The Times-Picayune 08-01-2026

LSUgetting selective

University tightens admissions standardsinefforttoimprove academic reputation anddealwithconcernsabout campus capacity

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Across her college career,LSU senior Rachel Kashimawo has spenthours circling campusinher RAV4, searching for a parking spot even though she always buys apermit.

The parking space was only the first obstacle in navigating the campusofa jampacked flagship university that has seen record-breaking freshman class sizesfor

theyears Kashimawo has attended.

In lecture halls, especially early in her time on campus, Kashimawosaidshe watched while some students stood for class because all 200 seats were filled.

“There’sa lot of people in every aspect, not even just classes—game days, trying to gettickets,parking,”Kashimawo said.

“It’sjust alot of people, and even though we’re abig campus per se, we don’thave that much space for that many people.”

Concerns about campus capacity anda

push to become amore selectiveinstitutionoverall have led LSU to ease offthe gas in enrollment for the first time in nearly adecade.

“If we’re committed to excellence bothinthe classroom and in the student experience, then part of thatcalculus does have to involve maybe not growing beyond what thecampus capacity is,” Emmett Brown, vice presidentfor

ä See LSU, page 5A

HamasOKs deal if Israel haltsstrikes

Obstaclesremain to settlement

BY SAMY MAGDY, SAM MEDNICK, JONATHAN J. COOPER and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press

CAIRO— Hamas said Friday that it will begin disarmingaspartof adeal announced by U.S. PresidentDonald Trump that also requires Israel to end its strikes and withdraw from Gaza. It marks a

potential breakthrough in ending thewar,but implementation faces majorchallenges.

Hamas also said that laying down its heavy weapons, which would comelater in the process, wascontingent on thecreation of aPalestinian state, something Israel’s currentgovernmentadamantly rejects Israelhas notofficially commentedonthe deal,which is part of aU.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October.Thatagreement calledfor Hamas to disarm

and hand over power to an independent Palestinianadministration. Israel was to withdraw, and 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 agreementbycontinuing to carry out regular strikesonGaza.

Disarming would represent a sea change for Hamas, whose

lawends

BY SOPHIEKASAKOVE Staff writer

New Orleansdrivers will not need brake tags for the remainder of this year,after astate law ended vehicle safety check requirements in mostLouisiana parishes. Effective immediately, New Orleans police officershavebeen directed “tocease the issuance of citationsfor amotorist’sfailuretodisplay or produce avehicle inspection sticker,”officials with Mayor Helena Moreno’s administrationsaid Friday

New laws passed by Legislature now in

The city has also pausedthe issuanceofnew brake tags.

Thechangecomes afterGov JeffLandry signed abill into law in June thatendedbasic safety checks, which he saidwere “costly and burdensome.”

Instead,the state lawrequires drivers to get anew Louisiana Vehicle Identification Program sticker which will have aQRcode listing the vehicle identification number when scanned.

Cityofficials previously said that they were reviewing the state law to determine whether it applied to the city’slocal vehicle inspection program. New Orleans, Kenner and Westwego run their ownprograms, and Kennerended its requirement this summerafterthe bill was signed. In an email to council members this week, Andrew Tuozzolo, special counsel to Moreno, wrote that

ä See TAGS, page 4A

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByABDEL

man rides hisbicyclebythe rubbleofbuildingsthat were destroyedduring the Israel-Hamas war,inKhan younis, southernGaza Strip on Friday.

KAREEM HANA

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

This year’sclass at LSU will likely be afew hundredstudents smaller than last year,which totaled 8,153 first-time freshman and was the largestclass

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

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 and said that as mayor she had a clearer window into the operations at the Seattle Police Department than her critics.

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. It will be the second dead rocket known to crash into the moon accidentally 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.

JACQUELyN MARTIN

Authorities release early ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press

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.

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.

one who knows the notes’ writer may recognize the patterns.

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.

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.”

S. Guthrie

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By

President Donald Trump speaks Friday as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen during a cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat,

Migrantchildrencould face newdeportation risks

Government lets legalaid deal expire

BY REBECCA SANTANA and VALERIE GONZALEZ Associated Press

HARLINGEN,Texas Advocates

warnthat 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 acontract with legal services providers to expire. Friday marked the last day of acontract under which thefederal government pays for legal services for children who enter the U.S. without aparent or guardian. The government contracts out those services to anetwork of nearly 100 legal groups across thecountrythatprovideservicesto roughly 20,000 children.

The Trump administration did not immediately respond to arequest for commenton why it allowed the contract to expire. But it comes as the administration has redoubled its efforts to achieveits policy of mass deportations, and after migrant children becameatarget for removal from the country during the first year of President Don-

ald Trump’ssecond term in office.

As part of theexpiring contract,the legalgroups can enter government-funded shelters and give presentations to children about their legal rights, anddirectly represent thechildrenas they go through immigration court proceedings.

But as that contract ends, the providers say it’sunclearwhatwill happen come Monday or whether they’ll be able tovisittheir clients in the shelters wherethey live.

“Wehave no understanding of what’sgoing to happen to those children come next week. We don’tknowif they’re going to have legal representation. The governmentasofyet hasnot identified who will takeover this representation,”said Melissa Lopez, the executivedirectorofEstrella El Paso, during anews conference earlierthisweek. The organizationcurrently represents 243 unaccompanied children inwestern Texas and New Mexico.

The providers say their ability to enter the shelters, check on their clients and givepresentations to new arrivalsserves as an important oversightmeasure for a vulnerablepopulation.The providers warnthat without alawyer to assist them in court and help them navi-

in 2019.

gatethe complexities of immigration law,children will be much more likely to be deportedbacktocountries they initially fled.

“The government is trying to eliminate our work in this program because they know thatwithout attorneys children will be deported,” said Lopez Health and Human Services, whichisresponsiblefor caring for unaccompanied migrant children while they are in governmentcare and whichadministers the contract,did not respond to a request forcomment Friday Dozens of children and

teens filed earlyFriday morning into the Harlingen courthouse for ahearing beforeanimmigration judge. In thelobby,other children waiting for their hearings played withpuzzles and action figures or drew in coloring books.

One8-year-old boy walked into thecourtroom holding an Etch-a-Sketchashesat next to his attorney

These were children who hadcome to theU.S. without aparent or guardian andnow theircases were making their way through theimmigration courts. But Lauren Fisher Flores,an

“Wesincerelyhopethere will be someonetostep in next week,” she said.

Thejudge thankedthe attorney and said she was sorry to hear the news. The endofthe contract comes as the legal service providers representing these children say they have not beenpaidfor more than halfa year. Theorganizations say that the Trump administration hasbeen withholding payments as it demands detailed information from the providers about their clients thatthe providers say they have never been asked forbefore andthattheyethically cannot provide.

“They are clearly trying to destroy the program by grinding downthe financial health of nonprofits. We’ve seen layoffs andfurloughs, and we will see alot moreof that if these invoices aren’t paid,” said Michael Lukens, the executive director of the Amica Center Some groupshavebeen trying to secure private funding to continue their work, while others have begun laying off staffand shuttering offices. ProBar in south Texas this week laid off 20% of its staff.

attorneyfor theAmerican Bar Association’sProBar project, which is contracted to provide legal services in southwestern Texas, warned the court of the looming contract expiration. She explainedthatcome 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 longerbeable to stepin andprovide the“Friendof the Court” services where they assist those children who sometimes show up in court without alawyer FisherFloressaidthe organization didn’tknow what thegovernment’splanwas going forward.

Jurors in Clancy trialvisit home whereshe killed herkids

BY LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press

DUXBURY, Mass. Jurors walked through the Massachusetts home where Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children, arare 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 viewthe inside ofthe house, including the basement where the childrendied. During the roughly 40-minutevisit,the jury also saw the yard where Clancy was foundafter jumpingfroma second-story window Journalistswerekept away by apolice barricade, but court officers could be seen through the trees escorting jurors to and from

the bus along the siteof the Clancy family’sformer driveway. Thehome nowhas anew owner Clancy herself didnot attend the visit to the home, which she hasn’tseen since the day of the killings. Her lawyers argue she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis, arare mental illness linkedtothe stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changesthatfollow childbirth.

Chargesagainst ex-Olympianin reflecting pool case dismissed

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss acriminal case charging aformer Olympian with deliberately damaging theLincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Government lawyerssaid in a20-page court filingthat information provided since the indictment of David Hearn showsthat the damage was the result of a“flawed installation by the contractor” as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebrationin 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, letalone to establish that fact beyond areasonabledoubt,” said thefiling fromU.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Hearn’slawyers said in astatement that thecase against him should never have been brought.

“Its dismissal today does noterase the abuse of government power in arrestingand charging apatriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’sapproach was ready,fire,aim. The administrationowesMr. Hearn an apology,” the lawyers said.

Hearn pleaded not guilty earlier this month to onefelony count of property destructionand has atrial scheduled to start Sept.28 in D.C. Superior Court. The charge, which

carriesa maximum prison sentenceof10years upon conviction, accuses Hearn of causing at least $1,000 in damage to the pool.

Hearn told The Associated Press he was detained by National Guardtroopsand U.S. ParkPolice for five hoursafter stopping by thepool during abike ride on June 19.He saidhereached in to examine thepool’snewly peeled coating and briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool, but said he obeyed a park worker who told him to let go of it

Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, competed in threeSummerOlympics, earning his bestfinish, ninth, at the 1996 AtlantaOlympic Games, theU.S.Olympic and Paralympic Committee says on itswebsite.

Ceuta

Jurors in U.S.criminal cases oftenare expressly told not to visitthe scene of the eventsinquestion. There are anumberofrationales for not doing so among other things, the site may have changed in the interim between an alleged crime and atrial.

Butcourts sometimes allow juries to makeasupervised excursion as agroup, for reasons that can include

assessing distancesorfeaturesthataren’tthought to come across fully in photos. Such excursions have happened in anumber of high-profile cases,including the 2023 murdertrial of South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, the 2022 sentencing trial of Parkland, Florida, school shooter Nikolas Cruz, the 2015 Massachusettsmurdertrial of former New England Patri-

ots player Aaron Hernandez and the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Jurors in Clancy’strial retraced the route her thenhusband, Patrick Clancy took when she asked him to pickuptakeoutfoodand medicinefor daughter Cora on thenight of the killings. He returned to find the children dead and his then-wife badly injured andbleeding in the yard.

BYSERGIO RODRIGO RUÍZ, RENATA BRITOand SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press

CEUTA, Spain Tens of thousands of migrants who crossed into Spain’stiny Ceuta territory returned voluntarily to Morocco on Friday,aday after the influx triggered chaos in the North African city and reignited theimmigrationdebate in Europe and beyond. At least 57 migrantsdied on the journey Ceuta’spresident put the number of migrantsat 60,000, whichwas equivalent to 70% of the territory’spopulation.But most of them soon went back, the Spanish government said, after the sudden arrivalof so many people sparked a

humanitarian crisis. Somemigrants swam several milesthrough thesea and faced down authorities whotried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas andwarning shots. Those who died included some who drownedorwere killedina stampede to cross abreakwater barrier near aborder checkpoint.

Spain deployedits armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta, whichsits onthe Strait of Gibraltarat theentrance to the Mediterranean Sea and has been aSpanish 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 situationthatCeuta is going throughisabsolutely unsustainable,” Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists. Meanwhile, migrants from Morocco alsoattempted to crossintoMelilla,Spain’s other territory at thetip of North Africa, where they clashed with police.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday and condemned theborder breach, which he described as “a violation of Spain’sterritorialintegrity.”

Sánchez blamed human smugglers for thecrisis, saying they“deceive so manyyoung people and ultimately lead manyofthem to their deaths,”whether in the ocean or in the city

id youknowthatall EntergyNew Orleans residential customersare eligible fora free home energyassessmentthrough Energy Smart? EnergySmart advisorsidentifysavings opportunitiesand caninstall instantupgradeson the spot.Fromsmart thermostats to insulation rebates, these improvements cancut your monthly bill by up to 20%. Checkout this week’s segmentto learnmoreaboutEnergySmartandhowtoschedule your assessment. PresentedbyEntergy

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By ERIC GAy Immigrants playsoccer at aU.S.government holding center for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas,

NewlawspassedbyLegislature take effect

Seafoodlabelingrules, balloonrelease banincluded

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

Aslew of new Louisiana laws went into effect on Aug. 1, including some that will add criminal penaltiesfor deepfakes, ban balloon-release events, eliminate debit card surcharges and require annual investigations into voter rolls.

The Louisiana Legislature passed over 900 billsduring its most recent session, several hundred of which are now active. Here are afew of the most notable:

Deepfake laws

Louisiana passed several new laws to add criminal penaltiesfor using artificial intelligence to produce child pornography and to protect K-12 students from deepfake material.

Act 892expandsthe definitionof “child sexual abuse material” in state law to include images created with AI, and Act211 prohibits the use of achild’simage to train AI to produce child pornography.

Act 496 further prohibits the use of deepfake material againststudents enrolled in K-12 schools.

Balloon releaseban

Intentionally releasing aballoon or planning the organized release of 12 or more balloons is now banned in Louisiana. Act 196 amends the state’sban on intentionallitteringto include balloon releases outdoors by

people17and over The release of balloons made with biodegradable or photobiodegradablematerials, as well as the use of balloons for scientific, meteorologicaland radio tracking purposes, are exemptfrom thelaw

Protecting restaurant workers

Louisiana will get tougher on people who attack restaurant and front counter staff. Act892 enhances criminal penalties for assault and batterywhenthe victims areemployees in food and retail establishments.

The lawcomes after aBaton Rougecouplewas accused in March of shootinga restaurant owner over amistakeintheirfood order

Hazing education

Act309 requires thestate Board of Regents to develop apolicyonhazingpreventionand reporting with the colleges and schools. It requires studentsto directly receive antihazing educational material and for Louisianapublicand private schools that receivestate funds to maintain an online database of reportedhazingincidents.

Named afterCaleb Wilson, a Southern Universitystudent who diedlast yearinafraternityhazing incident, theact was the result of a legislative task force that worked to addresshazingineducational institutionsacross thestate.

Debitcardsurcharges

Act751 prohibits retail businesses from adding asurcharge to people who pay with debit cards.

However,before acardholder can filealawsuit against abusiness that

uses asurcharge, thenew law requirescardholders to give written noticetothe business, which must reimburse thecardholder within 30 days.

Checking thevotingrolls

Stateofficialsmustnow conduct annual investigations into whether noncitizens voteinelections.Act 6 mandates that Louisiana annually check voters’ citizenship using the federal SystemAlienVerification for Entitlements program, known as SAVE.

Lastyear,aninvestigation done by theSecretary of State’sOffice found thatnoncitizen voting was nota“systemic problem” in Louisiana and that of the almost 3million Louisiana residentsregistered to vote,only390 noncitizens didso illegally

Immigrants’accesstobenefits

Act 745 adds new reporting requirementstoalaw that limits which immigrants qualifyfor public benefits, including SNAP,Medicaid and Medicare. The act also prohibitsstateagenciesfromgiving applicants more time to prove their immigration status than the federal requirement.

Inmate wronglyreleasednotice

Act 116 requiresthe public to be notified when prisoners are wrongfully released from aparish prison facility,jail or state correctional facility

The lawcomes after backlash to former Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson for last year’s10-inmate jailbreak and otherincidentsofimproper inmate release.

Improperly labeledseafood

Act 323 requires the labeling of foreign seafood and seafood “commingled” with foreign and domestic origins and places fines or penalties on processors anddistributors for labelingsuchproducts as “domestic.” The lawispart of awave of legislation aimed at protecting local shrimpers.

Removing church trespassers

Acts 115 and 148 expand the definition of “disturbingthe peace” to include protests and disruptions at places of worship and allow the use of force to remove people who are disrupting services.

Gov.Jeff Landry supported the laws as part of awave of conservative backlash to ICE protesters derailing achurch service in Minnesota in January

Changing “gender” to “sex”

Act814 requires alluses of “gender” to be swapped to “sex” in state law.The law defines sex as “an individual’sbiological sex, either male or female,asobservedorclinically certified at birth,”and says that genderidentity “and other subjective terms shallnot be usedassynonyms or substitutes.”

Advocates say it providesauniformdefinition of “sex” in the state and aligns it withhumanbiology Critics saythe lawcould create violations of gender discrimination law and target those whoidentifyas transgender

Email Marco CartolanoatMarco. Cartolano@theadvocate.com

officials “believe the law is broad enough to possibly include our city-issued brake tags.” Requirements fornext year will be announced by the end of 2026, Tuozzolo wrote. “The city is currently evaluating how the new state law mayaffect New Orleans’ separate vehicle inspection and emissions requirements,” said Deputy Mayorfor PublicSafety Michael Harrison. “We continue to encourage residents to properly maintain their vehicles. NOPD enforcementfor other vehicle and trafficrelatedinfractions will continue as usual.” Mid-Cityresident StacieHillsaidshe hopes the city will establish an inspection process that “works the way it’sintended to,”noting that she often sees cars in herneighborhood with inspection stickers dating back years, andsome that hardly seem roadworthy “You seecarswithout the front or back bumper or duct-taped back on,” said Hill. “What’sstopping this thing from flying off and hitting my car?”

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

enrollment management, said Though Brown said the data is notfinalizedyet,thisyear’sclass will likely be afew hundred students smaller than last year, which totaled 8,153 first-time freshman and was the largest class in institutional history.Uptonow,LSU had broken its own freshman enrollment record for eightstraight years.

The decline comes not from a shrinking applicant pool, which was over 67,000, but from more stringent admissions.

LSU’sacceptance rate thisyear decreased by 10%, Brownsaid Last fall, roughly 69%ofnew freshmanwho applied were admitted, according to institutional data.

“Having the ability to be more selective is not always thenorm,” Brown said. “Wewere able with the applicant pooltohave acoupledifferentleversthatwecould pull.”

The tougher standards were mostly directed toward nonresidents, who faced a12% decline in their acceptance rate.Louisiana residents benefited from aslightly higher acceptance rate compared to last year

The universityisparticularly interested in attracting students with a30orabove on the ACT, Brown said. Ascoreof30orabove places students in the 94th to 99th percentile, according to ThePrinceton Review

“That is anotoriously difficult

HAMAS

Continued from page1A

founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and which sees its arsenal, includingrockets, anti-tank missiles andexplosives, 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 atough reelection battle, with opponents accusing him of failingto prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggeredthe war Neil Quilliam, aMiddleEast expert at London’sChatham House think tank, said expectations are lowthatHamas will actually disarm or that Israel will withdraw from Gaza

“I think that Netanyahu’s silence speaks volumes,” Quilliam said. “This is amassive decision that he has to make.”

“But with the prospect of the elections hanging over his head, with several Cabinet ministers and opposition leadersalready counseling not to go aheadwith the deal, Ithink he understands that doing so would likely scupperhis 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 theInternational Stabilization Force will work with anew Palestinian policeforce to take re-

group to move,” Brown said. “But we’re seeingsignificant demand both from ourbest studentsin Louisiana, but alsofrom students from all over the country,who havea lot of options, choosing to enroll here.”

Part of top-50 goal

The reduced class size comes as university leaderspushtoimprove LSU’sacademic reputation and reach the top 50 of theNational ScienceFoundationHigherEdu-

cation Research and Development

Survey

Officials saythe flagship campus in Baton Rouge, the medical schools in Shreveport and New Orleans, the LSU AgCenter andPennington Biomedical

Research Center will drive the university’sresearch ambitions, while the regional campuses will focus on “accessibility,”helping studentsattaindegrees affordably and get placed in jobs quickly

Thelower acceptancerate in Baton Rouge this year shows how thecampus is pursuing heightenedacademics,Brown said. It will positively affect the retention andgraduationratefor existing students, he said.

“That both allowsustoprovide an excellent experience but also means thatour students aremore likely to ultimately succeed,” he said.

Incoming freshmanFrederic Curlin said it would be unfair to enroll too many students without sufficient parking and housing.

“I think they shouldcap it depending on the resources,” Curlin said. “Butiftheyhaveenough resources,I think theyshould take as manyasthey 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 arobust nonresident student population.

Themore selective admissions process will be aboost forthe university’sacademics, she said.

“I want to give people agood chance to cometoschool,” Kashimawosaid. “But Idefinitely have met some people —like,how did you get into this school?”

Email HaleyMillerathaley miller@theadvocate.com.

sponsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors,” he wrote.

Acopy of the agreement obtainedand verified by The Associated Press said that all weaponsheldby theHamas-run police will be transferred to the U.S.backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee forthe Administration of Gaza,uponits arrival in the enclave. It’snot clear when that would happen sinceit is contingent on other steps. Aprocess to decommission andstore heavy weapons, military production sites and tunnels will begin afterthe arrivalofthe Palestiniancommitteeand the deployment of international forces. Theprocess will be linked to aphased Israeli withdrawal,according to the agreement.

Israel currently controls around 60% of Gaza, areas that have been mostlydestroyed and depopulated. Mostofthe territory’s2 million Palestinians are in the other part,where hundreds of thousandsliveinsqualid tent campsand destroyed neighborhoods.

In astatement Thursday,anIsraeliofficial said that there will be no Israeli withdrawal before the militantgroupisdisarmed and the strip demilitarized. The

statement was made on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.

Aperson with knowledge of the situationsaid that Israel is fully involved, but it’s not asignatory to the deal, which is between Hamasand several countries helping to negotiateand guarantee the ceasefire. The person spoke on condition of anonymityin ordertodiscuss theagreement. The deal’sguarantors are theU.S., Turkey,Egypt and Qatar

On Thursday,U.S.and BoardofPeace officials, describing the deal to reporters on conditionofanonymity underguidelines set by the White House,gavean extremelyoptimistic assessment.The board was established by Trumptooversee theceasefireinGaza.

WhileGaza’spoliceforce is expected to hand over its arms, that doesn’tinclude the vast majority of Hamas militants, and heavy weaponry is not includedinthat part of the agreement,according to theofficials.

Instead, thesurrender of heavy weapons and the decommissioning of Hamas tunnelsand other infrastructure aretocome later in aprocess that could take between 200 and 350 days, a BoardofPeace official said. That timelinedid not appear in the agreementobtained by AP

AHamas official and aregional official involved in the processsaidthatHamas and other groups agreed to “collect andstore” arms inside Gazaunder the supervision of the Palestinian technocratic committee and that weapons won’tbehanded to Israel or non-Palestinian

parties.

The officials, whospoke on condition of anonymity because theywere not authorized to brief the media, said this would be agradual processlinked to an Israeli withdrawal.

AU.S. official said Israel, which has been deeply skeptical about Hamas’ willingnesstogiveupits guns or relinquish control of Gaza, had been consulted at every step of thenegotiation. The official saidIsraelwas not being asked to do anything more than what it had committed to as part of the Octo-

ber agreement. Amember of the Palestinian technocratic committee told the AP on Friday that it was eager to enter Gaza but was concernedIsrael will pose challenges. The person spokeonconditionofanonymitybecause they were not authorized to speak to the media. The person said they didn’texpect to enter Gazafor at least twomonths.

The committeewelcomed theprogressFriday, but said thework to restore public institutions and services and rebuild the territory would be immense.

The war in Gaza began after aHamas-led attack on southern IsraelonOct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’sretaliatory offensiveinGazahas killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry,which is part of the Hamas-led government and is staffed by medical professionals, does notdistinguishbetween civilians and militantsinits toll butsays womenand childrenmake up around half of all deaths.

Law axing New Orleans judges upheld

Landry celebrates La. Supreme Court decision

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that eliminates three judgeships from New Orleans’ criminal court at the end of the year in a split decision Criminal District Judge John Fuller, who was elected to the bench in May just weeks before Act 748 became law, argued it was invalid because state legislators in

both the Senate and House failed to meet a two-thirds supermajority vote requirement under the Louisiana Constitution

But justices ruled 4-3 that Louisiana delegates carved out an exception for the Orleans Parish judiciary in the 1974 constitution, trumping the supermajority requirement in every other parish.

Fuller and Judges Simone Levine and Rhonda Goode-Douglas will lose their seats when the new law

takes effect Jan. 1 under the ruling, which comes a week before the election qualifying period.

Gov Jeff Landry celebrated the court’s decision on social media as a “major win for the rule of law” and said it affirmed the “reform” bill he supported.

“In the end, the Constitution always wins,” Landry wrote.

The decision vacated a preliminary injunction that East Baton Rouge Judge Tarvald Smith of the

19th Judicial District put in place July 14 to block the state from enforcing Act 748 ahead of the qualifying period. The high court reversed Smith’s ruling declaring the new law unconstitutional.

“We are grateful that the Louisiana Supreme Court resolved this matter quickly and reaffirmed that Act 748 was constitutionally enacted,” Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement. “Today’s decision restores certainty and allows the election process to move forward as intended.”

Fuller and his attorney, Jerome

CATCHING RAYS

Debbie and Alan Laney sit in the sun at Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park in New Orleans on Wednesday. The couple, who were on vacation from Arkansas, said that they plan not to come back to the city when it is this hot

Family seeks answers after inmate’s death

Man found unresponsive in Orleans Justice Center

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

On July 19, Saliou Thiam called his cousin from the Orleans Justice Center, where he’d been incarcerated for eight months awaiting trial on two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of resisting an of ficer

“When I asked why, they said they can’t tell me nothing,” Badiane said.

All Badiane knows is that a deputy found his cousin unresponsive in his second-floor cell in Unit E during morning rounds.

The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office has not yet determined or released a cause of death, and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that the case remains under active investigation.

Tomato, citrus farmer Ben

Becnel Sr. dies at 83

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

Matthews, did not respond to requests for comment Friday

Chief Justice John Weimer and Justices Piper Griffin and John Michael Guidry each wrote dissenting opinions that chided the incongruous treatment of New Orleans’ courts. Griffin and Guidry are both Democrats. Weimer is listed as independent.

“Until today we were one state, with one Constitution — one unitary organic law for all Louisianians,” Griffin wrote.

NOFD relocating to City Park

Decatur Street location will remain operational

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

After over 100 years in the French Quarter, the New Orleans Fire Department is officially relocating its headquarters next week to a newly renovated building on City Park Avenue. The fire department’s headquarters, at 317 Decatur St., will have its final day on Wednesday, officially closing at 2 p.m. After a five-day pause, administrative operations will begin again at the new headquarters at 401 City Park Ave. on Aug. 10, NOFD said in a news release.

During the transition period, emergency response will not be affected, and even after the headquarters move, Engine 29 will continue to remain at the Decatur Street location, NOFD said.

“We are excited to begin this new chapter in the history of the New Orleans Fire Department,” Superintendent Roman Nelson said in a statement.

The building on Decatur Street has housed NOFD’s headquarters since 1913 Discussions to move the headquarters from its French Quarter location go back as far as when former Mayor Marc Morial, who served from 1994 to 2002, was in office, Captain Quentin Brown said.

“Without understating the building’s historical significance or the appeal of the French Quarter, the fact is the New Orleans Fire Department outgrew 317 Decatur St. as its headquarters decades ago,” Nelson said in June 2023.

Thiam

The father of two was looking forward to an August court date, where he was scheduled to ap pear with his cousin, Souleymane Badiane. Badiane had been talking to Thiam’s social worker and planned to give him a place to live while helping him comply with any court-ordered programs.

“He was happy he went to jail, because he felt he needed to go through that so he could get his mind straight,” Badiane said. “He was leading prayer groups, and he was ready to come out.”

At 2:15

p.m. Monday, the sheriff, the chaplain and the warden showed up at Badiane’s Gentilly home to tell him Thiam 40 had died.

Thiam’s is the first in-custody death under Sheriff Michelle Woodfork’s tenure at the jail, which remains under a longstanding consent decree. As of July 17, the Orleans Justice Center housed 1,379 inmates, exceeding the City Council’s 2019 population cap of 1,250. Since May 2022, there have been at least four other in-custody deaths, including two overdose deaths in June 2023 and a suicide and a homicide in June 2022.

Badiane has considered the possibility that his cousin suffered a fatal opioid overdose.

“When I talked to him, he looked good, and I don’t think he was doing drugs,” Badiane said. “(A fatal drug overdose) shouldn’t happen in jail, anyway I’m discounting that.”

Thiam was born and raised in

ä See ANSWERS, page 3B

Ben Becnel Sr., a fifth-generation farmer in Plaquemines Parish known for his Creole tomatoes and citrus that he sold at his popular farm stands, died on Wednesday at the age of 83. He died after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his family said. Becnel, a lifelong Plaquemines Parish resident, did all sorts of different jobs over the course of his life, including building houses, painting, and even driving the school bus for a local private school.

But his greatest passion, his son, Ben Becnel Jr said, was farming.

“This place was his life,” Becnel Jr said, reached by phone Friday at his family’s farmland in Plaquemines. “It’s hard to walk in the barn and think, ‘He’ll never be in here again or help me work on things.’”

At its peak, the father-son duo’s farm had 80 acres of vegetables and 40 acres of citrus trees, Becnel Jr. said. Becnel was named Plaquemines’ 2012 “Orange King.”

Until the end of the last year

Becnel sold goods at farm stands in Belle Chasse on La. 23 outside of Zydeco’s Restaurant and at a spot near Jesuit Bend. They sold produce and jarred goods, mustard greens and jam.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA

GERMER

Ben Becnel Sr., a well-known citrus and tomato farmer in Plaquemines Parish, died on Wednesday after a battle with cancer He was 83.

They were best known for their large red Creole tomatoes and citrus from their orchards.

“We always appreciated his passion for farming and the outstanding citrus and produce he grew in Plaquemines Parish,” wrote Rouses supermarkets, which distributed Becnel’s citrus and Creole tomatoes, in a social media tribute on Wednesday

Even after their farm and the industry as a whole suffered significant losses in recent years — there was Hurricane Katrina, then Hurricane Ida in 2021, and more recently the blizzard in 2025 — they continued

ä See BECNEL, page 2B

In 2014, NOFD publicly floated the idea of moving its headquarters near City Park. But it wasn’t until 2017, under Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration, that the NOFD secured a building on City Park Avenue, Brown said.

Then came several delays, including from the COVID-19 pandemic. Work finally began in January 2021, and the city completed a $1.9 million initial phase of the headquarters project in July 2022, which included environmental remediation, interior demolition and the installation of underground utilities.

Later in June 2023, the city broke ground on the second and final phase, an $8.1 million renovation that included redoing the 20,000-squarefoot former Municipal Training Academy

The city said at the time of the groundbreaking that the new headquarters would include offices for NOFD fire chiefs, directors and other staff, as well as a 24-hour emergency operations center that included a kitchen, fitness facilities, sleeping quarters, a locker room and a laundry room. The funding for the project came from sources including FEMA’s Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants, city bond funds and community development block grant funds, the city said in 2023. Email Willie Swett at willie. swett@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

ä See JUDGES, page 2B

Graves says he doesn’tplantorun forCongress

Former repsays he’s taking apolitics‘detox’

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

FormerU.S. Rep.Garret Graves said Friday he doesn’tplanonrunning forCongress this fall,and sidestepped the idea of running for statewide office or challengingGov Jeff Landry next year “I’ve been coaxed to runina lot of different races, and, candidly, nothing’sattractive right now,”

Graves said during an interview with Jim Engster on WRKF’s“Talk Louisiana” radioprogram on Friday

“I’m in detox right now,” Graves said. “I want alittle bit more of areset beforeI jump back in.”

Graves

Theformer congressman said he stillfeels drawnto public serviceand wants to helpLouisiana get unmired from the bottom of national rankings.

“I feel acalling to try to step in and push us in abetterdirection,” he said.“It needs to be theright office.Itneeds to be the right time.”

In 2024, almostimmediatelyafter taking office, Landry and theLegislature reconfigured Louisiana’scongressionalmap, converting the majorityWhite district Graves representedatthe time into aBlack-majority district that Graves faced slim odds of winning. He declined to run, and Rep. Cleo Fields,aBlack Democrat from Baton Rouge,was elected. But this year,the U.S.Supreme Courtruled thenew district represented by Fields was unconstitutional andordered state officials back to the drawing board. Landry

and the Legislature put together a revisedmap,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’thave plans to run in November,” he said. “I think it’sjust really important that we getsomeone in there who’sgood, who knows what they’re doing and can hit the ground running.”

Engster also asked Gravesabout former Gov.Edwin Edwards. Graves saidhegot to knowthe in-

fluentialpoliticianwhile running and then defeating him in the race for Congress in 2014.

“Webecame good friends,” he said. Graves called Edwards“oneof the brightest menthat I’ve ever metinmylife.”

But he acknowledged the notoriousformer governorwas “a complex guy.”

“I think that he was agreat man,” Graves said. “He probably didn’t make some great decisions his entire life.”

EmailAlyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

Disbarred Slidellattorneyaccused of embezzlement

AG’s office says companydefrauded of $2.5M

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

Agents with Louisiana Attorney

General Liz Murrill’soffice have arrested adisbarred attorney and accountant from Slidell in connection with an alleged $2.5 million embezzlementscheme that targeted aclaymining com-

pany John B. Ohle III, 58, of Slidell, was arrestedonThursday in Metairie by theLouisianaBureau of Investigation and booked into OrleansParish Jail on counts of forgery,identity theft, theft over $25,000,money laundering, bank fraud and computer fraud,Murrill’soffice said in anews release.

Murrill’sagents found that Ohle engaged inthe “elaborate embezzlementscheme” that allegedlydefrauded thecompany and its clients ofmore than $2.5 million betweenJanuary 2020

andFebruary 2024, Murrill’sofficesaid

Theagents beganinvestigating Ohle after receiving acomplaint fromthe companythatOhle their contracted consultant— was engaging in the scheme.

Theagents found that Ohle allegedly diverted revenue from the mining company to his bank accounts.

Ohle also allegedly sold someof the company’sheavy equipment and diverted the money to himself throughanassociate’s bank account, Murrill’s officesaid. It

Former Kenner resident chargedintrafficking teen

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’sOffice formally charged asuspected smuggler accused of taking aman’s16-yearold daughterinexchange for a$10,000 debt owed by the father,according to Kenner police. Juven Paz, 34, of Raleigh, N.C., was charged Thursday with trafficking of children for sexual purposes, Jefferson Parish court records said. Paz was arrested earlier thisyear following an investigation by the Kenner Police Department. He was living in Kenner in 2018 when authorities sayhesmuggled the teenage victim’sfather into the United States from Honduras, according to KennerpoliceDeputyChief Mark McCormick. Ayear later,Paz smuggled the

victim intothe country as well, authoritiessaid. The teen’s fatherhad no way of payingthe large debt he allegedlyowed Paz for bringing them into the country,soPaz proposed thatthe fathergiveuphis daughter to cover it, according to McCormick. Thegirl began living with Paz at aresidence inthe 600block of 27thStreet in Kenner in November 2019.

“She’s giventothe suspect for the purpose of being his‘woman,’ whether thatmeans housecleaning, being ahomemaker,” McCormicksaid

Thegirlwas coerced into sex with Paz andheld against her will, according to authorities. Paz allegedly told her she was responsible for her father’sdebt and threatened to harm her andher family if she didn’t comply. Paz moved to North Carolinaand took thevictim

withhim.Hewas deported fromthe UnitedStates in 2023. After his departure, thevictim reported what had occurred tolaw enforcement.

Kenner police investigatedthe case and obtained awarrant forPaz’s arrest in 2024 but could notlocate him. Paz reentered thecountry at some point,and ahighway patrol officer in North Carolina arrested him on April 24 after discovering the Kenner police warrant during atrafficstop, McCormick said.

Paz was extradited to Jefferson Parish on June 6and is beingheld without bail at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Centerin Gretna. He is scheduled to be arraignedMonday, court records said.

EmailMichelle Hunter at mhunter@ theadvocate.com.

Landry namesnew statefiremarshal

Currentleader

movestopublic safety

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

Gov.JeffLandry has named Chad Sonnier,the director of the Lafayette Parish Office of Homeland Security,asthe new state fire marshal. He also promoted thecurrent fire marshal, Bryan Adams,to an appointment in the Louisiana Department of Public Safety Adams will serve as principal assistant to the deputy

BECNEL

Continued from page1B

to operate their farm stands and sell vegetables. But at the end of 2025, with profits falling due to rising production costs during the Covid-19 pandemic, and his father growing more tired from cancer treatment, they decided to shut down the stands, Becnel Jr.said.

Nevertheless, he said, he plans to once again open acitrus stand on La. 23 in October Becnel was born in

secretary of that department, theState FireMarshal’sOffice said Friday In thatrole, Adams will oversee thedaily operations of five stateoffices: the OfficeofState Fire Marshal, Office of MotorVehicles, LouisianaHighway SafetyCommission, Louisiana Gaming ControlBoard and Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission The appointments will takeeffect on Monday,the State Fire Marshal’s Office said in anews release Friday. Adams had served as

state fire marshal since January 2024.

Sonnier,who will become state firemarshal on Monday,has more than 37 years of fire service experience. He hadserved as fire chief of the Scott FireDepartment for more than 20 years, before serving for the past two years as the directorofthe Lafayette Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate. com.

Plaqueminesin1942 to a farming family,and lived there therest of his life. Becnel and each of his nine siblingsinherited 7 acresof farmland when their father retired. Becnel laterbought up more land and expanded his farm, Becnel Jr.said “He could be rough and tough, but at the same time he wasverycompassionate,” recalledBecnel Jr “When it was business time, he was business.”

Becnel also loved ballroom dancing withhis wife, Gwen, and the couplewould travel and compete in Baton Rouge,Becnel Jr.said.

“I was so used to only seeing him on atractor,itwas great to see him outside of that and having fun.”

Becnel is survivedbyhis wife, Gwendolyn Becnel of BelleChasse; hisson, BenjaminBecnel of Belle Chasse;his daughter,Christy Becnel of Abita Springs; andnumerous grandchildrenand great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held on Monday,Aug. 3at10a.m.at The First BaptistChurch of Belle Chasse. Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

didnot name the associate or the mining company At one point, to facilitate the fraud, Ohle allegedly posed as theexecutive of the companyto clincha trucking deal,Murrill’s officesaid.

This is not the first time that Ohle has faced accusations of fraud.

In 2010, he was convicted of wire andtax fraud conspiracy charges and tax evasion and sentenced by afederal judge in Manhattan to five years in prison.

It was because of that convic-

tion in New York that Ohlewas disbarred, Murrill’soffice noted.

After learning of his arrest warrant, Ohle allegedlyrefused to cooperate with police and attemptedtoevade arrest, though he was later arrested at aMetairie residence without incident, Murrill’soffice said.

OrleansParish jailrecords do notshowa bond amount forOhle. Murrill’soffice said the investigation is ongoing.

Email Willie Swettatwillie swett@theadvocate.com

Mancharged in sexual abuseofgirl

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

AJefferson Parish grand jury handed up an indictment Thursday charging aHarahan man with theyearslong abuse of ayoung girl, according to courtrecords Mario Salvador Sorto Selva, 44,was charged with first-degree rape, sexual battery of avictim under13, sexual battery and indecent behavior withajuvenile.

Thevictim, whoisnow a teenager, toldJefferson ParishSheriff’s Office investigators thatSortofirst began sexually abusing herwhen she was about 6yearsold, authorities said. Sorto, whowas known to her family,would inappropriately touch herwhile pretending tohelp her get

JUDGES

Continuedfrom page1B

The high court’sfour Republican justices, however, ruledthe newlaw constitutional, finding no need today for the New Orleans judiciary to be structured differently fromthe rest of thestate.The ruling said delegates foresaw it when theyadded theexemptiontothe 1974 constitution, which remains in effect.

New Orleans at thetime had seven taxassessors, multiple sheriffs andseparate clerksfor its dividedcivil and criminal courts. Lawmakersunified theclerks offices this year.The sheriffs offices were mergedin2010, andthe assessors offices in 2011.

The fragmented New Orleans judiciary stirred debateamong delegates in the summer of 1973 over possibly consolidating the courts system. They compromised on Article 32, whichmade changes to the local court “subject to change by law.”

Fuller arguedthatexceptiononly applied to the structure of civil and criminal courtsthemselves but didn’t mean lawmakers could abolishjudges’seats with asimple majority vote.

“Section 32 reflected cognizanceofthe fact that the courts of OrleansParishwere conceivedina differentera, when New Orleans was much larger thanany other place in the state,” the majority deci-

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dressed or dried off after a bath, according to authorities. The abuse allegedly progressed to rape when she was about11. Thegirltold investigators Sorto continued to assault her through sixth and seventh grade. The rapesstoppedafter the girl entered eighth gradeand was physically able to stop them,according to authorities. Still,Sortocontinued to fondle and inappropriately touch thegirl. Shealsotold investigators that he took photosorvideos of her during theabuse,authorities said.

Theassaults are believed to have occurred in several locations around Jefferson Parish.

The victim confidedina

sion read.

The ordernoted that the Crescent City population has declinedtojust above362,000 from apeak of morethan 600,000 in 1960.

“There were times in history when Orleans Parish approached aquarter of the state’spopulation, now it comprises barelya quarter of the NewOrleans region,” the majority stated.

Weimer wrote in dissent thatthe delegatesmeantArticle15toprotect judges“from the adversity of public opinion.”Forsaking asupermajority threatens abalance in power between courts and Legislature, he wrote.

“The requirementofa supermajority to add or remove judges requires agreement between opposing political factionsand guards against hasty or emotional decisions by lawmakers,” Weimer wrote.

Guidry alluded to commentsfromLandry suggesting NewOrleans’ stature hasdiminishedinthe state despite thinking “they’re so special.”

Guidry agreed with Fuller saying themajority conflated

relative in July 2025, and authorities began investigating. The Sheriff’s Office arrested Sorto in the case on April 14, 2026. Sorto is facing similar charges in New Orleans, according to court records. In October 2025, he pleaded not guilty to first-degree rape and twocounts of molestation of ajuvenile, Orleans Parish court records said. No details were immediatelyavailableabout thecase in New Orleans, including whether thematter involves thesame victimfrom theJefferson Parish investigation After Sorto’sindictment in Jefferson Parish, the court set his bail at $2.3 million. Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

the structure of the court with the number of judges in amisinterpretation of Article 32.

“I agree that OrleansParish shouldnot be treated better than other parishes of this state, but Iemphatically reject the proposition that the Louisiana Constitution allows it to be treated worse than other parishes,” Guidry wrote in his opinion. “There seemstobeanemerging pattern of disenfranchising the citizens of OrleansParish and treating them less than the citizens of every other parish of ourstate.”

Newly elected Justice WilliamBurris, whotook his seat in June, saidOrleans Parish’s courtsaren’t being undercut when compared to growing parishes like Livingston and Jefferson

“I highlight thefollowing disparities not as acriticism, but because the over-allocation of resources to some areas increases the likelihood that other areas with acute needs will remain ignored,” he said.

Email Matt Bruceatmatt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

Sonnier

Eggrecall hits stores in La.

BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer

The Louisiana Department of Health reported Friday that seven Louisiana residents were sick in connection with asalmonella outbreak from white shell eggs and brown cagefree shell eggs.

Three of the seven sick residents were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported, the health department said.

Louisiana is one of 17 states connected to the outbreak that began in November last year.Federal officialsreported 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, LP,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 Groceryowned stores, including Super 1Foods and Spring Market in Louisiana. Other stores may have also carried the recalled eggs.

The eggsare sold under multiple brand names, including Kroger, Simple Truth, Brookshire’s, CalMaine and Country Morning.

“Weencourage anyone who purchasedthese eggs to check the recall information carefully and discard or return affected products,” said LDH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein in astatement.

ANSWERS

Continued from page 1B

Senegal,where he worked as amarketing manager

He came to NewOrleans in 2015 after winning the green card lottery and supported his wife, 9-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son by working as amanager at One Love African Art on Decatur Street and awarehouse manager at Amazon.

“He was avery hard worker,always had jobs,” Badiane said. “And then when he started having issues with his wife, he drifted alittle bit into drugs. And that is what got him in trouble.”

Badiane said Thiam was high shortly aftermidnight on Nov.10, 2025, when he allegedly tried to rob the police captain of the Plaquemines Police Department and arailroad engineer with an ice pick at the intersection of Bourbon Streetand Esplanade Avenue, court documents show Thiam was immediately arrested and held on a $16,000 bail,which Badiane said he could haveafforded. But becauseofhis immigration status, ICE placed adetainer on him.

“Wehad the money,but once we knew about the ICE hold, we knew they weren’tgoing to lethim out,” Badiane said. Looking back, Badiane said that if he had known his cousin would die at the Orleans Justice Center, he might have posted the bail anyway and taken his chances with ICE.

He is now raising money via GoFundMe to repatriate Thiam’sbody to Senegal. He also hopes to hire an independent physician to review the autopsy findings. The Orleans Parish Coroner’sOffice has said it could take up to six weeks before the autopsy results are publicly released.

“(Drugs) are just abig problem here. Ipray it doesn’thappen to anybody —togointo jail and this happens to you,” Badiane said.

Sheriff’sOfficebusts large-scaledrugring

Anonymous tipled to surveillance, infiltration

BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer

Alarge-scalecrystal meth andfentanyldealer bustedthis month in Baton Rouge used two fake businesses —anauto shopand aconstruction firm —asa front for drug money,authorities said. Through anearly twomonth operation of intensive surveillance of the individuals involvedand suspected homes, agents with theSheriff’s Office Narcotics Division determined that the dealers were using an automotive shop at 11744 Darryl Drive, near Choctaw Drive, to pretend to be alegitimatesource of cash.

On July 2, 19th Judicial District Judge Nicole Robinson signedoff on search warrants for sixlocations suspected as drop houses andstorage placesfor the meth and fentanyl. On July 9, the search warrantswere executed and agentsconfis-

cated 147.1 grams of fentanyl, 123.5 gramsofcrack, 76.9 grams of cocaine and 10.7 grams of meth.

They also confiscated various amounts of MDMA pills, oxycodone, marijuana,amphetamines, guns and other drug paraphernalia.

Oneday after thesearch warrants wereexecuted, deputiesarrested Ronny Howard, 40, and Ronrico Terrell, 50, on multiple counts including possession withintent to distribute Schedule II and IV drugs, operation and creation of aclandestine labfor controlled substances and several illegal firearm charges.

In May,ananonymous source toldagentsabout a large-scale dealer —later identified as Howard —who dealt in kilo and multi-kilo quantities of drugs.

Howard owns and operates Ronnie Howard Constructionand Howard Auto Sales,both of which are listed at Darryl Drive on their respective websites. Both businesses areingood standing withthe state.

During the investigation between May and June, agentsobserved Howard conducting short non-social visits to multiple residenc-

es, something typically associated with drug deals, according to the agents’ yearsofexperience in narcotics.

According to the search warrant, the deals occurred in private homesand publicareas like gasstations and Cracker Barrelrestaurants.

While attempting surveillance on Howard in his personalcar,heexhibited multiple counter-intelligence tactics suchasusing neighborhoods instead of highways as main travel lanes, abruptly speeding, switchinglanes andaccelerating or braking for no specific reason, the warrantfor his arrest said.

This is atactic agents refer to as heat checking, which is abnormal and aggressive driving that is not associated with everyday driving.Itoften alsoincludeschanging vehicles when drivingtodrugdeals and subsequently taking the moneyback to the businesswhereitwill be laundered.

Howard was also seen switching between multiple cars such as ared Mini Cooper, awhiteChevy Trax, a white Hyundai SUV,ablack Jeep Wrangler and a2025

Hyundai Kona, whichwas later identified as arental car According to thewarrant, Howard made multiple tripstoTexas in therental car and replaced the temporary Colorado license plate withanother temporary one. Agents identified it as a common tactic used to travel across state lines without being tracked by police. The tags were issued from Howard’sauto shop.

During his trips to Texas, he stopped at multiple places in Beaumont before driving back through Lafayette and ending in Baton Rouge, according to the warrant.

On June 11,agentsset up acontrolledbuy with a confidential informant. The informantpurchased fentanyl from Courtney Forman, adealer withHoward, at aresidence at 3983 Gus Young Avenue.The deal went through, and Forman was arrested on June 29.

In addition to the physical surveillanceevidence agents have gathered, agents were notified of a series of suspicious activities concerning the bank accounts in the names of Howard’sbusinesses.

Between Feb. 25 and March 10, Howard depos-

ited $21,050 into an account at theGuaranty Bank and Trust Company and withdrewthe same amount three days later

This series of rapid deposits and withdrawals is calledlayering and is a common tactic used to limit the transparency of the source, according to the warrant. Accordingtothe agents in the investigation, thistactic is commonly used to circulate and “launder” the drug money and circulate it with legit bills. According to the lawenforcement databases, Howard Auto LLC claimed to make $44 million annually fromsales. However, the investigators who did surveillance on the shop said the shop was not consistent with the behaviors of a business making that sum of money,according to arrest documents.

During surveillance of the property,agents confirmedthatthe peopleatthe auto shop did not appear to be employees or customers. Norman Sims, 29,and James Tullier,62, were also arrestedonvarious drug chargesinconnectionwith the bust. Both Sims and Howard are out on bond.

Expert to review call on dayofWells’death,attorneysays

Parentsplead for informationat conference

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press

An attorney for the family of Nolan Wells saidThursday that they have hired audioengineers to review adistress call made from aboat on the day of his disappearance,whichhas promptedonline speculation and claims of defamation amid the ongoinginvestigation into the 18-year-old’s death.

Therecording, released by Mississippiauthorities this week, captures aJuly 4calltoaprivate marine towing companyrequesting assistance for a boat thatwas taking in wateroff Horn Island, where Wells was last seen “Our bilge pump stopped working. We’re sinking. Can y’all please come?”the callerasks,noting that there were about seven people on board. The dispatcher then speakswith acaptain for thetowing company, whosaida relative of the boat owner reported those onboard had solved theissue and “don’tneed any help rightnow.” The distresscallwas made to Sea Tow, aprivatecompany,and releasedtomedia outlets by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. Law enforcement officials havesaid they were told by witnesses that Wells was not on the boat when it left the island.

Black, had traveled to the uninhabitedislandwitha group of friends from high school, all of whom were White. He did notreturn with his friends to themainland thatevening. His body was found two days later off theisland’scoast.

Aday after thediscovery, JacksonCounty Sheriff John Ledbetter saidWells’ friends were cooperating with authorities andthatinvestigators did not suspect foul play.The sheriff has released few details since but

“We’renot trying to cast aspersionsonanybody; we want the truth,” Crump said. “Ifitwas yourchild, you’d want the same thing.”

Theattorney was also joined Thursday by relatives of Tyler Smith and DanielErving, two Black 18-year-olds whodied in recent months, in circumstances that Crump describedas“very similar” to Wells’ final hours.

Smith, arecent high school graduate from Lexington,

Kentucky,died on July 4 from agunshot wound that police said wasaccidental and self-inflicted. His family hasdisputed thedetermination. Policesaidthe investigation remains ongoing. Erving drowned in aTexas lake in Aprilafter jumping from arailway bridge with two teenage friends, local authorities said. Earlier this month, the two friends were charged with evidence tampering because they had

“failed to report the incident and later discarded items belonging to Daniel,”according to aDallas policespokesperson. RelativesofbothErving andSmithsaidtheir concernsabout theinvestigations had not been taken seriously by local law enforcement.

“Three 18-year-old Black boys all within three months,” Crump said. “We wantanswers.”

Speaking at the National Urban League Conference on Thursday,the civil rights attorney BenCrump said Wells’ family had retained audio engineering experts to reviewthe recording. The legal teamisalsocalling on prosecutorstoinclude outside authorities in the reviewofphones belonging to friends who traveled with Wells to the island. Avoicemail left with the Jackson County DistrictAttorney’sOffice was not returned Wells’ parentsalso attended the conference, pleading for anyone withinformation to come forward. “We will not rest untilweget answers,” said his mother, Christine Wonsley Theteenager’sdeath has touched off rampantspeculation, deepened in partby uncertainty about his final hours, distrustoflaw enforcement and Mississippi’s longhistory of racist violence. The teenager,who was

Brown,Anne Johnson, Tommy McKay, Marjorie Pete Jr., Oakland Terrebonne,Richard

Obituaries

Brown, Anne Andollina Clement

Anne Andollina Clement Brown passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July28, 2026 at her residence surrounded by her loving family. She was 89. She was preceded in death by her husband, Sgt. Robert "Bobby" Brown, Sr. her parents, Salvatore Andollina and Lottie Sicomo Andollina and her brother, Clement Andollina. Anne is survived by her children, Robin Couste (John) and James "Chip" Clement (Brenda); her grandchildren, John "JJ" Couste (Amanda)and Jeremy Couste, Chantel, John and Joshua; and her great-grandchildren, Peyton, Kaylee, Jackson, and Sophie. She was born in New Orleans, La and lived in Lake Catherine before moving to Covington, LA and resided in Pearl River, LA. She was aloving, kind-hearted and selfless person. She enjoyed crocheting and fishing and being outdoors. She was devoted to, and adored her husband and after his passing, would regularly come to visit him. Relatives and friendsof the family are invited to attend the Funeral Service on Monday, August3,2026 at 11:00 am at EJFielding Funeral Home, 2260 West 21st Avenue, Covington,LA and the visitation willbegin at 9:00 am until service time. Interment willfollow in Pinecrest Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum E.J. Fielding Funeral Home has been entrusted with funeral arrangements. Please sign the guestbook at www.ejfieldingfh.com.

Tommy Wayne Johnson, 70, passed peacefullyon Wednesday,July22, 2026, in Marrero, Louisiana Born on October4,1955, in Opelousas, Louisiana, Tommy was the beloved son of the late Jessie Johnson, Sr. and Dorothy MaeMitchell Johnson. A graduateofOpelousas Senior High School and trucking school,hebegan his careerasanover-theroad truckdriveratage 19. Through dedication, he foundedT.W.Johnson Trucking, earning numeroussafety awards Tommy was adevoted father,grandfather, greatgrandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He is survived by his children, Tommy Gallow (Kathina), TijuaneGallow, and Shannon Johnson; 13 grandchildren; 8greatgrandchildren; sisters, Lillie Shelvinand Patricia Roque (Roy); brothers, HerbertJohnsonand RobertJohnson(Mary); and ahost of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and dear friends. He was precededindeath by his parents; brothers, Clyde Johnsonand Jessie Johnson, Jr.; and sister, CynthiaJohnson Amos. Funeral serviceswillbe held Saturday, August 1, 2026,atRobinsonFamily Funeral Home,9611 Highway23, BelleChasse, Louisiana.Visitation beginsat9:30 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11:00a.m. Interment will followatWestlawn Memorial Park, Gretna, Louisiana.Arrangements areentrusted to Robinson Family Funeral Home

MarjorieClaireMcKay, born February 8, 1921, departed this world for the next on July28, 2026, at the ageof105. Marjorieispredeceasedbyher parents JosephT.McKay, Sr. and AliciaFlynn McKay, and her siblings JosephT McKay, Jr. and Alicia Helen McKay. She is survived by her brother DonaldE McKay, Sr.She is also survivedbycountless cousins,nieces, nephews and otherfamily and friends. Marjoriewas born and raised in NewOrleans, educated at St. Mary's Dominican High School and Ursuline College, and also earnedmultiple graduate degreesincounseling and education. She worked with Archbishops at the Chancery Office butfelt most rewarded in her work as thelong-time Director of thePlacement Office at U.N.O. where she believed she madea difference in helping studentsembark on their professional careers. With Marjorie it was always about taking an interest in people and developing personal relationships. Later in life,Marjorie moved to Tchefuncta Estates in Covingtonwhere she enjoyed retirement and many days playing tennisand golf. She was tickled when, on theoccasionofher 100thbirthday, theCityofCovingtonproclaimed the day"Marjorie McKay Day."

Marjorie'slife was defined by her strong Catholic faith and in particular her devotiontothe Blessed Mother. She was extremely proud of her Irish heritage, remembering fondlyher tripto Ireland in 1989. She was lovedand admired by her largefamily and relished those times when she "held court,"telling stories of McKay family history Those visits willbegreatly missed by those she leavesbehind. The family wishes to recognize and thank Caletha Youngblood, Luwana Williams and Kallah Haynes forthe years of loving care they provided Marjorie- they aretruly angelsamong us. Allare invited to theMass of ChristianBurial on Monday, August 3atthe NationalShrine of Our

LadyofPromptSuccor, 2701 StateStreet,New Orleans at 11:00 a.m. Visitationatthe same location from 10:00 to 11:00. Interment willfollow at GreenwoodCemetery.In lieu of flowers,the family prefers donations to the MaureenMcKay Poche Mission Fund at the NationalShrine of Our LadyofPrompt Succorat 2734 Nashville Avenue, NewOrleans, LA 70115, or St.Michael's Special School, 1522 Chippewa Street,New Orleans, LA 70130, or St. Mary's Dominican High School, 7701 Walmsley Avenue, NewOrleans, LA 70125. Online guest book at www.greenwoodfh.com.

wasknown to familyand friends as "Rusty". Oakland was born on May 7,1959 in NewOrleans,La. to thelateOakland Joseph Pete Sr.and Elaine Navarre Pete.Rusty passedaway peacefully in hishome on June 28,2026. Rusty was a painterbyprofession,a jackofall trades. Rusty's passion wasfishing. Rusty waspreceded in death by hisparents and hisbrother Nathan J. Pete Sr.He leaves to cherish hismemoriesdevoted friend Lisa Stafford, sons Ryan and TimothyHeard,daughter OaklynneElaine Pete Joseph (Kevin),granddaughter, sister Lorna Bennett,sister-in-law Julie Pete.Rusty,also survived by ahost of relatives, friends, regularsofPete's Bar in the"Cut". A Christian burial willbe held on August 5,2026 at MountOlivet Cemetery 400 Norman MayerAvenue NewOrleans,La. 70122.

Terrebonne, Richard P. Richard Paul Terrebonnepassed away on July 27, 2026. Born on August 26, 1936, in New Orleans, LA, to thelate Robert J. Terrebonneand Idelle B. Estelle Terrebonne. Richard was thehusbandofthe late Katherine Porta Terrebonne, father of Teresa T. Russo, Faye T. Tucker andDeanM Terrebonne. Lake LawnMetairie

Many

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

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

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1

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

Early detectioncan prevent small problemsfrom becomingexpensive ones

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

Previous dental work canwearout

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

Treatment is expensive especially theservicespeople over 50 often need

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

McKay, MarjorieClaire

Pete, Oakland Joseph 'Rusty'

OaklandJoseph Pete, Jr.

BUSINESS

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 Polymarket allow 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 courtfiling, stateofficials provideda roughestimate of the damagesand costs sought by the lawsuit —$36 billion FCC chairman defends actions against ABC

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 broadcasters return to their 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 healthand 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.

Amazon soars, Applesinks,oil stayshigh

Inflationworries worsen in wild July

BYSTANCHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stocksroseFriday to finish awild July for Wall Street as Amazon leaped,Apple sankand risingoil prices worsened worries aboutinflation stayinghigh.

It’safittingfinish to July for the U.S. stock market, which lurched up and down as oil prices shot high-

er because of the warwith 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 measure of the U.S stockmarket 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, went from 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 raked in massive spring profitswhile fightingbetween Iran and the U.S. impeded petroleumshipments andconsumers around theworld paid more for fuel and confronted shortages.

Theconflict, now in its sixth month, halted most shipping through theStraitofHormuz, anarrow waterway that previously served as adelivery route for afifthofthe world’s oil andnatural gas. With global supplies constrained, prices forBrent crude,the internationalstandard, soared from about $70 to above $100 abarrel for much of March, April andMay,and at one point reached $126.

Themoney that oil companies accrued between the beginning of April and the end of June couldreceive extra scrutiny this year

Gasoline, diesel andjet fuelprices climbed sharply during that period, increasing costs for drivers and airline passengers. Supplies ran low in some countries, leading to sporadicfuelrationinginAustralia and government office closures in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

ExxonMobilonFridayreported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.53 billion, boosted by record diesel production. Theoil giant, based in Spring, Texas,brought in $116.02 billion in revenue, up 42%.

Chevron,based in Houston, nearlyquadrupledits profits to $12.07 billion and revenue jumped 56%to $70.06 billion.

SixofEurope’slargestoil 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 oilproducers are one of them,”said Patrick Galey,fossil fuels lead at Global Witness, a nonprofit organization that investigatesenvironmental issues. “Whenyou compare that to the hundreds of millionsofpeople whoare struggling with rolling blackouts, with electricity curbs, rationing, waiting in line for food queues,orthe disruption to fertilizers and the potentialimpact that thathas on food prices, we don’tthink that it’s ajustifiable price for the rest of the world to be paying.”

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 anddemand,and what traders, refiners and other buyersare willing to pay Nevertheless, Democrats in Congress introducedbills in March to taxmajoroil 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., who introduced 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 wasblocked.

“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 the Middle East 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 wayoil is traded; thefirstreal opportunity they hadtotake advantage of higher prices oil was in April.

Companies that hada lotofoil stored in floating tankers and available forspot-market trading, including some Europeanones, were able to benefit from March’shigher oil prices, Seng said.

Anthropicsaysits AI models hacked 3organizations during testing

BY CHAN HO-HIM Associated Press

Anthropic said its artificial intelligencemodels hacked into three other organizations during testing, just days after ChatGPT maker OpenAIraisedconcerns over AI controls afteritdisclosed itsrogue modelshacked another company Anthropic, the SanFranciscobased AI company behind Claude, posted onits 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 wereable to access the internetfrom 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 modelsweregiven afic-

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 said they hadnot previously detected the activity.Anthropic said it was “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

modelswentrogueduringan 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?

Ron Faucheux

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. 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?

ALAN JUDERJAHN Ponchatoula

Couldentrepreneurial towtruck drivers solveabandoned vehicleproblem?

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 lineman setto getsecondopinion on knee

BY MATTHEWPARAS

Staff writer

Bryan Bresee will receive asecond opinion on his knee injury thatisfearedtobea torn ACL, but the New Orleans Saintsare operating as if they willbewithout astarting defensive lineman after hegot hurt duringthe team’s firsttraining camp practice

Wednesday

“It’stough,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. Theinjuryhurts on multiplelevels. 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 wouldhavebeen in line for amajor payday next offseason Instead, Bresee’sinjury will test theSaints by seeing if the youth movement they’ve experienced over the last two drafts isactually 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 incumbentstarters. Now? The chances are one of them will be forced into the spotlight, ready or not.

“We’ll use training camp and preseason games and all these opportunities tokindof evaluate that,” Moore said.“Andwe’llhave agood opportunity there. We’ve got some talented guys in that room, some veterans, some young guys that will getplenty of reps

ä See BRESEE, page 4C

STAFFFILEPHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints defensivelineman Bryan Bresee stretches during organized team activities on May28atthe team’s indoor practice facility in Metairie. Bresee suffered what is feared to be atornACL on the first dayofcamp.

Saints wide receiver Olaveearnedhuge contract forhis production,approach

BY JON 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,soI 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’t help 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 smileonGreen’s face throughouthis interview sessions at SECmedia days in Tampa,Florida,last week, Kiffin’slie wasn’tfooling anyone. Green, the 6-foot-7, 237-pound junior,has lined up nearly everywheresince his new coach arrived in Baton Rouge,includingin athree-point stance, in theslot andout wide.

DE ED DESE ED

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave takes abreak in between

facilityinMetairie. Olave signed afour-year,

ChrisOlave strode into theSaints’ indoor practice facility Friday likeaman who’d hadthe weight of theworldlifted from his shoulders. Who could blame him?

Jeff Duncan

Only 24 hours removed from signing ablockbusterfour-year, $132 millioncontract, thestar receiver was all smiles as he addressedreporters after theteam’sthird practice of training camp “I feel great, actually,” he said, breakingintoa devilish grin. Alife-changing contract and long-term financial securitywill do that for you.

Olave’scontract was the secondlargest in Saints history,trailing only Derek Carr’sfour-year,$150 million deal in 2023. It also makes him thesixthhighest-paid receiver in theNFL. No Saintsskill position player ever has been

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 gameversus Clemson 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

rewarded with such alucrative deal.

Olavealways hasbeen aman of few words. Quiet by nature,heprefers to lethis game do his talking forhim. But he was thoughtful and expansive with reporters on Friday as he discussedthe roller-coaster ride he’s navigated the last fewyears. At this time ayear ago, he didn’tknow whether he had afuture, much less a secure one. He was coming off the worst season of his career,aninjury-riddled campaign that limited him to only eight games and acareer-low 32 receptions for 400 yards. Aseries of concussions caused him to contemplate retirement in the2025 offseason.

But Olave rebounded with abreakout

I’mjustgrateful, man. Everybody knows the adversity I’ve been through. All the times Igot knocked down, just keep getting back up, keep getting backupand keep putting my bestfoot forward… not just in football but in life.”

CHRISOLAVE, Saintswide receiver ä See DUNCAN, page 4C

ends and linebackers, helping open holes for star running back Derrick Henry Howard sometimesmotionedintothe backfield and lined up at fullback.

Buthedidn’tlingeroverthe Bgap He swung into the flat,wide open,versus athird-and-3 blitz. Howard rumbled for 25 yards to theClemson 29. Later in the game, Howard lined up at slot receiver,fakinga blockona quick screen before he zoomed down the field, wide open, for a53-yard touchdown. He had another long touchdown, 51 yards, in a45-40 victory.Howard started in a three-point stance but explodedpast the Clemson secondary,straight down theseam. Tight ends getopen in Kiffin’soffense. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban, who joined the SECNetwork crew,recalled Kiffin’splay-action conceptsthat pull linebackers toward the line of scrimmage, abandoning themiddle of ä See LSU, page 6C

drills on Fridayduring training camp at the team’spractice

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 An-

eesah 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.

LSU baseball sets schedule, foes for fall scrimmages

LSU baseball will face Samford, Troy and Southeastern Louisiana for fall scrimmages leading into the 2027 season, coach Jay Johnson told The Advocate on Friday

LSU squares off against Samford in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Oct. 31 and Nov 1 before facing Troy on Nov 8 and Southeastern Louisiana on Nov 11 at Alex Box Stadium.

LSU heads into fall practices with a new-look roster after a disappointing 2026 campaign. The Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and finished 30-28 and 9-21 in the Southeastern Conference.

Johnson promised to make changes with the team’s fall practices.

“And then (we’ll do) some initial planning of next fall,” Johnson said, “in terms of some adjustments that I would like to make.”

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.

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 JUAREZ

Cameron 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

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

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

Star runningbacks Gibbs, Robinson holdinginto getpaidbyLions,Falcons

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

Twoofthe NFL’s most productive running backs haven’tgotten off to theracesquiteyetattrainingcamp

Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions and Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons have been spectators as they play their hands in an apparent contract “hold-in”as their teams get to work.

Lions coach Dan Campbell and Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski insist the focus remains on the active participants.

“My job is to coach who’s out there rightnow,” Campbell said Thursday.“Ilove the kid, butman, I’ve got ateam to coach right now.”

As for Stefanski’soutlook: Just coach the football team. Understand there’sabusiness side to what we do.”

The first-year Falcons coach said he has had conversations with Robinson, but those will remain private.

“I don’tthink it’sfair to share those types of things, and Ithink we all trust in the process, what’s going on,” he said.

Both playershave theresume for ahefty paycheck.

Robinson led the league with 2,298 yards from scrimmage last season. He rushed for 1,478yards with seven touchdowns and set careerhighs with 79 receptions for

Continued from page1C

year last season. He started 16 games and recorded career highs of 100 receptions, 1,163 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. He also started to blossomasaleader in the locker room, an area he’d been hesitant to embrace until he felt like he was ready Even with Olave’s breakout season, the Saints were concerned enough about his long-term health and availability that they spent significant resources to fortify their receiver position. They traded for Devaughn Vele and Ja’Lynn Polk last season, then selected Jordyn Tyson in the first round of this year’sNFL draft.

“I’m just grateful, man,” Olave said. “Everybody knows the adversity I’ve been through.All the times Igot knocked down, just

820 yardsand fourtouchdowns, earning an All-Pro selection and his second Pro Bowl appearance. New Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put it plainly Friday: “We’re waiting forBijan to get paid.”

Gibbs, too, ranked in the top 10 with 1,228 yards rushingand 13 touchdowns. Afterthree years in theleague, he’s one of just four in league history to surpass 4,500 yards from scrimmage and score 45-plus touchdowns, and he’s3 for 3inPro Bowl selections.

Aonce under appreciated running back market has been reset as the Eagles awarded Saquon Barkley’sSuperBowl run and Offensive Player of theYear campaign with arecord-breaking two-year,$41 million extension ahead of last season

Both Gibbs and Robinsonare expected to seek similar figures, meaning there could be power and adiscount— in beingthe first team to cross the finishline. Ahold-in has proven asuccessful negotiation tactic before. Tagovailoa staged ahold-in of his own in2024 whileseeking an extensionwith theMiami Dolphins.The left-handed quarterback ended up with afour-year, $212 million extension, and despite being cut in March, is still owed $54 millioninguaranteed money this year

keepgetting back up, keep getting backupand keepputtingmybest foot forward…not just in football but in life.” Olave’sbreakout campaign came at acritical time, both for him and the Saints. It validated the club’sdecision to trade up and select Olave with the No. 11overall pick in the 2022 draft and gave them the confidenceneeded to open the vault and extend histimehere. ForOlave, the bounce-back injury-free season validated the work he put in last offseason and bolstered his confidence as he entersthe prime of his career

“I feel like last year we hadan interview around this time, and Ifeel like Iwas going to (have abreakout season) andspoke 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.Ijust put my best foot forward and I

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

BRESEE

Continuedfrom page1C

to get ready to go.”

Broughtonwillget thefirstcrack at it. The 6-foot-5, 311-pounder lined up with thefirst team in Bresee’sabsence, while Miller stayed with the backups.

But Broughton is also an unknown. The 25-year-old missed all but onegame of hisrookie year withahip injury,preventing the Saints from seeing howhewould fareagainst NFL-qualityopposition.Beforegetting hurt as arookie, Broughtonhad astrongbeginning to training camp but cooled off as thesummerprogressed leading New Orleanstostick with Nathan Shepherd as astarter next to Breseeand nose tackle Davon Godchaux.

Shepherd is coming off aproductive season in which he recorded acareer-high13quarterbackhits. If neither Broughtonnor Miller is ready for an increased role, it’s possible New Orleans relies on Shepherd and Godchaux in nonbase looks, which theSaints play themajority of the time.

Andthere’salso John Ridgeway, whom theSaints made apriority to re-signwhenfreeagencyopened by giving him atwo-year,$5.7 million contract.

The big question is whether any of theSaints’ interiorlineman will generatethe kind of pressure that Bresee had been accustomed to producing. Throughhis first three seasons, Bresee racked up 141/2 sacks, including acareer-high 71/2 in 2024. Andthough he registered only 21/2 sackslastseason, his30

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

Ex-Saints O-lineman Peat announces retirement AndrusPeat, whostartedonthe NewOrleans Saints offensiveline forparts of nine seasons, announcedhis retirementfrom the NFL on Friday.

TheSaints’ first-round pick out of Stanford at No.13overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, Peat mostly playedleft guardand made threePro Bowls as amember of the Saints from the 2018-20 seasons. He wasa member of astable offensive linethat wonfour straight NFC Southdivision titlesand whose career spanned theSean Payton and Dennis Allen eras.

Peat, 32, left the Saints in free agency after the2023 season and played oneseason withthe Las VegasRaiders and one withthe Pittsburgh Steelers. His final season wascut shortbya concussion suffered in December.Hehad not been signedbyanew teamfor 2026.

pressureshelpedcollapse the pocket and free up edge rushers such as Chase Young and Cam Jordan.

Bresee’spressure rate of 8.2% —down just slightly from 8.6% in 2024 —reinforcedthe Saints’ belief thatheplayed better than his sack numbers indicated in 2025.

“Fromtop to bottom,wegot horses,” Young said. “Wegot big boys. They can run. They’re physical. They’re everything youwant from areal, old-schoolinterior defensive line. From Davon Godchaux to Vernon to (Ridgeway) to Shep,them boys ain’tnothing to play with.

“That’s one thing us as adefense is we’re neverworriedabout our interiorD-line,because we know them boys is nasty.”

If there is asilver lining forBresee, it’s that the injury occurred to theleg opposite of whichhe suffered atornACL at Clemson in 2021. The 24-year-old was also fortunate theSaintspickedup hisfifth-year option in May,fully guaranteeing him $13.9 million in 2027. If the Saints haddeclined the option, Bresee would have been

Olave’sinjury history exacerbated matters. Negotiations between the Saints and Olave’s representatives had been ongoingthroughout the offseason and dated to last season. In the end, the Saints did the right thing by rewarding Olave for hiscommitment 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.

“It’sobviously awesome for our team, awesomefor Chris for what he’s gone through in his career and the things he’shad to navigate,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said.

believed in myselfand kind of set the standard earlytobeable to have that type of season.” Asigning of this magnitude is complicated andtakes time.

Olave deserves credit for the way he handled the highstakes negotiations. He could have turned the situations into asideshow and allowed the

ZachEwing

facing free agency while coming off amajor injury

Butthere’s little doubt this torn ACL is asetback for Bresee. The former first-rounder,once panned for his porous run defense, had made promising stridesbyaddressing one of the biggest weaknesses in his game.

Bresee’s improvementasa run defender led the NewOrleans 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 But now Bresee will have to focusonhis rehabwhile the Saints try to findasolution without him

“The brightsideisACLsnow,you know youcan getback,”saidYoung, who suffered asignificant knee injury in 2021. “Just attack it. We know that you’re going to heal. We know that you’re going to get better

“And you know,you know what yougot to do when youget back That’sthe nameofthe game.”

Email Matthew Parasatmatt. paras@theadvocate.com

standoff to become adistraction for the team and fan base. But he refused to go down that road, saying he didn’twant to do anything to disrupt the positive vibes the team 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’s teammates. “I can’tthink of a person 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.

EmailJeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE Saints wide receiver Chris Olave takes abreak in between drills on Friday during training camp in Metairie.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looks to throwthe ball on Friday during training camp in Metairie.

NFL

Lessons learned

BY DAVE CAMPBELL AP pro football writer

EAGAN, Minn. — Korey Stringer’s death from heatstroke in 2001 after he collapsed at practice with the Minnesota Vikings prompted many changes to safety protocols across all levels of sports.

There’s no lesson learned more vital than this: Cool first, transport second.

Almost an hour and a half passed from when Stringer exited a blocking drill during training camp and arrived by ambulance at a hospital with a core body temperature of 108.8 degrees.

Though he was moved to an airconditioned trailer by the practice field that morning in Mankato, Minnesota, the lack of effective diagnosis and treatment by the team’s medical staff during that time made his outlook all the more dire. About 15 hours after he collapsed, Stringer was pronounced dead, the only known NFL player to die from exertional heatstroke.

“I’ve been an expert witness in 85 court cases of people dying from heat stroke, and in every single one the person didn’t need to die if they were properly treated and cooled,” said Douglas Casa, the executive director of the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut that was established in 2010 as part of the settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit his family brought against the league. “With a $150 tub of ice and water, these people would still be alive.” Casa got connected with Stringer’s widow, Kelci Stringer, and

2001, training camp practice and later died of heatstroke. Almost an hour and a half passed from when Stringer exited a blocking drill and arrived by ambulance at a hospital with a core body temperature of 108.8 degrees.

agent, Jimmy Gould, through the litigation. The professor of kinesiology had a personal interest in the subject of heat safety, from his own brush with death at age 16 while running a 10-kilometer race at the Empire State Games in New York.

Casa collapsed on the final lap with 200 meters remaining, got back up and fell again with about 80 meters to go. He was unconscious for two hours.

Fortunately, a quick-thinking physician placed him in a cold water immersion tub. Though that came after he was taken to a hospital, the effective on-site care he received from an athletic trainer and in the ambulance from emergency medical technicians gave him a fighting chance to survive.

“If Korey had gone in a cold immersion tub, we would not be chatting right now,” Casa said in a recent interview “He would’ve had dinner with his teammates that night.”

Casa, who is on the NFL’s general medical committee, regularly advises the league on player safety matters The mandatory presence of cold tubs near the practice fields for every team, one of many protocols enhanced in the 25 years since Stringer’s death, can be traced to the work that’s been done in his honor

“When I tell Korey’s story, it takes it from such a sad, morbid place to a place of such action,” Kelci Stringer said. “It’s better to be proactive than reactive.”

Ravens’ Henry No. 10 on rushing list and not thinking retirement

BY NOAH TRISTER AP sportswriter

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Even Derrick Henry, the backfield bulldozer who has remained a force in the NFL into his 30s, will allow himself occasional “cheat days” from his health regimen.

10 a.m. and Henry said afterward

he hadn’t eaten anything yet.

“I try to fast until about, I don’t know, (2 p.m., 1 p.m.) — maybe even longer, depending on the day Not every day,” he said. “But, I only eat past (noon) if I do eat. I never eat in the morning.”

didn’t lean on him even more with Lamar Jackson banged up.

He said he hasn’t thought about retirement at all.

Jaguars’ two-way star Hunter stronger and plenty fast after injury

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP sportswriter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As if two-way

player Travis Hunter doesn’t already have enough on his plate. The week before the Jacksonville Jaguars opened training camp, Hunter was photographed wearing a police vest posing with Sheriff T.K. Waters and members of the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department. It had the look of a ride-along, though Hunter wasn’t saying.

“I was just out there just having fun with Sheriff T.K.,” Hunter said Friday Hunter the Heisman Trophy winner out of Colorado whom the Jaguars made the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, has enough to keep him occupied in training camp. Hunter is returning from injury, his rookie year ending two months into the season when he tore knee ligaments during noncontact drills. In seven games, he played 324 snaps at receiver and 162 snaps at cornerback. The plan to use him on both sides of the ball has not changed, especially after the Jaguars shored up the core of their secondary by re-signing Montaric “Buster” Brown in March. Hunter has been wearing a teal jersey for offense in three days of camp, with a white bib and his No. 12 he can slip on when he plays in the secondary “How do we balance his reps here, knowing that we’re trying to ease him in, but he also at some point needs to get double the amount that a normal player gets,” coach Liam Coen said “And so what does that ramp-up look like? We have it all kind of mapped out on every single practice schedule, his reps are highlighted in here — where he’s in, what plays he’s in, where he’s at on the field. We’ve been extremely intentional about it.”

Hunter, who had surgery Nov 11 to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, was limited during offseason workouts. But he used that time to build up some 10 pounds of muscle in his upper body and managed to get even faster He was clocked running at 22.6 mph at the team’s facility last

week.

“I was a small guy coming in. Everybody was like, ‘Gain weight, gain weight,’ ” Hunter said. “I was scared at first. I’m like: ‘Dang, I’ve never played at this weight I’m going to feel heavy, not going to be able to do what I do.’ Training and being able to put those months in — not just on the grass but in the weight room — just putting in extra work, it made me feel lighter on my feet when I finally touched the grass.”

He looked like he was flying on grass when he ran the 22.6 mph — no pads, no one around him, not in a game — but it was another indication all was well.

“I’m trying to hit 23 now,” Hunter said. “That’s the next goal.” The Jaguars could use the production considering how much they gave up in a trade to get the second pick in 2025 — their No. 5 pick last year and No. 1 pick this year They won nine of their last 10 games last year after Hunter was injured to win the AFC South. For his part, Hunter said he feels like last year never happened in terms of his health.

“I put nine months in, so it doesn’t feel like I’m coming off an injury,” he said. “Just get the rust off right now I’ve been gone for nine months, not able to be out here with my teammates for nine months, so finally being able to hit the grass, knock the rust off and just continue to click with the quarterbacks and click with the defense.”

Skattebo set to take break from backflips

Giants running back healthy after injury

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS,W.Va Cam

Skattebo is all systems go at practice. His signature celebration is on hiatus.

hurt. He took part in a WWE show in November, weeks after surgery, took criticism from radio hosts but was not worse for the wear

The botched backflip was a much riskier endeavor the Giants would rather he not repeat.

“The big picture message is you want to take care of yourself,” Harbaugh said. “You want to take care of your team: do everything you can do to be healthy be back, be right, be good.”

“I give myself grace in the offseason — I’m not dieting as much,” the Baltimore Ravens running back said. “Somebody sees me in a restaurant with fried chicken then that’s what it is. I’m not dieting at that time.”

At his first media availability of training camp this week, the 32-year-old Henry welcomed the chance to talk about how he takes such good care of himself. He said he appreciates the curiosity people have and he’s happy if his routine can help someone. He also suggested there might be some myths circulating about his level of fanaticism.

“I have cheat days,” he said. “A lot of that got misconstrued. I told everybody that some days I eat at 4 or 5 o’clock. Not every day, that’d be crazy. But, I do fast. I do intermittent fasting.”

Thursday’s practice was at

Henry is entering his third season with the Ravens after eight with Tennessee He’s played at least 15 games in all but one year, and he rushed for 1,595 yards last season, moving up to 10th on the career list at 13,018. Next up would be Eric Dickerson (13,259), Jerome Bettis (13,662), LaDainian Tomlinson (13,684) and Curtis Martin (14,101).

“I think the thing that strikes me the most about him is just his intent every day,” said Jesse Minter, Baltimore’s new coach. “The success that he’s had is a combination of being gifted and having some tools, but (also) one of the craziest work ethics and just work demeanors that I’ve been around. I do think, like all the players, we are going to have to be really smart to get him through the long season.”

As the Ravens tried to salvage a playoff berth last season, Henry ran for 216 yards and four touchdowns in Week 17 against Green Bay and one of the biggest questions in 2025 was why Baltimore

“I don’t try to enter another season thinking about retiring and have that on my mind. That’s not even my mindset,” he said. “My mindset is: How can I get better, be the best teammate I can be so we can be the best team we can be?”

Although Henry is nine years younger than LeBron James, the two are both examples of players who have defied age in their sports. As with Henry himself, it’s sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to James’ routine.

“He was saying that he doesn’t know where someone got the rumor that he spends one mil on his body Apparently, that wasn’t true,” Henry said of James, who signed with Philadelphia to play in a 24th NBA season.

“So I’m like, I might need to cut back on how much I spend if he isn’t spending one mil,” he added.

“But no, he’s the alpha, someone that you can look up to and so many great things you can take from him. Anybody that puts out information about how they take care of their body, I’m always trying to look at and see how I can implement to my own routine.”

Skattebo declared himself nearly fully healthy at New York Giants training camp, nine months removed from his gruesome right ankle and leg injury But after getting into some hot water with the organization for doing a backflip and landing awkwardly on that surgically repaired ankle earlier this month, he’s planning to stay grounded for a while.

“Obviously, I do some dumb things here and there, but I learn from it,” Skattebo said Friday

“We’ll see when game time comes around. But right now, we’re focused on training camp, and we’ll keep the backflips off the field for now.”

Skattebo alarmed among others, coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen when they saw video of the backflip at Fanatics Fest in New York on July 18. He turned out to be fine, but a text message and some difficult conversations followed.

“He’s a young man that’s still getting used to the spotlight and in New York City, and you’ve got to be conscious of your actions, not only from a health standpoint but a perception standpoint,” Schoen said.

“He knows I’d rather him not do that, especially this close to camp.” It is not the first time Skattebo has been second-guessed for something off the field since reaching the NFL and getting

The 24-year-old running back declared in May he’d be ready for the season opener Sept 13 against Dallas. Skattebo also told the coaching staff he’d be good for the start of camp and hit that deadline. As a result, he has no limitations and is doing just about as well as he can.

“I’ve felt 99%,” Skattebo said. “I think the 100% is when I put shoulder pads on and I’m able to hit someone. That’s when I tell you I’m 100%, but for now I’m 99.9% OK.”

Skattebo will get that chance when the pads go on beginning Monday

A 2025 fourth-round pick out of Arizona State, Skattebo rushed for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries before having his rookie year cut short Oct. 26 at Philadelphia. This past spring, he set a goal of playing 17-plus games and rushing for more than 2,000 yards on 300 carries.

Skattebo didn’t shy away from those lofty aspirations — which would give him a top-10 season in league history — but his main focus is on moving past the injury and rehab process and getting back to what he does best.

“It was a long, hard road,” Skattebo said. “It’s time to play football.”

Henry

Stringer’s death led to cold water immersion tubs on practice fields

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR

Minnesota Vikings tackle Ryan Van Demark hydrates during the team’s training camp Wednesday in Eagan, Minn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TOM OLMSCHEID Former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer collapsed during an Aug. 1,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter pulls on his helmet during Wednesday’s practice in Jacksonville, Fla.

with meteorologist DamonSingleton

Raidersquarterback Cousinsdigs in as Mendozasurgesincamp

BY MARK ANDERSON AP sportswriter

HENDERSON,Nev Fernando Mendoza eventually taking over as the Raiders’starting quarterback seems inevitable, so much so that the only question is amatter of when it occurs. Kirk Cousins doesn’tappear to be in any terrible hurry to hand the position to him, exhibiting the emotionsand precision of someone ready to secure the spotentering Las Vegas’ season.

“I think in this league, it’s kind of one day at atime,” Cousinssaid “You’reonlyasgoodasyourlast throw,your last practice. Youtry to every day go out and earn that opportunity andnever take anything for granted.”

Coach Klint Kubiak made national news on the eve of training camp that Cousins would be the starter when practices began, but he was stating the obvious. Cousins ran the first-team offensein organized team activities and minicampand there was no indication that would change entering camp.

Kubiak also made it clear at the time that he expected Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell to push Cousins, noting Friday he thought that position wasoff to agoodstart this camp.

“Any time they complete aball better than (Cousins) does or get it out faster than he does,then he should get pissed and want to do it better,” Kubiak said. “That’s the goal, and Ithink they’ve done that in these first three practices. Every guy is doing something good every day, and it makes the other guy want to stay after practice alittle bit longer to work on that throw that they missed.” Cousins doesn’t hold back much emotionally on the field, though none of that has been directed at Mendoza or O’Connell.Hehas punched his fist in the air after throwing atouchdown pass and gotten into some verbal back and forth with the defense.

“I think I’ve always kind of been pretty spirited and competitive in practice and kind of have alittle inner fire,” Cousins said. “Sometimes Ican be relatively calm, but

if you rattled the cage, then maybe you’ll seealittle different guy Sometimesit’sgood then to get my cage rattledbecauseitbringsout the best in me.”

The Raiders brought in Cousins, afour-timePro Bowlerentering his 15thseason, to be abridge rather than handthe offense directly to arookie. Cousinsisplaying for a guaranteed $20 million, though his former club, Atlanta, is responsiblefor $8.7 million of that.

LasVegas drafted Mendoza first overall after hewon the Heisman Trophyand led Indiana to ahighly unlikely national championship

The hope is he will help deliver the Raiders, whohaven’twon aplayoff game in more than two decades, backtocontention

Forhis part,Mendoza is still adjusting to NFL life, learning to take snapsunder center and the footwork adjustments that come with that. He struggledduring much of OTAs and minicamp, his passes often nowhere close to on target.

That wasn’tthe casesofar in training camp. Mendoza was not only on point, he completed some tight-window passes.

“I love the mindset that he has,” Kubiak said. “That’swhatall of our players should have. Nobodyhas arrived, especially arookie quarterback.”

Mendoza would not argue, saying sometimes aplay he feels good about on the practice field looks a lot different when reviewing the video,that he’shad to get used

to the fact themargins are alot smaller than in college.

“When it was rookie minicamp and OTAs,ithappens very quick,” Mendoza said. “However,now in training camp, Itruly feel like a member of theteam rather than a new rookie on the scene.”

Thatwas evident on Thursday in just his second camppractice during aseven-on-sevendrill. Beforethe snap, Mendoza signaled to ninth-yearwide receiver Phillip Dorsett II to move to his left. Dorsett indeed moved over and then Mendoza hit him in stride with the throw When askedlater about taking suchcommand of the offense, Mendoza deflected thepraise.

“There’sa lot of times that the offensive line would correct me,” Mendozasaid. “The running backs tight ends, receivers, they would help put me in place. It’sthat relationship that we have, that dynamic relationship where we can hold each other accountable.”

That kind of answer likely sits well in the locker room. Rather than expecting to be handedthe job as the top draft pick, Mendoza has shown he is willing towork for it.

“Everyday,he’strying to get better,” fourth-year wide receiver Tre Tucker said. “I’m watching him in meetings and he’slistening, taking thecorrections.Those arethe type of things that you want to see from aguy like him, and he has avery bright future.

thefield, including “pop” passes where tight ends comeopen for aquick flip from aquarterback.

“I see Trey’Dezinthat type of role,”Kiffin said. “Nodoubt.” Green has flashed playmaking potential. He produced 433 yards as asophomore,including an eight-catch,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 themomentKiffin was hired, Greenbelievedhecould have abigger and moreconsistentrole in the offensive scheme —and he didn’thave to rewind a decade to see it.

Green started watching tape of Ole Miss tight endDae’Quan Wright, whohad 39 catches for 635 yardsand fivetouchdowns last season. Wright, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by theEagles,standsa hair under 6-4 and weights in at 246 pounds.

“They used him,” Greensaid. “He was so effective.”

In 2024, theRebelsutilizedboth Wright and Caden Prieskorn for acombined795 yardsreceiving. Prieskorn is currently with the Carolina Panthers.

Regardless, it wasn’tgoing to takemuchconvincing to keep

Green in Baton Rouge. As Kiffin said, Louisiana is filled with long, explosive athletes who want to play forLSU Green, aJackson native, said he neverconsideredatransfer. He gets “chills” just talking aboutLSU and fondly remembers his first visit to TigerStadium as amiddle schooler.Strangers offeredhim a plate of cooked gator as he walked up.

Just recently,Green moved his mother to Baton Rouge and he lives with her “I get to come hometohomecooked meals every day,” Green said with asmile. At least one night aweek, Green will ride over to aparking garage near thestadium. He just gazes at Death Valley and imagines the plays he is about to make. Most likely,he’snot fantasizing about blocking defenders in the Bgap. Kiffin has seen his tight end catching balls from aJUGS machine at 10 p.m.Green is running through walkthroughs and Kiffin has to slow him down.

He’sgiving himself every chanceto“go off”in2026, as Watson hopes.

“I just want to bring thatwinning culture back to LSU,” Green said. “I’m fromthe state of Louisiana. It’ssoimportant. It’sjust different when you’re at LSU. Those three letters and twocolors mean so much to me.”

Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@theadvocate.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LUCAS PELTIER

Las VegasRaiders quarterback FernandoMendozaruns througha drill duringpractice atthe team’straining camp on Wednesday in Henderson, Nev.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Be open and reveal your feelings, intentions and long-term goals. Start abuzz that infiltrates your circle, and the feedbackyou receivewill help you get your plansunderway.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Focusonrelationships, equality andmaking ends meet. Trust your instincts,and pay attention to detail, spendingand howyou look and feel.Trying to do too much all at once will not meet your standards.

LIBRA (Sept.23-Oct. 23) Pushyour way forwardwith discipline anddevotion. Keep your plans to yourself until you areconfident that success will follow Change is necessary, and good timing is essentialifyou wanttocome outon top.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Check outwhat your adversariesare doing. Keeping a tight budget and using your intelligence to attract positiveattention will help yougainrespect andthe attention of those in aposition to help.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Review your contracts, medical records and investments.Keep youremotions under controland your personal information to yourself. Don'ttrustanyone who asks toomany questions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Put together aplan thatwill keep you safefrom 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) Keep the momentum flowing, take responsibil-

ity for yourself and your happiness, andparticipateinsocial events thatwill reunite you with someonespecial.

PISCES(Feb. 20-March 20) Sit tight and see whattranspires before youimplementchangesthatcan affect your lifestyle.Refuse to letanemotional situation stealyourjoy.Angersolves nothing.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Adisciplined approach will payoff. Having high energy, coming up with innovative ideas and investing in yourself, your lifestyle and your home will be an experiencethat will open doors to new beginnings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You need time to rejuvenate andtorethink how you want to moveforward. Acting in haste will end in disappointment. Listen to your heart and pursuewhat'smeaningfultoyou.

GEMINI(May21-June 20) Manageyour time and money carefully. 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'tneed.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) By expressingyourfeelings and consideringthe response you receive, you'll discover how you can bring about positive domestic changesthatbring youcloser to loved ones.

Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact ©2026 by nEa, inc.,dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: QEQUALSO

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’sPuzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Bill Watterson,the authorofthe comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes” from 1985 to 1995, said,“Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.”

Bridge players often compete only on weekends,whencounting points and suit lengths will be very important.

This deal occurred during asocial game. What should happen in two notrump after Westleads his fourth-highest club and East puts up his king? Do you agree with North’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 couldhave been made, but it would havebeen atad lucky Still, Southcould have had amore suitable hand. And at the worst, South would have ended in three no-trump when he did not have afour-card major.Maybe it would have made.

Intwono-trump,SouthtookEast’sclub king with his aceand exited with alow spade. Eastwon withthe 10 and returned theclubseven, high from aremaining doubleton. West took South’sninewith his10and erred badly by cashing the club queen. (The club jack could not be dropping, because if East had started withK-7-3-2 of clubs, he would have led back theclub two, not the seven.)

wuzzles

South took the next club with his jack and played asecond spade. East won and shifted to aheart. South won and led his spade queen. East took the trick and played another heart, but South won, unblocked his diamond winners, crossed to dummy with aspade, and cashed the diamond king for his eighth trick. ©2026 by nEa, inc., dist.Byandrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons:

Aperson with ahusky, muscular

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

PearlsBefore swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from the lettersineach row.add points of each word using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition. For moreinformation on tournamentsand clubs, email naspa –north

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

sCraBBlE playersassociation:info@scrabbleplayers.org. Visitour website: www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzleinquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com. Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanTliTTlE

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe

OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS

ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH COUNCIL

TUESDAY, JULY14TH, 2026

CHAIRMAN ROBERTARCURI VICE-CHAIRWOMAN TAMMY HOUSTON

The Council of the Parish of St. John the Baptist Parish, State of Louisiana, met in Regular Session in the St. John the Baptist Parish Courthouse, Rudolph Sorapuru Chambers, Edgard, Louisiana on Tuesday,July 14th, 2026, at 6:00 PM.

CALL TO ORDER:

ROLL CALL: Lennix Madere, Jr., Councilman-at-Large, Div.A,Virgie Johnson,CouncilwomanDistrict I, Tammy Houston, Councilwoman District III, RobertArcuri, Councilman DistrictV,Vernon Bailey,Sr., Councilman District VI, Dixie Ramirez, Councilwoman District VII

ABSENT: Tyra Duhe-Griffin, Warren Torres, Jr MichaelWright Councilman Torres arrived at 6:01 PM. Councilwoman Johnson led the Prayer and Councilman Torres led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Legal Council Kennilyn Schmill was present.

PUBLIC COMMENT –AGENDA ITEMS ONLY(3minutes per citizen)

Therewerenopublic comments at this time.

CONSENT AGENDA- Approval of Minutes –June 23rd, 2026, Council Meeting

MOTION: Councilman Bailey moved and Ramirez seconded the motion to approve consent agenda consisting of Approval of Minutes –June 23rd, 2026, Council Meeting. The motion passed with 6yeas, 1abstaining (Torres) and 2absent (Duhe-Griffin, Wright).

REPORTS

President’sReport

PUBLIC HEARING ANDCONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE(S)

26-46 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance naming the Cambridge Park in honor of Larry Snyder,Sr. located in the Cambridge Park Subdivision in the Town of LaPlace, Louisiana– “The Larry Snyder, Sr.Memorial Park” in accordance with Ordinance 26-20, Article III, Section A7(a), (b) and (xi) of the St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, and notwithstanding the LA Rev.Statute 42:267 (V.Bailey)

Dr.Eliza Eugene, Larry Sorapuru and Kurt Becnel commented on Ordinance 26-46.

Councilwoman Duhe-Griffinarrived at 6:12 PM.

MOTION: Councilman Bailey moved and Madereseconded the motion to approve Ordinance 26-46. The motion passedwith Councilman Wright absent

26-47 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving the resubdivision of Lot 1and Lot 2ofthe ThelmaT Tassin Tract, located at 121 Tassin Drive, Wallace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (PZS-1475) (J. Hotard/ R. Rome)

MOTION: Councilwoman Johnson moved and Councilman Madere seconded the motion to approve Ordinance 26-47. The motion passed with Councilman Wright absent.

26-48 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving the resubdivision of aportion of the Henry C. Maurin Sr.Lot, located at 263 West 5th Street, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (PZS-1476) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

MOTION: Councilwoman Houston moved and Councilwoman Ramirez seconded the motion to approve Ordinance 26-48. The motion passed with Councilman Wright absent

26-49 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving the resubdivision of theJasonAugustLot, located at 134 Lapeyrolerie Lane, Edgard, St. John theBaptist Parish, (PZS-1477) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

MOTION: Councilwoman Johnson moved and Councilman Bailey seconded the motion to approve Ordinance26-49. The motion passed with Councilman Wright absent.

26-50 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for theinstallation of fiber optics along English Colony Drive, by municipal address 1400 English Colony Drive, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19701) (J. Hotard/R. Rome) And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of fiber optics along Oak Point Drive by municipal address 336 Oak Point Drive, LaPlace, St.John theBaptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19709) (J. Hotard/ R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of fiber optics along Devon Road by municipal address 304 Devon Road, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19723) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

MOTION: Councilwoman Houston moved and Councilwoman Ramirez secondedthe motiontoapprove Ordinance 26-50. The motion passed with Councilman Wright absent.

26-51 (Public Hearing Held) An ordinance approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along Fairway Drive, LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19736) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

And approving excavation within Parish Rights-of-way for the installation of gas lines along Doral Boulevard,LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish, LA (Permit No. 19737) (J. Hotard/R. Rome)

MOTION: Councilwoman Ramirez moved and Councilwoman Johnson secondedthe motiontoapprove Ordinance 26-51. The motion passed with Councilman Wright absent. NEW BUSINESS

Chairman Arcuri –Claim Number 29784, Darryl Robertson, et al v. St. John theBaptist Parish Council: Request to grant Legal Counsel authority to settle all claims with Darryl Robertson, pursuant to Legal’srecommendation

MOTION: Councilman Bailey moved and Councilwoman Houston

seconded the motion to accept the recommendations of Legal Counsel to settle all claims-Claim Number29784, Darryl Robertson, et al v. St. John the Baptist Parish Council. The motion passed with 7yeas, 1abstaining (Torres) and 1absent (Wright).

ChairmanArcuri– ClaimNumber 29784, Darryl Robertson, et a; v. St. John the Baptist Parish Council: Request to grant Legal Counsel authority to settle all claims withJace Lee, pursuanttoLegal’s recommendation

MOTION: Councilwoman Ramirez moved and Councilman Bailey

seconded the motion to acceptthe recommendations of Legal Counsel to settle all claimswithJace Lee, Claim Number 29784, Darryl Robertson, et al v. St. Johnthe Baptist Parish Council. The motion passedwith 7yeas, 1abstaining (Torres) and 1absent (Wright). Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution– R26-83 –AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish to advertise and receive

Requestsfor Proposals (RFPs) forthe FireDepartment’s Property and Casualty Insurance

MOTION: Councilwoman Johnson moved and Councilwoman Houston seconded the motiontoapprove Resolution R26-83. AResolution

authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish to advertise and receive Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the Fire Department’s Property and Casualty Insurance. WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5) of the St.John the Baptist Parish Home RuleCharter permits the Parish Counciltoadopt a resolution when authorizing adesignated person(s) to execute apreviously approved contract on its behalfand/or to perform aministerial act related to the administrative business of the Parish; and WHEREAS, the Parish is requesting proposals for the FireDepartment’sProperty and Casualty Insurance which expires September 6, 2026 and is funded through the Office of FireServices; and, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the St.John the Baptist Parish Council, that St.John the Baptist Parish is hereby authorized to advertise and receive Requests for Proposalsfor the FireDepartment’sProperty and Casualty Insurance. The motion passed with 7yeas, 1abstaining (Torres) and 1absent (Wright). Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-84 –AResolution

authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to enter intoa Professional Services Agreement with Curtis Environmental Services, Inc. for Backflow Prevention Services

MOTION: Councilman Maderemoved and Councilwoman Johnson seconded the motion to approve Resolution R26-84. AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish to enter into aProfessional Services Agreement with CurtisEnvironmental Services, Inc. forBackflow Services. WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5) of the St.John the Baptist Parish HomeRuleCharter permits the Parish Council to adopt aresolution when authorizing adesignated person(s) to execute a previously approved contract on its behalf and/or to perform aministerial act related to the administrative business of the Parish; and WHEREAS, CurtisEnvironmental Services, Inc. of LaPlace, LA submitted the only proposal received and reviewed by the Source Selection Committee; and, WHEREAS, services will include support and maintenance to the Utilities Department and other Administrative Staffinvarious locations throughout the Parish; and, WHEREAS, services will be funded through the Utilities Budget. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the St.John the Baptist Parish Council,that Parish President, Jaclyn Hotardishereby duly authorized and empowered on behalfofthe St.John the Baptist Parish Counciltosign and executethe Professional Services Agreement between St.John the Baptist Parish and Curtis Environmental Services, Inc. The motion passed with Councilman Wright absent. Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-85 –AResolution authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to enter intoa Professional Services Agreement with VeraProfor Information Technology Services

MOTION: Councilman Bailey moved and Councilwoman Houston seconded the motion to approve Resolution R26-85. AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish to enter into aProfessional Services Agreement with VeraPro for Information Technology Services. WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5) of the St.John the Baptist Parish HomeRuleCharter permits the Parish Council to adopt aresolution when authorizing adesignated person(s) to execute apreviously approved contract on its behalf and/or to perform aministerial act related to the administrative business of the Parish; and WHEREAS, VeraPro of Gonzales, LA ranked first out of eight (8) proposalsreceived and reviewed by the Source Selection Committee; and, WHEREAS, services will include technical support, assistance, hardware, softwaretroubleshooting and system training on an as-needed basis; and, WHEREAS, the costs of these services will be funded through various funds/departments. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the St.John the Baptist Parish Council,that Parish President, Jaclyn Hotardishereby duly authorized and empowered on behalf of the St.John the Baptist Parish Council to sign and execute the Professional Services Agreement between St John the Baptist Parish and VeraPro.The motionpassed with 7yeas, 1 abstaining (Torres) and 1absent (Wright). Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-86

–AResolution

authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to enter intoa Professional Services Agreement with Barowka and BonuraEngineers and Consultants, LLC for the LaPlaceWaterIntake Pump Station and PreTreatment FacilityProject

MOTION: Councilwoman Houston moved and Councilman Bailey seconded the motiontoapprove ResolutionR26-86. AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish to enter into aProfessional Services Agreement with Barowka and BonuraEngineers and Consultants, LLC for the LaPlace Water Intake Pump Station and Pre-Treatment Facility Project.WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5) of the St.John the Baptist Parish HomeRuleCharter permits the Parish Counciltoadopt aresolution when authorizing adesignated person(s) to execute a previouslyapproved contract on its behalfand/or to perform aministerial act related to the administrative business of the Parish; and WHEREAS, Barowka and BonuraEngineers and Consultants, LLC of Metairie, LA has been selected as the Engineer for the LaPlace Water Intake Pump Station and Pre-Treatment Facility Project;and, WHEREAS, this project is one of three componentsrequired in the transition of the source of raw water for LaPlace from the Ruddock wellstothe Mississippi River; and, WHEREAS, under the St.John Water Improvement Program, anew Raw Water Intake and Pre-Treatment Facility located on or near the Mississippi River is proposed to provide araw water source along with the clarification processes; and, WHEREAS, the estimated cost of the Agreement is $1,295,081.49 and will be funded through the St.John the Baptist Parish Water Bond Fund. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the St.John the Baptist Parish Council,that Parish President Jaclyn Hotardishereby duly authorized and empowered on behalfofthe St.John the Baptist Parish Council to execute the Professional Services Agreement between St.John the Baptist Parish and Barowka and Bonura Engineers and Consultants, LLC. The motion passed with 7yeas, 1abstaining (Torres) and 1absent (Wright).

Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-87 –AResolution authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to amend the Professional Services Agreement with Digital Engineering &Imaging, Inc. for the Highway 61 Streetscape Improvement Project

MOTION: Councilman Maderemoved and Councilman Bailey seconded the motiontoapprove Resolution R26-87. AResolutionauthorizing St John the Baptist Parish to amend the Professional Services Agreement with Digital Engineering &Imaging, Inc. forthe Highway 61 Streetscape Improvement Project.WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5) of the St John the Baptist Parish HomeRuleCharter permits the Parish Councilto adopt aresolution when authorizing adesignated person(s) to execute a previously approved contract on its behalf and/or to perform aministerial act related to the administrative business of the Parish; and WHEREAS, Amendment No.1includes additional Engineering and Resident Inspections Services required for additional drainage construction along the south Roadside of Hwy 61; and, WHEREAS, the estimated cost of the Amendment No.1is$39,374.35 and will be funded through the Public Works Department Fund. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the St.John the Baptist Parish Council,that St.John the Baptist Parish is hereby authorized to amend the Professional Services Agreement between St.John the Baptist Parish and Digital Engineering &Imaging, Inc. The motionpassed with Councilman Wright absent. Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-88 –AResolution

authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish President to executeChange Order No. 1with SouthernCoatings, LLC for the Lyons Water (North) and ReserveWater Storage Tank Rehabilitation Project

MOTION: Councilman Maderemoved and Councilwoman Houston seconded the motion to approve Resolution R26-88. AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish President to execute Change Order No.1 with SouthernCoatings, LLC for the Lyons Water (North) and Reserve Water Storage Tank Rehabilitation Project.WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5) of the St.John the Baptist Parish Home Rule Charter permitsthe Parish Council to adopt aresolution when authorizing adesignated person(s) to execute apreviouslyapproved contract on its

behalf and/or to perform aministerial act relatedtothe administrative business of the Parish;and WHEREAS, Change OrderNo. 1increases the originalAgreementinthe amount of $15,427.50; and, WHEREAS, the increase is due to the unforeseen conflicts discovered to facilitate the installation of the required containment system andthe necessary repair of four (4)leaking pinholes located in the column connected to the main ladder of the elevated waterstorage tank; and, WHEREAS, the project is being fundedthrough the UtilitiesDepartment Fund andthe Community

Parish Council to sign andexecute the Certificate of substantialcompletion with Bip&Sons Services, LLC, for the St. John Parish WaterDistribution and Treatment Maintenance/EmergencyRepairs Project.The motion passed with CouncilmanWrightabsent.

Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-91 –AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parish President to submit aGrant Application to the Louisiana Office of Tourism (LOT) for the funds in Connection with the FY 26-27 Grant Cyclefor the 2026 Andouille Festival

MOTION: CouncilwomanRamirez movedand CouncilmanMadere seconded the motion to approve Resolution R26-91. AResolution authorizingSt. John the Baptist Parish President to submit aGrant Application to the Louisiana Office of Tourism (LOT) for the funds in Connection with the FY 26-27 GrantCycle for the 2026 Andouille Festival. WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and(5) of the St. John the Baptist Parish Home Rule Charter permits the Parish Council to adopt aresolution whenauthorizinga designated person(s) to execute apreviously approved contract on its behalf and/or to perform aministerial act relatedtothe administrative business of the Parish;and WHEREAS, the goalofthe LOT Competitive GrantProgram(CGP) is to encourageand support marketing initiativesfor tourism events thatattract andretain visitors to the state and have apositive impact on Louisiana’s economy; and, WHEREAS, through this CGP,LOT providesmatching grants up to $15,000 to reimburse apercentage of the actualcost of Qualifying Marketing Expenses associated with the promotion of atourism event; and, WHEREAS, St. John the Baptist Parish is seeking additionalfunds for the 2026 Andouille Festival, located at 2900 Highway 51, LaPlace, Louisiana,70068; and, NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the St. John the Baptist Parish Council, acting as governing authority of said Parish.SECTION 1. Thatthe St. John the Baptist Parish Council does hereby authorizethe Parish President to submit agrantapplication to the Louisiana Office of Tourism for funds for the 2026 Andouille Festival andtoexecute anyand alldocuments in connection with the FY 26-27 GrantCycle. The motion passed with 7yeas, 1abstaining (Torres) and1absent (Wright) Jaclyn Hotard/Peter Montz –Resolution –R26-92 –AResolution authorizing St.John the Baptist Parishtoenter intoaProfessional Services Agreement with Waste ProofLouisiana, Inc. for SolidWaste Collection and Removal Services MOTION: CouncilwomanHouston movedand CouncilmanBailey seconded the motion to approve Resolution R26-92. AResolution authorizing St. John the Baptist Parish to enterinto aProfessional Services Agreementwith Waste ProofLouisiana,Inc.for Solid Waste Collection andRemovalServices. WHEREAS, Article IV,Section H(2) and (5)ofthe St. John the Baptist Parish Home Rule Charter permits the Parish Council to adopta resolution whenauthorizingadesignatedperson(s) to execute apreviously approvedcontract on its behalf and/or to perform aministerial act relatedtothe administrative business of the Parish; andWHEREAS,WastePro of Louisiana,Inc.ranked first out of four (4) proposals received andreviewed by the Source Selection Committee; and, WHEREAS, services will be the collection andremovalservices

CHARACTER COTTAGEWITH

GREENTHUMB

Insects, diseases thatcan affect citrus trees. PAGE 4

GARDEN ADVICE

Should Icut leavesoff my okraplant? PAGE 5

HOME WORKWITHLOUIS

A‘bantry’ is atrending kitchen addition. PAGE 8

INSIDE INFO

Home &garden happenings. PAGE 9

ONEIN AMILLION

Luxe St.Charles Avenue penthouse overlooks city. PAGE 10

COVERSTORY

Gretna cottageretains architectural features. PAGE 12

REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS

Recent transactions in the metroarea. PAGE 17

InsideOut’smission is to give readers peeks inside themanydifferentwaysthatpeople in theNew Orleansarea live.Weprofile spaces that are opulent, or just offbeat; sophisticated or simple; functional or light-hearted; historic or brand-spanking new. Andanything in between

To see your home featured in InsideOut, sendusanemail with someinfo andafew photos to insideout@ theadvocate.com.We love gardens and outdoor spaces, too. And we’re waiting to hear from you.

and gardensection

everySaturdayby

INSIDEOUT EDITOR: MarignyLanaux, marigny.lanaux@theadvocate.com CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS: Victor Andrews, LouisJ.Aubert, Jyl Benson, Dan Gill

COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel COVER PHOTO: Eric Lincoln TO BE FEATURED: Sendinformation and photos to insideout@ theadvocate.com

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Satsumas are ripe forthe picking. Now through harvest is the time to keep watchover your citrus trees forissues with both the foliage and fruit.

Dan Gill GREEN THUMB

Citrus trees areapopular choice for home fruit production in southeast Louisiana. Although relatively carefree in terms of backyard fruit trees, various problems do occur Ithought it would be helpful to cover afew issuesthat you may be noticing now through harvest

Problems with foliage

The citrus leaf minerisa very common pest showing up now.The adult female is a tiny moththat lays her eggs on the late summer flush of new growth. After the larvae hatch, they enter the leaf and feed on the inside, creating asilver sheen, serpentine trails and deformed leaves.

Using insecticides to controlcitrus leaf miners is difficult because the damage is done by the time most

people notice it. Fortunately, the damage looks alot worse than it is. The overall health and production of the tree is not greatly affected. To reduce damage, you mayspray the organic insecticide spinosad as soon as you see new growth emerging in late summer.Once a lot of damage has occurred, spraying the tree will notaccomplish much.

There are avariety of sucking insects that attack

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

GREENTHUMB

Okra plants need their leaves for photosynthesis

BY DAN GILL Contributing writer

Does cutting off the leaves after I pick the okra pod promote better production of more okra? Or do we just break them off to get them out of the way to reduce rubbing against them? — Taylor

When okra plants are old enough, they produce a flower followed by an okra pod at the base of each leaf. You have a good reason to ask your question. Removing the leaves may make it easier to see and harvest new okra pods. And many people find that rubbing against the leaves can cause skin irritation.

But you must consider the role leaves play in okra (and all plants).

Plants produce the food they need by photosyn-

thesis. In okra, and most plants, this occurs in their leaves. Every leaf is a food factory, and as such, every leaf is important to the overall health and vigor of a plant.

Every time you remove a healthy leaf, you are reducing a plant’s ability to sustain itself. The food manufactured

GARDEN TIPS

FOR AUGUST GARDENS: Plant transplants of tomato, pepper and eggplant now and broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage in late August. Plant seeds of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, collards, mustard, turnips, squash and cucumbers now. Plant seeds of bush snap beans and bush lima beans in late August. Sets (small bulbs) of shallots and bunching onions may also be planted this month.

REPOTTING & ROOTS: After a summer of vigorous growth outside, some containerized plants may be pot-bound. Repot into larger containers if necessary. In addition, plants in pots sitting on an old brick surface, gravel or soil may grow roots out of the drainage holes into the ground. If this happens, cut any roots that have grown into the soil. Prevent this by lifting the pots occasionally or boosting them up on pot feet or pieces of brick.

IT’S RUN ITS COURSE: When a vegetable crop is finished, promptly pull it up and throw it in your compost pile (if it is not heavily infested with fungus diseases). If you don’t want to plant immediately in the area, mulch it with 4 to 6 inches of

leaves, grass clippings, pine straw or other materials you have on hand. Old crops left in place look untidy, allow weeds to grow and may harbor insects or diseases.

SEASONAL STEMS: you may begin to dig and divide Louisiana irises and Easter lilies this month through early October.

ON THE CALENDAR: The Baton Rouge Botanic Garden Summer Plant Sale and Garden Expo will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 8 at 7950 Independence Blvd. in Baton Rouge. Members of several different plant societies and vendors will offer a wide variety of plants and advice. Plants for sale include roses, herbs, native plants, perennials, gingers, daylilies, Louisiana irises, bromeliads, carnivorous plants and butterfly plants

FILE PHOTO By MELINDA MORRIS

Some people find rubbing against the leaves when harvesting okra can cause skin irritation.

Louisiana iris

Continued from page 4

citrus trees. One of the most common pests is the citrus whitefly These gnat-sized, white insects and their diskshaped larvae get under the leaves and suck the sap from the tree. As they feed on the sap, whiteflies excrete a sugary substance called honeydew. Blackfly is similar, but the adults and larvae are black. Mealybugs are another sucking insect that look like cotton masses on leaves and fruit Woolly whitefly insects also appear as slightly white fuzzy patches. These insects also produce honeydew Deposits of honeydew on the leaves and fruit provide food for the growth of fungi that cause sooty mold. Sooty mold does not actually attack or significantly damage the tree. It will eventually disappear once the insects are eliminated. Spraying trees with a light horticultural oil (such as YearRound Oil or All Seasons Oil) is effective in controlling whitefly, blackfly, woolly whitefly and mealybug infestations. Be sure

GREENTHUMB

A plant is loaded with aphids and mealybugs. Mealybugs, which are drawn to citrus plants, are a sucking insect that look like cotton masses on leaves and fruit.

to spray under the leaves and make several applications following label directions. Light horticultural oils can be used through the heat of summer but should be applied in early morning when it is cooler Finally, the orange dog caterpillar feeds on citrus tree foliage. It is the immature form of the giant swallowtail butterfly, one of the most beautiful of our native butterflies. The caterpillar, mottled brown and white and larger at one end, is disguised to look like bird droppings.

Unless your tree is young and has a relatively small number of leaves, the damage done by this caterpillar is generally minor. It’s worth some damage to have more of the butterflies that delight so many people.

Problems with fruit

If your citrus tree was planted within the last five years, don’t be dismayed if it’s not yet or erratically produces fruit. It often takes five years, and sometimes longer, for a tree to become established and reliably ripen fruit Time will solve this problem, along with good care.

Late summer fruit drop is not uncommon as a tree adjusts the crop it can carry to ripeness. Stressful weather conditions, such as drought, can make it worse. While disappointing, the loss of this fruit will allow the tree to put more resources into what is left, resulting in higher quality fruit.

As the fruits grow larger in late summer, periods of dry weather followed by rain can lead to fruit splitting. This occurs when the fruit swells faster than the skin can accommodate. Split fruit should be removed from the tree or gathered from the ground and discarded.

Puffy fruit is mostly a problem on young, vigorous satsuma trees. They are unusually large, have thick rinds and relatively dry flesh. As the tree becomes older, the occurrence of puffy fruit decreases. Birds will peck at the fruit of citrus. The damage looks like an ice pick was driven repeatedly into the rind. Available at nurseries, bird netting thrown over a tree can help prevent damage.

Fruits with a dark brown discoloration have been attacked by citrus rust mites. These bugs just damage the skin. The fruit will ripen normally and is still good to consume.

To stop damage, spray the tree with a light horticultural oil once a month in June, July and August.

There are a variety of fungal diseases that affect citrus fruit, such as citrus scab, sweet orange scab and melanose. By the time you notice the symptoms, however, it is too late to do anything for these diseases. However, the next year, apply copper-based fungicides in the spring and early summer to help minimize symptoms. You should also be familiar with citrus canker and citrus greening diseases. Do an online

FILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU AG CENTER Citrus canker is a fatal disease that affects citrus trees.

GREENTHUMB

ADVICE

Continued from page5

in the leaveshelps theplants grow,bloom and produceokra pods. Removing allofthe leaves except those up where the flowers and pods are forming reduces an okra plant’s ability to make the food that it needs to be healthy

While what you are considering doing is tolerated by okra plants, removinghealthy leaves is detrimental andnot recommended.

If harvesting okra irritates the skin on your arms, be sure to wear along-sleeved shirt and gloves to protect your skin.

Ihavefound several strangesmall mounds of soil in my landscape.The piles of soil are not ant hills.There is one hole near the base of most of the mounds. It appears, in somecases, that there is asmall trench that leaves the hole and travels across the mound as if you had dragged your finger across the mound. Ihave filled in theholes, but something opens them upagain.Do you know what has invaded my garden and what Ishould do to getrid of them? —Jason

Have you heard the cicadas (or locust, as some call them) singing in the trees in thelate afternoon and at dusk?Well, the creature creating the

CITRUS

Continued frompage6

search for these to look at photos of the symptoms. There are no effective treatments for these fatal diseases. Infected trees are generally removed to stop diseases from spreading to healthy trees. If you need help diagnosing thesediseases, contactyour parish LSU AgCenter extension horticulturist. Forinformation on how to take care of your citrus trees, see the LSU AgCenter’s“Louisiana Home Citrus Production” bulletin online.

mounds ofsoiland holes is a predator ofthe cicadas.Called thecicada killer,the insect is a giant wasp.

Amale and afemale cicadakiller create anest in the ground by digging atunnel. This creates themounds of soil you have seen.Then they hunt fora cicada. When one is located, it is stung to paralyze it, pickedupand flown back to thenest, where it is dragged underground (accounting for the trench leading to thehole). Youcan imaginehow large the wasp must be to carry an insect as large as acicada. The female wasp lays an egg on thestill livingcicada, which will serveasfood forthe larvae whenithatches. The male and female may place several cicadas in thesame nest. This

natural control is necessary and important to manage populations of the cicada. Fortunately,despite its alarming size, this wasp is unlikely to sting people. They are not as defensive of their nest as some wasps are. Because of the large population of cicadas this year,there was a large number of cicada killers around. My recommendation is to leave them alone and let nature takeits course.

Dan Gill is aretired consumer horticulture specialist with the LSU AgCenter.Hehosts the “Garden Show” on WWL-AM Saturdays at 9a.m.Email gardening questions to gnogardening@agcenter.lsu. edu.

FILEPHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

An adult cicada rests in a flower pot.

HOMEWORKWITHLOUIS

STORAGE& STYLE

Upgradeyourkitchen with abar-pantrycombo

There is always something new or improved in the way of kitchen design, as thekitchen is often the favorite andmost expensive room in thehouse. Have you heard of a“bantry”? Nottobeconfusedwitha small town in County Cork, Ireland, the trending bantry is acombined bar andpantry space just off the kitchen

Unlike asimple pantry relegated to food storageand perhaps the second refrigerator, the bantry is amore sophisticated space that servesmany functions and looks good while doing it. Predictions are that this will be the next bigthing in home design, that is, if you trust such predictions.

Just as the butler’s pantry of old has evolved into more of an entertaining space with the addition of awet bar,wine storage and all that is necessary to impress and serveyour guests, the bantry rethinksthe traditional pantry space.

The bantry is amuchevolved walk-in pantry.The clutter of small appliances can be discreetly stored out of sight. It can also housea beverage center,winestorage and/or acoffee station.

Carefully designed to serve the household’sactual needs, it is an extension of the kitchen. It can even include an afterschool snack setup, additional refrigeration/freezer space or double ovens if you entertain on the grand scale.

Ihave aMartha Stewart-like friend who has abantry that closelyresembles acommercial kitchen just off her actual kitchen. Along with professional-grade appliances anda generous island, the room is charming with antiquecupboards and vintage culinary pieces. Think of her bantry as Cinderella in aballgown.

The bantry allows thebeloved open-concept kitchen,

dining andliving spaces to appear clutter-free and ready forcompany. Designing anew homeallows you to plan for this addition,but where does this fit in an existing layout? Youcould repurpose your laundry room. Stack washer anddryer units to free up space and create theperfect blank canvas. Thegenerous square footage of an attached garage that houses items you will likely never use again could also beput to better use.

In general,the bantryprovides thespace necessary to addwhatever ismostimportant to makeyour home more user-friendly.Ample, well-placed storage is always welcome. Small, specialty appliances that are difficult to access can now have adesignatedplace.

Will the bantry become the next must-have? Maybe. It could likely become aregular feature in new,larger homes. I recently assisted with aproperty renovation in Old Mandeville in which abantry was added,and Imust admit, it is very niceifspace permits More kitchenupgrade ideas

Shortofadding abantry, there are simpler ways to increase kitchen function and style. Maybeyou have a “white kitchen” and wish to modernizeit. This kitchen style is classic andwill likely be aroundinsome form for many years to come. It even gained greater popularitywith the 2003 release of the romantic comedy “Something’s Gotta

Give.” That Hamptons kitchen was very popular.Clients would pause theDVD and ask that we replicate the kitchen. However,the stark white kitchen that also appeared at this time is dropping in popularity. Its glossy white surfaces can be rather cold in appearance and also difficult to maintain.The overly bright room can be improved with warmer tones, darker floors or softly patterned stone in place of glaring solid white surfaces. Warmth has, once again, gained popularity. Consider adding some to your space.

If cabinetrydoes not reach theceiling, acustom look can be achieved by theaddition of cabinets or asoffit to fill thegap. With either addition, you will eliminatethe arduous chore of cleaning the dust and gunk that accumulate in nooks and crannies. Youmay also avoid the temptation to embellish that gap withplastic ivy or the dreaded ceramic goose with awreatharound his neck.

Upgrading hardware is a quick way tofreshenupexisting cabinetry. Knobs areeasy to replace, as there is only one hole. If you’re changing pulls, be certain that the holes are thesame distance apart as the old hardware. Anew kitchen faucet is another great upgrade, but again, be aware of thehole spacing.

Paintisyour friend. Consider painting the kitchen island or perhaps asection of cabinets in acontrasting color to thewall cabinetry.Inacompletely cypress Mandeville kitchen, afreestanding section of cabinets was painted to resemble ahutch. Chunky bracketswere added below theupper cabinets, and the space between the upper and base cabinetswas filled with beaded board. As much as we love cypress, the room was

The bantry, agrowing trend as an extension of home kitchens combining abar and apantry, is amore sophisticated spacethat servesmanyfunctions and looksgood whiledoing it.

improved by the now French blue “hutch.”

Paintingwalls and cabinetry in asingle color will visually enlarge asmall kitchen, as will improved lighting. Perhaps the best kitchen improvementis lighting installed under upper cabinets.

The shadow-free light is focused on thework surface. Simple and effective, this has becomeastandard feature in manyhomes.

Better function can also be achieved with something as basic as drawer dividers, adjustable shelves andracks for storing specific items.

In general, look around your kitchen and find waysto improve both function and appearance. As in mostdesign questions, decide what is right foryou. That little inner voice will serve you well.

Louis J. Aubert is a professional member of the AmericanSociety of Interior Designers and an avid preservationist.Some of his most visible NewOrleans projects include making interior color selections forGallierHall, Trinity Episcopal Church and the Louisiana Supreme Court RoyalStreet Courthouse, and both interior and exterior selectionsfor St.Stephen’s Basilica. Contact him at mrcolourneworleans@gmail. com.

FILE PHOTO By JEFFSTROUT

Louis Aubert

INSIDEINFO

Antiques Forum explores faith, spirit

The Historic New Orleans Collection is hosting its annual Antiques Forum, a weekendlong “intersection of the spiritual and material worlds.”

“Material Belief: Objects of Faith, Spirit and Tradition” will feature sessions Friday through Aug. 9 at the Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St., on a range of sacred items — how they were made, used and kept and how they continue to function as powerful material expressions of belief throughout the region

Experts and enthusiasts from a variety of disciplines will be on hand to discuss such items as Catholic statuary, Judaica, Afro-Caribbean ritual objects, prayer samplers and more.

A northshore excursion is planned, as well as additional events slated for French Quarter restaurants. Cost is $225. Visit hnoc.org.

BK House celebrates bicentennial in Quarter

A block party Aug. 11 on Chartres Street celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Historic BK House & Gardens.

The final architectural drawings for the then-BeauregardKeyes House were signed Aug. 11, 1826, and construction on the home began.

DJ Harold Spinner will facilitate “dancing in the street” with cocktails, a cash bar and birthday cakes baked by neighbors and friends.

The event, starting at 6 p.m., is free Visit bkhouse.org

Lecture series eyes Gálvez, militia

The Gálvez Regiment and Militia will be the subject of a series of lectures in August by the Friends of the Cabildo.

The lectures, at 6 p.m. Tuesdays on Zoom, will be recorded for viewing afterward.

Cost for the lectures is $10 for nonmembers and free for members.

The final architectural drawings for the BK House on Chartres Street in the French Quarter were signed Aug. 11, 1826.

The upcoming lectures include:

n Aug 4: Robert Freeland, “The Gálvez Regiment Composure”

n Aug 11: Harold Marchand, “Creole and Black Soldiers in the Militia”

n Aug 18: Bill Hyland, “Los Isleños in the Militia”

n Aug 25: Kevin Harrell, “Natives in the Militia”

October will include lectures about Creole Heritage Month.

For information, visit friendsofthecabildo.org.

Jefferson Tree School registration opens

Registration for the annual Friends of Jefferson the Beautiful has opened for the seminar in October.

Tree School on Oct. 29 at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie is open to community tree enthusiasts and working professionals such as arborists, landscape architects and other professionals to earn continuing education hours while learning from leaders in the field. Professional attendees are welcome at no cost and community members can attend for $10.

Speakers for the school include Skip Kincaid, Beau Brodbeck, James Komen, Dana Brown, Lynn Dupont, Michael Reid and Amanda Rivera.

Visit friendsofjeffersonthe-

BOR appeal submissions by hand or mail.

For information, visit nolaassessor.com.

Volunteer projects abound at City Park

A variety of cleanup days and initiatives are on tap at City Park to improve and maintain the extensive urban green space. Those coming up include:

n Super Saturday: 9 a.m. Saturday Volunteer Center, 1031 Harrison Ave. Monthly community volunteering effort that includes a tool maintenance project.

n Pelican Greenhouse Summer Vol-

Orleans assessor opens rolls for public

Assessment rolls for Orleans Parish property owners for 2027 are open for public inspection 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday through Aug. 17.

Open rolls locations for the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office are:

n City Hall, 1300 Perdido St., fourth floor

n Algiers Courthouse, 225 Morgan St., first floor

n Lakeview Christian Center, 5885 Fleur De Lis Drive, second floor

Assessor Erroll Williams said anyone interested in meeting with the appraisal staff to discuss assessments is strongly encouraged to schedule an online or inperson meeting by visiting nolaassessor.com or calling (504) 754-8811. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Individuals with scheduled appointments will be given priority. Walk-ins will be seen on a first-come, firstserved basis.

The online appeal system will be available until 4 p.m. Aug. 20.

Property owners may download and print the appropriate Board of Review form from the “Forms” page online and must submit four copies and all supporting materials for

unteer Series: 8 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 2 Celebration Drive. An eight-week series for individual volunteers to assist in greenhouse operations.

n Litter Abatement Campaign: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday Volunteer Center, 1031 Harrison Ave.

n Big Lake Native Plant Trail Restoration Project: 9 a.m. Friday Big Lake Native Trail near 7 Friedrichs Ave.

Register for the programs and find out about what to bring at friendsofcitypark.volunteerhub.com.

Have a home and garden event coming up? Send it to events@theadvocate.com.

Charlotte Dorion 504.237.8615

Charlotte@Char-Realty.com Char-Realty.com

Chris Dorion

504.451.4274

Chris@Char-Realty.com 4018 MagazineSt. NOLA 70115 504.799.1702

•Co-ownersof5offices •YourLocal and Global LuxuryREALTORS!

FILE PHOTO By JEFF STROUT

ONEINAMILLION

St. Charles Avenue penthouse has views of the city

BY VICTOR ANDREWS Staff writer

A stately building stands sentinel over a section of St. Charles Avenue that boasts a multitude of handsome homesteads near Jefferson Avenue.

It’s the point St. Charles begins to move closer to the universities (Tulane and Loyola) and the verdant stretches of Audubon Park. In fact, a diminutive parcel of playground fun and oldgrowth trees sits just across Octavia Street bearing the name of the back street: Danneel.

But on the avenue, sitting behind a curved stone drive edged with meticulous landscaping is a five-story edifice built in 1939 with detail work that hints at the refined dwellings inside.

The Octavia’s penthouse at 5421 St. Charles Ave. is a three-bedroom, two-bath with two balconies that offer panoramic views of the city over the treetops for $1.365 million.

Pass through the double glass doors of the lobby and head to the twin elevators or the stairs at the center of the building.

On the penthouse level, the home opens to a generous foyer with two closets and plenty of room to receive guests. It branches to a hall that traverses the space.

Turning to the right, the public spaces of the home are at hand. On the right side of the hall, the galley-style kitchen is a lengthy 20 feet of culinary space, with dark counters reflecting the gleam of a host of stainless appliances and the large-format tile floor. At one end, a tall series of cabinets is a trove of storage, with a well-placed closet providing even more storage.

On the left side of the hall, the living room instantly conjures a library or study feel, courtesy of the floor-to-ceiling shelves. A pair of windows on the far wall brings in natural light, making it an ideal spot for reading. Built-in lighting and one set of cabinetry for electronics provide an inviting place for television or conversation.

More shelving can be found framing an elegant fireplace in the home’s family room, a substantial corner of the home with windows on two sides. One of the two balconies, screened-in to promote bug-free leisure, is also in the family room.

A broad opening leads into the dining room, a comfortable place for mealtime gatherings, generously illuminated by a pair of windows. A door leads back into the kitchen for ready access. A side door into the condominium is

also in the room.

On the opposite side of the foyer are the sleeping quarters, a trio of bedrooms.

The primary suite is an inviting enclave large enough for bedroom fur-

of the

overlooks the city.

The penthouse of the Octavia building on St. Charles Avenue is a three-bedroom, two-bath home with two screened balconies and more than 2,600 square feet.

The foyer is a large receiving space for guests, with a hall that traverses the penthouse.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Shelves fill the wall next to the fireplace in the home’s family room, which has access to one of the two balconies.

One

home’s screened balconies

The living room can also serve as astudy or evena home office, outfitted with aplethora of shelves and storage.

The dressing section of the primarybath features adouble vanity and wide windowfor natural light.

niture as well as seating. The second balcony is accessed through the bedroom, making it adesired localefor morning coffee or anightcap. There’s also awalk-in closet.

The bath is atwo-room chamber separating adouble vanity from the wet area.

Down another hall, more closet space provides additional storage and access to the two bedrooms and the hall bath they share.

There is also additional storage for the unit in the building’sbasement.

The home is listed by Eleanor Farnsworth, of Compass, (504) 891-1142.

One in aMillion is an occasional series featuring upscale homes for sale in the metro area.

Agalley-style kitchen is agreat culinarycenter,laden with stainless appliances and ebony-toned counters.

COVER STORy

GRETNA GEM

“I really worked on all aspects of this house with both of my parents. ... There are so many elements of them in this house now, and that really makes it a home for me.”

GRAySON WHITE

Renovated 1940s cottage has a large yard and original features

BY JYL BENSON Contributing writer

Since buying her circa 1940 four-bay cottage in Gretna’s Old Garden Park neighborhood in 2017, Grayson White has discovered a vibrant, engaged community in the midst of revitalization.

The discovery of a community making such a strong comeback was a surprise find, a bonus for the Winnsboro native. She moved to New Orleans in 2012 after years in Nashville, Tennessee, then Portland, Washington, to be closer to family, especially her aging grandparents in north Louisiana. After settling in Mid-City on Bayou St. John, she was eventually ready to buy a home and started looking for an affordable house with a decent-sized piece of land.

She found her stucco-covered house set behind a deep lawn on a double lot. It has an additional “dogleg” projection of land behind her neighbor’s home on the northern side of the property.

ä See COTTAGE, page 14

ABOVE: An avid hostess, Grayson White wanted an open floor plan in the living area with a centrally located kitchen.

White’s four-bay cottage in Gretna’s Old Garden Park neighborhood was built in 1940.

RIGHT:

PHOTOS By ERIC LINCOLN Grayson White relaxes in her enviable backyard garden with Tank, her 10-year-old American bulldog

This portion of the living room, a dedicated music area, was once a drop-down side porch. The floor was leveled during the renovation. White plans to eventually replace the existing doors with fixed floor-to-ceiling windows.

COTTAGE

Continued from page 12

“It was built by George Eugene Daviet,” White said. “He was known for building many of the stucco homes in Old Garden Park.”

The Old Garden Park subdivision emerged in 1939 when bankers Adrian Lapeyronnie and Nat Knight purchased 15 acres of land, formerly cow pastures, from the Brooklyn Land Co. The development helped connect the area’s original settlements of Old Gretna and McDonoghville. The neighborhood is peaceful, with streets lined by mature trees and a mix of traditional brick classic homes and updated midcentury cottages.

Steps away from White’s home, the old Fifth Street runs roughly parallel with the Mississippi River.

“At one time, Fifth Street was the ‘it’ corridor There were car dealerships, restaurants, supermarkets and shopping, but those businesses moved to the Westbank Expressway,” said White. The city and Mayor Belinda Constant made changes to lure businesses back to Fifth Street, such as extending sidewalks to Huey P. Long Avenue.

Along with several parks, residents can walk to a growing roster of bars, shops and restaurants that include Thai D’Jing, Da Wabbit, Banana Blossom, Dough Nguyener’s and Stained Glass Wine House.

Besides the budding area that surrounds it, White fell in love with the property for the land, but it needed work

“The land had been let go for decades. I knew it would take a ton of work, and it did,” she said. “I spent years of weekends cleaning out the undergrowth and the junk.”

She used a four-wheeler and tree straps to dislodge existing long-neglected landscaping to create a park-like setting Today, the front of the home is gracefully landscaped with a combination of annuals and perennials.

Naturally, the yard is a favorite spot for White’s

Grayson White was able to preserve the home’s original curved window and door trim. The tile walls in the bathroom were salvageable, as was a built-in magazine rack, which is set into the tile wall The floor had to be replaced. The stained glass came from her late grandmother’s home in northern Louisiana.

The centrally located fireplace in the living room is not operational. White found the metal summer cover at The Bank.

American bulldog, Tank. A 315-year-old live oak tree is the centerpiece of the sprawling

rear garden. A swimming pool is planned for the future.

Renovating the three-bed-

Built-in bookcases are filled with a collection of well-used and much-loved albums and family mementos, including many ornate Christmas ornaments, which were handmade by White’s late grandmother.

sulted her on the lawn spaces. Her father, Cloid White, studied architecture and design at Louisiana Tech University in the 1970s. He was instrumental in helping his daughter reconfigure the home, which was largely gutted to the studs.

The father-daughter pair successfully executed an open kitchen and living area while preserving the property’s architectural features, like the built-in alcove in the hall where a corded telephone once called home and the curved trim molding around all the interior doors and windows.

“I just love the charm of the architecture,” White said. She lived in the home’s primary bedroom throughout the eight-month renovation. Her source of electricity was an extension cord.

room, two-bath home became a family affair. White’s mother is an avid gardener and con-

Unfortunately, the family’s most valiant efforts could not preserve some of the home’s original floors. The bathroom’s original chicklet tile floors were covered in eight layers of linoleum, and the wooden parquet floors in the living room had been similarly entombed. The original heart pine floors in the bedrooms and hall were restored.

In the bathroom, the tile

PHOTOS By ERIC LINCOLN

A dog groomer and trainer by trade, the likenesses of the creatures White loves are reflected throughout the home she shares with Tank, a 10-yearold American bulldog.

floors were replaced with a close match to the original tile walls, which were salvageable. The parquet floors were replaced with upscale, on-trend engineered wood planks.

White worked as a touring musician during her many years in Nashville, and her piano, violin and guitar reside in a section of the living room that was once a drop-down porch. The floor has been elevated to unify the space with the rest of the room, which now includes a cove ceiling.

The living area is divided from the open kitchen by a seated island topped with the same dark polished granite as the kitchen counters. Some cabinets have solid wood fronts, while others have glass doors and are lit from within to display family glassware collections.

As the owner of DogMa

A 315-year-old live oak tree is the centerpiece of White’s tropical garden. It shades a generous seating area and a diminutive rear cottage ‘When the weather is right, I just live out here,’ she said.

Pet Care, the thriving canine grooming and training business she started while living in Portland, White loves animals Artistic tributes to dogs, bun-

nies and even flamingos decorate her home.

“I really worked on all aspects of this house with both of my parents,” White said.

“When we spend time together, we work on this house together There are so many elements of them in this house now, and that really makes it

a home for me.”

Jyl Benson writes about homes and gardens. Email her at jylbenson@gmail.com.

This built-in Murphy bed/armoire in the sunroom is framed by whimsical portraits of White’s dogs and groupings of polished family silver heirlooms.

The sun-splashed guest room is at the front of the home. It is furnished with family pieces and vintage finds

White chose a moody shade of teal to impart a feeling of tranquility in the primary bedroom.

INSIDESTORY

Forget Halloween: Giant skeletons are staying up year-round

BY JACK FLEMMING Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES The undead are invading L.A.

They wear Santa hats and sunglasses, American flags and pool floaties. Some stand erect, towering over houses and neighborhoods. Others rot in the California sun, disintegrating into bony fragments. A pelvis atop two legs in a driveway. A skull peering over a rooftop. They are, of course, giant 12foot skeletons. And if they’re not in your neighborhood

already, they probably will be soon.

Released by Home Depot in 2020, the Halloween prop known as “Skelly” has transmogrified from a meme into a movement. At first mostly limited to the month of October and maybe a week or two in November, many skeletons now stay up year-round as their proud owners deck them out with whatever theme fits the latest holiday: Christmas, Easter, the Fourth of July, etc. They’re loved, they’re hated, they’re too big to put away

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As home prices skyrocket, storage space becomes a luxury Backyards hold ADUs. Large closets become bedrooms. Giant skeletons stand for 365 days a year for the same reason that pianos, treadmills and couches are given away for free: They’re too big to do anything else with. Better up than in.

“Home Depot made a plastic storage bin specifically for the skeletons, but even the storage bins are huge,” said Tyler Bradberry, a South Los Angeles resident who has kept a giant skeleton in his yard since 2020. “Space is expensive. It’s L.A.”

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For Bradberry, who works in visual arts, the skeleton is an extension of the inside of his home, where maximalism reigns with psychedelic art — Pushead, H.R. Giger, Neck Face etc. — and a life-size E.T. statue.

“Everything is so sterile now Everyone wants their house to look like a square box,” he said. “It’s nice for things to stick out a bit. Weird stuff gives the neighbors something to talk about.”

At least one neighbor has had a bone to pick — an older man from Central America who told him he was “playing with death.”

by years of wind and rain, has withered into a 6-foot pelvis on two legs.

“I’m the house with the legs,” Bonin said.

She lives near the L.A. River Trail, so plenty of passersby take pictures. Bonin tried taking it down last year, but as soon as she did, a father and son drove by to see it and expressed their dismay that it was gone.

eton — named Mr. Bones — every single day.

“Out at lunch a few months ago, a stranger recognized me as the skeleton guy,” he said.

For Father’s Day, Dow’s skeleton grilled. Dow spray-painted an inflatable swimming pool black for a barbecue and asked his mom to sew a giant apron.

For Christmas, Bradberry dressed the skeleton as Santa Claus, with a six-foot beard. For a haunted frat-themed birthday party, he gave it a toga.

“People were upset, but when we brought it back for Halloween, everyone was stoked,” she said.

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In 2023, he went viral for digitally editing a pair of comically large Jnco jeans on the skeleton. Shortly after, with the help of two friends who work in wardrobe design, he brought the meme to life, debuting a skeleton with billowing denim at the L.A. culture festival ComplexCon, where artists, designers and rappers converge.

“Chief Keef thought it was hilarious,” he said.

In Atwater Village, photographer Lexi Bonin has had hers up since 2020. What started as a 12-foot skeleton, beaten

Businesses are joining the movement as well. Above VCA Burbank Animal Hospital, a skeleton named RIPley reminds incoming pet owners of their pets’ mortality. Manager Alana Jennings-Dunn said it went up last October as a reward for 100% of employees completing a survey on workplace culture, but now it’s a neighborhood staple.

“It’s been a great way to connect with the community,” Jennings-Dunn said. “We’ve become known as the hospital with the skeleton.”

Bruce Dow, who lives in the Central Valley city of Turlock, said people drive by his skel-

Dow is a member of the “12 Foot Skeleton Halloween Club,” a Facebook group with more than 64,000 members where people share their own designs and stories: a skeleton melting after a house fire, or a stolen skull tracked down by police.

A small industry has popped up around the skeletons, including 3D-printed masks and custom repair parts. Dow paid $35 for two shoulder sockets and $40 for custom elbow joints after his broke. He also sprays the skeleton with a UVprotectant coating made for boats to keep the plastic from withering.

It’s a hit around his neighborhood, he says. Dow hasn’t had any pushback from neighbors, but says he’s seen it elsewhere.

“People say they’re making home values drop, or claim skeletons are part of the devil. Crazy stuff like that,” he said.

LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS PHOTO By ARWEN CLEMANS Giant skeletons, holding the numbers 6 and 7, sit in the yard of a Los Angeles home.

“But there’s always gonna be those people.”

Around L.A., there are plenty. Cody Bowers, who lives in Hollywood, said he can see a skeleton from his second-story window

“At first it was funny, but the joke wears off quickly,” he said. “It’s a beautiful neighborhood. Palm trees, beautiful plants, the mountains in the background. And then this massive skeleton.”

He added that it feels like a trend that’s already tired, the modern version of lawn gnomes or flamingos

Amy Chen walks by a skeleton in Highland Park with her dog every day

“I like it, but my dog doesn’t,” she said. “He starts barking whenever we get too close.”

A Westside real estate agent, who asked to be quoted anonymously to not offend potential clients, said she handled the sale of a condo near a house with a giant skeleton out front last year The listing went up around October, so she figured the skeleton was temporary.

When she hosted open houses in November and December, the tower of plastic bones was still standing.

“When you’re selling a house, you don’t want anything that could deter a potential buyer,” she said, adding that it didn’t affect the final sale price, but it gave her a few headaches along the way

They’re probably not going anywhere soon. If anything, they’ll only get bigger — and louder

An arms race has already started for this upcoming Halloween, as Lowe’s recently unveiled a 15-foot skeleton that could give Skelly a Napoleon complex. It can talk, turn and be activated by sound, motion or footpad.

Fans now wait with bated breath to see Home Depot’s response. Nothing has been officially announced, but a sneak peek video suggests that the latest version of Skelly will come with an upgraded speaker and an app to program what it says.

Dow said his skeleton will stay up indefinitely.

“Everybody’s asking what I’m gonna do next,” he said. “I have an audience. I can’t let them down.”

NEW ORLEANS

n TRANSFERS FOR JULY 20-24 DISTRICT 1

BAUDIN ST. 3010-3012: $257,000, Courtney T. Price to SJE Investments LLC.

CANAL ST. 4176: $100 and other valuable consideration, Burk Holding Co. Inc to 4176 Canal St. LLC.

COLISEUM ST. 1765, UNIT

407: $250,000, Anuradha Kanuri Punyamurthula, Sujan Punyamurthula and Sanjana Punyamurthula to David Morel and Nina Jones Morel.

FIVE OAKS DRIVE 5: $379,327, Lonnie Edward Garrett to J Bennett Realty LLC.

JULIA ST. 330: $235,000, Team Morgan Investments Inc. to Ronald W. Yost and Toni Michelle Yost.

JULIA ST. 330: $247,000, Melissa Izor to Gina Anne Armbruster.

MELPOMENE ST. 924:

$1,010,000, 924 Melpomene LLC, Karen Landry Bertel and Ploutos Development LLC to Creagan Stickney and Holly Stickney

S. GAYOSO ST. 314: $275,000, Meghan Garhan Reckley to Kathleen Filson Gowen and Olivia Gowen Filson.

THALIA ST. 4227-29: $17,000, Succession of Katherine A. Mims Daley, succession of Marion Hynson Mims, Terence C. Brown, Thomas Rayner Brown and Tina Brown to 4227 Thalia St. LLC.

DISTRICT 2

AMETHYST ST. 439: $650,000,

REALESTATETRANSFERS

Christopher Duncan Bennett and Phyllis T. Bennett to Adam Simpson Thompson and Margaret Mentz Thompson.

ARGONNE BLVD. 6554: $585,000, Clark Higganbotham and Rebekah S. Higganbotham to Alan Appley.

ARGONNE BLVD. 6548: $627,000, Nikol Hegarty Vincent to Hua Bai and Ping Kang Bai.

BARRACKS ST. 1029, UNIT 3: $373,000, Graham H. Williams to McDonald Living Trust.

BOURBON ST. 1131-37: $940,000, 1131 Bourbon LLC to Nola Event Properties LLC.

CANAL BLVD. 5617: $302,000, Cooper J. Gioe and Meredith Enright Gioe to Sophia Manon Ellisor.

CANAL ST. 1201: $270,000, Coleman S. Pratt and Tracy B. Pratt to Christine Zack Saiz and Paul Saiz.

CANAL ST. 1201, UNIT 367: donation, no value stated, Jason

tion, no value stated, Stephen J. Schmidt to Dianne McSwain Schmidt.

COLBERT ST. 6950: $1,580,000, Kris Patrick Kiefer to Issam Eid and Natalia Khalaf Eid.

CONTI ST. 3004-06: $217,000, Gregory Oliver and Zachary Eugene Oliver to Manu Lauaki Smith and Samari Davis.

CRYSTAL ST. 873: $742,500, Filippe Feoli and Liza Marie Muhlfeld Feoli to Lelia Lambert.

DUMAINE ST. 3800: $607,000, Dennis Horchoff to Maria Elena Jimenez Robinson Bou-Mikael and Youssef Estevan Sami BouMikael.

HOMEDALE ST. 866: donation, no value stated, Anna Calcara Smith to Mark C. Smith IV and Anna Smith irrevocable living trust.

Charles Parrish and Lisa J. Parrish to Parrish Family Trust.

CHARTRES ST. 911-13-15: dona-

ä See ORLEANS, page 18

ORLEANS

Continued frompage17

KILLDEER ST.19: $1,300,000, Barbara Pope Landry and BernardA LandrytoMadeline Cvitanovich Tinney and Mark C. Tinney.

LOUISVILLE ST.6968: $388,000, Sarah A. Finley to Antoinette Klima.

MARSHAL FOCH ST.6420: $725,000, David P. Doironand Linda Randall Doiron to Christopher Joseph Barberousse and Jennifer Spansel Barberousse.

MEMPHIS ST.6107: $639,000, Georgann Leavesley Koehler and James N. Koehler toBach H. Nguyenand Ranell Bautista Nguyen.

TOULOUSE ST.3125: $730,000, 3125 Toulouse LLCtoLynnElliott Nigh and Todd A. Nigh.

W. END BLVD.6919: $770,000, Dewey Michael Orr Jr.and MicheleBarge Orr to PaulaAdams Ates.

DISTRICT 3

ABERDEEN ROAD 8751: $12,000, Erica R. Mealy to Shandon Tyson Williams.

ALABO ST.1801: $14,000, Ileanna Lecor Calcano Rosarioand Yonneiker Armando Vivas Infante to Lendin Yolebeht Rodriguez Alvarado Lopez and Ranulfo RodriguezLopez.

ANNETTE ST.1934-36: $30,000, Rock Management LLCtoTulio C. Figueroa-Portillo andYessika Cardona Figueroa-Portillo.

AVIATORS ST.1410: $853,500, Nola Dream Homes LLCtoDanita Anderson.

REALESTATETRANSFERS

AVON PARK BLVD.7542: $1,800, New Orleans Redevelopment AuthoritytoEmma Jean Jones Garrett.

BARTHOLOMEW ST.1021-23: $519,000, Gavin Patrick McCall and Katherine Allison Simpson McCall to David Laurence Grollman and VivianElizabeth WorthyGrollman.

CAMERON BLVD.6042: $389,000, Elizabeth H. Bowles to Karina JalapaSandoval Wallace and Kevin Cody Wallace.

COLUMBUSST. 1325-1327: donation, no value stated, Clarence BrowntoBrenda Sorina.

CRESCENT DRIVE1482: $284,000, Madeline Elizabeth Ferreyrato AustinKing.

DESAIXBLVD. 3618: $125,000, Cynthia Guidry to SaraLemon.

DESIREST. 1922: $30,500, Shavonda Reese to Myriad Investments Group LLC.

DESIREST. 836: donation, no value stated, Lisa D. Wade to Sicut Eruca revocable trust.

EASTERN ST.4901: $310,000, Charlotte Marie McDonnell Steele and HannahMarie Marler to Nicole Rochelle Stevens and Paula Jean Rohrbaugh.

FELICIANA ST.3101: $165,000, Mathilda HorneChartain to BrandyM.McKinney.

FLAKE AVE. 4848: $110,400, RacquelMarie Carmouche to Opendoor Property Trust I.

FRENCHMEN ST.2540-A: $20,000, Erica Leah Boni to Monica Marie Gunderson.

GABRIEL DRIVE 4835: $165,000, Michael J. EnglartoKhadija LatifaTrask.

GALLIER DRIVE 4522: $73,000, Angela Ferbos Clayton and Sidney A. Ferbos Jr. to Genwealth Rental

Properties LLC.

HANOVER ROAD 7113: donation, no value stated, Gerald Arthur LeeSr. and Lois PattersonLee to Gerald A. LeeSr. and Lois P. Lee revocable living trust.

LINCOLN BEACH BLVD.10674: $300,000, Georgette Samuel Khalil to ReastoxHoldings LLC.

LINCOLN BEACH BLVD.10680: $290,000, Georgette Samuel Khalil to ReastoxHoldings LLC.

KERLEREC ST.1030: $257,000, Chad David SmithTrincoand Jack Trinco Smith to AmyA.McCarthyTrust.

KUEBEL DRIVE 6100: $185,000, Alfredo Pinta and Olga Maria CuevaPinta to Chanel Young.

LONGFELLOW DRIVE 4801:

$135,000, Trible LLCtoGerald PetersJr.

MAPLE WOOD DRIVE 13130:

$13,500, Prime Imports Co. Inc. to JB3 Enterprise LLC.

MARQUE DRIVE 4656: $285,000, Ahsaag HomesLLC to Sambrell Tinguee and TrentonTinguee.

MITHRA ST.4010: $142,000, MithraStreet LLCtoCharles Bolden Jr.

N. DERBIGNY ST.2521-23-25: $375,800, Sophie Michela Ashley to Amanda E. Tonkovich.

N. ROCHEBLAVE STREET 1530: $398,000, Madeleine Christine VidgertoStephen Philip Merlan and Sydney Shivers.

PASTEUR BLVD.5316: $236,000, Lorraine Talmi and Shai Talmi to Geaux Bananas LLC.

PIETY ST.1700-1702: $75,000, Christina RiveraSteib Owens and Joseph T. Owens to 1700-02 Piety St.LLC

READ BLVD.5640, 5646: no value stated, Methodist HealthSystem Foundation Inc. to Cherry Tree

Holding Group LLCand Pecan Tree Holding Group LLC.

RHODES DRIVE 4808-4810: $205,000, Crystal FinchBernard and Jonah BernardtoJonte M. Bernard.

SANDHURST DRIVE 5107: $20,000, GayM.Nixon to Benjamin Nhat Dong Tran.

SPAIN ST.1934-36: $188,000, MathieuGamba and SandraUnwantege Hart GambatoRhonda London Alonzo.

VIENNA ST.2444: $480,000, Kara Zirnheld and Travis Tyler Zirnheld to Jonathan Bryant.

DISTRICT 4

BARONNE ST.622-624: $988,995, Placeholders GroupLLC to EvaG. Lynch and KevinM.Lynch.

BARONNE ST.2910-12: $60,000, Terrance R. Coleman to Michael J. DezuraII.

CLARA ST.2427-29-31: $98,000, DarrylFrederick Ratcliff, Lenetra Leiselle Jefferson, Patricia Henry Gaines and Thelma Ratcliff RobinsontoMillionaireYouths LLC.

FIRSTST. 3634: $195,000, Triangle LLCtoGwynne Erica Noble Parker.

MAGAZINE ST.1904-06-10-12:

$1,600,000, Irish ChannelProperties Inc. to Denroc LLCand Philip Y. Denormandie.

S. MIRO ST.2622: $14,000, Joseph P. Roberts Jr. to Miraldas Renovations LLC.

DISTRICT 5

EAGLETRACE DRIVE 4: $440,000, 4Eagle Trace LLCtoDemetria Brandon and James Brandon.

ENGLISH TURN DRIVE 140: $58,500, Bank of Louisiana to KristinBoydDuplessisand Ryan

sqft corner condo designed andowned by renowned architect ArthurDavis.Thislight-filledresidencefeatures 15oversizedwindows,12-footceilings,custom stained glass, expansiveentertaining spaces, multiple balconies.Amenities alsoinclude 3 indoorparkingspaces,rooftoppoolandfitness center. Allsteps from downtown attractions andtheFrenchQuarter.AMustSee!

A. Duplessis.

HOLIDAY PLACE 1625: $229,000, Succession of Rose Aucoin Diket, Jane EllenD.Colna and Christopher L. DikettoGregory Rose.

LAWRENCE ST.2319: $97,000, Radielvi LLCtoStoic Properties LLC.

MACARTHUR BLVD.5238: $294,000, GiseleSchexnider to Jose F. Gaytan Juarfz and Ma Rios MunozJuarfz.

MIMOSACOURT3784: $245,000, DianneK.RevueltatoEarlean Stalks.

OXFORD PLACE 5727: $230,000, Beverly LassereSegrue and Lynn SegrueSmithtoJoseph Lorenzo and Rebecca Lorenzo.

PEBBLE BEACH19: $1,500,000, Heidi GuntherMorsetoAngelique M. Patterson.

PEMBROOK DRIVE 5821: $292,000, Leslie MarieMorrison Sealsto Hamilton John Cleverdon and Maegan Alyse Cleverdon.

PLYMOUTH PLACE 3336: $199,000, Christopher WarnerBriscoe, Nicholas Mintrell Briscoeand TerrellSchexnayder Briscoeto Tori Williams.

RUE PARC FONTAINE 3100: no value stated, Rachel MarieMeins Dubois to TrinityRealestate Group LLC.

S. INWOOD AVE. 4043: $334,000, Gomez& SonsProperties LLCto TomeshaF.Austin.

THAYER ST.428: $90,500, Marilyn Vargas Bonilla to MNCRobles Properties LLC.

VIVIAN COURT 41: $190,000, AnthonyJ.Barletto to Rockell Cherrie McCormick.

DISTRICT 6

ANNUNCIATION ST.5364: $100, Jeannie Grant Campbelland Steven Jeffrey CampbelltoAnn Carroll Rogers Rooth.

AUDUBON BLVD.120: $100, Lori Kent Savoie and RobertA.Savoie to Tanya Picou Faia Walker and Trevor Walker

CONSTANCE ST.5116: donation, no value stated, Louis Donovan Perdue Jr. and Jordan A. Frankel to Wabansia FP Trust.

DANNEEL ST.3617-3619: no value stated, Federal National Mortgage Association to Anastasia Campeau and Nathalie Dubois

GENERAL PERSHING ST.22362238: donation, no value stated, Sharon Rogers GoodsontoRichardNelsonRogers.

HENRY CLAY AVE. 1526:

$1,850,000, Claire Marie Tilmont and Mark Joseph Graffagnini to Douglas Buron Boulware and Thomas Clayton Boulware irrevocable trust.

HENRY CLAY AVE. 801: $162,500, Troy Bodley Dawson to Anna R. Russ and Mark A. Reid.

MAGAZINE ST. 6065: $857,500, Roniger Family Holdings LLC to Olivers Place LLC.

MILAN ST. 1029: $1,530,000, Joshua William Christie and Nicole Boxberger Christie to Brian Bradeson and Margaret Arrington Bradeson.

S. GAYOSO ST. 1933: $300,000, Carrie Huang to Hunter James Thibodeaux.

S. GAYOSO ST. 1937: $420,000, Andrew Duncan Renshaw and Meredith W Renshaw to Daniel Chi Tran.

VERSAILLES BLVD. 30: donation, no value stated, Therese J. Garner to Robert E. Rowe.

VERSAILLES BLVD. 30: $1,280,000, Robert E. Rowe and Therese J. Garner to Julia Martin Merhige.

DISTRICT 7

32ND ST. 203: $699,000, David George Leslie and Lauren Hasler Leslie to Sarah Budney AVE. A 6709: $729,000, Gary Burke and Sally Marks Burke to Lianjie Miao and Yangyang Lu Miao.

AVE. B 6659: no value stated, Jeffrey Cantu and Morgan Cantu to Kimberly A. Derrow and Peyton L. Derrow

BELLAIRE DRIVE 6012: $205,000, Scott Brian Sloan to Edgar Miles Dixey

COUNTRY CLUB DRIVE 101: $535,000, Geoffrey Matthew Bird and Jenna Bullard Bird to Jody Michael Waltz and Kelly McCord Waltz.

FERN ST. 1830: $268,000, Sybil Andrea Young Richson to Sunrises A. Dream LLC.

FRERET ST. 8301-8305: $320,000, Marc T. Dunn to Cherie Hattier Juneau and James Luke Juneau.

NELSON ST. 8331-33: $239,450, Crystal Lynell Rivet to Alexander Donofrio.

S. CARROLLTON ST. 920: $195,000, Mary Elise Schlesinger Kingsmill to Cristi Cyprowski.

ST. CHARLES AVE. 7618: no value stated, Wright Living Trust to Marina N. Wright and Terry E. Wright.

REALESTATETRANSFERS

EAST JEFFERSON

n TRANSFERS FOR JULY 17-23

HARAHAN

GROVE AVE. 578: Kathryn A. Flad to Tracie P. Allen, $240,000.

HICKORY AVE. 243: Dennis Dupre to Fortege LLC, $180,000.

LAITRAM LANE 140: Ravenswood LLC to Lapeyre Properties LLC, $1,200,000.

JEFFERSON

ALFRED PLACE 3800: Three Lock Box Holdings LLC to Jennifer R. Whatley, $270,000.

AUDUBON TRACE 601: Jan L. Diamond to Elizabeth F. Putnam, $245,000.

DODGE AVE. 204: Mark Planchard to Peter Purpura, $285,000.

ISABEL ST. 3913: Paul A. Lasseigne to Bertucci Property Development LLC, $150,000.

LABARRE ROAD 726: Whitney Properties XV LLC to SJL Realty LLC, $245,000.

TERRACE ST. 540: V&J Properties LLC to Five Hundred Forty Terrace Street LLC, $295,000.

KENNER

42ND ST. 1617, UNIT 8: Ejiroghene Ogenyi to Sana A.S. Ahmed, $127,000.

ARKANSAS AVE. 4336: Brian T. Mcgregor to Frances Conyers, $300,000.

E. LOUISIANA STATE DRIVE 3507: Marguerite M. Jumonville to Fernando E. V Vallecillo,

$290,000.

E. LOUISIANA STATE DRIVE 4012: Irvin M. Massicot Jr. to Samuel A. Perry Jr., $165,000.

LUCAYA DRIVE 72: Jeffery M. King to Steph King, donation, no value stated.

OLE MISS DRIVE 4121: Donald E. Trosclair to Rac Development LLC, $127,000.

PALMETTO ST. 86: Linda M. Lane to Blake Baker, $505,000.

ROUSSEAU ST. 9033: Bonito McWilliams to Cheryl A. Trepagnier, $55,000.

SABINE COURT 20: Truc Tu to Tuyen T.T. Nguyen, donation, no value stated.

SHAMPROPS DRIVE 5433: Daniel D. Marsalone to Celia I Yadira, $394,000.

TULANE DRIVE 3769: Cesar D Alvarez to Andrea M. Thompson, $249,000.

METAIRIE

39TH ST. 3225: Emily K. Lovitt to John P. Schneider Jr., $348,000.

BATH AVE. 307: Jill B. Rodgers to Rachal J. Gaconi, $680,000.

CHOCTAW AVE. 1375: Millie T. Pelias to Charles Augustine Jr., $410,000.

CLAUDIUS ST. 1711: Richard C. Gieseler Sr. to Elitestor LLC, $512,100.

DONALD COURT 23: Ralph Boudreau to Watts Rd LLC, $137,000.

EMILY ST. 1717: Shannon M. Green to M Wrubleski, $415,000.

FLOWER DRIVE 5913: Greenberg Samuel E. Revocable Living Trust to Greenberg Keith Harris Special Needs Trust, donation, no value stated.

GARDENIA DRIVE 1512: Louis J. Staehle Jr. to Jennifer L. Lecarpentier, $675,000.

GIUFFRIAS AVE. 620: Bertucci Investment Group LLC to Nathan Orillion, $130,000.

HACKBERRY AVE. 1525: Lisa S. Villarrubia to Cecelia M. Reyer, $355,000.

HACKBERRY AVE. 1613: Barbara G. Oddo to Andrew Mahoney, $17,500.

HACKBERRY AVE. 1613: Barbaro Oddo to Kristin O. Mahoney, donation, no value stated.

HEASLIP AVE. 4208: Tim Blanke to Matthew J. Booksh, $185,000.

HOMESTEAD AVE. 1516: Jennifer E.M. Bacque to Anne M. M. Pullman, $400,000.

MADISON AVE. 1113: Jeffrey Farnet to Luis J. Flores, $299,000.

MELVIL DEWEY DRIVE 3840: Constance M. Lockwood to Joseph

Digiovanni, $310,000.

MISSISSIPPI AVE. 2632: Damien Walker to Marcelo C. Navarro, $235,000.

N. ATLANTA ST. 2412: Daniel E. Guirovich to Ethan Guirovich, $317,000.

OAKLAWN DRIVE 530: Timothy P Piglia Sr. to Hellen C. Martinez, $695,000.

PAPWORTH AVE. 49: Webber Properties LLC to Christine M. C. Goula, $278,000.

PASADENA AVE. 1505: Steven M. Joubert to Brittney Nezat, $345,000.

PURDUE DRIVE 4601: Jarrod P. Goudeau to Kevin Morlier, $390,000.

RIVIERE AVE. 1308: Eugene P. Cerise Sr. to Samantha Lorio, ä See EAST, page 20

OPEN TODAY11-1

STREET

An elegant threebedroom /2.5 bath townhomeinthe heartofOld Metairie,thishome hasbeen lovingly maintained &improved. Interior features includegated entrywithsecurity system,woodfloors throughout,crown moldings, tray ceilings,plantation shutters, wood burningfireplacewithgas,a well designed &efficientkitchen w/ stonecounters, Sonosaudio system,invitingprimary suite with5 fixturebathand 2oversized walk in closets w/ custom builtins.Including thegarage, there is off street parkingfor 3vehicles. Many recent improvements within thelast5 yearssuchasanew roof,fencing & landscaping,A/C,entry doors, exterior painting,securitysystem, water heater,LED lighting, &muchmore. Very convenient OldMetairielocationwitha plethora shopping,diningand amenities withinthe OldMetairieVillage andOakridgePlace shopping centers.

Continued frompage19

$220,000.

SCHOUEST ST.6909: Jennifer Paul to Jamie C. R. Giaccone, $325,000.

SYCAMORE DRIVE 102: Linda R. Ingles to LHC Builders LLC, $1,089,000.

TAFT PARK 1208: Kip J. Kieff to Lillian E.D.Pfefferle, $220,000.

TARTAN DRIVE 3621: Jenna H. TregretoWalter A. Sabillon, $270,000.

RIVERRIDGE

PAULA DRIVE 9933: CherieM. Rouquette to Piggy&Pete LLC, $170,000.

REX DRIVE 129: Olga VL. Brockett to Rachel Solares, $435,000.

SOUTHDOWN LANE8725: Patrick J. HollidaytoM.C Holliday, donation, no value stated.

ST.TAMMANy

n TRANSFERS FORJULY6-10

ABITASPRINGS

ALLEN ROAD 73380: Ronald McClurgJr. and Ranada C. McClurg to Jovian Monette, $265,000.

CAMPHILL DRIVE, PHASE 7-A, LOT440: Money Hill Plantation

HOMES

REALESTATETRANSFERS

WEST JEFFERSON

n TRANSFERS FORJULY17-23

AVONDALE

LANDSDOWNE DRIVE 4140: DSLD LLCtoSheldonKing, $292,170.

LINDSEY COURT4144: DSLD LLC to Yohanna IG.Batista, $277,480.

BARATARIA

DENICE LEBLANC ST.4961: RayfordJ.BlanchardtoOluchjiH. Blanchard, donation, no value stated.

PRIVATEER BLVD.2375: Beverly M.P.HeberttoRudolph Holdings LLC, $70,000.

GRANDISLE

BLANCHARD LANE 113: Jacob Angeron to Maria D. Boudreaux, $1,000.

BLANCHARD LANE 113: Joseph Angeron to Maria D. Boudreaux, $2,000.

GRETNA

BANNERWOOD DRIVE 685: Thuan H. Nguyen to Cong D. Pham,

LLCtoBrianT.Fornea and Alison D. Fornea Joint revocable trust, $500,000.

GRANDE HILLSESTATES,LOT 42, SQUARE 2: Roland J. Chabertto James G. Hooton andJean B. Lehmann Hooton, $325,000.

HILLCREST COUNTRY CLUB SUBDIVISION, LOTS 14, 15, SQUARE 17: Walter L. Allen III, SandraAllen Williams andGregory F. Allen to Judith C. Allen, donation, no

-GREATVALUES

$147,738.

BEHRMAN HWY 744-746: Ho N. Thi to Quan A.N. Trinh, donation, no value stated.

CREAGAN AVE. 52: Nancy S. Clements to Thi K.L. Hanh, $112,000.

FAIRFIELD DRIVE 2732: Victor Dinh to Elegant Houses LLC, $145,000.

HUEY P. LONG AVE. 2101: Residential Credit Opportunities Trust VIII C. to Barbara W. Scott, $160,000.

NINTH ST.432: Daphne A. Dayto New Orleans Property Ventures Inc., $150,000.

SOUTHWOOD DRIVE 132: Katherine P. MotlowtoSenedraT.Byrd, $355,000.

TAYLORBROOK DRIVE 661: MayraL.Martinez to UrraFeltus, $229,900.

HARVEY

BRECKENRIDGEDRIVE 2212: Lakeview Loan Servicing LLCto Secretary of Veterans Affairs, $145,000.

FLORENCE ST.2407: Ellis Properties LLCtoDeephavenMortgage LLC, $147,200.

FOSAVE. 620: Nancy Territo to

value stated.

IRON STREET,LOT 25: DebraAnn Doskey DeGailler to Demontez T. Bedford, $8,500.

SNEAD DRIVE 26378: Dupont Quality Homes LLCtoMichael Wood and Miranda Wood, $363,200.

ST.MARYST. 71334: Succession of Dewey Carpenter Jr. andPatricia Ann K. Carpenter to Lynnette Soules, $250,000.

Peter R. Territo Jr., $170,000.

MAPLEWOOD DRIVE 1513: Nguyet

T.T. Do to Minh Do, donation, no value stated.

POSTDRIVE 3924: Rosa M.O.M. Ford to Elegant Houses LLC, $135,000.

REDWOOD DRIVE 1600: LeeHoto Nancy H. Nguyen, donation, no value stated.

S. VILLAGE GREEN ST.2120: Hong M. Dinh to Akintokunbo O. Akinbode, $349,000.

S. WOODBINE ST.4029: Xavier GarzatoJoicin Desanges, $255,000.

SUE KERDRIVE 3728: Christopher J. Mercadal to KimA.T.D. Tran, $89,000.

MARRERO

BURGESS DRIVE 941: Frank A. Folino Jr.toCao XB.Nguyen, $365,000.

CRESTWAY ROAD 2605: MariaI Villanueva to WendyY.R. Rodriguez, $209,500.

DIERDORFFST. 2101: T.B. Macias to IvaG.Payne, $314,000.

ERIN DRIVE 2769: TammyLandry to BlaiseLandry,donation, no value stated.

COVINGTON

ARLEEN NORMAND DRIVE 15236: MichaelF.Barrios and Dana L. Barrios to Salt &Light Property Solutions LLC, $201,000.

CATALPATRACE 12: JaySepehri and Hannah Zeinali to Joseph Carmouche and Emily Carmouche, $480,000.

COVINGTONPOINT DRIVE 532:

beneathastatelycypresstree, newlyrenovatedcamelbackshines. 2,500sfofN.O.charm&modern luxury-orighdwdflrs,stunningnew primsuite&spa-inspiredbath+2 breezyporches.Secureoff-stprkg, &fullsecurity.1blkfromOakSt.

KISMET ST.2504: BOrtegoto Irayel R. Bell, $460,000.

MIMOSAST. 1505: Odeh Trucking LLCtoCinthia Y. Chacon, $273,000.

ROBINSON AVE. 505: Fifth District Savings BanktoNathan Holdings LLC, $52,000.

SIXTH AVE. 6105: Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust2023 A. to United Brothers Properties Developers, $35,000.

TERRYTOWN

FORDHAM PLACE 1914: ChristioherBurk to Logan Lassalle, $250,000.

WAGGAMAN

SUGAR MAPLE LANE9555: Willie J. SpikesJr. to Antoinette Mosley, $389,000.

WESTWEGO

AVE. D536: Zo EnterpriseLLC to Marilyn Brooks,$170,000.

BARBE DRIVE 1165: CarmenC.Bagesse to CodyRidenour, $290,000.

VICTORY DRIVE 604: Angela T. Guarino to Kody Guarino, donation, no value stated.

Steven M. Rodriguezand Shanee T. RodrigueztoJamin K. Rothschild, $355,000.

DIVISION OF NEW COVINGTON SUBDIVISION,LOT 1, SQUARE 1405: JoyL.Huhn Hobart to Mark C. Graysonand Johnell S. Grayson, $200,000.

EGRET ST.130: Trevor N. Trahan and CameronE.Trahan to Shannon B. Balikowsky,$279,000.

EPSILON AVE. 74520: LanaM. Sousa to Angelo Warfield and Margaret D. Warfield,$215,000. ESTELLE COURT 3065: DSLD HomesLLC to Matthew L. Molero, $297,870.

GRASSY LANE15576: William Adams and Ashley Adams to Kyle R. Jaski and Morgan R. Smith Jaski, $315,000.

HICKORY DRIVE 1: Matthew D. Lutenbacher and Cynthia F. Lutenbacher to Catherine G. Narretto,$260,000.

INSPIRATION LANE410: Adam T. Estopinal to JoyLynn H. Hobart, $232,500.

KEATING ROAD 79279: Peyton C. ToomertoCourtneyA.Toomer, donation, no value stated. LA. 36 20355: Sam &Iris Ethridge Investments LLCtoRand D Investments LLC, $325,000.

REALESTATETRANSFERS

TAMMANY

LAKE RAMSEY SUBDIVISION, PHASE 4A, LOT 142: First Horizon Inc. to DSLD Homes LLC, $77,000.

LAURELWOOD DRIVE 10: Heidi K. Hages and John S. Hages to Joshua C. Hastings and Christina L. Hastings, $350,000.

MOUNT HOPE COURT 541: Highland Homes Inc. to Jeno Bosco and Stacey G. Bosco, $127,500.

NEAR COVINGTON, LOT 26: St. Tammany Parish to Dark Roux Properties LLC, $6,416.

NEAR COVINGTON, PORTION OF GROUND: RSL Living Covington LLC to 1444 Andrew Drive Propco LLC, $100, all cash and other valuable consideration.

B. Howell to Judith B. Dupre, $827,000.

FOLSOM

DENISE ST. 202: Alan J. Arcana and Cherie M. Arcana to Blake D. Sellers and Meghan A. Sellers, $350,000.

LA. 1078 15059: Village View LLC to Miles Pond, $250,000.

MERRYWOOD ESTATES, LOT 1, SQUARE 2: Rachelle J. Moore to HMM Development LLC, $39,000.

LACOMBE

BRIER LAKE SUBDIVISION, LOT 8, SQUARE 2: Peggy May Goertz to Eric D. Scott Jr. and Valarie M. Scott, $45,000.

thew Gillen Beyer and Elaine B. Beyer, $114,900.

CESSON COURT 10049: Steven J. Haas Jr. and Melinda F. Haas to Scott M. Beard and Jessica H. Beard, $315,000.

CYPRESS BEND LANE 2005: John J. Robichaux and Ashley N. Ditta Robichaux to Steven Powell and Jasmin J. Arias Powell, $432,000.

NEAR MADISONVILLE, LOT 17: Aragorn Development Corp. to Northshore Disposal Service Co., $80,000.

NIGHT HERON LANE 662: Alvarez Construction Co. LLC to Dorinda Rooney and Roland M. Rooney, $577,990.

Meredith P. Budgeon to Jeffrey S. Lemoine and Sarah B. Lemoine, $715,000.

CAROLINE ST. 1720: Heath J. Bushaw to John Garrett and Rebecca S. Cole, $275,000.

CARROLL ST. 142, MARIGNY AVE. 203: Sinclair Design Group LLC to Scott G. Discon, $389,000.

CEDARWOOD DRIVE 402, UNIT 402: Randall E. Brown and Cecil E. Barthels to Andi Gautreaux, $131,000.

DUNLEITH LANE 125: Steven C. Whitehurst and Lisa Ducote Whitehurst to Steven Whitehurst and Lisa Whitehurst family revocable trust, donation, no value stated.

Ronni Wells, $420,000. FONTAINEBLEAU SUBDIVISION, PHASE 2C, LOT 145: Deborah B. Willis to John C. Burns and Cassidy S. Burns, $625,000.

JACKSON ST. 2025: Angelo A. Catania Jr. to Kevin Molano and Erica E. Molano, $250,000.

JASMINE DRIVE 315: Ashley E. Kott to Barry C. Ellis, donation, no value stated.

JASMINE DRIVE 345: Jeffrey S. Lemoine and Sarah B. Lemoine to Steven M. Rodriguez and Shanee T. Rodriguez, $539,000.

ROBIN HOOD DRIVE 233: Eileen Stock Breslin and succession of Allan C. Breslin to Christopher E Freret and Wendy C. Sabathier, $463,000.

ROBINDALE SUBDIVISION, PHASE 2, LOT 12, SQUARE 9: John B. Christie and Judith C. Susut Christie to Matthew W. Pecquet and Cynthia M. Pecquet, $405,000.

ROSE ST. 72514: ARJ Services LLC to Amari M. Williams, $170,000.

S. CHRISTIE LANE 2024: Summer A. Singley to 2024 Christie Lane LLC, $245,000.

S. CORNICHE DU LAC 981: Victor Goines to Cara Pearson, donation, no value stated.

S. LAKESHORE DRIVE 14272: Succession of Camille B. Steers to Frederick Bentel, $465,000.

S. MADISON ST. 909: Harrison Custom Homes LLC to Rafael A. Bermudez and Terri C. Bermudez, $2,100,000.

SILVERTHORNE LANE 614: Matthew J. Wandstrat and Jan R. Wandstrat to Clifton Atwood and Caroline Atwood, $649,500.

SPOONBILL DRIVE 12812: DSLD Homes LLC to William J. Noonan III and Karen L. Noonan, $354,372.

SPOONBILL DRIVE 12817: DSLD Homes LLC to STL Property Investments LLC, $346,800.

TCHEFUNCTE DRIVE 198: James G. Miller and Kathy Tisdale to Myia R. Minter, $200,000.

TURNWOOD DRIVE 420: Kenneth S. Lecompte and Laurie D. Lecompte to James K. May, $395,000.

W. 25TH AVE. 603: Wheatfield Properties LLC to Sharon A. Toups Living Trust, $192,000.

WARRIOR TRACE 184: Christopher J. Howell and Nicole

FISH HATCHERY ROAD 61531: Herman Hirschey III and Amanda M. Hirschey to Samuel N. Montgomery and Elizabeth P. Montgomery, $292,000.

OAKVIEW DRIVE 103: Succession of Linda C. Baroni, Marc T. Baroni, Christopher David Baroni, Jeffrey M. Baroni and Jennifer Judith Baroni to Corey J. DeGruy and Amber D. DeGruy, $350,000.

EMERSON LANE 503: Jesse D. Nantz and Jessica L. Nantz to Nicole Freeborn, $470,000.

FAIRFIELD DRIVE 1365: GMA Properties LLC to Justin Wells and

JASMINE ST. 1511: Todd A. Porche and Emma H. Porche to Haley Caruso, $249,900. LA. 22 5410: Pamela B. Bourgeois to Connor E. Comenge, $148,000. LA. 22 5410, UNIT C: Connor E.

Continued from page 20 ä See TAMMANY, page 22

SAP BERRY DRIVE 213: Stephen A. Sierra and Michelle E. Sierra

$8,087,000.

Continued from page 21

Comenge to Aimee Planche and Thomas J. Babich, $151,000.

LIVE OAK ST. 218: Carl A. Turnley and Katherine R. Turnley to Michael F. Serio and Heather T. Serio, $599,000.

NEAR MANDEVILLE, PORTION OF GROUND: ChillCo Inc. to St. Tammany Parish, no value stated.

NEAR MANDEVILLE, PORTION OF GROUND: Abiquiu Holdings LLC to Alamosa Holdings LLC, $10 and other good and valuable consideration.

NORTH CORPORATE VILLAGE SUBDIVISION, LOTS 1A-1-1: Mandeville Retail Center LLC and Mandeville Retail Center Investors LLC to Cedar Ridge LLC,

REALESTATETRANSFERS

PALMETTO COURT 97: Victor F. Pisani and Barbara J. Pisani to Pisani Family Trust, donation, no value stated.

S. COURT VILLA DRIVE 22: Joel M. Daste Trust to William R. Jacobs Jr. and Davina R. Jacobs, $355,000.

S. RICHLAND DRIVE 133: Thomas R. Malizia and Alexa O. Malizia to Cody Tetrick and Sarah Smith, $530,000.

STATE ST. 70367: Jessica H. Beard and Scott M. Beawrd to Kylen D Sanders and Selena A. Plaisance, $266,000.

TANGLEWOOD II SUBDIVISION, LOT 42: Tanglewood II Inc. to Tamprop Investments Inc., $2,500.

TOWN OF MANDEVILLE, LOT 1, SQUARE 8: Scott G. Discon to Charles S. Williams, donation, no value stated.

WESTWOOD DRIVE 235: Christine

T. Schellang to Jacob Olivares and Amanda Olivares, $425,000. WILKINSON ST. 141: Chantal S. Wilson and Alonzo P. Wilson II to Jennifer Dee Wood, $1,115,000.

PEARL RIVER

FOREST RIDGE LOOP 1049: Lionel R. Martin and Cheryl L. Martin to Michael Edmonston, $338,000.

LA. 36 36491: Michael A. Huggins to Gary J. DiMarco and Shannon DiMarco Dupuy, $28,000.

NEAR PEARL RIVER, PORTION OF GROUND: Anthony J. Behrens to Jay Behrens and Dina Behrens revocable living trust, donation, no value stated.

OAK RANCH ESTATES, PHASE 1, LOT 5: Donna Jean N. Dagorret, Michael J. Dagorret and Penny J. Isgar to Alexander Lewis, $30,000.

OAKS BLVD. 39117: DSLD Homes LLC to Kory Kingston and Caitlin Burton, $343,883.

TAYLOR FARMS ROAD 64286: DSLD Homes LLC to Siara Hanna Feeney and Jason Feeney, $330,790.

SLIDELL

ALICIA COURT 2005: Harry J. Girten and Linda R. Bird Girten to Anthony Penton and Katelyn Anderson, $287,500.

BAYOU OAKS SUBDIVISION, LOTS 1, 2, SQUARE 9: St. Tammany Parish to Darl Roux Properties LLC, $6,416.

BRUGIER SUBDIVISION, LOT 13, SQUARE 31: Renee Lemoine Darby to Darren M. Darby, donation, no value stated.

CARA MAE ST. 40543: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Yesenia S. Pierce, $239,900.

CARA MAE ST. 40551: D.R. Horton

Inc.-Gulf Coast to Precious D. Barnes, $254,900.

CHESS DRIVE 209: Sell Northshore LLC to Northshore Family Homes LLC, $90,000.

CHESS DRIVE 209: Althea J. Goodall Gallimore to Sell Northshore LLC, $67,000.

CROSS GATES BLVD. 387: Misty Simons to Revolution Rentals LLC, $202,000.

CYPRESS DRIVE, LOT 1, 2: William Tharpe and Sandra Ann Douglas to Dunn’s Flooring Depot LLC, $19,000.

DILLON DRIVE 140: Wade E. Lawrence and Christina I. Lawrence to Cartus Financial Corp., $304,000.

DILLON DRIVE 140: Cartus Financial Corp. to Roy L. Telfer and Jennifer M. Telfer, $304,000.

DOCKSIDE DRIVE 641: Macaluso Properties LLC to Ryan Holliday and Jennifer Holliday, $163,000.

HERWIG BLUFF ROAD 127: Tinesha M. Mahoney to LK2Z Legacy Solutions LLC and ABCD Holding Properties LLC, $105,000.

HOLLOW ROCK COURT 205: Ronny Franke and Kourtney R. Lewis Franke to Desmond Bowers, $185,500.

KINGS ROW DRIVE 1411: Labruzzo Enterprises LLC to Christian D. Smith, $180,000.

KINGS ROW DRIVE 1837: M&T Bank to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, $207,400.

LINDBERGH GLEN ANNEX NO. 2 SUBDIVISION, LOTS 19, 20, SQUARE 6: Succession of Donnis F. Brooks to Jennifer A. Mortz and John R. Mortz, $222,500.

LOPEZ ST. 37628: Anthony M. Penton and Katelyn N. Anderson Penton to Darrick Hummel and Jeannette S. Hummel, $156,000.

MARAIS RIVER DRIVE 4604: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Nichelle Robertson, $237,900.

MELODY LANE 35479: Succession of Judy C. Campo to C& W Ventures LLC, $155,000.

NEAR SLIDELL, LOTS 5-8, SQUARE B: St. Tammany Parish to Dark Roux Properties LLC, $6,891.

NEAR SLIDELL, PORTION OF GROUND: GDW Trust to Michael Ponthieux, $160,000.

NEAR SLIDELL, PORTION OF GROUND: Beau Properties LLC to Kastner Enterprises LLC, $400,000.

NEAR SLIDELL, PORTION OF GROUND: Frank A. Romeu Jr. and Philip Romeu to Cre Land Development LLC, $105,000.

NEAR SLIDELL, PORTION OF GROUND: St. Tammany Parish to Dark Roux Properties LLC, $6,416.

NEAR SLIDELL, PORTION OF GROUND: Margaret A. Becnel Special Needs Trust, William C. Dewberry II, Jo Anne Dewberry Hattaway and others to City of Slidell, $39,828.

NICKLAUS DRIVE 334: Michael E. Emery III and Megan M. Provenzano to Jamar Smith and Laine Smith, $485,000.

OAK LANDING LANE 116: Taylor 3R LLC to Tasha Watson, Kaylor Hughes and Kianta Hughes, $271,125.

OAKWORTH ST. 5669: Lione A. Rayford Sr. and Jiarra R. Jackson Rayford to Abdulkarem Hadi, $400,000.

OLYMPIA DRIVE 201: Amerihome Mortgage Co. LLC to 1st Choice Commercial & Residential Environmental Services LLC, $157,500. RIDGECREST DRIVE 1537: Karen G. Vincent to Brandt P. Daniels, $239,500.

S. LAKESHORE VILLAGE DRIVE 132: Phillip W. Crawford and Keishanda G. Crawford to Terrol Humphrey and Ebony B. Humphrey, $100,000.

SOUTH ST. 148: Deanna M. Hooter and Yvonne C. Haymes to Richard M. Fuentes, donation, no value stated.

TIDE WIND DRIVE 3307: D.R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Nakita K. Hampton, $284,900.

WINDSOR PLACE SUBDIVISION, LOT 5: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to Juan Taylor, $10.

LA. 41 81646: Michael J. Swafford to Larry S. Bracey, $5,000. NEAR SUN, PORTION OF GROUND: Succession of Eric J. Quave to Calvin D. Mims, $92,000.

Husband’sbad breath an obstacle to closeness

Dear Annie: Ihave beenmarried to my husband for over 50 years.While we are physically unable to have sexual relations due to several health factors, I’m not missing it. Why?

Because he has terrible hygiene practices and the biggest is not brushing his teeth enough. He has horrible halitosis now

Ican barely manage to travel short distances in the carwith him. He likes to listen to music, butinthe car,hewhistlestoit.

He’salways unaware that when he does this, Iput my hand over mynoseand mouth, and direct the AC vents up toward him to help blow it away.He angerseasily andgetsinsulted whenIsuggest he brush more anduse mouthwash. Iknow if he triedtobemore diligent regarding his breath, Iwould want to have some cuddle-up time.

He readsthe newspaper cover to cover,soI’m hoping he willrecognize himself and make someadjustments—not just for me, but forus. —Wishing ICould Talk to Him

Dear Wishing: After 50 years of marriage,there shouldn’tbe

anything you can’tsay to your spouse.Instead of confronting him in an accusatory way, make sure to come from a place of kindness and concern. Let your husband know that you care about him and want to make sure,mostimportantly, thathe’staking careofhimself. It’s not the easiestconversation to have but assure him that he shouldn’tbeembarrassed. At the end of the day,you simply have his best interest at heart.

Dear Annie: What is the proper etiquettefor paying thebill at restaurants while dining out within-laws?

My daughter is marriedto awonderful man who is from

TODAYINHISTORY

alarge family.Hehas three brothers who are all married withseveral childreneach. My daughter is our only one. There are times when Iattend dinners with this wonderful family,but I’m notsure whatto do when the bill comes. There are15ofthem and only one of me (but five of them are mine, too, being my daughterand her family).

Ihave offered to help out withthe bill several times, but theyhave takencare of it before Ican get my walletout. What should Idonext timeI am invited to their family dinners? Idon’twant to be thought of as taking advantage of their

generosity. —Not aCheapskate DearNot aCheapskate: I’m confident your in-laws don’tthink anything of the sort. Likely, they’ve taken it upon themselves to reach for the bill because they realize how many more of them there are than you. Before the next family meal, take one of your son-inlaw’sparents aside to express your gratitude and see how you can contribute for your portion before the check comes. I’m sure they will appreciate your mindfulness.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators. com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday,Aug. 1, the 213th day of 2026. There are 152 days left in theyear Todayinhistory:

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 inthe Union, less than amonth after the U.S. Centennial (earning it the nickname “the Centennial State”).

In 1907, aweeklong boys’ camping event began on Brownsea Island in southern England, organizedbyRobert Baden-Powell; the event is now marked as the beginningofthe Scout Movement.

In 1936, Adolf Hitlerpresided over the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Berlin.

In 1944, an uprising broke out in Warsaw,Poland,against Nazioccupation; the revolt lasted two months before collapsing.

Ravi Shankar,a sitarist and a well-known exponent of Indian classical music,performed withBeatle George Harrison’s Concertfor Bangladesh benefit Aug. 1, 1971, in Newyork.

In 1957, the United States and Canada announced they had agreed to create theNorth American Air DefenseCommand.

In 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman,25, wentonan armed rampageatthe University of TexasinAustin that killed 14 people,most of whom were shot by Whitman while he wasperched in the clock tower of the main campus building.

In 1971, The Concert for Bangladesh,anall-star benefit organized byGeorge Harrison, of The Beatles, and sitar player RaviShankar,was held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In 2001, Pro Bowl tackle Korey Stringer,27, died of heatstroke, aday after collapsing at the Minnesota Vikings’ training camp on the hottest day of the year

In 2004, theYcuá Bolaños supermarket fire in Asuncion, Paraguay,killed morethan 400 people.

In 2007, theeight-lane Interstate35W bridge, amajor Minneapolis artery,collapsed into theMississippi River during theevening rush hour,killing 13 people.

In 2008, 11 international climbers were killed on the world’ssecond-tallest mountain,K2, after an ice avalanche swept away someand 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 tallestpeak, Mount Everest. In 2014, amedical examiner ruled that aNew York Citypolice officer’schokehold caused thedeath of Eric Garner, whose videotaped arrest and final pleas of “I can’tbreathe!” had sparked outrage. Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who restrained Garner,was fired in 2019 but never charged with a crime.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Giancar-

lo 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.

OPEN HOUSE

Annie Lane

DEAR ANNIE

FILEPHOTO