily Shiite Iranianbacked armed groups that is officially underthe commandofthe Iraqi military, said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 wounded in the overnight strikes.

SixIranian advisers were also killed, according to two Iraqi militiaofficials,who spoke to TheAssociated Press on condition of anonymitybecause they were not authorized to comment publicly.Iran’sdeputy governor for political, security and social affairs in Markazi province told Iranian state media that four advisers werekilled.

energy facilities as part of a separate but related conflict.

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman metseparately on Wednesday with Trump andVicePresident JD Vance,according to aperson familiarwith the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly.The White House and Vice President’s office did not respond to requests for comment

Beforethe latest eruption mediators had expressed optimism about bringing theU.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table. An interim agreement collapsedin recent weeksoverrenewed

Iran’sparamilitaryRevolutionary Guard said it fired missilesTuesday at Jordan’s MuwaffaqSalti Air Base, a key U.S. military hub for the region, in astatementcarried by the state-run IRNA newsagency Jordan’smilitary said five Iranian missiles hadbeen intercepted and destroyed.

The U.S. militarylater announced that American andSaudi fighteraircraft hadstruckmultiple logisticsand weapons sitesin eastern Iraq in response to the alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The Popular Mobilization Forces,acoalitionof

The coalition joined the fight against the Islamic State groupafter it seized large sections of Iraqin 2014. The Iraqi government later designated the coalition as an “independent military formation” within thearmedforces,but the militiashave significant autonomyand somehave attacked U.S. facilities.

Iraq’sgovernment decried the U.S.-Saudi attacks, though aFox News reporter said in an on-air segment that Trump told him they weredone in coordination with the Iraqi government. Iraq’sNational Security Council said thestrikes had been carried out “while the Iraqi government was in contact with relevant parties to investigate andaddress all the concerns raised by theSaudi andAmerican sides.” It said “a number of innocentpeople”had been killed and wounded.

Thisstory is brought to youbyMeta.

Thenew Meta AI data centerbeing built in Richland Parish has broughta flowof newfaces to the Monroe area,driving up business forlong-term residents. The changehas broughtwith it opportunitiesfor newbusinessventures as well.

To seewhatall the buzz is about, Kelsey Higdon, Digital Sales Manager forNola.com and The Advocate,met up with Jonathan Joseph,co-ownerofDelta Biscuit,a breakfast and brunch restaurant that has been openfor aboutfive years, and Chris Holyfield, co-owner of DeltaBiscuit and owner of Holy Dippers, over some beignets and biscuits

Howhasbusinesschanged sinceMetaannounceditsnew datacenter?

Since Meta arrived, we’veexperienced having people from all over thecountry here whichhasbeengreat.We’vebeenwelcoming them, and it’spushed us in some interesting wayswith the menu as we catertodifferent tastes.It’salsobeen acommunity-building effort to be of service to the folkswho are working outatthe data center.

Iheardyouaddedsomenewmenu itemsbasedoncustomerrequests Isthattrue?

That’sright! We have the newsteak &eggs menu item. Theyloveitout thereatthe data centersite.

Tellmeaboutyourrecent businessventures?

With Meta coming to town, we started our first septic company calledHoly Dippers. Ourone-year anniversary is at theend of this month. It wasexciting to be able to

starta newbusinessfromscratch. We alsoopened anew restaurant calledAperothis pastyear,and it’s been quitea success

Howmanypeoplewereyou abletohirewiththosetwo businesses?

With Holy Dipperswehave about26employees at this time, and we arelooking to expand nationally, so hopefullythatwill grow tremendously in the next year or two. With theAperorestaurantwehave between 30 and 40 employees

HowdidyoutakeHolyDippersfrom beingjustanideatobecominga full-servicebusiness?

WhenMetafirstcametous, they asked if we coulddoit, but we didn’t knowanything aboutthe stepswehad to take. Istarted getting on the phone, tryingtofind out howmuchatruck wouldcost, howmuch insurance wouldbe, howmuch to pay drivers, and all thedifferentexpenses that go along withit.

Once Icould seewhatthe numberslooked like, Isubmittedabid. Over the next four or fiveweekswecreateda contract between thetwo companies,and it came together quickly.Ihad avision of howIwantedtorun everything,and we put ourheads together working on it daily.Atthe timewestarted, July 21 of lastsummer,wehad four trucks, and nowweare up to 17

Ifyouweretalkingtootherbusiness ownerswhojusthadamassivetech projectannouncedintheirtown, whatadvicewouldyougivethem? Get to knowthe contractorsand the ownership group. Networkand let them gettoknowwho youare and whatpotential youhavetohelp them on-site. These arebig companies, and they need help.Theycan’t do it by themselves.Just let them know whatyou canoffer as youget to know who they are. Lastly, embrace this newjourney and all thenew people who arecoming.It’s probably bigger than youthink, and it forces youtobeinnovative.

Check outthe menufor Delta Biscuit at www.deltabiscuit.com.

Formoreinformation on the Meta projectinRichland Parish, see meta.com/ BuildingLouisiana

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANMAR KHALIL

Mourners carry thecoffins of PopularMobilizationForces fighters during their funeral at the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq,onThursday,after theywere killed in airstrikes on PMFbases

By Stevie CavalierLicciardi stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com

Blanche vote delayed as senators withhold support

They’re not willing to accept nominee without assurance about IRS settlement

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general stalled Wednesday as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote after key Republicans demanded more assurances about the settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had been expected to vote Thursday on whether to advance Blanche’s nomination to the full chamber But resistance from two Republican senators on the committee who could block Blanche’s nomination threw his confirmation into doubt.

A spokesperson for the committee said in a statement Wednesday night that the vote would be postponed “as work continues to secure sufficient support.” The delay came after hours of negotiations between the Justice Department and Republican Sens. John

Cornyn and Thom Tillis over the controversial settlement that afforded Trump and members of his family protection from tax audits.

At the center of the fight is the resolution of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. It included a deal to drop tax claims against the president and a now-scrapped plan to create a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate people who believe they were wronged by the Justice Department. The department said in June

that it was no longer moving forward with the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” amid bipartisan outrage, but officials have said the audit immunity agreement remains in place.

Cornyn and Tillis have demanded additional assurances in writing that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is dead and have pressed for clarification on the scope of the tax immunity deal. Cornyn has said he wants the administration to modify that piece of the settlement to make clear that it covers

only existing audits and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.

Cornyn, who recently lost the Republican primary in Texas, accused the Justice Department earlier Wednesday of “stonewalling” and said “the ball is in Blanche’s court.”

“We’re been trying to help them get to a conclusion here and they won’t let us. It’s befuddling to me,” Cornyn told reporters.

Blanche didn’t answer shouted questions from reporters as he left Capitol Hill, where he had been meeting with senators Wednesday The Justice Department sent Cornyn and Tillis new language Wednesday evening in an effort to satisfy their demands, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive discussions surrounding Blanche’s confirmation.

After the vote was postponed, the department said in a statement that it looks “forward to continuing to work productively with Senators to address any concerns.”

Trump on Wednesday downplayed any concerns about Blanche’s path to confirmation, calling his attorney general pick and former personal attorney “outstanding.”

“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse

him,” Trump told reporters in response to questions about the senator’s requests.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the state’s Republican nomination for the U.S Senate easily defeating Cornyn. Trump had endorsed Paxton.

Some lawmakers have questioned whether the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” could be resurrected absent a commitment in writing from the Trump administration that it is not moving forward, especially since Trump has expressed continued support for the idea. Blanche had previously resisted requests for a formal written retraction, though he told senators at his confirmation hearing earlier this month that the administration would be willing to help craft legislation to bar the creation of the fund.

The settlement resulting from Trump’s lawsuit over his leaked tax returns has drawn intense scrutiny both in Congress and in court. The judge handling the case said in a scathing ruling earlier this month that Trump had effectively engaged in self-dealing through the lawsuit and that she was troubled Blanche had signed the settlement, given his prior representation of Trump. Blanche has said he disagrees “with the judge’s insinuations” about him.

BY JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

A man was convicted Wednesday of federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie, the author who has faced a decades-old death threat over his novel “The Satanic Verses.” After just a couple of hours of deliberations, a jury found Hadi Matar guilty of all the charges against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. Rushdie, who was about to speak on writers’ safety, was slashed 15 times on an amphitheater stage in 2022. He was gravely wounded and lost the sight in his right eye. Prosecutors asserted that Matar was motivated by the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhol-

lah Khomeini’s 1989 call for Rushdie’s death because of “The Satanic Verses.”

“His brutal attack on Mr. Rushdie during a peaceful speaking event is a chilling reminder of the global reach of Iranian terrorism,”

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a statement after the verdict, adding that “justice has been done.” Iran’s government has denied involvement in the attack.

During the trial, defense lawyer Nathaniel Barone said the government had no proof of what was in Matar’s head Matar himself declined to testify Rushdie did, telling jurors: “I can’t say what his ambitions or his aim was, but the wounds were dispersed across my body.”

Matar 28 is already serving a 25-year New York state prison sentence on an attempted murder conviction in the stabbing. His federal sentencing is set for Nov 3, when he faces a potential life term.

Rushdie won Britain’s prestigious Booker Prize for his 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children,” about his native India. “The Satanic Verses,” a novel of magical realism about the lives and dreams of two actors who survive a plane explosion, followed in 1988. It drew critical acclaim in the United Kingdom but engendered protests around the Muslim world over what some believers saw as blasphemous suggestions about Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, particularly in a dream sequence Over the ensuing years, at least

45 people were killed in riots over the book, a Japanese translator was stabbed to death, and an Italian translator and Norwegian publisher were attacked.

Rushdie, who was born into a Muslim family, has said the dream sequence was just that. But he went into hiding for years, gradually emerging after Iran’s government distanced itself in 1998 from Khomeini’s fatwa, or religious edict.

“For two decades or more, I led a public life without a hint of trouble,” Rushdie testified at the trial in Buffalo, New York.

Yet the fatwa was never rescinded; indeed, Khomenei’s successor, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei indicated in 2017 that it remained in effect. An Iranian foundation has offered a more than $3 million

bounty for killing Rushdie. Matar broached the fatwa with contacts in messaging apps in 2021 and 2022, according to exhibits shown in court. The messages showed Matar fuming that he felt Rushdie had attacked Islam and, by surviving, emboldened others to insult the faith.

Born in the U.S., Matar also holds citizenship in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based. Prosecutors said that photos in Matar’s New Jersey bedroom and on his computer indicated his support for Hezbollah, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.

Matar “spent months planning and preparing to carry out what he hoped would be the execution of Salman Rushdie,” U.S Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said Wednesday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks July 15 during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Hensgens said he declined LED’s offer earlier this year to sign an NDA about a potential deal for an aerospace company in Vermilion Parish. Blue Origin and SpaceX are reportedly exploring a deal in the Acadiana area.

After Hensgens told LED he would not sign the aerospace NDA, state officials told him he was already under a “blanket” NDA that LED offered to all state senators last year, he said. He said he doesn’t remember signing the document electronically and that he asked LED to terminate it upon finding out. State officials have defended the use of nondisclosures, saying they’re necessary for closing economic development deals, but Landry has also embraced nondisclosure agreements for other uses, records show Around 100 staffers in Landry’s administration — from assistants to the head of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality — have signed the agreements as a condition of working for Landry barring them from disclosing information about the Governor’s Office under the threat of lawsuit.

WWNO originally reported the staff NDAs, called “employee confidentiality agreements,” and identified 121 such records. The outlet also reported that Landry personally signed an NDA with a subsidiary of Meta. Landry’s spokesperson, Kate Kelly didn’t respond to multiple messages seeking comment. Kelly is among the Landry staffers who signed an NDA, along with former chief of staff Kyle Ruckert and executive counsel Angelique Freel, according to records obtained by The Times-Picayune | The Advocate.

LED has negotiated dozens of economic development deals under NDAs resulting in the agency committing billions in public dollars to private companies before disclosing details to the public. For instance, Hyundai won $2.6 billion in incentives after secret negotiations Officials also used NDAs to negotiate a $7 million incentive package for LIV Golf for a New Orleans golf tournament that fell through.

“We can’t look at these proposed investments as always being positive,” said Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, who is among the few senators who declined to sign an NDA. “How do we ask the tough questions if we’re under these restric-

NUCLEAR

Continued from page 1A

The U.S has been looking for new sites to dispose of its nuclear waste for decades Edwin Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a science advocacy group, was more skeptical of the program. In his view, the federal government is promising new investment to states willing to accept the burden of storing nuclear waste “It really is all about finding another place to be the nation’s radioactive dumping ground,” Lyman said of the federal program.

‘Outside the box’

As part of its pitch to the Department of Energy Louisiana said that it could build new nuclear reactors in the northwest part of the state to power a military site and data centers. It proposed a new nuclear research center in Baton Rouge. And it suggested that it could store nuclear waste in salt domes on the outer continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of America. The idea of doing so, the proposal acknowledges, is an “outside-the-box option.”

It also says that Louisiana is proposing to store nuclear waste in federal waters in order to bypass a state law that prohibits using salt domes in the state to store nuclear waste.

tions?”

LED and other public agencies have faced scrutiny over the practice. A group of nonprofits and residents sued officials in Ascension Parish last year, alleging the parish must hand over NDAs. A judge agreed in May

Nonprofits have sued LED in state court over the Hyundai deal, alleging the agency should have gotten approval from the state Bond Commission, a case that remains ongoing.

LED spokesperson Emma Wagner declined to comment on lawmakers terminating their NDAs She said LED offered “general NDAs” to the entire state Senate and certain House leaders. A list provided by LED shows that the vast majority of state senators signed the document Wagner added that NDAs “are for confidentiality, which is not the same as secrecy.” She declined to elaborate.

Meta has also defended the use of NDAs, saying the company has gone through the standard regulatory channels for the deal.

LED has defended the use of NDAs in the past, saying they’re needed to compete with other states for billiondollar economic development projects.

“From a business side, it makes total sense,” LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said last month in an interview “Why would you telegraph to your competitors? Or why would we telegraph to other states what we’re offering?”

‘Betrayed’

At least 44 members of the Louisiana Legislature have signed nondisclosure agree-

This isn’t the first time that the idea has been floated of using salt domes — the huge underground layers of salt that were deposited as ancient oceans evaporated and were covered over with sediment as the Gulf rose and fell — to store nuclear waste, which can stay radioactive for thousands of years.

The idea is to hollow out the dome and to fill the resulting underground cavern with nuclear waste. Already, the federal government stores crude oil in underground salt caverns along the Louisiana and Texas coasts as part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the U.S.’s backup fuel supply Federal researchers first looked into the idea of using Louisiana’s salt domes in the 1970s. That idea met widespread public backlash, and it was ultimately killed in favor of storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain in Nevada. But the Yucca Mountain proposal met local backlash, too, and the U.S now has no place to permanently store more than 95,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel.

“What’s happening now is this stuff is being stored on concrete pads at every nuclear power plant across the nation, instead of some safer centralized area,” said Clayton Smith, the radiation safety officer at Tulane University He thinks the idea of using salt domes merits further investigation

“I’m not a geologist, but I think salt-dome disposition is a wonderful idea,” he said.

ments with LED, according to copies of the contracts. That includes 30 members of the Senate and 14 House members.

But the pressure has been building over whether to stay locked into the agreements.

Rep. Joy Walters, DShreveport, said LED offered her an NDA last year to learn more about economic development deals in her district, including projects by the rapper 50 Cent, who has invested in Shreveport in recent years.

Then her constituents started raising questions about a planned Amazon data center in her district. They also pushed back against her decision to sign an NDA, she said. She said her constituents felt “betrayed” by it.

In May, she asked for the NDA to be canceled, and LED’s director of legislative affairs Chris Stelly wrote back saying the contract was terminated. He added that any confidential or proprietary information LED may have shared remains subject to the NDA for another year

“My district feels strongly they do not want me to be under an NDA,” Walters said. “They don’t want any elected officials to be under an NDA.”

Sen. Hodges, R-Denham Springs, said in a statement that she “was told that in order to have a seat at the table to represent my constituents” about economic development deals, she would need to sign an NDA.

“But what I heard back from the voters was that they prefer transparency — so of course, I withdrew my consent to the NDA,” she said. “I will always try and

“Over time, that salt will naturally encapsulate and compact all of that waste.”

Buildout for data centers

The proposal argues that growing demand from data centers strengthens the case for expanding Louisiana’s nuclear power infrastructure. Meta is building a $50 billion facility in Richland Parish that will cover 6 square miles. Louisiana will need a huge amount of additional nuclear power to facilitate the construction of similar data centers, according to the report.

Jackson Voss, government affairs and policy coordinator with the Alliance for Affordable Energy, which advocates for electricity customers, questioned whether the state should be prioritizing new nuclear energy over other forms of power

“There are not going to be very many cases where wind and solar deployment — especially as those technologies continue to improve — are not going to be the best deal,” he said. “They tend to be the most affordable, reliable and sustainable option.”

Patrick Courreges, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy, stressed that the state’s proposal is still a pitch to the federal government and does not constitute any set plan for the management of spent nuclear fuel.

“We want to be part of that national discussion for nuclear energy,” he said “We’re on the shortlist.”

have signed with other companies include: a defense contractor called American Rheinmetall; the artificial intelligence company Anthropic; Entergy New Orleans for a project called “Project Firestarter”; and Ochsner, the state’s largest health system. The deals have code names like “Project Steel” and “Project Tiger” to keep their details secret.

Entergy New Orleans spokesperson Beau Tidwell declined to answer questions about “Project Firestarter.” He said in a statement that Entergy routinely participates in economic development deals and that “it is not uncommon that in some instances an NDA is requested by an interested party during the early stages of scouting locations for development.”

information that’s a public record the law says must be produced. In effect, Ciolino said, the move toward NDAs shifts “control over public information away from rules set by the Legislature and toward ad hoc agreements” drafted by the executive branch.

“What’s unusual here is not the idea that some government information can be temporarily confidential — the law already accounts for that,” he said. “What’s unusual is using private contracts to layer additional secrecy obligations on top of, and potentially beyond, what the public records and economic development statutes permit.”

do my best to represent my constituents and what is best for them.”

Wheat, R-Ponchatoula, also asked to cancel his NDA. He said he was OK with NDAs that sought to protect proprietary information shared by companies, but he felt the agreement was too broad.

“Obviously we want companies to come and we want their private information to be protected,” he said. “I understand the basis of that business arrangement. But at the same time, I don’t think it should be used as a method of not informing people who are going to be affected by projects.”

LED has signed nearly 300 NDAs since Landry took office in January 2024 That’s one NDA every three days, on average.

The confidentiality agreements span dozens of potential business deals. Officials signed them with Hyundai leading up to a deal that gave a $2.6 billion incentive package to the company Louisiana officials also signed them with Meta for a deal that gave the tech giant potentially billions in tax breaks for a massive north Louisiana data center NDAs that LED officials

“We work with our regulators in an open and transparent process that requires their ultimate approval if a development moves forward,” he said.

Bourgeois, of LED, said in a June interview that her agency signs NDAs to avoid “telegraphing” to competing states what Louisiana is offering in the way of tax breaks and other incentives. She said the NDAs cover all details of the project.

“It’s what the companies expect and it’s how you remain competitive to land these projects,” she said.

‘Secrecy obligations’

Landry’s use of NDAs is unusual, particularly for staff members, according to legal scholars.

Dane Ciolino, a Loyola University law professor, said the NDAs cannot legally override information that is subject to the state public records law, which allows the public to view government documents.

Exemptions to that law must come from statutes, not private contracts, he said.

He said a staffer could theoretically face legal action from the governor if they broke their contract, but it’s unlikely if they leak

“The trends in state government the last few years are alarming from a public access standpoint,” added Haley Gentry, assistant director of the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy Gentry said she has struggled to get access to certain information as she tried to evaluate the impact of data centers and industrial plants on water resources because of NDAs.

Duplessis was offered an NDA by LED along with the rest of the state Senate. Duplessis said he understands how a “narrowly tailored” NDA to protect proprietary business information could be useful. And he added that he supports LED’s efforts to attract businesses to the state. But he said public trust in government is at an “alltime low,” and that “sweeping NDAs” that prevented him from talking publicly raised concerns. Duplessis was ultimately one of just nine state senators who refused to sign an NDA, records show

“I want to be keyed in on what’s happening in my district too,” Duplessis said “I certainly understand why some of them may have signed it.”

“The flip side is, what if I find out something about this deal that I don’t like? Am I limited from speaking out against it?”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Dina Powell McCormick, president and vice chair at Meta, talks about Meta’s commitment to Richland Parish and Louisiana on July 6

BUSINESS

xAI

sues Minn. over ‘nudification’ ban

Elon Musk’scompany xAI has sued Minnesota over the state’s first-in-the-nation law that bans “nudification” technologyon websites and apps, potentially providing atestfor howfar states can go in constitutionally regulating theuse of artificial intelligence.

Musk’scompany sued Monday in federal court, days beforethe lawisset to take effect Saturday and makeMinnesota the first state to try to outlaw theincreasingly proliferating technology that letspeople use AI to create fake nude images of real people. The law was signed in May

In the 38-page lawsuit, xAI —whose AI modelchatbot and image generator Grokis available on thesocial media platform known as X, formerly Twitter,and elsewhere —said it doesnot contest the state’s interest in banning the distributionofAI-generated nude imagesofreal people without theirconsent. ButitsaidMinnesota’s law “extends farbeyond that goal,” banning many constitutionally protectedimages and video and subjecting the company to apenalty of $500,000 per violation.

The lawsuit argues thereis no “safe harbor” provision for companies that make good faith efforts to prevent such images from being created by users, and thatitcovers images that were consented to by the depicted person, or even created by that person.

It also says the law’sdefinitionof“intimate part” is overly broad, coveringbodyparts that are routinelydisplayed in public The law is distinct from state and federal laws that outlaw deepfakes, AI-generatedsexually explicit images of people without their consent. Those laws typically penalizethe people who use the tools to make these images, not the makers of the tools themselves

The federalTake it Down Act, passedlast year,also requires websitesand apps to implementaprocess to removethose images.

Musk launches X Money via invite only NEW YORK Elon Musk’ssocial mediacompany X, formerly known as Twitter,launched its ownbank account-like product where users cansend moneytoone another

The service, known as X Money,isnot anew bank. X Money is using technologyand banking services providedby CrossRiverBank, and branding that backbone as XMoney It is common for new financial companies to use atraditional bank’s backbone to launch its services, as chartering anew bank is atimely and costly process. Currently XMoney is invite only,and users will receive a “X”-branded Visa debitcard that is useable at any ATM. Users of Xwill be able to send money to other Xusersinrealtime, the company said. Invitationsare only availabletoX’s paying members presently In order to attract customers, XMoney is offering a6%yield on depositsand 3% cashback on eligible purchases. In order to earn the 6% yield, acustomer wouldneedtodepositatleast $1,000 into an account.Customers wouldalsohave to be signed up forX’s premium services, which is at least $8 amonth. It would require at least adeposit of $1,600 in order to cover X’s premium services cost. Musk has long talked about turning Xinto an “everything app” that would include financial services Musk has his origins in financialservices, creating one of the first online banks under the brand X.com. That company was later bought and merged intowhatisnow known as PayPal.

Fedleavesinterestrate unchanged; 3dissent

Warshpraises

‘goodfamily fight’

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The Federal Reserveleftits keyinterest rate unchanged Wednesday,although three officials dissented in favor of higher rates as the central bank wrestles with how to deal with persistentlyhigh inflation

The Fed’srate-setting committeereached itsdecision after two days of deliberations, marking thefifthstraight meeting at which thebenchmark rate waskeptat around 3.6%.

Some economists andWall Street analysts had predicted the Fed would hike itsrate by aquarterpoint. But while the decision to stand pat could be seen as good news for consumers, they might notfeelmuchreliefwiththe average credit card rate still near 20% and mortgagerates thehighest since last August.

Inflation has beenstuck above the centralbank’s2%target for more than fiveyears. The Iran war has generated uncertainty over the economic outlook and has driven energy prices higher, intensifyinginflationary pressure andcreating aquandaryfor Fed policymakers. In addition, the vast amounts of money being spent by technology companies on artificial intelligence areboth driving manufacturing andhave resultedinincreased prices for items such as computer chips and electricity.President Donald

Trump’stariffs on foreign goods are also adding to inflation pressures.

The threeofficials whodissented —Beth Hammack, president of theFederal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; Neel Kashkari,president of the Minneapolis Fed; and Lorie Logan, president of the DallasFed —had previously called fororsignaledthattheywould be open to raising rates to combat high prices “The dissents send aclear message: The Fedisnot yet convinced theinflation battlehas been won,” said Seema Shah, chief global strategistatPrincipal Asset Management.

At anews conference following the rate decision, FedChair Kevin Warsh reiteratedthe Fed’scommitment to combatinginflation.

At the same time, Warsh said, “We have no magic wand. This isn’t something we’re going to be able to carry out in days or weeks.”

Warsh said he welcomed vigorous debate at the committee meeting. “I askedfor agood family fight and Igot one,”hetoldreporters at anewsconference.

Warsh, who wasappointed by President Donald Trump, has sought to bring anumber of changestothe Fed including giving financial markets fewer signals about the Fed’sthinking on interest rates. He said he believed that reticence was afactor in the bond marketpushing up yields in thepastfew weeksasitweighed neweconomic data

The market is “learning to play theball and not the referee,” Warsh said.

SinkingAI stocks drag Wall Street lower

NEWYORK— Oilprices gotback to jumping on Wednesday, while sinking technology stocks dragged Wall Street lower amid uncertainty about what the Federal Reserve will do to gethigh inflation under control.

The action was more decisive in the oil market, where the priceofBrent crude leaped 7.3% to settle at $88.09 per barrel after fighting resumed in the war with Iran andraisedworries about the global flow of oil.

Brent oil’sprice had swung as low as $72 early this month and as high as $102 last weekon uncertaintyabout whether the United States andIran could reach adeal to allowoil tankers to movefreely again from the Middle East to customers worldwide.

The swings have raised worries that inflation will reaccelerate, and traders came into the day betting on aroughly 34% probabilitythatthe Fed would raise itsmaininterest rate in the afternoon, according to data from CME Group. Higher rates can keep alid on inflation, but they can also slow the economy and undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

Fedofficials instead voted to keep the federal funds rate steady,though three members of thepolicymaking committee did wanttoraise rates.

BYCHANHO-HIM Associated Press

HONG KONG The U.S. Federal Communica-

tions Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in amove that targets China. Beijing quickly accused theU.S.ofprotectionism

The measures arelikely to test relations with Beijingahead of aplanned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet withU.S. President Donald TrumpinSeptember.China dominatesthe globalmarketfor humanoid robots withanestimated market share of roughly 85%.

TheFCC’sban also includes newimports of quadruped robots, often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. The agency said importsofadvancedrobots pose cybersecurity and other national security risks. Offshore production of such equipment also leaves U.S. supply chains vulnerable to disruptions. The ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current (DC) electricity intoalternating current(AC)electricity and are used in renewable energysystems,

datacentersand household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications.

Latest in U.S. restrictions

FCC chair Brendan Carr said Tuesday that themovewas to “secure America’scritical supply chains.” He saidthe bans apply to “new versions”ofsuch imports.

The FCC’sbans follow aslew of U.S. restrictionsonimports of Chineseproducts, including drones, and on exports of U.S. advanced technology to China.

The U.S. is also weighing controls on use of Chinese open-sourceartificial intelligence models at atime when Chinese AI is rapidly gaining ground.

“It’sasteady drumbeat of potential flashpoints heading into(the) Trump-Xi summit planned for September,” said Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank focused on Chinese technology policies. China has been rapidly expanding the use of robots, withpolicies supporting itstechnology sector.Morgan Stanleyanalystsforecast its market for humanoids could reach $15 billion by 2030.

“Chinesemanufacturers have been scaling

production andreducingcosts faster than mostoverseas competitors,” saidanalyst Kangyuxiao Li at Morningstar “Restricting their access to the U.S. removes an important future market and protects U.S. developers from potential price competition,” he said. “However,itwill not materially slowChina’s overallhumanoid development,giventhe size of itsdomestic manufacturing base and opportunitiesin other export markets.”

Of the around 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, Unitree and AGIBOT,two of China’s largest advanced robotics companies,each shippedmorethan 5,000. Their U.S.counterparts, like Tesla and FigureAI, each shippeda fewhundred or less, according to the technology research and advisory group Omdia.

On therestrictions on power inverters, Cheng Wang, another Morningstar analyst, said thepressureonU.S.markets should be limited. The ban appears to not impact the continued

nor

of

thatwerepreviously

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByMARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Federal Reserve Board Chair Kevin Warsh speaks at aWednesdaynews conference at theFederal Reserve in Washington.

injecting new drama into partisandivides that have festered for years about the origins and handlingofthe pandemic.Fauci himself has become apolarizingfigure, even receivingdeath threats that prompted himtoseek security In hisopeningstatement,Fauci said Paulhas an “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution.”

“The only conclusion Ican reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicatehis repeated public pledges that Iend up, in his words, quote, behind bars, unquote,” Fauci said, adding that while it pained him to do so, he was following his attorney’sadvice by taking the Fifth.

Paul, who has long argued that Fauci should be criminally investigated, based on his beliefthatthe scientist was dishonest in previous testimony to Congress, announced that the committee willvote next week on whether to holdFauci in contempt for declining to answer questions.

He did not say whether he would push for acriminal contempt referral to federalprosecutors or another charge.

He also raised questions about whether Fauci’spardon affects his eligibility for Fifth Amendment protections.

In the combativehearing, Paul and other Republicans accused Faucioflying in earlier testimony about the coronavirus’ origins, something the longtime National Institutes of Health scientist has forcefully denied.

Democrats called the hearing a politically motivated attemptat entrapping Fauci and praised the scientist for his work during the pandemic.

TRIAL

Continued from page1A

Hours after Harris died, his wife told detectives his death mightberelated to his job. Investigators learned that afew months earlier, Harris had accused Brooks of dragging him from a truck in anger,injuring him on the job.

Prosecutors, led by 18th Judicial District Attorney Tony Clayton,claim Harris’ injury,and the subsequent lawsuit he intended to file, motivated the company’s ownerand her42-year-old brother DavidBrooks to arrange for his killing. Their plan ultimately culminated in a27-year-old from Vicksburg, Mississippi, named Johnnie Hicks pulling the trigger,prosecutors claim in court records.

During pretrial testimony, detectivessaid they traced DNA evidencefrom acouch pillow left at the door of Harris’ bedroom to Hicks who two months earlier had been released on parole from aMississippi prison where he was serving time for armed robbery.Detectives also reported recovering a40-caliber bullet casing, which latermatcheda gun found in the backyard of David Brooks.

Agrand jury indicted the Brooks siblings and Hicks on aslew of charges, including conspiracy,seconddegree murder,principalto second-degreemurderand aggravated burglary.Ifconvicted as charged, they face life in prison.

Clayton also plans to bring in afourth allegedco-conspirator as akey witness for the state: Javadda Lewis, who allegedly kept watch outside Harris’ home while Hicks pulled thetrigger and was offered aplea deal in exchangefor testifying. Clayton told potential jurors last week that he plannedto use Lewis’ testimony to corroborate evidence— including troves of video footage andcellphone data —tying the four co-defendantsto Harris’sdeath.

With Fauci declining to answer questionsthroughout, Paul dominated the approximately threehour hearing,listing alitany of accusations and detailed questions. “Today willbethe capstone to AnthonyFauci’s40years of abuse of power at NIH,” Paul said. “History will judge, but the facts as we now know them paint asordidtale of dishonesty,misjudgment and ultimately the hubris, the likes of which the world hasnever seen.”

In aheated moment during the hearing, Paul ejected Fauci’sattorney,DavidSchertler,from the room after he tried to speak without being recognized. In astatement, Schertler saidthe removal was “outrageous and demonstrates the completelybiased andbaselessnature of this proceeding.” In another statement, he called Paul’s accusations about Fauci“false anddisgraceful.”

Democraticsenatorspraised Fauci andsaid he didn’tdeserve the treatment he wasgetting.

June 19 interview with prosecutors, which led to him becoming awitnessfor the state, contradicts whathe told investigators shortly after Harrisdied. Prosecutors say that 12 days before Harrisdied, the Dudley Debosier law firm mailed anotice of intent to file alawsuit on behalf of Harris against Rilonda Brooks’ trucking company, claiming she attacked him on thejob theprevious July Rilonda and David Brooks both grew up in Newellton in Tensas Parish and attended Southern University,where DavidBrooks also played football, according to pretrial filings from hisdefense team. In December 2023, both had recently received more than $4.9 millionfrom asettlementwith atrucking company inBeaumont, Texas,after it washeldresponsible for an accident that killed theirmother, court records show Hosea Anderson,chief of police for Maringouin and lead detective on the case, said it was common knowledgeinthe town the twohad recently come into alarge sum of money

“Other people knew,”he testified during abail hearinginthe case.

After the incident with Harris, theBrookssiblings began regularlycallingOrlando Jackson, aNewellton manwith multiplearrests for drug trafficking, prosecutors said in pretrialfilings.Jackson ultimatelyput them in touch with Lewis, prosecutors added.

The night Harris was killed, license plate readers, surveillance footage and cellphone data show Lewis andHicks,the allegedgunman, driving together—and they stopped to talk with David Brooks at hishome in Pointe Coupee Parish before pulling into thevictim’s

“I don’tlike him …you’re not going to like him; he may be aliar,” Clayton acknowledged to ajury panel. “But the evidence is the evidence. It is what it is.”

The three teams of defense lawyers indicated during jury selection they would attempt to sow doubt in Lewis’ testimony —telling jurors he may have an incentiveto lie They also have notedin pretrial filingsthatLewis

“This hearing is designed to entrap you,”saidSen.Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.

Leading up to the hearing, Paul released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’spersonal diary covering the pandemic years. Pointing to some notes about early efforts at understandinghow thevirus emerged,Paulsaid on social media thatwhat Fauci“wrote privately and what he told the country are two different stories.”

Some of the diaryentries —including Fauci’suncertainty in the pandemic’searliest days as scientists around the world raced to understand the new virus and how best to curbitbefore vaccines could be created —alreadywere reflected in a2024 memoirand in interviews at the time.

Butthey have nonethelessdrawn attentionfrompeople whoblame Fauci formask mandates, school closures and other policies they believeinfringed on theirrights as hundreds of thousandsofpeople

driveway about 4a.m., prosecutors allege.

Twodaysbefore, Rilonda Brookshad texted her brother the address.

“White truck under carport,” shetexted David, referring to Harris’ car,according to cellphone data the prosecution said it obtained.

By 5a.m., surveillance footageshows Lewisback in David Brooks’ driveway Lewis hands him something wrappedina grayT-shirt, thenpointstohis head and motions the “pulling of a trigger,” prosecutors say. Separate footageshows David Brookslater carrying thegray T-shirt to theback of his property,according to prosecutors.

By late September,anIberville Parish detectiverecovered agun from that location, later matched toacasing found at thecrimescene, according to courtfilings.

The day Harris died, Rilonda Brooks was in Mississippi on what she has describedtodetectivesasa work trip. But prosecutors claim cellphone records fromthose early morning hours show she was communicating with herbrother Lewis andHicks.

In addition to principalto murder, second-degree murder,and burglarycharges, all fourdefendants have been charged withobstruction of justice.

Detectivesexecuteda search warrant to obtain surveillance footagefrom the home of DavidBrooks that they expected tobe stored on adigital video recorder. When detectives showed up to retrieve it, Brooks claimed his house had been broken into and theDVR andhis cellphone stolen, adetective testified during abailhearing in case.

When detectives arrested Rilonda Brooks at her Mar-

were dying.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday wroteonsocial media that he stopped relying on Fauci over the course of the pandemic because he felt thescientist made bad decisions aboutmasks,shutdowns,and other issues. He later told reporters he watched the entirehearing.

HealthSecretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr,alongtimeanti-vaccineactivist before entering public office, said on social media that hisdepartment had foundthe diary entries on government property and had given themtothe committee.

Scientists also scrambledto Fauci’sdefense ahead of the unusualhearing —the secondtime he has been back before Congress to discuss pandemic origins since leaving thegovernment in 2022 While theCOVID-19 pandemic introduced him to millions of Americans,hetalkedthe nation through numerousoutbreaks over decades, including HIV,Ebola andthe 2001

anthraxattacks, while advising seven presidents. In apublic letter,more than 150 infectious-disease experts and other scientists wrote that “no credible evidence has been produced to support these absurd charges” and that theyare urging electedofficials to “stop these witch-hunts.” Among topics discussed at Wednesday’shearingwas whether NIH-funded research in China may have played arole in how the pandemic started.

Many scientists believe the virus mostlikely emerged in nature and jumped from animals to people, coming to lightwhen it spreadat awildlife market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. There’snonew scientific evidence supporting the theory that the virus might instead have leaked from alaboratory,a theory Paul champions. AGOPled subcommittee that studied the question in 2024 found no evidence linking Fauci to wrongdoing.

Fauci has long said publicly that he wasopen to both theories but thatthere’s more evidencesupporting COVID-19’snatural origins.

Republicans also have accused Fauci of lying about whether his agency funded what’sknownas gain-of-function research —the practice of enhancing avirus in a lab to study its potential real-world impact —atalab in Wuhan.

TheNIH,for years,gavegrants to aNew York nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance, which used some of thefunds to work with a Chinese lab studying coronaviruses commonly carried by bats. But the definition of gain-of-function covers both general research and especially risky experiments thatenhancethe ability of potential pandemic viruses to spread or cause severe disease in humans. Fauci haspreviouslystressed he was using the risky experiment definition and “it would be molecularly impossible” for those bat virus experiments to have turned into the pandemic virus.

ingouin home, they reported finding aDVR hidden in apillowcase. It contained thefootage showing David Brooks meeting with Lewis twicethe morning Harris died, then carrying an object wrappedina grayT-shirt, detectives testified. Lewis— theman prosecutors have said theyplanto call as awitness —was arrested in July 2025 after U.S. marshals found him in atrailer in Edwards, Mississippi.

Detectives reported that when the car Lewis allegedlydrove the night Harris was killed was recovered two days after the slaying, about $6,000 in cash was found in the glovebox. In pretrial filings,prosecutors sayLewis told them David Brooksofferedhim akilogram of cocaine for the hit, while Hicks waspromised a job at the trucking company. “Me and David Brooks discussed aplan, Johnnie agreed to it, and Idrove him back up there to do it,” prosecutors say Lewis toldthem

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALLISONROBBERT

911 call played in trial of mother accused of

BY MICHAEL CASEY and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Lind-

say Clancy sobbed in court

Wednesday as jurors listened to the anguished 911 call her then-husband made after returning from an errand to find she’d strangled their three children in their Massachusetts home.

On the roughly 7-minute recording, Patrick Clancy can be heard speaking with his wife upon finding her badly injured and bleeding in their yard, after she jumped from the home’s second-story window

“Look at me,” he says.

“Say my name.”

He then tells the dispatcher he’s going to check on the children. Moments later, he howls and cries after finding them in the basement The confused dispatcher repeatedly asks what happened

“She killed the kids!” he yells.

Three years after their deaths, the murder trial has centered on Lindsay Clancy’s mental state at the time. Her lawyers will seek to prove she had postpregnancy psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and

hormonal changes that follow childbirth Prosecutors say Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, acted intentionally and is criminally responsible for the deaths of 3-year-old Dawson, 5-yearold Cora, and 8-month-old Callan in January 2023.

Her lawyer said in opening arguments Monday that she had bipolar disorder, and that antidepressants prescribed after the birth of her third child worsened her condition. On the day of the killings, Lindsay Clancy said she heard a voice telling her “This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself,” according to her lawyer If convicted of murder she faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility

Patrick Clancy has said in interviews that he forgives his ex-wife, whom he viewed as ill rather than evil. The trial marks the first time he has seen Lindsay Casey

since the killings.

Husband’s testimony

Patrick Clancy testified Wednesday that his last image of Dawson was of the boy sitting on the couch, eating chicken nuggets and green beans. Lindsay Clancy had asked her husband to make a quick trip for takeout food and medication at a pharmacy for Cora. Prosecutors say this was an excuse to get him out of the house. Jurors were shown surveillance video from the pharmacy of Patrick Clancy on the phone with his wife,

asking a question about the medicine.

“She was pretty quiet. It sounded like she was busy,” he testified Wednesday “I remember hanging up thinking she was probably in the middle of giving baths or something like that.”

Returning home, it was unusually silent. He called out to his family

When no one answered, he searched the children’s rooms and the bathroom, again thinking they might be in the tub, before finding blood throughout the main bedroom and a window open.

Injured but conscious, Lindsay Clancy told him she’d tried to kill herself and that the kids were in the basement, without saying they were dead. He didn’t realize he was still on the phone with 911 as he ran downstairs to find each had been strangled with exercise bands.

Lindsay Clancy’s parents, seated in the front of the court, also cried as the call was played. Patrick had already left the room after finishing his testimony

Jurors were shown the clothes each child had been wearing, with a prosecu-

kids

tor pulling the items from clear plastic evidence bags: pajamas and a pink robe for Cora; a nightshirt and dinosaur underwear for Dawson; a red onesie decorated with snowflakes for Callan.

Trial hinges on mental state Patrick Clancy testified Monday about his wife’s deteriorating mental health in the months before the killings, including her telling him about intrusive thoughts of harming the children and of suicide.

Lindsay Clancy had sought care from experts in postpartum mood disorders, was put on multiple psychiatric medications, and when nothing worked, checked in to a psychiatric hospital. She killed the children 19 days after she was discharged. No one ever told Patrick Clancy his wife shouldn’t be alone with the children, he testified Wednesday “I didn’t know what psychosis was until after this happened.” Clancy and her ex-husband accuse her medical providers of failing to properly diagnose, treat and monitor her according to lawsuits filed earlier this year On cross-examination, Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, aimed to demonstrate she took her medications and closely tracked her declining mental health. He introduced daily handwritten notes she took of her medicines and her mood, including repeatedly writing “horrible thoughts.”

Police: Bullets that killed 2 at Seattle festival weren’t from teen shooter’s gun

BY GENE JOHNSON and HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

Shell casings found at the scene of Sunday’s shooting indicate four weapons were fired during the shootout, the document said.

Police say a 19-year-old suspect died in the gunbattle, and that as police escorted the 15-yearold past that suspect’s body, the 15-year-old said, “Love you bro.”

SEATTLE The bullets that killed two bystanders during a shootout at a crowded Seattle food festival last weekend do not appear to have come from the gun that a 15-yearold arrested at the scene was firing, police said in court documents filed Wednesday The King County prosecutor’s office filed charges of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement as well as unlawful possession of a handgun by someone under 18. In a statement supporting the charges, police said the teen was seen firing an untraceable ghost gun into a crowd, but preliminary testing of bullets recovered from the two bystanders killed showed they did not match that weapon.

Police have been trying to identify at least one other person involved in the shooting. The statement did not indicate who might have fired the bullets that killed the bystanders.

The shooting in the waning hours of the three-day Bite of Seattle festival left three people dead, including a 19-year-old gunman, and at least four people injured, includ-

ing a toddler Authorities say they believe the violence was gangrelated, and they are reviewing any available surveillance video and interviewing victims and witnesses in an effort to identify others who may have been involved. Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to move the case to adult court, a decision that can take months.

BOSTON GLOBE PHOTOS By DAVID L. RyAN

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague holds up as evidence the pajamas of Callan Clancy during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial

Group campaigns for highway bill

BR tops construction jobs, but growth could slow without act

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Construction jobs in Baton Rouge increased by 22% in the past year thanks to a slew of projects across sectors, but that may dry up soon, a national business group is warning.

Associated General Contractors of America is urging Congress to pass a new highway and transit bill it says will boost infrastructure and maintain construction job opportunities around the country Organization representatives presented recently released federal employment data at an event Wednesday morning showing the large presence the construction industry has in the state. Baton Rouge added 10,200 new construction jobs from June 2025 to June 2026 — the highest increase in Louisiana, and more new jobs than most states saw, according to Associated General Contractors. It is a 22% jump, the highest percentage increase of construction jobs in any metro area in the United States. Louisiana overall saw a 10,500 increase in construction jobs in the same time frame, the fifth highest increase in the nation, with Texas notching the lead by adding 24,800 jobs.

Associated General Contractors Chief Economist Ken Simonson said federal funding is crucial to fueling construction projects like the Interstate 10 widening project that provides jobs for workers Construction of liquefied natural gas terminals and data centers also have spurred job growth in Louisiana. The construction industry led all industries in Louisiana job growth,

according to analysis by Leaders for a Better Louisiana. Employment opportunities have been a prominent point of concern in the state, which has struggled to retain residents.

“Workers may leave the state,” Simonson said. “They may leave the industry altogether and so that’s a problem not just for statewide employment, but clearly for getting the next round of work done.”

Jacob Achord practices glide steps with other section members during color rush night

camp at Griffin Stadium in Geismar on Friday.

ON THE MARCH

a

Laiay Griffin practices a routine with the

on Friday.

Phone records help BRPD find shooting suspect

Ascension takes first step in mitigation of alumina site

Goal is to reduce red dust in air

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

Ascension Parish government has completed its role in an interim effort to reduce red dust blowing from a former alumina plant, and the facility is now transitioning to a permanent closure overseen by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Parish officials announced Tuesday that a cooperative agreement between Ascension Parish government, LDEQ and the site owner, LAlumina, officially concluded July 1. Under the agreement, the parish carried out temporary measures to reduce the dust in the air while a long-term closure plan for the site was finalized. The agreement was established in 2024 after residents living near the former alumina refinery complained for years that “red dust” was blowing from the site’s uncovered waste ponds onto their properties. While LAlumina worked with LDEQ to develop a permanent closure plan, the agreement allowed the parish to perform interim mitigation measures to reduce dust emissions.

La. Supreme Court chief justice

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

age, detectives saw Allen’s vehicle driving west on Perkins before stopping. The front passenger door opened, and a single person in dark clothing was seen running away from the vehicle, according to the arrest affidavit. Detectives talked to Allen’s parents, who provided tracking information from his phone. Police say Allen traveled to Southern University on the night of May 4 before returning to an unknown location. He left that location about 1:20 a.m. and stopped at Perkins Road, where he was found dead.

During an interview, detectives learned that Allen and a witness went to Southern to pick up his friend, identified as Thibodeaux. The three went to an unknown location to listen to music. The witness left about midnight while Allen and Thibodeaux stayed behind, they said About 1:15 a.m., Allen told the witness that he was going to drop Thibodeaux off back at Southern, according to police documents. The arrest affidavit states that the witness reached out to Thibodeaux on Snapchat, but Thibodeaux told him he took an Uber because Allen was asleep. Messages in Allen’s phone

confirmed that he did in fact start driving Thibodeaux back to Southern, police said The Google Maps app was active in Allen’s phone, displaying directions to Southern. The witness said Allen commonly used the app to get around Baton Rouge because he was from Houma and not familiar with the city Woman accused of harboring teen shooter

Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John Weimer responded Wednesday to his recusal in a major civil case, saying his colleagues have punished him for speaking out against votes to

Weimer CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

A 31-year-old Baton Rouge woman is wanted on multiple counts after police say she harbored her 15-year-old estranged boyfriend, accused of

See BLOTTER, page 2B

A row of tubas rests along the field during

break in practice.

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

at the Dutchtown Sound band

color guard at the band camp

Marketing stunt in New Orleans strikes a nerve

Company apologizes for Lalaurie Mansion lighting display

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

A series of cartoonish images projected onto the French Quarter’s Lalaurie Mansion last week as part of an unpermitted marketing stunt struck a nerve among many New Orleans locals, who have long debated how the site’s dark history of enslavement and torture should be presented.

Texas-based light projection company Illumibot Inc. stopped at the three-story mansion on the corner of Royal and Governor Nicholls streets on Thursday as part of a nationwide promotional tour Following similar stops in Missouri, Utah and several other states, Illumibot founder Ross Arroyo parked his “Illumibeast,” a Tesla Cybertruck tricked out with a retractable projector, outside Lalaurie Mansion and blasted the building with high-tech lighting displays.

In a video posted to the company’s YouTube page, the mansion’s walls swim with everything from enormous neon dragons to a flowing American flag and Spider-Man as crowds of tourists stop to take photos and chat with Arroyo.

WEIMER

Continued from page 1B

Justice Scott Crichton, a lawyer in the case, related to a long-running dispute over judicial compensation. The court dated their rift to 2023, and a seemingly unprecedented vote by his colleagues to strip Weimer of administrative powers assigned to the chief justice a post held by the most senior justice. According to the court, an executive committee chaired by Crichton “assumed most of the administrative responsibilities and internal governance of the Court, while the Chief Justice retained his ceremonial duties.”

In recusing Weimer, the court

BILL

Continued from page 1B

The Highway Trust Fund pays for transit projects nationwide and is mostly supported by the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon It splits the fund into two accounts: one for highways and bridges and the other for public mass transit like railways, ferries and buses. Much

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

shooting her in the face late last year According to the arrest warrant, on Dec. 18, BRPD officers responded to a shooting in the 200 block of Evergreen Drive At the scene, they discovered Charlitria Thomas with a gunshot wound to her jaw

Witness statements and surveillance footage confirmed the shooter was 15-year-old Damon King, who was said to be Thomas’ estranged boyfriend. Witnesses said the two were in an argument when King shot Thomas in the face, the arrest warrant stated. Thomas had to undergo surgery due to the severity of her injuries.

The investigation showed that King was armed with two firearms and shot Thomas with one of them. Video further showed that King continuously yelled at Thomas, demanding she sit in the grass and preventing witnesses from rendering aid. Thomas said King also stole her purse, according to the warrant.

King was wanted for attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon, armed robbery and two counts of juvenile in possession of a firearm, along with additional charges in Mississippi.

Police say that during the investigation, Thomas knowingly hid information regarding King’s location. Witnesses reported they saw Thomas and King together in a rental vehicle allegedly obtained by Thomas’ mother

On Dec. 31, the Mississippi Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. Inside, King was located with Thomas driving

But it was the images of dripping blood, flames erupting from the building’s windows, skulls and floating “Scream” masks that caught the attention and ire of many locals, who have long argued the sensationalized, haunted-house treatment of the Lalaurie Mansion is insensitive to the memory of the enslaved people who were tortured and killed there in the 1800s.

“This is so disrespectful,” historian and local tour guide Elroy Johnson IV said in a video posted to Instagram, where his deep dives into Black history have earned him more than 50,000 followers.

“The experiences of our enslaved ancestors, whether it be in New Orleans or across Louisiana, is not just for entertainment purposes,” Johnson said. “This should be taken very, very seriously.”

Though some locals came to Illumibot’s defense on social media, founder Arroyo apologized for the display in a statement Tuesday

“Our intent with this piece was to accurately portray the horrific history of the Lalaurie Mansion — never to glorify it or cause harm. We should have been far more sensitive in how we visually represented it,” Arroyo wrote. “We are so sorry that our poor judgment caused pain to members of this community We take this as a moment to learn, and to do better.”

Often advertised as one of the most haunted properties in the city,

cited a series of letters that began with a tart missive from Weimer on July 4, accusing Crichton of knowingly breaking the law by voting in policies as a justice to benefit himself financially “Chief Justice Weimer recently escalated his personal dispute with Mr Crichton to dizzying heights,” the court found Tuesday Former Justice James Genovese said he received a similar letter Weimer has long called out colleagues for distributing a supplemental fund to pad judicial salaries without first paying its expenses.

He also claims colleagues took a judicial stipend illegally in upfront lump sums, including Crichton and Genovese, helping increase their retirement pay And Weimer accuses Crichton and Genovese, in particular, of ex-

of the weight of funding infrastructure projects typically falls on state and local governments, but federal dollars also help move projects forward, contributing $52 billion toward highways in 2022, according to a 2023 congressional testimony on the status of the Highway Trust Fund.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the fund will be depleted by 2028. Funding shortfalls have plagued the Highway Trust

and two other passengers. King was arrested, but Thomas was released on scene.

Later in the investigation, detectives determined that Thomas aided King in evading arrest by not telling officers his location, refusing to cooperate and transporting him from Louisiana to Mississippi, knowing he was wanted.

Thomas is now wanted for accessory after the fact.

Woman accused of dragging cashier

A woman has been arrested and a search is underway for a second woman after Central police said the pair took bottles of liquor from a convenience store, then dragged the clerk who attempted to stop them.

Brittany Wilson, 34, the driver, was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on counts of principal to second-degree robbery and second-degree battery

An arrest warrant has been issued for the passenger of the car, Destani Harrington, 34, wanted on counts of second-degree robbery and principal to second-degree aggravated battery.

The robbery happened about 1:30 a.m. July 19 at the Circle K convenience store at 9530 Hooper Road in Central, police said in an online statement.

Police said Harrington entered the store, talked to the clerk, then took several small bottles of Hennessy cognac and fled to a 2017 Jeep Cherokee without paying.

The clerk immediately ran after Harrington to recover the stolen goods, police said. As the clerk reached the passenger side of the Jeep, Harrington grabbed the victim by her shirt, holding her against the vehicle, while tell-

the Lalaurie Mansion is a massive tourist attraction and regular stop on ghost tours, during which guides describe in gory detail the torture of enslaved people at the hands of wealthy socialites Dr Louis and Marie Delphine Macarty Lalaurie. Rampant rumors of mutilation, as the story goes, were confirmed by neighbors who were able to enter the house during a fire that destroyed the original property in 1834. The increasingly popular ghost tours alone have caused strife in the French Quarter, where residents

ploiting a $118 meal per diem like no other judges, claiming they double-dipped in the process by topping off a monthly stipend for housing and other expenses. That monthly stipend has since grown to $4,000 a month, thanks to a vote from the Supreme Court. The stipend requires no receipts and comes on top of raises the justices also received.

Mike Waguespack, the Louisiana legislative auditor, has sided with Weimer in finding the court has failed to require a kitty called the Judges’ Supplemental Compensation Fund to reimburse its expenses before the justices tapped the fund for a pay boost. The fund’s board, however, sided with the six other justices.

Weimer said he was stirred to write the letters by “the systemic

Fund for the past two decades due to the fixed gas tax losing purchasing power over time and the rise of hybrid and electric vehicles decreasing the reliance on gas.

“You’ve got to feed the animal,” Louisiana Associated General Contractors board President Casey Crawford said of federal funding.

Associated General Contractors launched America’s Moving Forward campaign in February to urge federal leaders to pass a new

ing the driver Wilson, to grab the clerk’s arm, police said.

Harrington then told Wilson to drive away, police said. The clerk was partially inside the vehicle as she was dragged approximately 30 feet, before falling into the road.

The Jeep narrowly missed the clerk’s head as it sped away, but ran over her arm, causing severe injuries that required extensive surgery, police said. The woman will need weeks of rehabilitation and recovery Central police said.

“This was not simply a theft of merchandise,” Police Chief Roger Corcoran said in the news release.

“The evidence indicates the suspects were willing to seriously injure another human being to escape with property of minimal value.”

Police are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Harrington to contact the Central Police Department at (225) 367-1254 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Woman arrested on arson count in car fire

A woman was arrested Wednesday on a simple arson count after police say she set a car on fire belonging to a relative of her exboyfriend in June.

Kiana Davis, 31, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Wednesday Baton Rouge Fire Department investigators were requested early on June 28 by the Baker Fire Department to respond to the scene of a vehicle fire in the 900 block of Barrington Drive.

The vehicle — a 2002 GMC Sonoma — was valued at $3,000 and considered a total loss from the fire. Police said the cause was determined to be arson. Additionally,

Blood is projected onto the French Quarter’s Lalaurie Mansion last week.

PROVIDED PHOTO By ERIN HOLMES

sages and photos of the projections at Lalaurie Mansion, which she promptly reported to the city and the New Orleans Police Department.

Officials with Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration said the light show was not permitted by the city or the homeowner, Lance Zaal. Zaal, who also owns entertainment company US Ghost Adventures, said in a statement Tuesday that he had nothing to do with the display projected onto his home and does not condone it.

“My hope is that this moment will encourage us to focus not on spectacle, but on rediscovering what has been lost and forgotten,” he wrote.

say quiet, residential streets are often overrun with groups of tourists peering into their houses “like they’re fish in an aquarium,” said Erin Holmes, executive director of Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents and Associates.

“Also to hear people talking about the torturing and killing of enslaved people while everyone is laughing — it’s pretty grotesque,” Holmes said. As head of a nonprofit dedicated to preservation in the French Quarter, Holmes said she woke up on Friday morning to countless mes-

abuse of the public fisc,” citing the legislative auditor and attorney general opinions.

“The question becomes who was victimized, the taxpayers or the recipients of the letters?” Weimer wrote.

In his letters, Weimer urged Crichton, who maintained a residence in New Orleans, to reimburse the state and apologize to its people “for the extravagant and unjustified income you took from them.”

Crichton responded by calling for Weimer’s recusal, citing “untethered vitriol” from the chief justice. Weimer opposed it. The court declined Crichton’s request to issue a blanket recusal order for any case involving Crichton.

Weimer argues that instead of

highway funding bill since the current legislation is set to expire Sept. 30. The campaign consists of social media and digital advertising to inform constituents of the potential delays to infrastructure projects that may occur if a new bill is not passed. Passage of a new bill would eliminate uncertainty of the construction industry’s future in Louisiana, said Reldon Owens, CEO of Louisiana Associated General Contractors.

the owner’s house was graffitied. According to the arrest warrant, the truck was parked in a lot across from the owner’s house.

The owner stated that Davis is her son’s ex-girlfriend. Police said Davis also sent threatening messages to his now-girlfriend after the arson.

Woman accused of getting fraudulent benefits

A Livingston woman has been arrested, accused of receiving more than $10,000 in retirement benefits meant for another person, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office said.

Kelli Guitrau, 41, was booked Tuesday into the Livingston Parish Detention Center on felony counts of forgery, identify theft, theft and government benefits fraud. Guitrau also was wanted on a bench warrant for failure to appear in court on unrelated charges

An investigation began when the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana reached out to the Attorney General’s Office, saying that benefits intended for the beneficiary of a deceased member of the retirement plan were instead going to Guitrau.

Investigators learned that Guitrau had submitted forged documents, supposedly signed by the complainant, requesting that the benefits be transferred an account controlled by Guitrau, the Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.

More than $10,000 in benefits intended for the complainant were transferred to Guitrau between March 2022 and January 2024.

Bail for Guitrau was set at $25,854 the Attorney General’s Office said.

“To remember those who came before us, honor their lives, and ensure their names and the lessons of history are never forgotten.” Holmes said she found the display itself offensive enough, but the broader implications are also disturbing.

Similar light displays projected onto St. Louis Cathedral during Super Bowl LIX and Gallier Hall during Luna Fete were permitted shows that took months to map out and plan. She’s concerned that anyone could now use this technology to project images onto any building — including private property — with seemingly very little planning or permissions.

“There are certain things that just have to be respected,” she said.

addressing legal questions surrounding the extra compensation, Crichton simply cites the court votes approving them.

“The law in Louisiana is statutory law and constitutional law not what judges decide in contradiction of the law, outside the view of the public,” Weimer wrote. “Citing judicial votes is nothing more than an attempt to justify that which cannot be justified.” His colleagues were hardly persuaded as they benched Weimer from the case involving Crichton’s client.

“Chief Justice Weimer’s repeated actions to advance his personal agenda against the enrolled lead counsel of record in a docketed case crossed the threshold of what can reasonably be tolerated in fair proceedings,” its opinion said.

The funding coupled with assuring people construction work is a viable career will sustain the state’s construction job growth, he said.

Owens said the slow nature of Congress has hindered the funding, sometimes becoming a “political football” between parties, despite infrastructure improvements benefiting all.

“If there’s anything that should be nonpartisan, it should be infrastructure,” Owens said.

SITE

Continued from page 1B

“Our priority has always been to do everything we can to protect the families who live near this site,” Parish President Clint Cointment said in a release “We weren’t willing to sit around while our residents continued dealing with red dust blowing onto their homes, vehicles, and property.”

According to the parish, crews covered more than 40 acres across Ponds 4 and 5, the portions of the site closest to nearby neighborhoods. The parish said it supplied personnel, heavy equipment, project coordination and soil from parish drainage projects to complete the work.

Under Louisiana environmental regulations, LAlumina, as the property owner, is responsible for carrying out the permanent closure plan, while LDEQ oversees the work.

“We’re excited that LAlumina is expected to begin implementing the full closure plan under LDEQ’s oversight in the coming weeks, bringing this community one step closer to a permanent solution,” Cointment said.

LOTTERY TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026

PICK 3: 5-6-9

PICK 4: 0-9-2-5

Allen, Sheri St.Jude theApostleCatholic Church at 11 a.m.

Guerin,Lois

St.Mary’sCatholicChurch in New Roadsatnoon

Sibille,Robert

St.GeorgeCatholic Church at 11am

ThomassieBercegeay,Nell

St.MarkCatholic Church,42021 LA-621 in Gonzales,at11a.m

Zimlicki,Bernard Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 11 a.m.

Obituaries

Babin, MaeWade

MaeWade Babin,a longtimeresidentofBaton Rouge, Louisiana, and more recently of Sugar Land, Texas,passedaway on July 12,2026, at theage of 91. She wasprecededin deathbyher husband, J. L. Babin, Jr., and her parents, Bob and LauraWade. She is survived by hersons, Dean (Michelle)Babinand Ricky (Tina) Babin;five grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren. Mae enjoyed quilting, fishing, and spending time with her grandchildrenand great-grandchildren. She especially looked forward to weekend fishfriesand theBourré games that followed. Visitationwill be held on Saturday, August 1, from9:00a.m.to11:00 a.m. at Rabenhorst Funeral HomeEast, 11000 Florida Blvd.,Baton Rouge, LA 70815. Burialwill follow with abrief graveside service at Resthaven Gardens ofMemory, 11817Jefferson Hwy.,Baton Rouge, LA

Barnes, Sylvia Knox

Sylvia Knox Barnes, of Baton Rouge, accepted her invitation into Eternal Life on June, 24, 2026, at 84. She was born in Jonesboro, Louisiana, on May 3, 1942.

Adevotedand loving Christian woman, Sylvia devoted her life to Christ, her loving husband of sixty -one years (Edward Barnes, Sr.), her entire family and her church (Greater King David).

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." As awife, mother, and friend, those who knew Sylvia, know without adoubt that she is indeed now with our Lord and Savior. Untilweall meet again, we love you, mom. Visitation will be August 1, 2026 at Greater King David Baptist Church, 222 Blount Rd. Baton Rouge, La from 9:00am to 10:00am with the Homegoing Celebration immediately following. Professional Services

Entrusted to Hall Davis & Sons Funeral Services. The Interment will take place immediately following the services as Heavens Gate Mausoleum, 10633 Veterans Memorial Blvd.

Gregory Jackson of Plaquemine, La., departed this life on July 20, 2026. Gregory is survived by his wife, Stella Jackson; children Vanessa Piper, Sommer Anderson, Michael Jackson, and grandkids. A viewing will be held from 9AM to 11AM on 08-01-2026 at Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church, 58165 Barrow Street funeral servicesfollowing.

Meyers, Mary 'Sis' Mary "Sis" Meyers

passed peacefully July 23,

2026,atAvanti SeniorLiving in Covington, LA surroundedbyher family Born March 18, 1930,she was 96. Survived by her son, BenMeyers &wife, Gina; 2grandchildren, John & Evangeline Meyers; &sister,MargaretHutchinson. Preceded in deathbyher parents,LP& Mary Hutchinson, &husband, Henry Ben Meyers, Sr. Funeral servicewill be held Friday, July 31, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Hammond,LA. Services conducted by Rev. LizEmbler-Beazley.Visitation from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Interment at Greenlawn Cemetery in Hammond.

Parsons, Donald Wesley'Don'

Donald "Don" Wesley Parsons,79, passed away peacefully into the arms of his Lord and Savior,Jesus Christ, on July 27, 2026,surroundedbyhis loving family. He entered this world on December 14, 1946,born toJohn and Bernice ParsonsinMcComb, MS and a life-long resident of Brownsfield, LA. Don graduatedfrom BakerHigh School in 1965. He workedfor IBM for22 years and retired from Mercantile/Dillards asa Field Support Technician. He was also along-time memberofTrinity Methodist Protestant Church. Don was always willing to help friends and family with any projects. His passion was model airplanes, sailing, beachtrips and traveling with hiswife Don is survived by the love of his life of 58 years, Marilyn Shar Parsons; one son and daughter-in-law, Charles& Kimberly Parsons; one daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer& Thomas Magliolo; 3grandchildren, Melanie &Conner Parsons and Sarah Beth Magliolo. Preceded in deathbyhis parents, John W. &Bernice Forrest Parsons. With sincerest gratitude,the family thanks St Joseph'sHospice forthe exceptionalcare, kindness, and supportshowntoDon and his loved ones.

Relatives and friends areinvited to join the family for the visitation at Baker Funeral Home, 6401 Groom Road, Baker, LA, on Friday, July 31, 2026,from 9:00 AM until the Funeral Service at 11:00AM, officiated by ReverendRick McAlister.The graveside serviceand burial will follow at HillcrestMemorial Gardens, in Baker Louisiana

In lieu of flowersdonationsmay be made to Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area, 3772North Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Peno, Ronald

On Friday, July 24th, we bid abeautifully sad farewell to our father, RonaldEugene Peno. He was filled with peace as he left this world, surrounded by his childrenand loved ones. Ronnie was born in New Orleans on December1, 1933 and movedtoDutchtown while in elementary school.Asa teenager, he lockedeyeswitha young beautiful basketball player in the Gonzales gym. He knew he had justfoundthe love of his life,and married our mom, Audrey "Poochie"Bourque Peno, not longafter they celebrated 65+ yearsofmarriage until her passingin 2018 Ronnie was aproud memberofthe International BrotherhoodofElectrical Workers Local Union 995 forover 73 years. Hisyears as an electricianlefthim with many dear friends, and so many stories.After retiring from the Local, he spent many yearsworking forSt. Mark Churchalongside his close friend, Fr. Herculine DeMaria. His grandchildren brought him immeasurable joy. Paw Ronnie had away of making each grandchild feel special, from endlessly pushingthemonthe swing, serving cinnamon rolls on Sunday mornings,

buildinga swimming pool for them and countless otherways.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodoreand Alma Peno, siblings, Teddy Peno, Bobby Peno,Betty Peno and Beverly Peno, hisbeloved wife, AudreyPeno, granddaughter, AlexisPorta, infant greatgrandchildren, Isaac Bourque, Nicholas, Thomas, Killian and Zelie Kehn.

He is survived by his children, RhondaPorta and her husband Colin, Christine Peno, Mike Peno,Rebecca Mabile, TriciaFernandez and her husband Kris; Sister; JoAnn Peno Dawsonand Brother;GeraldPeno, grandchildren, Rick (Verena), Shane, Ben (Kelly),Rusty (Teresa), Tobey(Christy), Haley (Cheyenne), Jessica (Eric), Christopher, Jake (Mandy),Malorie (Zach), Melissa (Zach), Greg (Sarah), Emily (Michael), Presley andCharley J; 36 greatgrandchildren; 13 greatgreat grandchildren.

Our heartsare broken butfilledwithcomfort knowing Dad is breathing easyand reunitedwith Mom in thearms of the Lord

"By theway, there was never adoor facing the road"- Dad

Avisitationwillbeheld on Friday, July31,, 2026, from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. at Ourso FuneralHome, 13533 Airline Hwy, Gonzales,LA 70737. Visitation in Church on Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. until the Funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m., At St.Mark Catholic Church ,42021 LA-621, Gonzales, LA 70737, with a CommittalService to followatHopeHavenGarden of Memory Cemetery, 604 E. Hwy 30, Gonzales In lieu of flowers,donations may be madeto St.Jude Children's Research Hospital(Memorial donations -St. JudeChildren's Research Hospital.)

Thefamily wouldliketo offerspecialthanks to Dr. Mark Posner,Dr. Michael McCarthy and Audubon Home Health and Hospice forthe outstanding care.

It is withprofound sorrowthat we announce the passing of Mrs. Tonya Ross who departedthisearthly life on the24thofJuly, in theyear of our Lord 2026, at thedistinguished age of 60. Apublicviewing shall be held in her honoron Saturday, the 1st of August, from9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at WinnfieldFuneral Home.The celebration of life services shallfollow at 11:00 AM.Her earthlyremains shallbelaid to rest at Winnfield Memorial Park. The distinguished& solemnarrangements have been entrusted to the care of WinnfieldFuneral Home of Baton Rouge & Kennard Thomas, General Manager.

Sophia Elouise Harden Sadler, transitionedonJuly 17, 2026, in Baker, Louisiana. She was born in Plaquemine Louisiana to Daniel Hardenand JessieMae Boyd She wasmarried to Robert Sadlerfor 76 years and had seven children. She willbegreatly missed by her husband, Robert Sadler Sr.,children Dovusher, Paula, Terry, Robert Jr Patricia,Donna and Sid; 18 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildrenand 9great-great grandchildren Acelebration of life will be held at 11:00 AM on July 31, 2026 at Vision Christian Center, 1047 Rosenwald Road

Terry Duane Smith passed away peacefully, on Saturday, July25, 2026, surrounded by family,at theage of 77. He was born in HotSprings, AR,and was aresident of BatonRouge, LA.Terry is survived by his daughters, ChristiDaigle (Larry), CandiceCarr, and AngelaSmith;grandchildren,Brennen Carr, Brianna Daigle, and Gabriel Smith Daigle;great-granddaughter, Eden Browning; father, Dwight Smith; belovedcompanion,Robin Loupe;sister, Karen Arbour (Dale); he also leaves behind countless extended family members, lifelong friends, and colleagues who will forever cherish hismemory. Terryispreceded in death by thelove of his life of 50 years, SandraTheriotSmith;and his loving mother who would fight acircle saw forhim, IvoniaGeurinSmith.Visitation willbeatGreenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd.,Baton Rouge, LA,on Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 10:30am until thefuneral serviceat12:30pm. Burial willimmediately followatGreenoaks Memorial Park.Family and friends are invited to signthe online guestbook at www.gre enoaksfunerals.com

Virga, Jackson Gerard

Jackson Gerard Virga, 15 months, of Gonzales, Louisiana passedpeacefully Thursday,July23, 2026 at St.Jude Children's Research HospitalinMemphis after a9 monthbattle with cancer. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jackson was thelight of his paren-

t's world. Diagnosed at five andahalf months old with Juvenile Myelomonocytic LeukemiaJackson foughtwitheverything that he had and stayed strongand happy throughouttreatment. Whileofficiallyinremission,itwas ultimatelythe chemotherapy therapy sideeffects that causedmuchtissue and vascular damage that couldnot be repaired. Jackson wasa vibrantand happy babythatleft apositive impression on everyonethathemet Jackson is survivedby hismother, Janay LeJeune; father,Justin Virga; grandparents, David(Teedy) and Michele LeJeuneofBrusly, LA, John and Lisa VirgaofSlidell, LA. uncles, Dr Marty LeJeune (Nita Marie), Zachary Virga, Travis Virga, andaunt, Jordan Harris(Blake). Visitation willbeonFriday, July 31, 2026 from 9:00 AM untilthe funeral service at 11:00 AM at Ourso Funeral Home in Gonzales Intermentwill follow at Hope Haven Garden of Memory on highway 30 in Gonzales. We ask those in attendance to wear bright coloredclothing (No tshirts), as Jackson was a bright andcheerful child we want to honorhim this way. In lieu of flowers or gifts please donate to St Jude Children'sResearch Center in Jackson's name https://www.stjude.org/do na te /do nate-t o-stjude.html

Brenda Aviewing (wake) will be held from9:00 AM to 10:30 AM on Friday, July 31, 2026 at Winnfield Funeral Home, 7221 PlankRd, Baton Rouge,LA70811

Wisdom. Jason was born on September18, 1979, and he passedaway on July 23, 2026.Hewas anative and residentofPlaquemine, Louisiana.Jason is survived by histwo sons, Evan and Austin; hisparents,Glenn andSybil Wisdom; hissister, GretchenMarino (Josh); hisbrother,Keegan Wisdom (Sara); histwo nieces, KenliMarinoand Brianna Wisdom; his two nephews, KadeMarinoand LucasWisdomand his beloveddog Zeushis constant and faithful companion. Thefamilywould like to thank everyonewho offered prayersand support.The familyisforever grateful.

Smith,Terry Duane

Wisdom, Jason Talbert

Ross,Tonya Unteria

Sadler, Sophia Elouise Harden

Jackson,Gregory

One reason Louisiana could never be mistaken for Anyplace USA is our physical surroundings, not just the natural beautybut an arrayof architecture so diverse and distinctthat —as Hollywood location scouts knowwell —itcould conjure pretty much any Americanera.

Some of that is duetothe National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, whichrequiresfederal agencies to consider how federally funded or housed projects affect historic places, and gives locals the chance to weigh in.

Perhaps the most famous example of itsimpact was the defeat of ariverfront expresswayproposed in the late 1960s for New Orleans’French Quarter,over what are nowpopular gathering spaces along the Mississippi River. But there are countless projects that were changedfor the betterbythe sort of on-the-ground input the law mandates

That maynot be the casegoing forward, though, under aproposal to severely loosen regulations advanced by the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, whichadvises thepresidentand Congress on preservationissues. The proposal now movestothe Trump administration for review

Among members of the council appointedby President Donald Trump is Gov.JeffLandry, who supports theproposed deregulation.

“When we modernizethe process, we reaffirm amore predictable and efficient reviewand ultimately ensure preservationisconsidered without creating unnecessary delays for industry projects,” he said

Theurgencybehind theproposal comes from Trump’saggressive movestoremake theface of thenation’scapital, but the effectswouldfilter outacrossthe country

We believe that the type of balanceLandry describedalready largely exists,and that underthe proposed changes preservationwouldwind up with the short end of the stick.

“This is our cultural economy.Itputs everything at risk and at the whim ofthe aesthetic taste of the person with the pen,” Sandra Stokes, chairofadvocacy for the Louisiana Landmarks Society, argued. Stokes cited projects thesoonto-be-redeveloped art deco Charity Hospital building in New Orleans as aprimeexampleofa project made possible by the current law.

But it’snot just big developments thatwouldbe affected. The sweepingproposal would eliminate arequirement that federalagenciesminimize damage to historic architecture,neighborhoods and landscapes —the very things that recently inspired the World Monuments Fund to designate allofNew Orleans as “irreplaceable.” And it would endthe obligation ofagenciestoconsider potential adverse effects to significant places. It would also revoke the right of state and local governments to comment on projects in their jurisdictions

We recognize that there is always room for improvement and streamlining ofregulations.

But we urge officials—including House Speaker Mike Johnson and HouseMajority Leader Steve Scalise, who have thepresident’sear —to approach these changes judiciously and consider what could be lost as wellaswhat wouldreplace it.

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

During aJuly 21 press conference, Louisiana’sRep. Steve Scalise, the Republican House MajorityLeader, claimed, “You can’tgoget pasta at an OliveGarden without apicture ID.” He continued, “Why not be able to show apicture ID to vote”?

Mr.Scalise is either disingenuous or ill-informed, since Ijust checked with OliveGarden and, as suspected, found Ican order and eat all the pasta Iwant without apicture ID. The only reason for one at OliveGarden is if you purchase the 13-week, dine-in-only “neverending pasta pass,” and you do that so someoneelse can’tuse your pass.

Butsince the congressman brought up showing picture IDs to voteasa way to “protect thedemocracy,” it’s interesting to discover which picture IDs are actually specified in the Republicans’ “Save America Act” that he

On aSaturday came the letter: EffectiveSept.1,Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic will no longer accept Humana insurance.

My wife and Ienroll every year in aHumana Medicare plan. We can change companies only once ayear, from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, but theeffectivedatewill be Jan. 1.

Humana knows that, as does BROC. So we becomethe pawns in an obvious brawl among big-league players.

Lastyear,the Boneand Joint Clinic imploded, and manyofits doctors moved over to BROC. Voila! An oligopoly is created. An oligopoly mimics amonopoly but has afew players

Re: “Demsmade flawed candidate quit;what does GOPdo?” Letters, July 23. The recent letter criticizing Republicans raises important questions about ethics in politics, but it falls short by replacing factswith broad accusations.

The author claims Republicans continue to support “rapists and fraudsters” without acknowledging the legal distinctions involved. President Donald Trumpwas never convicted of rape in acriminal court, and Ken Paxton has not been convicted of rape. If we are going to criticize public officials, we should do so accurately and fairly

is obviously campaigning for. You’ll need avalid passport, acertified birthcertificate paired with a photoIDora naturalization certificate. And, if your namedoes not match those documents, you will need additional papers like amarriage certificate.

There are millionsofwomen in the United States whose names, due to marriage, do not match theirbirth certificate. About half of American citizens do not have apassport. Amended birthcertificates cost $27.50 in Louisiana, and up to $50 elsewhere. Passportscost $165. Today that’sa lot of money to alot of people. It’s almost like the poll tax forbidden in the24th Amendment to the Constitution, if you think about it.

JIM

WRIGHT Baton Rouge

instead of just one. There is limited high-qualityorthopedic care in Baton Rouge outside of BROC.

Iwould call on Humana and BROC to set aside their differences and continue marching at least until those of us 65 and older have an opportunity to switch carriers.

Finally,Icall for an inquiry into the mechanisms of this obvious power play.Power is fine if it is legal. This kind of power play has to be madeillegal. Perhaps binding arbitration in such payor-provider disputes is the only practical solution.

GARYLEE Baton Rouge

The letter also claims Republicans have done nothing when faced with misconduct by their own candidates. History shows that members of both political parties have, at times, defended controversial candidates and, at other times, called forthem to step aside. Neither party has amonopoly on virtue or hypocrisy Political debateishealthiest when it is based on facts rather than inflammatorylabels. Readers deserve opinions that persuade throughevidence and reason, not selective outrage.

MARTY NAGLE Metairie

Flock surveillance cameras have spread across Lafayette with no discussion. These cameras record the movements of drivers whopass them,regardless of whether they are suspected of any crime. Every trip becomes data in asearchable database. Supporters promise accountability, but experience says differently: In someplaces where the cameras are in use, officers have been caught abusing Flock’ssystem to track former romantic partners, co-workers and others forpersonal reasons. Those abuses are documented, not hypothetical. Nationally,misconfigured security settings exposed live, unencrypted camera feeds from Flock online, allowing public internet access to view playground areas and unattended children.

Flock is not agovernment agency It is aprivate, for-profit corporation. Citizens cannot independently verify how their information is secured, what business arrangements might permit access to that data or whether ownership is sold.

Once adatabase containing the movements of millions of people exists, it becomes an asset of enormous value, atarget forhackers and other ne’er-do-wells.

Lafayette should understand that Flock provides law enforcement the ability to search the movements of ordinary citizens without obtaining awarrant or establishing probable cause. This access extends farbeyond the agency that owns aparticular camera through Flock’sinterconnected network. The people of Lafayette were not asked whether they wanted their movements entered into aprivately operated, nationwide police surveillance system.They were simply placed under observation.

We should not wait forresidents to be stalked, wrongly detained or otherwise harmed before demanding strict access limits, independent audits, warrant requirements and a public vote on whether these cameras should remain.

Atechnology capable of being abused will eventually be abused. With Flock, that has already happened repeatedly BRUCEHENRY Lafayette

DidN.O.err in battle with thestate?

We’ve been through alot in recent weeks. There’sbeen some head-spinning, toe-tapping, neck-throwing, lip-smacking momentsas theguv,the AG, the DA,the mayor and City Council members pointed,posted, pulled, pushed and shouted about and at each other with allegations, name-callingand, I’m certain, some swearing. All of this because of some bone-headed moves by Gov.Jeff Landry and the LouisianaLegislature, including dicing and slicing the Orleans Parish judiciary,swiping district attorney warrant positions and elimination of aposition to which New Orleanianshad already elected someone. That’sall true. This isn’tfake news. These are facts.

Like so many in New Orleans, I didn’tlike what Iwas seeing; Ididn’t like what was being done to us, and I definitely didn’twant to bow down.

But perhaps New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams and New Orleans City Council members made astrategic error

New Orleans has been the subject of beatdowns for decades, even centuries. During Reconstruction, in 1874, when Black people were getting closer to being equal in somequarters, the White League attacked us during the Battle of Liberty Place because they couldn’tstand to see an integrated government. Remember,New Orleans was the Louisiana state capital when it wasthe economic center for the entire state in the 1800s —until state legislators elsewhere decided that couldn’t continue, so they madeBaton Rouge thecenter of state government.

Don’t forget that the infamous Huey P. Long orchestrated aLouisiana Legislature takeover of New Orleans, having laws passed to make the city may-

oral job toothless while taking over thefire and police departments along with its taxing authority Certainly,the mostoutrageous recentmove was eliminating the Orleans Parish Criminal Courtclerkposition after Calvin Duncan had been dulyelected to it In arapid sequence, Williams advised the City Council that, by merging the criminal clerk jobinto the civil clerk’sresponsibilities, the Legislature had essentially created anew position to be filled through aspecial election. Moreno said the same, andameeting was quickly scheduled to name retired judge Calvin Johnson as interim criminalcourt clerk and to call anew election. The vote was 5-2. Council members Eugene Green and Lesli Harris votednay.Atthe time, Ithought “Look at us!”

Subsequently,Attorney General Liz Murrill sent what Iand othersconsider threatening letters suggesting that the New Orleansofficials must retract their mistake or risk being replaced. Harris said in May that shecould not support the council’sactions because theydid not“uphold thedecisions of thevoters,” including disenfranchising voters who choseOrleans Parish Civil Cleark Chelsey Napoleon. “By calling aspecial election we are both getting rid of adulyelected Black woman’sposition prematurely and forcing twoBlack elected officials to run against each other,” shewrote. If things hadmoved forward per the CityCouncil’svote, incumbent Napoleon likely would have been challengedbyDuncan.

Green explained his vote in astatement;he, too, pointed to Napoleon. “Chelsey Napoleon was duly elected by the voters of this cityonthree separate occasions, including twice

without opposition. …,” he wrote. “Likewise, Calvin Duncan was overwhelmingly elected by thepeople of this cityand should continue pursuing all lawful avenues to assume the office to which he was elected.”

It’sasthough Green and Harrishad crystal balls. Green asked that everyone involved “prioritize good governance, public confidence and institutional stability over political conflict and retribution.”

Harrissaid calling aspecial election while the matter was being litigated “will contributetothe chaos,confusion and ultimately voter disenfranchisement.”

“Let me be clear,” shecontinued. “I believe this action is playing intothe hands of Baton Rouge.”

Yep. After offering ahand of peace and arequest to sitand talk, Moreno said she’sdone with thematter and moving on, focusing on the city’swork.

Unfortunately,the New Orleans move backfired. Though the subsequent criminal indictment of Murrill for sending thewarning letter has been dropped, that’snot enough for her and Landry.

Louisiana relies on New Orleans for abig chunk of change. New Orleans relies on thefederal government for a big chunk of change.

Wordsworry.Money matters.

Green and Harrishad the right idea. As wrongasitwas for Landry and the Legislature to go after Duncan and ripanalready-filled elective position away,the better thing would’ve been to let thematter play out in court. Landry and Murrill would’ve still come after us, but at least the city could’ve moved forward knowing we took ourbest shot.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Graham unmatchedasa forceinwar with Iran

As the New Orleans Saints began training camp this week, enticing me to (try to) wax poetic about our Who Dats, adifferent football story reminded me that Saints obsession need not require hating opponents.

At its best, participation in sports helps build character.Some of us are suckers forstories of honorable behavior in athletics, such as when golfers call penalties on themselves forinfractions nobody else can see or when baseball players stand up forthe game’sintegrity against steroidfueled cheating.

Well, this weeksaw not an onfield expression of integrity,but an important lesson in honesty nonetheless, from one of the National Football League’sbest coaches.

Kyle Shanahan, whohas led his San Francisco 49ers to two (close, but losing) Super Bowl appearances, had been missing from team headquarters since suffering serious injuries in aJuly 14 automobile accident. Shanahan suffered aconcussion, broken hand, broken nose, three broken ribs and 40 stitches forafacial laceration that almost cost him his eye.

The official California Crash Reporting System,adatabase of car wrecks, said a21-yearold woman(not as badly injured) was at fault in the head-on crash because, while driving in the opposite direction from the coach, she allegedly madeanunsafeturn.

When that official report came to light, Shanahan could have let it ride (no pun intended). All sorts of advantages —legal, financial, and otherwise —can come from playing the victim

Instead, Shanahan did something unexpected. In one of the only examples I’ve ever heard of adriver proactively grabbing blamethat had been placed on others, Shanahan came clean. The coach called several reporters into his office and said he wanted to correct the story.The accident, he explained, washis fault.

There were funerals this week in Washington, D.C., and in SouthCarolina for Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly from aheart condition on July 11. The fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington for Graham’snational funeral is striking evidence of the late senator’senormous influence in matters of U.S. foreign policy and national defense. The funerals take place amid growing intensity in the campaign to replace Graham. There will be aspecialRepublican primary to find anew Republican nominee in South Carolina. It will be a rushed affair; once Graham’sfuneral was overWednesday,there will be all of 12 days to campaign before the voting. If no candidate wins more than 50% of thevote, there will be arunoff on Aug. 25. The most prominent candidate, of course, is Graham’ssister,Darline Graham,who was chosen as his temporary successor by Republican Gov Henry McMaster and has been enthusiastically endorsed by President Donald Trump. It’seasy tosimply assume that Darline Graham can prevail because of her name, but in various conversations around the state, there are reasonstobelieve the result is in no way adone deal. Republican Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry,the two leading figures besides Graham, are alreadycampaigninghard.

Norman hasannounced endorsements from GOP Sens. Rick Scottof Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, as well as former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint and Rep. Nancy Mace. Fry is traveling the state and has announced the endorsements of 43 Republican members of the state legislature. Both men are eager to participate in debates,with at least two scheduled so far.Sothe race will be areal, if severely truncated, contest Amid the tributes to Graham, there have been startling new revelations about perhaps the most consequential achievementofhis 31 years in Congress: the U.S. war with Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Graham granted British documentary filmmaker Alex Holder extraordinary access to film him in virtually all aspects of his life. The result is “an unvarnished look at Graham’s yearslong quest to topplethe Iranian

LETTERS TO THEEDITORARE

regime,” the Journal reported

Thefilm —which is not finished and will be made from hundreds of hours of video made of Graham over the last three years —suggests Graham was even more hawkish on the war in Iran thanweknew

Among other things,hestrategized with Netanyahu in early March on how to get the U.S. more involved in the war than it already was. Graham “plannedtotravel to Florida to persuade President Trump to joinIsrael in the bombing of Hezbollah in Lebanon,” the Journal reported. He was dissuaded from the plan by Netanyahu himself, who thought it was too aggressive amove for Israel’sinterests.

The videoalsoshows Graham discussing the day U.S. and Israeli forces began the attack on Iran. “Look what we’ve done here. Ialmostcried,” he said, according to theJournal report. “How long have we been pushing this?”

The paperreported that Graham said the president was happy,too.

“I talkedtoTrumpthis morning,” Graham said. “He’sjacked. He said, ‘best thing Ihave ever done.’ Heloves blowing stuff up.”

Thevideomakes clear that Graham had adecidedly optimistic view about how the war would work out. He thought that within amonth the

Iranian regime would “start losing control of some cities,” and that with Arab involvement, theU.S. and Israel would “have almost irreversible momentum.” It hasn’t turned outthat way,atleast so far Graham was certainly not theonly voice urging Trump to go to war,but starting thewar was Graham’sgreatest goal.

In March, an article in Politico described Graham’slobbying campaign, conducted in offices and golf courses, to convince Trump to act. Graham told Politico that he toldTrump that bringing down theIranian regime would be aworld historical achievement

“I toldhim beforehetook office if you can collapsethis terrorist regime that’sBerlin Wall stuff,” Graham told Politico.

Now,Graham’sdeath has robbed pro-war advocates in Washington of one of their most effective and wellconnected voices. Wasthere anyone as strongly pro-war and as tight with the president of the United States as Lindsey Graham?

Probably not. Sure, there are other determined pro-war voices.But they have lostareal, and possibly irreplaceable, source of strength.

Email Byron York at byork@washingtonexaminer.com.

Shanahan said the problem began whenhis cellphone slid off his lap. Looking down momentarily to retrieve it from between the seats, he said, he briefly drifted into the oncoming lane. “I hit her,” the coach explained. “I don’tknow whyitwas reported (the other) way.”

This is, of course, quite admirable. Amid all of today’stestosterone-fueled “looksmaxxing” and military testing of hormone levels, this is what it really meansto“man up.”

People of high character stand up and face the consequences fortheir own actions. That’s what Shanahan did.

This owning up to mistakes, whether on the field or off, is an important sports tradition.

One remembers Dallas Cowboys tight end Jackie Smith, anative of Kentwood, dropping what looked like asure touchdownpass in his team’s narrow loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the classic 1979 Super Bowl.

As Sports Illustrated later described it, Smith stood in the locker room afterward for 45 minutes patiently answering every single reporter’squestions, saying repeatedly that he “let alot of people down.” He didn’tmake the excuse, true as it was, that quarterback Roger Staubach’spass was abit low and behind him, or that his foot caught in the turf as he tried to slow down—oranything else.

As his 14-year-old son looked on, Smith took the blame.

Good examples like this line the annals of modern sports. One need only watch again and again how well golfer Jack Nicklaus, whowon moremajor titles than anyone else, always handled his close losses with surpassing grace. One thinks of the Saints’ own Archie Manning, never complaining about the poor play of his woebegone teammates as he took beatdowns week after week. And one thinks of baseball’s best-ever,Willie Mays, rushing to the aid of opposing catcher Johnny Roseboro, whohad been badly injured in abrawl.

Of course the goal of sports competition is to win. But the point of sports is the honorable combat itself,respecting the rules and the opponent while striving forachievement.

Back to Shanahan, here’swhat the 49ers players should learn from their coach’sunforced confession: If the team culture is such that each of them takes responsibility forhis own actions, each one will be confident his teammates will do likewise. And as anyone ever involved with team sports —orany group endeavor knows, such trust is akey ingredient to, yes, winning.

Winning doesn’tnecessarily produce good character.But good character can help produce champions, on the field and in lifeingeneral. Of course I’ll be rooting madly forthe Saints this year.But now I’ll be keeping my eye on Shanahan’sNiners, too, and wishing them success —unless and until, in the playoffs,they crash into our guys in black and gold.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

President Donald Trump, Vice PresidentJDVance and other guests attend the funeral of Sen. LindseyGraham, R-S.C., Tuesday at Washington National Cathedral in Washington.

Will Sutton

Quin Hillyer

Byron York

the UV index is down todaybut only to the “very high” level, so sunscreen is required.

Wildfire in France 4times thesizeofParis

BY THOMAS ADAMSON, MARK CARLSON and EMMA DA SILVA Associated Press

LEGE-CAP FERRET,France An uncontained wildfire four times thesize of Paris threatened to surge again in southwest France on Wednesday —asthree firefighters died in Greece and crews across southern Europe confronted apunishing mix of heat, drought and strong winds The deaths on Crete brought a fatal new dimension to awildfire emergency stretching from the Atlanticcoast to theeastern Mediterranean. At the peak of the evacuations, athird of amillion people were driven from homes and vacation sites in France and Spain.

In France’sGironde region, the country’sbiggest blazehad not spread during acalm night, authorities said. But as temperatures approached 104 Wednesday afternoon and winds strengthened, the reprieve threatened to be shortlived. The landscape was so combustible that investigatorsbelieve routine brush-clearing work near ahigh-voltage line may have sparked the inferno, even though the work appearedtocomply with regulations.

At the command centerinLège, firefighters bent over maps spread across acar hood, tracking three danger zones: northern Cap-Ferret; the wooded corridor around Marcheprime, Cestas and SaintJean-d’Illac; and amilitary site near Martignas, wherea major outbreak forced alarge deployment.

Mobilizing againstthe fire

More than 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft remained mobilized, backed by crews from across France and European partners.

“Westrike quickly and strike hard at any new smoke emissions,” Gironde fire commander Matthieu Jomain said.

Beyond the commandcenter civilians were trying tohold the line themselves. At Souge, volunteers flooded the edges of dirt tracks while alocal digger driver plowedthrough still-burning soil, trying to keep flames from cross-

ingback when the expected west wind arrived. In Lacanau, residents pumped water from alake into tanks headed for hot spots and firefighters’ cisterns.

“If one day the fire starts in our neckofthe woods, Iknowvery well that allthe people here would do the same for us,” said Flavien Dubuch, 33, whodrove from Saint-Émilionwith his father to help.

Hottestday this week

Theadvance of major fires in theLandes andVar regions has been halted. That left Gironde as France’sbiggest remaining wildfire battle, Interior MinisterLaurent Nuñez said.

TheGironde fireforced 220,000 people to flee at thepeak of the crisis. Tens of thousands have since been allowed home, but authorities warnedthatthe danger had not passed. Extremeheat strips moisture from vegetation and drives down humidity,turning grasses, brush

and forest litter into faster-burning fuel. Investigators believe contractors working near ahigh-voltage line for power-gridoperator Enedis ignited the blazewhile using a brush-cutting machine, Bordeaux prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said. Météo-France said Wednesday would be the hottestand driest dayofthe week,with elevated wildfire danger across every region of France. Drought now covers mainland France and Corsica, with soils nearing therecord drynessreached in August2022.

Smoke fromthe Gironde and Landes fires also pushed particulate pollutionhigheracross both departments, regional air-quality monitors said.

More evacuationsordered Gironde authoritiesordered 4,000 more people outoftourist sites alongthe Atlantic coast on Tuesday,widening what may be France’slargest peacetime evacuation.

“Thesituation remains complicated. That’sclear.We’re not out of the woods,” said Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas, who also authorized 60,000 evacuees to return to three Bordeaux suburbs untouched by fire.

Theopposingmovements thousands ordered out of coastal resorts as others returnedwith mobile phones on and emergency bags packed —captured how precarious the situation remains.

Thedisruption was spreading beyond the burn zone intoBordeaux’speak tourism season.

Edouard le Grix de la Salle, who runs Château du Grand Verdus with hisbrother,saidofficial appeals to avoid the region threatened its wine-tourism trade. “How did theynot think about protecting thatsector?” he told The Associated Press.

At one point the Gironde blaze created ablack thundercloud, electrified and lit from within, that generated lightning, violent winds

and new fires beyond the original front. The pyrocumulonimbus was the first recorded in France. Fire in Greece turns deadly Twofirefighters died Wednesday while battling awildfire in theRethymno region of Crete, Greece’sfire department said. They were amongabout 125firefighters confronting flamesfanned by strong winds, with four helicoptersand four water-dropping planes deployed. The circumstances of their deaths were notimmediately clear The department said they died “in the line of duty to protect the lives and property of citizens and the natural environment.”

Athird firefighter also died Wednesday outside thefireperimeter,after tackling aseparate blaze in Greece’ssouthern Peloponnese region.

ReturninghomeinSpain

At the height of the crisis, roughly 330,000 people were driven from homes andvacation sites acrossFranceand Spain. Tens of thousands of people began returning home in central Spain after firefighters made progress around Madrid andÁvila.Evacuation orders were lifted for about20,000 people in the Madrid region, while stay-at-home restrictions endedfor another 14,000.

But 10,000 people remain under evacuationorders in Castellón, where afire wasstill out of controlasSpain braced for its fourth heat wave of the summer More than 448square miles have burnedacrossFrancethis year,according to the Interior Ministry

Europe is the world’sfastestwarming continent, warming at morethantwice theglobalaverage, according to the European Union’sCopernicus climateservice. Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record, with extremeheatand widespread dryness contributing to the spread andintensification of fires in France andSpain, Copernicus said.

Adamson reported from Paris. Elena Becatoros in Athens, Suman Naishadham in Madrid, AlexTurnbull in Souge,France,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByEMMA DA SILVA

fighters work Wednesdaytoextinguish

in the forest near Blagon, France.

Hill says time with Saints over

Free agentannounced on social mediahewillnot return to N.O. this season

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Taysom Hill is saying goodbyetoNew Orleans —but not to football.

The former New Orleans Saints quarterback posted on social media Wednesday that he will notreturntothe Saints this season, thoughhestopped short of announcing his retirement.The 35-year-old,who also played tightend andrunning back,becamea free agent in Marchafter spending nine years

with the Saints. Hill has yet to sign withanother team.

“I’ve taken time this offseason to think carefully about what comes next for my family and me,”Hill said. “I still don’thave aclear answer about what the future holds, but Iknow that returning to New Orleans is not in the cards.

“As training camp begins, Ididn’twant my silencetobemisinterpreted,and as hard as it is to putinto words, Iwanted to express my gratitude. To the city of New Orleans: thank you.”

Hill undoubtedly will be remembered for his incomparable versatility. Claimed off waivers from the Green BayPackersin 2017, Hill emerged as avaluable do-it-all weapon forthen-coach Sean Payton.Despite

being listed as aquarterback, Hill was used all over the offense —fromlining up as a running back toserving as alead blocker at fullback to lining up as awide receiver to an in-line tight end. He persevered through several majorinjuries, including in college when the BYU product suffered four season-ending injuries. No matterthe job, he was typically productive. Last year,Hill becamethe only player in the SuperBowl eratoreach at least 1,000 career passing,rushing and receiving yards. He was even valuable on special teams while used as a kick returner,punt protector and

ä See HILL, page 4C

WORKING THEROOM

BY JONBLAU Staff writer

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin received awarm welcome to aBaton Rouge Rotary Clubluncheon Wednesday, but it wasconditional.

“I grew up in avery,very conservative Catholic family,and we weren’tallowedto curse except for one week each year,” the club’snewly electedpresident,SusanEast Nelson, said from the podium, referring to LSU’s rivalry gamewithOle Miss

“I’m happy you left Ole Miss,” she continued,“because Ithink I’d be legally obligated to tell you togotohell.”

Eight months into hisLSU tenure began, Kiffin returned to the site of his introductory newsconferencein Tiger Stadium’s SouthStadiumClub. He’snot aBaton Rouge newbie anymore, but he was still humorously immersed in thesame storylines.

There were jokes about Ole Miss, espe-

cially after the RotaryClub presented Kiffin with a“peace pole,” which it noted had wheels so it could travel with him.

“We’ll have to take thattoOxford and Knoxville,” joked Kiffin, who had an acrimonious exit from the latter city after one year coaching at Tennessee in 2009; he had agolf ball thrown at him upon his return to Neyland Stadium in 2021 as theOle Miss coach.

Afull offseason removed from Ole Miss, and many years into playingthe role of a college footballvillain,Kiffineasily embraced a30-minuteforay in front of his new fans —including some who would have told him to “go to hell” just aseason ago. Kiffin’sability to work aroomhelped him rally LSU boosters and corporate sponsors to bankroll theNo. 1transfer class in the country. He may have been trying to scale back sky-high expectations Wednesday,but Kiffin

I didn’tknow all we’ve got to do is go to theSun Bowl to have a great year.It’s goingtobea peaceful year.”

LANE KIFFIN, LSU football coach

Kamara opensup on contract ordeal

Saints RB explains whyhe wanted to stay in N.O.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

If it washardfor Alvin Kamara to takea paycut,ifthere wasany part of himthathad to swallow his pride, the NewOrleans Saints running back simply saidhe’d “be at home.” ButhereKamara was Wednesday, standing with abath towel draped over his head andshoulders, fresh off the Saints’ first training camp practice of the year. And as he stood there, the 31-year-old fielded multiplequestions about themonthslong saga that resulted in Kamara agreeing to areported $5.5 million pay cut so he could stay with the Saints. Didthe situation leave achip on his shoulder? Is he extra motivated after adown year? Is he,asformer teammate Terron Armstead suggested, “pissed off” at how the narrative has changed?

ä See LSU, page 3C ä See

page 4C

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton will serve as the presenter forDrew Brees at his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement on Aug. 8inCanton, Ohio. Payton,who teamed withBrees for15seasonsinNew Orleans, washand-pickedby the former star quarterback to serve in the distinguished role. Payton said he wasovercome by emotionwhen his former quarterback asked him to “put me in the Hall of Fame” during aFaceTimecall in late April.

“I hadn’tthought about it, and he caught me right in the temple,” said Payton, while choking back tears during aphone call from his office in Denver.“Igot just as emotional then as Iamwith you now.I’m honored.”

See BREES, page 4C

Taysom Hill STAFF

By DAVID GRUNFELD

PHOTO By MICHAEL BACIGALUPI

LSU football coachLane Kiffinspeaks at aRotaryClub luncheon on Wednesday at TigerStadium. Kiffinjoked withthe crowdand presenters throughout the event.

KAMARA,

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Saints running backAlvin Kamara runs a drill during training camp on Wednesdayin Metairie.

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7

Ohtani dealing with pair of ailments

BY BETH HARRIS AP sportswriter

LOS ANGELES Shohei Ohtani

said his right biceps is not 100% in addition to his sore left knee, and both factored into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar not throwing a bullpen session last week.

The four-time MVP hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3 but has continued to play regularly as the designated hitter for Los Angeles.

“My biceps is not 100%,” Ohtani said through a translator Tuesday night while speaking with the media for the first time since before the All-Star break. “Just similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July So I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”

Ohtani hit his 10th leadoff home run of the season in a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners. It was his 28th leadoff shot as a Dodger tying him with the late Davey Lopes for second all-time. Ohtani finished 3 for 4 with a walk, a double, three RBIs and a run.

“I do think that the road trip was exhausting for everyone I do think that with the day off, he came in fresh and looked more like himself,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Certainly the way he swung the bat, the way he’s running, he’s not compromised. Until I hear otherwise, he’s going to be in the lineup.”

Ohtani had a lubricant injection in his knee just before the All-Star break and he skipped the game in Philadelphia to rest.

“I really took the All-Star break as that opportunity to really stay off my knees,” he said “It’s really something that I have to just deal with over the course of the season.”

Ohtani said in Japanese that the injection wasn’t a cure-all and he mentioned “a decision that I’m going to ultimately make after the season’s over” without clarifying what he was referring to He explained the lingering knee soreness was caused by pitching.

GAMES: 15 seven-innng games in regular season for each team On TV GOLF

“In terms of running, I’m not exactly at 100% capacity,” he said. “When I know it’s not, then it’s always a little harder to be aggressive on the base paths.”

Ohtani said his knee is getting better, which is a priority

“I don’t think the team has really come to a place exactly where, do I pitch through it or not?” he said. “That’s still really up in the air.”

If Ohtani’s health issues don’t improve, Roberts was asked whether it’s possible the righthander wouldn’t pitch in the postseason for the two-time reigning World Series champions.

“I guess anything’s possible, but for me, it’s highly unlikely,” Roberts said. “Given where we’re at in the calendar if the knee continues to get better, the arm continues to feel better, I would expect him to pitch. All I know is that we’re trying to, I’m trying to, give him the best opportunity to be as healthy as possible, so he can help us on both ends of the baseball.”

1

6:30

March 18 in Fort Myers, Fla

Another swing

BY JAY COHEN AP baseball writer

CHICAGO The nation’s first women’s professional baseball league in nearly 30 years is about to embark on its inaugural season in what marks a major milestone in the scattered history of the sport in the United States. The Women’s Pro Baseball League is also part of a timeline that goes back to the beginning of the sport.

“Women have always been part of this game,” said Kat Williams, the chief executive officer of the International Women’s Baseball Center

“We’ve always played, we’ve always umpired, we’ve always coached. And in some of the earliest references in the 17th century, the earliest references to something like a game of baseball, it was women that were playing it.”

Next up is the WPBL, which plays its first game Saturday The league has four teams New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco — for its first year, but the 15 regular-season games for each club and the playoffs will be held at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. The ballpark has a seating capacity of 5,200, and Springfield hosted one of the earliest paid women’s games when the Blondes faced the Brunettes on Sept. 11, 1875.

Kelsie Whitmore, Mo’ne Davis and Ayami Sato are among the marquee names expected to play in the league’s first season. Each team will have 15 active players for the seven-inning games.

“It’s amazing. It’s one of those kind of things that we always hoped would happen, but wasn’t sure that we would see it happen anytime soon,” said Leslie Heaphy, the president of the IWBC and the chair of the women in baseball committee for the Society for American Baseball Research. “And it’s fitting, it’s needed, and yeah, it’s exciting.”

Breakthrough moment

While women have been connected to baseball since the beginning of the game, the first professional women’s league was the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Immortalized in the film “A League of Their Own,” it ran from 1943-54.

The AAGPBL began during World War II as a softball league before converting to baseball.

Jean Faut, Doris Sams and Dottie Kamenshek were among the league’s best players. Maybelle Blair, who pitched in the AAGPBL in 1948, is on the WPBL’s advisory board.

“It was never intended to last past 1945 when it first started, but the fact that it lasts through 1954 tells you something about the importance, I think,” said Heaphy an associate professor at Kent

FAST FACTS

WHAT: Women’s Pro Baseball League FIRST GAME: Saturday TEAMS (4): New york, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles PLAYERS: 15 active on each team

State-Stark.

“It tells you about the determination of those involved, and I think it tells you a lot about the interest of the fans.”

Hollywood effect

After the AAGPBL ceased operations, it would be another 40 years — in the wake of the box office success for “A League of Their Own” — before interest in professional women’s baseball resurfaced.

From 1994-97, Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro managed an all-female pro team, the Colorado Silver Bullets, that barnstormed the country facing men’s amateur and semi-pro teams. The Ladies Professional Baseball League played in 1997 and part of 1998 before folding It was based in the southwestern United States before expanding to New York and New Jersey Former big league sluggers Bobby Bonds and George Foster were involved in another short-lived league in the mid-1990s in Florida.

The Women’s Baseball World Cup launched in 2004 and will be played for the 11th time in 2027. Japan has won the past eight World Cups after finishing runner-up to the U.S. in the first two. Shared focus Skirts were part of the uniform for AAGPBL players, and they were required to attend charm

Former LSU WR Byrd charged with assault

Demetrius Byrd, a standout wide receiver on LSU’s 2007 national championship team, was reportedly arrested Monday in Miami Beach, Florida, after being accused of making threats on a public bus while armed with a tool. Byrd, 40, is a native of Miami. He played for LSU in 2007-08 after two seasons at Pearl River (Mississippi) Community College. According to WTVJ, an NBC affiliate in Miami, Byrd was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Police said officers arrived at a Miami Beach bus stop after receiving reports of a man on board a bus armed with a knife yelling “Who wants to die?” at other passengers. According to Byrd’s arrest report, the bus driver said two passengers were involved in an altercation that escalated with Byrd pulling out what appeared to be a knife.

school. There was an emphasis on femininity and “ladylike” behavior, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The WPBL is all over social media, detailing the background of its players while looking to sell tickets and merchandise.

“We know this was true in the ’40s and ’50s, that people tended then to follow the team because of the place, and then the players. Now they follow players, right? That’s what people do,” Heaphy said.

“So I think that issue of raising awareness, both leagues recognize that.”

Arthur Meyerhoff, a Chicago advertising executive, played a prominent role in the creation and operation of the AAGPBL.

“He was a marketing guy, and he knew that had to happen,” said Williams, a professor emeritus at Marshall University who is part of a WPBL advisory board with Heaphy “He knew that there has to be an image, right?

“I mean, that’s typical of any kind of new endeavor You have to put forth an image. And the image I hope people are seeing with the WPBL is that these are athletes.

“These are good athletes. They’re strong women. They’re talented and smart. And I think that’s the message.”

One of the biggest legacies of the AAGPBL is connected to what the women accomplished after their playing careers. Several of the women went to graduate school and earned advanced degrees.

They took on prominent jobs while crediting the league for opening their eyes as to what was possible.

“The impact, the economic impact on those players and their families, they became doctors and lawyers and airplane pilots and teachers and you know things that they would (have) never had an opportunity to do,” Williams said.

Cleveland Browns, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday The safety’s extension is worth $48 million, including $35 million guaranteed.

It is also the second straight day Cleveland reached an extension with one of the members of its secondary Cornerback Denzel Ward agreed to a two-year extension worth $62.2 million — including $52.3 million guaranteed on Tuesday Delpit, 27, is going into his seventh season in Cleveland after being a second-round pick in 2020.

Miami dominates all-ACC team; QB Mensah POY Preseason league favorite Miami claimed a third of the spots on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason all-conference team, including transfer quarterback Darian Mensah as the preseason pick for player of the year The league released its preseason team Wednesday after voting by media members credentialed for the ACC’s football media days earlier this month. That came a day after the Hurricanes were picked to win the ACC title Mensah, a former Tulane star, is a high-profile addition who led Duke past Virginia in last year’s league championship game for the Blue Devils’ first outright ACC crown since 1962. Now he’s set to play for the Hurricanes as the favorite to become player of the year

NCAA suspends Vols LB two games tied to flight KNOXVILLE,Tenn.— Tennessee senior linebacker Arion Carter will miss the first two games of the season because of an NCAA suspension tied to an agent paying for a $427 flight to an NFL training facility during the pre-draft process. The Knoxville News Sentinel first reported Wednesday of the suspension, with the two-game length later confirmed by the school to The Associated Press. In a statement, coach Josh Heupel said the Volunteers “disagree” with the suspension, noting Carter repaid the agent for the flight cost as he returned to Tennessee. The suspension will sideline the third-year linebacker and twoyear starter for the Sept. 5 opener against Furman at home and the Sept. 12 trip to Georgia Tech.

Golf pro Mullinax suspended for violating doping policy

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Trey Mullinax received a six-month suspension for violating the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy after testing positive for a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency Mullinax said in a statement provided Wednesday by the PGA Tour he used a medication to treat a condition he was diagnosed with while in college without seeking approval under the policy

“My lack of knowledge is not an excuse,” Mullinax said. “It was my responsibility to know the rules before taking any medication and I failed to do so.” He is believed to be the ninth player suspended since the PGA Tour began drug testing in 2008, and the first since Byeong Hun An used a cough syrup sold over the counter in South Korea that contained a banned substance.

New league marks major moment in history of women’s pro baseball

Los Angeles Queens outfielder Mo’ne Davis watches her hit during an exhibition game on March 19 in Fort Myers, Fla.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS By REBECCA BLACKWELL San Francisco Firebells pitcher Kelsie Whitmore delivers during a Women’s Pro Baseball League practice on

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani celebrates a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

PEACE IN HIS TIME

1

Kiffinwas more relaxed Wednesdaythan he was in December at his introductorynewsconference. He even cracked ajokeafter being presentedwith a“peace pole” that also has the word “Win” on it likethe Winbar in Tiger Stadium’slocker room.“It has wheels,” Kiffinsaid.“I appreciate that. Maybe Ican takethat to Oxford and Knoxville.” Probably won’t cut much ice with Ole Miss and Tennesseefans,but it’s a nice thought.

2

NO PROMISES

Kiffinoffered some interesting insights into team building, sayinghedoesn’tpromiserecruits (either highschool or transfers)playing time.“Wetry to stay away frompromises,”hesaid.“I preach competition. If Imake side deals, howcan Ipreach competition? Isay you’ll getagreat opportunity and agreat shot to playasafreshman.That weeds outalot of players. If aguy wants apromise, they’renot really competitive.”

BigTen favoritesOregon, Ohio Statethinkingbig in ’26

BY STEVE MEGARGEE

AP sportswriter

CHICAGO Ohio State wide re-

ceiver Jeremiah Smith downplays his chances of winning aHeisman Trophy even though he’sgenerally regarded as college football’stop returning player regardless of position.

“I always felt that was aquarterback award unless you have a crazy season like DeVonta Smith did, where you have 1,800 yards and20touchdowns,” saidSmith, referencing the former Alabama receiver who caught 117 passesfor 1,856yards and 23 touchdowns in 2020. “I don’treallyknow the criteria, what they look at. Is it the best stats? Is it the best player? Idon’t really know.”

Smith is more concerned with helping Ohio State winasecond national title in three years, which just might enable Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayintomakehis own Heisman run.IfOhioState falls short, perhaps itwillbebecause Oregon quarterback Dante Moore leads the Ducks to their first title.

Ohio State and Oregon enter this season as theBig Tenfavorites even in aconference that includes reigning national champion Indiana. Although the Big Tendoesn’t releaseits own preseason predicted order of finish during its media days event this week, Cleveland. com puts together its own media poll each yearand has Ohio State first, Oregon second and Indiana third. Both teams are eager to put recent playoffdisappointmentsbehind them.

Oregon has lost rematches with theeventual national champion in the playoffs each of the last two years.The DucksbeatOhioState in the 2024 regularseason and

earned the No.1 playoff seed that yearbeforelosing to theBuckeyes 41-21 ina Rose Bowl quarterfinal.

TheDucks fell56-22toIndiana in aPeach Bowl semifinal lastyear after falling 30-20 to the Hoosiers duringthe regular season.

“Wenever want to feel that feeling again, of coming up short in a game,” Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson said. “This whole offseason we’ve been preaching it.We hate thatfeeling ” Ohio State,the 2024 national champion, was rankedfirst last yearbeforefinishing theseason with consecutive losses to Indiana in the Big Tenchampionship game and Miami inaCotton Bowl quarterfinal. Smith believes the Buckeyes’softregular-seasonschedule contributed to their playoff demise because theyweren’tbattle-tested. That won’tbeaproblem thisyear Ohio State’sschedulestarts with atrip to Texasand includes athreegame midseasonstretch in which the Buckeyes visit reigning national champion Indiana andSouthern Californiabeforehosting Oregon. There’salso the annual rivalry game withMichigan.

“We’re definitely going to be battle-tested,” Smith said, “and that’s going to showat the end of the season.”

TheBuckeyes lost 11 playersto the NFL draft, more than anyother school. That included four of the first 11 overall selections in wide receiver CarnellTate, linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, and safety CalebDowns.OhioState also lost offensivecoordinator Brian Hartline, nowthe head coach at South Florida

But the BuckeyeshaveSayin backatquarterback after he threw for 3,610 yards and32touchdowns They also have Smith, whose 2,558 career yards receiving and27 touchdowncatches arethe most by

any BigTen receiver in theirfirst two yearsofcollege and the most by anyFBS player over thelast two seasons That production hadplenty of teams wanting Smith to enter the transfer portal.

“There were differenttypes of programs coming at me once Hartline left and theseason was over,” Smith said. “I never really thought about leaving Ohio State.Ialways wanted to be at Ohio State. It would be dumb for me to leave Ohio State andtogotoanotherteam when I have thebestoffensive line in the country,the best quarterback in the countryand best coaches in the country.”

Oregon might argue it has the best quarterback in thecountry.

Moore could have been drafted in the first round this year if he had turned pro after throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns last season.Heopted to come back to school instead.

“I think it speaks to his maturity, what he wanted to accomplish,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.

Moore’sreturn has the Ducks thinking big, even though Lanning lost two of his top assistants from lastseason with offensive coordinator Will Stein becoming theKentuckyhead coach and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi taking over at California.

The impact Moore’sdecision had on Oregon’stitle hopes was evident from Lanning’sreaction to the news.

“He had no clue(beforehand), actually,” Moore said. “I didn’ttell anybody.Myagent and mydad were theonlypeople whoknew, I announced it,and thencoach Lanning camepushing through the door,jumped on top of the desk and startedscreaming.”

Oregon hopes the celebration continues deep into January.

Seager makesstrides to return forRangers

BY ERIK ERLENDSSON Associated Press

ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. Rangers

shortstop Corey Seager took abig step this week toward returning to the lineup and helping Texasinthe American League West. Seager hit ahome run and made astrong play in the field in the first gameofarehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Tuesday night

The 32-year-old was scheduled to appear in asecond game with Frisco on Wednesday as he recovers from lower back inflammation that has kept him out since July 1. TheRangers entered Wednesday holding atwo-game lead over the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West. On Tuesday,Seagerfinished 1-for-2 with awalk, and Texas manager Skip Schumaker was encouraged by the reports he received

Seager

“The report was he came outofthe game healthy and ready to go play again (Wednesday),” Schumaker said. “Thatpart was good. He had areally good play in the hole. Nothing running, really good at the plate, hitthe ball. Kindofeverything checks.That’s exactly what we wanted to see.”

No decisionhas been made as to when Seager mightbereadytoreturn to the Texas lineup, although Friday in Houston might be the earliest target dateifall goes well Wednesday night. “He’ll get back-to-back (games) andlikely aday off (Thursday) then we’ll see where he’s at,” Schumakersaid. Seager has been limited to 51 games this season. He was placed

on the seven-day IL on June 15 with aconcussion andmissed 12 games before dealing withback inflammation on May 15 that kept him out for 19 games. Seager’slatest stint on theILhas kept himout for 22 games,including Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Schumaker said the decision on when to return will ultimately be up to Seager

“The player dictates alot,” Schumaker said. “Hewanteda couple games, Ithink, because he missed so much time. Therecommendation is what we give and then the player decides how muchheneeds. Position players (need) maybe one of thosesimulated games, andthen go to arehab assignment,and it’s one or two games, then kind of you’re readytoroll. We’vekind of hadthat discussion. He felt he neededa couple days, back-to-back games. We’llsee wherehe’sat.”

3

JOINING THECLUB

Kiffinsaid he came to TigerStadium five times as an opposing coachwhile at Ole Miss and Alabama and always wondered what it would be liketocoach here. “I remember being in warmups withsongsplaying and the sun setting and thinking,‘Whereare we?’ ”Kiffinsaid.“There’s a weight youfeel here as the opposing team as the game gets closer.It’sgoing to be acool experience to feel that on the other side.”

asked LSUfans to think beyond just this season

“It’sactually apretty young team,” he said. “As excited as we are for this year,I just wanted to talkabout that. Aboutthe building of thefuture.”

Kiffin displayedhis comedic timing, capitalizing off of East’spresentation of an LSU footballcalendar from herbirth year,1977. That season endedwithLSU’strip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

“Something’schanged about what’sagreat season around here,” Kiffinsaid, drawing morelaughs from afan base that was so sickened by Brian Kelly’slack of playoffappearancesthathewascanned after a5-3 start to last season.

Kiffinwas minimally cautious at the microphone, frequently noting there wereTVcameras in theback of theroom, buthe kept things entertaining during a question-and-answer session. He was asked about quarterback Sam Leavitt, whomissed most of spring practice as he continued to rehab from aprevious foot surgery.Kiffin saidthe Arizona State transfer has been “grinding” and moving at afaster pace each day Kiffin was askedabout the “Wild West” of college football and the Protect College Sports Act, which the Big Tenand SEC, includingLSU, have opposed in its current form. The questioner wanted to know why.

Kiffinfound an outinthe term “Wild West” because it can refer to any number of thornyissues, whether that’scobbling together rosters with an unlimited transfer portal or skyrocketing NIL pay.The questioner failed to specify what he wanted Kiffinto talk about.

“I don’tknow,you don’tknow,” Kiffinsaid, to morelaughs. “Bad question,bad answer.”

What Kiffinverymuch wanted to talk about was the SEC’smove to anine-gameconference slate and howtoughitwillbetomake the College Football Playoff because theselection committeeisn’t rewarding strength of schedule as much as he’d like.

He wanted to talkabout theissue so much, he took aquestion about LSU’sspecial teamsand veered off in his preferred direction.

“There are teams going 10-6 andwinning theSuperBowl,” Kiffin said, comparing the parity of portal-era college football to the NFL. “Whenyou make that parity (there hastobean) understandingthat sometimesthe records are going to change, and you have to understandwho did youreally play,where did you play them, as you look at that. Because there’sa big difference.”

Kiffinwas mostprepared for a question that seemingly cameout of leftfield. Are the Tigers using artificialintelligencetoevaluate football players?

Kiffinsaid he just had ameeting with his staff about it Tuesday He’salso been working out with LSU receivers coach,George McDonald, in themornings and Kiffin learned McDonald, who is growingincreasingly fashionable as he losesweight, is taking pictures of himself and asking AI how he looks in certain outfits.

“He’slike, hey,” Kiffin said, smiling, “does this go together?” Every joke landed.

Every enemy wasnow an ally, as “go to hell” wasreplaced by a peace pole.

“I didn’tknow all we’ve got to do is go to theSun Bowltohavea great year,” Kiffinsaidjust aweek before preseason camp opens. “It’s going to be apeaceful year.”

Email Jon Blauatjon.blau@ theadvocate.com.

PHOTO By MICHAEL BACIGALUPI

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MIKE STEWART

Oregon quarterback DanteMooreworksagainst Indiana during the second half of the Peach Bowl in Atlantaon Jan. 9.

Olavesitsout as Tysonramps up

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

The first dayofNew Orleans Saints training camp featured Jordyn Tyson participating in competitive drills —but this time, his running mate was sitting out

As the Saints conducteda roughly 75-minute sessiontoopen their 2026 training camp, starreceiver

Chris Olave was presentand in uniform but watching from the sideline when the team went through 7-on-7 and full-team drills.

Afterward, coach Kellen Moore indicated thatOlave was sitting out those periods as ameans to avoid injury while the front office and Olave’srepresentationworkona contract extension.

“It’sjust respecting thebusiness side of this thing,” Moore said. “They’re just working through that as we go. Everyone’sbeen great about this whole process, so no issues there.” Moore was unabletosay whether Olave wasplanning on sitting out the competitive drills until he signs anew contract, but it is something to keep an eyeon.

As forthe players whowere fully participating during the first day of camp, here is whatwesaw Attendance: With the exception of players who began camp on the physically unable to perform or non-football injury lists Mason Tipton, Keeshawn Silver, Zxavian Harris and Cody Hardy —everybody was in uniform and participating in some fashion.

Earlyimpressions

Tyson, the No. 8pick in this year’sdraft, was limitedalmost exclusively to individual position work during the team’ssummer program, and Wednesday was the first time he’d workedalongside

Tyler Shough and thestarting offense in apublic setting.

Shough clearlywas looking to gethim involved early in practice, but Tyson didn’tsee aball come hisway until thethird competitive period. He onlysaw one target between the7-on-7and full-team periods, catchingapass on ashort out-breaking choiceroute from Shough during an 11-on-11 period.

Still, Shough saidhelikeswhat he’s seen so farout of his rookie wideout.

“The ability is there; he’sgot all thetalent in the world,” Shough said. “But he really wantstobe

great,and that’sone of my favorite things about him. He’s agood dude, but we share this common ilk where we’re never really satisfied.

“He’s21years old and has every right to think he’s made it, being draftedinthe first round. But he understands thereissomuch more to go for all of us.”

Tyson was held back this summerbywhatgeneralmanager MickeyLoomis called a“recurrence” of the hamstring injury thatlimited him to nine games in his last season at Arizona State.

But holding him back was ateam

Continued from page1C

“I’m motivated every year,” Kamara said. “A chip? No. Pissed? Maybe.” Kamara’s“maybe” wasthe closest the Saints’ all-time leading rusher got to admitting he has been botheredbyhow the last few yearsofhis career have unfolded But soon after,Kamarainsisted he begins every year“pissed” —stemming from waking up at 4a.m. to train duringthe offseason. Maybe that,hesaid, has created some type of chip. Whether he is actually bothered, there’snodenying the narrative has changed. After aresurgent 2024 season, Kamara’snumbers not only came crashing down but they also were the worst of his career. Some of thosestats,suchastotal rushing yards, could be explained by the knee injury that caused him to miss the last six weeks. But other metrics, like rushing yards per attempt and success rate, were career lows before he got hurt.

The decline led the Saints to sign TravisEtienneinthe offseason and Kamara to reduce his salary Between those events, Kamara essentially had been putinlimbo. The Saints were noncommittal publicly about the runningback’s status, leading people —including Kamara’smom, he said —towonder what was going on. Through it all, Kamara said he never took the business side personally.Now the situation is settled. “I’m really better than Iever been, from amentalstandpoint,” Kamarasaid. “Coming in here (with the Saints), I’ve got alot of clarity.Ifeel good. Ifeel energized. I’m here to work.”

The clarity Kamara received was that the Saints indeed wanted

REPORT: DT BRESEE LIKELY TORE HIS ACL

The NewOrleans Saints mayhavereceived some terrible news after the first dayoftraining camp, as NFL Media is reporting defensivelineman Bryan Bresee is believedtohavetornhis ACL, which likely will takehim out forthe 2026season

The 2023first-round pick has startedatleast 10 gameseach of thelasttwo seasons forthe Saintsand has 141/2 sacks in 49 career games. He earned praise from the staff last year forimprovingasarun defender

It is notclearwhenBresee’sinjuryoccurred, though he wasnot on thefield forthe team’s last11-on-11 period.The Saints have apair of untested young players behind himinVernon Broughton and Christen Miller whomay step into alargerrole.

Bresee has twoyears remaining on hisdeal, including the fifth-yearoption for2027that theteampicked up thisoffseason.

him back. And now that he is,he’s expected to receive further information on how exactly he’ll fit alongside Etienne. Kamara long has insisted he hasnoproblem sharing carries, andagain Wednesday, he pointed to hisdynamic with Mark Ingram andLataviusMurrayasexamplesofhow he canbe successful.

Thedifference now is that Kamara is no longer expected to be the lead back, and it remains to be seen howthe splitwillunfold.

Wednesday’spractice perhaps provided aglimpse of what coach Kellen Moore hasinstore.

Duringsets of four reps, Etienne took the first two snaps while Kamara took the last two. Later in the session, the order was reversed.

Even if the regular season does not turn out to be a50-50 split as it appeared to be to begin camp, Kamara was involved more than how the Saints used him during last month’smandatoryminicamp. Back then, Kamara largely observed team drills off to the side andwas one of thelast backs to rotate in during individual drills.

“Credit to Alvin, he always does agreat job during the offseason of

LukeJohnson

really training himself and putting himself to be in aposition ready to go,” Moore said. “You certainly see that when he’s outthere on the field. We feel great about thesituation.”

As for why Kamara’sstatustook so long to resolve, general manager Mickey Loomis said Tuesday that he didn’thaveanexplanation other than that talks were “fluid” along the way.But he said Kamara was “great” about expressing his desire to stay in New Orleans.

Funnyenough, Kamara indicated he never had adirect conversation with Loomis in which he told him how badly he wanted tokeep playing for the Saints. He did say thefranchise knows him by now

This, after all, will be his10th season in New Orleans. He has become part of the city,tothe point that strangers will invite him to their house or askhim whether he needs anything. They actasif they’ve known him for 20 years. Thatcreated abondthatKamara wasn’tabout to break.

“This is where Iwanted to be,” he said.

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

corner Kool-Aid McKinstry quickly made up thespace between himself and Vele to reach ahand in to break up the intended pass. McKinstry hasearned alot of praise throughout the summer,and that continued Wednesday when veteransafety Justin Reid pounded thepodium as he said: “Kool-Aid McKinstry is aballer. From what he did in OTAs to what he’sdoing today …that cat is going to be something special, man.I’m excited about what he’s going to do this year.”

Odds andends

choice, notaTyson choice.

“Patience is achallenge for anyonewanting to compete, and Jordyn is at the top of that,” Moore said. “He’d love to getout thereand run amillion routes and catch amillion balls; that’sjust the way he is. But he understands the processwe’re going through.”

Play of theday

During a7-on-7 period, Shough saw DevaughnVele flash free on a shallow out-breaking route from theright hash and he zipped an ontarget pass toward his receiver’s hands. The only problem is that

HILL

Continued from page1C

gunner He also gothis chance to play quarterback. Hill went 7-2asa starter for the Saints, spanning acrossthe 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was then moved primarily to tight endunder former coach Dennis Allen in 2022.

“Taysom’s career to this point as amember of the Saints organization has been remarkable in all facets,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomissaidinastatement. “His intelligence, unique athletic ability,versatility and unselfishness have benefited this team in many facets for the past nine seasons.Additionally,he’s been agreat teammate, excellent leader and mentor “Wethank Taysomfor allhis great contributions, and we are positivethataday will come when allhis accomplishments can be properly celebrated.”

Though the Saints greatly valuedHilloverthe years,theywere also willing to move on.Hill was not offered acontract this offseasonafter he struggledcoming off atorn ACL and additional knee damage in 2025. Hill rushedfor just 114 yards on 52 carries(2.2 yards per attempt) andcaught 11 passes for91yards in 13 games.

When training campbegan Wednesday, the Saints already hadissued Hill’sNo. 7jerseyto another player —fourth-string quarterback HunterDekkers, who wore No.18last year Hill andthe Saintsacknowledged last season that his time

BREES

Continued from page1C

As the presenter,Payton will attend the formal enshrinees’ gold jacket dinner on the eve of the ceremony,where he will physically place theiconicHall of Fame gold jacket onto Brees for thefirst time. At the enshrinement ceremony,Payton’spre-recorded video tributewill be played on the stadium big screens and national broadcast before the inductee comes to thestage. He will then joinBrees at center stage for theunveiling of the bronze bust, which will be displayed forposterity in the Hall of Fame. Brees then will take centerstage to deliver his acceptance speech. Payton filmed the video presentationwith an NFL Films crew last month. He said he was so honored by Brees’ gesture that he filmedthe video presentation in two separate multihour sittings to ensure theywere

Day One of Saints campfollowedthe samestructure as last year’s first day, with a7-on-7period sandwiched between two full-teamdrills. Theoffense felt alittleout of sync on itsfirstday, with Shough firingincompletions on four of his first five passes. One of those was an Alvin Kamara drop, one was the aforementioned pass breakup and another appeared to be the result of the timing being off between Shough and Ja’Lynn Polk Shough rallied to complete six of hislast seven attempts, including acoupleofdarts over the middle of the field to tight end Juwan Johnson Kicker CharlieSmyth took the first reps with the field goal unit, and he connected on each of his five attempts, witha long coming from about 48 yards. It’sanimportant camp forSmyth, who hastobeat outintriguing UFLproduct Tanner Brown to keep his job. Wednesday wasanencouraging start. Rookie Barion Brown was the first one back to receive punts in agroup that also included Tyson, receiver Trey Palmer and cornerback Quincy Riley.Brown wasanelectric kickoff returner in college,but he comes to the NFL with little punt return experience.

with the franchise wasnearing an end. At the final homegame of the season, the Saintsseemed to make apriority of getting Hill the ball. And the quarterback had his moment—Hill hit Chris Olave for a39-yard touchdown, sending the Superdome crowd into a frenzy Hill wasemotional after the game, crying as he recalled his commute to the stadium that morning.

“You just try to takeitall in,” Hill said in December.“We had a great experience here tonight. I don’tknow what the future holds forme, but it wasaspecial day formeand my family.”

Thatfuture is undecided. If Hill wants to keep playing, there are several teamsthat hold ties to the quarterback —although it remains unclear whether they are interested. Payton now coaches the Denver Broncos, while former Saints coordinators Pete Carmichael(Buffalo’soffensive coordinator)and Klint Kubiak (the LasVegas head coach) also have new jobs.

But Hill’sannouncement makes clear his time with the Saints is over.Hill’shouse in Old Metairie was put up for sale in May and remains unsold.

“I’m still working through what comes next,but Icouldn’tmove forward without taking time to say thankyou,”wroteHill,whothanked owner Gayle Benson, his teammates and the organization. “New Orleans, you will always hold aspecial place in ourhearts and we will always be cheering you on.”

Email Matthew Parasatmatt. paras@theadvocate.com

what he wanted.

“They hadtomatch hisstandard of greatness as aplayer,” Payton said.

Alarge contingent of Brees’ former Saints teammates, coaches and support staff —including owner Gayle Benson and general manager MickeyLoomis—are expected to attend the weekend festivities in Canton.

Payton said he and agroup of Broncos coaches will take a break fromtraining camp to fly to Canton for the weekend of events. His dutiesaspresenter will force him to miss Broncos practices on Aug. 7-8 to attend the event to support Brees. Asked if that would be afirst in his 19-year NFLhead coachingcareer,Payton quipped: “The last time Imissedtwo practices was when the league told me Ihad to miss practice (in 2012, when he was suspended by the NFL forhis role in the Bountygate scandal.)”

Email JeffDuncan at jduncan@theadvocate.com.

KAMARA

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler hands the ball offtorunning back AlvinKamara during drills on Wednesday at training camp in Metairie.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints wide receiver Jordyn Tysoncatches the ball during drills at training camponWednesday in Metairie.

Washington

Commanders

quarterback Jayden Daniels passes during the team’s first training camp practice on Wednesday in Ashburn, Va

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROD LAMKEy

Vikings low key on QB competition NFL

BY DAVE CAMPBELL AP pro football writer

EAGAN, Minn.

— The starting quarterback audition that will shape this season for the Minnesota Vikings and perhaps define multiple careers is clearly the featured attraction during training camp.

For as consequential as this competition will be, Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy and their teammates have no interest in intensifying the spotlight or indulging their feelings about the process. The players are trying to keep things as cool as they can.

“I’m not really too focused on the long-term vision of it,” Murray said Wednesday before the team’s first formal practice of camp.

‘The energy is different’

Commanders emphasize competition in training camp with crucial season ahead

BY ETHAN CADEAUX Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. Dan Quinn enters training camp with one simple goal in mind.

“There’s going to be a lot of competition,” the Washington Commanders coach said.

Almost every NFL team preaches competition in training camp, but Quinn was intentional with his words. In June during offseason workouts, he foresaw this to be the team’s “most competitive camp that we’ve had, going into Year 3.” It is a crucial year for Washington after going 5-12 last season, following the Super Bowl aspirations that came from reaching the NFC championship game when quarterback Jayden Daniels was a rookie in 2024.

How the 2025 season unfolded left a bitter taste with not just Quinn but his players, too.

“We’re tired of losing,” safety Jeremy Reaves said. “It’s frustrating.”

The Commanders changed offensive and defensive coordinators and were active in free agency — signing nearly a dozen new players, highlighted by edge rusher Odafe Oweh, linebacker Leo Chenal and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys,” said running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who is going into his second season. “We’re just excited to work together and see how good we can be.”

To emphasize competition, Quinn has broken up training camp into six blocks, each spanning three to four practices The first was red zone work, which dominated team drills on Wednesday Quinn’s camp philosophy change has already made players take notice.

“The energy is different. The intensity is different,” Reaves said.

“We want to win. That’s what we’re here to do. No excuses. Just come out here and get the work done.”

The Commanders’ success largely rests on the shoulders of

Milestone season begins for Texans

BY KRISTIE RIEKEN AP sportswriter

HOUSTON The Houston Texans began preparations for their 25th season Wednesday as the only NFL team to have never made a conference championship game and one of just four teams that haven’t reached the Super Bowl.

After losing in the divisional round in each of the past three years, the question is once again whether this milestone anniversary season will be the one in which they finally take the next step Or maybe next few steps and win that elusive championship.

“That’s something that we’re striving for,” defensive end Will Anderson said Wednesday after the first practice of training camp.

“That’s something that’s never been done in this city, to bring

something special back to this city And I think that everybody’s aware of that.”

Coach DeMeco Ryans knows that many outside the building believe the pressure is on the team this season to do more than it has in his first three years. But for him nothing has changed since he returned to Houston in 2023 to coach the team where he spent much of his 10-year playing career

“The only thing I know is high expectations,” Ryans said. “That’s why we do what we do, to achieve the ultimate goal. It’s a process.

It’s a build to get there, and we’re not afraid of the work that it takes to get there.”

Much of the criticism for Hous-

Daniels, who played in just seven games last season because of multiple injuries and was not nearly as effective as when he first stepped into the NFL. The former LSU star is also ready to leave 2025 behind.

“You go out there, move forward, get better,” Daniels said. “You can’t really rush the days or the season coming back, but you just attack it and approach it with a different mindset.”

Entering his third season, Daniels has taken on more of a leadership role, especially following the departures of longtime veterans Bobby Wagner and Zach Ertz.

“I have more of a voice,” Daniels said, adding: “I’ve just been more intentional with not only myself, but getting guys around me ready and rallying the troops. (Wagner is) like a big brother to me. I picked up on things that he did, how he led and using his voice in certain situations. Now he’s not here, so it’s my turn.”

Although the Commanders’ roster underwent significant changes

this offseason, Daniels is one of several holdovers from the 2024 squad who understand the culture Quinn is trying to set.

“We have guys that push that standard,” Daniels said. “We’ve got great leaders on both sides of the ball that have been here and know the ropes.”

Daniels’ first camp practice was up and down, but defenses are typically ahead of offenses early in camp. The 25-year-old is still learning David Blough’s offense but said he’s “more comfortable now than I was in the spring.”

The highlight of Wednesday’s practice came when Daniels connected with receiver Treylon Burks on a perfect corner route for a touchdown during team drills. The celebration that followed was in midseason form.

“It was good work on both sides,”

Daniels said “At the end of the day, that’s all camp is: really, building our identity and making sure guys get good work and make each other better.”

Houston.

“I’m really just focused on process, and that’s day to day, trying to put my best foot forward, and proving to the guys and the coaches what I’m capable of.”

McCarthy brings a decidedly different résumé, style and personality to this derby, but his public stance on his approach to trying to keep the same job he had last year sure sounded similar to Murray’s.

“It’s just refining every little detail, leaving no stone unturned and just trying to get better in every aspect,” said McCarthy, whose injuries have limited him to 10 starts in two seasons since he was drafted with the 10th overall pick in 2024. “That’s a constant battle with yourself every single day until you hang ‘em up.”

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was remarkably transparent in his news conference this week about the plan for dividing up drills in practice between the two. Murray went first with the first team Wednesday, but the repetitions were equally split. “It’s going to be more by certain periods. Maybe a guy’s gotten a little bit more third down work, so then we’ll make sure we try to even it out,” O’Connell said. “But I will say this, and I told the quarterbacks: ‘We don’t need to make this 50-50.’ It’s going to be that way to start when we’re on a time crunch, but when we get into some longer practices and some move-the-ball periods, there’s some periods where the amount of plays is unknown sometimes as you really start to get into what real football is.”

Texans defensive end Will Anderson works out Wednesday

ton’s playoff exit last season was directed at quarterback C.J. Stroud after he threw a careerhigh four interceptions in a loss to the Patriots The 28-16 defeat dropped the Texans to 0-7 all-time in the divisional round.

General manager Nick Caserio raved about the work Stroud has put in since then and said he doesn’t care what people outside of the building say about him.

The Texans exercised the fifthyear option on Stroud’s rookie contract in April that locked him in through the 2027 season, but have yet to sign the 24-year-old to an extension. But Caserio said Wednesday that it is something they’re working on.

“I love having C.J. here,” he said. “I’m glad he’s our quarterback We’re going to support him like we’re going to support our other players and do whatever we can to help them, make them the best version of themselves.”

With Tagovailoa sidelined, Falcons add Rush

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.

— The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback competition will have to wait another day after coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Tua Tagovailoa suffered a minor injury, and he’ll be back “sooner rather than later.” Stefanski described the injury as a “flare-up” and said he doesn’t anticipate a long absence from the former Dolphins quarterback. He said Tagovailoa will be present at training camp but not yet participating.

The first-year Falcons coach kept the details of Tagovailoa’s injury secret, saying one of the perks of training camp is not hav-

ing to divulge every detail. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported Wednesday that Tagovailoa is dealing with a tight back.

The Falcons swapped one veteran quarterback for another as a result, releasing veteran Trevor Siemian and adding Cooper Rush. Heading into his ninth year in the league, Rush has appeared in 42 career games and has thrown for 3,766 yards, 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Rush was out throwing alongside Michael Penix and undrafted rookie Jack Strand at the Falcons’ first day of training camp on Wednesday morning. Rush and Strand are expected to split snaps during 11-on-11s. Penix, who started nine games for

Atlanta in 2026 before a seasonending ACL tear will compete in individual and 7-on-7 drills.

Stefanski said he is encouraged by Penix’s recovery, though he doesn’t have a timetable for the quarterback’s return to 11-on-11 drills.

“I don’t know the exact date on when that would happen,” Stefanski said. “All along, as you guys can imagine, we have put total trust into Mike, the medical team and the doctor who performed his surgery So I’m very, very comfortable with where we are and the plan that we have.”

Penix had a slightly more definitive timeline, revealing that four weeks was the most recent benchmark he was given. While recovering from his third ACL tear, the

third-year quarterback said he’s eager to get back, but he’s not taking the process lightly

“Just trusting the process,” Penix said. “It’s more seeing how my body is feeling with these practices I was told like another four weeks, possibly, going into that next stage. At the same time, it could be earlier.”

The Falcons had another nonparticipant in All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, who was present but did not take part in drills. Robinson appeared healthy and is widely speculated to be holding in for a contract extension after the Falcons exercised his fifth-year option. The team did not comment on Robinson’s lack of participation.

The Vikings made a series of moves to address their problems on offense last season, hiring former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith as the assistant head coach with a particular focus on the running game, promoting Keith Carter to offensive line coach, and shoring up their offensive line depth after injuries frequently ravaged their 2025 lineup.

Murray, of course, was the most seismic change after McCarthy’s rocky debut. As the first overall pick in the 2019 draft with 87 starts and more than 20,000 yards passing in his career, Murray is the clear favorite to win this competition. But O’Connell has committed to opening it up, and McCarthy has said he believes him.

“My job’s to make it right for either of them, so that’s kind of all I can focus on,” right tackle Brian O’Neill said. “It’s just like any other guy and any other position battle. That’s really what it is from my perspective.”

Murray mentioned earlier the challenge of mastering a new offense without taking all of the turns with the first team, but he said Wednesday he feels much better about the playbook after going through spring practices and continuing to immerse himself in it over the past six weeks. McCarthy, too, said he has recovered from the time lost and the rhythm interrupted by his late-season injuries.

“I felt like I was hitting that upward trajectory, and I’m certain it’s still been going up since then,” he said.

McCarthy Murray

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

in

Corn soup, sandwich make forsimple supper

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Iwanted to take advantageofthe season’sfirst sweet corn on thecob at the market, so Iturned it into alight and flavorful summer corn soup. Fresh corn gives the soup anaturally sweet taste, and it comes together quickly,making it aperfect additionto an easy warm-weather dinner. For even more cornflavor add the de-kernelled cobs to the soup as it simmers. Simply remove the cobsbefore serving. Asimple cheese sandwich completes this vegetarian dinner

To

1. Husk corn and slice the kernels off the cob to make about 2½ cups kernels. Reserve thecobs.

2. Heat oil in alarge sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic Saute 3minutes without browning the onion. Lower heat if onions start to brown

3. Addthe corn kernelsand continue to saute 4minutes. Pour in the broth and reserved corn cobs. Bring toaboil, reduce and simmer 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place one slice of cheese onto each bread. Placethe twobread slices under thebroiler or in atoaster oven until the cheese starts to melt, about 2 minutes. Remove and put the two slices together with the cheese on theinside to form acheese sandwich.

5. Cut the sandwich in half andserve onehalf with each bowlofsoup. When thesoup has cooked 10 minutes,transfer it to ablender orpassitthrough afine sieve. The soup will be smooth with some pieces of finely chopped corn.

6. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Divide thesoupbetween twolarge soup bowls. Sprinkle the chopped basil on top. Serve with the cheese sandwich NUTRITION INFOPER SERVING: 455calories (36 percent fromfat),18.1 gfat (7.5 g saturated, 4.8 gmonounsaturated), 36.8 mg cholesterol, 18.3 gprotein,62.0 gcarbohydrates, 8.2gfiber,391 mg sodium.

Maybe as youwalked outofthe

first Ice Water round, it hityou.Maybe it wasadoor that opened —orone that didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t until the next year when youwereonthe other side of the process.Itcould have been amomentstandinginahallway waiting, that youcan still describe in detail years later. We’reinviting readers whowent through sorority recruitment—recentlyordecades ago —totellus about it: What’s the specific moment from Rush week youstill thinkabout? And what did Rush teach youthat you didn’t expect? Send your responseto jan.risher@theadvocate.comby2 p.m Aug. 10.

LIVING

REVIVED HERBS

BY KERRI WESTENBERG | Contributingwriter

my little herb garden, oregano stretches out and mint covers onceempty dirt patches like sunbathersseeking available ground at the beach. Rosemary swells into awoody,pinescented mound. Basil towersabove them, big, boldand breezy. This display of summer’s goodness arrives just in time.

The sun and heat have melted my brain, making me lethargic and threatening to zap my cooking creativity.Meanwhile, those same forces work wonders on my herbs.They are flourishing.

SummerFarro and Pasta Salad

Serves 10. Recipe inspired by Melissa Clark’s“Lemony Farro Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Mint,” which appeared in The NewYork Times FOR THESALAD: 1cup farro 2bay leaves 1cup orzopasta 2stalks celery, thinly sliced ¾cup thickly sliced cucumber 6scallions, sliced ¾cup roasted pistachios, roughly chopped 3cups arugula ½cup pitted Castelvetrano olives,

1.

3.

4.

Farroand Pasta Salad gets dashes of brightnessfrom mintand depth frombasil. | PHOTO BY KERRI WESTENBERG

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER

On managing everyone else’s feelings

Dear Miss Manners: As women,it is not our job to salvage aman’s ego when he cannot take “no” for an answer.Honestly, we need to make this point, and loudly: NO MEANS NO.

If someone asks you on a date, it is perfectly OK to say,“That’svery nice of you, but no, thank you.”

It is then up to the other person to accept that answer —not to keep pushing and keep asking. It is up to that person to manage THEIR OWN feelings. Women are taught to avoid bruisingmen’segos;we are expected to manage their feelings, as well as our own. And then we are called “emotional” or “crazy”

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday,July 30

the 211th day of 2026.There are 154 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

when we react thesame way men often react in certainsituations.

Gentle reader: Abit of advice on style— notthe substance of your point: Any person, male or female, is liable to be called “emotional” when they give their responses out of order or without regard to the other person in adialogue.

anew home, and our terrace affords an excellent view of our local July Fourthfireworks. We invited some friends over for barbecue and fireworks-viewing.

agrown woman,it’snot that hot out here, and she knew it was an outdoor event when she accepted theinvitation.”

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

It is understandably frustrating—if, unfortunately, all too common —tobeforced to repeat essentially identical interactionswith different people. But as Miss Manners trustsyou know, yelling at someoneatthe start is notasolution.

Dear Miss Manners: We moved to

Oneofour guestsstayed inside for most of theday due to the heat,while theother guests were in and out all day.Istayed inside with her,and my husband stayed outside. So in attending to her,I neglected the other guests. How better to handle this?

Gentlereader: Did the private conversation withyour husband go somethinglike this?

“Could you look in on her,too, so Ican spend time with theother guests?”

“You don’thave to be in there with her 100% of the time. She’s

Miss Manners does not ask this to malignyour husband, whomay be aperfect host. She is merely borrowing him to makesome valid points —none of which excuse him from splitting the looking-in dutywith you.

Dear Miss Manners: In hot, humid weather,myhands can be quite sticky,and I’mreluctant to offer awet palm when asked to shake hands. What’s thebest waytohandle this?Isitrude to try to wipe my hand off first? Should Isay “I’m sorry,but I’msohot” if someone extends their hand?

Gentle reader: Not shaking aproffered hand is rude, and explaining that you have one of several perfectly proper exceptions to this rule is generally not an interesting topic of conversation. As your situation is repairable, it does not fall into the category of reasons not to shake. Say nothing, but first wipe your hand as surreptitiously as you can.

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

On July 30, 1976, Bruce Jenner,now known as CaitlynJenner,set aworld recordof8,618 points and won the gold medal in the Olympic decathlon at the Montreal Summer Games.

Also on this date: In 1619, the first representative assembly in colonialAmerica convened in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces tried to take Petersburg, Virginia, by exploding agunpowder-laden mine shaftbeneath Confederate defense lines; the attack failed In 1930, Uruguay won the first FIFAWorldCup, defeating Argentina 4-2.

In 1945, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis,having just delivered components of the atomic bomb to Tinian in the Mariana Islands during World WarII, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; only316 out of nearly 1,200 service members survived.

In 1956, President DwightD Eisenhower signed ameasure making “In God We Trust”the nationalmotto, replacing “E Pluribus Unum.”

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965, which led to the creation of Medicare and Medicaid.

In 2008, ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzicwas extraditedtoThe Hague toface genocide charges after nearly 13 years on therun. (Hewas sentenced by aU.N. court in 2019 to life imprisonmentafter being convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.)

In 2013, U.S. Army Pfc. Chelsea Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy —the most serious charge she faced —but was convicted of espionage, theft and other charges at Fort Meade, Maryland, more than three years after she’d spilled secrets to WikiLeaks.(The former intelligence analyst was later sentenced to upto 35 years in prison, but the sentence was commutedbyPresident Barack Obama.)

In 2016, 16 people died when ahot-air balloon caught fire and exploded after hitting high-tension power lines before crashing into apasture near Lockhart, Texas, northeast of San Antonio.

In 2020, NASA launchedits Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter to Marsaboard an Atlas Vrocket; the helicopter’sinitial flight on Mars was in April 2021. Today’sbirthdays: FormerMajor League Baseball Commissioner BudSelig is 92.Blues musician Buddy Guy is 90. Singer Paul Anka is 85. Actorand former California Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger is 79. Actor Jean Reno is 78. Actor Ken Olin is 72. Actor Delta Burke is 70. Law professor Anita Hill is 70. Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 68. Film director Richard Linklater is 66. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 65. TV personalityAlton Brown is 64. Actor Lisa Kudrow is 63. Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Mullin is 63. Actor Vivica A. Fox is 62. Actor Terry Crews is 58. Actor Simon Bakeris57. Film directorChristopherNolan is 56. Actor TomGreen is 55

Actor Christine Taylor is 55.Actor Hilary Swank is 52. Olympic gold medal beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor is 49. Actor Jaime Pressly is 49. Alt-country singer-musician Seth Avett is 46.

Shrubs aresweet-tart, colorful and refreshing drinking vinegars.

Basil-RosemaryShrub

Serves about6.RecipebyKerri Westenberg.

1packed cupbasil ½packed cup rosemary 1cup sugar 1cup champagne vinegar

1. In ajar,muddle thebasil and rosemary Add thesugar and muddle together until the mixtureturns fragrant with herbs. Addthe vinegar

2. Place apiece of parchment paper over thejar and screw on thelid, then shake well. (Parchment paper will prevent theacid of the vinegar from corrodingthe lid.)Store in the refrigerator for 3days, shaking fromtimeto time

3. Strain the ingredientsthrough acolanderlined with cheesecloth, return to the jar, andrefrigerate,where it will staygood for months.

4. To serve, pourabout 3tablespoonsofthe shrub into aglass filledwith iceand topwith sparkling water or wine.

HERBS

Continued from page1D

Right now,the fragrant plantsare growing so fast they practically begtobeplucked. At the height of their powers, they taste likethe essence of summer.They’reafresh reminderthat the bestflavors of summerrequire little effort. Forany cook, summer herbs offer thejolt that warmweather meals need. If you don’thavea plot for your ownherbgarden, trytosniff out aneighbor’sharvest (and promise to repay the favor with asample of good things to come). Otherwise, farmers’ marketsand grocerystores make easy backup sources. The point is, herbs are abundant right now. Don’tmiss the chance to enjoy them at their peak. My mini-garden helped me turn afarro salad into a vibrant taste of theseason.

Strawberry-Basil Shrub

Serves about 12. Recipeinspired by Food52.

1pound strawberries, cleaned and quartered 1packed cup basil 2cups sugar 2cups champagne vinegar

1. In alarge bowl, tossthe strawberries and basil with the sugar,mashing slightly against the side of the bowl.

2. Cover the mixture and set the bowlaside on your counter for two days, stirring occasionally It will yield alovely syrup.

3. After two days, strain the mixture. Discard thesolids, pour thesyrup into ajar and add the vinegar (use moreorless, depending on the level of tartness you prefer).

4. Place apiece of parchmentpaper over the jar,screw on the lid over the parchment, and store in the refrigerator,where it will stay good for months.

5. To serve, pour about3tablespoonsofthe shrubintoa glass and top with sparkling water or wine.

sweet-tart, colorful and refreshing drinking vinegars that arefar betterthan they sound. To make acooling summer drink, pour the shrub one-quarterofthe way into an ice-filled glass and top with sparkling water or sparkling wine. They alsomix well with liquor

The hearty salad gets dashes of brightness from mintand depthfrom basil. It’s like eating the color green, grounded in nutty farro and tender orzo pasta. To splash thatsamecelebrationofsummer into aglass, I made twoshrubs. These are

One shrub,made with basil and rosemary,provides awonderful backdrop for gin and is sturdy enough to stand up to bourbon. The other,avibrant pink blend of strawberries and basil, balances perky fruit withanherbal kick. Herb-only shrubs require aslightly different approach than those made withnaturally juicy fruit, but both are simple to make. Get the basics down, and you can easily mix and match fruit and herbs foravariety of flavor profiles. These recipes are my reminder that while summer can drain us, it also gives us some of the year’sinvigorating flavors. All we have to do is pick them.

Dear Heloise: Iuse baking soda to absorb odors in my refrigerator.I replace the box about every four months, but instead of tossing out aperfectly good box, Iuse the remaining contents to scrub plastic toys that my young son chews on. He’scutting teeth right now It doesn’tkill bacteria, but it does agreat job of removing dirt, dust and saliva from his toys. Ihave to scrub his toys nearly every day The leftover baking soda also does agreat job on my pots and pans, in the laundry on my husband’swork clothes, and on washable rugs. What agreat product! It has so manyuses and costs so little. And thank you forall the helpful hints in your column. —Juliana T.,inAlbuquerque, New Mexico Aknocked-out tooth

DearHeloise: For years, my mother read the “Hints From Heloise” columnand enjoyed the many hints she found that made her life alittle easier.Now I’m writing to ask aquestion. My son plays on ajunior football team. One of the boys accidentally got atooth knocked out while they were playing agame. If my son, who is only 12, gets a tooth knocked out, is there any way to save the tooth and have the dentist reinstall it? —Kimberly H.,inSt. Paul,Minnesota Kimberly,ifit’sapermanent tooth, drop the tooth in aglass of milk and rush your son and his tooth to adentist. There are manyvariables to reinstalling atooth, but only your dentist would know after examining the tooth and the spot where it came from. Remember,you need to get to adentist immediately —Heloise

Herb garden in kitchen

Dear Heloise: Ihonestly believe that fresh herbs makeabig difference in how food tastes. In the summer months, Igrow herbs in my garden, but all year-round, Ialso grow herbs in my kitchen. I’mlucky enough to have ahusband whomade aframethat holds 18 special pots, where Ican grow my herbs in asunny spot right in my kitchen. There’snothing like astew or ahomemade soup that is madewith fresh herbs. Imay have aspecial herb rack, but anyone can grow herbs in their kitchen on awindowsill, or in apretty pot of any kind in any room of their house. Tryit, and you’ll never buy another dried-up herb again! Emma V.,inSpringfield,Missouri Emma, Ilove to grow my own herbs. Ithink it’sahealthy,natural waytocook. My kitchen always smells of rosemary and lavender —Heloise

Email heloise@heloise.com.

PHOTOSByKERRI WESTENBERG

Basil plants thriveinfull sun, perfect to grow during ahot Louisiana summer

Hints from Heloise

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) The experiences you encounter will help you decide what you want to pursue next. An interesting partnership will develop if you participate in amovement that has an impact on something that's meaningful to you. VIRGo (Aug.23-sept. 22) Chill. If you focus on the people, conversationsand the chaos going on around you, you'll be disappointed in whatyou accomplish. Do somethingthatmakes youfeel good aboutyourself.

LIBRA (sept.23-oct. 23) Letting others observe who youare andwhatyou can accomplish will leadtopositiveoptions andlifestyle changes thatallow youto do more of whatyou enjoywhile making aprofit.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Slow down and observe what others are doing. Distance yourselffrompeople and situations thatstifleyourability to advance. Letyourthoughts andactions guide you.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Don't get angry; moving is what will get you back on track. Take pride in how you look andpresent yourself to others. Pay attentiontodetails,costsand whatwill boostyourconfidence.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Do what's best for you. Stop letting others pressure you into doing things that infringe on your time and goals. It's OK to say no and to take thejourney that is conducivetopeople andpastimes thatbring youjoy

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb.19) You have no timefor negativity. Move forward with apositive frame of mind and the intent to look, feel and do your best. Take advantage of opportunities.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Thetime you spend with someone you find upliftingwill provide motivation to do what pleases you. Refuse to getcaught up in someoneelse's drama or to trytofix everyoneelse's problems.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) More action and less talk will makethe best statement and receive the most accolades. Pay attention to detail, and broaden your interests andyouraudience.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Keep your eye on your target,not on what others say or do.Trying to appease everyonewill be your downfall. Put lack of restraint asideand focus on efficiency

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Avoid arguments andsituationsthatare counterproductive. You have so much to gain if youfocusonwhat's importanttoyou anddistance yourself from those tryingtobotheryou

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Stick to your principles and the lifestyle that puts your mind at ease. Refusetobeafollower or to think someoneknows what you need better than you know yourself. Trust your instincts.

Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact ©2026 by NEA, Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: oEQuALsI

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Albert Einstein said, “Learn fromyesterday,live for today, hope fortomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” You areinano-trump contract and the opponents lead asuit in which you have only one top-trick stopper. (This is usually the ace, but might be the king if third hand takes the first trick with the ace.) Howlongdoyou hold up that stopper?

In this example deal, South is in three no-trump. Whatshould he do after West leads his fourth-highest spade and East puts up the queen?

Declarer has seven top tricks: one spade,one heart, four diamonds and one club. The other two winnerswill come from clubs,but if that finesse loses, the defenders might take five black-suit tricks first.

How long should declarer hold up his spadeace?Toanswerthatquestion,typically he applies theRule of Seven. He adds togetherthe number of cards in the suit led that are in the dummy andhis hand. He subtracts thetotal fromseven andholdsupfor that number of rounds.

Here,six from seven is one. So South ducks the first trick, takes the second trick withhis spade ace, and runs the club10. It loses,but thecontract is safe.

wuzzles

Note two things.First, if East has a third spade, the suit would be breaking 4-3 and declarer would lose only three spades and one club. Second, if South ducks two rounds of spades, West ought toshifttotheheartking.Thenthedefenders will take two spades, twoheartsand one club. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

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

toDAy’sWoRD onEIRIc: oh-NYE-rik:Dreamy

Average mark12words

Time limit 25 minutes

yEstERDAy’sWoRD —KILLDEER

Can you find 23 or more words in ONEIRIC? keel

thought

why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do notthe things which Isay?” Luke6:46

loCKhorNs

As one mansaid, youcan’t saynoLordand mean

G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

Ms.King, and Mr.Payne;Nays: none; Abstentions: none;Ab‐

sent:none. Themotion passed. ChiefMitchellpresented thefollowing officers with certificatesfor their outstandingwork: Cor‐poralRushing Juneau Of‐ficerKeddrickRogers andOfficerDeliysha Batiste. An update on resolving the2024-2025 AuditFind‐ingwas presentedby Adrian Daigle Thebudgettoactual fi‐nancialreportwas pre‐sented by Adrian Daigle Amotionwas made by Ms.Kingand seconded by Mrs. Joseph to autho‐rize MayorPattantosign theengagementletters with Ericksen Krentelfor the2025-2026 auditand the2025-2026state agreed upon procedures (SAUPs)A roll call vote wasasfollows:Yeas; Mrs. Joseph,Ms. Gordon Mr.Hubble, Ms.King, Mr Payne: Nays;none: Ab‐stain;

roll call vote wasasfollows: Yeas;Mrs.Joseph, Ms Gordon,Mr. Hubble,Ms. King,Mr. Payne: Nays; none:Abstain;noone: Absent;noone.Motion passed APublicHearing on Ordi‐nanceNo. 5of2026 was called.Noone came for‐ward.The Public Hearing wasClosed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Ms.Kingtoadopt Or‐dinanceNO. 5of2026 adopting theoperating budget of revenuesand di f h i g expenditures for theCity of Port Allenfor the fiscal ;yearbeginning July 1, 2026 andendingJune 30, 2027, forthe General Fund Waterand Gas Fund,Sewer Fund LowIn‐come HousingFund and MunicipalComplex Dept ServiceFund.A roll call vote wasasfollows: Yeas;Mrs.Joseph, Ms Gordon,Mr. Hubble, Ms King,Mr. Payne: Nays; None:Abstain;noone; Absent;noone.Motion passed. APublicHearing on Ordi‐nanceNO. 6of2026 was called.Noone came for‐ward.The Public Hearing wasclosed. Amotionwas made by Mr.Hubbleand seconded by Ms.Kingtoadopt Or‐dinanceNO6 of 2026 amending Section86-3of theCodeofOrdinances of theCityofPortAllen

Mr.Payne: Nays;None: Abstain; Ms Gordon;Absent; no one. Motion passed. Therewerenocondem‐nationstoreport. Therewerenoalcoholic beverage permitsappli‐cationspresented Announcements: •The Mayor’sLeadership

duresfor Making Deter‐minationsonFloodplain Management.The 500year flood plain(0.2per‐cent annualchance) was used to define theFFRMS floodplain. Theproject consists of streetlightconstruction alongthe northsideof LA Highway44inRe‐serve, Louisiana, extend‐ingapproximately7,000 linear feet from Central Avenue to East 31st.At least60new streetlights will be constructedto correctsafety hazards andimprove visibility alongthe existing High‐way 44 right-of-way cor‐ridor. Theproject will be constructedentirely within theexisting LouisianaDepartmentof Transportation andDe‐velopment(DOTD)rightof-way,withnonew right-of-way acquisition anticipated. Drainage patternswillbemain‐tained consistent with existing conditions.The proposed projectwould impact approximately0.2 acresofFFRMS flood‐plainconsideringtempo‐rary work spaceand wouldpermanently im‐pact approximately0.03 acre-feet of FFRMS flood‐plain. Basedona review of National Wetlands In‐ventory(NWI) data,the projectwould impact zero acresofwetlands. Thereare threeprimary purposes forthisnotice. First, people whomay be affected by activities in floodplains andthose who have an interest in theprotectionofthe nat‐ural environmentshould be giventhe opportunity to expresstheir concerns andprovide information aboutthese areas. Sec‐ond, an adequate public notice programcan be an importantpublicedu‐cational tool.The dis‐semination of informa‐tion about floodplains canfacilitateand en‐hanceFederal effortsto reduce therisks associ‐ated with thetemporary impactstothe special areas. Third, as amatter of fairness, when the Federalgovernmentde‐termines it will partici‐pate in actionstaking placein floodplains,it must inform thosewho maybeput at agreater or continuedrisk. Writtencommentsmust be received by Tim SoileauatELOSEnviron‐mental on behalf of SJBPGatthe following addressonorbeforeAu‐gust 19, 2026 during the hoursof8:00AMand 5:00 PM TimSoileau ProjectManager/ EnvironmentalScientist ELOS Environmental, LLC 607 WMorrisAve Hammond,LA70403 tsoileau@elosenv.com (985) 662-5501 195733 July 30, 1t $339.84 PUBLIC

MIDDLEDISTRICTOF LOUISIANA IN THEMATTEROF INGRAM BARGE COMPANYLLC,AS OWNERAND OPERATOR OF THEM/V ACEG AND ITSMACHINERY,GEAR, TACKLE,APPAREL AND ALLOTHER APPURTE‐NANCES,PETITIONING FOREXONERATION FROM AND/OR LIMITATIONOF LIABILITY CASE NO.: 26-637-SDD-RLB SECTION: JUDGE: MAGISTRATE JUDGE: NOTICE OF COMPLAINT FOREXONERATION FROM AND/OR LIMITA‐TION OF LIABILITY NOTICE is hereby given that Ingram BargeCom‐pany LLC, as ownerof theM/V ACEG (“Ves‐sel”), has fileda Com‐plaint pursuant to 46 U.S.C. §§ 30501 et seq. claiming theright to ex‐onerationfromand/or limitation of liabilityfor anyloss, damage,injury, or destructioncausedby or resultingfromanDe‐cember 22, 2025, incident wherein theVesselcame into contactwitha barge in theCCI fleet Allpersons asserting claims with respectto which theVerified Com‐plaint seeksexoneration from or limitation of lia‐bility areadvised andad‐monished to file theirre‐spective claims with the Clerkofthe Courtfor the United States District Court, MiddleDistrictof Louisiana, 777 Florida Street,Suite 139, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, andto serveonthe attorneys forLimitationPlaintiff, Liskow &Lewis,701 Poy‐dras Street,Suite 5000, NewOrleans,LA70319, a copy thereofonorbefore the 20th dayof August, 2026,orbeforever de‐faulted.Personalatten‐danceisnot required Anyclaimantdesiringto contesteitherthe right to exonerationfrom and/or theright to limita‐tion of liabilityshall file andserve an answer,all as required by Rule Fof theSupplementalRules forCertain Admiraltyand Maritime Claims con‐tained in theFederal RulesofCivil Procedure. BatonRouge,Louisiana, this 10 dayof June,2026 /s/ShellyD.Dick UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 194247 July 16, 23, 30, Aug. 6, 2026 4t $1,037.28 y site:TRACT K190-B2-A

SPENCERHENRY DOCKET NO :49924 18THJUDICIALDISTRICT COURTWESTBATON ROUGEPARISHSTATE OF LOUISIANA By virtue of aWritof Seizure andSale, di‐rected by theHonorable TheEighteenth Judicial District Court, forthe Parish of West Baton Rouge, in theabove enti‐tledand numbered cause, Ihaveseizedand proceed to sell by public auction, on thefront stepsofthe West Baton RougeCourthouse, 850 8thStreet,PortAllen LouisianaonWEDNES‐DAY, SEPTEMBER2,2026 at 10:00 A.M.,the follow‐ingdescribed property to wit: THAT CERTAINPIECE OF GROUND,together with allthe buildingsand im‐provements thereon, and allthe rights,ways, privi‐leges, servitudes,appur‐tenances andadvan‐tagesthereuntobelong‐ingorinanywise apper‐taining, situated in that subdivisionlocated in thePARISHOFWEST BATONROUGE,STATE OF LOUISIANA, knownas SUGARMILLPLANTATION SUBDIVISION, 5THFILING, andbeing more particu‐larlydescribed on theof‐ficial mapofsaidsubdi‐vision recorded at Plat Book 6, Page 158, Entry #2939 in theoffice of the Clerkand Recorder for theParishofWestBaton Rouge, Louisiana, as LOT TWOHUNDRED SIXTY FIVE (265) of said subdi‐vision,saidlot having such measurements and dimensions as areindi‐catedonsaidmap,said lotbeing subjecttoeach servitudes andrestric‐tionsasare more fully shownonsaidplatof survey andasare on file andofrecordinthe Of‐fice of theClerk and Recorder forthe Parish of West BatonRouge, Louisiana. MunicipalAddress: 3954

70002 (504) 831-7726 Judicial Advertise‐ment(s)willappearin THEADVOCATEonthe date(s)of: JULY 30, 2026