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Landry’s N.O. stance mirrors other red states Critics complain tough approach doesn’t help

Trump floats pulling AG nominee Senators’ demands over tax audit immunity deal at issue

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Gov. Jeff Landry has pushed changes in New Orleans’ court system and vetoed spending projects in the city.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he may pull acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination for the full-time post to avoid conceding to Senate Republicans’ demands over a sweeping tax audit immunity deal benefiting the president and members of his family.

After failed negotiations forced the delay of a committee vote to advance Blanche’s nomination, Trump suggested he was holding firm against pressure from Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. They have expressed concerns about the controversial settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, which a judge denounced as an exercise in self-dealing.

The senators said the Justice Department seemed interested in reaching an agreement with them, but the White House wouldn’t budge to aid the confirmation of Trump’s loyal former personal attorney, who has aggressively pursued the administration’s priorities as acting attorney general. Instead, Trump said in a social media post that he might pull Blanche’s nomination and resubmit it after Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year.

“I think as far as Blanche and the Department of Justice, we were pretty much on the

Governor says he has ‘done more for N.O. than any other governor’

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

With several aggressive moves against New Orleans this year, Gov. Jeff Landry has become the latest Republican governor to adopt policies that have angered Democratic cities in their state.

Landry pushed the Legislature to eliminate jobs in New Orleans’ court system, disproportionately vetoed spending projects in New Orleans, publicly downplayed the city’s role in Louisiana’s economy and has refused entreaties in recent weeks from Mayor Helena Moreno to meet to try

to normalize relations.

Landry’s moves mirror those by Republican governors in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Mississippi, who have all either imposed greater state control over their Democratic-led cities in recent years or taken away some of their political power.

New Orleans officials say Landry is targeting their city by imposing his will without consulting or collaborating with local leaders.

“We are allowing a governor to slap us around like a rag doll,” state Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans, said at a recent community forum.

“We have a guy trying to score points with Donald Trump,” added state Sen. Sidney Barthelemy Jr., D-New Orleans. “That doesn’t have anything to do with benefiting our state.”

In recent weeks, Landry has said the city needs to resolve its budget problems, and he has blasted the decision by an Orleans Parish grand jury to indict Attorney General Liz Murrill on charges that she tried to intimidate city officials.

Moreno and other city officials asked special prosecutor Laurie White last week to dismiss the

ä See LANDRY, page 7A

ä See NOMINEE, page 8A

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on July 15.

Edwards’ staffer Vicknair announces candidacy for Central mayor

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

Lon Vicknair — chief of staff to East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards With the qualifying window — said he will run for the job less than a week away, the race after current Mayor Wade Evfor mayor of Central is begin- ans recently announced he will not seek reelection. ning to heat up.

“For me, this is not a new beOn Thursday, Republican Staff writer

WEATHER HIGH 94 LOW 78 PAGE 8B

ginning. It is the next chapter in a life built around one thing: service,” Vicknair said in a news release. “I have worn a few different uniforms, but the calling never changed.”

Vicknair, a Navy veteran, will be added to the ballot along-

side Republican Metro Council member Aaron Moak, who announced his run last week.

Vicknair was one of the first staffers Edwards hired after he took office in January 2025.

Prior to moving into Baton Rouge City Hall, Vicknair

worked for PSC Group and served as a reserve officer for the Central Police Department.

D’Ann Wells, a Central council member, and Geno Guercio have also said they are running.

ä See VICKNAIR, page 8A

Business ......................3B Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C

Vicnair

102ND yEAR, NO. 31

2A ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Court: Feds can’t deny immigrants’ bail chance

The Trump administration cannot deny immigrants detained inside the United States a chance for release on bail, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

The 2-1 decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with a judge appointed by President Donald Trump in the majority, deepened a split between federal appeals courts over the administration’s mandatory detention policy.

Four other appeals courts have also rejected it, while the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans and Eighth Circuit in St. Louis have sided with the Trump administration.

The expanding circuit split increases the likelihood that the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually take up the issue. The administration last month asked the high court to consider it.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it “strongly disagrees with the Ninth Circuit panel and is confident in its legal position regarding mandatory detention.”

“President Donald Trump and Secretary Mullin are now enforcing the law as it was actually written to keep America safe,” the statement said.

Under previous administrations, most noncitizens without a criminal record who were arrested inside the U.S. were allowed to seek a bail hearing while their immigration cases were pending. Mandatory detention was generally reserved for people arrested at the border.

Last July, immigration officials issued guidance expanding mandatory detention to immigrants in the U.S. interior. The move — part of the administration’s mass deportation campaign — prompted a deluge of federal lawsuits by immigrants seeking release from custody.

Trump passports to be available nationwide

WASHINGTON — Americans outside the nation’s capital will soon be able to get limited-edition U.S. passports that feature a picture of President Donald Trump and celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the State Department said Thursday.

The department’s 27 passport agencies nationwide will start offering the special travel documents next month. They previously had only been available at the Washington, D.C., passport office for in-person applicants.

Trump, whose stern portrait is emblazoned on an inside page, is the first living president featured in the travel document.

The passports are the latest instance of Trump having his name and likeness added to buildings, documents and other highly visible tributes. His image is on a gold-finished commemorative coin celebrating the country’s founding that the U.S. Mint has begun producing, and there are efforts to put Trump’s signature on all new U.S. paper currency, also a first for a sitting president.

Singapore fines student for straw-licking stunt

SINGAPORE — A French student was fined $465 after pleading guilty Thursday to a public nuisance charge in Singapore for filming himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back in what lawyers described as a social media stunt.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, admitted to licking the straw and returning it to the vending machine while recording the act for his online followers. It happened at a shopping mall in March and he was charged in April after his video spread rapidly.

Another charge of mischief was taken into consideration during sentencing. The court imposed the fine and did not order any community-based sentence after considering mitigating factors.

The public nuisance charge carries a penalty of up to three months in prison. Prosecutors sought only the maximum fine of $1,551, saying the staged act was intended for social media and risked undermining confidence in the hygiene of a commonly used vending machine.

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U.S., Iran trade missile barrages Hopes dim for quick resolution to conflict

BY SAMY MAGDY and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press

CAIRO — The United States and Iran each fired barrages of missiles Thursday, as the pattern of back-andforth strikes took hold again and hope dimmed for a quick end to the five-month conflict.

Following a few days of respite, fears of a wider war have grown, with renewed fighting threatening to engulf even more countries.

Jordan said Thursday it intercepted Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike in the northern part of the country killed one person. Also this week, drones caused fires on ships at an Egyptian port, and Saudi Arabia said it came under fire from Iranbacked militias in Iraq.

The war — which in its early days President Donald Trump said would last four to five weeks, although he warned it could take longer — has caused the price of fuel to spike and roiled the global economy. As months have passed, concerns have deepened about using up the stockpile of weapons the U.S. needs to defend its bases and allies.

The war is unpopular among Americans, and a new AP-NORC poll says Trump’s approval rating on Iran has dipped slightly since last month.

The recent pause in fighting, which began over

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FARID ABDULWAHED

A damaged vehicle is flipped over Wednesday at the site of an airstrike on a Popular Mobilization Forces base in Mosul, Iraq. the weekend and spurred hopes among mediators of diplomatic progress, ended with increasing missile and drone attacks across many countries in the Middle East.

“We note with concern that the security situation remains precarious,” said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, whose country has been a key mediator.

Talks “are ongoing to normalize the situation, particularly the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” he told reporters.

An Iranian strike hit a Chinese firm’s building in Kuwait on Thursday, severely damaging the structure and killing a worker, Kuwait’s military said, hours after Jordan’s air defenses shot down five missiles launched from Iran.

No injuries were reported

from Jordan’s interception, the country’s state-run Petra news agency said, quoting the spokesman for the country’s armed forces.

Both Jordan and Kuwait host American troops.

The attacks came after the U.S. military said it completed “a heavy wave of strikes against Iran” in response to an earlier Iranian missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.

U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces struck dozens of targets belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance and defense sites.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency said three people were killed and two were wounded in a strike on the island of Qeshm, which lies off the Iranian mainland in

the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the world’s energy supplies that has been at the center of the conflict.

The latest barrage came after the U.S. partnered with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to strike Iranbacked militias in Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers.

Also on Wednesday, British maritime security firm Ambrey said drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the strikes on a U.S.-owned floating storage facility and a Greek-owned tanker. No injuries were reported.

The office of the Egyptian prime minister said initial investigations showed the fires had been caused by a drone. In a cabinet meeting,

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said investigators were able to recover traces of the drone and will try to determine where it came from.

Egypt, a close U.S. ally and regional mediator, has until now been spared direct military action during the war. A strike by Iran or its allies, if confirmed, would mark a significant widening of the conflict.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have denied they were behind the attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi didn’t outright deny Iranian involvement but said: “Egypt is an important friend and partner in the region, and its security is of utmost importance to us.”

“We must all be vigilant against Israeli plots and false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace,” he said on X. “The threat is clear, mutual, and fearful of Muslim solidarity.”

The conflict has wreaked havoc on the global economy as energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have ground to a near halt. Much of the diplomacy around ending the war has focused on reopening the strait, through which 20% of oil and natural gas shipments passed in peacetime.

The already limited traffic through the strait has plunged to wartime lows during the recent exchange of strikes, from 82 ships during the week of July 1319 to just 39 from July 2026, Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a shipping data and analysis firm, said in an webinar.

Father of gunman in Ga. school shooting sentenced Man gave son weapon used in attack

BY KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press

A man who gave his son the gun he used to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison.

Colin Gray’s sentencing comes days after his son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school 45 miles northeast of Atlanta. Colt Gray, 16, had pleaded guilty to murder and other charges.

Judge Nicholas Primm, who also sentenced Colt

task of sentencing you without passion despite the immeasurable heartache that you caused,” Primm said.

Gray, 55, is one of a handful of American parents who have been criminally charged after their children were accused in shootings.

A jury in March found Colin Gray guilty of seconddegree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION PHOTO By HyOSUB SHIN Mason Schermerhorn and

Colin Gray, father of the Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, sits with his attorneys Thursday during his sentencing hearing at Barrow County Superior Court in Winder, Ga. Gray, was blunt in addressing the elder Gray: “It is clear you failed as a parent.” But he said punishing crimes of negligence is particularly difficult because there was no intent to commit a crime.

“My heart aches for everyone that was there that day, for all of you that have been impacted by it. But the law requires that I set aside emotion. I don’t get to sentence with passion. I have the nearly impossible

10 people killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine anti-ballistic Ukrainian long-range NATO scrambles ern-supplied drones and missiles have missile defenses. battered oil sector, NATO said a Russian jets after missile missile entered Polish air- causing aRussia’s fuel crisis.

The attack came two space during the onslaught falls in Poland and landed in a rural area. days after Ukrainian Presi-

BY HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian ballistic missile and drone barrage across Ukraine overnight killed at least 10 civilians, including children, and injured more than 50 others, officials said Thursday, and NATO scrambled its warplanes after one of the missiles crossed the country’s western border into Poland.

The blitz expanded Russia’s almost daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities, including the capital of Kyiv where tens of thousands spent the night sheltering in subway stations, as Moscow apparently looked to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of West-

It caused no injuries or damage but could deepen tensions between the military alliance and Moscow, as wary European countries fear the 4-year-old war could spill into their territory.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called it “yet another reckless act

by Russia and a dangerous consequence of its war against Ukraine.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was “a very serious incident,” but added: “There are absolutely no reasons to believe that Poland was the target.”

Russia’s barrage struck areas of Ukraine where weapons are believed to be stored and manufactured.

dent Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump and representatives of American defense companies as he pleads for swifter and bigger deliveries of Patriot air defense systems to stop Russia’s ballistic missiles.

The Iran war has drained stockpiles of the U.S.-made interceptors. Trump has promised to grant Ukraine licenses to build its own Patriots, but production could take many months.

“Given the critical shortage of air defense missiles from our partners, our warriors are accomplishing truly incredible things, demonstrating a very high level of professionalism,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

Christian Angulo. Georgia law defines second-degree murder as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children.

Gray was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.

Another teacher and eight other students were wounded, seven of them hit by gunfire.

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4A ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Seattle police chief resigns over shooting response

BY GENE JOHNSON and MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, center, and Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, left, attend the vigil for victims on Monday, the day after a shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle food festival in Seattle.

SEATTLE — Seattle’s police chief resigned Thursday amid criticism that the city was slow to release key information about a fatal shootout at a food festival last weekend.

Mayor Katie Wilson’s announcement followed hours of speculation about whether Police Chief Shon Barnes would step down, as some of his supporters said he had rebuffed Wilson’s request to resign.

Wilson said she was appointing Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, a law enforcement veteran with more than two decades of experience, as interim chief.

Barnes told The Seattle Times earlier Thursday that whether he remained as chief was “up to the mayor.” He said he was off for the day and spending time

with family.

In a written statement, the mayor said she was grateful for Barnes’ service.

The statement included comments in which Barnes called it an honor to have served the city.

“I hope this transition gives the city and this department the opportunity to return full focus to what matters most, addressing youth gun violence and preventing more tragedies,” Barnes said.

Barnes was out of town at a law enforcement conference when gunfire erupted last weekend at the Bite of Seattle, an annual three-day festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. Three people, including one suspect, were killed, and four people were wounded. One of the injured was a 2-year-old boy.

Dozens of officers were at the event, and at least one saw a 15-year-old suspect firing into a crowd and quickly

persuaded him to surrender, according to court documents. Police are still searching for at least one other person.

While Wilson credited the quick police response with potentially saving lives, she acknowledged that the city was slow to communicate in the aftermath.

After an initial social media post announcing the shooting, it took nearly five hours for police to provide any additional information to the public, including whether there was any ongoing threat.

The city also failed to send out any notifications through its emergency alert system. In the meantime Wilson announced that two people had been taken into custody, a statement she later retracted.

Assistant Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis finally provided an update around 11 p.m. Sunday during a news conference that was also attended by the mayor, Gov. Bob Ferguson and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal.

Police describe dad’s horror learning his then-wife killed their kids

BY MICHAEL CASEY and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The two police officers focused first on Lindsay Clancy drifting in and out of consciousness in the snow after jumping from her Massachusetts home’s second-floor window. Within minutes, they were racing into the basement after her then-husband screamed that all three of their children were dead.

“I can’t wake them up — I can’t get them up!” he frantically told the

officers who, along with firefighters and paramedics, gave jurors firsthand accounts on Thursday of the aftermath.

The murder trial has centered on Clancy’s mental state at the time.

Her lawyers do not dispute that she strangled the children with exercise bands. But they say she was in the grip of postpartum 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 Mas-

sachusetts General Hospital, acted intentionally and is criminally responsible for the deaths in January 2023.

The testimony came after jurors spent two days listening to testimony from Patrick Clancy and his anguished 911 call. He was still on the phone when he discovered the bodies of 3-year-old Dawson, 5-year-old Cora, and 8-month-old Callan, minutes after returning home from an errand his wife asked him to run.

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 Clancy since the killings.

She remains paralyzed from the waist down after using multiple methods to try to end her life that night. She says a voice told her, “This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself,” according to her lawyer.

Officers Stephen Hall and Brian Josephine testified Thursday that they were each dispatched separately to the house in Duxbury, a coastal town south of Boston. Hall said they arrived to find Patrick

Clancy yelling for help from behind the home.

Patrick Clancy testified earlier this week that his injured wife told him the kids were in the basement, but she didn’t say they were dead.

When the officers followed the sound of his screams downstairs, only 8-month-old Callan had a faint pulse, Josephine testified.

“Based on my training experience from previous incidents, I knew it wasn’t going to be good,” Josephine said. They began rendering aid with help from firefighters.

Long-dormant court holds first hearing as U.S. seeks to deport Afghan woman

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s activation of a longdormant court to seek an Afghan woman’s deportation violates her constitutional rights, a defense lawyer argued Thursday at a hearing for the first case to be heard in the obscure court since its creation 30 years ago.

The woman’s attorney, Matthew

Farley, urged the chief judge of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to dismiss the case against Nazira Haji Zada and immediately release his client, who the government alleges is an Islamic State supporter.

Judge Joan Ericksen denied Farley’s requests but said Zada’s lawyers can renew them as the case proceeds in the nation’s capital.

“This entire scheme is in violation of due process and unconstitutional,” said Farley, an assistant federal public defender.

The case against Zada opens a new, untested front for President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign, which has flooded the nation’s federal court system with immigration proceedings, sometimes based on novel or shaky legal foundations.

The court, established in 1996, had never received a petition until this month, when the Justice Department filed an application seeking Zada’s removal. The court has a specific authority to conduct

deportation proceedings for individuals whom the Department of Justice classifies as “alien terrorists.”

FBI agents arrested her Tuesday at her Fort Worth, Texas, home. She is not charged with any crimes.

“This is a runaround for bringing a criminal case,” Farley said during the court’s first-ever public hearing.

Ericksen, a senior judge who sits in Minnesota and was nominated to the bench by Republican President

George W. Bush, acknowledged that the court was operating without a clear blueprint.

“We probably read the same law review articles. There aren’t that many,” the judge told Farley.

An FBI memo dated July 15 said it “developed information” that Zada is an IS supporter who had her children pledge their loyalty to the terrorist group. The memo says she “supported” a plot by relatives to carry out an Islamic State-inspired attack in the United States.

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Senate committee advances CDC director nomination

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

NEW YORK — A Senate committee on Thursday advanced Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination to be director of the nation’s top public health agency, setting aside concerns that she will not stand up to political meddling.

If confirmed by the full Senate, the 54-year-old would become the 22nd director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats.

Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.

Schwartz appeared to be on shaky ground after a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pen-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM ZUHAIB

Erica Schwartz testifies on July 15 during a Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions committee confirmation hearing to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Capitol Hill in Washington. sions Committee this month.

The chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, and others questioned whether she would be willing to stand up to Republican President Don-

ald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC to do something that was unsupported by science and good public health practice.

But when the committee met last week, Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz after that hearing and to others who knew her.

“I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not,” said Cassidy, whose support was necessary for the nomination to go forward.

The committee’s near party-line vote Thursday moved Schwartz’s nomination ahead.

Among those who opposed her was Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent.

“The issue at hand is not complicated,” Sanders said last week. “Will we have people in the Trump administration who have the guts to stand up to people who are anti-science and into conspiracy theories?”

The CDC has been in tur-

moil since Trump returned to office last year.

Largely due to layoffs and resignations, the agency has lost 3,000-plus employees, more than one-quarter of its workforce. Morale has plummeted as a succession of mostly temporary leaders have come and gone. The front office has been staffed by political appointees with little or no training in medicine or public health.

When Schwartz was nominated in April, public health experts were cautiously optimistic, citing her background. They also noted she was the choice of Trump and not Kennedy, a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before he was tapped to oversee the CDC and other federal health agencies.

Kennedy had promised not to change the nation’s vaccination schedule but

later attempted a substantial rewrite of vaccine recommendations for kids. Some of those efforts were put on hold this year by a federal judge.

Kennedy’s actions have rankled Cassidy, a physician who initially expressed doubts about Kennedy as Trump’s pick to be health secretary. Cassidy ultimately signed off on Kennedy after the nominee promised not to change the nation’s childhood vaccine recommendations.

At Schwartz’s hearing, Cassidy and some other senators asked her what she would do if Kennedy or other political appointees instructed the CDC to make changes that were not supported by science. Schwartz pledged to “never betray the science,” but she repeatedly declined to dissent from some of the actions Kennedy has taken.

Medicare drug subsidy program set to end National Guard officer forged Millions could face higher monthly costs

BY ALI SWENSON Associated Press

NEWYORK — Millions of older adults on Medicare prescription drug coverage could face steeper monthly costs in 2027 after the Trump administration concludes a temporary subsidy program that has helped offset premiums for the past two years.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week announced it would wrap up the program, which was initially implemented by the Biden administration in 2024 to lower patients’ Medicare Part D prescription drug costs in response to effects of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. While federal officials insist the financial impact on Medicare beneficiaries will

be minimal, the decision opens the Republican-led administration to potential political consequences in a high-stakes midterm election year. Voters have identified cost of living as a top concern, and many older adults, who tend to vote in high numbers, are on fixed incomes where every dollar counts. The roughly 25 million Americans with Medicare Part D plans will find out about their 2027 rates in the fall, when they are casting ballots in November’s elections.

Democrats slammed CMS’s move as part of a pattern of federal attacks on healthcare affordability, alongside federal Medicaid cuts and the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies that had reduced premium costs for working-age Americans in that program.

“The Trump administration is actively raising prescription drug costs for 25 million seniors,” Senate Mi-

nority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X in response to the news, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. “Heartless, cruel, and completely by choice.”

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday said ending the subsidy program would prevent billions of taxpayer dollars from being funneled to insurance companies. It cost the agency an estimated $3.6 billion in 2026.

He said most Medicare beneficiaries would see less than a $10-per-month increase, and some would even see lower premiums than beforehand.

“Every Medicare beneficiary still has access to low-cost plans, and we will continue to lower prescription drug prices for every American patient, from more MFN deals to our policy giving seniors access to GLP-1s for $50 a month,” he wrote on social media.

The federal government

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also negotiates directly with pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of some of the most expensive drugs in Medicare, through a program created by Congress in 2022.

This week’s decision has no impact on the out-of-pocket cap that limits the amount that older adults with standalone Medicare drug coverage spend on their prescription drugs over the course of a year. That was set at $2,100 in 2026 and is projected to rise to $2,400 for 2027.

Part D beneficiaries paid an average of $36 a month this year for their prescription drug premiums with the subsidies in place, according to the healthcare research nonprofit KFF. The subsidies offset the average premium by $16 in 2026, according to the federal Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.

It’s not yet known how many Americans the change will effect, or how much more they’ll pay.

records, stole money to facilitate secret 2nd marriage

BY JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press

A National Guard officer carried out a secret second marriage to a woman he met while posted in Mongolia, using a government travel card and forged documents to facilitate the double life, U.S. prosecutors allege.

Maj. Collin Welch, 40, pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing about $54,000 in government money and inducing the Mongolian woman and her daughter to remain in the U.S. unlawfully. He’s awaiting sentencing in U.S. District Court in Washington.

Welch made a fake divorce decree to convince his second wife that he was no longer married to his first, according to a statement he signed as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. After moving her to the United States, he forged

other government records to convince her that she was in the pipeline for U.S. citizenship and legally staying in the country.

Two deployments — to Afghanistan and Djibouti — and years spent away from his family put a strain on Welch, his lawyer, Gregory Rosen, said in a statement.

“None of that changes the fact that Major Welch accepts full responsibility for his actions,” Rosen said.

“That alone speaks louder about his character than any statement of offense, standing alone, ever could.”

The affair began in 2019, when Welch was with the Alaska National Guard and stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It continued after he returned to Alaska in 2021 and moved to Arkansas the next year. They were married in 2022 in Mongolia.

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Thousands breach Morocco’s border with Spain in Ceuta At least 9 die; Spain deploys military

BY RENATA BRITO and ANTONIO SEMPERE Associated Press

CEUTA, Spain — Spain will deploy its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory, with at least nine dying in the attempt.

The announcement comes after local authorities in Ceuta had asked the central government in Madrid for reinforcements to manage a border crisis that had been building up before boiling over on Thursday with large crowds of people breeching the border fence.

Spain’s government said Thursday evening it would send the Armed Forces to help the Civil Guard “maintain security in the city of Ceuta.” It also announced

that Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a visit to Ceuta on Friday.

“The situation is absolute chaos,” Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers who police the border in Ceuta, told The Associated Press. “It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” he said, adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”

Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, described the situation as ”exceptional.”

“The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed,” he said.

Video footage showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads. While the majority appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANTONIO SEMPERE

Migrants cross Thursday from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. small children.

“Viva España!” some shouted to a freelance photographer working for the AP. It was not immediately clear what prompted so many migrants to cross to Ceuta.

Spain’s government delegation in Ceuta said at least

nine people died Thursday during the chaos. It did not provide details on the circumstances of the deaths but bodies could be seen floating in the water. Dozens have died this year trying to reach Ceuta, according to local authorities.

The escalation at the fron-

tier between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming, on Wednesday.

Moroccan authorities have not publicly commented on the crossings, and Morocco’s Interior Ministry did not re-

spond to requests for comment.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said the Moroccan government was “closely cooperating” with Spain to handle the situation and that Moroccan police are stopping “numerous people” who are trying to cross the border. Both countries agreed to work together “for the return, as soon as possible, of all the people who entered Ceuta illegally.”

The ministry earlier said it would guarantee the safety of citizens and the integrity of the nation’s border but that the Spanish government could not declare a national emergency — as local authorities had asked — over migration concerns.

The chaos had ripple effects in Italy, another key destination for migrants.

Premier Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy’s open-border Shengen agreement with Spain “to defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens,” though Italy doesn’t share a border in Spain.

As France tames wildfire, 84K evacuees OK’d to go home Blazes flare across Europe

cy reported that call-out doctors and hospital emergency wards in Bordeaux had seen a spike in cases involving asthma sufferers last weekend when the raging wildfire was still spewing choking smoke clouds.

“It’s the first somewhat optimistic day,” said Sophie Brocas, prefect of Bor-

BY MARK CARLSON, ALEX TURNBULL and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

LEGE-CAP FERRET, France — France gave the go-ahead Thursday for 84,000 evacuees forced out by a monster wildfire to return home, the strongest sign yet that firefighters are turning the corner in a grueling battle against flames that have burned an area four times the size of Paris. But blazes flared elsewhere across Europe and actor George Clooney said he’d evacuated his French home because of a nearby wildfire.

Europe is sweltering under an exceptionally hot and arid summer, creating tinderbox conditions for unprecedented fires that have flared from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean and forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate homes and vacation spots.

Firefighters battled flames in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Greece and Turkey on Thursday and were tamping down smoldering forests in southwest France where 224,000 people had been forced to flee.

Romania shut down both reactors at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant due to

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EMMA DA SILVA

A firefighter creates a controlled burn to contain a fire area near Lege-Cap-Ferret on Thursday during wildfires in southwestern France. low water levels in the Danube River used to cool them.

Hollywood star George Clooney wrote to his local mayor that his family evacuated the southeastern French town where they’ve settled and that “we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment.” Clooney’s publicist Guido Gotz shared the message to Brignoles Mayor Didier Brémond with The Associated Press.

Clooney wrote that he and his wife Amal, a human rights lawyer, were committed to the town and that, whatever happens, “we’ll be part of making it whole.”

The fire near Brignoles, in the Var region, flared Wednesday, forcing 700 people to evacuate, the mayor’s office said. It said they were allowed back Thursday once the fire was tamed.

In the Bordeaux region

of southwest France, wildfire evacuees streamed back to nine localities that authorities now deem safe after round-the-clock combat with the huge fire that ignited last week. Returnees included 50-year-old Sanachit Pho Ne Keo and his wife, relieved to discover that apart from black ash on an outside terrace, their home in Martignas-sur-Jalle wasn’t damaged.

“Everything seems OK and it’s a good feeling!” he said.

“The fire was pretty close, the last smoking embers are still close,” he added.

“But we could’ve expected worse.”

Regional health authorities recommended that returnees wear gloves and face masks as they clean up and wash children’s toys and pets’ feeding bowls and paws.

France’s public health agen-

deaux’s Gironde region who gave the go-ahead for nearly two-thirds of the 224,000 evacuees to go home, including 60,000 allowed back to three Bordeaux suburbs on Tuesday.

Still, returnees were told to keep phones on and pack bags in case they have to be evacuated again.

The A63 highway south of Bordeaux also was reopened, clearing a major artery for road traffic with Spain and vacationers as France enters its peak August holiday period.

“Our feeling is that we’re getting back to the path of a normal life,” Brocas said Thursday evening.

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LANDRY

Continued from page 1A indictment. White did so.

Since then, Landry has not taken any visible steps to defuse tensions that have plunged the relationship between the city and state to the lowest point in years.

“I have done more for New Orleans than any other governor,” Landry said in a text for this article. “Calling my efforts to reduce crime, improve accountability, and restore public confidence ‘targeting the city’ says more about a fake political narrative than it does about the facts.”

Earlier in his term, Landry worked with the city on Troop Nola, the State Police reinforcements that have been credited with helping bring down crime in the city. And he worked closely with city leaders on the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and the response to the New Year’s Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.

Landry is following a Republican playbook in going after New Orleans, said Charles Bullock, a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Georgia.

“Republican politicians don’t do well in Southern cities” with big Democraticvoting populations, Bullock said.

Landry, who is up for reelection next year, won only 10% of the vote in Orleans Parish when he was elected governor in 2023. It was easily his worst showing across the state, according to John Couvillon, a Baton Rouge-based pollster and demographer.

Landry’s next lowest showing was in St. John Parish, where he received 29%.

Landry has not tried to curb powers or eliminate positions in Baton Rouge and Shreveport. Both are led by Republican mayors.

Bullock said Republican governors have wide latitude from their supporters to take moves that cities op-

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Gov. Jeff Landry, in background, listens as then-New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno speaks during the Fiscal Review Committee meeting at the State Capitol on Nov. 12. pose.

“From a partisan perspective, the other party is not just the opposition,” Bullock said. “It’s seen as the enemy.”

Other governors In Missouri, the Republican governor and Legislature took direct control of the St. Louis Police Department away from the mayor and gave it to a newly created board stacked with the governor’s appointees. The Republicans said the move would reduce crime.

In Mississippi, the Republican governor and Legislature passed a measure to turn control of Jackson’s airport to a board appointed by state and county entities.

The Republicans said the move would promote jobs and investment around the airport. That measure is tied up in court.

Mississippi’s Supreme Court rejected a bid by Re-

“Criticism is easy; governing is harder. It takes sitting down and communicating to forge a consensus that improves the city — and a stronger New Orleans means a stronger Louisiana. Real leadership respects that work, not unproductive political theater.”

STATE REP. KyLE GREEN, D-Marrero publican elected officials to have the state appoint four judges to the city’s court system.

In Texas, the Republican governor used the threat of withholding state funds to force Houston and Dallas elected officials to agree to have local police cooperate with federal immigration agents when they have detained someone wanted by the agency for a civil offense.

“The person that controls the purse strings can kind of set the rules,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire told The New York Times.

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How should N.O. respond?

S t e p h e n P e r r y, w h o served as chief of staff to then-Gov. Mike Foster and later headed New Orleans’ tourism promotion agency, made a similar point in how New Orleans officials ought to respond.

“It’s incredibly important for people in New Orleans to realize that the state is in the hands of Republican leadership in both (legislative) chambers and the Governor’s Office,” Perry said.

“It’s important to temper their approaches to things even when they feel very

residents and elected officials.

One measure eliminated the position of criminal district court clerk Calvin Duncan, just before he was to take office after having been elected overwhelmingly last year. Morris said the move would save money, and noted no other parish had a separate criminal court clerk.

The other measure will eliminate nine judgeships in New Orleans. Morris and other Republicans say New Orleans has had too many post-Hurricane Katrina.

“They’ve been fiscally mismanaged,” Morris said.

“Two out of the last three mayors of New Orleans have been indicted. Then you had the ridiculous indictment of the AG.” Moreno, during her six months in office, has taken a series of moves that have improved the city’s finances but haven’t yet put the city on sound financial footing.

The police department has reduced overtime spending by 45%, and costs for travel by city officials have plummeted by 90%, according to city officials.

Moreno and City Council President JP Morrell, a close ally, have both said in recent days that they no longer want to discuss the dispute with Landry.

Meanwhile, crime has continued to drop under Moreno. New Orleans is on track by year end to have the least number of murders since 1969.

State Rep. Kyle Green, of Marrero, who heads the House Democratic Caucus, said it’s time for Landry to seek common ground.

“Criticism is easy; governing is harder,” Green said. “It takes sitting down and communicating to forge a consensus that improves the city — and a stronger New Orleans means a stronger Louisiana. Real leadership respects that work, not unproductive political theater.”

justified or are in sharp disagreement with state policy.”

Republican governors are feeling emboldened to move against Democratic cities because it’s typically popular with their more rural supporters, analysts said.

“The perception is that Black-led cities are a drain on state resources,” said Louise Seamster, a sociology professor at the University of Iowa. “Cities can serve as a useful scapegoat.”

State Sen. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, said Landry’s moves are justified.

“The governor is going after problems that exist in that city,” Morris said, noting that Moreno is grappling with a big budget deficit that she inherited when she took office in January.

Morris sponsored two bills passed during the leg- Email Tyler Bridges at islative session this year tbridges@theadvocate. that inflamed New Orleans com.

8A ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

NOMINEE

precluded” from scrutinizing or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization’s current and past tax examinations. Cornyn and Tillis have pressed the administration to modify the agreement to make clear that it covers only existing audits and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.

While the majority of Republican senators oppose the settlement, the main pushback to Blanche has come from Cornyn, who lost his seat earlier this year when Trump opposed him in a GOP primary. Trump has also frequently targeted Tillis, who announced last year that he would not run for reelection and has criticized the administration over the pardons of Jan. 6 rioters and other matters.

Though it would be politically embarrassing for the Trump administration, pulling Blanche’s nomination would likely have little practical impact on the management of the Justice Department.

Blanche, who took the reins of the department after Pam Bondi’s firing in April, can still lead the agency as either acting attorney general or deputy attorney general, the No. 2 post to which he was confirmed last year.

The deputy attorney general, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the law enforcement agency, can perform the duties of the attorney general if that post is vacant.

Continued from page 1A same page,” Cornyn said Thursday. “But then when the president got wind of it, he wasn’t willing to go along with it.”

Hours after Trump’s post, however, Blanche held a meeting with Cornyn and Tillis and the two sides were back to working collaboratively, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations around Blanche’s confirmation.

Cornyn and Tillis have said they won’t back Blanche’s nomination without additional assurances in writing about the settlement, which included a deal to drop tax claims against the president and a now-scrapped plan to create a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” meant to compensate Trump allies.

With all Democratic senators opposed, just one Republican holdout on the Senate Judiciary Committee could sink Blanche’s chances for confirmation. And even if Blanche makes it through the Senate Judiciary Committee, it’s unclear if he has enough Republican support to be confirmed by the full chamber.

Cornyn wrote in a social media post Thursday that the president is “mistaken if he believes concerns about the provisions in his

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday. tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tillis.”

While the Justice Department dropped plans for the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” after bipartisan outrage about the potential of payouts going to violent Jan. 6 rioters, officials have said that another piece of the settlement — granting Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits — remains in place.

Though Blanche has repeatedly insisted that the “Anti-Weaponization fund” is dead, skeptical lawmakers have pushed for a

commitment in writing — especially since Trump has expressed continued support for the idea.

But the senators suggested the White House is resisting putting it in writing.

“The president’s getting bad advice. He should listen to Blanche and others who think if it’s dead, it should be rendered completely dead,” Tillis told reporters about the fund.

Another sticking point was the settlement’s audit immunity provision that said the U.S. government is “forever barred and

VICKNAIR

Continued from page 1A As of Wednesday, Vicknair is taking an unpaid leave of absence from his position in the Mayor’s Office for the duration of the race.

He said his campaign will focus on strengthening public safety, infrastructure improvements, responsible management of taxpayer dollars and “encouraging thoughtful growth” in Central while preserving the city’s “smalltown character.”

“Central is not just where I live.

It is home,” Vicknair said. “It is where families put down roots, where neighbors still help neighbors, and where faith, hard work, and personal responsibility still mean something. Those values are worth protecting.”

The November election will not be the first in which Vicknair faced off against Moak.

Both ran for Moak’s current Metro Council seat in 2020, but Vicknair failed to make the runoff.

Moak eventually won his seat over Democrat candidate Tenika James.

Vicknair said he will share more about his platform in the coming months as he continues to hear from Central residents.

“This campaign is not about me. It is about our future,” he said. “I want to hear what matters most to you, because the best ideas do not come from City Hall. They come from the people who call this city home.”

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PUBLIC NOTICE --CAPITAL AREA FINANCE AUTHORITY The following resolution was offered by Sharon Perez and seconded by Blaine Grimes: RESOLUTION A resolution accepting the parameter term pro‐ posal for the purchase of not exceeding Two Hun‐ Million Dollars dred ($200,000,000) of Capital Area Finance Authority Single Family Mortgage Revenue Bonds in one or more series; fixing the parameter terms of said bonds and otherwise providing with respect to said bonds; approving the form and directing the execution of the Bond Purchase Agree‐ ment for said Bonds; and providing for other mat‐ ters in connection with the foregoing.

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Capital Area Finance Authority (the “Author‐ ity”) on May 21, 2026, adopted a resolution ap‐ proving and authorizing the issuance of not ex‐ ceeding Two Hundred Dollars Million ($200,000,000) of Capital Area Finance Authority Single Family Mortgage Revenue Bonds in on or series (the more “Bonds”); and WHEREAS, the Bonds will be issued under the pro‐ visions of the Act and a Master General Inden‐ ture of Trust (the “Master Indenture”) by and be‐ tween the Authority and Bank (the Regions “Trustee”); and WHEREAS, the Bonds are to be delivered pursuant to the terms of one or more Series Supplemen‐ tal Trust Indentures (a “Series Supplemental In‐ denture”) to the Master Indenture by and be‐ tween the Authority and the Trustee; and WHEREAS, proceeds of the Bonds will be applied to finance loans to firsttime homebuyers within jurisdictional the parishes of the Authority and such other parishes whose governing author‐ ity execute cooperative agreements endeavor with the Authority pur‐ suant to the Act, and other constitutional and statutory authority at in‐ terest rates not exceed‐ ing ten percent (10%) per annum, and for a matu‐ rity not exceeding 42 years, to pay for costs of issuance of the Bonds; and WHEREAS, the Authority did meet on July 16, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., Louisiana time, for the purpose of receiving and consider‐ ing the proposal of Ray‐ mond James & Associ‐ ates, Inc. (the “Under‐ writers”) and taking ac‐ tion with respect to the parameter sale of not ex‐ di d d

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

y Bonds are further condi‐ tioned upon approval by and compliance with any and all approvals and/or certifications required by the Louisiana Attorney General. The Bonds are payable from a pledge of income, revenues and re‐ ceipts derived or to be derived from the Trust Estate under Master In‐ denture and shall be se‐ cured by the Trust Estate as defined in the Master Indenture, inclusive of mortgage-backed securi‐ ties (“MBSs”) that securi‐ tize mortgage loans for homebuyers first-time within the jurisdictional parishes of the Authority and such other parishes whose governing author‐ ity execute cooperative agreements endeavor with the Authority and shall be subject to re‐ demption in accordance with the Master Inden‐ ture.

The contents of the Offi‐ cial Statement with re‐ spect to the Bonds, copies of the form of which have been placed on file with the Authority, hereby approved are in such substantially form.

SECTION 6. The Chairper‐ Vice-Chairperson, son, Secretary-Treasurer and/or President and CEO of the Authority are hereby authorized and directed for, on behalf of and in the name of the Authority, to execute and deliver, for and on behalf of the Authority, the Se‐ ries Supplemental Inden‐ ture and the Bond Pur‐ chase Agreement and to execute, deliver, and ap‐ prove such other instru‐ ments, documents and certificates as may be re‐ quired or necessary, con‐ venient or appropriate to the financing described therein. The aforesaid of‐ ficers are additionally authorized to approve any changes in the afore‐ documents mentioned provided such changes are in accordance with Chapter 2-A of Title 9 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended (the “Act”) and with the approval of Bond Counsel.

SECTION 7. The Chairper‐ Vice-Chairperson, son, Secretary-Treasurer and/or President and CEO, are hereby ap‐ proved, authorized and directed to execute and deliver or cause to be ex‐ ecuted and delivered all documents required to be executed on behalf of the Authority and deliv‐ ered to effect delivery of the Bonds to the Under‐ writer or deemed by any of them necessary or ad‐ visable to implement this resolution or to facilitate the delivery of the Bonds.

The Secretary-Treasurer of the Authority shall re‐ ceive from the Under‐ writer for the account of the Authority the pur‐ chase price of the Bonds and shall deposit the same with the Trustee under a Series Supple‐ mental Indenture in ac‐ cordance with the provi‐ sions thereof.

SECTION 8. This resolu‐ tion shall take effect im‐ mediately.

This resolution having b b i d

g been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:

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p ceeding Two Hundred Dollars Million of the ($200,000,000) Bonds pursuant thereto; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of the Capital Area Finance Authority, acting as the governing authority of said Author‐ ity, that: SECTION 1. The parame‐ ter written terms submit‐ ted this day by the Un‐ derwriter for the pur‐ chase of bonds desig‐ nated “Capital Area Fi‐ nance Authority Single Family Mortgage Rev‐ enue Bonds” in one or more series in the princi‐ pal amount of not ex‐ ceeding par amount of Two Hundred Million Dol‐ lars ($200,000,000), at an interest rate not exceed‐ ing 10% per annum, and for a maturity not ex‐ ceeding 42 years, be, and the same are hereby awarded to the Under‐ in accordance writer with the terms of the Bond Purchase Agree‐ ment between the Au‐ thority and the Under‐ writer in substantially the form which is now before this Authority and filed with the SecretaryTreasurer of this Board of Trustees. The sale of the Bonds in accordance with said Bond Purchase Agreement is hereby au‐ thorized and approved.

By virtue of the Author‐ ity’s application for, ac‐ ceptance and utilization of the benefits of the Louisiana State Bond Commission’s approval resolved and set forth herein, the Authority re‐ solves that it under‐ stands and agrees that such approvals are ex‐ conditioned pressly upon, and the Authority further resolves that it understands, agrees and binds itself, its succes‐ sors and assigns to, full and continuing compli‐ ance with the “State Bond Commission Policy on Approval of Proposed Swaps, or other forms or Products Derivative Hedges, Etc.”, adopted by the Commission on July 20, 2006, as to bor‐ rowings and other mat‐ ters subject to approvals, including subsequent ap‐ plication and approval under said Policy of the implementation or use of any swaps or other prod‐ ucts or enhancements covered thereby.

SECTION 2. Regions Bank is hereby designated as Trustee and Paying Agent with respect to the Bonds.

SECTION 3. A Series Sup‐ plemental Indenture and Bond Purchase the Agreement in substan‐ tially the forms which are now before this Au‐ thority and filed with the of Secretary-Treasurer this Board of Trustees are hereby approved. The Bonds will be dated, will be in the denominations and will have all the terms set forth in a Se‐ ries Supplemental Inden‐ ture and the Bond Pur‐ chase Agreement. The sale and delivery of the d f h di

YEAS: Justin Gaudet, Sharon Perez, Lauren Wilson, Domoine Rut‐ ledge, Valerie Schexnay‐ der, Blaine Grimes, An‐ thony Gambino NAYS: None ABSENT: Dennis Blunt, Patrick Goldsmith And the resolution was adopted on declared this, the 27th day of July, 2026. /s/ Justin Gaudet Justin Gaudet, Chairperson /s/ Sharon Perez Vice Chairperson 195817-jul 31-1t $

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (03) 146801 NEIGHBORS FEDERAL UNION vs CREDIT MIGUELA. MALDONADO 23rd Judicial District Parish of Ascension State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE issued out of honorable court the aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, May 20, 2026 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, Au‐ gust 12, 2026, via an on‐ line auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales., offer for sale at public auction the described following mortgaged property be‐ longing to: MIGUEL A. MALDONADO 2020 POLARIS / 4XAS‐ A22SXM95AG XM959NB201912 MILEAGE-UNKNOWN STORED AT SMART TOW‐ ING 3045 ROSENWALD ROAD TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE JULY 31, 2026 $158.13 SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 777799 NEIGHBORS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION vs ESTATE OF ANTOINE WHITAKER 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE issued out of the honorable court

aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 02, 2026 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, Au‐ gust 12, 2026, via an on‐ line auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales., offer for sale at public auction the described following mortgaged property be‐ longing to: ESTATE OF ANTOINE WHITAKER 2022 MAZDA/ CX-3 3MVDMBCL1NM455479 MILEAGE-UNKNOWN STORED AT SMART TOW‐ ING 3045 ROSENWALD ROAD TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE JULY 31, 2026 $155.57

WBR Public Notices

WBR Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE --WBR NOTICE OF PUBLIC CONDEMNA‐ HEARING: TION Pursuant to Parish Code Chapter 109-42 “Derelict Structures”, the follow‐ ing properties have been condemned by the Parish President.

Address: 1234 REV MAN‐ UAL ST. PORT ALLEN LA 70767 (File #26-0036) Owner: LUELLA MILLS PARKER Legal Description: LOT 4 MARIONNEAUX SD 53A53CB188 E62(MAP FILED IN ORGINAL CB61 E111) (PLAT MAP 69) A PUBLIC HEARING will be held by the West Rouge PARISH Baton COUNCIL to ratify the condemnation order. The owner of the structure may appeal the decision of the Parish President by appearing at this meeting of the PARISH COUNCIL to show cause why the structure should not be condemned.

Date: Thursday, August 13,2026 Time: 5:30pm Public hearings will be held at the West Baton Rouge Parish Govern‐ mental Building, 880 N. Alexander, Port Allen, LA 70767.

Published in The Advo‐ cate for Two (2) consecu‐ weeks from tive through 07/30/2026 08/13/2026.

194760-JUL 30-AUG 13 $169

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN I HAVE COMPLETED THE 2026 LISTINGS OF TAX‐ ABLE PROPERTY IN THE PARISH OF WEST BATON ROUGE AND HAVE ESTI‐ THE VALUES MATED THEREON. SAID LISTINGS WILL BE EXPOSED IN MY OFFICE FOR PUBLIC IN‐ SPECTION AND CORREC‐ TIONS FOR A PERIOD OF FIFTEEN (15) CALENDAR DAYS, BEGINNING AU‐ GUST 15, 2026 AND END‐ ING AUGUST 30, 2026.

TAXPAYERS DESIRING TO EXAMINE THEIR ASSESS‐ MENT ARE REQUIRED TO CALL MY OFFICE DURING SAID 15-DAY PERIOD. PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL INFORMA‐ TION CONCERNING THE VALUE OF YOUR PROP‐ ERTY TO YOUR ASSESSOR BEFORE THE DEADLINE FOR FILING AN APPEAL WITH THE BOARD OF RE‐ VIEW. THE FAILURE TO SUBMIT SUCH INFORMA‐ TION MAY PREVENT YOU FROM RELYING ON THE SHOULD INFORMATION PROTEST YOUR YOU VALUE.

Reporting you can trust on stories that matter

18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF IBERVILLE STATE OF LOUISIANA PROBATE NO. 11,885

DIV. C

IN RE: SUCCESSION OF FLORENCE MORALES GRAVES NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO SELL IMMOVABLE PROPERTY AT PRIVATE SALE NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Co-Administrators of this succession have petitioned this Court for authority to sell immovable property of the decedent at private sale in accordance with the provisions of Article 3281 of the Code of Civil Procedure for FIFTY THOUSAND AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($50,000.00) cash, with the succession to pay all encumbrances and pro-rata taxes. The immovable property proposed to be sold at private sale is described as follows: “A certain tract of land, together with hall buildings and improvements and with all rights, ways, privileges and servitudes thereunto appertaining, lying, being and situated on the West side of Bayou Plaquemine, Eighth Ward, Iberville Parish, Louisiana, being a portion of the same land acquired

by William A. Graves from Joseph J. Templet approximately 30 years ago. That since said purchase by said William A. Graves, there has been established through said land, a public road approximately 30 feet wide, dividing said land into two separate tracts. The land herein begins at a point 30 feet from the Southeast corner of the portion West of said road and runs North 75 feet, thence West 200 feet, thence South 75 feet, thence East 200 feet to the point of beginning. Said tract has a frontage of 75 feet a depth between parallel lines of 200 feet. For acquisition of Joseph R. Graves and Florence Morales Graves see C.B. 127, E. 263 of the conveyance records of Iberville Parish, Louisiana.”

“A certain tract or parcel of land with all improvements situated thereon designated as Lot B-2 on a map entitled “Map Showing The Survey of Two Parcels of Land Being Removed from Lot “B” of the Daryl Graves Property To Be Sold to Adjacent Property Owners Said Lots Location in Section 23, T-10-S, R-11-E, Iberville Parish, La. for Daryl Graves,” dated August 2005, by Wallace J. Hargrave, Civil Engineer & Land Surveyor. Said map is attached to a Donation Inter Vivos dated the 28th day of October , 2005 and recorded at C.B. 572 Entry 288 of the conveyance records of Iberville Parish, Louisiana.”

Any heir or creditor who opposes the proposed sale must file his/ her opposition within seven (7) days from the date on which the last publication of this Notice appears.

Christopher P. Guerin, CLA West Baton Rouge Asses‐ sor 225-344-6777 www.wbrassessor.org 194744-jul 31-aug 7-2t $33.80

NEWS 24/7 ON

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

191544-659929-June 26, July 31-2t $ 246.76

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ 9A

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Poll: Views on Trump’s handling of Iran have fallen President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth salute as a U.S. Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, of Carrollton, Texas, on July 22 at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

BY LINLEY SANDERS and MIKE CATALINI

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Most Americans say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, and President Donald Trump’s approval rating on Iran has fallen slightly since last month, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

The results are a stark repudiation of the Republican president’s approach to the conflict, which has dragged on far longer than he originally predicted.

About two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28, has not been worthwhile, according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That includes the vast majority of Democrats and independents, as well as about 37% of Republicans.

The poll was conducted July 23-27, as the U.S. and Iran paused attacks following a nearly two-week escalation in the war. During the escalation, the U.S. targeted Iranian military and commercial sites while Iran attacked U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, resulting in additional deaths of American service members. Since the war began, 18 U.S. service members have been killed, but the Trump administration has sought to revise those numbers.

The survey reinforces how unpopular the Iran war has become at home, a potential problem for congressional Republicans up for reelection in November who have defended Trump’s military actions. Just 28% of U.S. adults now approve of how Trump is handling Iran, a slight decline from 34% last month. Even Republicans appear to be increasingly unhappy with the prolonged conflict. Roughly 61% of Republicans approve of how Trump is handling Iran, an apparent decline from 71% in June. The margin of sam-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

By MATT ROURKE pling error for Republicans is 6 points, so the decline is considered slight, but it’s still noteworthy given Republicans’ much higher approval of how Trump is handling the presidency overall.

Trump’s overall approval rating is at 33%, slightly below where he stood at this point in his first term and similar to where former President Joe Biden stood about one and a half years into his presidency, when inflation peaked.

Robert McClary, a 52-yearold Republican from Sugar Grove, Ohio, is skeptical the war could be brought to an easy conclusion and disapproves of Trump’s handling of it. McClary voted for the president once, in 2016, but recalls that during the last election, Trump campaigned on not starting new wars in the Middle East.

“I don’t have any trust in this administration at all and to why they brought us into this war, why they’re putting our soldiers at risk again,” he said.

The findings also indicate that most Americans’ goals for the conflict may not be aligned with Trump, who has repeatedly said the war was launched to keep a nuclear weapon out of Iran’s hands. While about two-thirds of U.S. adults say it’s “extremely” or “very” important to keep Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon — with Republicans especially likely to say this — even more Americans say it’s

highly important for the U.S. to keep gasoline prices low or negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Iran.

McClary added: “I really don’t know what you can do now. I mean, you’ve kind of gotten yourself buried into this mess.”

There’s little appetite among Americans for a prolonged conflict.

Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults want to continue military action in Iran, while about 3 in 10 say the U.S. should pause military action and seek a renewed ceasefire through negotiations. About 2 in 10 want to completely stop military action in Iran and roughly onequarter don’t know enough to say.

About half of Republicans say the U.S. should continue military action against Iran, particularly those who identify as “very conservative.”

Republicans who identify as MAGA — part of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement — are much likelier than non-MAGA Republicans to say the war should continue. Non-MAGA Republicans are more likely to want a ceasefire or a complete halt to the military action.

Jennifer Norton, a 71-yearold Republican from Crossville, Tennessee, supports military action in Iran but has been displeased to see prices rising for things like beef roasts and hamburgers.

Norton lives on a “modest income,” and things are get-

ting expensive.

“I am getting a little impatient, but when I start to dwell on that for a minute, I remember Mr. President Trump is a brilliant businessman,” she said. “He can’t tell us exactly what he’s doing, but I trust that he’s doing something. I mean, he is doing fine.”

Independents and Democrats are more likely than Republicans to want to stop military action against Iran immediately, although about 3 in 10 Republicans want either a pause or complete stop to military action.

Ryan Sloan, a 39-year-old Republican in Lakeland, Florida, has come to disapprove of the conflict in Iran recently because he wants a better explanation from the Trump administration about why the war intensified in late July.

“Let’s face it, not everybody’s going to be happy with him,” Sloan said. “I just wish I’d have had more transparency about why things were going on the way they were.”

Many Americans continue to be concerned about the pocketbook impact of the Iran war. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults — 72% — say it’s “extremely” or “very” impor-

tant for the U.S. to prevent domestic oil and gas prices from rising, up slightly from 67% in March.

Oil topped $100 a barrel last week, ending a brief period of lower prices when hostilities between the U.S. and Iran eased in June. Gas prices rose above $4 per gallon on average, and the elevated fuel price is hitting consumers in other ways, too. Inflation cooled last month but remains elevated, and consumer spending has slowed, with signs that Americans are taking advantage of sales and other incentives.

There are also indications that fluctuating gasoline prices are an increasingly big problem for many Americans. About 4 in 10 say the cost of gas for their car is a “major source” of stress in their life right now, compared with about 3 in 10 in February.

Mikal Baker, a 47-yearold political independent in Sandy Springs, Georgia, disapproves of the war in Iran and is frustrated by the effect on gas prices.

“I don’t see the benefit. I don’t see the total benefit of the American citizen for this war,” he said. But Baker is skeptical it will ever come to an end. “I can’t say it will ever be over with.”

Some Americans may be hoping that gasoline prices could stabilize or go down.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, down slightly from 45% in March.

Even as most Americans prioritize keeping gas prices from rising, a similar share say it’s “extremely” or “very” important to negotiate a permanent ceasefire

with Iran.

About 7 in 10 Americans say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the U.S. to reach a ceasefire agreement, slightly higher than the roughly two-thirds who say it’s at least “very” important to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. That’s also well above the 4 in 10 who say it’s “extremely” or “very” important to prevent Iran from threatening Israel.

Early in the conflict, Trump said the United States’ primary objectives were to degrade Iran’s military capability, eliminate their Navy and Air Force, keep them from gaining nuclear weapons and protect U.S. allies in the region.

Republicans, in particular, say it’s highly important to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. About 8 in 10 say this is at least “very” important, compared with roughly 7 in 10 who say that about preventing oil and gas prices from rising and negotiating a permanent ceasefire with Iran.

Sloan, the Florida Republican, believes it’s important to keep Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, adding: “We are most definitely their number one targets once they do have nuclear capabilities.”

The AP-NORC poll of 1,165 adults was conducted July 23-27 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 6.0 for Republicans overall and plus or minus 5.4 for Democrats overall.

GOLDEN DEEDS

Honoring Philanthropy Since 1942

The Golden Deeds award is the most prestigious award in the Greater Baton Rouge area.

Since its inception in 1942, it has been awarded to only one outstanding recipient each year for philanthropic service to the community. The actions and service of the recipients have made the community a better place to live and work.

The Golden Deeds Award nominations include the nine-parish Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area which covers East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, Livingston, St. Helena, East Feliciana, West Feliciana and Pointe Coupee.

THE SEARCH IS ON FOR OUR 2026 GOLDEN DEEDS AWARD RECIPIENT

NOMINATE AN OUTSTANDING CITIZEN ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5 P.M. ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

Explain why your nominee should receive the Golden Deeds Award. Tell us in your own words about the most notable things they’ve done in service to the community, committees and civic and charitable group affiliations.

Tell us how their actions made a difference.

Give specific examples of what they’ve done.

Maximum of 750 words.

Nominations must meet specific requirements to be considered.

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10A ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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F r i d ay, J u ly 31, 2026

1BN

Campaign to recall Edwards falls short

— was 2,193, far below you know, most people are happy Edwards said he holds no nega- signed it and see if there’s any patOrganizers got betheverified 57,000 or so signatures needed with what we’re doing.” tive feelings toward those who terns or anything. You know, in this The effort was started by recall started the recall effort and ap- job, you always know not everymove a recall forward.

4% of necessary toactive The recall’s organizers still have chairwoman Marian Hills plauded them for exercis- body’s going to be happy with you.” recall petitions against Gov. — who goes by Marian While the effort to recall the maying their rights.

Jeff Landry and Liz Murrill, both Gbaiwon — and vice chair “I thank Marian because or did not get close to the number signatures of which require even more sig- Aaron Banks in February. what she did is exercising of signatures needed, Gbaiwon said

natures to succeed. It’s not clear how many signatures have been collected for those efforts because Staff writer the deadlines to submit petitions A campaign to recall East Baton are later this year — Oct. 31 for Rouge Mayor-President Sid Ed- Landry and Nov. 9 for Murrill.

Edwards said he has not been wards ended this week after organizers only secured about 4% of worried about the effort since it the signatures needed to get it on began 180 days ago, but said he was happy to see how small the number voters’ ballots.

On Thursday, the registrar of vot- was.

“I feel good about it,” Edwards ers said the unofficial recall count — meaning signatures still need to said. “I think it’s a statement that,

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

In a statement posted to what democracy’s supsocial media, Gbaiwon said posed to be,” he said. “She “I held my head high” as went out and did this deal, she delivered the signaand it’s an exercise in democracy.” tures Wednesday, but will While the mayor said he continue working on the Edwards was never angry about the other campaigns.

“This fight is far from over,” recall effort, he is interested in seeGbaiwon said. “The Sid Edwards ing who supported it, as the signarecall petition was the catalyst for ture list is now public record. our statewide recall efforts involv“I am looking forward to looking Governor Jeff Landry and At- ing at the list. I’m only human,” Edwards said. “I want to see who torney General Liz Murrill.”

she is still motivated to get recalls of Landry and Murrill on Louisiana ballots.

“I refuse to accept that this can’t be done,” she said. “Louisiana has more than enough people who care about the future of this state. The opportunity is there. The path is there. Now we need people willing to step up.”

To do so, the campaign would need more than 500,000 signatures from verified registered voters.

FINE FEATHERED FRIEND

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

A roseate spoonbill walks past a turtle on a log while feeding on Campus Lake in Baton Rouge on Thursday.

Police arrest Woman accused of pressuring boyfriend to kill man who Man allegedly over family barricaded executed court dispute himself in a home Staff report Baton Rouge police and the U.S. Marshal’s Office arrested a man who barricaded himself in a home on Wisteria Street in Mid City on Thursday morning.

Timothy Tyler, 50, was arrested on arrest warrants for five counts of simple burglary and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Tyler was apprehended Thursday around 12:30 p.m. from a house near Camellia Avenue and Wisteria Street.

Multiple police vehicles blocked Camellia Avenue from Oleander Street to Government Street from around 10:30 a.m. until Tyler was taken into custody. There was also an ambulance on scene.

show.

The final exchange of messages between 29-year-old Hope Jackson and her boyfriend, 32-year-old Riddick Franklin, came minutes before Franklin allegedly “executed” Jackson’s former partner, accordBY QUINN COFFMAN ing to the pair’s arrest records.

Staff writer The couple appeared in court Fearful of losing an ongoing cus- together Tuesday to be arraigned, tody battle, a Baton Rouge woman but had the hearing rescheduled pressured her new boyfriend into for Aug. 11 to allow Franklin to killing the father of her children, hire an attorney of his choice.

The two are both accused of the texts between the accomplices

second-degree murder of Anthony Wesley Jr., with Jackson’s charge being principal to second-degree murder for “planning, encouraging and counseling” Franklin to carry out the killing.

Wesley was found dead by East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputies on the sidewalk in front of his Jefferson Highway apartment in the early hours of March 22. He had multiple gunshot wounds.

Wesley’s family reported to detectives that he’d been in an ongo-

ing custody dispute with Jackson, the mother of his children. Documents found at his residence indicated a recent family court hearing had resulted in a paternity test being ordered.

This dispute had included Franklin, who told detectives after his arrest that there’d been altercations between him and Wesley previously and that he was “tired of being disrespected.”

ä See ACCUSED, page 2B

Tangipahoa Parish School Board sues town, mayor Board alleges school property unlawfully seized

town of Roseland and Mayor Van Showers, alleging the municipality unlawfully seized school property and has left it without parking just weeks before the start of the school year.

The fight is over a piece of land

BY GIGI LIMAN across from Roseland Montessori Staff writer School, where the school’s teachThe Tangipahoa Parish School ers park. The board says the town Board has filed suit against the has taken control of the land to

build a community center and blocked the school’s access to it.

“In three weeks, we will have teachers that will be showing up, and we have no place for our teachers to park — on our land,” School Board member Tom Tolar said at a July 7 meeting where the board voted to move forward with the suit.

Judge William Dykes of the

21st Judicial District Court has ordered Showers and the town to remove the fencing on the property pending future rulings from the court. The case’s first hearing is scheduled Aug. 3.

The parking area is made up of two adjoining plots: one the town gave the school district in 1910 for

ä See BOARD, page 2B

2B ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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Support keeps Ascension cat rescue from closing

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

An Ascension Parish cat rescue center has raised enough money to remain open after an emergency fundraising campaign prompted an outpouring of community support.

Rescue Alliance, a Gonzalesbased nonprofit, announced Tuesday that it had met its goal just two weeks after facing an “immediate financial crisis”, with past-due rent, utilities, veterinary expenses and essential operating costs threatening the future of the rescue center.

“This community stepped up when our cats needed it most,” said Jonathan Henriques, executive director of Rescue Alliance. “Only two weeks ago, we were facing the heartbreaking possibility of closing

our doors. Today, because people chose to help, our cats still have a safe place to heal, recover and wait for their forever homes.”

The nonprofit’s officials said on July 16th that it needed $7,000 within 15 days. Just three days before, the organization had asked the Gonzales City Council to approve a $5,000 community partnership agreement. The council denied the request, with members saying “there are already facilities in the parish to fund it.”

The center said it has raised the money from local residents, donors, businesses, animal advocates and supporters across the community.

“For a small nonprofit with no paid staff, this support means everything,” Henriques said. “Every

A box of kittens was recently rescued through animal rescue group Rescue Alliance.

donation, every share, every encouraging message and every person who helped spread the word played a part in keeping this rescue alive.”

Rescue Alliance serves cats throughout Ascension Parish and surrounding Louisiana communities. The organization provides rescue, medical support, rehabilitation, adoption services and assistance for vulnerable cats facing abandonment, illness, injury, homelessness or other life-threatening circumstances.

Although the immediate emergency has been resolved, Rescue Alliance says the “work is far from over,” as the organization remains dependent on community support to provide the resources it needs to stay operating.

PROVIDED PHOTO

ACCUSED

A SURE SIGN, BABy

Continued from page 1B

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, right, signs 1-year-old Nolan Eschete’s jersey after practice during the team’s second day at training camp in Metairie on Thursday. Training camp runs through August and the Saints’ season opener is on Sept. 13 in Detroit. Shough’s play on the field to close out the 2025 season is driving a lot of the optimism for the Saints this year.

Audubon Nature Institute announces layoffs Chief of staff, 22 others released in cost-cutting move

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Audubon Nature Institute Chief of Staff Gilbert Montaño is of one several Audubon employees out of a job as the organization looks to cut costs, officials said Wednesday.

Montaño, who was hired at Audubon last year after he resigned as former Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s chief administrative officer, is one of 23 employees the organization has terminated in a bid to save $500,000 this year and more in future years, President and CEO Michael Sawaya said.

The institute, which oversees a collection of parks, museums and environmental attractions throughout New Orleans, confirmed his and other employees’ terminations.

“Audubon Nature Institute has implemented organizational changes to better align staffing and financial resources with operational needs and strategic priorities,” organization officials said in a statement. “While we do not discuss individual personnel mat-

BOARD

Continued from page 1B a high school building and another the town has leased to the school since 2005. The joint land is the only parking available to the Roseland Montessori teachers, aside from a few spaces a nearby church lends the school.

The town first approached the School Board about building a community center on the land more than a year ago, board members said at the July 7 meeting.

The board was not opposed to the

‘One and done’

Montaño spent seven years as ters, we can confirm that the Chief of Staff position is among several Cantrell’s budget czar and left his positions that have been eliminated post as her tenure was nearing its as part of a broader staffing reduc- end. A $160 million city deficit ballooned last year under his overtion.”

The layoffs, which represent 4% sight, a fact City Council members of the institute’s more than 500 em- have criticized.

At Audubon, he stepped into the ployees, are the first under Sawaya’s administration. They come as newly created role of executive Audubon has been grappling with vice president of operations and revenue declines and as Sawaya chief of staff, where he was rehas warned of belt tightening mea- sponsible for coordinating operations of all of Audubon’s facilities, sures.

Audubon finished 2025 with a $3 for its strategic planning, and for its collaborations.His salmillion operating loss, the third year in a row it finary was around $250,000, according to Sawaya, ished in the red. who said at the time of Officials told affected his hiring last year that employees in two separate Montaño’s experience and Monday staff meetings dedication “make him an about the changes, said the invaluable asset.” source, who was not autho“These changes reflect rized to discuss the moves Montaño a comprehensive review publicly.

Reached by phone Wednesday, of our organizational structure to Montaño praised his former em- ensure that personnel and financial resources are aligned with Auduployer.

“Audubon is a wonderful organi- bon’s highest priorities,” Auduzation, and restructures happen all bon officials said Wednesday. “As the time, in all types of organiza- we continue to evolve, we remain tions,” he said. “And I’m looking focused on responsible stewardforward to the next chapter in my ship of our resources, exceptional life.” care for our animals, support for He did not share specifics but our employees, and delivering said he was eyeing the private sec- outstanding experiences for the guests and communities we serve.” tor.

Sawaya, who took the reins at Audubon from Ron Forman in January 2025, said he spent much of his first year in his new job studying the books at the massive institution and decided early this year to hire a consultant to identify potential savings.

“After the pandemic, Audubon went back to their pre-pandemic model, and we aren’t back to prepandemic visitor levels in this city,” he said. “So, we had to do something.”

In 2025, for instance, the Aquarium had 150,000 fewer visitors. On balance, about 70% of the Aquarium’s visitors are tourists.

Sawaya said the consulting firm Treppwise recommended the layoffs, which will save $1.5 million next year and more in future years.

The layoffs were mostly in administrative and supervisory positions at the zoo and aquarium as well as in the corporate office.

“They said we were a little heavy on the executive management side and that there were some efficiencies we could achieve with layoffs,” he said, adding that no additional layoffs were planned.

“This is a one and done,” he said.

Jessica Williams contributed to this story.

school building and fenced off access to the property, according to the lawsuit.

The crux of the dispute is a reversionary clause in the 1910 deed that transferred the land from the town to the School Board. The deed, granted to provide land for the high school, says the property would revert to the town should it ever cease to be used as a school.

In a June 2025 email announcing that the town intended to reclaim the land, attorney Sophia Riley said the reversionary clause had been triggered because the property was no longer being used as a school. “It is our understanding

that the school on this property was closed nearly 70 years ago,” Riley wrote.

The School Board, meanwhile, claims that the reversionary clause in the deed does not apply, because the land is being used by the school system for school purposes.

“I’m hoping that the school and the town of Roseland can reach an agreement and an understanding on this situation.” Showers said. He declined to comment further.

School Board President Trent Anthony also declined to comment, citing the pending hearing. Counsel for both parties did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

idea. Before signing off, though, members said they would need assurance that the new community center would preserve parking for teachers. Tolar said he and other board members tried to work with the town, but their requests to meet went unanswered.

Over the past year, the town moved ahead with the project without the School Board’s permission or, the lawsuit argues, the proper legal authority. The town first erected barricades around the property, later removing them after being confronted by School Board representatives. Then, this summer, it demolished the old high

Franklin told police that he had gone over to Wesley’s apartment the morning of March 22 to settle the beef between them, or for a “ceasefire,” in his words.

But surveillance footage recovered from Wesley’s apartment showed Franklin carried out the opposite: shooting Wesley once from behind, then standing over him and executing him with a second shot.

Cameras caught a car registered to Franklin pulling into the complex around 3:04 a.m. the morning of the killing, then leaving around 5:40 a.m. The shooting took place at 5:39 a.m., according to arrest records.

In multiple interviews with police, Franklin admitted to the killing and to having worked with Jackson to plan the murder.

Jackson had first floated the idea in mid-March, according to Franklin’s testimony to police, due to fear she would lose her custody case to Wesley.

Franklin said his girlfriend had expressed on multiple occasions that she wanted Wesley gone, and allegedly pressured Franklin further in the days leading up to the killing by complaining that child support from Wesley was not being processed.

The night before the killing, Jackson asked Franklin again if he was going to kill Wesley for her, he told police. He reportedly expressed concern about “being rushed,” and Jackson said the window of opportunity was closing and that if it wasn’t done she would lose everything.

The two were in communication before, during and immediately after the homicide, texts recovered from Franklin’s phone show.

The following exchanges were made the morning of Wesley’s murder, according to arrest records: At 1:18 a.m. Jackson asked Franklin what he’s up to.

“Getting dressed and cleaning it again,” he said.

“Thought you were out,” Jackson responded.

“Soon as I’m done I will be,” Franklin said. “ohh Kay baby. So ready to finally be back in my element,” she said.

“You will be my love I promise,” he responded.

At 3:06 a.m., immediately after surveillance footage placed Franklin at the complex, he texted Jackson again, saying, “Not here.”

Jackson checked in again at 5:21 a.m.

Franklin called her back immediately after the shooting, and the call lasted 21 minutes.

He was arrested later the same day. In his interview with police, Franklin admitted to having disassembled the gun used in the shooting, earning both him and Jackson a charge of obstruction of justice.

Franklin also faces a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@theadvocate. com.

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Robotaxis without steering wheels get OK

Federal regulators are clearing the way for robotaxis to operate without steering wheels or eventually even brake pedals as the rules start to catch up to the evolving technology.

Amazon’s fully autonomous Zoox vehicles got approval Thursday to begin charging customers for rides in the specially designed boxy cars that feature four inward-facing seats once they secure state and local approval. Zoox has already been offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco since last year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also proposed a rule last month to allow robotaxis to operate without brake pedals, but that proposal is still pending. Administrator Jonathan Morrison said his agency wants to update the regulations to fit these fully autonomous vehicles while still acting as the “cop on the beat to make sure that this is being done right.”

Most vehicle safety regulations were written decades ago, always with the assumption that there would be a human driver behind the wheel. But Morrison said that things like steering wheels, windshield wipers and side-view mirrors aren’t really needed in an autonomous vehicle.

The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety group raised concerns about Zoox’s plan to operate without a steering wheel or other standard controls because the company didn’t provide detailed evidence to show that its vehicles could operate safely on public roads.

U.S. 30-year mortgage rate rises to 6.66% The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose for the fourth consecutive week to its highest level in a year, another setback for prospective homebuyers hoping for a break from elevated home loan borrowing costs.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.66% from 6.58% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.72%.

Higher mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting homebuyers’ purchasing power. As rates rise, that can lead prospective home shoppers to delay buying a home, one reason U.S. home sales have been sluggish this year.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate increased to 6.04% from 5.96% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.85%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation.

They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Rates have been mostly rising this year as the Iran war has driven crude oil prices sharply higher, fueling expectations of hotter inflation. That’s pushed up long-term bond yields relative to where they were before the conflict began, causing mortgage rates to trend higher.

Jobless benefit filings rise to 197,000 WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but layoffs remain in the historically healthy range of the past few years.

U.S. filings for jobless aid in the week ending July 25 rose by 9,000 to 197,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The previous week’s figure was revised up by 1,000 to 188,000 but remains the lowest in more than 50 years.

Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 207,000 new applications.

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30-YR T-BONDS 5.21 -0.01 -0.15%

Microsoft’s earnings elevate markets

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK — A monster day for Microsoft’s stock following signals that its big spending on AI is translating into profits led a powerful rebound on Wall Street Thursday, while computer-chip companies regained some of their sharp recent losses. In the bond market, though, worries remained about inflation potentially remaining high for years.

Microsoft led the way and leaped 15.5% for its best day in nearly 18 years after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than

analysts expected. Growth was strong for its Azure cloud business, and CEO Satya Nadella said it reflects how customers are using Microsoft to move into AI. Perhaps just as importantly for Wall Street, Microsoft did not announce a big increase in how much it plans to spend on AI investments, something that several other Big Tech rivals have done.

Worries are high that such spending is eating into companies’ cash flows and may not ultimately be worth it if AI does not produce as much productivity and profits as promised.

Meta Platforms helped demon-

strate such fears after falling 8%.

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, even though it made slightly more in revenue than expected. It also raised the lower end of its forecasted range for spending on investments this year.

Companies involved in the making of the computer memory and processors that such “hyperscalers” are buying to power their AI efforts rose Thursday, recovering some of the big losses they’ve taken on worries their stock prices shot too high in the euphoria

around AI. Micron Technology jumped 18.4%, for example, to trim its loss for the week to 5%. It was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500 after Microsoft.

Lam Research, a supplier to the semiconductor industry, soared 18% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Chip giant Advanced Micro Devices rallied 13%.

On the losing end of Wall Street was Jersey Mike’s Subs. The sandwich chain’s stock fell 6% in its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Between prices and parasite, lettuce is causing hard times Restaurants that lean into lettuce deal with fallout

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

It’s been a choppy year for restaurants that lean into lettuce.

Lettuce prices rose sharply in the first half of 2026 due to hot weather in Arizona, where about one-third of America’s lettuce is grown. Now, restaurants are dealing with the fallout from a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce that has sickened thousands of Americans.

Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, said Thursday that Taco Bell’s U.S. same-store sales are down 2% so far in the July-September period due to customers’ concerns over the outbreak. That compares to a 7% same-store sales increase in the April-June period.

Federal health officials first tied the diarrhea-causing outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said customers in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania were also affected.

Taco Bell removed shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms from its U.S. restaurants on July 17. The following day, Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico.

Taco Bell’s sales bottomed out the weekend of July 18-19 but have been steadily improving since then, Yum Brands Chief Financial Officer Ranjith Roy said Thursday in a conference call with investors. Over the last four days, Taco Bell’s U.S. sales have climbed halfway back to their year-ago level, he said.

Yum Brands CEO Chris Turner said Taco Bell’s quick action to contain the issue and its clear communication on social media helped bring diners back. The brand also enticed fans with daily specials like $1 Mexican pizza.

“With respect to the consumer sentiment, we’ve seen real improvement as consumers have understood better the nature of the issue,” Turner said. “They understand that it is not a Taco Bell-specific issue.”

Other chains are also feeling some impact from the outbreak even though they haven’t been named in government investigations.

Chipotle Mexican Grill said Wednesday that it expects its same-store sales to rise only 1% in the July-September period because of lower traffic due to the outbreak. It had previously expected same-store sales to rise 3% in that period.

Foot traffic at Chopt, a salad-focused chain with 105 locations, plunged 24% on July 18

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Packages of lettuce and salad greens fill a refrigerated display at a grocery store. The retail price of a pound of iceberg lettuce jumped nearly 20% between January and June of this year, according to government data. compared to the normal average for a Saturday, according to Placer.ai, a market research company. M Science, another market research firm, found that weekly spending at the salad chain Sweetgreen dropped 10 percentage points compared to last year during the first half of July.

Chopt didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Sweetgreen, which has 285 U.S. locations, did not confirm a drop in sales and said in a statement that its food hasn’t been connected to the current cyclospora outbreak.

“We follow rigorous food safety standards and can trace our ingredients from restaurant to farm,” the company said.

Cyclospora cases have continued to grow.

As of July 27, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has received received reports of 6,707 laboratory-confirmed cases. It’s investigating multiple clusters, including a new outbreak involving 72 people that was announced last week. As the FDA investigation progresses, officials should get a better understanding of which illnesses are connected and “how complex this outbreak actually has become,” said Craig Hedberg, a food safety researcher at the University of Minnesota.

The outbreak came on top of an already difficult year for the lettuce industry and people who love eating salads. The retail price of a pound of iceberg lettuce jumped nearly 20% between January and June of this year, according to government data.

Consumers paid an average of 33% more last month for all fresh lettuce compared to

a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

Lettuce prices advertised by major grocery stores last week averaged $1.86 for a head of iceberg, 25 cents more than the same week a year earlier, according to the USDA. A head of red leaf lettuce cost 52 cents more at $1.66, and a bunch of romaine had an advertised price of $2.49, which was $1.55 higher, the department reported.

Shoppers caught a break with some types of salad mixes, though, which stores advertised at prices 7 to 24 cents cheaper than a year prior, the USDA said.

Elizabeth Canales, an associate professor of agricultural economics at Mississippi State University, said unusually hot weather in Arizona early in the year caused crops to mature too early. That caused big supply gaps until California production began in late April.

Fuel costs, which increased after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran and Iran blocked most oil tankers from leaving the Persian Gulf, have also been an issue, according to Canales. Lettuce is especially perishable and requires energy for cooling from the time it’s picked to the time it’s sold, Canales said.

“The cold chain needs to be maintained.

Cooling and transporting it is very important,” Canales said.

Lettuce has been linked to multiple food poisoning outbreaks in the past, including two in 2018 involving E. coli linked to romaine lettuce grown in Arizona and California.

Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe contributed from New York.

Economy grows at a sluggish 1.5% in second quarter

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy expanded at a sluggish 1.5% pace from April through June as rising imports weighed on growth, yet consumers continued to spend.

And the Federal Reserve’s favored measure of inflation grew more slowly last month.

But it remained above the central bank’s 2% target at a time when Americans are frustrated about the high cost of living ahead of the midterm elections, now less than 100 days away.

Growth in U.S. gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — decelerated from 2.1% in the first three months

of 2026, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, coming in below economists’ expectations.

But consumer spending — which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity — increased at a 3.2% annual clip, up from 0.5% in the January-March period.

A measure of the economy’s underlying strength — which strips out volatile government spending and trade numbers — looked good, expanding at a 3.9% annual pace, up from 1.7% from January through March.

Business investment, excluding housing, rose at an 8.4% pace, down from 10.6% from January through March but strong, reflecting a surge in investment in artificial intelligence.

Imports are subtracted from the economic figures because GDP is only supposed to count what is produced in the United States.

Imports rose at an 11.5% pace, partly on a surge in shipments of computer chips and other products that support AI investment. The imports shaved 1.5 percentage off second-quarter GDP growth.

“The consumer rescued the quarter,” said Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economics at Fitch Ratings.

“AI investment remains a powerful growth story, but the import surge underpinning the buildout is a reminder that an AI boom does not automatically translate into an equally large boost to U.S. GDP.” The Commerce Department also said Thursday that its personal

consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the one favored by the Fed, rose 3.7% last month from June 2025 , down from a 4.1% yearover-year increase in May. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core consumer prices were up 3.3% from a year earlier, little-changed from 3.4% increase in May. Prices actually fell 0.1% from May to June on a 9.2% drop in the price of gasoline and other energy products.

The PCE prices were about in line with economists’ expectations.

But the year-over-year increase in prices has been stuck above the Fed’s 2% target for more than five years, and some Fed officials are getting impatient with progress against inflation.

4B ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

Funerals Today Knighten, Randolph

The Miracle Place Church, 2080 Main Street in Baker, at 11 a.m.

Laudermill, Lloyd

Central Funeral Home, 9995 Hooper Road in Central, at 11 a.m.

Meyers, Mary

Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Hammond at 2 p.m.

Parsons, Donald

Baker Funeral Home, 6401 Groom Road in Baker, at 11 a.m.

Paynes, Elouise

Second Baptist Church, 914 N. Acadian Thruway W., at 10 a.m.

Sadler, Sophia

Vision Christian Center, Rosenwald Road, at 11 a.m.

1047

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now with our Lord and Savior. Until we all 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 at Heavens Gate Mausoleum, 10633 Veterans Memorial Blvd.

Bowie, Mildred Edwards

Terrell, Dorothy

Beech Grove Baptist Church, 2376 Thomas Road, at 10 a.m.

Virga, Jackson

Ourso Funeral Home in Gonzales at 11am.

Obituaries

Flowers, Geraldine Franklin

Geraldine Franklin "Granny" Flowers entered into eternal rest at her residence on July 26, 2026. She was a 75-year-old native of Batchelor, Louisiana. Viewing at Ministry of New Life Church, 951 Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive, Baton Rouge on Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 9:00 am until Celebration of Life Service at 10:00 am conducted by Pastor Elvin Augustus.

Laudermill, Lloyd Lee

Babin, Mae Wade

Mae Wade Babin, a longtime resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and more recently of Sugar Land, Texas, passed away on July 12, 2026, at the age of 91. She was preceded in death by her husband, J. L. Babin, Jr., and her parents, Bob and Laura Wade. She is survived by her sons, Dean (Michelle) Babin and Ricky (Tina) Babin; five grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren. Mae enjoyed quilting, fishing, and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She especially looked forward to weekend fish fries and the Bourré games that followed. Visitation will be held on Saturday, August 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70815. Burial will follow with a brief graveside service at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA.

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Mrs. Mildred E. Bowie who departed this earthly life on July 25, 2026, at 110 years old. A public viewing will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St. Mark United Methodist Church. The celebration of life services will follow at 11:00 AM. Her earthly remains will be laid to rest at Southern Memorial Gardens. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Winnfield Funeral Home of Baton Rouge.

Falkenheiner, James Theodore 'Jimmy'

James Theodore "Jimmy" Falkenheiner, 102, of Woodville, MS, passed away at his residence on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

Jimmy was born on Saturday, March 22, 1924, in Natchez, MS to Charles and Stella Lessley Falkenheiner.

He is survived by his daughter, Margaret Lyn Falkenheiner and best friend, Leon Veals.

Visitation will be on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Woodville Methodist Church from 9:00 a.m. until time of service at 10:00 a.m., with Reverend Karl Lumen officiating.

Interment at Evergreen Cemetery under the direction of Newman Funeral Home.

Barnes, Sylvia Knox

Lloyd Lee Laudermill, 83, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away on July 28, 2026. Born on July 26, 1943, Lloyd's life was marked by steady devotion to family, pride in hard work, and a deep appreciation for the simple joys that bring people together. Lloyd graduated from Poydras High School in New Roads, LA. Over the years, he built a career defined by reliability and responsibility—working at Ethyl Corporation for 20 years as an Operator, and later retiring from IPS (Industrial Parts Specialists) as Manager of Shipping and Receiving.

Away from work, Lloyd found genuine enjoyment in LSU Sports, fishing, and horseraces. He and his wife, Beverly, shared a love of spending time together—going dancing, eating out, going to the movies, and traveling—creating a life rich in companionship and shared experiences.

Lloyd is survived by his wife, Beverly Trammell Laudermill; daughters, Cathy Turner, Connie Parker and husband Tim; stepdaughter, Michelle Carriere Toney and husband Patrick; sons, Chris Laudermill and wife Val, Chuck Laudermill; sister, Betty Laudermill Hodges; brother, James M. Laudermill,

EMAIL:

obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

225-388-0289

How to place a Memorial Ad An “In Memory Of” ad, is a way to pay tribute to your loved one. This remembrance is often printed on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. The deadline is two days prior to the day you want your ad to appear.

TO PLACE A MEMORIAL AD GO TO: obituaries.theadvocate.com, click submit an obituary and select create a memoriam.

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Peno, Ronald

On Friday, July 24th, we bid a beautifully sad farewell to our father, Ronald Eugene Peno. He was filled with peace as he left this world, surrounded by his children and loved ones.

Ronnie was born in New Orleans on December 1, 1933 and moved to Dutchtown while in elementary school. As a teenager, he locked eyes with a young, beautiful basketball player in the Gonzales gym. He knew he had just found the love of his life, and married our mom, Audrey

"Poochie" Bourque Peno, not long after they celebrated 65+ years of marriage until her passing in 2018.

Ronnie was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 995 for over 73 years. His years as an electrician left him with many dear friends, and so many stories. After retiring from the Local, he spent many years working for St. Mark Church alongside his close friend, Fr. Herculine DeMaria.

His grandchildren brought him immeasurable joy. Paw Ronnie had a way of making each grandchild feel special, from endlessly pushing them on the swing, serving cinnamon rolls on Sunday mornings, building a swimming pool for them and countless other ways.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Alma Peno, siblings, Teddy Peno, Bobby Peno, Betty Peno and Beverly Peno, his beloved wife, Audrey Peno, granddaughter, Alexis Porta, infant great grandchildren, Isaac Bourque, Nicholas, Thomas, Killian and Zelie Kehn.

He is survived by his

Exhibit Opening Reception and Panel Discussion

How to place an Obituary Notice

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

A devoted and 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 a wife, mother, and friend, those who knew Sylvia, know without a doubt that she is indeed

Jr.; grandchildren, Christen, Jessica, Mary, Alexis, Andi, Corey, Morgan, Brandi, Casie; great grandchildren, Michael, Baylee, Presley, Ty, Calem, Dayton, Brixton, Nola, Wesley, Emilee, Ryan; and greatgreat grandchild, Weslie Jean. He was preceded in death by parents, James Milton Laudermill, Sr. and Rita St. Romain Laudermill; brother-in-law, Mark Hodges; and mother-inlaw, Examae Trammell.

Visitation will be held at Central Funeral Home, 9995 Hooper Rd, Central, LA 70818, on July 31, 2026, from 9:00 am until 11:00 am, followed by the Funeral service at 11:00 am until 12:00 pm. Burial will take place at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church Cemetery, 3523 LA Hwy 78, Livonia, LA 70755, on July 31, 2026, at 1:00 pm. A reception will follow at Central Funeral Home, Reception Room, 9995 Hooper Rd, Central, LA 70818, on July 31, 2026, at 2:30 pm. Pallbearers will be Chris Laudermill, Chuck Laudermill, Corey Laudermill, James M. Laudermill, Jr., Ryan Laudermill, and Patrick Toney. Honorary pallbearer will be Sonny David. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the l h i i f h

With guest presenters: Moderated by Dr. Candace Alfred Weber, Arts Facet Chair, La Capitale (LA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Brandon“BMike”Odums, Artist and Cultural Strategist Gerri Hobdy, Principal, Pleroma LLC.

Artists Commited to Memory

August 1 - 23, 2026

In partnership with La Capitale Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, join the West Baton Rouge Museum to host a moderated panel discussion and opening reception for the national traveling exhibit, Free As They Want to Be: Artists Committed to Memory.

Saturday, August 1, 2026 2 - 4:30 PM

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children, Rhonda Porta and her husband Colin, Christine Peno, Mike Peno, Rebecca Mabile, Tricia Fernandez and her husband Kris; Sister; JoAnn Peno Dawson and Brother; Gerald Peno, 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 and Charley J; 36 great grandchildren; 13 great great grandchildren.

Our hearts are broken but filled with comfort knowing Dad is breathing easy and reunited with Mom in the arms of the Lord.

"By the way, there was never a door facing the road" - Dad A visitation will be held on Friday, July 31,, 2026, from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. at Ourso Funeral Home, 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 Committal Service to follow at Hope Haven Garden of Memory Cemetery, 604 E. Hwy 30, Gonzales In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St.Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memorial donations - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.)

The family would like to offer special thanks to Dr. Mark Posner, Dr. Michael McCarthy and Audubon Home Health and Hospice for the outstanding care.

Simon Jr., Charles John

A longtime resident of Plaquemine for over 50 years, and native of Mansura, LA, Charles never ventured far from home.

He passed away on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at his home, at the age of 83.

Charles relocated the family to Plaquemine in 1973 to continue his work in finance with Commercial Securities and to be near his brother, Anthony. He then branched off into his own finance company, Personal Finance in Plaquemine on Railroad Avenue for many years. He then started his own landscaping business that he continued for the remainder of his life. He also drove generations of Plaquemine kids to school for 32 years driving a school bus for Iberville Parish School Board. He was very active in the Catholic Church and served many roles throughout the years from reading at Mass to assisting the priest and taking care of the church. He continued serving the church until he was no longer physically able. He continued to watch Father Cleo say mass on TV every Sunday morning until his death. Preceded in death by his loving wife of 57 years, Virginia Bernard Simon; parents, Charles Sr. and Helen Dupuis Simon; brother, Tommy Simon; sister, Kristye Simon Grayson.

Survived by daughter, Denise Simon; two sons, Terry Simon and

wife Tonya, Blaine Simon and wife Leah; eight grandchildren, Christopher Simon, Catherine Stout and husband Robert, Cameron Cage, Eon Simon and wife Erin, Terryn Simon, Nicolas Simon, Trent Simon and wife Madison and Charlie Simon; great grandchildren, Colton, Nora, Fayah, Ella, Hayes, Ada, Eli, Erza, Parker, Wesley, Reed, Cade and Emily. Visitation will be at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church on Saturday, August 1st, from 9:30 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 a.m., celebrated by Rev. Jason Palermo. Inurnment will follow in Grace Memorial Park Mausoleum.

family members, lifelong friends, and colleagues who will forever cherish his memory. Terry is preceded in death by the love of his life of 50 years, Sandra Theriot Smith; and his loving mother who would fight a circle saw for him, Ivonia Geurin Smith. Visitation will be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 10:30am until the funeral service at 12:30pm.

Burial will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.gre enoaksfunerals.com

Stevenson, Janice Marie

Smith, Terry Duane

Terry Duane Smith passed away peacefully, on Saturday, July 25, 2026, surrounded by family, at the age of 77. He was born in Hot Springs, AR, and was a resident of Baton Rouge, LA. Terry is survived by his daughters, Christi Daigle (Larry), Candice Carr, and Angela Smith; grandchildren, Brennen Carr, Brianna Daigle, and Gabriel Smith Daigle; great-granddaughter, Eden Browning; father, Dwight Smith; beloved companion, Robin Loupe; sister, Karen Arbour (Dale); he also leaves behind countless extended

Janice Marie Stevenson of Baker, Louisiana entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

Janice was born to the union of Reverend Jerry Walker Sr. and Earleather Bryant Walker on May 24, 1960 at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana.

"And while she lies in peaceful sleep, Her memory we shall always keep."

Services held Aug. 1 at Evening Star Baptist Church, 16301 Al Sanford Rd., Baker, LA 70714. Viewing: 10am - 11am. Religious Service to follow. Funeral Arrangements Entrusted to Hall Davis & Son, 9348 Scenic Hwy, Baton Rouge, 70807.

Interment: Roselawn Memorial Park, 4045 North St., Baton Rouge, 70706.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ 5B Terrell, Dorothy Grant

Dorothy Grant Terrell entered eternal rest on July 4, 2026. Survived by her daughters, Marian Terrell and Detra Terrell; son, James (Sharon) Terrell Jr; sister, Mamie G. Jones; brother, Larry (Deborah) Grant; grandchildren, Jyandria (Christoper) Webb, Jessica Thompson, Jasmine Terrell, and Timothy Smart. Preceded in death by her parents, Kernan Sr. and Delia Woodside Grant.

Visitation Friday, July 31, 2026, Beech Grove Baptist Church, 2376 Thomas Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 9:00 am until religious service at 10:00 am.

Entombment Southern Memorial Gardens Cemetery of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Funeral Service Entrusted to Richardson Funeral Home of Clinton, Louisiana.

resident of Plaquemine, Louisiana.Jason is survived by his two sons, Evan and Austin; his parents, Glenn and Sybil Wisdom; his sister, Gretchen Marino (Josh); his brother, Keegan Wisdom (Sara); his two nieces, Kenli Marino and Brianna Wisdom; his two nephews, Kade Marino and Lucas Wisdom and his beloved dog Zeus his constant and faithful companion. The family would like to thank everyone who offered prayers and support.The family is forever grateful.

Wisdom, Jason Talbert

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jason Talbert Wisdom. Jason was born on September 18, 1979, and he passed away on July 23, 2026.He was a native and

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6B ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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

Those in foster care deserve investment in their future Louisiana has chosen to preOver the past several months, conversations about “Trump Acserve the survivors’ benefits for foster children and help counts” and what some them grow. have called the “orphan For every year a child in tax” have circulated care receives survivor’s widely. These terms have benefits, the first $5,000 is generated plenty of interdeposited into a Trump Acest, but beneath the headlines is a simple question: Rebecca count, a managed investWhat does this mean for ment account designed to Harris children in Louisiana? help young people begin GUEST For some children in building long-term finanCOLUMNIST foster care, a parent has cial stability. Remaining passed away, making them funds are then deposited eligible to receive Social Security into a Louisiana START 529 edusurvivor benefits. Federal law has cation savings account, which long allowed states to use those can be used for college, trade benefits to help pay for the cost of school, apprenticeships and other children’s care while they are in qualified training programs. foster care.

START accounts also receive a But in recent years, federal offi- state match on deposits, meaning cials have urged states to end this a child’s preserved benefits can grow even faster. practice and use these funds to This approach reflects a simple build futures for foster children.

belief: Children in foster care deserve more than safety today. They deserve opportunity tomorrow.

That commitment is especially important when we look at national outcomes for youth who have been in foster care. Across the country, young people leaving foster care face significant barriers as they enter adulthood.

Economic instability presents a serious challenge. In a 2023 report, the Annie E. Casey Foundation reported that in 2021, only 66% of former foster youth aged 18-21 had access to stable housing. Likewise, 56% of former foster children had regular full-time or part-time employment.

Data on postsecondary education tells a similar story. From 2000 to 2023, between 29% and 64% of former foster children enrolled in postsecondary educa-

tion; however, only between 8% and 12% of these students completed degrees. In the meantime, 49% of all students who enrolled in postsecondary education completed degrees.

These outcomes are not inevitable. They are the result of young people leaving care without the resources many of their peers take for granted. That is precisely why Louisiana’s model matters.

By preserving survivor benefits, we give children the chance to enter adulthood with assets that can change their trajectory. Whether those funds support a future credential, a training program or down payment on a home, they represent a foundation many young people aging out of foster care have never had.

At the Department of Children and Family Services, we believe

our work must be measured not only by whether we follow the rules, but by whether children leave our care with greater stability, opportunity and hope. That means looking beyond what has always been done and choosing what produces the best outcomes.

Our responsibility is not simply to care for children while they are in state custody. It is to help prepare them for successful adulthoods. Preserving their survivor benefits is one way to ensure that when they take their first steps into independence, they do so with the beginnings of a financial foothold and a stronger chance at the future they deserve. Because our children can’t wait.

Rebecca Harris is the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.

Capitalism is an amoral system, but it can fight poverty

Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge has several choirs, including its youth Choir.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Black church and its impact on the next 250 years As America commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are doing more than remembering our past. We are deciding what kind of nation we hope to become.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution established the principles of liberty, equality, citizenship and self-government. History teaches another lesson as well.

Founding documents establish nations. Institutions sustain them.

René F. America’s founding principles enBrown dured because generations of citizens GUEST translated those ideals into enduring COLUMNIST institutions — churches, schools, businesses and civic organizations — that created the environment where families and communities could go strong. These institutions became the places where democratic ideals were not merely respected; they were lived.

Among the most enduring of these institutions has been the Black church. Born in slavery and strengthened through Reconstruction, segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, the Black church became far more than a place of worship. It became an institution that helped shape generations as they prepared for civic life and leadership at home and in the community.

Historians have noted that the Black church became one of the first institutions where African Americans could gather with dignity and envision a future beyond their circumstances. In communities where opportunity was often denied, the Black church helped form the people who would later help build America.

Mount Zion First Baptist Church, founded in Baton Rouge in 1858, reflects that larger American story. Like thousands of Black churches across the nation, it has served as a sanctuary and community anchor where faith has inspired thousands throughout the years. Its story reminds us that institutions do more than preserve values; they prepare people to live them.

As America enters its next 250 years, we cannot assume institutions like these will continue their historic role without intentional investment.

Healthy institutions do not sustain themselves.

Every generation must renew them, and by doing so, they strengthen the broader community.

Today’s challenges are different from those of previous generations.

Artificial intelligence, rapid technological change, declining civic trust Adell and growing social isolation are reBrown shaping American life. The challenge GUEST is no longer to preserve our founding COLUMNIST ideals, but to prepare people and institutions to live those ideals in a changing world.

That preparation will require more than preserving historic buildings or honoring cherished traditions. It will require renewing the Black church as a moral, intellectual and civic center capable of preparing citizens to live America’s founding ideals.

Uniquely positioned to meet this challenge, the Black church need not retreat from public life or become captive to partisan politics. Its historic calling has always been larger: to build and strengthen the institutions and help sustain our democracy.

America’s next chapter will not write itself. It will be written by the people we prepare and the institutions we choose to strengthen.

As we celebrate our nation’s first 250 years, let us remember with gratitude those who built the institutions that sustained America’s promise. More importantly, let us recommit ourselves to strengthening institutions like the Black church. Founding documents gave America its principles. Institutions have given those principles life. America depends on healthy institutions, and every generation is responsible for renewing them.

René F. Brown is the pastor of Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. Adell Brown Jr. is a resident of Baton Rouge.

Capitalism has lifted more comes. Kodak dominated the people out of poverty than any photography industry for 80 other economic system in hisyears but failed to adapt to the new digital technology, ironitory. Communist China proved this. While maintaincally invented by one of its own engineers. Aling its communist political structure, China though the product was embraced capitalistic not harmful, capitalism market reforms in the punished the company late 1970s. According to with bankruptcy because David the World Bank, those the demand collapsed. In Thomas contrast, the tobacco inreforms helped more GUEST than 800 million citizens dustry survives because COLUMNIST the demand persists even escape poverty, which is the largest economic though the product is transformation ever reharmful. Capitalism can be brutally efficient. corded. Yet despite its success, Government tries but fails capitalism has its faults. to protect consumers as well.

Capitalism is an efficient supThe first narcotics act passed ply/demand economic system in 1914, and with the Controlled because it works directly off Substances Act of 1970, the consumer needs and delivers supply where there is demand in government sought to curb drug abuse. Yet according to the pursuit of a profit. The question is not whether capitalism works, National Center for Health Stabut when and why it fails. tistics, drug overdoses claimed I write as a lifelong believer nearly 80,000 lives in the United and participant in capitalism, States last year, double automohaving started four compabile fatalities and are a leading cause of death in those 18 to 44. nies beginning at age 9 when I The illegal drug trade conmowed every lawn in the neighborhood for $3 a yard. How else tinues because demand for the was I going to buy that Schwinn product continues. Capitalism Stingray bike with butterfly has no moral compass. That is handlebars and a banana seat? the responsibility of the conThat same yard today may sumer. pay $50, yet many young people There are other examples seem reluctant to embrace this like this, such as Prohibition, capitalistic entrepreneurship. enacted in 1920. Government Perhaps this is because they do intervention failed again, and not yet recognize the difference it was repealed in 1933 when between capitalism’s virtues and public demand won and capitalvices. ism delivered the supply without Consider tobacco. For centumoral judgment.

Government attempts to prories it was considered harmless, even prescribed by physicians tect but reacts after the fact and since the 1500s to ease headoften fails. Therefore, our capiaches and calm patients. By the talist trade laws are based on the 1930s, researchers such as our Latin phrase caveat emptor — own Alton Ochsner discovered let the buyer beware. evidence linking tobacco to The lesson is clear: Capitalism cancer. works on an efficient supply/ Competing arguments clashed demand system that delivers for decades: The industry insupply when there is demand.

It does not protect from harm sisted on safety, while science because that is not its job. Capirevealed the risks. Eventually, the truth prevailed that tobacco talism is not moral or immoral; does cause cancer. Yet the global it is amoral. industry still thrives as a $544 Ultimately, the responsibility billion enterprise employing lies with each of us to make wise thousands by supplying a harm- choices and to demand beneficial ful product. Here is where capi- products that shape a healthier talism shows its blind spot: It re- future. If we do, capitalism will sponds to demand, not consumer be happy to provide it. protection. It is only if demand declines that capitalism kicks in David Thomas is an and brings down the supply. investment management This pattern repeats elseconsultant at Equitas Capital Advisors in New Orleans. where but with different out-

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COMMENTARY

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A transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab.

ISSUE OF THE WEEK 21ST-CENTURy WARFARE The admonition that generals shouldn’t fight the last war is not new, but it seems particularly apt in the current era, when some tools of modern warfare have dramatically altered the arena and others pose risks that are truly frightening to comprehend. Here are two perspectives.

‘Biological War’ a disturbing Ukraine war remakes summons to seriousness the way war is possible Three months before 9/11, some former U.S. experts, is a living munition that delivCabinet-level officials and subject-matter ers a silent, odorless, invisible, airborne, experts met near Washington to conduct self-replicating, disease-causing organism. a war game testing the nation’s ability to “Forty thousand plague bacteria can,” Jarespond to a biological weapons atcobsen says, “fit side by side on the head of a pin.” tack. The postulated weapon was a Jacobsen’s Russian lab leak smallpox pathogen. quickly infects a few tourists, busiThis exercise assumed that a Russian scientist, working at a ness travelers and others who, lab in Siberia, sold smallpox to suspecting nothing for 24 hours, al-Qaida. The game, code-named George avail themselves of an efficient Dark Winter, began with the airdriver of modern pandemics — air Will travel. They disperse through, for borne pathogen — which incubates example, the Frankfurt and Dallas for about 12 days — released in Fort Worth airports (170,000 and 200,000 Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia. travelers a day, respectively). Infections Smallpox, which had killed perhaps 300 million worldwide in the 20th century, was increase exponentially.

Scarcities — of water, food, medicine — declared eliminated by 1980, so there were no substantial vaccine supplies. Infections produce panic. “Conspiracy makes sense,” Jacobsen writes, “when nothing else does.” spread exponentially, with a 30% fatality Confronted with the inexplicable, the rate, collapsing healthcare systems nationpublic becomes susceptible to explanations wide and igniting violent disorders. (rumors of conspiracies) that cause the After 25 years of scientific advances, evaporation of trust, society’s glue. Some Annie Jacobsen says, biological war today could be immeasurably worse, with patho- product of gain-of-function research, says Jacobsen, “could be 21st-century humans’ gens out there that have a 100% fatality rate. The only recent book more disturbing last invention.”

Jacobsen reminds us that in the 14th centhan Jacobsen’s previous one, “Nuclear War: A Scenario,” is her new one, “Biologi- tury, a pandemic killed between one-third and one-half of Europe’s population. If you cal War: A Scenario.” think humanity’s subsequent political matA reporter and historian, Jacobsen specializes in hypothetical catastrophes, uration has matched its galloping scientific including one made possible by a scientific sophistication, look around. advance capable of life-enhancing blessBecause the cultural and social dynamings. It is recombinant DNA, aka genetic ics of biological warfare are so dystopian, engineering. and so impossible to target and contain, This enables “gain-of-function” research, perhaps no state actor will ever risk it. Yet which U.S. funding supported in Wuhan, given the surfeit of fanaticism today, it is China, where a lab leak might have unhorrifyingly easy to imagine an accident, or a rogue scientist, putting an engineered leashed COVID-19. Such research gives demon pathogen into the hands of religious a virus or bacterium new abilities — to lunatics who are eager to please God by spread faster, infect easier, evade immucleansing the planet of sinners, in order to nity and live longer in the environment. start the human story over again.

Jacobsen says the rapid worldwide Few Americans will think, even intermitexpansion of laboratories conducting gain-of-function experiments has been “an tently, about the unthinkable. Biological American-led, post-9/11 affair.” She does weapons are (rightly) enveloped in secrenot condemn this, but she wants readers to cy. And Americans’ electoral choices are understand the implications of what Tom almost entirely irrelevant to the dreadful Ridge, the first Homeland Security secrechallenges of weaponized biology. But not entirely irrelevant. tary, and then-Sen. Joe Lieberman wrote Jacobsen’s summons to seriousness arin 2018: “Some of the biggest threats to the nation come from the smallest organisms rives during a political season in which on the planet.” progressives are warning against an unJacobsen’s scenario envisions a leak popular minority (the rich), and conservafrom a Russian lab in Siberia. It lets loose tives are warning against an unpopular mia pathogen genetically engineered for hynority (progressives). Jacobsen’s message pervirulence in human-to-human transmis- is: Cascading, irreversible, extinction-level sion. And designed to produce in the unwit- events are possible, so sometimes governting infected not plague’s natural lethargy ment is a serious business. Vote accordbut a brief burst of euphoria — hence ingly. hyperactive socializing.

The biological weapon that Jacobsen Email George Will at georgewill@ imagines, based on her research among washpost.com.

Wars remake war. New weaponry, new War and the years after. The U.S. used tactics and new strategy, time and again, the industrial infrastructure built up produce results no one predicted or by capitalist “robber barons” to massthought possible. produce relatively simple and unsophisRevolutionary France’s levee en ticated weaponry in very large masse and Napoleon’s bold attacks numbers, to be deployed by large prevailed over staid 18th-century numbers of highly motivated but siege warfare and subdued all Eunot very sophisticated troops.

In the Cold War, in contrast, rope. The aggressive assaults proAmerican strategists concenduced horrendous casualties but were unable to move the Western on developing very soMichael trated Front trenches more than a few phisticated and very expensive Barone weapons, to foil what Soviet stratmeters in World War I. Less than 20 years later, the egists were doing. After the Cold European theater in World War II was War, these weapons enabled the U.S. to the scene of blitzkrieg attacks — France, enjoy total control of the air and to deploy with Europe’s largest army, was overrun troops capable of advancing and occupyin six weeks — followed by the heavily ing territory with very low casualties. mechanized Allied forces moving forThe limitations of that posture seem apparent in the current war with Iran. ward as fast as logistics permitted.

The U.S. and Israel were able to destroy The war in Ukraine seems to be rethe regime’s leadership class but without making war once again. When Vladimir compelling surrender.

Putin ordered Russian troops to march Operations to open the Strait of Horinto Kyiv in February 2022, he expected they’d be welcomed, and U.S. intellimuz have been frustrated by Iranian gence assumed they’d encounter no seri- missiles and drones inflicting damage on ous resistance and called for evacuation. U.S. allies, as the Trump administration (and its Democratic opponents) remains Both nuclear superpowers assumed unwilling to engage in ground operasuperior conventional forces would prevail. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s response tions. As in Ukraine, the drone-equipped — “I need ammunition, not a ride” — was defense is prevailing. considered naive, and the stalling of his Whether and to what extent the Penta2023 counteroffensive was seen as proof gon has adjusted to the way the Ukraine Russia would win. and Iran wars have remade war is of Successive U.S. presidents operated vital importance and a worthy subject on that assumption. Joe Biden pressed of in-depth reportage. Recent reports Ukraine not to lob missiles into Russia that Lockheed Martin’s plans for a lowfor fear of a wider war. Donald Trump, budget, quickly deliverable Patriot misin Anchorage in August 2025, pressed sile suggest that even large traditional Ukraine not only to accept Russia’s Dodefense companies are trying to adapt.

Another open question is about one othnetsk advances but to yield more territory to them. er factor, always critical and sometimes Both underestimated the ingenuity and impossible to measure: morale. morale that enabled Ukraine to turn relaHere at home, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s emphasis on warrior ethos tively cheap and unsophisticated drones and opposition to political correctness into war-winning weapons. has been accompanied by increases in While imposing damage on Russia, recruitment and perhaps — another good Ukraine’s drones have created a killing zone into which Russian troops can’t ven- subject for reportage — improved moture. As economist Noah Smith writes, rale.

“The era of human infantry on the battleHowever, the president’s failure to exfield is drawing to a close.” plain his justification for the conflict with “The nature of war has changed and Iran, and his wobbling back and forth is changing much faster and more radifrom negotiations with the mullah regime cally than most observers — and most of and active military measures, have left the world’s militaries — yet understand,” civilian, and voter, morale at low levels.

When wars remake war, political leadwrites the Hudson Institute’s Walter Russell Mead. “Rifles, mortars and tanks ap- ers have an obligation to help voters understand the consequences and what pear to be going the way of sword fights may be required of them. That obligation and cavalry charges.” is not being met.

This type of warfare seems closer to the way the United States and its allies operated during WWII than how they Michael Barone is on X, have planned for conflicts in the Cold @MichaelBarone.

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8B ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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

New Orleans 93/79

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The brutal heat that we’ve been experiencing for most of the week will be with us again today. Most of the Baton Rouge area is under either a major or extreme heat risk, so heat illnesses are a threat again today. Overall, expect a partly cloudy, very hot and humid day with a light breeze and some isolated showers and thunderstorms.

Temperatures will rise to the mid-90s this afternoon and since humidity will remain high, heat index values will rise to 107 or higher today.

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1CN

Saints lock down Olave ‘There is New Orleans wide receiver agrees to four-year extension worth up to $132M

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Chris Olave’s holdout is over.

And the New Orleans Saints wide receiver is set to be a lot richer after it.

Olave and the Saints have agreed on a fouryear contract worth up to $132 million that includes $90 million guaranteed, sources with knowledge of the situation said. A $33 million per year average, first reported by ESPN, would make Olave the sixth-highestpaid receiver in the NFL in terms of average annual value.

The contract was reached two days after Olave withheld himself from team drills during training camp to avoid a major injury. Now that the contract is settled, Olave will likely resume being a full participant in practice.

Saints WR Chris Olave

Beyond the value of getting Olave back on the field, the deal was also important for the Saints to lock up their star wide receiver for the long term. The 26-year-old has been incredibly productive since he was drafted 11th overall in 2022 out of Ohio State, reaching at least 1,000 yards in three of his first four seasons.

Last season, Olave bounced back with a big year (1,163 yards on 100 catches for nine touchdowns) after he contemplated retiring because of concussion issues that sidelined him for most of the 2024 season.

The campaign earned Olave his first All-Pro honor and he was voted as the league’s 64th best player in the NFL’s top 100.

AP FILE PHOTO

just one Taysom’

A farewell to Hill, a once in a lifetime Saints icon

ä See OLAVE, page 4C

TAKING THE LEAD

Forget about all those positions you saw listed in front of Taysom Hill’s name for the past nine seasons.

Quarterback. Running back. Tight end.

Kick returner. Punt protector.

You name it, Taysom Hill did it.

But the best way to describe Hill is this: a football player. And one of the best to ever put on a New Orleans Saints uniform.

Hill can’t throw like Drew Brees or run like Alvin Kamara or catch like Marques Colston or return kicks like Michael “the Beer Man” Rod Lewis.

Walker But he can play some football.

His time with the Saints officially came to an end Wednesday when he announced on social media that he won’t be returning to New Orleans. He didn’t say he’s retiring, just that returning to New Orleans “is not in the cards.”

The announcement by Hill, who is a free agent, didn’t really come as a surprise.

The hints had been there ever since December, when coach Kellen Moore made sure to let Hill go out with a bang in what ended up being his last game as a Saint in the Superdome. Hill choked up with emotions during the postgame news conference that day after throwing a touchdown pass, running for 42 yards and hauling in 36 yards worth of receptions. And if that wasn’t enough of a clue that the end was near, it became clearer when his house in Old Metairie was put up for sale in the spring. Then on Wednesday, the first day of training camp, fourth-string quarterback Hunter Dekkers was at practice wearing No. 7. It’s a number that Saints’ fans grew to love over the years because of Hill.

The Saints will celebrate the team’s 60th season this fall. In the previous 59, there has never been a player quite like Hill. And there won’t be one like him in the next 60.

Hill, in that final game in the Dome, became the first player in the Super Bowl era to have over 1,000 yards in each of the

ä See WALKER, page 4C

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough throws a pass during drills on Wednesday at training camp in Metairie.

Saints QB Shough has earned team’s respect, confidence

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

There are a lot of things that remain to be seen about the 2026 New Orleans Saints, but one thing is already certain: This is Tyler Shough’s team.

The second-year signal-caller has only nine NFL starts under his belt and still has some things to prove as a professional. But the constant refrain — from coaches, front office execs, long-established veterans — matches what is readily evident to even a casual observer.

“The biggest jump you can see right now is his leadership,” safety Justin Reid said. “His command of the huddle, his command of the offense, his confidence to stand up in front of the whole team and break down a huddle. … And that’s the thing you need out of your general on the field.”

Shough’s play on the field to close the 2025 season is what is driving a lot of the optimism for the Saints right now — indeed, it may have played a role in the team being able to convince some high-profile free agents to sign in New Orleans this offseason.

But the thing that is catching everyone’s eye at this stage of things is the way Shough has taken ownership of the team.

That was evident this summer, when Shough flew a group of pass catchers out to southern California on his dime to get some extra work in during the off period between minicamp and training camp. This idea was born out of a conversation with imminent Hall of Famer Drew Brees.

“That was one of the biggest takeaways I got from

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints tight end Taysom Hill spikes the ball after scoring against the New England Patriots on Oct. 12 in the Caesars Superdome. Hill announced on Wednesday he will not return to the Saints this season.

Southern facing big questions ahead of preseason camp

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

The lead-up to Southern’s 2026 season has as much excitement as any in recent memory.

After last season’s 2-10 collapse, the athletic department hired Marshall Faulk to lead the next chapter of Jaguars football.

With a rejuvenated fanbase and more national attention on a program led by a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Southern’s season opener against Alabama State can’t come STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON soon enough. The 2 p.m. game on Aug. 29 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, will Southern coach Marshall Faulk gives be aired on ESPNU. directions during a spring showcase on April Before real games happen, Southern must have a productive preseason camp. Here 4 at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

are four of the biggest questions ahead of the Jaguars’ upcoming season.

How ready is Faulk?

Faulk has been the face of the program for eight months.

Spring practice marked his first official on-field coaching, but August camp brings a heightened level of intensity. With the full roster together and the season a month away, player evaluations and schematic preparation are vital.

Southern is almost an entirely new operation, and Faulk, whose only coaching experience is as running backs coach at Colorado, will oversee it.

While he has experienced staff members like assistant head coach Curtis Johnson, a

former Tulane head coach and New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach, Faulk will be tasked with more decision-making.

The first year for a new coach is often unpredictable in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Southern’s last coach, Terrence Graves, had an unexpectedly strong debut season, finishing 8-5 overall and 7-1 in the SWAC on the way to a 2024 SWAC championship game appearance. Last season, Prairie View coach Tremaine Jackson posted a 10-4 record and a 7-1 conference mark, winning the SWAC title over Jackson State and reaching the Celebration Bowl.

Those success stories are encouraging

ä See SOUTHERN, page 2C

2C ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS On TV

CFL 6:30 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa CBSSN GOLF 8 a.m.

PGA Tour Champions: Portugal GOLF 2 p.m.

PGA Tour: Rocket Classic GOLF 5 p.m.

Korn Ferry:Utah Championship GOLF HORSE RACING noon Saratoga Live FS2

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS PFL: Main Card ESPN MLB BASEBALL 1 p.m.

N.y. yankees at Chicago Cubs MLBN 6 p.m.

St. Louis at Toronto MLBN 7:10 p.m. Texas at Houston APPLE TV 8:40 p.m. San Francisco at San Diego APPLE TV 9 p.m.

Milwaukee at L.A. Angels MLBN MEN’S SOCCER 1:55 p.m. Rangers at Dundee United CBSSN 8:55 p.m. U.S. vs. Cuba FS1 6 p.m.

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

9:55 p.m. Pumas UNAM at FC Juárez FS2 SWIMMING 8 p.m.

National Championships NBCSN TENNIS 11 a.m. Washington D.C. — ATP/WTA TENNIS 10 p.m. Los Cabos-ATP Semifinals TENNIS WNBA 6:30 p.m. Dallas at Washington ION 9 p.m.

Indiana at Portland ION

Malnati takes lead at Rocket Classic

BY LARRY LAGE AP sportswriter

DETROIT — Peter Malnati has missed more cuts than he has made on the PGA Tour this season, filling his head with doubts about his game.

He just got quite a confidence boost.

Malnati shot a career-best, 9-under 61 to tie a tournament record in the first round of the final Rocket Classic on Thursday, giving him a two-shot lead.

When Malnati stood on the first tee, his caddie suggested leaving the driver in his bag to play it safe and set up a solid start.

Malnati, though, went against the advice and used his driver to put a tee shot in the middle of the fairway that set up his first of seven birdies on the front nine.

“Even in the beginning before I knew it was going to be a special day, I didn’t feel the same level of like anxiety,” he said.

With thoughts of a sub-60 round crossing his mind, he made a 55-foot putt for birdie at No. 11 and was nine under through 13 holes before missing some putts down the stretch in a bogey-free round.

Detroit Golf Club underwent a $16 million renovation, including converting a couple of par-5 holes into par 4s and adding a lot of bunkers, in an attempt to restore Donald Ross’ vision for it more than a

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE JUAREZ

Peter Malnati hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic on Thursday at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit. century ago, while making it more challenging.

“I don’t think I took advantage of a super easy course,” said the 39-year-old Malnati, who has won on the PGA Tour in 2024 and 2015.

“I played great.”

He wasn’t alone.

Rickie Fowler and Ryan Gerard shot 63s, putting them two shots

back and one stroke ahead of Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn.

Michael Brennan surged up the leaderboard after starting 2 over through four holes with eight straight birdies — one shy of the PGA Tour record. He finished with a 65, putting him four strokes back with a pack of play-

ers that includes Keegan Bradley.

Despite significant changes at the course, Malnati and many other players still went low at a tournament that has been a birdie fest since 2019, when a Detroit-based mortgage company ended a decade-long drought in Michigan without a PGA Tour stop that dated to Tiger Woods winning the last Buick Open.

The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028, effectively creating two tours and Detroit organizers are taking an exit.

The Rocket Classic wasn’t interested in continuing to spend $15 million a year to be part of the second tier and didn’t want to double the costs to be part of the elite tier.

“It’s definitely been a bummer to kind of come into this knowing it was the last one,” said Fowler, a Rocket Mortgage spokesman and the tournament’s 2023 champion.

Malnati will have to hold off a field that is stronger than usual in Detroit.

Some of the top players in the field, though, did not get off to a good start. Cameron Young, the No. 3 player in the world, shot a 1-under 69 and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark was 1 over.

The Rocket Classic and next week’s Wyndham Championship are the last two tournaments left before the top 70 advances to the FedEx Cup postseason.

SOUTHERN

Continued from page 1C but aren’t guaranteed. Whatever Southern’s fate becomes in Year 1 under Faulk, much will be shaped during camp.

Will the Go-Go offense work?

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

Jimmie Johnson waves during driver introductions before the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Johnson adds Harper, Roddick and other winners as investors The Associated Press STATESVILLE, N.C. — Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is adding some big-time winners to his race team.

Johnson announced a strategic ownership group for Legacy Motor Club on Thursday that includes championship athletes, Grammy Award winners, entrepreneurs, investors, motorsport greats and cultural leaders. Johnson remains the team’s majority owner.

The Legacy investors include six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, two-time National League MVP Bryce Harper, Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick, 11-time surfing world champion Kelly Slater and six-time MLB All-Star Chase Utley.

The group also includes threetime Grammy Award winner Darius Rucker, Emmy Award-winning chef Guy Fieri, Amway co-founder Jen Rubio and CrossHarbor Capital co-founder Sam Byrne.

“This is not a traditional own-

ership group,” Johnson said in a statement. “It is a collection of people who understand competition, leadership, innovation, storytelling and how enduring organizations are built. They come from different worlds but share a common belief: that Legacy can become something fundamentally different within motorsports and culture.”

The ownership group reflects Legacy’s ambition to build a modern motorsports organization that competes at the highest level on the track while building relevance across media, partnerships, hospitality and fan experience.

“Great organizations are built by people who understand what it takes to win — but also what it takes to build,” Johnson said. “The caliber, diversity and perspective of this group speak directly to where Legacy is headed.”

Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management co-own Legacy, which fields two full-time cars in the Cup Series. Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek drive for Legacy, which also fields a third entry at some events for Johnson.

Southern hired Ken Merchant as offensive coordinator, bringing the Go-Go offense to Baton Rouge.

The run-heavy system with two tailbacks side by side was developed by Brennan Marion, now Colorado’s offensive coordinator.

Merchant said in February that Southern plans to play fast, “run the air out of the ball” and take deep shots in the passing game.

After working with Marion at UNLV, Merchant used the system as the offensive coordinator at Sacramento State, where the Hornets went 7-5 last season and were third in the Big Sky in scoring at 33.8 points per game.

Sacramento State was second in the conference in rushing yards with 3,151 yards and produced three of the league’s top 15 rushers. Rodney Hammond was second in the conference with 1,216 yards and fourth with 13 touchdowns.

It’s not unreasonable to imagine the offense shocking opposing defenses and running back Trey Holly emerging as one of the SWAC’s premier rushers in this system. Another scenario is that the system needs more time after camp to reach the high levels Southern expects.

How to adapt without Givens?

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Southern quarterback Ashton Strother runs through a drill at spring practice on March 16.

the coaching staff added more speed to the roster.

Defensive coordinator Todd Lyght may not have a new stalwart capable of replicating Givens’ pressure rates. However, the former 12-year NFL defensive back said he liked what he saw during the spring and has plans to use a variety of defensive alignments.

Who is Southern’s starting QB? Faulk said at SWAC media day that he “hates” entering camp with a quarterback competition. Ideally, he wants his Week 1 starter and the pecking order behind him already known months earlier.

After spring ball and playerled practices, the staff wasn’t fully convinced it had the best option on the roster. Southern addressed that by signing Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College transfer Christian Johnson in early June.

The 6-foot, 206-pound junior from Montgomery, Alabama, brings experience as an NJCAA Division I champion.

“He’s won at every level that he’s played at,” Faulk said. “He just wants to win. I literally asked him, ‘Look man, we got fourth and two, I’m calling quarterback power.’ And he said, ‘Coach, I’m putting my head down, and I’m getting it.’ I like that mentality from a quarterback.”

Southern values those intangibles and a quarterback capable of being a dual threat. Johnson’s primary opposition for the starting spot will likely be returning senior Ashton Strother and sophomore Long Beach City College transfer Wyatt McCauley. The player who wins out will carry the pressure to lead a unique offense in a season where the spotlight is bigger.

The Jaguars lost their defensive security blanket in Givens.

They no longer have one of the most fearsome pass rushers at the HBCU level, a player who anchored the defense and gave Southern a chance to pressure the quarterback on any down.

The 6-foot-2, 245-pound edge rusher made the All-SWAC first team in each of his final three seasons. In 2024, he was named HBCU Defensive Player of the Year, SWAC co-Defensive Player of the Year, a second-team FCS All-American and a Buck Buchanan Award finalist after leading the FCS with 27.5 tackles for loss and finishing third with 12 sacks.

Despite Southern’s struggles in 2025, he again led the SWAC with 22 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

Redshirt junior safety Herman Brister said losing Giv- Email Toyloy Brown III at ens was a “big loss” but that toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

Police: Romo had open bottle of alcohol in car

MILWAUKEE — CBS NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had an open container of alcohol in his vehicle when he was stopped by police last week and later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said.

According to one of three citations released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, the “open bottle of an alcoholic beverage” was discovered in the passenger’s side of Romo’s black Jeep during an inventory before it was towed.

Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was taken into custody, booked and released. Court records show Romo was later cited for refusing “to take test for intoxication after arrest.” He has a court appearance scheduled for Sept. 21.

Bengals DE Stewart out with hyperextended knee

CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart is expected to miss most of training camp after hyperextending his left knee during Wednesday’s practice.

Coach Zac Taylor said after Thursday’s practice that Stewart avoided a major injury, but that the second-year defensive lineman will miss several weeks.

“Hard to pinpoint exactly how far into training camp that will be.

Very fortunate because obviously it looked bad,” Taylor said.

Stewart, the Bengals’ first-round draft pick in 2025, played in only eight games last season because of injuries.

He had 11 tackles with one sack.

The Bengals invested heavily at defensive end in the offseason with free agent Boye Mafe and second-round pick Cashius Howell. Myles Murphy, their 2023 firstround pick, is a projected starter.

Rays LHP McClanahan exits game with tightness

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan left Thursday’s win over the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning because of back tightness.

The team listed him as day-to-day.

“Any time it’s a back and not an arm, I think we feel better about it,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ll get him checked out and go from there.”

McClanahan was pulled from the game two batters into the fourth inning and with the Rays leading 1-0. At the time, the left-hander had yet to allow a hit, but he did hit Ezequiel Duran with a pitch to start the fourth, followed by a walk to Brandon Nimmo.

F1 finale could relocate if races are affected by war

LONDON — Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali says the current world championship could end in Europe if the war in the Middle East affects races planned in Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the conclusion of the season.

Domenicali said a decision won’t be made before mid-September.

“For us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed,” he said in comments published by the F1 website following last week’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Domenicali did not say where exactly the final races in November and December would be held if those in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are canceled.

F1 already called off races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of safety concerns related to the Iran war. The Bahrain Grand Prix was rescheduled to Oct. 4 in Malaysia.

Torrey Pines to become Championship stop in ’28

SAN DIEGO — As anticipated, The Sentry at Torrey Pines will be part of the PGA Tour Championship Series in 2028, placing the tournament among the most prestigious events on the tour schedule.

Sentry Insurance, the PGA Tour and the Century Club of San Diego announced the news Wednesday morning in a joint statement. Few other details, like where the event will fall in the 2028 schedule, were provided beyond confirming the Sentry’s status as a top-tier event.

Last month, PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp announced that the Championship Series will feature the tour’s top players competing headto-head in approximately two dozen events. Those tournaments include The Players Championship, the four major championships, postseason and international team events (Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup) in a season running from February through August.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ 3C

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Belichick says UNC is adjusting duties

BY AARON BEARD AP sportswriter

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Lafayette Christian running back Caiden Bellard looks for running room against Parkview Baptist last season. The junior announced he is transferring to University High.

U-High adds star RB Bellard

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

University High added a star to its backfield after it was announced that running back Caiden Bellard is transferring from Lafayette Christian to join the Cubs.

Bellard is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior is one of the top running back recruits in the state for the Class of 2028.

Lafayette Christian coach Matt Standiford confirmed Wednesday that Bellard is transferring to University High.

Bellard put up big numbers last year, rushing for 1,555 yards and 21 touch-

downs on 237 carries. He holds more than 30 college offers, including several Power Four programs like LSU, Alabama, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State.

“He catches the ball really well out of the backfield, which is a trade that not many high-end running backs have,” Standiford said. “He has really good vision. He can see a hole before it’s really there and he really did that well last year.”

Bellard joins a backfield currently led by senior Corbin Odell, who ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns on 108 carries last year for the Cubs. U-High split most of the rushing attempts last season between

Odell and now-graduated Sage Ingram.

With Bellard joining the team, it’s possible the Cubs could use a similar formula offensively.

Bellard joins other notable additions to U-High this season. Quarterback Knox Kiffin, the son of LSU coach Lane Kiffin, transferred to University High from Oxford, Mississippi, this offseason.

Junior wide receiver Kevin Smith also joined U-High this season after spending last year at Oxford High.

U-High’s new additions will look to build off last season, which ended with a 10-3 record and a loss in the Division II select state semifinals against St. Charles Catholic.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina coach Bill Belichick opened his second preseason camp Thursday saying the program is adjusting internal duties with general manager Michael Lombardi on paid administrative leave and the subject of a school investigation.

“We’re working through some things,” Belichick said before the morning’s first official practice.

“We’re at a particular time of year now where there are certain things that are in play and certain things that aren’t in play that won’t happen until later in the calendar year at some other point.

“Again, we’re taking it day to day, and working through the things that are on the table now.”

The school announced Monday that Lombardi had been placed on leave but didn’t provide details as to the reason, noting that employees and athletes aren’t permitted to address the topic “as is standard procedure with personnel matters.” On Thursday morning, about 30 minutes before Belichick spoke to reporters, UNC released another statement that said its Office of University Counsel was conducting an investigation — an announcement coming just shy of a month from kickoff to Year 2 of the Belichick era in Chapel Hill.

Two people with knowledge of the situation said a human resources complaint from a former em-

ployee is involved with Lombardi’s leave. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school isn’t commenting publicly about the specific reasons of the case.

According to university policy, the length of an administrative leave shouldn’t exceed 30 days but can vary based on issues under review.

“We’re going to let that process play out,” athletic director Steve Newmark said Thursday morning of the investigation while declining to discuss specific details. “It’s paramount for us to do what’s right to make sure it’s a full and fair review, and that we don’t do anything to compromise the integrity of the process.”

Speaking later after a regularly scheduled morning meeting of the UNC trustees, chancellor Lee Roberts said Thursday that the school learned of “some concerns” last week.

“If something has gone wrong, we want to know about it,” Roberts said.

“If something needs to be fixed, we will be sure to fix it. There’s a standard of excellence here that all of us are entrusted with adhering to.”

Roberts added later: “It’s distressing to me and everyone else in the administration entrusted with leadership at this remarkable university that this is something that we have to have to spend time on.”

Belichick didn’t specify exactly how Lombardi’s duties have been divided among the staff, including referencing “a few adjust-

ments” when asked about his own daily tasks.

At the college level, GMs across sports generally work what amounts to front-office roles dealing with roster construction and negotiations over player compensation, with the heaviest work coming in the offseason. In that sense, the football focus centers now more on the on-field work for a roster Lombardi helped put together ahead of the Aug. 29 opener against TCU in Dublin, Ireland.

UNC hired Belichick in December 2024, hoping the man who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles could thrive as a first-time college coach.

Belichick immediately hired Lombardi, who was in attendance for Belichick’s introductory news conference. Lombardi’s career as an NFL executive had included being the GM of the Cleveland Browns in 2013. And he secured a three-year deal paying him $1.5 million in base salary through the 2027 season, making him the country’s highest-paid GM, according to a USA Today salary database.

A few months into Belichick’s tenure, Lombardi said the goal was running a college program in a way similar to the NFL, saying the Tar Heels “consider ourselves the 33rd (NFL) team” because of the staff connections to the pros.

That confident statement didn’t align with the on-field results, with the Tar Heels having more more doubledigit losses (five) than total wins (four) in Belichick’s debut season.

Missouri OL Webb eligible after restraining order grant The Associated Press ST. LOUIS — Missouri defensive lineman Sterling Webb was granted a temporary restraining order by a St. Louis County judge Thursday that will make him eligible to play for the Tigers this season under rules that were recently adopted by the NCAA. Webb had filed suit against college sports’ largest governing body on Tuesday.

In June, the NCAA approved a new eligibility model for Division I athletes that allows five seasons of competition in a five-year period, beginning with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. It was a

dramatic change from a longstanding model that granted athletes five years to complete four seasons of competition.

Athletes who graduated from high school in a three-year window beginning in 2023 were granted the option of using the new, age-based model or continue under previous rules, whichever would be most advantageous to their situation.

Webb’s lawyers argued that transition period should also pertain to the defensive lineman, who graduated in 2022. Webb played for two seasons at New Mexico State and two at Missouri, meaning four seasons over a four-years period. Under the new eligibility model, Webb

could still play a fifth season because it would be his fifth year in college football.

St. Louis County Judge Ellen H. Ribaudo agreed, issuing a temporary restraining order less than a week before the start of camp.

The lawsuit is one of many involving athletes across the country trying to gain an additional season of eligibility under the new model. Some have been successful, others have had their requests for injunctions denied.

Webb suddenly becomes one of the most experienced returning defensive players for Missouri, which went 8-5 last season. He made 11 starts and appeared in 25 games over the past two seasons, with 38 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks for the Tigers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AARON BEARD

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick speaks at a news conference before preseason camp on Thursday in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Instant shade at the touch of a button.

Call 1-888-901-3002 now to ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOT By L.G. PATTERSON

Missouri defensive lineman Sterling Webb runs drills during the school’s NFL pro day on March 20 in Columbia, Mo.

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4C ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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CAMP OBSERVATIONS

Saints pass rush wreaks havoc Shough takes collateral tumble in bull rush

Miller’s explosiveness has been a good sign given the 24-year-old is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered last October. It is notable, too, that the 2023 third-rounder did not open camp on PUP and has since been able to fully participate in practice.

BY MATTHEW PARAS

Play of the day

Staff writer

As soon as Tyler Shough hit the ground, Chase Young and Vernon Broughton rushed over to pick him up.

The pair of defensive linemen knew that knocking over their quarterback was a big no-no — even if it was an accident.

“Sometimes you’re just a full head of steam,” Young said with a smile. “I didn’t want to stop too fast.”

Young, in this case, was the guilty offender as he overpowered tackle Kelvin Banks on a bull rush so much that he drove the offensive lineman back into the quarterback, causing Shough to crumble. Fortunately for the Saints, Shough was perfectly OK — but it was that type of day for the pass rush.

Across all three units, the Saints’ edge rushers wreaked havoc on the second day of training camp.

While the unit was still without pads, New Orleans’ defense was able to establish a level of physicality that will be crucial come the fall.

The defense recorded at least four sacks, and several other pressures forced late throws and arguably would have had a different outcome if quarterbacks were allowed to be hit in practice.

Notably, the Saints also generated a pass rush with different looks.

New Orleans utilized linebacker Kaden Elliss’ versatility by sending him on blitzes next to Young.

And with the third string, Chris Rumph showed flashes as an off-ball linebacker — moving there after spending the first four seasons as an edge rusher.

The Saints made the switch with

OLAVE

Continued from page 1C “I’ve played four years already and I’ve produced at a high level,” Olave said in May. “I feel like it’s kind of that time to be able to come to the table, especially after this year. It’s really in their hands.

I told them I want to be here for a long time, and they know that.”

Olave said then that he was hopeful that the deal would be done in time for training camp.

But the deal ultimately needed a few extra days to be completed.

On Tuesday, general manager Mickey Loomis said that he and Olave’s camp were having a “lot of discussions,” adding that he was “hopeful” a deal would be completed.

Loomis acknowledged that Olave’s injury history and the ever-expanding wide receiver market were variables that New Orleans had to consider. Olave, after all, had suffered four concussions in three seasons — including two that caused him to miss nine

Before the snap, Shough appeared to make an adjustment at the line of scrimmage to alert the offense that a blitz was coming just outside of the end zone.

The problem? Not everyone seemed to be on the same page.

Jordyn Tyson broke for a route inside, while Shough threw outside — resulting in cornerback Quincy Riley recording a clean, runaway interception. The turnover was Shough’s first pick in camp, which Moore attributed to a miscommunication.

Odds and ends

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints defensive end Chase young runs a drill during training camp on Thursday in Metairie.

Rumph in the spring.

“Just an offseason discussion of trying to find value as much as we can for him in various roles,” coach Kellen Moore said. “A lot of these guys, you’re trying to find different opportunities. … We feel really good about our edges and so now how can we add some components that put him off the ball.”

Here’s what else stood out on Day 2.

Attendance: The Saints had a mostly healthy roster, outside of Bryan Bresee (ACL) and the players who opened camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list and the

non-football-injury list (Mason Tip- vided by Ty Chandler (three carries), ton, Keeshawn Silver, Zxavian Harris and Kendre Miller (two), Audric Estime (two), Devin Neal (one), C.J. Donaldson (one) Cody Hardy). and rookie wide receiver Barion Red zone work Brown (one). Those reps were split The Saints spent the majority across all three units, with the orof Thursday’s practice in the red der of who received those carries zone, while also emphasizing the seemingly different based on the run game. series.

The session, which featured 13 “We have a lot of diversity,” tight runs over the first 24 snaps in team end Juwan Johnson said. “I remember drills, provided a chance to give talking to one of the tight ends the Saints’ other running backs a (Wednesday), looking at film and look as Travis Etienne (one) and Alvin was like, ‘Man, we’ve got some Kamara (two) only took a combined nice running backs.’ … Sometimes three carries. people just forget about Kendre. Email Matthew Paras at matt.

The rest of the workload was di- Kendre is explosive, dude.” paras@theadvocate.com

games in 2024. And while Olave played 16 games in 2025, he was sidelined the final week with an unexpected blood clot that also caused the team to withhold him from team drills during OTAs this offseason.

But the Saints still wanted to get a deal done. And the longer they had waited, the chances were the price tag would have gone up. Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba (four years, $168.6 million) and Atlanta’s Drake London (four years, $141 million) were among those at wide receiver to sign substantial new contracts in recent months.

Olave is set to become the 12th wideout to sign a contract worth at least $30 million per year. His practical guarantees of $90 million, according to Spotrac, would be tied for sixth — falling in line with the Jets’ Garrett Wilson, who was drafted one pick before Olave but signed his deal one year earlier.

Olave’s contract reflects the latest way the Saints have valued their star wideout. On draft night, the team sent a package of draft picks to the Washington Com-

manders so they could move up from No. 16 to No. 11. They were enticed by Olave’s game-changing speed, smooth route running and versatility — all of which have translated to the pros.

And they’ve never stopped believing in him. Last November, the Saints resisted dealing Olave at the league’s trade deadline amid the team’s 1-8 start. Back then, the Saints shipped Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks and released Brandin Cooks. But they held on to Olave, hopeful that they could extend him down the road.

And Olave has been grateful for the support. After beating the Panthers last December, when he first admitted he considered retiring, Olave said he “couldn’t thank the organization enough” for standing by him and being patient while dealing with his head injuries.

“They’ve been nothing but good to me,” Olave said then.

That continued Thursday.

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C Drew: This is where the magic happens,” Shough said. “There are 31 other teams doing training camp, doing the same thing that we are. How do we spend that time as much as we can to get better?”

It is evident when watching Shough take command of the offense, even during the short practice the New Orleans went through to open training camp Wednesday morning.

Shough was an extension of coach Kellen Moore on the field, and in between sessions he spent time off to the side with rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson, walking him through the way he wants a certain thing done.

Part of the reason he wanted to get everyone in one space this summer in Southern California was for moments like these. It wasn’t just about getting used to the way a receiver runs routes or the type of pass he likes to catch; it’s about establishing a deeper personal connection that will invite clearer communication when it’s needed.

“We’re all going to make mistakes,” Shough said. “I’m going to throw an interception, guys are going to drop a ball, we’re going to have a missed route or a missed

Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry left practice after he rolled his ankle, Moore said. McKinstry will undergo further evaluation, but Moore said the third-year player was pulled out as a precaution.

Speaking of injuries, Bresee will receive a second opinion on what the Saints believe is a torn ACL. But Moore clarified that the injury is not the same knee as the one that Bresee hurt in college when he tore his ACL at Clemson in 2021.

The Saints let fans attend practice Thursday, and they appeared to be most impressed by Shough’s connection with Tyson. The Saints quarterback found the rookie twice — including once for a touchdown — and each catch elicited big cheers.

Chris Olave continued his holdout over the lack of a new contract, opting to sit out of 7-on-7 and 11on-11 drills. A deal was later reached.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough chats with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson in between drills on Thursday during training camp in Metairie.

block, and we’ve got to be able to talk through it.

“If you know each other and have that respect and friendship and brotherhood, we can lean on each other when times are tough.”

And it is also plain from just speaking to those he shares a locker room with. Running back Alvin Kamara, now entering his 10th season, probably put it best.

“I always tell people the years (in the league) don’t matter,” Kamara said. “It’s who respects who,

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

and the team respects Tyler. He’s one of those leaders.”

Kamara sees Shough and Moore having a “synergy” — not empty words coming from a player who began his career watching Brees and Sean Payton solve problems together. And he sees the way Moore is giving Shough the space to have his voice heard when the team gathers together.

“He’s gotten comfortable standing up in front of everybody, talking, demanding what he wants,” Kamara said.

Shough’s play at the end of his rookie season was a shot in the arm for the franchise, and he is going to need to continue performing on Sundays in order for his voice to continue commanding a room.

That’s the most difficult part of it. But it’s something the Saints are eager to watch unfold because of the little things they’ve seen every day.

“One thing about Tyler that I think we discovered pretty quickly is that he’s very intentional, he’s very mature, and he likes to have a plan for things,” general manager Mickey Loomis said. “He’s not afraid to ask questions, not afraid to get assistance, not afraid to dive in with the intention of, ‘Hey, I’ve got to be better.’

“It’s a race for him to improve, because we’re going to go as far as he can take us.”

WALKER

Continued from page 1C following categories: rushing (2,551 yards), passing (2,426) and receiving (1,034). He also finished his career as a Saint with 489 yards on kickoff returns. Oh, and he also blocked two punts and recorded 19 tackles.

“And he never complained,” said Saints tight end Juwan Johnson.

“That’s one of the things I always valued about his character. He just did what he was supposed to do. He just came out and did his job.”

Hill is the ultimate do-it-all throwback player, which he proved in 2023 when he became the first player since the late Frank Gifford to throw 10 career touchdown passes, rush for 10 touchdowns and catch 10 TD passes. Gifford, who played for the New York Giants from 19521964, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Hill won’t get that opportunity.

He’s ineligible for the Hall of Fame because only players who were recognized with postseason honors like Pro Bowls or All-Pro awards can be nominated for induction. But Hill will no doubt get inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame as soon as he’s eligible.

The Saints social media team referred to Hill as “Mr. Football” in a farewell video posted on Wednesday, and there is really no better way to describe him. Hill was as tough as they come. The long list of injuries his chiseled 6-foot-2, 221-pound body battled through would fill up a textbook for an anatomy class. Knee sprain, concussion, plantar fascia injury, fractured finger, bruised ribs, strained abdomen, fractured ribs, knee and shoulder.

But his toughness and resiliency are what got him this far in the first place. Undrafted players aren’t supposed to have this type of success. His story is well documented, starting with him being at the Green Bay Packers training camp in 2017 after not hearing his name called in the draft.

The Packers let him go towards the end of camp. One day later, former Saints coach Sean Payton took a chance on him. Hill never became the quarterback Payton envisioned, but Payton found a unique Swiss-Army knife role for him. The rest is history.

Moore, entering his second season as Saints’ head coach, got a chance to coach Hill last year.

“He’s a phenomenal person, player and competitor,” Moore said Thursday. “… The impact

he’s had on this community has been awesome. He’s a guy that a lot of our guys can look to as an example of growing in the NFL and finding roles and finding opportunities. Everyone over the last two years has been saying ‘Let’s find the next Taysom.’ But there is just one Taysom.”

Well, there is just one Taysom in the NFL. But because of how beloved he became, there are plenty of other Taysoms across Louisiana now. A story in The Times-Picayune five years ago by former co-worker Amie Just reported that there were 17 babies born in the state of Louisiana named Taysom in 2019. There were 24 more babies named Taysom the following year. Jacobi Martin, a diehard Saints fan who lives one state over in Mississippi, named her son Taysom in 2021.

“Taysom was just pure football,” Martin said. “And he didn’t complain. He gave us fans so much hope and kept us on the edge of our seats.”

Martin was planning to bring her son to a Saints game this season so he could meet the guy he was named after. Wednesday’s announcement by Hill dashed those plans.

“Honestly, I cried,” Martin said.

“It’s hard to imagine game days without Taysom time.”

Saints’ linebacker Kaden Elliss knows Hill well. Elliss has played both with and against Hill. The two were teammates in New Orleans from 2019-2022. Elliss spent the past three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before returning to the Saints this offseason. Elliss remembers how much extra time went into game preparation for Hill whenever the Falcons would play the Saints.

“You just never knew where he was going to line up,” Elliss said.

“And then you add on top of that, there are a lot of body types that you can do that with in the NFL. But they can’t do it the way he did it. When (others) touch the rock, they aren’t a threat to go 60 yards for a touchdown run or throw it 60 yards for a touchdown. So that’s what was so difficult.”

If Hill ends up on another team, Elliss could possibly face him again. Regardless, Hill will be remembered forever as a Saint.

“To do all those things is one of one,” Elliss said. “Maybe there will be another (Taysom) one day.

But I don’t see it anytime soon.”

And Saints fans, you shouldn’t expect to ever see another one like Taysom Hill again, either.

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ 5C

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Mullins homers in eighth, lifting Rays over Rangers 3-2

BY ERIK ERLENDSSON ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Cedric Mullins hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, Jonny DeLuca also went deep and seven pitchers combined on a two-hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays in a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

Bryan Baker converted his 30th save of the season and 19th in a row with a scoreless ninth. Garrett Cleavinger (3-3) picked up the win as AL East-leading Tampa Bay moved a season-best 20 games over .500 (64-44).

Ben Peoples (0-1) took the loss.

Mullins hit his 13th homer with two outs in the eighth, looping an opposite field fly ball that landed beyond the short wall down the left-field line on the first pitch he saw from Peoples.

Texas threatened in the ninth after Nickey Lopez won two ABS challenges on third-strike calls to draw a leadoff walk. But Victor Mesa Jr. tracked down a line drive into the right-field corner to deny pinch-hitter Evan Carter of extra bases before Baker escaped with a

Odds MLB Friday

UNDERDOG Chi. W. Sox Texas Detroit Minnesota

LINE +113 +109 OFF +152

UNDERDOG at CINCIN. Miami Washington San Fran.

LINE +105 +108 +108 OFF

UNDERDOG N.Y Yankees Philadelphia St. Louis Arizona at COLO at LA ANGELS Boston

LINE +116 OFF +145 +113 -108 +138 OFF

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

W 18 17 16 15 10 10 7

L 10 10 12 12 18 18 22

Pct GB .643 — .630 ½ .571 2 .556 2½ .357 8 .357 8 .241 11½

Minnesota Las Vegas Golden State Dallas Portland Phoenix Los Angeles Seattle

W 24 19 19 18 11 11 10 6

L 6 8 9 10 17 18 17 24

Pct GB .800 — .704 3 .679 3½ .643 4½ .393 11½ .379 12 .370 12 .200 17½

Wednesday’s games

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JASON BEHNKEN

Tampa Bay Ray center fielder Cedric Mullins is greeted in the dugout after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla. strikeout of Ezequiel Duran to end the game with runners on first and second.

The Rays went in front in the third on a two-out double by Hunter Feduccia followed by a single from Yandy Diaz.

Tampa Bay starter McClanahan allowed the first two batters to reach in the fourth before getting pulled from the game because of

Friday’s games

Dallas at Washington, 6:30 p.m.

Seattle at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

Indiana at Portland, 9 p.m.

Pro soccer MLS Glance T 3 3 3 2 2 5 4 3 5 3 6 5 1 5 2

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

Saturday, July 25

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

Friday, July 31

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

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

Columbus at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

New England at CF Montréal, 6:30 p.m.

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

Atlanta at Philadelphia, 6:30 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seattle at Portland, 9:30 p.m.

Chicago 94, Connecticut 88 Minnesota 104, Toronto 72 New York at Las Vegas, n

W L Vancouver 10 3 Los Angeles FC 10 5 San Jose 10 4 Real Salt Lake 8 6 Houston 8 6 FC Dallas 7 5 St Louis City 7 6 Seattle 7 6 Minnesota United 6 6 Portland 6 8 LA Galaxy 5 7 San Diego FC 5 7 Colorado 6 10 Austin FC 4 8 Sporting KC 4 11

Wednesday, July 22

Saturday, August 1

Thursday’s games

Western Conference

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

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

Atlanta 82, Dallas 81 Phoenix 91, Golden State 89

Pts 33 33 33 26 26 26 25 24 23 21 21 20 19 17 14

GF 37 34 35 28 23 32 23 19 19 31 24 31 26 22 18

GA 16 18 20 24 24 25 23 20 24 32 29 28 25 35 44

National League

Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto

W 64 61 56 53 50

L 44 48 51 56 59

Pct .593 .560 .523 .486 .459

GB — 3½ 7½ 11½ 14½

Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 57 56 55 51 46

L 51 54 55 58 64

Pct .528 .509 .500 .468 .418

GB — 2 3 6½ 12

Texas Houston Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 55 55 53 45 42

L 54 55 56 63 67

Pct .505 .500 .486 .417 .385

GB — ½ 2 9½ 13

Wednesday’s games

Eastern Conference

WESTERN CONFERENCE

East Division

West Division

back tightness. After Duran took third on a fly ball, pinch-hitter Joc Pederson hit a ground ball up the middle that was fumbled by Taylor Walls, allowing Duran to score.

Wyatt Langford doubled in Alejandro Osuna from first base to put Texas in front in the fifth before DeLuca hit a 415-foot homer to left field in the sixth to tie the game.

SCOREBOARD

EASTERN CONFERENCE

American League

Central Division

Associated Press

American League FAVORITE LINE at TAMPA BAY -138 at HOUSTON -134 at ATHLETICS OFF at SEATTLE -189 National League FAVORITE LINE Pittsburgh -128 at N.Y METS -132 at ATLANTA -132 at SAN DIEGO OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE at CHI. CUBS -142 at BALTIMORE OFF at TORONTO -179 at CLEVELAND -138 Kansas City -114 Milwaukee -170 at LA DODGERS OFF

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Pro tennis ATP World Tour Los Cabos Open results Wednesday

At Solaz Resort & Spa Los Cabos Los Cabos, Mexico Purse: $909,790 Surface: Hardcourt outdoor

Men’s singles

Round of 16 Jenson Brooksby, United States, def. Edward Winter, Australia, 6-3, 6-4.

Francisco Cerundolo (3), Argentina, def.

Tristan Boyer, United States, 6-7 (4), 4-3, ret.

Coleman Wong, Hong Kong, China, def. Jiri Lehecka (1), Czechia, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Denis Shapovalov (8), Canada, def. Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, Mexico, 6-3, 6-2.

Arthur Gea, France, def. Michael Zheng, United States, 0-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Bernard Tomic, Australia, def. Karen Khachanov (4), Russia, 6-2, 6-4.

Dalibor Svrcina, Czechia, def. Luciano Darderi (2), Italy, 3-0, ret.

Cameron Norrie (5), Britain, def. James Duckworth, Australia, 6-4, 6-4.

Pro golf Rocket Classic par scores Thursday

At North Course Detroit Purse: $10 million Yardage: 7,328; Par: 70 First Round Peter Malnati Rickie Fowler Ryan Gerard Patrick Cantlay Patrick Fishburn Keegan Bradley Michael Brennan Doug Ghim Stephan Jaeger Michael Kim Chris Kirk Hayden Springer Ricky Castillo Luke Clanton Emiliano Grillo Ryo Hisatsune Rico Hoey Mark Hubbard Nicolai Højgaard Johnny Keefer Matthieu Pavon Xander Schauffele Jordan L. Smith Brandt Snedeker Jackson Suber Kevin Yu Eric Cole Corey Conners Austin Eckroat Harris English Russell Henley Sungjae Im Benjamin James William Jennings Jake Knapp David Lipsky Hideki Matsuyama Thorbjørn Olesen Adrien Saddier Gordon Sargent Adam Schenk Neal Shipley J.J. Spaun Davis Thompson Matt Wallace Dylan Wu Christiaan Bezuidenhout Akshay Bhatia Jacob Bridgeman Brian Campbell Cameron Davis A.J. Ewart Tony Finau Chris Gotterup Max Greyserman Ben Griffin Joe Highsmith Billy Horschel Matt Kuchar Justin Lower Max McGreevy

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WORKS

28-33—61 32-31—63 34-29—63 31-33—64 31-33—64 34-31—65 32-33—65 32-33—65 32-33—65 32-33—65 30-35—65 32-33—65 32-34—66 33-33—66 34-32—66 33-33—66 33-33—66 34-32—66 33-33—66 34-32—66 33-33—66 32-34—66 32-34—66 33-33—66 34-32—66 34-32—66 34-33—67 33-34—67 35-32—67 33-34—67 35-32—67 34-33—67 33-34—67 34-33—67 36-31—67 33-34—67 34-33—67 35-32—67 32-35—67 32-35—67 31-36—67 32-35—67 32-35—67 35-32—67 33-34—67 33-34—67 33-35—68 33-35—68 32-36—68 32-36—68 33-35—68 35-33—68 33-35—68 34-34—68 35-33—68 34-34—68 33-35—68 34-34—68 32-36—68 34-34—68 34-34—68

-9 -7 -7 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2

Toronto 5, Washington 2 Baltimore 10, Detroit 9, 12 innings Tampa Bay 3, Texas 0 Kansas City 4, Minnesota 0 Cleveland 6, Cincinnati 1 Chicago White Sox 6, N.Y. Yankees 5, 12 innings Houston 7, L.A. Angels 4 L.A. Dodgers 4, Seattle 2 Boston 4, Athletics 2, 10 innings

Thursday’s games

Tampa Bay 3, Texas 2 Minnesota 4, Kansas City 3 Chicago White Sox 2, N.Y. Yankees 1, 11 innings Boston at Athletics, n Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, n

Friday’s games

N.Y. Yankees (Warren 7-5) at Chicago Cubs (Imanaga 7-8), 1:20 p.m.

Philadelphia (TBD) at Baltimore (Young 8-2), 6:05 p.m.

St. Louis (Leahy 7-4) at Toronto (Cease 7-5), 6:07 p.m.

Arizona (Bratt 0-1) at Cleveland (Bibee 4-10), 6:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Fedde 5-6) at Tampa Bay (Martinez 10-2), 6:10 p.m.

Texas (Eovaldi 10-8) at Houston (Brown 2-1), 7:15 p.m.

Kansas City (Wacha 5-7) at Colorado (Sugano 10-4), 7:40 p.m.

Milwaukee (Drohan 5-4) at L.A. Angels (Johnson 2-5), 8:38 p.m.

Detroit (Mize 4-6) at Athletics (Springs 3-10), 8:40 p.m.

Boston (Suarez 4-3) at L.A. Dodgers (Yamamoto 11-6), 9:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Matthews 4-8) at Seattle (Miller 4-5), 9:10 p.m.

$39.95 LSU.PICTORIALBOOK.COM

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 64 57 55 55 46

L 45 52 54 55 63

Pct .587 .523 .505 .500 .422

GB — 7 9 9½ 18

Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati

W 67 62 55 54 51

L 41 47 55 55 57

Pct .620 .569 .500 .495 .472

GB — 5½ 13 13½ 16

Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

W 68 57 55 46 42

L 40 52 53 62 67

Pct .630 .523 .509 .426 .385

GB — 11½ 13 22 26½

Central Division

West Division

Wednesday’s games

Miami 8, Philadelphia 6 Arizona 3, Pittsburgh 0 N.Y. Mets 3, Atlanta 2, 1st game Toronto 5, Washington 2 San Diego 3, Colorado 1 San Francisco 16, Milwaukee 3 Atlanta 1, N.Y. Mets 0, 2nd game Cleveland 6, Cincinnati 1 St. Louis 3, Chicago Cubs 2, 10 innings L.A. Dodgers 4, Seattle 2

Thursday’s games

Chicago Cubs 4, St. Louis 2, 10 innings N.Y. Mets 4, Miami 2 Atlanta 5, Washington 4 San Francisco at San Diego, n Cincinnati 3, Pittsburgh 2 Seattle at L.A. Dodgers, n

Friday’s games

N.Y. Yankees (Warren 7-5) at Chicago Cubs (Imanaga 7-8), 1:20 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Skenes 9-9) at Cincinnati (Greene 2-2), 5:10 p.m.

Philadelphia (TBD) at Baltimore (Young 8-2), 6:05 p.m.

St. Louis (Leahy 7-4) at Toronto (Cease 7-5), 6:07 p.m.

Arizona (Bratt 0-1) at Cleveland (Bibee 4-10), 6:10 p.m.

Miami (Junk 4-6) at N.Y. Mets (Peralta 5-9), 6:10 p.m.

Washington (Griffin 12-2) at Atlanta (Elder 6-6), 6:15 p.m.

Kansas City (Wacha 5-7) at Colorado (Sugano 10-4), 7:40 p.m.

Milwaukee (Drohan 5-4) at L.A. Angels (Johnson 2-5), 8:38 p.m.

San Francisco (Whisenhunt 2-1) at San Diego (TBD), 8:45 p.m.

Boston (Suarez 4-3) at L.A. Dodgers (Yamamoto 11-6), 9:10 p.m.

BOX SCORES Tampa Bay 3, Texas 2

Minnesota 4, Kansas City 3

Texas

Kansas City ab Jensen dh 3 Rave cf 3 Thom. ph-cf 1 Cagliano. 1b 4 Perez c 4 Massey 2b 4 Loftin rf 4 Collins lf 3 J.Rojas 3b 3 Tolbert ss 4

Tampa Bay ab r h bi ab r h bi Langford lf 4 0 1 1 Y.Díaz dh 4 0 2 1 Duran 3b-ss 3 1 0 0 Aranda 1b 4 0 1 0 Nimmo dh 2 0 0 0 Caminero 3b 3 0 0 0 Burger 1b 4 0 0 0 Mullins cf 4 1 1 1 Foscue 2b 1 0 0 0 DeLuca lf 4 1 2 1 Pederson ph 1 0 0 1 Mesa rf 4 0 1 0 Smith pr-3b 1 0 0 0 Williams. 2b 3 0 1 0 Cauley cf 4 0 0 0 Walls ss 2 0 0 0 Lopez ss-2b 3 0 0 0 Feduccia c 3 1 1 0 Wynns c 3 0 0 0 Carter ph 1 0 0 0 Osuna rf 3 1 1 0 Totals 30 2 2 2 Totals 31 3 9 3 Texas 000 110 000 — 2 Tampa Bay 001 001 01x — 3 E—Walls (6). DP—Texas 2, Tampa Bay 0.

LOB—Texas 9, Tampa Bay 6. 2B—Langford (13), Feduccia (7). HR—DeLuca (7), Mullins (13). SB—Nimmo (5), Osuna (5), DeLuca (11).

IP H R ER BB SO Texas Winn 1 1 0 0 0 0 Gonzales 3 5 1 1 2 1 Gray BS,0-2 2 1 1 1 0 2 Ahlstrom 11⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 2 Peoples L,0-1 ⁄3 2 1 1 0 1 Tampa Bay McClanahan 3 0 1 1 2 3 2 Legumina ⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 2 Booser ⁄3 1 1 1 0 1 2 Kimbrel ⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 Matz 2 0 0 0 1 3 Cleavinger W,3-3 1 0 0 0 1 2 Baker S,30-33 1 0 0 0 2 2 McClanahan pitched to 2 batters in the 4th.

HBP—McClanahan (Duran).

ABS Challenge—Aranda (Strike-Confirmed); Langford (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Lopez (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Baker (Ball-Overturned to Strike).

Pitch timer violations—Gonzales (pitcher).

Umpires—Home, Stu Scheuwater; First, Junior Valentine; Second, Rob Drake; Third, Jordan Baker.

T—2:49. A—15,322 (25,025).

Totals

Minnesota r h bi ab 1 0 0 Martin lf 2 1 2 0 Caratini ph 1 0 0 0 Jeffers c 3 1 2 2 Lewis 2b 4 0 0 0 Bell dh 3 0 0 0 Roden pr 0 0 0 0 Clemens rf 4 0 2 0 Keaschall cf 3 0 0 0 Lee 3b 2 0 2 0 Jackson 1b 3 Kreidler ss 2 Larnach ph 1

33 3 8 2 Totals

r 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

h bi 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

28 4 3 4

Kansas City 002 010 000 — 3 Minnesota 000 000 004 — 4 E—Clemens (3). DP—Kansas City 0, Minnesota 1. LOB—Kansas City 7, Minnesota 2. 2B—Rave 2 (4). HR—Caglianone (17), Clemens (19). SB—Rave (1), Tolbert (14).

S—J.Rojas (1).

IP H R ER BB SO

Kansas City

Cameron 8 2 ⁄3 Erceg H,4 Strahm L,3-4 BS,0-4 0

Minnesota

1 1 1

0 3 1

0 3 1

2 1 0

7 1 0

Ober 6 4 3 2 2 3 Rogers 1 1 0 0 1 1 Morris 1 1 0 0 0 0 Gómez W,2-0 1 2 0 0 0 1 Strahm pitched to 1 batter in the 9th.

HBP—Erceg (Jeffers). WP—Cameron.

ABS Challenge—Lewis (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Collins (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Rojas (Strike-Confirmed); Clemens (StrikeConfirmed); Rogers (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Erceg (Ball-Confirmed).

Umpires—Home, Nick Mahrley; First, Derek Thomas; Second, Marvin Hudson; Third, Tripp Gibson.

T—2:23. A—22,944 (38,544).

THIS DATE IN BASEBALL July 31 1930 — Lou Gehrig drove in eight runs with a grand slam and two doubles, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Boston Red Sox 14-13.

1932 — Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium opened and Lefty Grove and the Philadelphia A’s beat the Indians 1-0 before 76,979 fans.

1934 — The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 in 18 innings at Cincinnati as Dizzy Dean and Tony Freitas both went the distance.

1954 — Joe Adcock hit four home runs and a double to lead the Milwaukee Braves to a 15-7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Adcock’s 18 total bases set a major league record at the time. Adcock homered in the second inning off Don Newcombe, doubled in the third and homered

in the fifth off Erv Palica. He connected off Pete Wojey in the seventh and off Johnny Podres in the ninth. Adcock saw only seven pitches and his double off the left-center field fence just missed going out by inches.

1961 — The All-Star Game ended in a 1-1 tie at Fenway Park because of heavy rain.

1981 — The second baseball strike ended after 42 days.

1990 — Nolan Ryan, 43, won his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.

2002 — Mike Mussina became the second pitcher in major league history to give up six doubles in one inning, during the New York Yankees’ 17-6 loss to Texas.

Hall of Famer Lefty Grove allowed that many with Boston in 1934 against Washington.

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6C ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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For Steelers’ Jones, being healthy is enough Pittsburgh tackle trying to stay patient as he recovers from 2025 neck injury

BY WILL GRAVES AP sportswriter

LATROBE, Pa. — At the time, Broderick Jones thought it was no big deal.

Walking off the field in Chicago in November after taking an awkward hit from Bears defensive end Dominique Robinson — whose chest smacked into the top of Jones’ helmet after trying and failing to knock down a pass — the Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle figured he had a stinger, an injury that’s typically painful in the moment before fading quickly.

When the Steelers returned home following a narrow 31-28 loss, Jones even told head athletic trainer Gabe Amponsah he’d never felt better the day after a game.

“He was like, ‘I don’t know how, because you’re done,’ “ Jones said.

A sequence Jones initially thought was innocuous — a “football play” as he described it — ended with the former first-round pick being placed on injured reserve and requiring season-ending fusion surgery and a lengthy rehab that put his long-term status in Pittsburgh in doubt.

The Steelers declined to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option, and by selecting Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick in the draft, they sent out an unsubtle hint they were laying the groundwork to move on from the player they once viewed as a major foundational piece.

Jones understands the move wasn’t personal. He found himself in Iheanachor’s spot when he entered the league in 2023, where he supplanted Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle before taking over for Dan Moore at left tackle in 2025.

“It wasn’t really a shock for me because I was hurt,” Jones said.

“You never know what the future holds. So it’s a business decision on their part. I just got to continue what I can do for the team and then just try and go from there.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GENE J. PUSKAR

Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Broderick Jones takes a break during Wednesday’s training camp practice in Latrobe, Pa. “I’m still working through it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m where I want to be at, you know, just trying to get back in shape and putting the weight back on in the right places.”

He hasn’t lacked for support. He occasionally met with Steelers defensive back Asante Samuel, who underwent a similar surgery in April 2025. Friend and longtime teammate Darnell Washington, who played alongside Jones during their college days at Georgia before both headed to Pittsburgh following the 2023 draft, isn’t worried about Jones finding his way.

It’s funny how things turn out.

The days after the draft, Jones was the sure thing and Washington was

Where Jones went during the second day of training camp on Thursday was a place he hadn’t been in quite a while. While Iheanachor, Dylan Cook and Troy Fautanu worked in a tackle rotation protecting Aaron Rodgers, Jones was with the backups as he tries to recover the strength lost during months of inactivity.

The 6-foot-5 Jones is at around 300 pounds, about 10-15 pounds under where he’d like to be. While he’s been cleared for full contact and described the results of recent MRI tests as “great,” the road back to being close to where he was will be a long one. Whether he gets there while still in Pittsburgh is anyone’s guess.

Panthers rookie WR Brazzell to have season-ending surgery

BY STEVE REED

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

standing a little more upright on the play where he got hurt instead of shooting forward and leaning, things might have gone differently. The darkest moment of his career may also turn out to be a teachable moment, too, in more ways than one.

Asked if he believes he can be a starter again, perhaps even this year, Jones didn’t hesitate when he replied “yes.” Just not this week.

Or next week either.

“I’m not trying to rush trying to get back into the starting lineup because, you know, there’s things and plans in place for that,” he said.

“So I’m just trying to stay the course.”

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers wide receiver Chris Brazzell’s rookie season is over before it ever had a chance to begin.

The Panthers announced Thursday that the thirdround pick from Tennessee will undergo season-ending surgery on the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) of his left knee and be placed on injured reserve.

Brazzell was carted off the field Wednesday after he was injured during seven-on-seven drills and was expected to miss up to eight weeks following the original diagnosis.

However, after receiving a second medical opinion Brazzell has decided to undergo

the long-term project. Washington is now a fixture in Pittsburgh after signing a new deal in the spring while Jones’ status remains uncertain at best.

“He knows whatever path he goes down, he knows if he’s here, if he’s somewhere else, he knows that at the end of the day, me and him is brothers, through whatever happens,” Washington said.

Jones isn’t ready to move on just yet. He is doing his best to be patient, in part because he doesn’t have much choice. He views his injury as a “wrong place, wrong time scenario” and nothing more.

It’s football. Things happen.

If anything, he learned his technique could use some work. If he’s

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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Chris Brazzell works out during training camp July 23 in Charlotte, N.C. season-ending surgery.

He had been impressive early in a training camp and looked poised to battle with 2024 first-round draft pick Xavier Legette for the team’s No. 3 wide receiver spot behind starters Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.

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Brazzell ran a 4.37-second, 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and was expected to add a deep threat to the offense. He had 62 catches for 1,017 yards — an average of 16.4 yards per reception — and nine TDs last season for the Volunteers.

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A PEARL OF AN EVENT

The LSU Museum of Art hosts a Back to School Bash from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday. Kids can make a backpack keychain and hear a special story at 2 p.m. For a list of other attractions with no-admission events for Free First Sunday, see “Around Baton Rouge” on Page 3D. lsumoa.org.

Celebrate one of Louisiana’s most iconic coastal treasures at Capitol Park Museum’s Discovery Day: World Oyster Day! from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Saturday. Includes discounted museum admission, open galleries and educational craft. $5; children 6 and younger, free. louisianastatemuseum.org.

SECRET STORIES

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s annual Genealogy Department Summer Symposium, “Be It Remembered: Stories from the Courthouse Basement,” will explore how vital records shaped race, identity and family history in Louisiana.

It runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Saturday at the Main Library at Goodwood. Free. ebrpl.com.

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

SAVE THE DATE

|

F r i d ay, J u ly 31, 2026

1dN

Did today’s female pop stars learn from Britney Spears’ oopsies? How current artists came to own their careers.

2026 Greater Baton Rouge State Fair set to make return Staff report The annual Greater Baton Rouge State Fair will return Oct. 22-Nov. 1 for 11 days of family fun and entertainment at Airline Highway Park and Fairgrounds, 16072 Airline Highway, St. George.

The Greater Baton Rouge State Fair got its start in 1965 and is the region’s only large-scale, multiday community event that generates benefits for local charities, with almost $5 million going back to the community since 1987.

Olivia Rodrigo performs during a concert at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on March 2, 2024. | STAFF FILE PHOTO

FILE PHOTO

The Greater Baton Rouge State Fair is a fall staple in the Baton Rouge area.

Highlights for the 2026 state fair include: n World-class stuntwoman and “human cannonball” Tina Miser returning to the fair for daily shows n The Lego Competition for children ages 7-13 n Livestock shows n Petting zoo n Racing pigs n Popular attractions Washboard Willy, magician Tim Spinosa, clowns and character artist entertainment n A food court with local and traditional fair food options n The largest midway in south Louisiana, with rides and attractions for all ages.

Ticket prices will be announced soon.

By SCOTT THRELKELD

R

BY JON BREAM | The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS) MINNEAPOLIS

ora Wilde got hooked on Hilary Duff in the ’00s by watching Disney Channel’s “Lizzie McGuire.” She couldn’t wait to go to the grocery store to find a magazine that featured the show’s star. Then, in 2005, the 11-year-old fan realized a dream — Hilary Duff in concert!

When Duff became pop’s unlikeliest comeback story of 2026, Wilde got to see her again live. She’s still an avid Duffender, staying up to date on the star via social media.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Louisiana natve Britney Spears performs at the New Orleans Arena (now the Smoothie King Center) on July 16, 2011, on her ‘Femme Fatale Tour.’

ä See STARDOM, page 2D

BATON ROUGE IRISH FILM FESTIVAL Maybe as you walked out of the first Ice Water round, it hit you.

Maybe it was a door that opened — or one that didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t until the next year when you were on the other side of the process. It could have been a moment standing in a hallway, waiting, that you can still describe in detail years later.

We’re inviting readers who went through sorority recruitment — recently or decades ago — to tell us about it: What’s the specific moment from Rush week you still think about? And what did Rush teach you that you didn’t expect? Send your response to jan.risher@theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. Aug. 10.

Event packs features, shorts into one-day celebration In the Irish comedy-drama ‘Horseshoe,’ four estranged siblings must reunite to settle their late father’s will. Things get even more complicated when he shows up.

PROVIDED PHOTO By JARO WALDECK

Staff report The 16th Annual Baton Rouge Irish Film Festival at the Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St., will pack a lot into one day on Saturday — including three feature films, four shorts and a reception.

The festival is presented by the Baton Rouge Irish Club, Inc. as part of the nonprofit’s mission to “promote Irish culture, music, dance and history.”

Day passes are $82.35 and single film screenings are $21.58

(both including tax and fees).

The day pass gives festivalgoers access to all films as well as exclusive access to the reception and entertainment. Call (225) 344-0334 for discounts.

The 5 p.m. reception, also for festival sponsors, will include food, live music and a cash bar.

The day’s schedule, along with film synopses, is as follows: 10 a.m.to noon: Veteran Appreciation feature film and reception

ä See FILM FEST, page 2D

2D ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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SHOWS TO WATCH — BATON ROUGE AREA FRIDAY

DON POURCIAU & KONSPIRACY: Pedros, 6 p.m.

CHRIS LEBLANC: Icehouse Tap Room, 6 p.m.

MATT HOLT: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

TONY TERRY: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

3 BLIND MICE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

THE LONGNECK SOCIETY: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

ZEPHYRS: Court to Table, 6:30 p.m.

3:05 EXPRESS: Cabo’s Mexican, Plaquemine, 6:30 p.m.

STACY ALLEN: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

BRYCE BROUSSARD: Copa, Gonzales, 7 p.m.

THE RICOCHETS: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

AC & THE PROMISED: Charlie’s Lounge, Addis, 8 p.m.

TAYLOR RAE DUO: Jack’s Place, Port Allen, 9 p.m.

PAT & THE PISTOLS: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

MCFLY: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

THE HOT TOPICS: Icehouse Tap Room, 9 p.m.

ZACH DAY: Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, St. Amant, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

STUDIO4: Central City Steak & Seafood, 5:30 p.m.

2 DOMESTIC 1 IMPORT: BLDG 5, 6 p.m.

THE COOL BEANS: Victoria’s Mexican, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

REGENERATION: Papi’s Fajita Factory, Watson, 6 p.m.

STACI T & ROY B: Pedros, 6 p.m.

ALTREGO: Court to Table, 6:30 p.m.

ALLISON COLLINS TRIO: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYS W/ HENRY TURNER: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

CHASE TYLER BAND/DEREK SHIPLEY — A SALUTE TO JAMES GILMORE: The Texas Club, 9 p.m.

SPANK THE MONKEY: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

SAVANT: The Basin Music Hall, 9 p.m.

RUN FOR COVER: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

CHRIS LEBLANC: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill-MidCity, 11 a.m.

MICHAEL BINGHAM: Red Stick Social, noon SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Cafe, 5 p.m.

LUCY YOES: Pizza Byronz, 5 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY

TREY MORGAN: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY

MICAH LIPSMEYER DUO: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

FILM FEST

Continued from page 1D (light refreshments), free to veterans and day-pass holders. Capacity is limited; reserve a ticket at manshiptheatre.org.

12:30 p.m.: feature film, “Horseshoe” (2025), a comedy-drama directed

by Edwin Mullane and Adam O’Keeffe, written by O’Keeffe, and starring Carolyn Bracken, John Connors and Lalor Roddy. All families are mad. Four estranged siblings must reunite to settle their late father’s will.

Things get even more complicated when he shows up.

2 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Wee Irish Shorts “Retirement Plan” (2024), animation/comedy.

In the throes of his overstimulated, energy-poor midlife, Ray fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”

“Mary Is Missing” (2025), drama directed by Aisling Byrne, written by Aisling Byrne and Caitríona.

When care worker Mary vanishes without a trace, Detective Foley arrives at the Yellow Tree Day Service, and investigations begin. As reports from the eyewitnesses become more and more confounding, we are asked to explore the reliability of truth, the strangeness of fiction and the people we choose to believe.

“Ciorcal Kitty” (2026),

PROVIDED PHOTO

Chase Tyler, above, and Derek Shipley join a lineup of Baton Rouge-area musicians for ‘Made in Tiger Country: A Salute to James Gilmore’ at 9 p.m. Saturday at The Texas Club. Gilmore, who died in 2021, was a longtime radio personality in the city.

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

CHRIS LEBLANC: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

BRENT ARMSTRONG: Danny’s Dive Bar & Grill, 6 p.m.

LSU JAZZ JAM: Classic Vinyls, 6 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

MIKE HOGAN: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC W/ HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7 p.m.

ANDY PIZZO TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

ERIC SCHMITT: La Divina Italian Cafe, 6 p.m.

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: Superior Grill-MidCity, 6 p.m.

KYBALION: El Paso, 6 p.m.

JOSIE OLIVA: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

RHETT ANTHONY: Patio Lounge, 7 p.m.

FOREVER SIMON & GARFUNKEL: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s, 9 p.m.

OUTLYING FRIDAY

BARRY HEBERT: Bayou Sara Brewing, St. Francisville, 6:30 p.m.

WILL WESLEY: Ragon’s Bar, Greensburg, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY

WILL WESLEY: Reno’s on the River, Maurepas, 1 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper.

dark comedy.

A bored young woman, stuck in an awful job and living back at home with her parents, sharing a bedroom with her younger sister, gets caught up in some unhealthy obsessions including an addiction to attending the Irish Conversation Circles (Ciorcals), and her life is changed forever.

“James & Dolores” (2025), comedy.

The touching film is about loneliness, friendship and the unexpected moments that change us. When James meets Dolores on a bench outside his local shop, a chance encounter becomes a conversation neither of them will forget. Through laughter, honesty and shared memories, James begins to rediscover the courage to embrace life once more. A gentle and deeply moving story about human connection and the people who find us when we need them most.

5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Reception (only available to sponsors and all-day pass holders) 7 p.m.: Feature film, “Once Upon a Time in Cinema” (2026), drama directed and written by David Gleeson, and starring Colin Morgan, Calam Lynch and Clara Crichton.

A beleaguered cinema owner’s worst Friday night becomes his crowning moment of glory when a packed show descends into chaos and unites the community.

Told in real-time during the movie playing (‘Breathless’ starring Richard Gere).

Get up and get active!

I can’t promise that exerDear Heloise: After I retired last year, I went into a sort cise will bring you a spouse, of slump with a mild debut it can definitely lift your pression. It wasn’t anything mood. It certainly lifted mine! — Elaine L., in serious, but I started Mesa,Arizona to gain weight, sleep too much, and watch Stubborn linoleum too much TV. When I went to see my Dear Heloise: Last doctor for an annight, my son was helping me remove nual checkup, I menHints from the old, ugly linotioned to her that Heloise leum in my kitchen.

I was tired all the time and didn’t seem It’s been there interested in anything. for about 30 years! AnyShe told me to get to the way, there were several gym and start exercising. spots that we had trouble If nothing else, I was to go with where the linoleum for a long walk, especially wouldn’t lift off. How can when it was sunny outside. we get the linoleum up in Believe it or not, I started these stubborn areas? — June to feel better. I joined a Y., in Camden, New Jersey gym and made myself go June, apply ice to these three times a week. I set stubborn areas, but be sure the alarm for 6:30 a.m., got to cover them completely. up, and went for a walk on After about 30-40 minutes, days that I didn’t go to the check to see if the adhesive gym. I lost 20 pounds, toned that is holding the linoleum my body, and met the man is brittle enough to scrape whom I would later marry. off. If it is, then use a thin

blade (like you might find on a putty knife) and scrape it off. This will require some elbow grease. — Heloise

Do something you love Dear Heloise: I retired and found that I didn’t like it. I enjoy working, and the extra income is nice. I took up painting, which I love and now make a living from. I encourage retired people to do something that they enjoy, rather than doing nothing.

A friend of mine does plumbing for people who can’t afford to hire a plumber. Word-of-mouth and low fees have kept him very busy. Another friend refinishes antiques and sells them at a flea market. He loves restoring items that would have otherwise gone into the trash.

If you’re retired, keep yourself moving and find something that you love to do to occupy your

time. — Sam, in Colorado

Leftover pie crust Dear Heloise: I always have way too much pie crust, and I hate throwing it away.

What can I do to use up all the dough? — P.F., in Woodbury, Minnesota P.F., I’ve often made pies and had leftover pie crust dough, so I usually roll it out and brush it lightly with a little melted butter. Then I sprinkle it with some brown sugar, cinnamon, and maybe some finely crushed almonds (optional). After this, I roll it into a long tube shape and slice into 1-inch-thick rolls.

I place these circular chunks on a cookie sheet and bake them for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

You can bake them with the pie or after the pie’s done baking. — Heloise Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

STARDOM

Continued from page 1D The landscape for women pop singers has changed dramatically in 20 years.

Social media matters more than mainstream media.

Streaming for free trumps CD sales.

Female pop artists not only get more respect, but they have more control over their careers and interact directly with fans who have seemingly insatiable appetites for new content.

U.K. singer Olivia Dean created a buzz with TikTok in her home country and now has 52 million followers on Spotify to go along with a Grammy for best new artist and a sold-out U.S. tour. “[Back then] our insight was very curated, very approved,” said Wilde, 32, a Los Angeles music writer and singer. “Now we’re all in their business. Nothing is private anymore. If we don’t know a lot about [a female pop star], she’s irrelevant.”

Here’s at look at how female pop stars have taken control of their careers over the past two decades.

Artistic control Then: Record labels ran the show. That usually meant men making decisions about songs, producers, image, videos and marketing. Pretty much everything. Remember the jailbait imagery of Louisiana native Britney Spears? The gimmick of Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana? Pussycat Dolls performing in shopping malls?

Now: There’s been a decentralization of power in the record industry, said Evelyn McDonnell, Loyola Marymount University professor and editor of the two books on women in popular music.

“I think that has given all artists more control over their careers,” she said.

“They have a more direct line to their fans because of streaming services and social media. If the record label doesn’t like a tune, [artists] just put it on the internet and see what fans think.”

McDonnell, who has studied music and gender, thinks today’s pop singers have learned from the pitfalls of Spears and the independent flex of Taylor Swift.

The current generation “have really strong feminist beliefs even though they don’t use that word,” she said. “There’s an awareness of the need for autonomy in artistry and ability to achieve it at a very successful level.”

From Swift to Olivia Rodrigo, today’s pop stars write their own songs, decide on their image and craft content for social media.

To paraphrase a Beyoncé song: “Women run the world.”

Media Then: Commercial radio, print media and TV, including MTV, were critical gatekeepers. An artist’s goals were to get a top 10 song, land a high-profile newspaper write-up and secure

GETTy IMAGES/TNS PHOTO By MANNy CARABEL

Hilary Duff performs during Audacy’s 6th annual Leading Ladies at Hard Rock Hotel New york on March 10. high rotation on MTV. New female pop stars might get featured in Tiger Beat and maybe People magazine if their career took off.

Now: Artists control messaging via their own social media accounts. They share what they want to share and that seems to be not only music but beauty tips and images of their pets and family.

Fans are more likely to discover new artists on YouTube, TikTok and streaming services than on commercial radio. That means both artists and music lovers have more options.

“Artists are finding a lot bigger audiences at younger ages than their predecessors did, for sure, I think because of social media,” said Melissa Ruggieri, national music writer for USA Today.

Some industry experts question if the new world order is for the better.

“With social media, there is no filter,” said semiretired publicist Liz Rosenberg, who tried to smooth over many a controversy in more than 30 years working with Madonna.

Rosenberg, who still represents Cher, also thinks some stars post too much.”

Many of today’s female pop stars disagree. Selena Gomez has 404 million Instagram followers, Ariana Grande has 360 million and Duff, an old-schooler making headway in the new ecosystem, counts 28 million.

All post regularly.

At least one young pop star understands the potential overkill of social media.

Olivia Dean, 27, removed her social media apps after she won the best new artist Grammy and the BRIT Awards for best album and artist in February.

“Even though the love has been overwhelming, even that is not healthy sometimes,” Dean told Elle magazine. “I don’t think you’re supposed to know everyone’s opinion about you. And I’ve decided I want to live in sweet ignorance.”

there a big-reveal interview.

Now: “It is so much harder to stand out and fans expect everything,” said critic Ruggieri, who has been on the pop beat for more than 25 years. “Look at the Taylor [Swift] wedding. ‘Where are the photos?’ ‘Why the secrecy?’ They [fans] feel they are owed a backstage pass to everything because the artists have trained them that way.”

Moreover, fans have the power to post. It gives them a certain amount of clout that they’ve never had before.

Wilde credits a 2021 fangenerated meme for reigniting interest in Duff. It was a recycled clip of her 2007 performance of “With Love” from “The Today Show” with distinctive if uninspired dancing.

“All of sudden that song comes back [via TikTok] and everyone knows the dance,” Wilde said. “Hilary embraced it. Now in her show today when she plays that song, she invites fans to do the dance onstage with her.”

“Never underestimate the power of teenage girl love,” McDonnell, the professor, said. “They’ll stick with you forever if you show your loyalty to them.”

Concerts

Then: Unless an artist was launched from a TV show like Duff or Cyrus, she was expected to work her way up the ladder — from coffeehouses to clubs to maybe opening act to theaters and hopefully arenas.

It was called paying dues and learning your craft like Swift did moving from Nashville showcase clubs to opening slots on tours with Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.

Now: It’s practically instant stardom.

“You’re seeing so many of these young acts — and both Olivias are examples of this — of being popular online whether it was Tik Tok or YouTube and they’re skipping all the steps. They’re going from that [viral sucFan relationship cess] to playing arenas or Then: There were careful- stadiums,” Ruggieri said.

“I’m wondering if these ly orchestrated campaigns, whether via fan clubs or young people are not learnsound-bite driven inter- ing how to be as good a perviews on radio, MTV or net- former because they’re not work television. Rarely was going through the ladder.

Maybe that’s not a great thing for career longevity.

All you know is being adored your whole life.”

Dean has become an arena headliner on the strength of one hit song, “Man I Need,” though she did open for Sabrina Carpenter’s tour last year. Despite the demand, Rodrigo was afraid to launch her career in arenas after her 2021 instant blockbuster debut album “Sour,” so she opted for midsize venues before graduating to arenas.

Concerts can separate the true talents from the manufactured and manicured ones.

Wilde, who is a fan of current pop stars Tate McRae, Grande and Carpenter, was verklempt over old-fave Duff’s energetic concert this year.

“I was instantly covered in girlypop goosebumps,” Wilde wrote in her review in Hit Parader, a music magazine.

Respect Then: Pop stardom was mostly ephemeral. In the ‘00s, there were lots of female one-hit wonders like Blu Cantrell, Vanessa Carlton, Dream and Samantha Mumba. Music experts didn’t take them seriously.

It became a game of who’s the next instant success story by the star-making machinery. Some ’00s stars like Pink and Duff have lasted.

Now: Women pop stars are commanding more respect.

Maybe the tide changed when Swift bought back her masters from her original record label in 2025 and rerecorded her songs, Rosenberg suggested.

McDonnell feels you have to respect successful artists who have mastered the game. She said it’s easier to respect Swift and Rodrigo than Spears because “they’re coming out based on their talents without being encouraged to appear sexualized.”

Ti m e s h a v e s i m p l y changed, insists old-schooler Rosenberg.

“In my heyday, female artists had a lot more to prove than a male artist to be believed to be considered authentic,” she said. “I don’t think that’s the case now.

They’re being taken more seriously and there’s a lot more of them.”

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ 3D

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AROUND BATON ROUGE FRIDAY

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY: Noon6 p.m., Companion Animal Alliance, 2550 Gourrier Ave. Food and refreshments from Louisiana Lemonade and Caribbean Express BR. Visit with adoptable dogs and learn more about CAA’s lifesaving programs and services. caabr.org.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

EVENING SKY VIEWING: 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., BREC Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road.

See the majesty of the night sky, for those 6 and up. hrpo. lsu.edu/events.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

“THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL”: 7:30 p.m. FridaySaturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sullivan Theater, 8849 Sullivan Road, Central. $28-$39. sullivantheater.com/tickets.

SATURDAY

STRONG & CALM WARRIOR YOGA: 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., USS KIDD Veterans Museum, 305 S. River Road. usskidd.com.

BATON ROUGE ARTS MARKET: 8 a.m. to noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Vendors sell pottery, woodwork, textiles, glass, paintings, sculptures, photographs, handmade soaps, handmade toys and jewelry. artsbr.org.

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m. to noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farmfresh produce and goods, including wine, seafood, plants, flowers, prepared and baked items and more. breada.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLY GIVEAWAY: 10 a.m. until all supplies handed out, Zachary High School gymnasium, 4100 Bronco Lane. Presented by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Zachary Committee. For elementary, high school and college students; local vendors also on site.

SATURDAY NIGHT BALLROOM TROPICAL NIGHTS DANCE: 7 p.m.-10 p.m., American Legion, 151 S. Wooddale Blvd.

A mix of recorded music for ballroom, Latin and swing dancing. $15 (dancers and spectators); cash bar.

SUNDAY

FREE FIRST SUNDAY: Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road; Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd.; Old Governors’ Mansion, 502 North Blvd.; Magnolia Mound Museum + Historic Site, 2161 Nicholson Drive; LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St.; Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St.; and LSU Center for River Studies, 100 Terrace Ave. Free admission to all exhibits and installations, plus reduced-price entry to LASM’s Irene Pennington Planetarium shows.

LITTLE MAPMAKERS: Noon4 p.m., Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd. View temporary exhibits “Excursions, Expeditions and Discoveries: A Young Nation Expands” and “Reimagining America: The Maps of Lewis & Clark,” then, learn about the history of maps and try your hand at creating your own handcrafted map. Free.

TUESDAY

BATON ROUGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ENSEMBLE POP-UP CONCERT: noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center Atrium, 6400 Perkins Road. Part of Symphony Week. brso.org.

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

AN EVENING WITH LOUISIANA’S POET LAUREATE, GINA FERRARA: 6 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Ferrara will read selections from her work, discuss her creative process, and share insights into the craft of writing poetry. Q-andA and book signings to follow.

Free. ebrpl.com/events or (225) 231-3750.

BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome.

Free.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m. to noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd.

Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook. com/redstickfarmersmarket.

BATON ROUGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ENSEMBLE POPUP CONCERT: noon, Main Street Market, 501 Main St. Part of Symphony Week. brso. org.

BATON ROUGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ENSEMBLE POPUP CONCERT: 1:15 p.m., River Center Branch Library, 250 North Blvd. Part of Symphony Week. brso.org.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m. to noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

BATON ROUGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ENSEMBLE POP-UP CONCERT: noon, LSU French House-Sternberg Salon, 4023 Highland Road. Part of Symphony Week. brso.org.

OUTDOOR COMMUNITY YOGA: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., pavilion by the pond, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Drop-in; no registration required; bring your own mat.

Free, but donations welcome. lsu.edu/hilltop.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7:30 p.m., Geaux Ride, 601 Laurel St. Free. geauxridebikes.com.

KARAOKE, TRIVIA, BINGO AND MORE: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Brickyard South Bar + Patio, 174 South Blvd. Presented by BarFly Entertainment. Free to play. acebook.com/brickyardsouth.

ONGOING

ANN CONNELLY FINE ART: 1670 Lobdell Ave. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Free. (225) 927-7676 or annconnelly.com.

ART GUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd.

“Workshop Show,” through Sept. 9. “Larry Downs: Unlock Your Inner Artist – Drawing Fundamentals,” 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday. Workshop fee: $100, members; $125, non-members. Classes are held at AGL Park Studio, 2490 Silverest Ave. artguildlouisiana.org.

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive.

“Free as They Want to Be: Artists Committed to Memory,” Saturday-Aug. 23. Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “We the People,” a living portrait of 21st-century American identity through nearly 200 paired photographs by Steven G. Smith shown across two giant screens, together measuring about 12 feet high and 36 feet wide, through Jan. 2, 2027.

(225) 342-5428 or louisiana-

TODAY IN HISTORY statemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “Tell A Vision,” through Aug. 14. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. artsbr.org.

ELIZABETHAN GALLERY: 680 Jefferson Highway. Call (225) 924-6437 or follow the gallery’s Facebook page.

THE GALLERY AT MANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “The Monsters We Sometimes Become,” multimedia art exhibition featuring original works of artist Nathaniel A.J. Landry with an original musical score and live performance

by Monoblack, through Aug. 14. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

KNOCK KNOCK CHILDREN’S MUSEUM: 1900 Dalrymple Drive. Offering interactive exhibits, programs and resources that inspire children to become creative problem solvers and lifelong learners.

Summer hours are 10 a.m.4 p.m. daily, through Monday. https://knockknockmuseum. org.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Permanent Impressions: Women Defining Our Louisiana Collection,” through Sunday; “Spirit of the Swamp: The Photography of Julia Sims,” through Aug. 9; “Crossroads & Connections: A Century of the Railway in Baton Rouge,” through Oct. 1; and “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” through Aug. 9. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “ReVision: Women in Photography,” through Aug. 30. “South Arts Southern Prize & State Fellowships for Visual Arts, through Sept. 6. “The Folk Art Gallery,” through June 30, 2027. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

LSU TEXTILE & COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, Tower Drive, LSU campus.

“Stitches in Time: Quilts & Fashion,” exploring the enduring dialogue between quilt making and dress, through Jan. 15, 2027. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu.

MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM + HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive. Guided and selfguided tours. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday-Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. brec.org/ facility/MagnoliaMound.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours.

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday, plus Free First Sunday. “Excursions, Expeditions, and Discoveries: A Young Nation Expands & Reimagining America: The Maps of Lewis & Clark,” through Dec. 18. Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history. Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com.

WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. Travel exhibit “Awkward Family Photos,” through Aug. 9. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

Compiled by Judy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote? Email details to red@theadvocate.com.

Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following Friday’s paper.

By The Associated Press Today is Friday, July 31, the 212th day of 2026.

There are 153 days left in the year.

Today in history: On July 31, 2012, at the Summer Olympics in London, swimmer Michael Phelps won his 19th Olympic medal, becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time. (He would finish his career with 28 total Olympic medals, 23 of them gold.)

Also on this date: In 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships carrying gold, silver and jewelry sank during a hurricane off the east Florida coast; of some 2,500 crew members, more than 1,000 died.

In 1777, the 19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette received a commission as major general in the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress.

In 1919, Germany’s Weimar Constitution was adopted by the republic’s National Assembly.

In 1945, Pierre Laval, premier of the pro-Nazi Vichy government in France, surrendered to U.S. authorities in Austria; he was turned over to France, which later tried and executed him.

In 1957, the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations designed to detect Soviet bombers approaching North America, went into operation.

In 1964, the U.S. lunar probe Ranger 7 took the first close-up images of the moon’s surface.

In 1971, Apollo 15 crew members David Scott and James Irwin became the first astronauts to use a lunar rover on the surface of the moon.

In 1972, vice presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdrew from the Democratic ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had received

electroshock therapy to treat clinical depression.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) in Moscow.

In 2020, a federal appeals court overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, saying the judge who oversaw the case didn’t adequately screen jurors for potential biases. (The Supreme Court reimposed the sentence in 2022.)

In 2022, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan; Al-Zawahri and the betterknown Osama bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks.

Today’s Birthdays: Jazz composer-musician Kenny Burrell is 95. Actor Geraldine Chaplin is 82. Former movie studio executive

Sherry Lansing is 82.

Singer Gary Lewis is 80.

International Tennis Hall of Famer Evonne Goolagong Cawley is 75. Actor Michael Biehn is 70. Rock singer-musician Daniel Ash (Love and Rockets) is 69.

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is 68. Rock musician Bill Berry (R.E.M.) is 68. Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan is 67. Actor Wesley Snipes is 64. Musician Fatboy Slim is 63. Author J.K. Rowling is 61. Actor Dean Cain is 60.

Actor Jim True-Frost is 60.

Actor Ben Chaplin is 57. Actor Eve Best is 55. Football Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden is 52. Country singermusician Zac Brown is 48.

Actor-producer-writer B.J. Novak is 47. Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware is 44. NHL center Evgeni Malkin is 40. NASCAR driver Kyle Larson is 34. Hiphop artist Lil Uzi Vert is 31.

Actor Rico Rodriguez (TV: “Modern Family”) is 28.

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4D ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

lll

zodIAC LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention, ask questions and be ready to take advantage of situations that introduce you to new people, information and groups that can help you advance your interests.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Stay out of trouble. Acting in haste or making decisions based on emotions will cost you your reputation, position or finances. Spend more time fact-finding and less time believing what you hear from unverified sources.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Distance yourself from unsafe or unsavory situations.

Read the room and take a pass if someone is being pushy or aggressive. Don't hesitate to expand your interests and include experts. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Simplify your life by walking away from situations that amplify stress. Target what your needs are, and turn your attention to satisfy your soul, not someone else's ego or bank account. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don't need, and be cognizant of the risks involved in procedures or investments that have time restrictions or high costs. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pay more attention to how you look and feel.

Take time out to nurture and pamper yourself. A vacation or adventure will give you the boost you need to pursue information.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) An opportunity to share expenses with someone you

enjoy spending time with will help you save for something you need or want and stabilize your living conditions.

Financial gain is apparent.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Monitor the changes you encounter. Don't feel the need to join in or to pay for someone else. Discuss sensitive issues and put your mind at rest regarding what you will and will not do to accommodate others.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Expand your circle of friends or interests, or revisit someone or something that's been missing from your life. Stop fretting over things you can't change and living in the past. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Overreacting will be your downfall. Try to think matters through, and proceed with a wellthought-out budget-friendly plan. Don't mix business with pleasure.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take a lively approach to life and learning. Your enthusiasm will rub off on others, turning your achievements into something special and conducive to forming strong alliances. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Emotional energy will be difficult to direct. When in doubt, take a pass. Your reluctance to let anyone into your inner circle or to share private information is warranted.

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

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: K EQuALs R

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ 5D

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CurTiS

Hi and LoiS

Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

6D ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

lll

B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER George Whitefield, a renowned preacher in England and the American colonies who died in 1770, said, “Press forward.

Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.”

In yesterday’s deal, I mentioned the Rule of Seven, which a declarer in a notrump contract might find useful. If he has one top-trick stopper (typically the ace, but maybe the king if third hand takes the first trick with the ace), he adds together the number of cards in the suit led that are in the dummy and his hand.

He subtracts the total from seven and holds up for that number of rounds.

Does that apply to this deal? South is in three no-trump. West leads his fourth-highest spade and East puts up the queen.

Declarer starts with seven top tricks: one spade, one heart, four diamonds and one club. The other two winners can come from clubs. But if the club finesse is losing, is South in any danger?

In yesterday’s deal, the club finesse was into the East hand. If South had won the first trick with his spade ace, East would have won with his club king and returned a spade through South’s jacknine, giving West four tricks in the suit for down one.

Here, though, the finesse is into the West hand. South has two spade stop-

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

pers if he takes the first trick, crosses to dummy with a diamond, and runs the club 10. Yes, West wins that trick, but he cannot cash out the spades.

If South ducks trick one, though, East can lead his remaining spade, establishing West’s suit while West has the club king as an entry. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD— HAcKLEs: HAK-uls: Temper; anger

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 25 words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 36 or more words in HACKLES? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — onEIRIc once nice nicer noir nori icier icon inro ionic irenic iron

ironic rein rice ricin cero coin coiner coir cone core corn

crone

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “He that trusts in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” Proverbs 11:28

Who and what are you trusting? — G.E. Dean

The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ 7D

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Public Notices

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS SP# 140 Sealed bids will be re‐ ceived by the Procure‐ ment Section of the Divi‐ sion of Administration, 1201 N. 3rd. St., 2nd.

Floor, Suite 2-160, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 10:00 A.M. for the follow‐ ing: RFx No. 3000026472, John‐ son Bayou Cultch Project - WLF, 8/18/26 Bid proposal forms, in‐ formation and specifica‐ tions may be obtained by accessing the bid num‐ ber in LaPac at www.doa. la.gov/doa/osp/ or from the procurement section listed above. No bids will be received after the date and hour specified.

The right is reserved to reject any and all bids and to waive any infor‐ malities.

Amy Vincent Director of State Procurement FAX (225) 342-8688 195820-jul 31-1t $11.77 PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive elec‐ tronic or paper bids for the construction of the following project: GLASGOW AVENUE SIDEWALKS (Hyacinth Avenue – Perkins Road) CITY-PARISH PROJECT No. 24-EN-HC-0026 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Grading, Earthwork, Con‐ crete Sidewalks, Drainage Structures, Sub-Surface Drainage, and associated items of work. There will be no pre-bid conference.

Electronic or sealed bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. Local Time, TUES‐ DAY, AUGUST 18TH, 2026 by the Purchasing Divi‐ sion, Room 826, City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802. No bids will be re‐ ceived after 2:00 p.m. on the same day and date.

Bid Openings can be in person or via teleconfer‐ ence.

Teleconference Call-in In‐ formation Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 Electronic bids and elec‐ tronic bid bonds for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ chasing Division.

Beginning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all elec‐ tronic bids will be down‐ loaded and publicly read aloud along with all paper bids received, if any, in 806 of City Hall immediately after the 2:00 p.m. bid closing.

Bids, amendments to bids, or request for with‐ drawal of quotations, re‐ ceived after time speci‐ fied for bid opening shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

Bids shall be firm for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of the opening of bids and no bid shall be withdrawn for any reason during this period of time ex‐ cept as allowed per R.S. 38:2214.C. Official Bid Documents are available at Central Bidding (www.central bidding.com). Electronic Bids may be submitted at Central Bidding (www. centralbidding.com). For questions related to the electronic bidding process, please call Cen‐ tral Bidding at 225-8104814. Paper copies of the plans, specifications and contract documents are on file and may be ob‐ tained from the Public Works and Planning Cen‐ ter located at 1100 Laurel St., Engineering Division, Room 137 or Post Office Box 1471, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821, upon payment of Ten Dollars ($10.00). (Make checks payable to the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge.)

Fees for plans, specifica‐ tions and contract docu‐ ments are to cover the cost of reproduction and are non-refundable in ac‐ cordance with Louisiana

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Revised Statutes.

A Certified Check or Cashier's Check, payable to the Parish of East Baton Rouge or a satis‐ factory Bid Bond exe‐ cuted by the Bidder and an acceptable surety, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total bid, shall be submitted with each bid.

Bids shall be received electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish East Baton Rouge, and only those bids shall be received by the CityParish which is submit‐ ted by those Contractors in whose names the so‐ licitation bid forms and/or specifications were issued. In no event shall paper solicitation forms be issued later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the hour and date set for receiv‐ ing proposals.

PETS • SUPPLIES • SERVICES • OBITUARIES • LOST & FOUND

PLACE YOUR PET SERVICES INFORMATION IN THE PET SERVICES DIRECTORY TODAY! • IT IS FAST AND EASY! • CALL 225-383-0111

The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts.

For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and has established a mini‐ mum EBE goal of 10% of the contract amount. All Bidders shall achieve this goal or demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve the goal. Good faith efforts include meeting this EBE goal or providing documentation demonstrating that the Bidder made sufficient good faith efforts in at‐ tempting to meet this goal. Only EBE firms cer‐ tified under the Parish SEDBE Certification Pro‐ gram at the time of sub‐ mittal of the bid will count toward this EBE goal. To be considered responsive, the apparent low bidder must submit EBE Forms 1, 1A, and 2, and Letters of EBE Certi‐ fication, as appropriate within 10 days after bid opening All Contractors bidding on this work shall com‐ ply with all provisions of the State Licensing Law for Contractors, R.S. 37:2150-2163, as amended, for all public contracts. It shall also be the responsibility of the General Contractor to as‐ sure that all subcontrac‐ tors comply with this law. If required for bid‐ ding, Contractors must hold an active license is‐ sued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors in the classi‐ HIGHWAY, fication of STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION, and must show their license number on the face of the bid envelope and the Uniform Public Works Bid Form.

In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2214 (B) the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form, shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

For additional informa‐ tion please contact George Chike, P.E. at gchike@brla.gov. or Henoke Abebe, Project Manager at h.abebe@ils iengineering.com.

195024 July 24, 31, Aug. 7, 3t $322.30

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge will receive elec‐ tronic or paper bids for the construction of the following project: FLOYNELL DRIVE SIDEWALK PROJECT CITY-PARISH PROJECT No. 24-EN-HC-0037 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Grading, earthwork, drainage structures, sub‐ surface drainage, drives, sidewalks, ADA ramps, and associated items of work. There will be no pre-bid conference.

Electronic or sealed bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. Local Time, TUES‐ DAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2026 by the Purchasing Divi‐ sion, Room 826, City Hall, 222 Saint Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802. No bids will be re‐ ceived after 2:00 p.m. on the same day and date.

Bid Openings can be in person or via teleconfer‐ ence.

Teleconference Call-in Information Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call

NEWLY UPDATED! 6726 PINE ISLAND AVE. $245,000, Approx. P & I $1,480 Forest Heights S/D Off Mickens Rd, 3BR 2BA, w/Cent/H/A Freshly Painted Int./Ext. New Ceramic FLR thru out, & New Kit Countertop Enclosed Screen Patio, Rear Dbl Carport w/Storage Shed & F'd B.Y. Call Charles for Your Showing 225-266-4078 Roy Carter Realty 225-357-6436

MORKIES, SHORKIES, BISHON YORKIES, CKC YORKIES vet checked shot worming meet Gulfport $450 334 467-3416 AKC Belgian Malinois Pups Beautiful, Easily Trained $2,000.00 601-299-0264 www.psdkennels.com

CATS RAGAMUFFIN & RAGDOLL KITTENS www.CatsByFrancy.com/kittens $1500up! Reg. Shots & Guaranty 337-230-3150

DOGS Precious Maltese Male Puppies, $350 7-wks Call 225-936-2441

Place a Classified ad?

225-388-0111

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

if number above is not available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065

HIGHWAY, fication of STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION, and must show their license number on the face of the bid envelope and the Uniform Public Works Bid Form.

(Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll Denver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065

70710; Physical Address:

In accordance with La. R.S. 38:2214 (B) the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge reserves the right to reject any and all bids for just cause. In accor‐ dance with La. R.S. 38:2212 (A)(1)(b), the pro‐ visions and requirements of this Section, those stated in the advertise‐ ment for bids, and those required on the bid form, shall not be considered as informalities and shall not be waived by any public entity.

At Bid Opening in Pur‐ chasing Division Room 826 City Hall, electronic Bids and Bid Bonds will be downloaded, then all electronic and paper Bids will be publicly read aloud. Bidders and/or their authorized repre‐ sentatives are invited.

Bid results can also be viewed at the link: http://city.brla.gov/dept/ purchase/bidresults.asp

Note: The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state's online electronic bid posting and notifica‐ tion system, in addition to its standard means of advertising this require‐ ment. This Invitation to Bid is available in elec‐ tronic form at the LaPAC website https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/dspBid. cfm?search=departm ent&term=102.

Beginning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all elec‐ tronic bids will be down‐ loaded and publicly read aloud along with all paper bids received, if any, in 806 of City Hall immediately after the 2:00 p.m. bid closing.

Bids, amendments to bids, or request for with‐ drawal of quotations, re‐ ceived after time speci‐ fied for bid opening shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

Bids shall be firm for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of the opening of bids and no bid shall be withdrawn for any reason during this period of time ex‐ cept as allowed per R.S. 38:2214.C. Official Bid Documents are available at Central Bidding (www.central bidding.com). Electronic Bids may be submitted at Central Bidding (www. centralbidding.com). For questions related to the electronic bidding process, please call Cen‐ tral Bidding at 225-8104814. Paper copies of the plans, specifications and contract documents are on file and may be ob‐ tained from the Public Works and Planning Cen‐ ter located at 1100 Laurel St., Engineering Division, Room 137 or Post Office Box 1471, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821, upon payment of Ten Dollars ($10.00). (Make checks payable to the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge.)

Fees for plans, specifica‐ tions and contract docu‐ ments are to cover the cost of reproduction and are non-refundable in ac‐ cordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes.

A Certified Check or Cashier's Check, payable to the Parish of East Baton Rouge or a satis‐ factory Bid Bond exe‐ cuted by the Bidder and an acceptable surety, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total bid, shall be submitted with each bid.

Bids shall be received electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish East Baton Rouge, and only those bids shall be received by the CityParish which is submit‐ ted by those Contractors in whose names the so‐ licitation bid forms and/or specifications were issued. In no event shall paper solicitation forms be issued later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the hour and date set for receiv‐ ing proposals.

The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts.

For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and has established a mini‐ mum EBE goal of 15% of the contract amount. All Bidders shall achieve this goal or demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve the goal. Good faith efforts include meeting this EBE goal or providing documentation demonstrating that the Bidder made sufficient good faith efforts in at‐ tempting to meet this goal. Only EBE firms cer‐ tified under the Parish SEDBE Certification Pro‐ gram at the time of sub‐ mittal of the bid will count toward this EBE goal. To be considered responsive, the apparent low bidder must submit EBE Forms 1, 1A, and 2, and Letters of EBE Certi‐ fication, as appropriate within 10 days after bid opening All Contractors bidding on this work shall com‐ ply with all provisions of the State Licensing Law for Contractors, R.S. 37:2150-2163, as amended, for all public contracts. It shall also be the responsibility of the General Contractor to as‐ sure that all subcontrac‐ tors comply with this law. If required for bid‐ ding, Contractors must hold an active license is‐ sued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors in the classi‐

For additional informa‐ tion please contact George Chike, P.E. at gchike@brla.gov. or William Wall, P.E., Project Manager at Billy.Wall@ waggonereng.com.

195828 July 31, Aug. 7, 14, 2026 3t $321.28

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge (City-Parish) will receive electronic or paper bids for the con‐ struction of the following project: PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX H2 FIRE ALARM REPLACEMENT 9050 AIRLINE HWY., BATON ROUGE, LA 70815 CITY PARISH PROJECT NO. 21-ASC-CP-1664 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Disconnection and re‐ moval of the existing system and design of a new addressable voice evacuation fire alarm system.

Bid Package with Plans and Specifications may be obtained online at www.centralbidding. com.

Electronic Bids may be submitted at Central Bid‐ ding (www.centralbidd ing.com). For questions related to the electronic bidding process, please call Central Bidding at 225-810-4814.

Alternately, paper copies may be obtained through most reprographic ven‐ dors for their printing cost. All Bids shall be made on the Bid Package Forms.

Statutory Forms (Bid Package Part 1-A) shall be submitted to the Pur‐ chasing Division prior to Bid Opening: Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters Attestation of No Past Criminal Convictions Legal Citizen Affidavit Non-Collusion & Non-So‐ licitation Affidavit Bid Forms (Bid Package Part 1) submitted shall be accompanied by a Certified Check or Cashier's Check payable to the Parish of East Baton Rouge, or a satis‐ factory Bid Bond exe‐ cuted by the Bidder and an acceptable surety, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total bid.

Contractors must hold an active license issued by the State of Louisiana Li‐ censing Board for Con‐ tractors in the classifica‐ tion of Electrical, and must show their license number on the face of the bid envelope. All Con‐ tractors bidding on this work shall comply with all provisions of the State Licensing Law for Con‐ tractors, La RS 37:21502163 for all public con‐ tracts. It shall also be the responsibility of the Gen‐ eral Contractor to assure that all subcontractors comply with this law.

Bids will be received on‐ line through www.central bidding.com or on solici‐ tation bid forms fur‐ nished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish East Baton Rouge, in an envelope delivered to the Purchasing Division 8th Floor Room 826 City Hall 222 St Louis St Baton Rouge, LA 70802 until the BID OPENING 2:00 PM Local Time, Tuesday, Au‐ gust 11, 2026 with no ex‐ ceptions. Only those bids shall be received by the City-Parish which is sub‐ mitted by those Contrac‐ tors in whose names the solicitation bid forms and/or specifications were issued. In no event shall paper solicitation forms be issued later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the hour and date set for receiv‐ ing proposals.

Bid Openings can be in person or via teleconfer‐ ence.

Teleconference Call-in Information Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-5358110 United States Toll

ROOMS FOR RENT Furnished Rooms. $125/wk. $500/mo.

225-933-7560

SIGN UP TODAY

Public Notices Bids/Proposals

Electronic bids and elec‐ tronic bid bonds for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ chasing Division.

MOBILE HOME 1, 2 & 3 BR mobile homes, $675 & up 6061 Plank Rd. CALL 225-978-4653

Pets / Pet Services Directory

AREA 2

WANT TO BUY Old Records 33's, 45's & 78's. All types of music. Call 985-259-1889

3017 Chippewa St. 3BR 1BA Rent $800/mo $300/dep 225-357-6436

APARTMENT AREA 5 1BR $600, 2BR $700 Tigerland. $500 Deposit. 225-475-1737

SAVE YOUR $$$ NL'S COMING!!

BIG SALE MID-AUGUST WITH FABULOUS TREASURES THROUGHOUT!

Baton Rouge Real Estate For Sale

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Sophie D. Alvan Hyde, aka Sophie D. Alvan and/or Paul Hyde, Jr., please contact attorney Melanie Newkome Jones at (225)344-2200.

195740-7/31-8/1-2-3t $81.70

APARTMENTS 655 North St Subsidized Efficiency Apartments cpabr.org 225-383-5551 TDD/TTY 711 RELAY

AREA 3

APARTMENT 3060 N. Acadian Thrwy (Wtr/Swr Pd) 5135 & 5137 Fairfield (Duplex Updt) 1BR/1BA, Rent $500, Dep $100 225-357-6436

Garage Sales

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Sara F. Liberta, please contact Creighton B. Abadie, Attorney, at (225) 924-5150.

195651-7/29-30-31-3t $64.90

APARTMENT Silverside Gardens, very nice home, Lg 2-Story apartment w/cent a/c/heat, all electric, w/d hu, ceiling fans. remodeled & very clean. $900/mo & $850/dep 225-939-5229

Bids, amendments to bids, or request for with‐ drawal of quotations, re‐ ceived after time speci‐ fied for bid opening shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

The contract shall be awarded to the lowest responsible and respon‐ sive bidder. In accor‐ dance with Louisiana Revised Statute (La RS) 38:2214 B, the City-Parish reserves the right to reject any and all bids exceeding the preconstruction cost estimate, or for just cause. In accordance with La RS 38:2212 B (1), the provisions and re‐ quirements stated in the Bid Package and this ad‐ vertisement shall not be waived by any entity.

Bids shall be firm for a period of 45 days from the date of the Bid Open‐ ing, except as allowed per La RS 38:2214 C. The City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge has established a Socially and Economi‐ cally Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SEDBE) program in ac‐ cordance with Revised Statute RS 33:2233.4. It is the policy of the Parish to ensure that Eligible Business Enterprises EBE’s, certified in accor‐ dance with the Parish program, have an equal opportunity to receive and participate in parish contracts.

For this project the EBR Parish Purchasing office has directed a review of the scope of work and has established a mini‐ mum EBE goal of 2% of the contract amount. All Bidders shall achieve this goal or demonstrate good faith efforts to achieve the goal. Good faith efforts include meeting this EBE goal or providing documentation demonstrating that the Bidder made sufficient good faith efforts in at‐ tempting to meet this goal. Only EBE firms cer‐ tified under the Parish SEDBE Certification Pro‐ gram at the time of sub‐ mittal of the bid will count toward this EBE goal. To be considered responsive, the apparent low bidder must submit EBE Forms 1, 1A, and 2, and Letters of EBE Certi‐ fication, as appropriate within 10 days after bid opening.

A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, August 4th, at 9050 Air‐ line Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA 70815. All parties in‐ terested in this project are invited to attend this conference.

For additional informa‐ tion regarding the con‐ struction documents, please contact Bid re‐ lated: Purchasing Divi‐ sion (225) 389-3259; Gen‐ eral Documents related: Rob Gray, AIA, LEED BD+C, (225) 389-4694 or rgray@brla.gov or Engi‐ neering and Construction Documents related: Lan‐ don Burns, P.E., TLA, LLC, (225) 293-9474 or lan‐ don@tlaeng.com.

194231 July 17, 24, 31, 2026 3t $300.30 PUBLIC NOTICE --Owner: Town of Addis Post Office Box 237 Addis, LA 70710 Date of Issuance: 7/10/2026 Owen and White, Inc. P.O. Box 66396 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70896-6396 The Town of Addis will receive separate sealed Bids for the Harris Ave Drainage Improvements Project, Contract No. 261947-12. The work con‐ sists of Approximately 900 feet of 18” and 60 ft of 24” remove and re‐ place PVC storm drain.

Includes approximately 17 new catch basins, ma‐ terial and labor of con‐ necting pipes. Find exact estimated quantities in the bid tab.

The Town of Addis will receive Bids until 2:00 PM local time, Wednesday August 12, 2026, at Addis Town Hall, 7818 LA Hwy 1, Addis, LA 70710. Bids re‐ ceived after this time will not be accepted. Bids will be opened and pub‐ licly read aloud immedi‐ ately after the specified closing time. The outside of the Bid envelope shall be marked with the pro‐ ject title, name and ad‐ dress of the Bidder and current Contractor’s li‐ cense number. Bids can also be accepted elec‐ tronically at www.Centerl inebidconnect.com.

Bidding Documents may be examined at the fol‐ lowing locations: Town of Addis, Post Office Box 237, Addis, LA

Owen and White, Inc., 8755 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Complete Bidding Docu‐ ments for this project are being distributed in elec‐ tronic form on behalf of the Owner by Centerline BidConnect. They may be obtained without charge and without deposit from the Public Plan Room at www.centerlinebidco nnect.com .

Printed copies are not available from the Owner or De‐ signer but arrangements can be made to obtain them through most re‐ prographic firms. Plan holders are responsible for their own reproduc‐ tion costs. Questions about this procedure shall be directed to: Cen‐ terline - Phone: 504-2915738, Email: bidconnect@ centerline.co Questions other than those directly related to the bid document distrib‐ ution shall be directed to the Designer at: Owen and White, Inc.; Toby Fruge, P.E.; Email: Toby@ owenandwhite.com.

Phone Number: (225) 9265125. Questions shall be submitted in writing and responses posted via Ad‐ dendum on www.centerl inebidconnect.com.

Note: A prime bidder of this job must be regis‐ tered as a Prime Bidder at the issuing office. Cen‐ terline (www.centerlineb idconnect.com), to sub‐ mit a bid on this project.

Those not registered as a Prime Bidder at the issu‐ ing office will not have their bids accepted at the time of bid opening.

Bid security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the Bid must ac‐ company each Bid in ac‐ cordance with the In‐ struction to Bidders.

No Bidder may withdraw his Bid within 45 days after the actual date of the opening thereof.

OWNER TOWN OF ADDIS BY: /s/ MR. David H. Toups, Mayor TO APPEAR IN THE: The Advocate

Friday, July 17, 2026 Friday, July 24, 2026 Friday, July 31, 2026 194177 July 17, 24, 31, 2026 3t $149.73 PUBLIC NOTICE --River Parishes Commu‐ nity College is seeking bids for a 40005-FY27-012, 2026 48 ft Dry Van Trailer – CDL Training Program (Qty 2). To obtain bid package, please visit https://wwwcfprd.doa. louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/ dspBid.cfm?search=dep artment&term=4.

The following bids are open: #4005FY27-012 195319 July 27-Aug. 10 15t $86.40 PUBLIC NOTICE --VOUCHER# 26-006321 BIDS TO BE OPENED: 08/25/26 NOTICE TO BIDDERS Electronic or sealed bids will be received by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Purchasing Divi‐ sion, City Hall Building, Room 826, 222 Saint Louis Street, 8th Floor, Baton Rouge, La. until 11:00 A.M. August 25, 2026 for the following:

Bids, amendments to bids or request for with‐ drawal of bids received after time specified for bid openings shall not be considered for any cause whatsoever.

Inquiries will be received up until 5:00 pm on Au‐ gust 14, 2026.

Full information may be obtained upon request from the above address or by telephoning Aijah Barges at (225) 389-3259, Ext. 3273, or via email abarges@brla.gov.

Any vendor who would like to listen to the open‐ ing of this bid can access the following link, at the date and time of this bid opening: NOTE: The only vendor information shared at the bid opening will be the reading of the names of those vendors who submitted bids.

Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code: 263 373 080 (followed by the # but‐ ton) Alternate numbers to call if number above is not available, which may occur due to network traffic (use the same Ac‐ cess Code, followed by the # button): United States Toll (Boston) +1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago) +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 These numbers will pro‐ vide you with live audio access to this bid open‐ ing.

195031 July 31, Aug. 7, 2t $120.04

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE: East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority’s (EBRPHA) Admissions and Occupancy Policy (ACOP) is available for review and public com‐ ment at EBRPHA offices and posted on the EBR‐ PHA website at www. ebrpha.org. Public com‐ ments may be submitted in writing no later than 4:00 PM (CT), 9/8/2026, via email to dmejia@ ebrpha.org or in writing to EBRPHA Attn: Doris Mejía, 4731 North Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. A public hearing is sched‐ uled for Tuesday, Sep‐ tember 8, 2026, 4:00 PM (CT), at the above ad‐ dress.

195237 July 26 - Aug. 1, 2026 7t $64.05 PUBLIC NOTICE --[Media and Substitute Notice]

M6321 BATON ROUGE AIRPORT RENTAL CAR GARAGE

Eyemart Express Provides Notice of Data Event

A mandatory pre-bid meeting is required; only those bidders who par‐ ticipate in the mandatory pre-bid meeting are eligi‐ ble to receive an award on this project. The mandatory pre-bid meet‐ ing will be coordinated

by Craig Alford, who can be contacted at 225-3550333 ext. 336 on August 11, 2026 at 9:00 am CST at Baton Rouge Metropoli‐ tan Airport 9430 Jackie Cochran Baton Rouge, LA 70807.

Farmers Branch, Texas – July 31, 2026 – Eyemart Express, LLC (“Eyemart”) hereby provides notice about a cybersecurity event that involved cer‐ tain individuals’ personal data.

Official bid documents are available at Central (https://www.

Bidding centralauctionhouse. com/rfpc10656-city-ofbaton-rouge.html) or by request from the City of Baton Rouge at abarges@brla.gov.

Bids shall be submitted electronically via www. centralbidding.com or on the solicitation bid forms furnished by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge prior to the bidding deadline.

Electronic bids for the solicitation will be down‐ loaded by the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Pur‐ chasing Division. Begin‐ ning as soon as feasible after the bid closing time all electronic bids will be downloaded and publicly read aloud along with all paper bids received, if any, in Room 806 immedi‐ ately after the 11:00 a.m. bid closing. Bidders or their authorized repre‐ sentatives are invited to be present. NOTE: The only vendor information shared at the bid open‐ ing will be the reading of the names of those ven‐ dors who submitted bids.

Eyemart, a nationwide provider of retail optical and optometric services, learned on February 13, 2026 about unauthorized access to its systems on February 12, 2026. Eye‐ mart was able to contain the incident and secure its systems that same day. In addition, Eyemart immediately launched an investigation to deter‐ mine the nature and scope of the incident.

The data involved varies based on a given individ‐ ual’s relationship with Eyemart. For certain Eye‐ mart customers, their name, vision insurance information, date of birth and/or eyeglass pur‐ chase or prescription were involved. Eyemart has mailed notification letters to such cus‐ tomers except when it could not determine an address for them. For other affected individu‐ als, name, address, So‐ cial Security number, date of birth, eyeglass prescription, health plan and/or other information was involved (as more particularly described in Eyemart’s notification letters to such individu‐ als). If you have ques‐ tions or would like addi‐ tional information, in‐ cluding whether you are one of the above-de‐ scribed customers for which Eyemart was not able to determine an ad‐ dress, you may contact Eyemart at 800-655-4635.

DOGS Puppies for Sale! Adorable! 1/2 Pomeranian 1/2 Chihuahua $225, Full Blooded Toy Poodle's $500 (228) 669-0077

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Legal Notices

As part of Eyemart’s re‐ sponse to this incident and its ongoing commit‐ ment to information se‐ curity, Eyemart contin‐ ues to review and update its training, processes, and procedures, and is working to implement measures to reduce the possibility of a similar in‐ cident in the future. Eye‐ mart is also cooperating with federal law enforce‐ ment. For individuals whose Social Security number was involved, Eyemart is providing credit complimentary monitoring (as explained in Eyemart’s notification letters to such individu‐ als).

Legal Notices

y dispute for conflicting claims as to the mineral ownership of and to the production or proceeds of Conflict Tracts and now agree to settle the claims existing among them arising from the lit‐ igation, and to provide for the allocation of pro‐ duction related to the HA RB SUVV unit for the Hay‐ nesville Zone, Reservoir B, in the Red River-Bull Bayou Field, (Order No. 109-X-54), affecting State Lease No. 19887, Red River Parish, Louisiana, with further particulars being stipulated in the instrument.

D.4 (26-16) A Lease Amendment by and be‐ tween the State of Louisiana, acting through its agency, The Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board and LLOLA, L.L.C. and, whereas said par‐ ties desire to amend the royalty rate established in State Lease No. 22278 under the guidelines of the 2026 State Lease In‐ vestment Program, af‐ fecting State Lease No. 22278, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, with further particulars being stipulated in the instru‐ ment.

Eyemart encourages all individuals to remain vig‐ ilant as to potential inci‐ dents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements and periodically reviewing their credit report. Indi‐ viduals may obtain a free copy of their credit re‐ port by calling 1-877-3228228 or by visiting www. annualcreditreport.com and following instruc‐ tions for submission of requests. Relevant con‐ tact information for the national credit reporting agencies is as follows: Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374, www. equifax.com, 1-800-6851111 Experian, PO Box 2104, Allen, TX 75013, www. experian.com, 1-888-3973742 TransUnion, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, www. transunion.com, 1-800888-4213 Upon receipt of credit re‐ ports, individuals should review them carefully.

They should look for un‐ recognized accounts or creditor inquiries, and for inaccuracies in re‐ ported data such as ad‐ dress, payment history, or date of birth. If any‐ thing looks incorrect, in‐ dividuals should contact the credit reporting agency using contact in‐ formation provided with the report. Individuals may also contact the Federal Trade Commis‐ sion (“FTC”) or their state Attorney General for information about identity theft and credit report fraud alerts and security freezes. The FTC may be contacted at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338), and TTY: 1866-653-4261.

D.5 (26-17) A Settlement Agreement by and be‐ tween the State of Louisiana, acting through its agency, the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board, Cattle Farms Man‐ agement Company, L.L.C. and Wogan, Inc. (collec‐ tively referred to as Cat‐ tle Farms and Wogan), whereas said parties de‐ sire to settle all claims regarding the allocation, distribution and payment of proceeds related to the production of miner‐ als from lands described in State Lease Nos. 22160 and 22211, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, with further particulars being stipulated in the instru‐ ment.

195722-jul 31-aug 6-7t $2,850.48

192994-jul 2-aug 15-45t $207.90

PUBLIC NOTICE --STATE OF LOUISIANA STATE MINERAL AND ENERGY BOARD

195816 July 31, 1t $51.50 PUBLIC NOTICE --The Louisiana Office of State Parks is requesting proposals for a PublicPrivate Partnership pro‐ ject to design, construct, and operate a high-qual‐ ity recreational vehicle campground and related amenities. For more in‐ formation go to opportu‐ nitiesinlouisiana.com.

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

PUBLIC NOTICE ---

LEGAL NOTICE

The Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 8:30 a.m., in the Planning Commission Conference Room 1st floor Baton Rouge, Louisiana to con‐ sider the following:

Pursuant to La. Const.

Art. IX, Section 5, as im‐ plemented by L.R.S. 30:129.1, public notice is hereby given that at its meeting commencing at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the State Mineral and Energy Board will consider ap‐ proval of certain Agree‐ ments for execution in‐ volving minerals or min‐ eral rights owned by the State. A full copy of each of the instruments to ef‐ fect the proposed agree‐ ments is on file in the of‐ fice of the State Mineral and Energy Board, 8th Floor, at the above ad‐ dress, and available for public inspection by any‐ one desiring to examine same.

The proposed agreements are identi‐ fied as follows: D.1 (26-13) A Lease Amendment by and be‐ tween the State of Louisiana, acting through its agency, The Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board and Castex Energy 2021, LLC, Tri-Star Louisiana LLC, Boomer Exploration LLC and Talos Third Coast LLC, whereas said parties de‐ sire to amend the royalty rate established in State Lease No. 21676 under the guidelines of the 2026 State Lease Investment Program, affecting State Lease No. 21676, Terre‐ bonne Parish, Louisiana, with further particulars being stipulated in the instrument.

D.2 (26-14) A Lease Amendment by and be‐ tween the State of Louisiana, acting through its agency, The Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board and Castex Energy 2021, LLC, Talos Third Coast LLC, Tri-Star Louisiana LLC and Boomer Exploration LLC and, whereas said par‐ ties desire to amend the royalty rate established in State Lease No. 21677 under the guidelines of the 2026 State Lease In‐ vestment Program, af‐ fecting State Lease No. 21677, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, with further particulars being stipu‐ lated in the instrument.

D.3 (26-15) A Settlement Agreement by and be‐ tween the State of Louisiana, acting through its agency, the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board, Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P., n/k/a Ex‐ pand Gulf Coast LLC, BPX Operating Company, Chesapeake Plains, LLC, n/k/a Expand Gulf Coast LLC, Larchmont Re‐ sources, L.L.C., Expand Operating LLC, and the Waller Interests (as listed in the settlement instrument), whereas said parties desire to amicably resolve their di f fli i

HPC-6-26 2340 Tulip Street Proposed acces‐ sory dwelling on prop‐ erty located on the south side of Tulip Street, east of Drehr Avenue, on property now or formerly known as Lot 7-A of Drehr Place Subdivision, Square 10. (Council Dis‐ trict 10- Coleman) HPC-7-26 Longwood Plan‐ tation Home (15417 River Road) Proposed exterior additions to a Local His‐ toric Landmark on prop‐ erty located on the east side of River Road, south of L’Auberge Crossing Drive, now or formerly known as Lot A of Long‐ wood Plantation. (Coun‐ cil District 3- Gaudet) 195551-JUL 31-1T $14.20

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SHERIFF'S SALE Suit No: (17) 778082 ESSENTIAL CREDIT UNION vs CARREN COMEAUX 19th Judicial District Parish of East Baton Rouge State of Louisiana Acting under and by virtue of Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE issued out of the honorable court aforesaid, in the above entitled and numbered cause, dated, June 18, 2026 and to me directed, I did seize and will, be‐ ginning at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday, Au‐ gust 12, 2026, via an on‐ line auction site at www. bid4assets.com/EBR SOsheriffsales., offer for sale at public auction the following described mortgaged property be‐ longing to: CARREN COMEAUX 2021 CHEVROLET/ EQUINOX 2GNAX‐ HEV0M6132330 MILEAGEUNKNOWN STORED AT SPI RECOVERY 17949 HOO SHOO TOO ROAD TERMS OF SALE: Cash to the highest bid‐ der, at Public Auction WITH Appraisement and according to law.

Sid J. Gautreaux, Sheriff East Baton Rouge Parish ADVERTISED DATE JULY 31, 2026 $153.02

8D ■ Friday, July 31, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

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