United Way of Acadiana is marking 15 years of its Early Head Start program, which has served more than 1,500 families in Lafayette and Vermilion parishes through early childhood education and family support services.
This week, the organization invited supporters to celebrate the milestone in their work to serve area children with learning centers in Lafayette and Abbeville that offer early childhood education, developmental activities and family support services for children up to age 3.
“At the time, we realized it was important for us to focus on education from the very beginning,” said Angela Morrison, who previously served as chief of community impact at United Way of Acadiana and is now senior director of engagement at Hospice of Acadiana.
“We had a really high rate of high school dropouts, a high rate of middle school students who were two-plus years behind, and children entering school who were usually not ready to learn,” according to Morrison, who spoke at a ceremony on Thursday at the United Way Learning Center
Hamas OKs deal if Israel halts strikes
Obstacles remain to settlement
BY SAMY MAGDY, SAM MEDNICK,
JONATHAN J COOPER and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press
CAIRO Hamas said Friday that it will begin disarming as part of a deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump that also requires Israel to end its strikes and withdraw from Gaza. It marks a potential breakthrough in ending the war but implementation faces major challenges
Hamas also said that laying down its heavy weapons, which would come later in the process, was contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government adamantly rejects. Israel has not officially commented on the deal, which is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw, and
ä See HAMAS, page 5A
Lafayette official
named state fire marshal
Sonnier had headed parish Office of Homeland Security
BY ELLYN COUVILLION
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
Petroleum Gas Commission. The appointments will take effect on Monday, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a news release Friday Adams had served as state fire marshal since January 2024. Sonnier, who will become state fire marshal on Monday, has more than 37 years of fire service experience. He had served as fire chief of the Scott Fire Department for more than 20 years, before serving for the past two years as the director of the Lafayette Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Mayor-President Monique Boulet appointed Sonnier as the director of OHSEP for Lafayette Parish in September 2024.
Sonnier was responsible for leading Lafayette Parish’s emergency preparedness efforts, facilitating
Sonnier
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE
Annie Ozenne, second from right works with 1-
2-year-olds on Thursday at the United Way of Acadiana Learning Center in Lafayette as the Early Head Start program celebrates 15 years.
Heather Blanchard performs a ribbon cutting as the Early Head Start program celebrates on Thursday at the United Way of Acadiana Learning Center in Lafayette.
MARSHAL, page 5A
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
about campus capacity and a push to become
selective institution have led LSU to back off in enrollment for the first time in nearly a decade.
Seattle mayor defends ousting police chief
SEATTLE Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson on Friday defended her decision to oust the city’s police chief as the “right decision at the right time,” but she declined to explain why
The leadership change came as police continue searching for people involved in a fatal, gangrelated shootout at a food festival near the Space Needle last weekend. A 15-year-old was arrested at the scene and has been charged with assault, but charging documents say the gun he was seen firing wasn’t involved in the deaths of two bystanders.
Wilson and then-Police Chief Shon Barnes faced criticism for being slow to release key information about the shootout on Sunday including whether suspects remained at large.
Barnes, who was the city’s second Black police chief, has been credited with boosting the recruitment of officers and helping reduce crime downtown. A number of Black community organizations, a major business group and several City Council members issued statements criticizing Wilson’s decision to replace him Thursday At a news conference Friday with Andre Sayles, a Seattle deputy chief the mayor named as interim chief, Wilson credited Barnes for his service.
Discarded SpaceX rocket to crash on moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A drifting SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers more than a year ago.
The rocket’s upper stage will unintentionally slam into the moon on Wednesday, carving out a crater and sending up a plume of dust and rubble that scientists — and skygazers — are eager to observe.
Space tracking expert Bill Gray predicts an impact of 5,400 mph seven times the speed of sound — near Einstein Crater on the moon’s sunlit western limb. With the action unfolding in the wee hours, the eastern portions of the U.S. and Canada, and much of South America should have the best views. While scientists are not too concerned about this particular piece of space junk, it highlights the growing threat as more and more items cram into orbit.
“Things are getting crowded up there,” said Gray, who plans to view the aftermath from New Brunswick, Canada.
It was never SpaceX’s intent to hit the moon. But space experts said the crash could have been avoided if the upper stage had been nudged into orbit around the sun.
Rock legend Patti Smith visits pope, says ‘hi’
ROME Rock legend Patti Smith was giddy and almost at a loss for words when she met Friday with Pope Leo XIV “Hi,” she said softly as she sat down across from Leo at his desk in the Apostolic Palace.
Wearing a crucifix necklace and hair in her trademark braids, Smith has become an increasingly visible presence at the Vatican thanks to her friendship with the Rev Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary in the Vatican’s culture ministry
She has said that while she is not Catholic, she was drawn in particular to Pope Francis and his “gentle, open, and steadfast sense of humanity.”
She also had a thing for Pope John Paul I: Her 1979 tune “Wave,” is about a make-believe conversation with the pope who had just died after a 33-day papacy It begins “Hi. Hi” uttered in the same breathy voice Smith used with Leo on Friday
The pope clearly was familiar with the tune. “That was marvelous,” he said.
Earlier this year, Smith performed during the inauguration of the Holy See’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale contemporary art fair The occasion, May 8, was the anniversary of Leo’s election. He said at the end, Smith said “Bye. Bye.”
Smith met Francis in 2013 and sang for him in 2014 When he died, on April 21, 2025, she wrote a poem on social media, comparing Francis to a dandelion “humble yet strong.”
PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN
ASSOCIATED
President Donald
Friday as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen during a cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat, near Thurmont, Md.
Trump hails ‘unique’ Cabinet meeting
Seizes on Spain’s migration crisis at Camp David gathering
BY SEUNG MIN KIM, DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JACQUELYN MARTIN Associated Press
CAMP DAVID, Md. President Donald Trump took Friday’s Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David, using the historic rustic backdrop of the presidential retreat to boast of his administration’s achievements while seizing on a migrant crisis in Spain to make his case for why voters should keep the Republican Party in power
The Cabinet meeting, the 13th such gathering of Trump’s second term, came just three months before the November midterm elections that could serve as a check on his power if Democrats take control of one or both chambers of Congress. His warnings about Spain echoed language he used ahead of the 2018 midterms, when he warned of caravans of migrants headed to the southern U.S. border
“You know, I saw Spain yesterday, and I watched the catastrophe that took place. It looks like an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people,” Trump said. “And that same thing is going to happen to us if the Republicans don’t get elected. Except worse, much bigger.”
Some 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s tiny Ceuta territory over the past 24 hours. Roughly half of them have already made their way back voluntarily, according to the Spanish government, but at least 57 have died on the journey
Separately, he deflected blame for a series of cyberattacks that targeted 30 water systems in Minnesota on the state’s “grossly incompetent” Democratic leadership. Officials have not publicly identified who was behind the attacks, though the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other agencies warned in an advisory last week that Iranian hackers have been targeting water and wastewater systems and the operational controls of other critical infrastructure sectors.
“They blame it on Iran,” Trump said, without offering evidence. “I don’t think so I think I blame it on Minnesota because they’re grossly incompetent.”
The president regularly convenes his Cabinet throughout his terms as a setting to promote his administration’s policies while fielding questions on the news of
the day, but what made Friday’s unusual was that it was at Camp David, the government-owned retreat nestled in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains where Trump held one Cabinet meeting during his first term.
Trump began the meeting by noting it was “something very unique.” The White House called it the first-ever televised Cabinet meeting from the presidential retreat.
“It’s Camp David, and this room is a very, very special room,” Trump said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were among the Cabinet officials who spoke before Trump took questions from journalists. The public portion of the meeting ended after about an hour
In the lengthy question-and-answer session, Trump commented on the latest developments regarding the war in Iran and a deal he announced Thursday that would lead to the disarmament of the Palestinian group Hamas. He also lamented that a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund to compensate his allies was “dead” and appeared to back off a pledge he made earlier this month to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems.
“I don’t think this would ever happen, but, you know, there’s people that, you give that technology they can someday turn on you,” Trump added. “You look at war, that’s happened a couple of times over the years, right? So we have to be very careful.”
On the Hamas agreement, Trump acknowledged that the agreement that would also lead to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza will have “ups and downs.”
Still, he called it a “great breakthrough” that has been helped along by the U.S and Israel’s war with Iran, which has served as Hamas’ prime backer
Trump also remarked on the anti-weaponization fund that is holding up the confirmation of Todd Blanche as his attorney general, saying the pot of money is “dead” and that “I wish it weren’t, to be honest with you.”
The president continued to defend the people who could potentially benefit from the fund, mainly those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over him.
“Their families have been ruined,” Trump said. Those people “wanted to go to a rally or an event and ended up spending the rest of their lives in horror.”
Trump said Blanche has been a “pawn in this whole thing.” Blanche, who was present, did not speak in the public portion of the Cabinet meeting.
Marine Corps says F-35B stealth fighter crashed in California
Authorities say pilot ejected
BY KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA Associated Press
SAN DIEGO The U.S. Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California.
The jet went down Friday near the Miramar air base in San Diego. “The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the Marine Corps said in an updated statement. Aerial video from a news helicopter showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in a dirt field, with multiple military and firefighting vehicles and people standing nearby What appeared to be white flame retardant covered the ground, and at least one person was spraying the wreckage with a fire hose.
Authorities release early ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case
BY JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press
PHOENIX Authorities released an early ransom note in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie in hopes that someone will recognize the writing style. A second note released Friday indicated Guthrie died shortly after she was kidnapped.
Both notes initially went to a Tucson television station days after the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie went missing from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1. Authorities have not said whether Nancy Guthrie is still alive.
one who knows the notes’ writer may recognize the patterns.
Guthrie
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said “we believe these distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes’ writer.”
The first note, sent Feb. 2, said Guthrie was safe but scared and would be released unharmed once her captors received $4 million in cryptocurrency, with the ransom amount increasing if the first demand was not met.
It said Guthrie would be released within 12 hours if the payment was received. It also included a threat to kill her if the ransom wasn’t paid.
“Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands,” the first note read. “It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.”
The second note was sent Feb. 6 and said Guthrie died shortly after she was taken. “She is buried in nature now,” the second note said. “Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome.” The note ends with an apology, “We are truly sorry.”
The sheriff’s department said the notes reveal a distinctive pattern of word choices and provide insight into the writer’s mindset.
The agency said some-
Authorities similarly used a suspect’s own writings as a tool to apprehend Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI. Kaczynski, who killed three people and injured 23 others with mail bombs over a 17-year span, pressured The Washington Post, in conjunction with The New York Times, to publish his 35,000-word manifesto in 1995. Federal authorities encouraged its publication, leading Kaczynski’s brother and sister-in-law to recognize the syntax and antitechnology themes and tip off the FBI, bringing to a close the agency’s longest and costliest investigation at the time.
In a statement Friday, the sheriff’s department also appealed to people who may know something about the case, saying it may be difficult to come forward due to a personal relationship with someone involved or just for their own safety
“We recognize relationships and loyalties change over time as do people and their perspectives,” the sheriff’s department wrote. “It is not too late to come forward.”
The sheriff’s office also said Friday that two videos recovered from Guthrie’s doorbell camera might be from two separate days and indicate an unidentified male prepared ahead of when Guthrie was taken. Authorities are seeking information on anyone who was behaving differently, changed their physical appearance, suddenly left the Tucson area, or had a noticeable or unexplained interest or disinterest in the case.
“Investigators continue to pursue every available technological and investigative lead,” the sheriff’s office said. “However, community members remain a vital resource as we seek to provide answers for Nancy’s family.”
Wade Lott saw the crash as he drove to work at a concrete company just south of the flight line. “It just blew up, it was crazy,” said Lott, 36, who watched from his truck as two jets descended toward the runway together The first landed without incident, but the second suddenly began slowing down, almost as if it were trying to hover, Lott said. When the jet was about 100 feet above the ground, the pilot ejected and their parachute deployed as they rose about 200 feet into the air just in time.
Trump speaks
S.
Migrant children could face new deportation risks
Government lets legal aid deal expire
BY REBECCA SANTANA and VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press
HARLINGEN,Texas Advocates
warn that tens of thousands of migrant children who came to the United States alone could lose legal representation in immigration court and increase their risk of deportation as the Trump administration allows a contract with legal services providers to expire.
Friday marked the last day of a contract under which the federal government pays for legal services for children who enter the U.S. without a parent or guardian. The government contracts out those services to a network of nearly 100 legal groups across the country that provide services to roughly 20,000 children.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why it allowed the contract to expire. But it comes as the administration has redoubled its efforts to achieve its policy of mass deportations, and after migrant children became a target for removal from the country during the
first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
As part of the expiring contract the legal groups can enter government-funded shelters and give presentations to children about their legal rights, and directly represent the children as they go through immigration court proceedings.
But as that contract ends, the providers say it’s unclear what will happen come Monday or whether they’ll be able to visit their clients in the shelters where they live.
“We have no understanding of what’s going to happen to those children come next week. We don’t know if they’re going to have legal representation. The government as of yet has not identified who will take over this representation,” said Melissa Lopez, the executive director of Estrella El Paso, during a news conference earlier this week. The organization currently represents 243 unaccompanied children in western Texas and New Mexico.
The providers say their ability to enter the shelters, check on their clients and give presentations to new arrivals serves as an important oversight measure for a vulnerable population. The providers warn that without
a lawyer to assist them in court and help them navigate the complexities of immigration law, children will be much more likely to be deported back to countries they initially fled.
“The government is trying to eliminate our work in this program because they know that without attorneys children will be deported,” said Lopez.
Health and Human Services, which is responsible for caring for unaccompanied migrant children while they are in government care and which administers the contract, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Dozens of children and teens filed early Friday morning into the Harlingen courthouse for a hearing before an immigration judge. In the lobby, other children waiting for their hearings played with puzzles and action figures or drew in coloring books.
One 8-year-old boy walked into the courtroom holding an Etch-a-Sketch as he sat next to his attorney
These were children who had come to the U.S. without a parent or guardian and now their cases were making their way through the immigration courts. But Lauren Fisher Flores, an
attorney for the American Bar Association’s ProBar project, which is contracted to provide legal services in southwestern Texas, warned the court of the looming contract expiration. She explained that come Monday, lawyers wouldn’t be able to provide the legal information sessions that they usually give to children in shelters that let children know their rights and lawyers also would no longer be able to step in and provide the “Friend of the Court” services where they assist those children who sometimes show up in court without a lawyer
Fisher Flores said the organization didn’t know what the government’s plan was going forward.
“We sincerely hope there will be someone to step in next week,” she said. The judge thanked the attorney and said she was sorry to hear the news.
The end of the contract comes as the legal service providers representing these children say they have not been paid for more than half a year. The organizations say that the Trump administration has been withholding payments as it demands detailed information from the providers about their clients that the providers say they have never been asked for before and that they ethically cannot provide.
“They are clearly trying to destroy the program by grinding down the financial health of nonprofits. We’ve seen layoffs and furloughs, and we will see a lot more of that if these invoices aren’t paid,” said Michael Lukens, the executive director of the Amica Center
Some groups have been trying to secure private funding to continue their work, while others have begun laying off staff and shuttering offices. ProBar in south Texas this week laid off 20% of its staff.
BY LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press
DUXBURY, Mass. — Jurors walked through the Massachusetts home where Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children, a rare visit Friday that let them see firsthand the place where an outwardly ordinary family life unraveled into tragedy
After being driven past two businesses relevant to the narrative of the January 2023 killings, jurors were escorted in groups of six to view the inside of the house, including the basement where the children died.
During the roughly 40-minute visit, the jury also saw the yard where Clancy was found after jumping from a second-story window Journalists were kept away by a police barricade, but court officers could be seen through the trees escorting jurors to and from the bus along the site of the Clancy family’s former driveway The home now has a new owner. Clancy herself did not attend the visit to the home, which she hasn’t seen since the day of the killings. Her lawyers argue she was in the grip of postpartum psy-
chosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.
Jurors in U.S. criminal cases often are expressly told not to visit the scene of the events in question. There are a number of rationales for not doing so among other things, the site may have changed in the interim between an alleged crime and a trial.
But courts sometimes allow juries to make a supervised excursion as a group, for reasons that can include assessing distances or fea-
Charges against ex-Olympian in reflecting pool case dismissed
BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing that information provided since the indictment of David Hearn shows that the damage was the result of a “flawed installation by the contractor” as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associ-
ated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.”
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the reflecting pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” said the filing from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Hearn’s lawyers said in a statement that the case against him should never have been brought.
“Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of gov-
ernment power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr Hearn an apology,” the lawyers said.
Hearn pleaded not guilty earlier this month to one felony count of property destruction and has a trial scheduled to start Sept. 28 in D.C. Superior Court. The charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years upon conviction, accuses Hearn of causing at least $1,000 in damage to the pool.
tures that aren’t thought to come across fully in photos. Such excursions have happened in a number of high-profile cases, including the 2023 murder trial of South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, the 2022 sentencing trial of Parkland, Florida, school shooter Nikolas Cruz, the 2015 Massachusetts murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez and the 1995
murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Jurors in Clancy’s trial retraced the route her thenhusband, Patrick Clancy, took whensheaskedhimtopickup takeout food and medicine for daughter Cora on the night of the killings. He returned to find the children dead and his then-wife badly injured and bleeding in the yard.
The panel was driven past the restaurant — about 5.5 miles from the family’s for-
mer home in Duxbury, a town south of Boston — and the pharmacy, about a mile from the house. Prosecutors say the errands were a ruse to get her husband out of the house. They say Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, acted intentionally and is criminally responsible for the deaths of children Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ERIC GAy
Immigrants play soccer at a U.S. government holding center for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas, in 2019.
Thousands of migrants leave after crossing into Ceuta
BY SERGIO RODRIGO RUÍZ, RENATA BRITO and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press
CEUTA, Spain Tens of thousands of migrants who crossed into Spain’s tiny Ceuta territory returned voluntarily to Morocco on Friday a day after the influx triggered chaos in the North African city and reignited the immigration debate in Europe and beyond. At least 57 migrants died on the journey Ceuta’s president put the number of migrants at 60,000, which was equivalent to 70% of the territory’s population. But most of them soon went back, the Spanish government said, after the sudden arrival of so many people sparked a humanitarian crisis.
Some migrants swam several miles through the sea and faced down authorities who tried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas and warning shots. Those who died included some who drowned or were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.
Spain deployed its armed
forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta, which sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea and has been a Spanish possession since 1580. On the Moroccan side of the border, security forces clashed with migrants. The chaos also had ripple effects abroad, with Italy and France pledging to tighten their controls on people arriving from Spain.
“The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,” Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists. Meanwhile, migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, Spain’s other territory at the tip of North Africa, where they clashed with police.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday and condemned the border breach which he described as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”
Sánchez blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they “deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths,” whether in the ocean or in the city
The Spanish Interior
Ministry released its own figures shortly after Vivas spoke, estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco since Thursday It added that 48,300 had already returned to Morocco by Friday evening, with hundreds more going back by the hour
Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, described the situa-
tion as a “serious humanitarian crisis,” saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly
“It’s chaotic,” Sbihi said.
The Moroccan Interior Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the migrant figures released by the Spanish authorities.
European Commission
President Ursula von der Leyen said the images from Ceuta were “unacceptable.”
“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,” she said Friday in an online statement “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.”
Some of the 57 people who died had drowned, Sbihi said, but some were also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal Beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco. The waters near the border fence were littered with buoys, shoes and other abandoned belongings.
Many young Moroccans who crossed into Ceuta told The Associated Press that they had hoped to find better work opportunities in Spain but were returning given the mayhem in Ceuta.
“There’s nothing at home. I’d have to work 12-hour shifts for a meager wage. That’s why I came here,” said 21-year-old Abdulah Buji, who hails from the city of Tetouan. “But I haven’t found any opportunities here either, so I have to go back.”
Moroccan police used water cannons and fired warning shots into the air to prevent migrants from crossing into Ceuta, according to rights groups in Morocco.
Morocco’s ambassador to Spain said the situation in Ceuta had unfolded against Morocco’s wishes.
Trump says anti-weaponization fund ‘dead,’ even as he defends it
BY MARY CLARE JALONICK, SEUNG MIN KIM and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
WASHINGTON President
Donald Trump said Friday that his $1.776 billion antiweaponization fund is “dead” while also continuing to defend it, further complicating his administration’s negotiations with two Republican senators who are blocking his attorney general nominee in protest.
Trump told reporters at Camp David on Friday morning that administration officials had “agreed not to have a fund” that compensates his political allies, yet made clear that he disagrees with that decision.
The comments came hours after an early morning social media post in which Trump said people who had been prosecuted by the Justice Department — many of them for their involvement in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — “are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them.” Trump’s reluctant declaration that the fund won’t be created came as Republican Sens. John Cornyn, of Texas; and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, say they won’t support Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general until they see that promise in writing. They have been working for weeks with the White House and Blanche, who is now the acting attorney general to produce a document to that effect, but both senators have said they aren’t satisfied so far
“The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it,” Tillis said after Trump’s initial social
MARTIN
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr from left acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Vice President JD Vance attend a cabinet meeting on Friday at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Thurmont, Md
media post.
Trump said in his post that Blanche should be immediately confirmed and is a “pawn in this whole thing.”
Blanche said at a hearing two months ago that the antiweaponization fund would not move forward after Republican senators revolted and held up an immigration funding bill.
But Tillis, who is retiring when his term ends in January, and Cornyn, who lost reelection this year after Trump endorsed his primary opponent, said they want to ensure that the White House doesn’t reverse course, especially as Trump continues to argue that a fund is needed.
The Justice Department has provided the senators with language that says Blanche’s May 18 order establishing the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is “rescinded and shall have no force or effect,” according to a document reviewed by The Associated Press Cornyn and Tillis have said they also want some clarifications on a separate piece of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits. Cornyn said this week that it was his under-
standing that the audits could extend to more than 100 different Trump organization subsidiaries into the future.
“Todd Blanche said it was limited to the parties to the litigation — and it was retrospective, not prospective,” Cornyn said. “And all we’re doing is asking them to put that in writing.”
The Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on Blanche’s nomination that had been scheduled for Thursday morning after Tillis and Cornyn said they needed more from the administration before they could provide the necessary votes.
After the meeting was delayed, 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 But the two sides continued to negotiate through Thursday afternoon, when Blanche, Cornyn and Tillis met on Capitol Hill.
On Friday, a person familiar with the negotiations said talks had been positive but the senators were still awaiting a new offer from the Justice Department. The person requested anonymity to discuss the private negotiations
The two senators have repeatedly said the Justice Department seemed interested in reaching an agreement, but the White House wouldn’t budge even to aid the confirmation of Trump’s loyal former personal attorney who has aggressively pursued the administration’s priorities as acting attorney general.
“I think as far as Blanche and the Department of Justice, we were pretty much on the same page,” Cornyn said Thursday “But then when
the president got wind of it, he wasn’t willing to go along with it.” Tillis said Blanche has been “has been forthright, thoughtful and patient” but attributed the holdup to an “incompetent personal adviser” to the president, even as Trump himself continued to advocate for the fund.
Behind the scenes, Trump legal adviser Boris Epshteyn is being blamed as an obstacle to an agreement that would let Blanche move forward, according to three
people who have direct knowledge of the discussions and requested anonymity to discuss them.
Saying the AP’s “sources are wrong,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said “anyone trying to assign blame to the President or his team has no earthly idea of what is going on and clearly is trying to deflect from the issue at hand Todd Blanche will be an exceptional Attorney General and he should be confirmed immediately.”
BY MUNIR AHMED Associated Press
ISLAMABAD Pakistan’s military on Friday rejected as “baseless” a recent U.N. report that said Pakistani cross-border military operations killed nearly 500 civilians and wounded over 1,000 in neighboring Afghanistan between October and June. At a televised news conference, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan had targeted only hideouts and infrastructure used by the
Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, during that period, and said those killed in the strikes were militants He said the operations were carried out in self-defense to protect the lives of people in Pakistan Chaudhry questioned recently released reports by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, and Amnesty International, saying they relied largely on accounts from Afghans despite what he described as restrictions on freedom
of expression under Taliban rule.
He also accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan and said international rights organizations had failed to document such violence.
“These are double standards,” Chaudhry said, asking how many times rights groups had documented
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANTONIO SEMPERE
Migrants return Friday to Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
EDUCATION
Continued from page 1A
at 1515 Jefferson St. in Lafayette.
The United Way of Acadiana Early Head Start has served 1,500 families in the past 15 years, through both home-based and learning center services. The program currently serves 36 children in the Lafayette Center, 28 in the Abbeville Center, and 39 children, families and pregnant women who are enrolled through United Way’s home-based program.
“It’s not just about the child, it’s the whole family,” said Annette Victor, United Way of Acadiana’s assistant director for Early Head Start, said the program supports both children and parents through classroom instruction, home visits and services for pregnant women.
“I think we’re also unique in that we equip the parent as well,” she said “Our services for pregnant women, whether they’re first-time mothers or have multiple children, helps them get through the pregnancy in a
LSU
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healthy way.” Lafayette mother Asanti Burns said that her 1-yearold son just started attending the Lafayette learning
center for Early Head Start, and she’s already seeing a difference in his development and socialization.
“His social skills have
gone up tremendously,” she said. “He’s able to go up and talk to other people, talk to kids. He has great manners. Bringing him here has prob-
ably been the best thing I’ve done for him.” Another parent, Tiffany Broussard, said that her 3-year-old son is about to
graduate from Early Head Start, following in the footsteps of his older sister, who is now seven.
“The biggest impact has just been in having a village, which is very necessary when you’re doing it by yourself,” said Broussard. “As far as with my daughter, I see a lot of growth in her She’s already reading, and she learned a lot when she was here. My son — he’s three going on 35. He’s very smart; he can talk in full sentences, he knows his colors and he’s being potty trained. I just love the program, and I don’t even want him to leave.”
Fifteen years after launching the program, United Way leaders said they hope to continue expanding access to early childhood education and family support for Acadiana families. Families interested in joining the United Way of Acadiana Early Head Start program can contact the organization directly for information and application support.
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
campus, Kashimawo said she watched while some students stood for class because all 200 seats were filled.
“There’s a lot of people in every aspect, not even just classes — game days, trying to get tickets, parking,” Kashimawo said.
“It’s just a lot of people, and even though we’re a big campus per se, we don’t have that much space for that many people.”
Concerns about campus capacity and a push to become a more selective institution overall have led LSU to ease off the gas in enrollment for the first time in nearly a decade.
“If we’re committed to excellence both in the classroom and in the student experience, then part of that calculus does have to in-
HAMAS
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an International Stabilization Force was to deploy But progress stalled, with Israel saying everything hinged on Hamas disarming, and Hamas accusing Israel of violating the agreement by continuing to carry out regular strikes on Gaza.
Disarming would represent a sea change for Hamas, whose founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and which sees its arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, as lying at the heart of its identity Israel, meanwhile, appears unlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough reelection battle, with opponents accusing him of failing to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war Neil Quilliam, a Middle East expert at London’s Chatham House think tank, said expectations are low that Hamas will actually disarm or that Israel will withdraw from Gaza
“I think that Netanyahu’s silence speaks volumes,” Quilliam said. “This is a massive decision that he has to make.”
“But with the prospect of the elections hanging over his head, with several Cabi-
MARSHAL
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coordination among federal, state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector
His primary focus was to enhance collaboration before, during and after critical emergency events, ensuring the safety and resilience of the community
“I was 18 years old, hired to be in the fire service and helping people in their time
volve maybe not growing beyond what the campus capacity is,” Emmett Brown, vice president for enrollment management, said.
Though Brown said the data is not finalized yet, this year’s class will likely be a few hundred students smaller than last year, which totaled 8,153 first-time freshman and was the largest class in institutional history Up to now LSU had broken its own freshman enrollment record for eight straight years.
The decline comes not from a shrinking applicant pool, which was over 67,000, but from more stringent admissions.
LSU’s acceptance rate this year decreased by 10%, Brown said. Last fall, roughly 69% of new freshman who applied were admitted, according to institutional data.
“Having the ability to be more selective is not always the norm,” Brown said. “We were able with the applicant pool to have a couple
different levers that we could pull.”
The tougher standards were mostly directed toward nonresidents, who faced a 12% decline in their acceptance rate. Louisiana residents benefited from a slightly higher acceptance rate compared to last year
The university is particularly interested in attracting students with a 30 or above on the ACT, Brown said. A score of 30 or above places students in the 94th to 99th percentile, according to The Princeton Review
“That is a notoriously difficult group to move,” Brown said. “But we’re seeing significant demand both from our best students in Louisiana, but also from students from all over the country, who have a lot of options, choosing to enroll here.”
Part of top-50 goal
The reduced class size comes as
university leaders push to improve LSU’s academic reputation and reach the top 50 of the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey
Officials say the flagship campus in Baton Rouge, the medical schools in Shreveport and New Orleans, the LSU AgCenter and Pennington Biomedical Research Center will drive the university’s research ambitions, while the regional campuses will focus on “accessibility,” helping students attain degrees affordably and get placed in jobs quickly
The lower acceptance rate in Baton Rouge this year shows how the campus is pursuing heightened academics, Brown said. It will positively affect the retention and graduation rate for existing students he said.
“That both allows us to provide an excellent experience but also means that our students are more
likely to ultimately succeed,” he said.
Incoming freshman Frederic Curlin said it would be unfair to enroll too many students without sufficient parking and housing.
“I think they should cap it depending on the resources,” Curlin said. “But if they have enough resources, I think they should take as many as they can.”
Kashimawo said she agrees that in-state students should have a slight edge over out-of-state students in admissions, but she believes the university still needs to maintain a robust nonresident student population.
The more selective admissions process will be a boost for the university’s academics, she said.
“I want to give people a good chance to come to school,” Kashimawo said. “But I definitely have met some people — like, how did you get into this school?”
net ministers and opposition leaders already counseling not to go ahead with the deal, I think he understands that doing so would likely scupper his chances of reelection,” he added In announcing the latest deal on social media, Trump said it would be carried out in “carefully structured phases.”
“As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors,” he wrote.
A copy of the agreement obtained and verified by The Associated Press said that all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the U.S.backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza upon its arrival in the enclave. It’s not clear when that would happen since it is contingent on other steps.
A process to decommission and store heavy weapons, military production sites and tunnels will begin after the arrival of the Palestinian committee and the deployment of international forces. The process will be linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal, according to the agreement.
Israel currently controls around 60% of Gaza, areas
of need,” Sonnier said in 2025 after his appointment.
“It is something I’ve really become accustomed to, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. People call 911 at their worst time of day or worst time in their life, and we’re there to help them That’s what we’re there for.” Before joining OHSEP, Sonnier served as fire chief for the city of Scott for 23 years, where he played a key role in disaster mitigation, recovery efforts and emergency response operations. Known for his exper-
that have been mostly destroyed and depopulated. Most of the territory’s 2 million Palestinians are in the other part, where hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods.
In a statement Thursday, an Israeli official said that there will be no Israeli withdrawal before the militant group is disarmed and the strip demilitarized. The statement was made on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
A person with knowledge of the situation said that Israel is fully involved, but it’s not a signatory to the deal, which is between Hamas and several countries helping to negotiate and guarantee the ceasefire. The person spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the agreement. The deal’s guarantors are the U.S., Turkey, Egypt and Qatar
On Thursday, U.S. and Board of Peace officials, describing the deal to reporters on condition of anonymity under guidelines set by the White House, gave an extremely optimistic assessment. The board was established by Trump to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza. While Gaza’s police force is expected to hand over its arms, that doesn’t include the vast majority of Hamas militants, and heavy weaponry is not included in that part of the agreement, according to the officials.
tise in securing funding, Sonnier has successfully obtained more than $26 million in grant funding from federal and state sources. His career includes a range of roles such as firefighter hazmat technician, fire engineer, fire coordinator, and hazmat chief. In 2020, his contributions were honored when he was inducted into the Louisiana Fire Chiefs Hall of Fame.
Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate. com.
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Teachers Debbie Derouen, left, and Christine Ritchey work with children at the United Way of Acadiana Learning Center in Lafayette on Thursday.
Volunteers fanout to help amid wildfires in France
BY MARK CARLSON and MASHA MACPHERSON Associated Press
LANTON, France— With his watering can and bucket, Jean-François Pauner meanders from one small fire to the next along aforest floor,dousing small flareups of wildfires that have swept through woodlands four times the size of Parisin southwestern France.
“This is the first fire I’m experiencingreal-time, and Ican tell you it’svicious,” said Pauner,64. “It’sunderground, it comes out at any moment, and no matter how much we try to extinguish it, re-extinguish it, re-extinguish it, it keeps restarting.” “It’slike asteamroller that’sconstantly,constantly rolling,” said Pauner,wearing shorts, boots and sunglassesonastringaround his neck on aroad through cultivated pinetrees, as the ground smoldered.
Pauner is among the untold numbers of volunteers who have mobilized to support firefighters battling the biggestwildfiresinyears in France
“I’m protecting my forest, and my home,” he said, pouring his watering can into a smoking ditch as if water-
inga garden, then huffing in the heat.
The wildfires that tore through cultivated forests on an Atlantic coast also known for towering sand dunes and touristresorts devastated about 162 square miles westofBordeaux, driving nearly aquartermillion people out of their homesand vacation sites.
Many otherplaces in France have been hitby fires this summer,includ-
ing in the Mediterranean Varregion whereablaze in theGros Bessillon mountain ridge flared up again on Friday,drivenbyviolentwinds, local authorities said. Several towns in the area were evacuated.
Europe is facinganextremely hotsummer, fueling wildfires from theAtlantic coast to theeastern Mediterranean. The United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Greece and Turkeybattled
blazes this week.
As cooler,morehumid air moved into southwest France this week,authoritiesallowed two-thirds of the 224,000 evacuees to return home, includingsome moreonFriday
But the ground still simmersinmany places.
“It’sstabilized, but nottotally stopped,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told RTLradio. “Hot spots remain.”
Volunteerslike Pauner what he calls “little eyes” on watch to report flare-ups to firefighters —dowhatthey can with limited resources. Others have mobilized their trucks and giant jerrycans to supply water to fire crews.
Prolonged drought and climate change have created fire-prone conditions. Pauner said the region endured morethan twomonths without significant rainfall, leavingvegetation exceptionally dry
In the smoking forests, fire crewsusedrakes to dig down into the smoldering forest floor so buried emberscan be dousedwith water,a long and painstaking job. Ukraine becamethe latest country to send help, dispatching 70 people and10 vehicles in the coming days, Nunez said.
Investigators suspect that contractorsclearingaway vegetation inadvertently ignited the blaze last week. But otherfireshavebeen attributed to arsonists or criminal negligence.
Nunezsaid police have made308 arrests in connectionwith blazesthis summer —more than 120 of them involving minors —and that 33 people have either been convicted or are being held
pending court rulings. Blazes continued in other parts of Europe. Manyparts of Greece were listedathigh or extremerisk of wildfires, with strongwinds.Three Greek firefighters died fighting fires this week on the southern island of Crete.
Firefighters weretackling 73 wildfiresaround the country,51ofwhich broke out on Friday, Fire department spokesman Col. Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. The fire department and coastguard usedboats to evacuate morethan250 people from oneofthe largest fires, in Boeotia, and evacuation orders wereissued for several other fires, including one on the western fringes of the Greek capital.
Gale-forcewinds were hampering aircraft from dumping water on the wildfires, he said.
In England,wherehalf thecountry is grippedby drought,firefightersbattled awildfire on an east coast heath in Suffolk, near a nuclear powerstation that fire services said wasn’t threatened.Morethan100 firefighters weredeployed.
“I wouldn’tsay it is under control,” said Henry Griffin, afire officer
BY LISA MASCARO, AAMER MADHANI and COLLIN BINKLEY
Press
ing Ukraine win permission from tech titan Elon Musk to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia. The push for expanded use of Starlink comes as Zelen-
skyy looks for alternate ways to mitigatethe need for U.S. Patriot air defense systemstothwart the steady barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian territory.The interceptors are in shortersupply as theU.S.and Israeli war against Iran continues to rage, and Trump on Friday appeared to back away from arecent commitment to give Ukraine alicense to produce them Zelenskyy made the request directly to Trump in
an Oval Office meeting this week during hiswhirlwind triptoWashington, according to one person familiar with the matter.Healso told lawmakers later on Capitol Hill thathewanted Starlink to help with targeting inside Russia,according to aperson in the room.Both officials spoke on thecondition of anonymity to discuss thesensitive private discussions.Trumpdid notcommit to Zelenskyy’srequest. Musk hasallowed the Ukrainians to useStarlink
inside their own territory, including in Ukrainian regions occupiedbythe Russians, but has restricted use of the satellite system inside Russia. Zelenskyy has been making thecasefor expanded use of Starlink withU.S. officials for at least several weeks. The White House, theUkrainian Embassy in Washington and officials at SpaceX, whichownsStarlink, didnot immediately respond to requestsfor comment on Zelenskyy’sre-
quest. Zelenskyy’sefforts to get Musk’spermission to use Starlinktohelp withUkrainian attacks inside Russia was first reported by The Atlantic. Granting permissionfor an expanded use of Starlink could comewithrisk for Musk. The Associated Pressreported in Decemberthattwo NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a newantisatellite weapon to targetMusk’sStarlink constellation with destructive
orbiting clouds of shrapnel. The intelligence findings were shown to the AP on condition that the services involved were not identified, and the news organization wasnot able to independently verify thefindings’ conclusions. Russia views Starlink as agrave threat, thefindings indicate. The thousands of low-orbitingsatellites have been pivotal for Ukraine’s survival against Russia’s full-scaleinvasion, which began in February 2022.
Work continues
ABOVE and RIGHT: Scaffolding and boom lifts support construction workers as work continues on the new Our Lady of Wisdom church and Catholic Student Center on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus on Tuesday BELOW: A worker takes a measurement as construction continues on Tuesday
By BRAD BOWIE
Garret Graves says he doesn’t plan to run for Congress
Bomb threat clears building
Nearly 400 in Lafayette courthouse evacuated, police say
Staff report
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of around 400 people from the downtown building Friday morning. In a threatening phone call received just after 8:30 a.m. Friday, the caller said multiple times that they intended to bomb the sevenstory courthouse located in the 800 block of South Buchanan Street, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
There were nearly 400 people in the building at the time, including courthouse staff, judges and civilians.
Out of an abundance of caution, they were immediately evacuated with the assistance of the LPSO bailiffs, patrol deputies and other support staff.
Law enforcement investigators, including a trained explosives detection K9 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Police Department, entered the building to begin conducting safety protocols, the news release states.
The courthouse was ultimately deemed safe for reentry, and the “all clear” was given around 10 a.m. The identity of the suspect who called in the threats is still being determined at this time. No further information is available.
Egg recall hits stores in Louisiana
Seven cases of salmonella sickness reported
BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer
The Louisiana Department of Health reported Friday that seven Louisiana residents were sick in connection with a salmonella outbreak from white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs. Three of the seven sick residents were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported, the health department said.
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Former rep says he’s taking a politics ‘detox’ Graves
of different races, and, candidly, nothing’s attractive right now,” Graves said during an interview with Jim Engster on WRKF’s “Talk Louisiana” radio program on Friday
“I’m in detox right now,” Graves said. “I want a little bit more of a reset before I jump back in.”
The former congressman said he still feels drawn to public service and wants to help Louisiana get unmired from the bottom of national rankings.
“I feel a calling to try to step in and push us in a better direction,” he said.
Graves faced slim odds of winning. He declined to run, and Rep. Cleo Fields, a Black Democrat from Baton Rouge, was elected.
“It needs to be the right office. It needs to be the right time.”
In 2024, almost immediately after taking office, Landry and the Legislature reconfigured Louisiana’s congressional map, converting the majority-White district Graves represented at the time into a Black-majority district that
But this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the new district represented by Fields was unconstitutional and ordered state officials back to the drawing board. Landry and the Legislature put together a revised map, adding back another majority-White, Republican-leaning district centered in the Baton Rouge area. Some have speculated that Graves could potentially run in and win that district. But, on Friday, Graves shot down that idea.
“I don’t have plans to run in November,” he said. “I think it’s
just really important that we get someone in there who’s good, who knows what they’re doing and can hit the ground running.”
Engster also asked Graves about former Gov Edwin Edwards. Graves said he got to know the influential politician while running and then defeating him in the race for Congress in 2014.
“We became good friends,” he said.
Graves called Edwards “one of the brightest men that I’ve ever met in my life.”
But he acknowledged the notorious former governor was “a complex guy.”
“I think that he was a great man,” Graves said “He probably didn’t make some great decisions his entire life.
Louisiana is one of 17 states connected to the outbreak that began in November last year Federal officials reported nearly 100 people sickened, including 26 hospitalizations, from recalled eggs as of July 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Midwest Poultry Services, L.P., the egg producer found in connection to the outbreak, has recalled 1,589,577 dozen shell eggs due to possible salmonella contamination.
Recalled eggs were available to consumers at Kroger stores, Brookshire Grocery stores, and Brookshire Grocery-owned stores, including Super 1 Foods and Spring Market in Louisiana. Other stores may have also carried the recalled eggs. The eggs are sold under multiple brand names, including Kroger, Simple Truth, Brookshire’s, CalMaine and Country Morning.
“We encourage anyone who purchased these eggs to check the recall information carefully and discard or return affected products,” said LDH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein in a statement.
BATONROUGE
Sheriff’sOfficebusts large-scaledrugring
Anonymous tipled to surveillance, infiltration
BY OLIVIA TEES
Staff writer
Alarge-scale crystal meth and fentanyl dealer busted this month in Baton Rouge usedtwo fakebusinesses an auto shop and aconstruction firm— as afront for drug money,authorities said. Throughanearly twomonth operation of intensive surveillanceofthe individuals involved and suspected homes, agents with the Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division determined that the dealers were using an automotive shop at 11744 Darryl Drive, near Choctaw Drive, to pretend to be alegitimate source of cash.
On July 2, 19th Judicial District Judge NicoleRobinson signed off on search warrants for six locations suspected as drop houses and storage places for the meth and fentanyl. On July 9, the search warrants were
executed andagents confiscated 147.1 grams of fentanyl, 123.5 grams of crack, 76.9 grams of cocaine and 10.7 grams of meth. Theyalsoconfiscated various amounts of MDMA pills, oxycodone, marijuana, amphetamines, guns and other drug paraphernalia. Oneday afterthe search warrants were executed, deputies arrested Ronny Howard, 40, and RonricoTerrell, 50, on multiple counts including possessionwith intent to distributeSchedule II and IV drugs, operation and creation of aclandestine labfor controlled substances and severalillegalfirearm charges.
In May, an anonymous source told agents about a large-scaledealer —later identified as Howard—who dealt in kilo and multi-kilo quantities of drugs.
Howard owns and operates Ronnie Howard Construction and Howard Auto Sales, both of which are listed at Darryl Driveon their respective websites. Both businesses are in good standing with the state.
Duringthe investigation between Mayand June,
agents observedHoward conducting short non-social visits to multiple residences, something typically associated with drug deals, according to theagents’ yearsofexperience in narcotics.
Accordingtothe search warrant, thedeals occurred in private homes and public areas like gas stations and Cracker Barrelrestaurants.
While attempting surveillance on Howard in his personal car,heexhibitedmultiple counter-intelligence tactics such as using neighborhoods instead of highways as main travel lanes, abruptly speeding, switching lanes and accelerating or braking for no specific reason, the warrant for his arrest said.
This is atactic agentsrefer to as heat checking,which is abnormaland aggressive driving that is not associated with everyday driving. It often also includes changing vehicles when driving to drug deals and subsequently taking themoney back to thebusiness where it will be laundered.
Howard was alsoseen switching between multiple cars such as ared Mini Cooper,awhite Chevy Trax, a
whiteHyundai SUV,a black Jeep Wrangler anda 2025 HyundaiKona, whichwas later identified as arental car According to thewarrant, Howard mademultiple trips to Texas in the rental car and replaced the temporary Coloradolicense plate with another temporary one. Agents identified it as acommon tactic used to travel across state lineswithout beingtracked by police. Thetagswere issued from Howard’sauto shop.
During his trips to Texas, he stopped at multiple places in Beaumont beforedriving back through Lafayette and ending in Baton Rouge, according to the warrant
On June 11, agents set up acontrolled buy withaconfidential informant. The informantpurchasedfentanyl from Courtney Forman, a dealer with Howard,ata residence at 3983 Gus Young Avenue. The deal went through, and Formanwas arrested on June 29.
In addition to thephysical surveillance evidenceagents have gathered, agents were notified of aseries of suspiciousactivities concerning the bank accountsinthe
names of Howard’sbusinesses.
Between Feb. 25 and March 10, Howard deposited $21,050 intoanaccount at the Guaranty Bank andTrust Company and withdrewthe same amount three days later
This series of rapid depositsand withdrawals is called layering and is acommon tactic usedtolimit the transparencyofthe source, accordingtothe warrant Accordingtothe agents in the investigation, this tactic is commonly used to circulate and “launder” the drug money andcirculate it with legit bills
Accordingtothe lawenforcement databases, Howard Auto LLC claimed to make $44 million annually fromsales.However,the investigators whodid surveillanceonthe shopsaidthe shop wasnot consistent with the behaviors of abusiness making that sum of money, according to arrest documents.
During surveillance of the property,agents confirmed that the people at the auto shop did not appeartobe employees or customers.
Instancesof cyclospora typicallyspike in summer
BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer
On Thursday,the Louisiana Department of Health reported that cases of cyclosporiasis, aparasitic infection that can cause weeks of watery diarrhea, have reached 100 in the state.
So far,there have been six hospitalizations in association with the infection and zero deaths.
East Baton RougeParish has the highest number of cases in the state at 20, followedbyLafayette Parish with 18 cases, according to LDH.
Since May,over 6,700 cyclospora cases have been confirmedbythe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. The organization is aware of more than 11,500 additional cases that require further investigation, theCDC reported Tuesday.Many of the additional cases have been reported by Michigan and Ohio.
National investigationsby theCDC identifiedlotsof iceberg lettuce from TaylorFarms de Mexicosold in Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky,Michigan,
RECALL
Continued from page1B
Lot numbers in the recall include:
n Cartons with codes P-1950 or 0840962 with aJulian Date between 157 and 184 printed on the side.
n Products produced in Texas and distributed between June 6and July 3.
n Cartons with sell-by or best-by dates between July 20 and Aug. 17. Salmonella symptoms includediarrhea, feverand stomach cramps.Hospitalization is more common in children younger than 5, adultsover 65 and people with weakened autoimmune systems, according to LDH.
“Do not eat any recalled shell eggs,” said LDH. “Throw them out or return them.”
Ohio and West Virginiaasthe source of the outbreak.
On July 17, Taylor Farms initiated arecall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. The recallincludes iceberg lettuce sold at retail stores and restaurants, as well as other products distributed to food service customers, accordingtothe CDC.
Neither theCDC nor state officials, however,havereportedany connection to Louisiana cyclospora cases. In the first week of July, there were 23 reportedtotal cases of cyclospora in Louisiana. Previously,the state has averaged 20 reported cases over thesame time period during the past five years. The next week, total cases jumped to 43. Then,another increasethe following week, to 79 total cases. Cases ofcyclosporiasis typically spike in thesummer months,with historically active outbreaks in Louisiana between June and August. In theU.S., the cyclosporiasis season is considered May 1 through Aug. 31, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over the past 20 years, between one and 101 cases have been reported annually in Louisiana, with 73 cases reported in 2023.
The LDHgets notice of positive cyclospora cases as soon as they areconfirmed through lab results in hos-
pital medical records.The parasite is diagnosed through agastrointestinal pathogen panel, aone-hour,highly sensitive stool test that simultaneously detectsthe DNA or RNAofmultiple bacteria, viruses and parasites causing diarrhea.
“Thisisa rare one,”said Dr.Katie Taylor,who runs infection control andoutbreak managementatOur Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. “(Cyclospora) tends to last longerand may improve and relapsebefore it completely resolves.”
The threshold for hospitalization, sitting at six so far in Louisiana, rests primarily on dehydration.
“Louisianahas slightly higherthannormal levels goingaround right now,”Taylor said. “The center of where this is happening is around Michigan.”
What is cyclospora?
Cyclospora is amicroscopic,spherical parasite that commonly causeswatery diarrhea “withfrequent and sometimesexplosivebowel movements,” according to the CDC. The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is not usually life-threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics. As far as epidemiologists know,humans are theonly species thatcan contract cyclosporiasis
The heat-loving para-
siteinfectsthe bowels and spreads through feces.In thepast, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated water
Therates of cyclosporiasis cases are generally higher in developing countries, according to Nnedu, and some previous outbreaks of theillness were linked to imported produce.
Foods like baggedsalad mixesand kits, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, raspberries, snow peas andgreen onions more commonly carry the parasite.
People with diarrhea that hasn’tresolved on its own within afew days should see ahealth providerand discuss the possibilityofcyclospora, officials say.
“If diarrhea is prolonged, thatgoes on for morethan two days unstopped, you may want to talk with your physician,” Nnedu said.
Continue to watchout for other symptoms as well, like abdominal pain and nausea. Investigations can take months to determine where contaminated food came fromand sometimes fail to find aclear source of the parasitic infection. The best way to prevent infection with aparasite is to avoidfood or water that may have been contaminated. Fresh produce should be thoroughly washedbefore being eaten, especially for immunocompromised people who are at agreater risk of infection.But be aware that cyclospora can stick to some foods, so washing may noteliminate the risk of infection.
It is also best to cook vegetables when possible and practice standard good hygiene before meals.
EmailMargaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
N.Y.calls Kalshi ‘illegal gambling operation’
New York officials suedprediction market platform Kalshi for potentially billions of dollars on Friday,calling it an “illegal, unlicensedgambling operation” that includessports wagering as the state seeks to halt itsoperationsand forcethe companytoforfeit its profits. Kalshi and other platforms argue they are federallylicensed andregulated, and states have no authority to govern them. Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarketallow trading on the likelihood of awiderange of eventssuchas sports, politics, news andeven the weather
“No matter what they call themselves, prediction markets like Kalshi are gambling platforms, plain and simple. By ignoring our laws, Kalshiis runninganillegal operation and harming New Yorkers in the process,” Attorney General LetitiaJames said in astatement. James’ office is requesting that Kalshi be ordered to forfeit all illegalgains,pay restitution to consumers who wereharmed and payfines equal to three timesthe company’sgains. In a court filing, state officials provideda roughestimate of the damagesand costs sought by the lawsuit —$36 billion.
FCC chairman defends actions againstABC
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan CarronFriday defended his agency’srecent actions against ABC, saying broadcasters have aduty to “operate in the public interest” and the FCC is merelytrying to restore that standard.
Broadcasters like ABC, Carr said in an interview on the Fox Business Network, “struck a deal with the American people. Youbroadcasters get subsidizedaccess, free access to a valuable public resource, the airwaves, worth billions of dollars.Inexchange, you have to operate in the public interest.”
“Look, as acountry,weshould have atrusted, respected news media, andwe’re notthere,” Carr told anchor Maria Bartiromo. “So Ihope more broadcastersreturntotheir public interest obligations.”
ABC accused the agency of retaliating against it simply because it doesn’tlikethe political content of ABC’sshows.
Social media companies sued over teens’ deaths
The families of four teenagers whodiedbysuicide are suingMeta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube over what they describe as “years of escalating harms” from using their platforms that eventually resulted in their deaths.
The lawsuit, filed Thursdayin the Superior Court of Delaware, is the latest in aflurry of suits filed against the social media giants that alleges theirplatforms are addictive and dangerous
The complaint wasfiledon behalf of four familiesfrom Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota and Tennessee whose children died over a14-month period starting in July 2024 throughSeptember 2025.
TheSocial Media Victims LawCenter is bringing thesuit on behalf of the families, and its founding attorney,Matthew Bergman,said it’s“particularly salient”thatthe children in this case died “long after” similar suits had been filed. “These platforms continue to kill kids, despite theplatitudes of their executives,” Bergman said in an interview.“This is a clear and present danger to the health and safety of children, notjust in the United States but around the world.”
The four teens each experienced harmsincluding social media addiction, severe sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation after years of usingthe social platforms, thecomplaint states. LiviCastro died at age13, Riv Kelleher at 14, Nathaniel Chambers at age 17 and Dawson Holden at 18.
BUSINESS
THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business
Amazon soars, Applesinks,oil stayshigh
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEW YORK U.S. stocksroseFriday to finish awild July for Wall Street as Amazon leaped,Apple sankand risingoil prices worsened worries aboutinflation staying high.
It’safitting finish to July for the U.S. stock market, which lurched up and down as oil prices shot high-
er because of thewar with Iran andworries grew about whether BigTech’s massiveinvestments in artificial-intelligence technology will translate into profits and whether chipmaker stockssoared toohigh in the euphoria around AI Friday’sgains sent theS&P 500 to its first winning week in three, but the main measureofthe U.S stock market nevertheless finished the month with atiny loss.
Amazonled themarket with aleap of 15.3% after reporting much stronger profit for thelatest quarter than analysts expected.
Itsprofit more than tripled from ayear earlier,thanks in part to an acceleration of growth in its cloud computing business.
Analysts said that could be a signal Amazon’shuge AI investments are paying off, and Amazon increased its forecast forhow much it will spend on investments this year
Chip companies selling the processors andcomputermemory thatsuch “hyperscalers” are scrambling to buyswung sharply again on Friday.Micron Technology,for example, wentfrom an ear-
ly jump of 6.4% to alossof6.5% before finishing with afall of 5.9%.
More firmly on the losing end of Wall Street was Apple,which dropped 7.4% despite reporting strongerprofit for the latest quarterthanexpected.Its forecastfor revenue growthinthe current quarterfellshort of expectations, which executives pinned on asupply crunchincomponents getting vacuumed up in the AI boom
The pricefor abarrel of Brent crude rose 1.2% to settle at $87.93 after careening between $72and $102 earlier in July
Major oilcompanies reap massive profitsduringconflictwithIran
BY CATHY BUSSEWITZ Associated Press
NEWYORK American oil and gas giants rakedinmassive spring profitswhile fightingbetween Iran and the U.S. impeded petroleum shipments andconsumers around the world paid morefor fuel and confronted shortages.
The conflict, now in its sixth month, halted most shipping through theStraitofHormuz, anarrow waterway that previously served as adelivery route for afifthofthe world’s oil and natural gas. With global supplies constrained, prices forBrent crude, theinternationalstandard, soared from about $70 to above $100 abarrel for much of March, April and May,and atone point reached $126.
The money that oil companies accrued between thebeginning of April and the end of June couldreceiveextra scrutiny this year
Gasoline, diesel andjet fuelprices climbed sharply during that period, increasing costs for drivers and airline passengers. Supplies ranlow in somecountries, leading to sporadicfuel rationing in Australia and government officeclosures in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profitsdoubled to $14.53 billion, boosted by record diesel production. The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas,brought in $116.02 billion in revenue, up 42%.
Chevron,based in Houston, nearlyquadrupledits profitsto$12.07 billion and revenue jumped56% to$70.06 billion.
SixofEurope’slargest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than last year
“There areconstituenciesaroundthe world who are having avery good crisis, and the oil producers are one of them,” said Patrick Galey,fossil fuels lead at Global Witness, a nonprofit organization that investigates environmental issues. “When you compare thatto the hundreds of millionsofpeople whoare struggling with rolling blackouts, with electricity curbs, rationing, waiting in line for food queues, or thedisruption to fertilizers andthe potentialimpactthat thathas on food prices, we don’tthink that it’s ajustifiable pricefor the restofthe world tobepaying.”
Lawmakerspropose taxing oilproducers Energy companies such as Exxon and Chevron do notset the price of American oil, which ricocheted from $68 to $115 abarrelduring thequarter.It’sdriven by supply and demand,and what traders, refiners and other buyers are willing to pay
Nevertheless, Democrats in Congress introducedbills in Marchtotax major oil producersfor profits they showfrom 2026 onward and havethe tax proceeds redistributedtoconsumers.
“It’sfairtoput awindfall profitstax on inordinate windfall profits ratherthancut off children’s food programs,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., whointroduced the Senate version of the legislation Whitehouse’smeasure and acompanion bill introducedbyU.S.Rep.RoKhanna,
D-Calif., would amendthe U.S.tax code to impose aper-barrel tax on companiesthat produced or imported at least300,000 barrels of oil per day in 2025.
“Wecracked $4 again per gallon last weekend in gas stations that Idrove by,and that’s abig expense, particularly for families that gettheir income fromdriving around from jobtojob in the work vanorthe work truck,” Whitehouse said.
Theaverage pricefor agallonofregular gasoline in theU.S., which was below $3 before theU.S. and Israel launched attackson Iran,reached $4.11 Friday, about$1more than ast year at this time.
The UK andother European countries implemented temporarywindfall profits taxes on fossil fuel companies in 2022. The UK extendedthatto2030, according to Tax Foundation Europe.
“Penalizing the businesses whostood by those countries and providedthat product going forwardisveryshortsighted,”Exxon CEO Darren Woods said in acall with investors Friday. “Wecanceled investments that we had planned for Europe based on the last time they passed awindfall profits tax.”
Return on refining ‘has skyrocketed’
Outfits such as Exxon and Chevron, which alsoown refineries, areinthe best position to profit from the current market conditions, said TomSeng, assistantprofessor of energy finance at Texas Christian University
Refineries turn oil intogasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil. Higher prices for those products meant Chevron’squarterly refinery profit was six timesasbig in 2026, despite processing lesscrude and selling less products.
“The return on refining, on apercentage basis, hasskyrocketed,” Seng said. “Oil right now is priced what it is priced because of the Iran war.But in themeantime, the refineries are making money hand over fist.”
The global refining market is undersupplied, and with countries such as Russia and China no longer exporting, companieslike Exxonand Chevron have to pick it up, said RobThummel, seniorportfolio manager at Tortoise Capital. “The worldisgoing to be short jet fuel, diesel and gasoline, so we’ll probably continue to see higher profits there.” Globally,not allrefineries havebeen able to getthe supply of crudeoil they need to meet demand since theconflictbegan,said Timothy Fitzgerald, aUniversity of Tennessee professor of business economics who studies the petroleum industry
As aresult, refineries that have ample oil to work with, including those in the U.S., are turning high profits, particularly when they make jet fuel and diesel, which is priced about 41% higher in the U.S. than before the Strait of Hormuz was blocked.
“Ifyou’re acompany that owns abunch of refinery capacity,things look pretty good,” Fitzgerald said.
American refineries are running at near-full capacity andpoisedtobenefitbecause some refineries in theMiddleEast andRussiawere damaged. And Asia can’tget the amount of Middle East oil needed for refining.
“Ultimately,users of theenergyservices pay,” Fitzgerald said. “Consumers, people like youand me buying retailmotor gasoline or diesel fuel or airplane tickets. But it also means thatalmost everything else we buy has an embedded energy content to it and this is where you start to worry about it driving increases in costs.”
Exxon and Chevron weren’tasprofitable in the first quarter due to the way oil is traded; thefirstreal opportunity they hadtotake advantage of higher prices oil wasinApril. Companies that hada lotofoil stored in floating tankers and available forspot-market trading, including some Europeanones, wereable to benefit from March’shigher oil prices, Seng said.
BY CHAN HO-HIM Associated Press
Anthropic said its artificial intelligencemodels hacked into three other organizations during testing, just daysafter ChatGPT maker OpenAIraisedconcerns overAI controls afteritdisclosed itsrogue models hacked another company.
Anthropic, theSan FranciscobasedAI companybehind Claude, postedonits websiteThursday that it discovered thethree incidents after reviewing morethan 141,000 evaluation runs. It had launcheda “large-scale” cybersecurity review which specifically lookedfor evidence whether itsAImodels wereabletoaccess the internet from within testing en-
vironments that shouldhavebeen sealed off, in response to the OpenAI incident,Anthropic said.
Anthropic saidthe models involved in the incidentswere ClaudeOpus 4.7, Claude Mythos 5and an internal research test model. The earliest incidents date to April, theAIcompany said. “Claude compromised the impacted organizations’ infrastructure using basic techniques,” Anthropicsaid, such as exploiting weak passwords. In all three incidents, the AI models were taskedwitha“capturethe flag” cybersecuritychallenge,whichAnthropicsaid has been one of the ways it assesses a model’scyber capabilities.
The modelswere givena fic-
tional scenario andtolda piece of secret information,orthe “flag,” hadbeen hidden on adifferent machineonthe network with the objective of breaking in and retrievingit, it said. It added that it had already reached out to the affected organizations, which it didnot name. Two of them saidtheyhad notpreviously detected the activity.Anthropic saiditwas “continuing to reach out to thethird.”
Anthropicsaiditconducted its reviewwith Irregular,which describes itself as the “first frontier securitylab.” “Addressing these risks will require closer cooperationacross the AI ecosystem,” Irregular saidinapost on X. Last week,OpenAI said itsAI
modelswent rogueduringan evaluation of its models, breaking into the servers of AI startup Hugging Face. OpenAI described it as a“significant security incident.”
These incidents have highlighted the vulnerabilities in AI security and controls and raised questions over how AI can be safely kept under human control as the technology’susagebecomes morewidespread globally
Researchershavewarnedfor yearsabout risksfrom technology and the need for stronger AI defensive engineering.
“Safety testing happens before amodelisreleasedprecisely because we don’tyet knowwhatit is capable of,” Anthropic said on Thursday on its website.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS Atruck enters the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins Plant on April 29 in Baytown, Texas
OPINION
ANOTHERVIEW
Is Jon Ossoff theleaderthat Democratswant?
Meet Jon Ossoff. At 39, he’s thenation’syoungest U.S. senator. Elected from the swing state of Georgia, he’s smart, focused and strongonthe attack.And if some Democratshavetheir way,hecould betheir party’snominee for president in 2028.
Ron Faucheux
Democrats are tired of Donald Trump setting the agenda. Many worrytheir current crop of presidential candidates falls shortofwhatthey need:a new generation leader whocan win, govern andrebuild the party Growing excitement surrounds Ossoff’s prospects even though he’slargely unknown to most voters andcurrently denies interest in aWhite House bid. That may change afterNovember,when Ossoff is favored to win reelection,but his victory is not guaranteed;federal elections in Georgia are often perilously close Ossoff grew upinAtlanta andismarried to Alisha Kramer,anOB-GYN at Emory University.Theyhave two daughters. His mother is an Australian immigrant,and his father is an attorney-turned-publisher In high school, Ossoff interned forcivil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis. AgraduateofGeorgetown’sSchool of ForeignService,heearneda master’sdegree fromthe London School of Economics. Ossoff has worked as alegislativeassistantonCapitol Hill andasCEO of atelevision productioncompany that created documentariesabout foreign corruption. Ossoff narrowly lostaspecialelectionfor Congress in 2017. Four years later,hedefeated Republican Sen. David Perdue, becoming the first millennialinthe Senate and the firstJewishsenator fromGeorgia
Knowing howDemocratic strategists viewpresidential prospects tells us why anew face likeOssoff hasappeal
Many expect Kamala Harris, 61, to fade once the race starts, arguing her currentstrength rests onnamerecognition more than loyalty. Gavin Newsom, 58, dazzles on television andonline,but some fear he’stoo slickfor Sheboygan
They thinkPete Buttigieg,44, ran an impressive presidential campaign in 2020, but were less impressedwith his performance as aBiden cabinetmember.U.S. Rep. AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez, 36,is as hipand modernasa Democrat can be —but insiders wonder whether aselfdescribed Democraticsocialist canwin anational election. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, 53,earns praisefor intelligence, competence and calm. But skepticsfear he’s too moderate, too pro-Israel and toocautious forthe progressive base. Arizona’sMark Kelly,62, looksgoodonpaper —astronaut, veteran, swing-state senator —yet may lack thespark Democratscrave. Illinois Gov.JBPritzker,61, is popular with pundits and politicians, but do Democratsreally wantabillionaire leading their ticket as they runonclosingthe wealth gap? Kentucky Gov.Andy Beshear,48, has an aura of moderation and electability,but strategists question whether he could ever capture the party’sprogressive base, which will likely have veto power over the next nominee. Andthenthere’s Rahm Emanuel, 66:tough, brilliant, able. He’s been amayor,House member,ambassadorand presidential chief of staff. Yettomany, he’stoo much the insider, lacking appealamong rank-and-file voters. Wheredoesthatleave Ossoff? Young, telegenicand battle-tested in aswing state. Acrisp communicatorwith strong support among Georgia’sBlack voters and suburban women. His attacks on Donald Trumpand JD Vance land hard —sharp, straightforward androoted in facts His online video clips have put him on themap. Noteverybody will agreewithOssoff on everyissue He’scriticized the Iran war,voted to convict Trumpduring his second impeachment, supports abortion rights and wants to ban members of Congress andtheir spousesfrom trading stocks. He voted withJoe Biden 97% of the time. He’sopposedthe Green New Deal, defunding police, abolishingICE and single-payer healthcare. While he’scommitted to “thesecurity of Israel,”and acknowledges the “ironclad” U.S.-Israel relationship, Ossoff doesn’tfavor unconditional Americansupport. His youth could hurt as well as help, though he’s older than AOC and only slightly youngerthan Vance. Asa national candidate, Ossoff is untested. He may be too far leftfor centrists, and not farenough left for Democratic socialists. Hisposition on Israel will be closely watchedby pro- and anti-Israel Democrats. Nonetheless, Ossoff checks alot of boxes forDemocrats. He’snot ahousehold name, butthat’spartofthe appeal: less baggage, more runway and astory still being written. Democrats often fall in love withunknowns running for president. JFK and Barack Obama come to mind.Will Jon Ossoff be next?
Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.
When
data center doublesinsize, howwillitimpactneighbors?
Re:“Metaplans $40 billion expansionofLouisiana AI data center, morethan doubling itssize.”
Ijustwonder if Richland Parish is aware of what they’re in for Otherplaces said, “Wedon’twant it.” Louisiana said, “I want it, Iwant it.” Otherplaces are concerned about the water and energy usage. They said theyare building moreenergy resources, which is going to make energy cheaper for residents. Really? Idon’tknow,ask Entergy People in places like Southaven, Mississippi, are saying the constant hum and whirring is driving themcrazy.Isthis one going to be quieter? How is thatpossible with aplace four times the size of New
York City’sCentral Park? What happens to the value of the land near this gigantic AI center? They’re touting jobs. After constructioniscompleted, what kind of jobs, besides maintenance? Afterall, this is an AI center; you won’tneed too many others. Right now, there’salot of tax talk, contributions and promises which will lastfor how long? Until 2032? 2036? Hmm. As Isaid, I’m just wondering, and Iguess I’m worried, too. At my age, Iwon’tbeherewhen it all comes to pass, but that doesn’tstop me from being concerned for my grands and great-grands. And for my state.
CAROLYN ROUSSEAU Slidell
Articleabout Trump’s‘unproven’claimsshowedbias
Istrongly disagree with the headline in theJuly 17 paper, which stated: “Trump uses address to push unproven claims about past elections.” The Associated Press article should have disclosed the documents that were released and let the public make their own determination.
For example, Ihave only reviewed one document so far,and it showed dead citizens and non itizens registered to voteincertain states.Would it have changed
theresults of the election? Probably not, yet several states refuse to disclose theinformation to the federal government.
This bias makes people lose faith in thenews media. For example, for at least three years, Rachel Maddow spoke about the Russian collusion and implied President Donald Trumpwas guilty. What about an apology for being wrong?
Re: “Baton Rouge man wanted for allegedly towingaway vehicles, selling them using forged papers.”
It sounds to me likethe towtruck driver needs to be nominated for the Golden Deeds award! He’sdoing more to clean up the city than anyone that Iknow of. True, he may have bent afew rules and possibly stepped over theline abit, but all things considered, he is doing agreat public service in clearing junk cars from thestreets of Baton Rouge.
If we can find eight or 10 more like-minded good citizens,we could clean this city up about as fast as Donald Trumpsecured the border Does this tow-truck driver pos-
sibly have somefriends whoknow how to tear down oldabandoned houses?
If that be thecase, we could turn them loose on that project as well, give them about $500 each, give them the scrap material and we could clean up Baton Rouge in ajiffy Ihave one more bright idea. It involves cleaning up the trash and old tires that litter Baton Rouge streets. Ihave thefeeling that entrepreneurslike our tow-truck driver could be an asset in this regard.
Sometimes to actually get thingsdone, one needs to think outside the box.
JOE T. SMITH Baton Rouge
Faucheux’s numbersnot in linewith other findings
RonFaucheux’sJuly 18 op-ed, “Polls showhow Americans see the issues,” shows how unsound his arguments are. He starts with adoozy:
“In recentmonths …Donald Trump’sjob approval ratings have remained steady. His latest rating averages 43%,exactly where it was four months ago. The president’scriticsfind that hard to believe;theykeep hearing about individualpolls showing his popularity falling. But polling averages,whichcombine results from multiple surveys, have shown little movement.”
Ilike polling averages, and agreethatweshould not rely on single polls like the FoxNews poll publishedMay 20th, showing Trump’soverall jobperformance with 39% approval and 61% disapprovalrates
But lo andbehold, Fox News was notalone in finding farlower approval ratings than Faucheux’s numbers.
Taking just the four months of this March-June, 196 national polls publishedhaveanidentical averageof39% approval/61% disapproval of the president overall. Getting even pickier,byonly including the subset of 47 polls that metThe New York Times’ criteria of being “select pollsters,” that approval rating drops to 36.9%.
Forthose who think thatthere is notmuchdifference between 43 and36.9or39, just imagine which poll numberany politician would ratherhave.
Evenour esteemedgovernor droppedfrom58% ayear ago to 43% in March, according to the Pelican Institute for Public Policy studiesreported in this newspaperJuly 19.
GARYCLEMENTS NewOrleans
ANALYSIS
Bresee’s injury comes at toughtime forhimself, Saints
NewOrleans linemanset to getsecondopinion on knee
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
Bryan Bresee will receive asecond opinion on his knee injury that is feared to be a torn ACL, but the New Orleans Saintsare operating as if they willbewithoutastarting defensive lineman after he got hurt duringthe team’s firsttrainingcamp practice Wednesday
“It’stough,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said.
Theinjuryhurts on multiple levels. Bresee is acritical piece upfront who haddeveloped quite nicely sincethe Saints drafted him 29th overall in 2023. For Bresee, having to miss an entire season comes at abrutal time as he perhaps wouldhavebeeninline for amajor payday next offseason
Instead, Bresee’sinjury willtest the Saints by seeing if the youth movement they’ve experienced over the last two drafts is actually ready to contribute. In back-to-back years, theSaints used Day 2picks on defensive linemen in third-rounder Vernon Broughton in 2025 and second-rounder ChristenMiller this year
New Orleans had wanted to see whether either would be able to contribute by beating out any of the incumbent starters. Now? The chances are one of them will be forced into thespotlight, ready or not.
“We’ll use training camp and preseason games and all these opportunities tokindof evaluate that,” Moore said.“And we’ll have agood opportunity there. We’ve gotsome talented guys in that room, some veterans, some young guys that will get plentyofreps
ä See BRESEE, page 3C STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Saints defensivelineman BryanBresee stretches during organized team activities on May28atthe team’sindoor practice facility in Metairie. Bresee suffered what is feared to be atornACL on the first dayofcamp.
DE ED DEAL
wide receiver Chris Olave runs adrill on Friday
Olave signed afour-year,$132 millioncontract
Chris Olavestrode intothe Saints’ indoor practice facility Friday like aman who’d had theweight of the world lifted from his shoulders.
Who could blame him?
Only 24 hours removed from signingablockbuster four-year,$132 million contract, thestar receiver was allsmiles as he addressed reporters after the team’s thirdpractice of training camp.
“I feel great, actually,” he said, breaking into adevilish grin.
Alife-changing contract and long-term financial security will do that for you.
Olave’scontract was the second-largest in Saintshistory, trailing only Derek Carr’sfour-year,$150 million deal in 2023. It also makes him thesixth-highest-paid receiver in the NFL. No Saintsskill position player ever has been rewarded with such alucrative deal.
Olavealways has been aman of few words. Quiet by nature, he prefers to let his game do his talking for
him.But he wasthoughtful and expansive with reporters on Friday as he discussed the roller-coaster ride he’snavigated the last fewyears. At this timeayear ago, he didn’t know whether he had afuture, much less asecure one. He wascoming off the worst season of his career,an injury-riddled campaign that limited him to only eight games andacareer-low 32 receptions for400 yards. A series of concussions caused him to contemplate retirementinthe 2025 offseason.
Jeff Duncan ä See DUNCAN, page 3C
Kiffinplanningfor LSUTEGreen
BYJON BLAU Staff writer
When LSU coachLane Kiffin paid avisit to the SEC Network last week, the broadcast crew’sresident tight end, Benjamin Watson vouched for one of his own.
“I’m living vicariously through him, so I want to see him go off this year,” Watson told Kiffin, referencingTigerstight end Trey’Dez Green. “Please tellme he’s gonna go off Kiffin, ever the prankster,couldn’thelp but give Watson an answer he didn’t like.
“We’re really excited aboutputting himin the Bgap,” the coach said.“We really think he can lead block.” Considering thewide smile on Green’s face throughouthis interview sessions at SEC media days in Tampa,Florida,last week, Kiffin’slie wasn’tfoolinganyone Green, the 6-foot-7, 237-pound junior,has lined up nearly everywheresince his new coach arrivedinBaton Rouge,includingin athree-point stance, in theslot andout wide.
Instead of crashing into 300-pound defensive tackles in the Bgap,he’sfeltthe freedom of running untouched through unoccupied spaces
“I’ve been so open in his offense,” Green said. “I’vebeen having so much fun.”
Wherever he lines up, Green shouldn’tbe hard to find. The formerbasketballplayeris taller than everyone on thefield and has the athleticism to outleap them all.
“He fits part of this decision of why you come to LSU,” said Kiffin, who left Ole Miss after sixseasons.“Yougot players in the state that look and play like him, and then they wanna come to LSU.You’re theonly school that they go to in thestate.”
Kiffin has moreserious ideas on how to usethe long,explosive athletes he inherited.
He thinks back to his time as the Alabama offensivecoordinator,specifically a2015 nationaltitle gameversusClemson where tight end O.J. Howard hauled in five passes for 208 yards and two scores. Early in the contest, the6-6,250-pounder was an in-line blocker versus defensive
ends and linebacker for star ru Howard som backfield and Buthedid He swung into sus athird-and-3 for 25 yards Later in the slot receiver screen before wide open, He had anot in a45-40 victo three-point the Clemson down thesea Tight ends fense. Form Saban, who crew,recall that pull li scrimmage
But Olave rebounded with abreakout year last season. He started 16 games and recorded career highs of 100receptions, 1,163 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. He also started to blossom as aleader in thelocker room,anarea he’d been hesitant to embrace untilhefelt like he wasready
Even with Olave’sbreakout season, the Saints were
,helping open holes ck Derrick Henry motionedinto the patfullback er over the B gap flat, wide open veritz. Howard rumbled Clemson 29 e, Howard lined up at inga block on a quick zoomed down the field, 53-yard touchdown rlong touchdown, 51 yards, y. Howard started in a ce but exploded past secondary, straight et open in Kiffin’s ofrAlabama coach Nick joined the SEC Network dKiffin’s play-action concepts ebackers toward the line of abandoning the middle of the
LSUtightend Trey’Dez Green
STAFFFILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Saints
during training camp at the team’spractice facility in Metairie.
withthe Saints on Thursday. STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
JUAREZ
Cameron
Young shares lead at Rocket Classic
BY LARRY LAGE AP sportswriter
DETROIT Cameron Young bird-
ied seven of his first eight holes in the second round of the Rocket Classic and thought he had a shot at the lowest score in PGA Tour history
“I was thinking 55,” he said.
Young cooled off with two birdies on his back nine in a bogeyfree round, closing with a Detroit Golf Club-record tying 61 to reach 10 under for the tournament to tie Patrick Cantlay (66) and Patrick Fishburn (66) atop the leaderboard Friday
“You hate to call it a disappointing 61,” he said, lamenting missing many birdie opportunities that prevented him from breaking Jim Furyk’s record 58 that has stood for a decade.
Young, the No. 3 player in the world with three wins this season, shot a 59 in 2024 at the Travelers Championship and had a chance to join Furyk with multiple sub60 rounds on the PGA Tour
“It felt like I had a 10-footer for birdie on pretty much every hole,” Young said.
A lot of players took advantage of one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour
Matt Wallace (64) and Rickie Fowler (68) were two shots back.
Fowler surged into the lead — briefly — at 11 under before falling back to the pack. He threeputted from 24 feet to bogey No. 11 and went from thigh-high fescue to a greenside bunker at No. 13, leading to his second of three bogeys on the back nine.
“Nice to finish with birdie on 18,” said Fowler, whose sixth and last win was the 2023 Rocket Classic. “A lot of good stuff today and nice to be in a good spot for the weekend.”
First-round leader Peter Malnati, who followed up his 61 on Thursday with a 71, was another stroke back in a large group that included Xander Schauffele (66) Hideki Matsuyama (68) extended the PGA Tour’s longest active cuts streak to 30 by getting to 5 under with a slew of players, including Tony Finau (67), who is hoping to improve his positioning to be among the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings after next week’s Wyndham Championship
“I check it pretty much every tournament just kind of see where I’m at, even on off weeks,” said Finau, the 2022 Rocket Classic champion, who entered the tournament No. 87 in the standings. Matt Kuchar was another stroke back, getting a boost from his seventh career ace with a 9-iron on the 156-yard, par-3 5th hole. Kuchar invited a kid to join him inside the ropes to retrieve the ball, which he signed with a black marker
Skubal is the big prize, but buyers have other options
MLB’s trade deadline is Monday, and several top pitchers could be moving
BY DAVID BRANDT AP baseball writer
A trio of powerful pitching arms
— including two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta and Mason Miller
— highlight the intriguing candidates who could switch teams as Major League Baseball’s trade deadline approaches.
The deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.
Skubal — a 29-year-old lefthander who will be a free agent this offseason — is in the midst of another strong year for the Detroit Tigers after winning back-toback Cy Youngs in 2024 and 2025.
The left-hander missed about five weeks earlier in the season because of surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow, but he has bounced back quickly
He’s been excellent over his last five starts, with a 2.03 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 31 innings.
One thing complicating Skubal’s availability is the Tigers have played better of late and they’re hanging around the American League wild-card race, just 4½ games back for the final playoff spot going into Friday’s games
— albeit with five teams ahead of them But if a juicy offer is presented, it’ll be hard to say no.
Detroit’s uncertain playoff fate is a common problem for teams as the deadline approaches. There is a handful of obvious buyers at the deadline like the Yankees, Rays, Brewers, Braves and Dodgers. There is also a small group of obvious sellers like the Rockies, Giants, Angels, Mets, Athletics and Royals.
But that leaves nearly 20 other teams who are in the middle and could be buyers, sellers or a combination of both.
Here’s a look at some of the top trade candidates as Monday’s deadline approaches.
Starting pitchers
Peralta,Mets: The right-hander has had a disappointing season, which is a common refrain for the Mets, but his strikeout numbers are still good He was excellent for the Brewers over the previous three seasons. If he can fix his command issues, he could help a contender
Joe Ryan, Twins: Another powerful arm, the right-hander has been an All-Star in each of the past two seasons. It’s unclear if the Twins are buyers or sellers in a crowded American League race — they added reliever A.J. Minter from the Mets on Friday so continued buying seems more likely If the Twins decide to move Ryan, though, it could bring back a solid
return.
Foster Griffin, Nationals: The veteran lefty has been outstanding in his return to MLB after spending three seasons in Japan with a 12-2 record and 2.76 ERA. The Nationals are still in the mix for a playoff spot in the National League, but they will likely still be willing to listen to offers.
Reid Detmers, Angels: The lefthander has been a bright spot in a mostly dismal season for the Angels with 145 strikeouts in 125 innings. Los Angeles will want a sizable return for the 27-year-old, who is still under team control for the next two seasons.
Clay Holmes, Mets: The 33-year-old made a successful transition from reliever to starter in 2025 and was having another solid season before he fractured his right fibula on a comeback liner in May The right-hander is in the midst of a minor-league rehab assignment and nearing his return.
Robbie Ray, Giants: The two-time All-Star and 2021 Cy Young winner doesn’t have the wipeout, strikeout stuff that he possessed early in his career, but he’s been very good for San Francisco this season with a 10-6 record and 3.08 ERA.
Relief pitchers
Miller, Padres: The game’s most dominant closer, Miller has a jawdropping 85 strikeouts over 452/3 innings, 28 saves and an 0.79 ERA. Relievers usually don’t command huge returns during trade deadline deals, but Miller is an exception, particularly because the 6-foot-5 righty is still under team control for three more years.
Adrián Morejón, Padres: The lefthanded Cuban has been a key part of the Padres’ bullpen for the past three seasons. He’s a free agent after the season, which means he could be on the move.
Luke Weaver, Mets: The veteran righty has found his niche after making the full-time move to the bullpen in 2024. He’s not necessarily a closer, but he does have some experience in the role. He
was very good for the Yankees in the playoffs during their run to the World Series in 2024.
Jeff Hoffman Blue Jays: The righthander lost his job as the team’s closer earlier this season, but his strikeout numbers are still excellent with 72 punchouts over 46 innings.
Position players
Luis Arraez, Giants, 2B: The threetime batting champion and fourtime All-Star is in the midst of one of his best seasons and has flashed improved defense at second base. He is an elite contact hitter who rarely strikes out and is a free agent after the season.
Ryan Jeffers, Twins, C: Jeffers recently returned from the injured list and has a career-high .928 OPS this season. His ability to provide pop from the right side will make him a popular trade target, though the Twins might not be willing to make a deal since they’re still in the playoff hunt.
Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays, OF: The 30-year-old slugger is one of the game’s better athletes and won a Gold Glove in 2024. He’s an upcoming free agent, but he has playoff experience and can still provide great defense with some left-handed power
CJ Abrams, Nationals, SS: Washington will want a big return for the AllStar shortstop, who is in the midst of his best year and is under team control for the next two seasons. But if a contender is willing to offer a big package of prospects, the ascending Nationals will likely listen.
Zach Neto,Angels, SS: Neto has been one of the Angels’ best players over the last three seasons. He’s a solid defender and provides a good amount of right-handed power though his strikeout numbers have been high this season.
Luis García, Nationals, 1B: The lefthanded slugger has quietly put together his best season with 23 homers and 76 RBIs. He doesn’t walk much, but has one more year of team control and is still just 26 years old.
Connecticut Sun trades ex-LSU star Morrow to Toronto Tempo
BY RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writer
Former LSU star forward Aneesah Morrow is headed to a new home.
The second-year WNBA player was traded Friday from the Connecticut Sun to the Toronto Tempo for the rights to forward Maria Kliundikova and a 2028 se co nd -r ou nd pick. It marked the first major move
in the WNBA on the weekend of the trade deadline. Morrow was included in rumors as a valuable young piece on a team with the second-worst record in the league. Through her first 20 games of the season, Morrow has averaged 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds with the Sun. Morrow is the second former LSU Tiger to be traded this season Weeks before the season started, Angel Reese was traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream. Reese recently played in her third All-Star Game and debuted the release of her Barbie doll.
The Sun is set to move to Houston after this season as the league plans to revive the Houston Comets franchise. The Tempo is in its inaugural season, and Morrow will get an opportunity to shine in the front court. The Tempo is led by the veteran guard duo of Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes. Sykes is currently out with a foot injury, and Mabrey tied the single-game WNBA scoring record of 53 points on June 25 Email Rashad Milligan at rashad.milligan@theadvocate. com.
Romo on leave from CBS after July 23 DUI arrest
Tony Romo has been placed on leave from his role as the lead analyst on CBS’ NFL coverage following his arrest last week on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.
CBS Sports announced Friday that the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was on leave “until further notice.” JJ Watt will join Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as CBS Sports’ lead NFL team during Romo’s absence.
Romo, 46, was arrested July 23 after he was stopped while driving south on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office report, Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests before getting taken into custody, booked and released. He has a court date set for Sept. 21.
Ryu takes a 1-shot lead at British Women’s Open
LYTHAM ST ANNES, England Haeran Ryu birdied No. 18 to complete a 2-under 69 for a one-shot lead after two rounds of the British Women’s Open on Friday as the South Korean star pursues a third consecutive major victory
Ryu overcame a tough start including a double bogey on the par-3 5th to tally five birdies and reach 7 under overall at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
Shiho Kuwaki of Japan was one shot back after her 70, and overnight leader Jeeno Thitikul and Yealimi Noh were tied for third, both two strokes behind Ryu.
“I’m just trying to have fun on the course because this course is (very) stressful,” Ryu said, citing “a lot of bunkers” plus windy conditions.
Twins acquire reliever Minter from Mets in trade NEW YORK — The Minnesota Twins acquired left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets for minor league infielders Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick on Friday, reinforcing a thin bullpen ahead of the trade deadline.
The 19-year-old Agbayani, who is the son of former Mets fan favorite Benny Agbayani, is a middle infielder who hit .268 in 10 games for Fort Myers in low Class A this season. The sixthround 2025 draft pick, a native of Hawaii, has been limited by injuries. The 23-year-old Amick batted .217 with 23 homers in 86 games for Double-A Wichita this season, playing first and third base. He was a second-round draft pick in 2024.
Rangers activate SS Seager from IL ahead of Astros series
HOUSTON Shortstop Corey Seager was activated from the injured list Friday along with several other moves made by the Texas Rangers ahead of their pivotal series with the Houston Astros.
The 32-year-old Seager missed the last 23 games with inflammation in his lower back. He went 1 for 5 with a home run in two games of a rehabilitation assignment for Double-A Frisco earlier this week before returning to the team for the first time since July 1. Seager has been limited to 51 games this season. He was placed on the seven-day IL on June 15 with a concussion and missed 12 games before dealing with back inflammation on May 15 that kept him out for 19 games.
Hezonja returns to NBA on 1-year contract with Cavs CLEVELAND Forward Mario Hezonja will return to the NBA for the first time in six years after signing a one-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hezonja has played the last four years for Real Madrid and was the Spanish League MVP after averaging 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists this past season.
The 31-year-old from Croatia was the fifth overall pick by Orlando in the 2015 NBA draft and played five seasons for the Magic, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Hezonja also played in the EuroLeague for Panathinaikos in Greece and Russia’s UNICS Kazan.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PAUL SANCyA
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws during the seventh inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles in Detroit on Wednesday.
Morrow
AP PHOTO By JOSE
young chips onto the eighth green during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club on Thursday in Detroit
CAMP OBSERVATIONS
Offensestill searchingfor itsrhythm
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
With aday off on Saturday looming on their schedule, the New Orleans Saints pushed their players through their longest —and maybe hottest —day of training camp yet.
New Orleans practiced for about 90 minutes in front of acrowded sectionoffans, many of whom cheered newlyrichreceiver Chris Olave as he went throughhis first competitive periods of training camp after signing amassive extension Thursday
Here were the highlights from Friday’ssession.
Attendance
Defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry participated in an extremely limited fashion after rollinghis ankle Thursday,essentially going through the walk-through portion before watching the remainder of the practice from the sideline CoachKellen Moore said after practice that the team was exercising caution with McKinstry,and he should be fine moving forward Receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and right guard Cesar Ruiz missed practice with what Moore describedasexcused absences. Veteran defensive tackle DavonGodchaux received aveteran rest day The rest of the absences were all related to previously reported injuriesfor defensive tackle Bryan Bresee,receiver Mason Tipton,tight end Cody Hardy and defensive linemen Keeshawn Silver and Zxavian Harris Offense findingits way New Orleans devoted aton of resources overthe last calendar year toward improving an offense that has just onetop-18 scoring season since the start of the 2021 season Thatstarted with theacquisitionsofreceivers Polk and
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field, including “pop” passes where tight ends come open for aquick flip from aquarterback.
“I seeTrey’Dez in that type of role,” Kiffin said. “No doubt.”
Green has flashed playmaking potential. He produced 433 yards as asophomore, including an eightcatch, 119-yard outing against South Carolina The trouble is Green seemed to disappear from the game plan at times. He amassed 76% of his yards in just four games.
From the moment Kiffin was hired, Green believed he could have abigger and more consistent role in the offensive scheme —and he didn’thave to rewind adecade to see it.
Green started watchingtape of Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who had 39 catchesfor
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toget ready to go.”
Broughtonwillget thefirstcrack at it. The 6-foot-5, 311-pounder lined up with the first teaminBresee’sabsence, while Miller stayed with the backups.
But Broughton is also an unknown. The 25-year-old missed all but one game of his rookie year with ahip injury,preventing the Saints from seeing how he would fare against NFL-quality opposition. Before getting hurt as arookie, Broughton had astrongbeginning to training camp but cooled off as the summer progressed leading New Orleanstostick with Nathan Shepherd as astarter next to Bresee and nose tackle Davon Godchaux. Shepherd is coming off aproductive season in which he recorded acareer-high 13 quarterbackhits. If neither Broughton norMiller is ready for an increased role, it’s possible New Orleans relies on Shepherd and Godchauxinnonbase looks, which the Saints play the majority of the time.
And there’salso John Ridgeway, whomthe Saints made apriority to re-sign when freeagencyopened by giving him atwo-year,$5.7 millioncontract.
The big question is whether any of the Saints’ interior lineman will generatethe kind of pressure that Bresee had beenaccustomed to producing. Through his first three seasons, Bresee racked up 141/2 sacks, including acareer-high 71/2 in 2024. And though he registered only 21/2 sacks last season,his 30
Devaughn Vele last fall and turned into awholesale build this spring with the signings of Travis Etienne and DavidEdwards and adraft classthat included first-rounder Jordyn Tyson It is, without question, adeeper andmoretalented unit than they’ve had in years. But it is understandablytakingthe new pieces awhile to gel Three days into camp,the Saints offense is looking for adecisive win against adefense that features many of the same players from last year.Thereweremoments—such as Tyler Shough’s brilliant anticipation throw to oneofhis new weapons, tightend Noah Fant,onaskinny post
635 yardsand fivetouchdowns last season. Wright, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by theEagles,stands ahairunder 6-4and weights in at 246 pounds. “They usedhim,” Green said. “He was so effective.”
In 2024, the Rebelsutilized both Wright andCaden Prieskornfor acombined 795 yards receiving. Prieskorn is currently with the Carolina Panthers.
Regardless,itwasn’t going to take much convincing to keep Green in Baton Rouge. As Kiffin said, Louisiana is filled withlong, explosive athletes who want to play for LSU.
Green, aJacksonnative, said he never considered atransfer.Hegets
“chills” just talking about LSU and fondly remembers his first visit to Tiger Stadium as amiddle schooler Strangers offered him aplate of cooked gator as he walked up.
Just recently,Green moved his mother to Baton Rouge and he lives with her.
Ex-SaintsO-lineman
in 7-on-7 drills.But for themost part,the defense is having itsway Thatcontinuedtobetrue even as Olave made his way back into the fold Friday.The star receiver saw just one target in either team or 7-on-7 periods, adeep shot toward the back left corner of theend zone that he wasn’table to haul in.
Shough completed sixof12 throws Friday.One of those was abad dropby Juwan Johnson,who hasotherwise been the most dependable targetthrough three days (Johnson hascaught his other five targets in camp). One of themwas anice breakup by Quincy Riley on an on-targetpass to
“I get to come hometohomecooked meals everyday,” Green said withasmile. At leastone night aweek, Green will ride over to aparking garage near the stadium. He just gazes at Death Valley and imagines the plays he is about to make. Most likely,he’snot fantasizing about blocking defenders in theBgap. Kiffinhas seen his tight end catching balls from aJUGS machine at 10 p.m. Greenisrunning through walkthroughs and Kiffin hastoslow him down.
He’s giving himself every chance to “go off” in 2026, as Watson hopes.
“I just wanttobring thatwinning culture back to LSU,” Green said.
“I’m from the state of Louisiana. It’s so important. It’s just differentwhen you’reatLSU.Those three lettersand two colors mean so much to me.”
Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@ theadvocate.com
Peat announces retirement
Andrus Peat,who started on the NewOrleansSaints offensive linefor parts of nine seasons,announced hisretirementfrom theNFL on Friday.
TheSaints’ first-round pick out of Stanford at No. 13 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, Peat mostly playedleft guard and made three Pro Bowlsasa member of the Saints from the 2018-20 seasons. He was amember of astable offensive line thatwon four straight NFC South division titles and whosecareer spanned theSeanPaytonand DennisAllen eras.
Peat, 32, left the Saints in free agency after the 2023 season and played oneseasonwiththe Las VegasRaiders and one with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Hisfinalseasonwas cutshortbya concussion suffered in December.Hehad not been signedbya newteam for 2026.
pressures helped collapse the pocket andfree up edge rushers such as Chase Young and Cam Jordan.
Bresee’spressure rateof8.2% —down just slightly from 8.6% in 2024 —reinforced the Saints’ belief that he playedbetter than his sack numbers indicated in 2025.
“From top to bottom, we got horses,” Young said. “Wegot big boys. They can run. They’re physical. They’re everything you want from areal, old-schoolinterior defensive line. From Davon Godchaux to Vernon to (Ridgeway) to Shep, them boys ain’tnothing to play with “That’sone thingusasa defense is we’re never worried about our interior D-line, because we know them boysisnasty.”
If there is asilver lining for Bresee, it’sthat theinjury occurred to theleg opposite of whichhe suffered atorn ACLatClemson in 2021. The 24-year-old was also fortunate theSaints picked up his fifth-year option inMay,fully guaranteeinghim $13.9 million in 2027. If theSaints had declined the option,Breseewould have been
ZachEwing
facing free agency while coming off amajor injury
But there’slittle doubt this torn ACLisasetback for Bresee. The former first-rounder,once panned forhis porous run defense, had made promisingstrides by addressing one of the biggest weaknesses in his game.
Bresee’s improvementasarun defender led the New Orleans coaching staff to not automatically take Bresee off the field in clear rushing situations, and as aresult, Bresee played apersonal-best 69.4% of the snaps when healthy
Butnow Bresee will have to focusonhis rehab while theSaints trytofind asolution without him.
“The bright side is ACLs now,you know youcan getback,”saidYoung, who suffered asignificant knee injury in 2021. “Just attack it. We know thatyou’regoing to heal. We know that you’re going to get better
“And youknow, youknowwhat yougot to do when youget back That’sthe nameofthe game.”
Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com
Vele.Yet another was on awellplaced throwinto double coverage for Vele on adeep post.
At somepoint, the offense will begin to find its stride —itistoo talented,and the quarterback and play-caller are on the same page —but at this point the defense is still ahead.
Odds andends n Anametowatch forascamp progresses is second-year tight end MolikiMatavao.The 6-foot-6, 263-pound UCLA product has been aconsistenttarget on underneath routes for several different quarterbacks, andwhile he’snot afield
stretcher like the three players above him on the depth chart, his huge frame andsteadyhands will give him achance to contribute in heavy personnel packages. He’s definitely improved from his limited action as arookie. n It’s early,everybody is healthy andthere arenopads. But Alvin Kamara definitely looks more like the 2024 version of himself than the player whose production dramatically fell offlast year.Aday after scoring a5-yard touchdown on a draw,Kamara showed good burst getting through theholeoff left guard during the first-team period Friday n Quarterback Hunter Dekkers, wearing Taysom Hill’s old No. 7uniform, has yet to take acompetitive snap in training camp. Moore said he’s hopefulthatwillchange soon,but to this pointevery rep hasgonetoShough, SpencerRattler and Zach Wilson n Newly signedpunter RyanWright, aTulane product, kickedfor the first time in training camp. It is already fair to call him amassive upgrade over what the Saints have trotted out forthe last several seasons. Wright unleashed astring of booming punts in Friday’ssession, andatone point had afan shouting at him, “Now that is how you kick.” Punting may be the least sexy play on game day,but it is an area the Saints have fallen well short of league standards in recent seasons.
n Kicker CharlieSmyth went aperfect 5for 5onfield goal attempts and is now 10 for 10 to start training camp. Smyth’slong came from 49 yards out. Earlier this week, Smyth said the experience kicking in games last year was beneficial to his mindset. He believes his altered approach in camp this year —namely,not trying to smash everykickashardashecan —has helped with his consistency
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concerned enough about his longterm health and availabilitythat theyspent significantresources to fortify theirreceiverposition They traded forDevaughn Vele and Ja’Lynn Polklast season,then selected JordynTyson in thefirst round of this year’sNFL draft.
“I’mjust grateful, man,” Olave said. “Everybody knows the adversity I’ve been through. All the times Igot knocked down, just keep getting back up, keep getting back up and keep putting my best foot forward …not just in football but in life.”
Olave’sbreakout campaign came at acritical time,both for him andthe Saints. It validated the club’sdecision to trade up and select Olave withthe No. 11 overallpickinthe 2022 draft andgave themthe confidence needed to open the vault and extend his time here. For Olave, the bounce-back, injury-free season validated the work he put in last offseason and bolstered his confidence as he entersthe primeofhis career
bated matters. Negotiations between the Saints and Olave’s representatives had been ongoing throughout the offseason and dated to last season.
In the end, the Saints did the right thing by rewarding Olave forhis commitment and production. In aprove-it season, he delivered the goods with an AllPro campaign. The contract will serve as apositive example for the rest of the roster: If you’re agood teammate and produce when called upon, the organization will reward your efforts.
“I’m just grateful, man. Everybody knows the adversity I’vebeen through. Allthe times Igot knockeddown, just keep getting back up, keep getting back up and keep putting my best foot forward not just in football but in life.”
CHRISOLAVE, Saintswide receiver
“I feel like last year we had an interview around this time, and Ifeel like Iwas going to (have abreakoutseason) and spoke it into existence,” Olave said. “I knew Iwas in agreat role to be able to have that type of year, just had to stay healthy.I just put my best foot forward and I believed in myself and kind of set thestandard early to be able to have that type of season.” Asigning of this magnitude is complicated and takes time. Olave’sinjury history exacer-
“It’sobviously awesome for our team, awesomefor Chris for what he’sgone through in his career and the things he’s had to navigate,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. Olave deserves credit forthe way he handled the high-stakes negotiations. He could have turned thesituations intoasideshow and allowedthe standoff to become adistraction forthe team andfan base. Buthe refused to go down that road, saying he didn’twanttodo anything to disrupt thepositive vibes theteam has fostered this offseason.
Olave was already widely respected by his teammates and coaches, but his selfless approach to such ahigh-pressure, high-stakes deal will burnish his reputation in the locker room.
“Huge congrats,” center Erik McCoy said, echoing the sentiments of several of Olave’steammates. “I can’tthink of aperson more worthy,aguy that really battled injuries and was resilient and fought through to the other side. And now he’sset.” And with their No. 1receiver locked up for the foreseeable future, so, too, is the Saints offense.
STAFFPHOTO By BRETT DUKE Saints wide receiverChrisOlave takes abreak in between drills on Fridayduring training camp in Metairie.
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looks to throwthe ball on Friday during training camp in Metairie.
Oct 30
Nov. 6
PAST FIVE YEARS
2025: 9-3; 2024: 7-4; 2023: 6-5
2022: 10-2; 2021: 13-1
PROJECTEDSTARTERS
Offense
WR Noah Wiltz (6-0, 170, Sr.)*
WR Damarcus Boast (5-6, 150,Sr.)
TE Jeremy Salazar (5-9, 185,Jr.)*
OL Jeremiah Boyd (6-0, 275,Sr.)*
OL Elijah Savioe (6-1, 300,Sr.)*
OL HerbertWilloughby(6-3, 300, Sr.)*
OL Slade Stelly (5-10, 280,Sr.)*
OL Brandt Lejeune (5-11, 200,Sr.)*
QB Grant Bertrand (5-8, 160,Sr.)
RB Caden Miller (5-6, 175,Sr.)*
RB AJ Douglass (5-5, 165, Sr.)
Defense
DL Landen Chevis (6-2, 230, J
DL Kingston Bellard (5-10, 170, Sr.)*
DL Jeremiah Boyd (6-0, 275, Sr.)*
DL Elijah Savioe (6-2, 300,Sr.)*
DL Sadarian Richard (5-7, 225, Jr.)
DL Blayze Bourque (5-10, 220, Sr.)
LB WesKirkpatrick (6-2, 180, Sr.)*
ILB David Jenkins (5-9, 170,Jr.)*
ILB Callen Meche (6-1, 185,Sr.)
DB Caiden Boudreaux (5-9, 170,Jr.)*
DB Kylen Monroe (5-9, 165, Jr.)*
DB BlathonCitizen (5-11, 185, Sr.)*
DB Eli Barousse (5-8, 170,So.)
DB MJ Logan (5-6, 150, So.)
Coaches
Head coach: Rob Pool (32-42)
Assistants: Alfred Dickens, Jamal Broussard, Casey Benoit,DarrianPace, Josh Moreau,Andre Bedel, Kyle Vincent
Church Point
ChurchPoint offensivestandouts include,
JeremiahBoydand Caden Miller
What we know
At first glance, the Church PointBears lost alot from last season’s 9-3team
Atrio of seniors are no longer around after enjoying big seasons: quarterback LukeBaudoin threwfor 1,519 yards and 21 touchdowns with three interceptions;running back Chad Brooks rushed for 1,061yardsand 15 scores; and Jarrison Reese caught 61 passesfor 1,085 yards and 14 TDs and ran for 704 more and 12 scores.
Looking closer,the Bears have several seasoned players returning eightonoffense and defense.
“I feel likewehavesevenkids that canplayonthe offensive line,”coach RobPool said.
The defensealso returns familiarnames with at least tworeturning starters on allthreelevels.Evenbackup defensivelinemen Blayze Bourque and Sadarian Richard have experience.There’salsobeefy options in Landen Chevis,ElijahSavoieand standout tackle Jeremiah Boyd getting snaps on both sides of the ball.
At linebacker,juniorDavid Jenkinsreturns afterleading theteam with99tackles lastyear.
The secondary is led by senior Blathon Citizen, as well as juniors Caiden Boudreaux and Kylen Monroe.
What we don’tknow
It starts with quarterback.The good thing is Grant Bertrandgot playing time last season in the Gun-T attack when Baudoinwent down brieflywith an injury.
“Grantdid areally good jobofstepping in and executing,” Pool said.“He gotsomequality reps through theseason. He’s neverreally acted likeabackup quarterback.He’sa mature kid.
Thenext area requiring asolution is in the playmaking
department. Instead of relyingheavily on Reeseand Brooksashedid last season, Pool said the offense can remain explosive with balance.
“I think when youhavedepth, nobodycan takea play off at practice because theyknowsomebody’s going to taketheir spot,”Pool said.“For me, Ifeel likeit’s healthier to have abunchofguys that can do it than having one guy
“Last year,Chad was our main running back, and then Jarrisonwas themain receiver.People feltliketheyhad to take those guys away.I hope that when youwatch us on film this year,there’snot aspecificguy that youfeel like yougot to takeawaythat.
The Bears figure to employarunning back by committeewith Citizen also getting somecarries.
“Blathon is goingtorun it some, but we just have to be smart about it,” Pool said.
“Wepractice our kids on both sidesofthe ball and then we just have to be smartwithhow much we use them on the otherside becausewewant to be good on defense.
With Reese not around, the go-to receiving duties will fall on seniors Noah Wiltz and Damarcus Boast.
Howwesee it
It’snot goingtobeautomatic, although Church Point’s rushing attack has been excellent forseveral years.
It’sgoing to be difficult to be as explosiveonoffenseas last season.As aresult, the coaching staff is determined to feed as much talent to the defense as possible. Take Citizen, for instance. He’slightning fast and an experienced senior,but hiscoverageskills at cornerback must be utilized.
If theBears’ experience anddepth comes together, theycouldbeacontender forthe district titleagain.
KevinFoote
SCOREBOARD
n Detroit at Athletics, n Boston at L.A. Dodgers, n Minnesota at Seattle, n Saturday’s games St. Louis (Mathews0-0) at Toronto (Gausman 4-10), 2:07 p.m. Chicago White Sox(Schultz 3-7) at Tampa Bay(Rasmussen 9-5), 3:10 p.m. Minn. (Prielipp 3-5) at Seattle (Gilbert 8-6), 3p.m Philadelphia (Sánchez 13-4) at Baltimore (Baz 4-9), 6:05 p.m. Texas(deGrom7-6) at Houston (Blanco 0-1), 6p.m. Arizona (Drake0-0) at Cleveland (Messick 8-6), 6:15 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Fried 4-3) at Chicago Cubs (Peterson 6-7), 6:15 p.m. Kansas City (Avila 5-3) at Colorado (Feltner 3-5), 7:10 p.m. Boston (Tolle 6-6) at L.A. Dodgers (Yamamoto 11-6), 8:10 p.m. Milwaukee (Gasser 3-4) at L.A. Angels (Soriano 9-6), 8:38 p.m. Detroit (Valdez 5-7) at A’s(TBA), 8:40 p.m.
Hannah Green 71-73—144 +2 Nasa Hataoka73-71—144 +2
BrookeHenderson72-72—144 +2
AliceHewson 70-74—144 +2
Aki Iwai 72-72—144 +2
AriyaJutanugarn 73-71—144 +2
Sei Young Kim 72-72—144 +2
JennyShin 72-72—144 +2
Dewi Weber 75-69—144 +2
Arpichaya Yubol 70-74—144 +2
Rose Zhang 74-70—144 +2
PGA Tour Champions
PortugalInvitational At The ElsClub Vilamoura; Quarteira,Portugal; Purse: $3 million; Yardage: 7,335; Par: 72
First round
Zach Johnson 31-33—64 -8
Rory Sabbatini 31-34—65 -7
Alex Cejka34-32—66 -6
Padraig Harrington31-35—66 -6
Mikael Lundberg31-35—66 -6
CharlieWi31-35—66 -6
Chad Campbell 33-34—67 -5
Stewart Cink 34-33—67 -5
DarrenFichardt 32-35—67 -5
Dicky Pride 33-34—67 -5
Paul Stankowski 32-35—67 -5
Boo Weekley 31-36—67 -5
Doug Barron 34-34—68 -4
Jason Caron 37-31—68 -4
ErnieEls 32-36—68 -4
Retief Goosen 32-36—68 -4
TimothyO’Neal 35-33—68 -4
Cameron Percy34-34—68 -4
TagRidings 34-34—68 -4
Vaughn Taylor 37-31—68 -4
Y.E. Yang 32-36—68 -4
Tennis
DC Open At William H.G. Fitzgeraldtenniscenter Washington. Purse: $2,488,125
Surface: Hardcourt outdoor
Men’s singles Quarterfinals Brandon Nakashima, United States,def.Alex de Minaur (1), Australia,7-6 (5), 6-4. Taylor Fritz (3), United States,def.AlexMichelsen, UnitedStates,6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (6). Women’s singles Quarterfinals Jessica Pegula (1), United States,def.Anna Kalinskaya (5), Russia,6-3,7-5 Naomi Osaka(3),Japan, def. Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Italy,4-6,6-4,6-3 Diana Shnaider (4), Russia, def. Liudmila Samsonova,Russia,6-3,6-4 Soccer
MLSglance Friday’s game Toronto FC at New York City FC,n Saturday’s games San JoseatCincinnati,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
Blathon Citizen
CB-RB,5-11, 185, Sr
With speed clocked at about 20 mph and aphysical style to shut down wide receivers, Citizenisvaluable on defense. He’ll likelyprovide help at running back as well.
KylenMonroe
S, 5-9, 165, Jr Astarting cornerback the past twoseasons, Monroe was movedtosafety. He’scapable of playing in thebox or covering the entire field.
Jeremiah Boyd
OL/DL, 6-0, 275, Sr Boyd, whocan squat 700 pounds, is receiving interest from FCSschools. An explosiveblocker on offense,he’salso expected to plug thingsupondefense
DavidJenkins
LB,5-9, 170, Jr
Athird-yearvarsity player, Jenkins led the Bears with 99 total tackles last season. He’s talentedenough to be effective in the box or playinspace.
Noah Wiltz
WR,6-0, 170, Sr No one is expectingone receiver to tryto replace Jarrison Reese’sproduction from ayearago but the6-foot Wiltz has themost experience, so expect him to forma good connection with thenew quarterback Grant Bertrand.
KevinFoote
the N.Y. Mets in exchange for INFsBruin Agbayani and Billy Amick.Transferred RHP Cole Sands to the 60-dayIL. SEATTLEMARINERS —PlacedSSJ.P.Crawfordonthe 10-dayILretroactive to July30. Recalled 3B LeoRivas from Tacoma (PCL). TAMPABAY RAYS —Placed LHP Shane McClanahan on the 15-dayIL. RecalledRHP Alex Cook from Durham (IL) TEXAS RANGERS —Reinstated SS
STAFFPHOTO By KEVIN FOOTE
from left, Demarcus Boast, Grant Bertrand, HerbertWilloughby, Noah Wiltz,
RoyPetitfils
Once they trustenough to talk,make sure youlisten to teen boys
Afew weeks ago, Iasked a teenage boy in my office how many people he could call if he was having the worstday of his life. He looked down for amoment, shrugged, and quietly said, “Probably nobody.” That answer has stayed with me. He isn’tunpopular. He plays sports. He has good grades. He has friends he laughs with every day But he doesn’thave anyone he feelssafe enough to really talk to. Unfortunately,his answer isn’tunusual.
As acounselor,I’ve become increasingly concerned about agrowing number of teenage boys who are struggling with something that’seasy to miss becauseitdoesn’talwayslook like acrisis. They’re not necessarily acting out. They’re not getting suspended. Many aren’tclinically depressed. Instead, they’re quietly carrying anxiety,loneliness,self-doubt and pressure they rarely and in many casessimply can’t —put into words.
Many boys have learned that being “fine” is expected of them.Ifthey’re hurting, they distract themselves.They bury themselves in sports, video games,work or their phones They joke their way through difficult emotions because humor feels safer than honesty
Theresult is that many parents assume everything is OK simplybecause nothing appearstobewrong.
It isn’tthat today’sboys don’t have emotions. It’sthat many have never been shownwhat to do with them. Then there’s friendship. When many of today’sparents were growing up, friendships were built by spending long afternoons riding bikes, shooting basketball, working on projects or simply hanging around together.Those hours created conversations that weren’tplanned —they just happened. Today,many friendships
ä See TEEN BOYS, page 6C
Maybe
The Legacy of SanCarlin.’The
&CostumeMuseum’s permanentcollection.
and
and
most of them
IN VOGUE
This high endeveningwear wascreated in BatonRouge.Now it hasits ownmuseumexhibit.
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
The dress was asize 6, but Hollywood diva Joan Collins’ figure was edging in on size 8. Designer Linda WardDalton wasn’tdeterred.
“I told her to put her hands on her hips and suckher stomach in,”she said. “Then Istarted inching thezipper up until Ifinally had it zipped.”
Thatwas in 1992 in New York’s posh Carlisle Motel, where Collins resided while starring in the Broadway revival of Noël Coward’scomedy “Private Lives.”
Ward-Dalton’smeetingwith Collins happened afew years after she and Carla Jumonville, co-owners of Baton Rouge couturebusiness San Carlin,first traveled from Baton Rouge to New York to introduce their women’seveningwear to the city’sfashion scene in aWaldorf Astoria Hotel suiteshow
Thetrip marked aturning point forthe duo after Ward-Dalton not only hung up on aSaks Fifth Avenue buyer but refused to let thebuyer look at the collectionnot once but twice, after adisagreement.
“She returned athird time to see the collection,” Ward-Dalton said of theSaks buyer
Alonghorncuckoobee finds its flower in the nativeplant garden on the grounds of St Alban’sEpiscopal Chapel at LSU.This is the university’s
to 2006.
Visitors won’thave to worry about being turnedaway when theLouisianaArt &Science Museum opens its exhibit “Louisiana Couture: The Legacy of San Carlin,” Aug. 1. The show runs through Jan. 4. RootsinBaton Rouge
Jumonville andWard-Dalton startedSan Carlin in alittle pink house on O’Neal LaneinBaton
SAN CARLIN
WHEN: Aug. 1-Jan. 4. Hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m.Wednesdaythrough Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdayand 1-5 p.m. Sunday. WHERE: Louisiana Art& Science Museum, 100 S. RiverRoad.
“Itwas located across the road from where the movie theater is now,”Jumonville said.“Idon’t even know if it’sstill there.”
They closed the business in 2006 after creating hundreds of gowns for Mardi Gras balls, galas, NeimanMarcus,a fewcelebrities and, despite initially hanging up on the buyer, Saks FifthAvenue.Most of thegowns in theexhibitionwere selected from theLSU Textile& CostumeMuseum’s permanent collection.
“Wehouse approximately 100 gowns from San Carlin in our private archive,and we’re showing 29
ä See SAN CARLIN, page 6C
BY COLETTE DEAN Contributing writer
Since 1928, St. Alban’sChapel EpiscopalUniversity Center haspursued amission of hospitality to LSU students, faculty and staff. Thanks to adedicated parishioner, thathospitality has grown outside the churchwalls and into the garden. St.Alban’s Chapel,located on HighlandRoad at Dalrymple Drive, now has LSU’sfirst certi-
fiednative plant garden, thanks to Emily Stich. The certifiedhabitatdistinctionfromthe Louisiana Native Plant Society means the property conserves Louisiana’s natural heritage: Native plants support alocal ecosystem providing essential food and habitat for wildlife, like nectar,seeds, fruit and shelter Through theyears,Stich has served
STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER
The Louisiana Art&Science Museum is featuring women’s eveningwear in itsexhibit,‘Louisiana Couture:
Baton Rougecouture business wascreated
operated by Carla Jumonville
Linda Ward-Dalton from 1987 to 2006. The show features 29 designs,
curated from the LSU Textile
PROVIDED PHOTO By FRED FREy CarlaJumonville, left, and Linda Ward-Dalton created and operated SanCarlin, aBaton Rougecouture business specializinginwomen’s eveningwear,from 1987
EMILySTICH
Gospel service at Unitarian Church
The Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, 8470 Goodwood Blvd., will host its annual gospel service on Sunday, featuring its special gospel choir led by Jared Robinson and gospel music from classic to contemporary Sunday worship services are at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The 9 a.m. service is also livestreamed on YouTube at
youtube.com/@UnitarianBR. For more information, visit unitarianbr.org
Back-to-school supplies giveaway
Carolyn Gee and Greater Mt. Canaan Baptist Church, 5820 Evangeline St., Baton Rouge, will host a backto-school giveaway from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Saturday The public is invited. Children must be present to receive school supplies.
TODAY IN HISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, Aug. 1, the 213th day of 2026. There are 152 days left in the year
Today in history:
On Aug. 1, 1981, MTV began its American broadcast; the first music video aired on the new cable TV network was “Video Killed the Radio Star,” by The Buggles.
Also on this date:
In 1876, Colorado was admitted as the 38th state in the Union, less than a month after the U.S. Centennial (earning it the nickname “the Centennial State”).
In 1907, a weeklong boys’ camping event began on Brownsea Island in southern England, organized by Robert BadenPowell; the event is now marked as the beginning of the Scout Movement.
In 1936, Adolf Hitler presided over the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Berlin.
In 1944, an uprising broke out in Warsaw Poland, against Nazi occupation; the revolt lasted two months before collapsing.
In 1957, the United States and Canada announced they had agreed to create the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
In 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman, 25, went on an armed rampage at the University of Texas in Austin that killed 14 people, most of whom were shot by Whitman while he was perched in the clock tower of the main campus building.
In 1971, The Concert for Bangladesh, an allstar benefit organized by George Harrison of The Beatles and sitar player Ravi Shankar, was held at Madison Square Garden in New York.
TEEN BOYS
Continued from page 5C
revolve around activities, group chats or gaming. Boys may spend hours together without ever talking about what’s really happening in their lives.
One teenager told me, “We hang out all the time, but nobody talks about real stuff.”
At the same time, expectations have never been higher Boys are expected to succeed academically, excel in sports, make good decisions, stay out of trouble, get into college and somehow project confidence while they’re still trying to figure out who they are.
That’s a heavy load to carry alone.
Many boys don’t need someone to have all the answers. They simply need to know they don’t have to carry the weight by themselves. The good news is that boys don’t necessarily need more lectures They need more relationships. Research consistently shows that one caring, emotionally available adult can make a tremendous difference in a young person’s life. A father A grandfather A coach. A teacher A youth minister An uncle. A family friend
Someone who listens without immediately trying to fix things can become one of the greatest protective factors in a boy’s life.
In 2001, Pro Bowl tackle Korey Stringer, 27, died of heatstroke, a day after collapsing at the Minnesota Vikings’ training camp on the hottest day of the year In 2004, the Ycuá Bolaños supermarket fire in Asuncion, Paraguay, killed more than 400 people. In 2007, the eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, collapsed into the Mississippi River during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people. In 2008, 11 international climbers were killed on the world’s second-tallest mountain, K2, after an ice avalanche swept away some and stranded others Dozens of deaths have been recorded since 1939 on the mountain, which some regard as more challenging to mountaineers than the world’s tallest peak, Mount Everest In 2014, a medical examiner ruled that a New York City police officer’s chokehold caused the death of Eric Garner, whose videotaped arrest and final pleas of “I can’t breathe!” had sparked outrage. Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who restrained Garner, was fired in 2019 but never charged with a crime. Today’s birthdays: Actor Giancarlo Giannini is 84. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams is 76. Blues musician Robert Cray is 73. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum is 70. Rock singer Joe Elliott (Def Leppard) is 67. Rapper Chuck D (Public Enemy) is 66. Actor John Carroll Lynch is 63. Rock singer Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) is 62. Film director Sam Mendes is 61. Actor Tempestt Bledsoe is 53. Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James is 48. Actor Jason Momoa is 47.
Parents can help, too not by forcing long conversations, but by creating opportunities where talking happens naturally A drive to practice. Shooting basketball in the driveway Working on a project together Grabbing breakfast before school. Those moments often open doors that sitting face-to-face at the kitchen table never will.
When boys do begin to talk, resist the urge to solve every problem. Listen first. Ask curious questions. Thank them for trusting you. Often the greatest gift you can give a teenage boy is the confidence that his feelings won’t scare you I often tell parents that they don’t have to say the perfect thing. They just have to be the kind of person their son believes he can come back to tomorrow Our boys don’t need to become someone different. They need adults who remind them that strength isn’t measured by how little they feel but by having the courage to let someone else know they’re carrying something heavy
The quiet crisis of teen boys isn’t that they don’t care. It’s that too many of them are carrying life’s weight in silence.
Let’s make sure they don’t have to.
Petitfils is a licensed professional counselor in Youngsville.
SAN CARLIN
Continued from page 5C
here,” said Michael Mamp, director of the LSU museum, whose support group, Friends of the LSU Textile & Costume Museum, is cohosting the show
Mamp also curated the show of silk taffeta, feathers and hand-beaded designs with the help of LSU merchandising graduate student Sujun Liu. Some of the garments are on loan from locals. All were made in Baton Rouge.
Not in New York or Paris but Baton Rouge — an idea some national buyers didn’t comprehend at first.
“Linda tells the story about handing out her business card, and when people would look at it, they’d see the ‘LA’ behind Baton Rouge, and say, ‘Oh, you’re in Los Angeles?’”
Mamp said “She’d say ‘No, we’re in Louisiana.’”
Co-workers to partners
Jumonville and WardDalton met while on staff at D.H. Holmes in the 1980s.
Jumonville worked in the public relations department, and Ward-Dalton worked in sales while also modeling the store’s women’s clothes.
Their friendship flourished, and they began noticing a flaw in the Baton Rouge fashion scene.
“We got tired of seeing the same dresses on the rack,” Jumonville said. “The buyers would buy the same style in five different colors, and people would go to Mardi Gras Balls and see themselves coming and going. We said, ‘That just isn’t right. We can solve this problem.’”
So, they broke away from the store and started their own business, both in their early 40s.
In the beginning, bookkeeper Sandra Pearah also worked with the duo. She stayed only six months before moving to Texas, but her name plays a significant part in the company’s story
“We came up with the name San Carlin from our three names — San for Sandra, and Carlin for the first letters in mine and Linda’s names,” Jumonville said.
“We had a business adviser on the logo, and she said, ‘God, I don’t know about that name. It sounds like an island to me.’ And we said, ‘That’s OK. We’ll buy an island after we’ve made it big and name it San Carlin.’”
Expanding the business San Carlin, in its own way,
GARDEN
Continued from page 5C
landscaper and florist. She received a landscape contractor license in 1992 and a florist license in 2005. On occasion, she would try to enhance the main entrance’s garden area by inserting a spare plant or two.
“I would have an extra rose bush left over from a job or an extra ginger plant on hand that I would add,” she said.
After the death of her husband, Jim Willis, she had more time to spend gardening.
In 2025, Stich overhauled her own yard with native plants with the help of Swamp Fly Native Landscapes. She enrolled in the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge course, became more active in the Louisiana Native Plant Society and Friends of LSU Hilltop Arboretum, and attended native plant symposiums and conferences.
“Let’s just say, I was bitten by the native plant bug,” Stich said.
She also registered for the inaugural Louisiana Native Professional Certification Program, which is open to professionals and homeowners. She learned information on plant identification, site analysis and landscape design techniques. As her final project for the master naturalists course, she decided to dedicate her skills and newfound knowledge to the beds of her church home.
The landscaping around the main entrance was an eyesore, with overgrown plants and weeds.
“The greenbrier monster
to New York to show their wares. That’s when the Saks Fifth Avenue encounter occurred.
“Because I was in sales, I loved to talk to people,” Ward-Dalton said. “We were actually in California when we showed the collection for the first time, and a representative of Saks came over and said she loved our collection, but she couldn’t buy it, because the buyer was in New York.”
The rep shared the buyer’s contact information, and Ward-Dalton placed a call.
“I told her we were coming to New York, and that we’d be showing in Waldorf Astoria. She said, ‘Oh, honey, we don’t do hotel shows,’ ” Ward-Dalton said.
Carla up off the floor.” Wouldn’t be denied
But the buyer wouldn’t be denied, and she returned a third time. This time, WardDalton offered a sweet Southern welcome.
“It all goes back to wanting what you can’t have,” she said. “She bought for all the Saks stores all over the country, and she started ordering from us. The three of us became great friends after that, and we always took her to lunch when we were in New York.”
Collins wasn’t San Carlin’s sole celebrity client. Loretta Swit of “MASH” fame also placed orders.
did make it big, but Jumonville and Ward-Dalton never bought an island Instead, they expanded their business in Baton Rouge by hiring designer Gonzaló Calderon Ortiz, who was fresh out of LSU with a degree in fashion design. They would eventually move the operation to Denham Springs and hire a staff of seamstresses, who hand-stitched every detail But they started hitting the road before that, traveling
When she and Jumonville reached New York, WardDalton reconnected with the buyer, who hung up before the conversation ended. Ward-Dalton called back told the buyer she’d be the one missing out, then hung up on her “So, she came and knocked on the door and told me who she was,” WardDalton continued “Now, there was not one soul but Carla and I in the room, and I said, ‘We’re so busy right now, we can’t see you.’ She said she didn’t know if she could come back, and I told her she’d be missing out. She came back again, and I wouldn’t let her in. I thought I was going to have to pick
PROVIDED PHOTO
Emily Stich, from left, Bob Jacobsen, Justin Langford, chapel administrator; and the Rev. Brandon Peete, St.Alban’s Chapel rector and chaplain, gather near the church’s native plant garden. Stich holds the document from the Louisiana Native Plant Society certifying the garden.
vine was relentless,” she said.
Stich approached the Rev Brandon Peete, St. Alban’s newest rector and chaplain, about a garden renovation. She surprised him by dedicating one side of the garden to plants with red and white blooms, two of the colors of his alma mater, the University of Alabama.
“I’m an Oklahoma University grad, so those are my colors, too,” Stich said, laughing. The remaining beds are flush with LSU purple and gold.
Fellow congregants Keith Pope and Bob Jacobsen helped with bed prep using their brawn, trucks and ropes to yank out stubborn plants that were taking over the space. Most of the work was completed in April and so far, the plantings are adapting well, even during the heat.
“That’s the beauty of native plants. They have deep roots and, when mulched,
they adapt well. With native plants, the saying is ‘the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.’ I’ve really seen this come true in my yard,” she said.
Stich serves as president of the Louisiana Native Plant Society, which, in addition to publicizing the landscape course, has been promoting the Louisiana Certified Habitat program to homeowners and business since 2020.
Habitat certification levels are determined by the number of native plant species on a property: bronze level is 25 native plant species or 25% native plants; silver, 50 native plant species or 50% native plants; and gold, 75% native species or 75 native plants. Certification levels can be upgraded for free at any time by resubmitting an updated species list via email.
St. Alban’s yard received the bronze certification
Jumonville and Ward-Dalton showed their designs in New York, Paris, London and South America, but in the end, the duo’s most important clients were local and regional As the San Carlin name grew in fashion circles, orders began pouring in from Dallas, New Orleans and other big cities in the region. The gowns weren’t cheap, some costing up to $4,500 in the 1980s and 1990s, but clients were looking for something different, something others weren’t wearing — something in which they wouldn’t see themselves coming and going. And San Carlin delivered. Email Robin Miller at romiller@theadvocate. com.
Stich hopes that the beds at St. Alban’s continue to provide beauty and educate the LSU community on the importance of native plants. “I’d love to see more areas of campus become certified habits,” she said. St. Alban’s native plant list includes:
STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER
The Louisiana Art & Science Museum is featuring women’s eveningwear in its exhibit, ‘Louisiana Couture: The Legacy of San Carlin.’ The Baton Rouge couture business was created and operated by Carla Jumonville and Linda Ward-Dalton from 1987 to 2006. The show features 29 designs, most of them curated from the LSU Textile & Costume Museum’s permanent collection.
An invitation to one of San Carlin’s suite shows in New york’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is included in the Louisiana Art & Science Museum’s exhibit, ‘Louisiana Couture: The Legacy of San Carlin.’ The exhibit is co-hosted by Friends of the LSU Textile & Costume Museum.
LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Be open and reveal your feelings, intentionsand long-term goals. Startabuzzthat infiltrates your circle, andthe feedback you receivewill helpyou get your plans underway
VIRGO (Aug.23-Sept. 22) Focusonrelationships, equality and making ends meet. Trustyour instincts, and pay attention to detail, spending andhow youlookand feel. Tryingtodotoo much all at once will not meet yourstandards.
LIBRA(Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Push your way forward withdiscipline and devotion. Keep your plans to yourself until you are confident that success will follow Change is necessary, andgood timing is essential if youwanttocome outon top.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Check out what your adversaries are doing. Keeping a tight budget and using your intelligence to attract positive attention will help you gain respect and theattention of those in aposition to help.
SAGITTARIUS(Nov.23-Dec.21) Review your contracts,medical recordsand investments. Keep youremotions under control and your personal information to yourself. Don'ttrust anyone whoasks too many questions.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Puttogether aplanthat will keep yousafe from those trying to take advantage of you. Ajoint venture may intrigue you, but you are better offnot committing to anything that entails trust and shared expenses.
AQUARIUS (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Keepthe momentum flowing, take responsibil-
ity for yourself andyourhappiness, and participate in social events that will reunite you with someone special.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Sit tight and see what transpires beforeyou implement changes that can affect your lifestyle.Refuse to letanemotional situation stealyourjoy.Angersolves nothing.
ARIES (March21-April19) Adisciplined approach will pay off. Having high energy, coming up with innovative ideas and investing in yourself,your lifestyle and your home will be an experience that will open doorstonew beginnings
TAURUS (April 20-May20) Youneed time to rejuvenate andtorethink howyou wanttomove forward.Acting in haste will endindisappointment.Listen to your heartand pursuewhat's meaningful to you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Manage your timeand moneycarefully. Don't let anyone take advantage of you. Stick to what andwho youknowand trust, andsay no to anyone trying to sell you something you don't need.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) By expressing your feelings andconsidering the response you receive, you'll discover how you can bring about positive domestic changesthat bring youcloser to loved ones.
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle basedona9x9 grid with several given numbers The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increasesfrom Monday to Sunday
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Bill Watterson,the authorofthe comic strip “Calvin andHobbes” from 1985 to 1995, said, “Weekends don’tcount unless youspendthemdoingsomething completely pointless.”
Bridge players often compete only on weekends, when counting points and suit lengths will be very important. This deal occurred during asocial game. What should happen in two notrump after West leads his fourth-highest club and East puts up his king? Do youagreewithNorth’s pass over two no-trump?
Takingthose questions in reverse order, North should have used Stayman, then raised three spades to four spades. That contract could have been made,but it wouldhavebeen atad lucky Still, South could have hada more suitable hand. And at the worst, South would have ended in three no-trump when he did nothave afour-card major. Maybe it would have made Intwono-trump,SouthtookEast’sclub king with hisace andexitedwith alow spade. East won with the 10 and returned the club seven,high from aremaining doubleton. West took South’s nine with his 10 anderred badly by cashing the club queen. (Theclub jack could not be dropping, because if East had started with K-7-3-2 of clubs, he would have led back the club two, not the seven.)
