BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL, ALEX LUBBEN and ADAM DAIGLE Staff writers
Louisiana is in the final stages of adealtobring Elon Musk’s SpaceX to coastal Vermilion Parish,where theaerospace giantisplanning to build anew spaceportthat will
launchrocketsintoorbit from an 18-mile stretch of marshland about 45 miles southwest of Lafayette.
Theprospective deal, which has beenrumoredfor months, would forever transform the remote area by bringing potentially thousands of jobsand amassiveinflux of aerospace and othercommercial
activity to the remote coastal community.
Thesite for the plannedfacility, known as Pecan Island, is at the center of acomplexsettlement agreement resolving dozens of coastal lawsuits that blameExxonMobilfor pollution andland loss.
According to asource with first-
hand knowledge of the agreement whowas not at liberty to speak publicly,the settlement will involve SpaceX receiving control of theland, some 130,000 acres in all, whether through asale, long-term lease or other type of arrangement.
Thedeal, whichisexpected to be announced this month by Gov. JeffLandry,will be the latest economic development coup for an administration that has attracted dealsofunprecedented size and scaletothe state,including one of the world’slargest AI data centers, some of itslargest LNG export terminals and amajor new steel mill.
BY ALYSEPFEIL andJON BLAU Staff writers
LSU will convene its biggestsports donors this weekintwo closed-door meetings at the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion to discuss “thefutureofLSU athletics” and propose an “alternative revenue-generating opportunity”that university leaders say could “change the future of college sportsinAmerica.”
What exactly that means isn’tclear because officials say their plan will be made public aftergetting feedback from donors.
What themeeting portendsfor LSU and major college athletics,however is better understood.
Division Ischoolshave faced “absolute financial pressure”ever since arecent NCAA legal settlementallowed them to pay upwardof$20.5 million to student-athleteseach year, said Kathryn Kisska-Schulze,asports tax scholar and professor ofbusiness and law at Clemson University.
“Major athletic departments have
become so financially stressed that they are actively searching for revenue models that did not exist in college sports even just acouple of years ago,” she said.
Arange of solutions is being implemented.The University of Kentucky moved to privatize itsathletic department in 2025 to break free of the revenue-generating strictures of public institutions. The UniversityofUtah opted for aprivate equity deal toinject morecash into its athletic programs.
LSU, which is under tremendous financialpressure, is also looking fora fix.
It’s rumored thatLSU’s2026 football roster, constructed by first-year coach Lane Kiffin, costs morethan $40 million in combined revenue-sharing and third-party deals, including adozen athletes who are being repped by Nike.
The university is alsoonthe hook for apile of payouts dedicated to fired coaches,including $54 million due to ex-football coach Brian Kelly
Bridge toll companies faced lawsuits, concerns
‘We’re learning from their mistakes,’ Lake Charles lawmaker says
BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN and MEGAN WYATT Staff writers
The companiesresponsible fortolling once construction finishes on the new Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridgehave been mired in controversy over problems with their tolling infrastructure on another southLouisiana bridge,leadingtolawsuits andquestions frompublic officialsabout the state’scontinued partnership with them Public infrastructure companyPlenary and tollingoperator Kapsch’swork on the Belle Chasse Bridge in Plaquemines Parish prompted widespread complaints from residents after it opened last year,who said the tolling system frequently malfunctioned and led to locals receiving fee bills as high as $7,000. Under pressure,state officials suspended tolling last October on theBelle Chasse Bridge while thestate and companiesfaced lawsuits from Plaquemines Parish and agroup of residents. In themeantime, Louisianahas moved forward with the same two companies as theleaddeveloperand tolling operator for the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles, which broke ground in April and is expected to finish construction in 2031. The Lake Charles bridge’s tollwould be the only required one on I-10 spanning the nation’seast to westcoasts. Lake Charles bridge project officials have defended their decision to partner with Plenary Americas andKapsch for the $2.3 billion project despite the companies’ track record in Belle Chasse. The state finalized its agreement forthe companies to operate tolling on the LakeCharles bridge in August 2024, before tolling began on the Belle Chasse project.
TOP: STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON, STAFF ILLUSTRATION
Multiple people dead in Idaho fast food shooting
BOISE, Idaho A shooting at an
In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon left multiple people dead and others injured, police said.
The shooter was among the dead, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said in a news conference Police were still trying to determine the shooter’s identity and motive.
“We believe the threat to the community is over,” Hicks said He added that he did not yet know exactly how many were killed or wounded, and officials were still in the process of notifying next of kin. “It was a very chaotic scene.”
Before the news conference, Twin Falls County Commissioner Brent Reinke said Sheriff Jack Johnson had told him five people were hurt.
Lane Koehn, 34, said he was at a stoplight near the In-N-Out when he saw a person with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru. A man with a pistol started firing at the shooter.
He then saw someone in an InN-Out uniform drag a person, also uniformed, bleeding from a gunshot wound in her chest across the parking lot. The employee, Koehn and the man with the pistol stayed until paramedics arrived for her
“She was pretty bad off, but I don’t know I hope she made it,” Koehn said.
Koehn said he was told by police to evacuate because the shooting was still active.
He also said the shooter fired at least three or four rounds and it was not clear whether or not anyone in particular was targeted.
The shooting took place near a busy shopping area and hundreds of people were there at the time, Hicks said. Police where interviewing witnesses and asked for anyone with information to contact authorities.
10 confirmed dead in Pakistan avalanche
ISLAMABAD Renowned BritishNepali climber Nirmal Purja and nine other climbers swept away by an avalanche in Pakistan are confirmed to have died, and search teams are trying to recover their bodies, Purja’s expedition company said Saturday
“The world has lost one of mountaineering’s greatest climbers,” the company, Elite Exped, said in a statement. It stressed that it mourned all the lives lost, adding: “No words can ease the pain of this unimaginable loss.”
The 10-member expedition was swept away by an avalanche Thursday on Pakistan’s Broad Peak.
Rescuers found four bodies and recovered three of them Friday in harsh weather that hampered flights by search and rescue helicopters. Rescuers backed by military helicopters had resumed a search earlier on Saturday for the others.
Earlier Saturday, a local police official, Tahir Khan, said the remains of Omani climber Nathira Ahmed were being flown to the capital, Islamabad, while the bodies of American climber Mallory Geis and Nepalese climber Bahadur Gurung remained at a hospital in Skardu, the main city in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Moscow officials: 3 killed, 21 injured in bombing
An improvised explosive device detonated at a restaurant Saturday in central Moscow killing at least three people, including the bomber, Russian state media said, citing local officials.
At least 21 people were also injured when the IED detonated at the restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said, quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
An unidentified woman who attempted to carry the explosive device into the restaurant died in the blast as did a security guard and a patron, the news agency said.
Ria Novosti reported the woman attempted to smuggle the IED into the establishment but the security guard refused to let her in before the bomb exploded.
The attack was still being investigated the Moscow Investigative Committee told the news agency
on Saturday.
Trump: Outlines of deal reached to end war
President says he will hold off on new strikes on Iran
BY SAMY MAGDY and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump in a Saturday
evening social media post claimed that Mideast allies have reached the parameters of a deal to end the Iran war and said that he would hold off on ordering new strikes in the five-month old conflict for now
Trump added that the emerging deal “would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”
“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” Trump said.
He added that Israel has agreed to join the U.S in the commitment to try to complete the agreement with Iran that would bring about an end to the war
Earlier Saturday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader, in a phone call with Trump raised concerns about the U.S. potentially escalating the conflict with Iran, according to a person familiar with the leaders’ discussion.
The discussion, which was first reported on by the news outlet Axios, came as Trump weighed whether to carry out new strikes on Iran.
The Saudis, according to the person briefed on the substance of the call but not authorized to comment publicly, are concerned that if the U.S. targets Iran’s energy infrastructure or carries out massive strikes on other key infrastructure that Tehran could respond by carrying out attacks on the kingdom’s and other Gulf countries’ energy infrastructure.
The crown prince during Saturday’s call sought clarity from Trump on what potential new action he’s weighing to take against Iran, the person said.
A White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity, confirmed the leaders spoke on Saturday but did not offer
any detail about the substance of their conversation.
Saudi Arabia earlier this week joined the U.S. in striking multiple logistics and weapons sites used by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, but has been urging the U.S. and Iran to get back to the negotiating table to find an endgame to the five-month old conflict.
On Saturday, the U.S. State Department issued new security alerts for Americans in 10 countries in the region to exercise heightened caution due to the escalating tensions with Iran.
New attacks on Kuwait and on shipping
Kuwait’s military said Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks which were part of Iran’s assaults on the country
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, spokesperson for Kuwait’s Defense Ministry, said the drones hit “a number of vital facilities,” including a government structure in the country’s north. He said there were no casualties.
The British Navy said Saturday that a tanker was struck and a separate explosion hit close to a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. No casualties were reported in either incident, it said.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said an unknown projectile hit the vessel on Friday 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman. The attack damaged the vessel’s engine room.
The group said that on Saturday a large splash and an explosion were reported close to another tanker while it was sailing 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab city.
Separately, crude oil appeared to be leaking and spreading in recent days from a sanctioned tanker grounded off the coast of Oman, close to a marine protected area, satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorization as part of its ongoing conflict with the U.S.
Lawsuit claims agency has halted class complaints
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused of suspending federal claims
BY ALEXANDRA OLSON Associated Press
NEW YORK A labor union and two female prison employees filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing a U.S civil rights agency of unlawfully halting their sexual harassment case as part of wider order to indefinitely suspend proceedings in all federal-sector class claims.
The lawsuit claims that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ordered an indefinite suspension of federal-sector class complaints pending before the agency’s administrative judges, who handle discrimination complaints from federal workers in a process that is different than for private sector workers.
The two women, who are correctional officers at a Louisiana federal prison, have a pending certified class complaint against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, claiming that prison management failed to prevent and correct widespread sexual harassment by inmates against female workers, including rape threats, unwanted touching and nudity The women, Deanna Chelette and Alexzandria Boyd, were joined in their lawsuit by the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers.
It is not clear why the EEOC gave the suspension directive, which the agency had not publicly disclosed, or how many other cases are affected. The EEOC referred all questions to the Department of Justice, which declined to comment Under President Donald Trump, the
EEOC has drastically overhauled its civil rights enforcement priorities, including prioritizing cases aimed at stamping out diversity and inclusion policies, dropping cases on behalf of transgender workers and abandoning longstanding tools for investigating systemic discrimination.
The changes have prompted several lawsuits against EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who says she is pursuing an “even-handed” and “colorblind” vision of workplace civil rights.
But it’s not apparent how the order to suspend federal-sector class claims fits into the EEOC’s new priorities. In the court filing, attorneys for the plaintiffs said the EEOC had provided “no reasoned explanation for a blanket policy that halts an entire category of discrimination cases.” The lawsuit seeks to have the suspension directive vacated.
“Without an explanation, it’s hard to infer what the EEOC’s intentions behind this were, but it’s hard to ignore that this is part of a broader campaign at the EEOC to undermine the ability of employees to protect rights that Congress has provided to them under the civil rights laws,” said Joseph Sellers, co-chair of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll’s civil rights and employment practice and one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs.
The pending class complaint claimed that management at Louisiana’s Federal Correctional Complex at Pollock failed to stop inmates from subjecting female workers to sexual harassment. The complaint included declarations from eight other women who also described the harassment and management’s response, and estimated that the class complaint would include least 182 women. The Federal Bureau of Prisons did not respond to requests for comment.
Michigan Supreme Court rejects pipeline permit
Planned tunnel would run under Great Lakes
BY JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press
The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered state regulators to reconsider a key permit that allowed a planned tunnel to carry an oil pipeline under part of the Great Lakes to move forward.
The 6-1 decision further clouds the future of the 73-yearold pipeline owned by Canadian energy transportation company Enbridge that carries petroleum from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.
The part of the pipeline in question, called Line 5, runs for 4 miles along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet.
Enbridge wants to bury the pipeline in a tunnel under the straits. Environmentalists and Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer want to move the pipeline away from the waterway altogether saying a spill would be catastrophic to the Great Lakes and surrounding area.
The Michigan Public Service Commission granted a permit to build the tunnel in 2023. Four Michigan tribal nations along with several environmental groups sued.
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Friday that when they granted the permit, regulators failed to consider if the tunnel project will extend the lifetime of the pipeline, resulting in more harm to the environment.
The ruling also said the Public Service Commission wasn’t consistent when it compared alternatives to the pipeline like using trucks or trains to move the oil and didn’t assess how the tunnel might impact fishing, boating and other public trust rights on the Great Lakes.
Opponents of the pipeline say this type of project has never been done anywhere else and would turn the Straits of Mackinac, which is a sacred site for the Indigenous Anishinaabe tribes, into a construction site for years.
theadvocate.com/eedition
theadvocate.newsbank.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA
A Palestinian woman inspects the scene of an Israeli airstrike near al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip
Europe’s wildfire crisis eases in west as danger shifts to Greece
Firefighters contain blaze in southwestern France, Portugal
BY THOMAS ADAMSON and NICOLAS GARRIGA Associated Press
LE PORGE,France Europe’s wildfire emergency eased across much of western Europe on Saturday, but its most dangerous front shifted to Greece, where gale-force winds drove flames through a seaside resort, forced hundreds to flee by sea and hampered firefighting aircraft.
For Greece, the danger carried grim resonance: a 2018 wildfire at the seaside community of Mati, near Athens, killed 104 people, making it Europe’s deadliest wildfire this century
In southwestern France, firefighters held a vast wildfire within its perimeter, with about 198,000 people now allowed home after what may have been the country’s largest peacetime evacuation
Major fires in Spain were also no longer advancing, and Portugal’s main blaze was under control
A second French fire stopped expanding overnight after racing across 4 square miles in six hours Friday — “faster than a horse at full gallop,” according to the prefecture But it remained active Saturday and 2,500 people were still unable to return home.
The gains in western Europe marked a sharp turn from the height of the crisis, when fires in France and Spain alone drove a third of a million people from homes and vacation sites, emptied towns during the summer holiday season and stretched firefighters, aircraft and emergency services across simultaneous emergencies. Europe is Earth’s fastest-warming continent, heating at more than twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service. Rising temperatures and prolonged drought leave vegetation drier and more combustible, allowing fires to spread faster and burn more intensely
Winds drive Greek fires
Nearly 500 firefighters battled Saturday to protect Porto Germeno, a popular resort on the Gulf of Corinth, as flames tore through thick pine forest and smoke blocked out the sun.
The fire broke out Friday near the neighboring coastal village of Agios Vasileios About 300 people were evacuated by sea, and authorities issued further evacuation orders Saturday “A pristine forest, a paradise, was surrendered to the hands of the fire,” said Minas Tzortzanis a 60-year-old farmer and local resident. “There are no words to explain what has happened. Destruction. Total destruction.”
Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire
meteorologist at the National Observatory of Athens, estimated that 15 to 19 square miles had been affected. Authorities had not issued an official burned-area figure.
The operation also included specialized forest-fire teams, crews temporarily deployed from France and Romania, 19 water-dropping planes and 11 helicopters.
New fires erupted elsewhere in Greece. A blaze east of Nafpaktos prompted evacuation alerts for at least four villages.
“The very strong to gale-force
winds continue to create exceptionally difficult conditions,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas said.
Extreme turbulence was preventing some aircraft from collecting water or approaching the fires closely enough to make drops, he said.
Evacuation orders remain
The Gironde fire has burned 162 square miles of pine forest west of Bordeaux, an area four times the size of Paris.
It remained contained within its perimeter Saturday but had not been declared “fixed” — the point at which crews determine that a fire is no longer advancing. Active sectors and buried hot spots persisted.
Authorities reopened more communities Friday, but several remained largely deserted Saturday Much of the forested Cap Ferret peninsula stayed evacuated because a nearby hot spot could flare again, cut its limited road access and trap returning residents.
“Today, the fire is still not fixed. It is contained,” Lt. Col. Eric Pitault told reporters. Crews used tactical burns overnight. Along 149 miles of fire edge, heat could remain hidden underground and erupt again.
Trump blasts Pirro after pool filing
President maintains lining damaged by vandals
BY AAMER MADHANI and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Saturday sharply criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s assessment that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of shoddy construction and not the work of vandals as he claims Pirro’s office, in a court filing on Friday, moved to drop criminal charges against a former Olympian, David Hearn, who had been accused of deliberately damaging the pool after it underwent a renovation ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration last month.
Trump, in a posting on social media, acknowledged that there “may have been
some contractor difficulty” in the installation of a new pool liner But he continues to insist “the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”
“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” Trump added in his post.
The dismissal was an embarrassing setback for a Justice Department that had previously echoed Trump’s claims and billed the prosecution as accountability for damage at a Washington landmark, a pet project of Trump. Pirro’s decision to drop the case is also a rare moment during Trump’s second term of an aide or political appointee openly defying him.
The president, without providing any clear new evidence, continued to allege on Saturday that the majority of the damage to the pool was caused by vandals Government lawyers in their 20-page court filing on Friday said that additional
documents provided by the Interior Department since the indictment of Hearn show that the damage was the result of a botched installation by a contractor as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.”
In addition, a recent visual inspection revealed damage throughout the pool, including in the middle where prosecutors say a vandal would not likely have attempted to peel the lining.
Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, was accused of pulling up a two-foot square piece of the pool’s lining.
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” Pirro, a Trump appointee, said in her filing.
FBI investigates cyberattack reports on water systems
Michigan identifies nine attacks
BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press
Michigan on Saturday joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on nine of the state’s water systems but an official said all systems were operating “safely.”
Earlier this week, authorities said cyberattacks targeted over 30 water systems in Minnesota. The source of the attacks is being investigated, but they came amid warnings that Iranian hackers have been focused on such systems.
The reports in Michigan surfaced after the state received a federal cyber alert Tuesday about attempts to tamper with operational technology at water systems.
Soon after, the state received “a small number of reports from Michigan communities indicating activity consistent with what federal agencies described,” said Dale George, the director of communications at the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy He later said nine systems were impacted.
“All systems continued to operate safely, issues were addressed by local operators, and there are no known impacts that posed a public health concern,” George said in an statement.
The FBI, which is investigating, has not publicly identified a culprit and a spokesperson declined to say Thursday who the bureau thought might be responsible.
The FBI, 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.
“The FBI is aware of recent public reporting around Water and Wastewater (WWS) sectors,” the agency said in a statement
Saturday “The FBI and our interagency partners are fully engaged to protect critical infrastructure and we remain wellequipped to protect against cyber threats of all varieties.”
Digital warfare has become ingrained in military conflict, and local water plants or healthcare facilities often lack the funds and know-how to install the latest software patches or take other security steps. That has made them a favorite target, both because of the relative ease of penetrating them and because of the panic such disruptions can cause.
Iran’s interest in the operations of water systems inside the U.S. dates back years. In 2016, the Justice Department charged a group of Iranian hackers in connection with a cyberattack targeting a small dam near New York City Minnesota IT Services said that as of Thursday, there were no active requests from Minnesota communities for residents to modify usage of their drinking water The state agency said most of the confirmedattacksinvolvedtechnology that water systems use to remotely monitor and control equipment. It said that being impacted meant investigators confirmed there was malicious activity involving the system’s technology and didn’t mean every impacted community had their water service disrupted. For a few hours on Monday, the city of Braham asked residents to minimize water use as they tried to determine why the water plant was offline. The city of about 1,700 people, located about 70 miles north of Minneapolis, said in a news release that the water plant outage was due to a cyberattack, but it didn’t cause any issue with water quality The city said the attackers shut down the operating controls that shut down the well and water treatment plant. That left the city for a time only able to provide residents with the water held in the water tower
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MICHAEL VARAKLAS
Firefighters operate during a wildfire near Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens, Greece, on Saturday.
President’s threat injects uncertainty into AG talks
Settlement fund assertion puts vote plan in jeopardy
BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to push forward with a fund to compensate his allies if two Republican holdouts do not support his nominee for attorney general, injecting fresh uncertainty into a Senate confirmation vote planned for next week and underscoring once more his interest in securing payouts for supporters who feel unjustly persecuted.
Trump asserted in his Truth Social post that he would keep acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his current role and press ahead on the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” if Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina refuse to back the former federal prosecutor who was a key member of Trump’s defense team at a time when the Republican battled four indictments
The administration needs their votes, but both lawmakers have protested Blanche’s selection because of a lawsuit settlement that created a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided
Trump and family members with immunity from tax audits.
In a sign of apparent progress Friday, Trump pronounced the fund “dead.” As negotiations continued into the night, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley, rescheduled a committee vote for Blanche that had been postponed earlier in the week.
A spokesperson for the committee said Grassley, R-Iowa, would like to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess and that putting the Tuesday vote on the calendar “gives more time for the White House to secure the votes for the President’s nominee.”
But by Saturday morning, those plans were in jeopardy with a new announcement from Trump that appeared to put the fund back on the table — and dinged the two senators who are leaving Capitol Hill when their terms end in January
“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard” to restore the fund. The president in-
Trump stands to profit off U.S. policy announcements
President selling fast access to his social media posts
BY BERNARD CONDON and BRIAN SLODYSKO Associated Press
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump knows the world hangs on his every word. Now he wants you to pay for it.
The social media posts of the world’s most powerful man went on sale Saturday when his Truth Social business begins offering sneak peeks of them to Wall Street traders willing to pay up. The move raises the prospect of big profits for Trump’s company and big questions about insider trading and using public office for private gain.
Similar fast speed feeds are sold by other social media firms and media providers, but Truth Social doesn’t just distribute the news, it makes it regularly rattling markets as Trump posts policy changes on everything from war to central bank leadership to tariffs.
“If this was the CEO a public company, this would be jail time,” said Irene Aldridge, head of Able Alpha Trading, which doesn’t plan to buy the service. “We have a President of the United States who has the front seat to all the action, who makes all the decisions, and he’s disclosing this ahead of time to a select group.”
Critics not capitalist
Asked about the propriety of the new service and whether White House lawyers had vetted it, Trump’s press office declined to comment, referring questions to Truth Social’s publicly traded parent That company Trump Media & Technology, issued a statement blasting Democratic critics for mischaracterizing the service “out of ideological opposition to free markets or a failure to grasp the distinction between public and nonpublic information or quite possibly, both.”
A prolific poster, Trump has sent stocks, bonds and currencies soaring and plunging with his online musings and threats. That presents opportunities for so-called high frequency traders that specialized in buying and selling within milliseconds, exploiting tiny,
by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against.”
He added: “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal. Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.”
Blanche had said at a hearing two months ago that the anti-weaponization fund would not move forward after Republican senators revolted and held up an immigration funding bill.
fleeting difference in prices.
Profits aplenty
Just this month, Trump has threatened on Truth Social to slap higher tariffs on Canada, kill a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia and widen the Iran war With advanced knowledge, traders betting on a plunge in the Canadian dollar, a drop in nuclear energy stocks and a jump in oil futures could have raked in big profits.
“For the big guys, it’s going to be something they need,” said Joe Saluzzi, cofounder of Themis Trading, who estimates about 100 of high frequency firms might be willing to pay for the service. “It’s market-moving information.”
Dubbed Truth API, the service comes as these firms are spending more on feeds and servers that bypass slower internet connections with direct lines to news and data sources. The chance for profits is greater than ever thanks artificial intelligence’s ability to read posts and articles more accurately for market-making changes and Trump’s penchant for making news online.
Traders pounce
Traders profit when prices jump up and down, and with his taste for cliffhangers, threats and policy reversals America’s first reality-TV president provides plenty of potentially market-moving content.
The reversals are especially profitable, allowing traders to win both ways — jumping ahead of stocks moving up or down to a post threatening something then cashing out within thousands of a second, then betting the other way In addition to Trump, the service will include posts from other “high ranking” Truth Social contributors, including possibly his two oldest sons, Donald Jr and Eric, who along with the father are heavily followed by users.
Truth Social has said that the information will be released to the traders and the general public at the same time so there really isn’t an issue of fairness. But Themis Trading’s Saluzzi, a critic of high speed trading, says that’s a red herring because when the posts are received, not when they are released, is what matters.
sisted, as he previously has, that the fund “takes care of those who have been so badly treated” during the administrations of Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Tillis, who is retiring, took note of the president’s turnabout by saying in a post on X that despite Trump’s comments Friday, he “clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either
But Tillis and Cornyn, who lost reelection this year after Trump endorsed his primary opponent, said they want to ensure that the White House does not reverse course, especially as Trump continues to argue that a fund is needed.
The Department of Justice has provided the senators with language that says Blanche’s May 18 order establishing the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is “rescinded and shall have no force or effect,” according to a document reviewed by The Associated Press. Cornyn and Tillis have said they also want clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits Cornyn said this week that it was his understanding the audits could extend to more than 100 Trump Organization subsidiaries in the future.
“Todd Blanche said it was limited to the parties to the litigation — and it was retrospective, not prospective,” Cornyn said. “And all we’re doing is asking them to put that in writing.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., arrives for a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, on Thursday.
Those deals, touted by theLandryadministration as badly needed job creators, are raising concerns from environmental advocates, who are questioning their impact on the state’s environmentand natural resources. Other critics contend that the tax breaks companies are receiving are too large.
Landry has declined to comment on the SpaceX deal, thoughhepreviously confirmed asettlementin the coastal suits. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois declinedtocomment.
SpaceX declined to comment for this storybut referred to aprevious statement the company posted on X, stating that it plans to expand its launch capacity.
“Weare constantly exploring to find viable sites to expandStarship operations in thefuture, both domestically and internationally,” the company said in itssocial media post.
Emerging picture
Speculation about the SpaceXdeal has been building for months.
Earlier this spring, the Louisiana Legislature passed apackage of incentivesdesigned to attract aerospace companies to the state. The far-reaching bills, since signed into law by Landry,would shield aerospace companies from liability and would block local governments and individuals from suing for damages related to physical or economic harm caused by launch operations.
Landry and his economic development officials have said the incentives are necessary to make Louisiana competitive for aerospace companies that create goodpaying jobs.
Then, in June, Landry announced asettlement of the coastal suits. Under the agreement, anotice of which has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, ExxonMobil is expected to turn over to the state land it has owned in Vermilion Parish since the1950s andleased out for recreational hunting and fishing. The terms have not been made public, as with the other coastal settlements.
SpaceXwill then take control of the site, accordingto the source familiar with the deal, which is expectedtoinclude provisionsfor coastal restoration and protection
Earlier this year,SpaceX notified regulators that it intends to launch up to1 million low-Earth-orbit satellitesintospace —anexponential increase in its capacity thatwill require more launchpads.
Experts say Pecan Island, with apermanent population of about100, would be attractive to SpaceX because it is sparsely populated, is close to the Gulf and the Intracoastal Waterway with deep-water accessthat could accommodate heavy rockets on barges, and is midway between SpaceX fa-
siana’s coastalprogram, Gulf fisheries consultation,and an Endangered Species Act consultation “that would put the whooping crane up against Elon,” she said. Under theproposedrules, “itall goes away withanFAA license.”
As news of the proposed rule changes trickled out last week, environmental groups around thecountrybegan responding.
Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity,told the trade publication FLYINGthat the White House “wants to guteventhe most basic environmental safeguards to enrich some of the world’swealthiest people.”
cilities in Texas andFlorida. It also has an abundance of natural gas, aneeded fuel source. It is unclear how large theLouisiana facility would be.Aerospace experts have said the companywould likely use afractionofthe 130,000acres foralaunch site, reserving the rest for an acoustic barrier SpaceX’sBoca Chica, Texas, launch site is about 140 acres, andislicensed by the Federal Aviation Administration for 25 launches and landings ayear. It has some 3,400 employees.
Asource familiar withthe company’splans for Louisianasaid thetotal number of jobs createdbythe project will beinthe thousands Waivingregulations?
Last week,the FAAproposedsweeping rule changes that would allow aerospace companies seeking to launchrocketstobypass more than adozen environmental protection laws. The changes, experts say,would helppave theway for the SpaceX deal in Louisiana.
Theproposal filed Thursday by theFAA would waive 13 laws governing commercial rocketlaunch and reentry licenses, effectively doingaway withprotections underthe National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean WaterAct,Clean AirAct and the National Historic Preservation Act,aswell as coastal andmarinemammal protections.
Secretary ofTransportation Sean Duffy saidthe move would eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and enhance thenation’scompetitiveness.
“America won thefirst space race, and we can do it again —but onlyifweget government red tapeout of theway,” Duffysaidlast week.
If implemented, the changes,whichdonot require congressionalapprov-
al, would enable SpaceX to build launchpads and blast its reusable Starshiprockets into orbit without having to undergo the kind of environmental reviews and scrutiny it has faced at its Boca Chica launch site in south Texas.
“SpaceX is obviously the largestbeneficiarybyan order of magnitude because SpaceX holds the most licenses and files the most applications—but the rule is writtenfor the whole industry,” said Kimberly SiversenBurke,directorof governmental affairs with the Florida consulting firm Quilty Space, which advises aerospace companies.
“I have no idea what is going to happen at Pecan Island,”she said. “But Ido know there will never be a more favorable moment to build this for SpaceX.”
Environmentalconcerns
In recent weeks, as speculationinVermilion Parish hasbuilt aboutthe proposed aerospace facility,locals have responded withmuted reactions. Somehave expressedconcern over the project’s environmental impacts,while elected officials have touted thepotential economicbenefits to an area that hascontinuedtolosejobs and young people in recent decades.
At aspeech to an area Rotary Clublast month that attracted morethan 200 locals hungry for details about the rumored spaceport, stateSen.Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville,said local leaders should prepare for the project becauseofits potentialeconomic impact, though he said he was not privy to detailsofthe negotiations anddid notname thecompany
So far,officialshaveremained largely silent on the issue of what such afacility would mean for an environment that has lostmilesof coast to erosion over the years, andtothe abundant wildlife —fish, waterfowl andmigratory birdsthat have made Pecan Island a popular destination for sport fishing and seasonal hunting. The new rules proposed by theFAA would “waive requirements of laws of the U.S. for alicense or permit, afterconsultation with the head of the appropriateexecutive agency,when therequirement is not necessary to protect the public health andsafety,safety of property,and national security and foreign policyinterestsof
the United States,” the text of theproposal reads, in part.
Siversen Burke said the changesare unprecedented, noting that “no administration haseverpulledthis lever at scale thatI am aware of —13statutes at once.”
She said the environmental
ramifications for aplace like Pecan Island could potentially be “tragic.”
Currently,aproposed spaceportoncoastal marsh would trigger an environmental-impact statement wetlands dredge-and-fill review,consistency with Loui-
“We’ve seen real environmental damage from the exploding rocket toys of the super-rich,” he said. “You can be damnsure we’ll fight this obscene giveaway to special interests.”
A30-day public comment period on the proposed rules expires Aug. 31.
7,500
Tim Food truckowner
Thomasina 2ndgrade teacher
CONCERNS
The bridge project’s public information manager and Plenary issued similar statements in response to questions for this story
“The new I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge is a separate project with its own contracts, operational requirements, and performance standards established by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD),” the company said Calcasieu Bridge Partners Public Information Manager Patricia Prebula reiterated the separate “performance standards, oversight, and contractual requirements” for the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge project.
“While Plenary serves as the lead developer on both projects, the bridge will operate under its own contractual framework, oversight, and accountability measures specific to this project,” Plenary added.
A Kapsch spokesperson referred questions to Prebula, saying that “for contractual reasons we are not in a position to answer your questions about the project.”
Prebula said the project team plans to roll out an awareness campaign about toll rates before they go into effect, expected in 2031. Tentative toll rates listed in January 2024 in a news release from DOTD showed them starting at 25 cents for local vehicles with a toll tag and $3.75 for those without a toll tag, though Prebula said those were based on 2023 rates and are subject to change.
Some say that the problems with the Belle Chasse Bridge, which was delayed several times, should serve as a wake-up call about the potential perils awaiting Lake Charles. State Rep. Phillip Tarver, R-Lake Charles, said he’s trying to learn as many lessons as possible from Plaquemines Parish. He noted that he opposed the bridge requiring a toll from the start.
“We’re learning from their mistakes and are much more prepared for some things than they were prepared for,” Tarver said.
He said he and other local officials will watch carefully “to make sure we don’t fall into the same kind of situation that they’ve fallen into,” describing the fees on the Belle Chasse Bridge as “outrageous and onerous.”
Plenary billed customers about $6.8 million in fees versus $5.2 million in tolls during the four months before Gov Jeff Landry suspended tolls altogether last October, according to state Rep. Jacob Braud, R-Belle Chasse. When the new Belle Chasse Bridge opened last year over the Intracoastal Waterway southeast of New Orleans, tolls for Plaquemines Parish residents with a GeauxPass were advertised at 25 cents. Rates listed for drivers without GeauxPasses were $2.26. But based on the actual bills customers received, a roundtrip visit to Plaquemines Parish cost motorists an average
of $57, according to Braud.
“They would even bill you for the bill that they sent in the mail,” Braud said. “I can’t make it up. It’s that bad.”
One difference that Lake Charles bridge project officials have pointed to compared to the Belle Chasse Bridge is a customer service center Prebula said they have not chosen a location for it yet, but that a local customer service center will be available for the Lake Charles bridge.
For the Belle Chasse Bridge, the only customer service center was in Golden Meadow, furthering the uproar from drivers. The drive between the two can take 90 miles, or a four-hour round trip. The state opened another customer service center in Belle Chasse after suspending the tolls
“That’s pretty crazy and pretty onerous,” Tarver said, noting that the governor Plenary representatives and legislators have assured him there will be a customer service office in proximity to the Lake Charles bridge. “So that kind of thing is what is coming out of their misfortunes over there.”
What will tolling look like?
Tolling and public-private partnerships have become increasingly common to pay for infrastructure projects across the nation, though they’re still relatively new in Louisiana. Plenary’s publicprivate partnership for the Belle Chasse Bridge was DOTD’s first
“We are seeing, you know inflation and costs increase over time,” Federal Highway Administration Administrator Sean McMaster told The Advocate | The Times-Picayune at the recent groundbreaking for the I-10 bridge.
“So, we want to leverage private sector investment, leverage the state investment and leverage the federal investment to move faster so that these projects don’t continue to increase in cost.
This is a significant bridge project relative to similar ones around the country.”
With tolling still suspended on the Belle Chasse Bridge, the only bridge currently tolling drivers in the state is the La. 1 Bridge for Grand Isle and Port Fourchon. State officials have also said they expect to implement tolling on the future Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge, though a final location has yet to be selected and construction is still years away
The new Lake Charles bridge is expected to include reconstruction of 5.5 miles of I-10, an additional travel lane in each direction and construction of an elevated Sampson Street interchange to eliminate the railroad crossing It should also have accommodations for pedestrians and bikers on either side.
State officials have said people who live in the parishes closest to the bridge — Calcasieu, Cameron, Allen, Beauregard and Jefferson Davis — will pay the lowest rates if they have a GeauxPass account and toll tag
Previously, DOTD said toll rates would start as low as 25 cents for local vehicles with a toll tag and go as high as $12.36 for large trucks without a toll tag High-occupancy vehicles may also see reduced toll rates. Prebula cautioned, though, that the rates are subject to change.
Lake Charles Mayor Marshall Simien said he’s pushing to lower toll rates.
“I am actively advocating for further reduced tolls, especially for local residents, and ultimately for the elimination of any and all adverse effects tolls would have on this bridge project,” he said in a statement
And former Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach said the tolling issue has prompted years of debate.
“At the end of the day, they had to figure out a way to get the money because that bridge grew in terms of costs,” he said. “It’s going to be a nice bridge, and I think people will like it once it’s built, but the toll issue is, of course, always controversial.”
Kapsch plans to use an allelectric tolling system to bill drivers, and drivers without a toll tag can still cross with a higher “pay-by-plate” rate that will use license plate billing. The bridge won’t
A closer look
Plenary has taken heat for other problems related to the Belle Chasse Bridge beyond the tolling.
The bridge’s construction and eventual opening was delayed by nearly a year after ground settlement — or the movement of soil underground — forced contractors to replace some fully built approaches with a newer and lighter design. Plenary incurred $10,000-per-day fines for the bridge not being ready on time, racking up over $3 million in fines.
Once the Belle Chasse Bridge finally opened to traffic, state officials delayed the implementation of tolling at least a dozen times A Plenary spokesperson blamed weather for the delays.
Customer complaints rolled in shortly after tolling began. As he suspended tolling, Landry sent Plenary a letter accusing them of violating their contract with the state over a number of issues: failing to provide information, placing nonrenewal flags on licenses, disrupting utility services and more.
“It was almost like I was a customer service rep for this private company that was tolling people that couldn’t get it right,” Braud said. “It was just a mess. The complaints were through the roof. It was unbelievable.”
duce tolls or to buy out the contract with Plenary; the bill stalled in the state’s Senate Finance Committee. Plaquemines Parish filed a lawsuit against the DOTD, Plenary and its tolling subcontractor, Kapsch, in the 25th Judicial District Court in December seeking an injunction on bridge tolls and the return of all tolls and fees collected from May to October of last year According to the parish, the lawsuit was filed because the state and Plenary “were unable to reach an agreement” on how to fix the toll system.
Three Plaquemines Parish residents also filed a lawsuit last October against the state and operators of the Belle Chasse Bridge for charging motorists excessive tolls and fees. They are seeking class action status to represent any driver charged an “excessive toll” and/or an “unreasonable fee” since the tolling system began in May 2025.
Trial dates have not been set in either case. The defendants asked a federal court to hear the cases, but both cases were sent back to the 25th Judicial District Court in Plaquemines.
have traditional toll booths, and traffic will keep moving while overhead sensors detect vehicles and charge tolls automatically, said Calcasieu Bridge Partners Public Information Officer Jonathan Hill.
The public-private partnership contract calls for tolls to be removed in 2081, said DOTD Southwest Louisiana Area public information officer John Guidroz. State officials have also said that every 15 cents on the dollar that the bridge pays off with the tolls will go toward infrastructure projects in Calcasieu Parish.
“Every time a citizen of this state pays this particular toll, they’re paying for future infrastructure improvements in Imperial Calcasieu forever,” Landry said during the bridge’s groundbreaking
Braud said the ground settlement issues were never fully resolved, and Plenary had to make repairs after the bridge was completed. He said the company’s on the hook for the construction defects.
“They actually built the bridge, started using the bridge, and then they had to shut down part of the bridge to redo the approaches,” he said. “And even after they redid them, DOTD is alleging that there’s still a subsidence issue.”
Bridge project officials did not respond to a request for comment on the allegations of ongoing subsidence problems.
Braud attempted to pass a bill in this year’s legislative session that would have raised enough money to re-
Braud said elected officials in southwest Louisiana should carefully review the state’s contract with Plenary and learn from Belle Chasse’s experience.
“The devil’s in the details,” Braud said. “The Belle Chasse contract — it’s almost as thick as a Bible, so you know that would be the word to the wise men over there is to go through those details and make sure it doesn’t have a lot of the provisions we have here in Belle Chasse.”
Tarver said that’s what they plan to do.
“Over the next four years, a lot of conversations will probably come to the surface,” Tarver said. “So we’re in the early stages of those conversations, and we have radar up for a lot of the pitfalls that the other guys have experienced.”
Staff writer Lara Nicholson contributed to this report.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
The companies responsible for tolling once construction finishes on the new Interstate 10 Calcasieu River Bridge have been mired in controversy over problems with their tolling infrastructure on the Belle Chasse Bridge
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
The new bridge over the Industrial Canal in Belle Chasse is seen on May 6, 2025.
Continued from page 1A
The old fundraising question was more like, ‘How do we build a better football facility?’ And today the new question is, ‘How do we permanently fund a $20 million annual payroll?” said Kisska-Schulze. “And that’s a much bigger problem.” A novel plan?
When Tiger Athletic Foundation President and CEO Matt Borman invited the top 40 LSU boosters to a private event at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss the future of the university’s sports programs, he acknowledged LSU’s athletic department budget is “unsustainable.”
Coming up with more cash
The low-hanging fruit of revenue-generating opportunities has already been picked by most Power Four schools.
The NCAA allowed corporate sponsors to paint their logos on football fields starting last season, and some schools are renaming entire venues.
The University of Arizona now plays in Casino Del Sol Stadium, thanks to a 20-year, $60 million deal, and Texas Tech just inked a 15-year, $75 million contract to call its football venue Galaxy Stadium.
Starting this season, NCAA schools have been allowed to mine an even more lucrative proposition, slapping brands directly on uniforms via a jersey patch.
NIL deals for athletes.
Nearly every lever has been pulled, but one has been buzzed about as an option more than it has been utilized: private equity
Private equity wants in
LSU has declined to provide details about the revenue proposal or comment on the athletic department’s financial challenges, but a university spokesperson noted that “athletic budgets across the country are all experiencing the same unsustainable conditions as LSU.”
Notre Dame just announced a jersey patch sponsorship with SoFi Technologies that is worth $18 million to $20 million annually, according to multiple outlets
Gov Jeff Landry last week said he and others have been working on a new revenue model over the last six months
“The cost of operating a Division I and especially a Power Four athletics program has grown a lot in the last couple of years,” said Mit Winter a sports law attorney based in Kansas City “Even at the biggest schools, with this new expense they’re all looking for new sources of revenue.”
Winter said he’ll be watching to see if the LSU plan is a truly innovative concept that could serve as a blueprint for other schools.
“If it’s something new and novel that we haven’t seen in college athletics yet, that could be pretty interesting,” he said. “It’s definitely a copycat industry.”
Ohio State did the same with JPMorgan Chase in a deal reportedly worth $17 million per year
LSU was one of the first schools to line up a jersey sponsor, Woodside Energy, which is building a $17.5 billion liquefied natural gas facility in Louisiana. The university did not disclose the value of its seven-year patch deal when it was announced in February
Brand deals are occurring at the conference level as well. Earlier this month, the Big 12 entered into an agreement with Monster Energy to put the company’s logo on schools’ football and basketball jerseys, fields and courts.
But colleges have had to consider even more options to balance their athletic budgets, including holding concerts in athletic venues in the offseason, dynamic ticket pricing for in-season events, and reworking agreements with current sponsors to not only increase revenues but also funnel more dollars to
LSU could follow in the footsteps of the University of Kentucky, which moved its athletic department into a limited liability company called Champions Blue LLC so it could expand business and revenue opportunities.
That strategy could also allow LSU to court investment from institutional capital.
“I would think that nearly everyone in the Power Four has had a conversation about private equity,” said John Holden, a sports law expert and professor at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
Private equity offers a benefit in the short-term, but there’s a cost in the longterm.
“A school basically, in exchange for upfront capital, will provide an entitlement to its share of future revenues from a source,” Holden said.
It’s an arrangement that raises questions about whether the firm then gets a say in managing the athletic program itself or whether it effectively works as a private credit lender, Holden said.
He acknowledged there are too few examples to say how it will play out broadly
“We’re still very much in the early days of exploring what private equity in college sports could mean,” he said.
The Big 12 entered a private investment deal with RedBird Capital Partners, which will provide the conference $12.5 million per year in “revenue-generation opportunities” and will work with the league on commercial development, according to Front Office Sports.
The arrangement isn’t a traditional private equity deal, however since RedBird won’t have an ownership stake in the conference, the
LSU is exploring new strategies to address financial challenges and adapt to the changing landscape of collegiate athletics.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
outlet reported. The University of Utah’s private foundation created a for-profit LLC to handle “university brand building and commercialization” with the private equity firm Otro Capital.
This year, Utah and Otro Capital launched the company Crimson Brand Partners to handle “events at stadiums and arenas, branding, licensing and sponsorships, ticketing, and digital media,”
according to a June news release about the deal.
But the University of Utah still owns its athletic facilities, and the athletic department still handles coaching, recruiting, scheduling, private fundraising and “student-athletic support,” the release says. Winter, the sports law attorney, said creating a new entity separate from the university allows athletic departments to avoid bureaucracy, move more quickly and operate more like a business. So far, private equity firms investing in college sports aren’t handling day-to-day operations of athletic departments, Winter said, and he doesn’t expect firms will wind up running teams or sports programs directly “I think a lot of those fears are a little overblown,” he said.
Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@theadvocate. com.
Borman
Landry
Russia hits Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles, drones
Overnight
BY VASILISA STEPANENKO
Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine Russia launched an intense barrage of ballistic missiles and drones overnight into Saturday, killing at least nine people and wounding 33 civilians in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, authorities said.
The strikes follow a major Russian attack two days earlier that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 50 others across Ukraine, as Moscow apparently looks to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of Western-supplied anti-ballistic missile defenses. The relentless cycle of attacks dims the potential of reaching a diplomatic end to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of its neighbor
Deaths and damage across Kyiv
A five-story residential building in the city’s Solomianskyi District was damaged by falling debris and a fire broke out. Rescue workers evacuated 35 people from the upper floors of the building and two people died, with eight reported injured, including two children, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service.
In the Darnytskyi District of Kyiv, seven people were killed and another 14 injured after the attack caused fires and damage to houses, vehicles, an administrative and non-residential building, the emergency services said Elsewhere, emergency workers extinguished a fire in a nonresidential building in the capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district. There was no additional information about earlier reports by the district mayor that people were trapped in another residential building.
Damage to commercial and residential buildings was reported in two other city districts
Lithuania’s foreign minister said the country’s embassy in Kyiv was damaged when missiles struck nearby overnight Russia’s defense ministry said
Saturday it had launched a “massive strike” against “Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities and logistics centers in Kyiv.”
Zelenskyy presses for air defense
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pressed the United States and other Western partners over Ukraine’s need for more Patriot anti-ballistic missile defense systems to counter missile attacks from Russia.
“Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people. And every night without them results in more casualties,” he wrote on X following the latest attacks.
The Ukrainian leader late Friday said he spoke to U.S. Vice President JD Vance and discussed a meeting with President Donald Trump earlier this week in Washington, which Zelenskyy described as “positive and productive.”
“The Russian air strikes on our country continue and air defense, specifically interceptors for Patriot systems against ballistic missiles, remains a top priority,” Zelenskyy said Friday in a post on Telegram.
At a NATO summit in Ankara in July, Trump said the U.S. would give Ukraine a license to make Patriot systems, but he appeared to
move away from that commitment on Friday during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland, saying he had not yet made a final decision on the matter
More frequent attacks
From a basement shelter where she was taking cover as a second air alarm sounded for another wave, Liudmyla Nakonechna, 64, described how she was woken by loud explosions at 1:30 a.m.
“I ran into the corridor and was standing there when the bathroom door was blown off its hinges and struck me in the leg,” said Nakonechna, whose health is poor after undergoing cancer treatment
“I heard the sound of shattering glass. My balcony was covered in glass and it was completely blown apart, while the windows in my bedroom were also blown out.”
Nakonechna had not taken cover in a shelter since Russia’s fullscale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, but the stress became too much, she said.
“It’s getting worse by the day,” Nakonechna said “Whereas before there was an attack once every two weeks, or maybe once a week, now it happens practically every day It is incredibly hard to bear this psychologically.”
Spain installs sea barrier on Ceuta’s border with Morocco after rush
BY SERGIO RODRIGO RUÍZ, SUMAN NAISHADHAM and AKRAM OUBACHIR Associated Press
CEUTA, Spain Spain on Saturday installed a 1,600-foot barrier on the sea border between its North African territory of Ceuta and neighboring Morocco after tens of thousands of migrants breached the frontier earlier in the week.
At least 67 migrants died, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, the Spanish government said Saturday The sudden arrival of 50,000 to 60,000 migrants in the territory on Thursday and Friday sparked a humanitarian crisis and reignited the immigration debate in Europe and beyond, though most of the migrants soon went back.
Critics of Spain’s socialist government, notably right and far-right politicians, seized upon the dramatic images of crowds storming into Ceuta, which sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea and has been a Spanish possession since 1580. Spain’s migration policy has focused on granting legal status to workers lacking authorization who entered the country before 2026 to boost its economy in contrast with the anti-migration and pro-deportation policies promoted across much of the EU and in the U.S. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez slammed the reaction of some EU leaders to the events in Ceuta, saying calls for Spain to be suspended from the EU’s borderless Schengen zone were “driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest.”
Despite the Ceuta crisis, Spain in recent years has had fewer illegal migrants cross into the country than Mediterranean neighbors Italy and Greece.
On Saturday, a handful of migrants who swam to Ceuta’s Tarajal beach were met by soldiers who escorted them across the border
“We are relentless against those who break the law,” Spanish Interior Minister Fernando GrandeMarlaska told journalists.
Asked how the breach could have happened given the heavy security on both sides of the border and whether Morocco posed a threat to Ceuta, Marlaska defended the government in Rabat.
“The events require an evaluation by Spain and Morocco,” he said But it was the cooperation with its neighbors that allowed Spain “to revert the situation in 24 hours.”
“Morocco is not a threat to Ceuta, or to the rest of Spain. It is a reliable partner,” Marlaska said. Call for coordinated response
Other European Union countries called for urgent talks and a coordinated response to the situation in Ceuta.
“We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalization of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible That a migrant’s illegal entry can turn into legal stay,” a letter to top EU officials, released Saturday by the Danish prime minister’s office, said. “Such a perception would encourage further attempts, undermine confidence in our common migration policy and have repercussions for all Member States.”
Leaders of Italy, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden signed the letter asking the EU’s current Irish presidency to convene a videoconference of interior ministers.
Sánchez also asked for a videoconference of EU interior ministers to “enable us to establish a common response to situations of this kind and reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States, and not only of those on the Union’s front line.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EFREM LUKATSKy Emergency services personnel work
extinguish a fire following Russian missile attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
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Scientists warn strong El Niño will fuel ‘a planet already on fire’
Natural warming of Pacific should last through spring 2027
BY SETH BORENSTEIN and EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS A strengthen-
ing El Niño has already broken records for intensity at its early stages, and it likely will spark even more wild weather worldwide as it grows, “adding fuel to a planet already on fire,” United Nations officials warned Friday
A key area of the Pacific Ocean used to measure the strength of El Niño this week reached its warmest and most intense level ever recorded for the 15th week since it formed, which is early in its lifetime, scientists at Columbia University reported.
El Niño — a natural warming of the Pacific near the equator that warps weather patterns worldwide — won’t peak for several months and should last through spring 2027. The World Meteorological Organization, a U.N. agency cautioned on Friday that it will likely trigger extreme heat, drought and rainfall well into next year
“Two months ago, I warned that El Niño was arriving on our doorstep. Now it is inside the house — and turning up the heat,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Friday
“We have already endured a summer of extremes — record-shattering heat domes; apocalyptic wildfires raging in Spain, France and far beyond; thousands of lives lost in the scorching conditions.”
“But according to the latest science, this is only a warm-up act,” Guterres said, saying as the El Niño strengthens it will be “adding fuel to a planet already on fire.”
“We are in uncharted territory,” he said. “The climate crisis is in overdrive.”
Most computer forecast models are showing that this El Niño will likely break the all-time record for intensity when it peaks, sometime late fall or so, but that’s not guaranteed, scientists said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANU FERNANDEZ
A firefighter moves beehives away from flames while battling a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, west of
Chaotic extremes coming
It’s still early in the nearly yearlong life of a typical El Niño to see many direct effects yet, but they are coming, scientists said, agreeing with Guterres’ warnings. El Niño’s effects will combine with the long-term global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas.
“We’re seeing something that is the warmest July ever recorded for that specific region,” used as an El Niño indicator, Columbia University climate scientist Jeffrey Shaman said. “A year from now, it’s going to be very hot in the Northern Hemisphere And we’re going to possibly have a summer like we’ve never experienced globally.”
But before then, the strong El Niño is likely to cause changes in rainfall patterns that will bring chaotic extremes to different parts of the world in fall and winter There’s a strong chance of drought and wildfires in Indonesia, India and other parts of Asia, south and east Australia, chunks of South America and southern regions in Africa, the WMO warned. Other areas, including much of the United States and fire-struck Southern Europe will get above average rain.
“This El Niño, developing against the backdrop of unprecedented ocean heat and rising temperatures, provides governments and communities with a window of op-
portunity to anticipate risks and act before impacts unfold,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Amplify human-caused warming
While El Niño and climate change are separate phenomena, their effects create a harmful combination — and people aren’t taking the connection seriously enough, Guterres said.
“We hear much about record heat, drought and wildfires but not enough about the real change that is driving these events: the accelerating climate crisis powered by fossil fuels,” Guterres said. Guterres said the world gets too absorbed by dramatic wars in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan to notice the dangers of climate change. On top of that, “there is a deliberate campaign, namely by the fossil fuel industry and some countries in order to pretend that the problems that we are witnessing indeed do not exist.”
The U.N. must be more active and mobilize public opinion “to tell governments it’s time to recognize this threat as an existential threat to us all,” he told reporters.
Much of the heat from the burning of fossil fuels gets trapped in the oceans, but “during an El Niño the ocean in some sense gets to return some of the heated buildups of global warming back to the atmosphere,” Shaman said.
BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer
The Trump administration wants to make sure that the Mexican train crews who haul freight over the border can understand key safety information in English and that the common practice of using foreign crews to cross into America doesn’t threaten U.S. jobs.
Two major rail unions praised the proposed rule announced Friday that would also strengthen the standards for certifying that crews can safely operate a train.
The government had concerns after inspecting two Texas railyards near the border last fall on the two railroads directly affected by these restrictions on Mexican crews — CPKC and Union Pacific. CPKC and the Association of American Railroads trade group declined to comment while they study the rule.
“We have the same goals — safe, secure operations that keep the supply chain fluid,” Union Pacific said in a statement “And we will continue working with our federal partners through the regulatory process.”
Documented language concerns
The Federal Railroad Administration sent letters to both CPKC and UP in December after those inspections found several instances of train crews having trouble understanding English.
The government urged those railroads to reexamine their practices and make sure that Mexican crews can speak English and don’t operate a train more than 10 miles inside America.
The Federal Railroad Administration said at the time the concern was that these Mexican crews bringing trains into Union Pacific’s Eagle Pass rail yard and CPKC’s facility in Laredo were having a hard time understanding operating bulletins and U.S. regulations that require information about hazardous materials and emergency responses to be maintained in English.
BothUPandCPKChavepledged
to make sure they were following the existing rules, including that the Mexican crews do not travel more than 10 miles into the United States. But now the federal government wants to strengthen the rules “because railroad crews must be able to communicate fully and accurately when crossing into the United States, most notably with dispatchers and emergency responders during a crisis, as a safety-critical function.”
Rail unions worry
This rail safety effort aligns closely with the Transportation Department’s efforts to ensure that truck drivers can understand English, so they can read road signs and warnings and communicate with first responders after an accident or during an inspection. The government has tried to withhold millions of dollars in highway funding from New York and California because it isn’t satisfied with the steps those states have taken to make sure the commercial driver’s licenses they issue are valid.
Mark Wallace, the national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union, has been raising concerns about this practice of using Mexican train crews for several years because of safety, security and job concerns. The union has said that the handoffs used to happen right at the border, but now Union Pacific and CPKC routinely ask Mexican crews to bring trains several miles over the border to one of their railyards where the crew switches can be done more safely But the firm 10-mile restriction in this rule will prevent the railroads from expanding this practice to railyards further into America like the union said UP was considering in New Mexico. “Trains originating from Mexico, operated by foreign crews were unable to communicate with dispatchers in English and the language barrier posed a hazard in the event of a derailment or other incident,” Wallace said.
Missouri’s Amendment4 wouldcreate toughest standard
BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY,Mo. Over the past several years,Missouri voters have amended the state constitution to create abortion rights, legalize marijuana and sports betting and expand Medicaid healthcare coveragefor lowincome adults.
None of those initiatives would have passed under a ballot measure getting decided by voters Tuesday
Missouri’sproposed Amendment 4would make it significantly harderto amend the constitution by requiring citizen initiatives to pass in all eight of the state’sdiverse congressional districts instead of by a traditional, simple statewide majority.Noother state has such ahigh standard —or has even asked votersto considerit.
“This is afirst-of-its-kind,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, anational group that backs progressive ballot initiatives like the ones Missouri’sRepublican lawmakers are hoping to quelch.
“It would be nearly impossible for citizens to participate meaningfullyinany sort of direct democracy,” said Hall, who believes other states could try to copy Missouri’sproposal.
Rein in citizeninitiatives
The Missouri proposalis the culmination of years of attempts by lawmakersin numerous states to raise the bar for citizen-initiated petitions to qualify for the ballot and win voter approval. Some elected officials contend lawmaking is best left to themselves —the people’s representatives —because citizen initiatives lack the vetting that comes from the multistep legislativeprocess of public hearings, debates and revisions.
The effort to curtail citizeninitiativesonstate ballots comes as President Donald Trump pushes for greater restrictions on who can vote and how ballots are
cast,asserting theintegrity of electionsisatstake. Missouri’smeasure “fits into the larger narrative and story around what the future of democracy looks like in the United States,” said Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which supports progressive ballot measures
Only in some states
About one-third of U.S. states allow people to bypass their legislatures by gatheringsignatures to place proposedconstitutional amendments on the ballot. Several others allow theprocess for proposed laws.
In most of those states, a simple majorityofvotersis allthat’sneeded to approve constitutional amendments. Coloradorequires a55% votefor most measures, and Florida a60% vote.
Voters in recent years rejected ballot measures to raise the approvalthreshold foramendments in Arkansas, Ohio andSouthDakota. Still,SouthDakota lawmakers haveplaced aproposal for a60% approval threshold on the November ballot. North Dakota voters will consider asimilar measure, and Utahvoters will decide on a60% requirement for citizen-initiatedtax increases.
Missouri’s proposal would applyonlytocitizen initiatives. Constitutional amendments proposed by the Legislature still would need only astatewide majority.Noother state has adual standard like that.
Geographic consensus Republican stateRep. Ed Lewis, who sponsored Missouri’smeasure, said he wants to ensure people in all parts ofthe statehave their voicesheard.Hesaid activists funded by out-of-state interest groupshave runup large majoritiesinSt. Louis andKansas City to pass controversial initiatives that failed throughout most of the rest of Missouri. The abortion, marijuana, sports betting andMedicaid initiatives allwereplaced on the ballot by petitions between 2020 and 2024 after lawmakersdeclinedtoact All passed with 53%orless of thestatewidevote. Requiring“50% in each of
John
that would make it harder for voters to approve citizen-initiated constitutional amendments while rallying at the State Capitol in Jefferson City, in September 2025.
our congressional districts is not adifficult barrier for anything that hasaconsensus,” Lewissaid. But “itisadifficult barrier for either avery conservative or avery liberal initiative petition,”hesaid.
“everybody votes on these things that they haven’tput any thought into it.”
But Jim Bryan saidheopposes the amendment,fear-
ing it could allow voters in St. Louis or Kansas City to thwart measures supported by the rest of the state.
“The popularvote is what Iwant,” he said.
Anew petition
Regardless of theoutcome, Tuesday’svotemay notbethe last on Missouri’s citizen initiatives.
The Respect Missouri Voters coalition submitted more than 300,000 petition signatures —currentlybeing verified by election officials —totry to placea constitutional amendment on the November ballot protecting the initiative process. It would reverse theLegislature’s amendment by requiring only astatewide majority to pass citizen initiatives. It also would bar the Legislature from increasing the number of signatures needed to qualify forthe ballot, shortening the time to do so or impos-
ing other requirements that weakeninitiative rights. The measure also would make it harder for the Legislature to reverse or amend voter-approved initiatives by requiring an 80% vote in both theHouse andSenate instead of asimple majority.That comes afterthe Legislature last year repealed apaidsick leavelaw approved by voters and referred anew constitutional amendmenttothe November ballottoreverse voter-approved abortion rights.
Supportersinsist their measure is nonpartisan, noting that Democratic lawmakers also tried to restrict citizen initiatives before Republicansgainedcontrol of the Capitol.
“Politicians in power want allthe powerintheir hands, saidBenjaminSinger, cofounder of Respect Missouri Voters. “They don’twant citizenstohaveacheck on their power.”
“If you’regoing to change theconstitution, shouldn’tit be broadly accepted?” Lewis asked rhetorically Amendmentstothe U.S. Constitutionrequire ratification by three-fourths of thestates
Critics say Missouri’sproposed amendment could undercutconsensus,because an initiative backed by large margins in sevencongressional districts still would fail if opposed by aslim margin in just one district
“It is an astonishing level of unfairness, and it crushes ournotion of oneperson, one voteand majority rule, which we learned about in school as kids,”said Scott Charton, aspokespersonfor the Missouri Realtors campaign committees,which have backed previousinitiatives.
Republicansare divided
Though Amendment 4was referred to theballot by Republican lawmakers, people at arecent Republican club meeting in Jefferson City were divided about whether to makeitharder for citizens to amend the state constitution.
RickKolb said he supports thetougher standards.
“Our country was founded as arepublic notademocracy,” he said. Wheninitiativesappear on the ballot,
Touristplane crashesinPeru, killing 13 on NazcaLines viewingflight
By The Associated Press
BOGOTA,Colombia Aplane carrying European tourists to view the famed Nazca Lines crashed into afield Saturday outside the Peruvian city of Nazca, killing 13 people, local authorities said. Nazca’smunicipal government said the plane departed from the nearby city of Ica andwas operatedbyPeruvian company Aerodiana. On its website, the airline said that it has offered scenic flights over the Nazca lines forthe
past 14 years using Cessna Grand Caravan planes. The Nazca Lines are a group of extensive geoglyphs scraped intothe desert around Nazca hundreds of years agobyPeru’s Indigenous inhabitants. The lines form images of animals that can onlybefully appreciated from planes or viewing towers.
Amongthe deadwere seven Italiancitizens between the ages of 18 and 54, two 52-year-oldSpaniards and two Germansof77and 78
years, Peru’sTransportationMinistry said. The other twofatalities were the pilot Américo Salazar and copilot Irenka Guanilo del Carpio, it said in an official report
President Keiko Fujimori expressed regret over the accident and said a“temporary suspension” of the airport was being considered, though the decision will be made once she receivesreports from the relevant ministries.
Peruvianauthorities said theaccidentisunder investigation.
‘You’llnever
BeforeDr.WillieE.SmithSr.becamechancellorofBaton RougeCommunity College, before hiswalls were filledwithdegrees andhonors, andbeforehewasrecognizedasachampionfor educationalequity,hewasaboygrowingupina toughneighborhoodinMobile,Alabama.
“Hewas thefirstpersoninmyfamilytogo tocollege,”Dr.Smithsaid.“Hereallyexplained howitworkedand theroleitcould play in my life.ThatwasthefirsttimeIeventhoughtcollege mightbeinmyfuture.”
Still, it wasn’t untilmiddleschoolthatDr. Smithfoundthemotivationthatwouldchangehis life’strajectory.Afterhisfootballteamsuffered acrushingdefeat, Dr.Smith admits nowthathe didn’t take thelossseriously.While clowning aroundafterthegame,hiscoachconfrontedhim “HetoldmeI wouldnever be anything,” Dr Smithrecalled.“Thatembarrassedme.Iwashumiliatedinfrontofmyfriendsandmyteammates.I knew Iwantedtotakethatanger andbitterness andturnitintofueltobecomesuccessfuland provehimwrong.”
Dr.Smithbecameastarteronthevarsityteam hisfreshmanyearofhighschoolandwasastrong enough player to earn ascholarship to play at Tulane.Thatpavedthewayforacareerinhigher educationadministrationandultimatelycontinues toshapehowDr.Smithleadstoday “Studentsneedpeoplewho understand them andbelieveinthem.Theyneedtohaveaplanfor theirsuccessinlife.Itrytohelpthemwiththat, he said.“Afew months ago, Iran into ayoung manI knew whoisworking at Albertson’s. I’ve beenmentoringhimbecauseIwanthimtoseehe hastalentandcanachievemoreinlife.Whenour PN students graduate,I always askthemwhat’s next.I want them to have themindset that there areendlesspossibilitiesforthem.”
Thatcommitmenttoeducationequityhasearned Dr.SmithaSocialJusticeAwardfromTheHistoric WesleyUnitedMethodistChurchinBatonRouge. Dr.Smith wasselectedfor therecognition as a distinguishedleaderwhose servicehas made a lastingimpactonBatonRouge.
“Whenwetalkabout equality andsocial justice,it’snotaboutraceorethnicity.It’sabout giving everyone theability to be successful.It meanseveryonehas achancetoset andachieve goals,”hesaid. “The work we do here at BRCC is aboutmakingsureeveryonefeels valued and hasopportunitiesinfrontofthem.
“Weare seeing more students open up about theirchallenges. That only happenswhenyou haveaculturewhereyoufeelcomfortablesharing that,and I’mproud that we have that at BRCC,” he said.“Ialwaystellmyfaculty andstaff to remember whystudentscometoBRCC. They areheretogetajobandchangetheirlives.That’s whywemakesureeverythinghereisfocusedon helpingthemgainemploymentskills. Degrees andcertificates representworkthatyou did, but they aren’t valuable unless youput them in play totakecareofyourselfandyourfamily.” BatonRouge CommunityCollege offers more than 100creditand non-credit programs,includingin-demand training in processtechnology, constructionmanagement,nursing,manufacturing, computer scienceand transportation.Visit mybrcc edutolearn more aboutBRCCofferings,financial assistance,enrollmentand more
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVIDA.LIEB
Billman, of Columbia, Mo., holdsa signexplaining his oppositiontoa state legislativeproposal
By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
This articleisbrought to youbyBaton RougeCommunity College.
Summer programs can benefit children
But many Louisiana families can’t afford them
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO
Staff writer
Louisiana parents want to send their children to a summer learning program, but many can’t afford it.
Grant
That’s according to a recent survey by the Afterschool Alliance, a national organization that seeks to expand children’s access to after-school and summer programs. Released in May, the survey found that half of U.S. families who want to send their child to a summer program are unable to. In Louisiana, about 60% of families can’t afford summer programs, the survey found Jodi Grant has served as executive director of the Afterschool Alliance for more than two decades. During that time, she’s seen costs for summer activities rise alongside rapid inflation, making them less affordable to many families. In Louisiana, the cost of sending a child to summer camp can range from a couple hundred dollars per week for local and community day camps to several thousand dollars for private or pre-college programs
At the same time, Louisiana ranks second in the nation for childhood poverty, with nearly a quarter of the state’s children living below the federal poverty line.
The cost of summer programs puts them out of reach for many middle and lower-income fami-
Q&A WITH JODI GRANT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE
lies, depriving those children of the programs’ social, developmental and academic benefits,
Grant said
“It can impact a child’s whole sense of self-purpose and belonging,” she said, “which translates into better academic performance when they go back to school.”
Grant spoke with The TimesPicayune | The Advocate about how summer programs benefit children and communities, what barriers prevent families from enrolling, and how to increase accessibility
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity
Why are summer programs beneficial to kids?
It’s a safe environment where kids have time for fun and educational activities. Where they’re away from screens, and where they have a chance to interact with their peers in a healthy way Summer programs give kids opportunities to try new things, build confidence and can give them a host of professional skills in a much more informal environment than traditional school.
The impact on communities is also huge, because kids aren’t being left at home on their own, which is often when they make bad decisions. During the summer is when we see crime go up and we see kids getting way too much screen time. In a program, they can make good decisions in a healthy environment with caring adults.
Do they help prevent summer learning loss?
Children in summer programs, even YMCA-type programs, are
less likely to need time when they get back to school to catch back up and instead can get going where they left off.
In some cases, they may even be ahead of the curve because the enrichment that they had over the summer really made their school learning come to life.
Are summer programs accessible to all families?
We did a household survey in 2025 where we asked 30,000 parents across America what their kids were doing during the school year for after-school and also what they were doing over the summer
We found that nationally, for parents who want their student to be in a summer program, only half have access.
In Louisiana, the number is closer to 60%.
What are the biggest barriers for families?
Cost is the biggest one.
We’ve done this study since 2004, and it’s not just low-income families that are struggling, but middle-income families as well. The average cost of specialty camps or programs is about $193 per week, while the average cost for non-mandatory learning and enrichment programs is $226 per week.
Other barriers include lack of transportation or a family just doesn’t live near where any summer programs are being offered.
Are they becoming less accessible?
I think yes. Affording summer programs has always been a struggle for low-income parents, but it’s increasingly a struggle for middle-income parents, too.
The reality is, if you want to
keep up program quality, costs are rising for everything you need to produce a program. That means costs also rise for parents.
What is the impact on families who can’t afford to send their child to a program?
It’s a real burden on working families.
Most parents need to work, and if their kids aren’t being supervised in a safe place, if they’re worried about what their kids are doing, the parents are less productive at work. That means there’s also a huge impact on employers.
When it comes to kids, there’s lots of evidence pointing to something called the “summer slide.”
For kids not engaged in summer activities, we see that they lose their academic progress over the summer
Are any groups trying to make summer programs more accessible?
Afterschool Alliance has partners in all 50 states working on this, and there’s also the National Summer Learning Association, which focuses on improving the
WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE HOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING LOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN IDEA?
quality of summer programs.
Some states, like Oregon, have succeeded in getting additional funds to support students over the summer, and South Carolina has some scholarships to tech programs for certain students.
There are real attempts to make these kinds of programs more accessible, but it’s nowhere near enough.
To meet the needs of families, we need more public support. We did a poll of voters right after the 2024 elections, and 89% of parents nationally, regardless of political affiliation, believe we should be putting more into these programs. There’s a huge consensus, especially when people see what these programs are doing, to do more.
Hopefully we can get more voters and policy makers to do something so we can address this gap, particularly in places like Louisiana.
Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Aden Lewis, left, and Qutayba Alquaddoomi, 11, ride the swings during the NORD Commission’s 2026 summer camp culmination event in City Park in New Orleans.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOSByJESSICA HILL
National Wildlife RefugeinSouth Kingstown, R.I.
Conservation helpsRhode Island oystercatchers make acomeback
Birds known forsharpbills, beady eyes
BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. On a pristine RhodeIslandbeach teemingwithnoisyseabirds, agroup of biologists armed with nets sneak up on apair of American oystercatcher chicks.
But just as they move in to capture them, one of the football-size birds, with brightorange bills and long legs, scampers into acoastal salt pond. The other briefly takes to the air, sending the team running across the mile-anda-half-long beach in pursuit.
“There is aproblem. They can fly,” Alan Kneidel, a senior conservationbiologist with the environmental group Manomet Conservation Sciences, said as he watched the team go after the chicks.
Eventually,the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists tracked downboth birds. They bundled them each into white pillow cases and gingerly carried them to asand dune where body measurementsweretaken and bands clipped onto their long, peach-colored legs.
Birdsstartingtorecover
The banding in the 787acre Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge is part of a nationwide effort to restore the oystercatcher’spopulation alongthe coastsofthe Americas.The birds were largely wiped out in New England by the turn of the 20th century duetohunting and egg collecting but their numbers are rising.
About $10 million was raised overadecade and 35 coastal organizations in 16 states joined in the effort. Much of the campaign focused on educating beachgoers aboutthe presence of the quirky birds known for their piercing calls and habit of using their razor sharp bills to crack open oysters andmussels.Measureswere also implemented to protect theirground nesting sites from predators and petson beaches, sand dunes, salt
marshes or tide wrack deposits.
From 2008 to 2023, oystercatchernumbers increased by 45% alongthe Atlantic andGulf coasts. Their recovery is especially significant, given a2023 study foundthatmostshorebird populationsinNorth America were declining.
“It’samazing and it’sa great conservation success story,” said Maureen Durkin, afederal wildlife biologist who ledthe banding effort and works at the Rhode IslandNational Wildlife Refuge Complex.
“It does really demonstrate how much you can accomplish when there is adedicated group of partners that can come together and identifythe needs of thespecies andimplement conservation actions,” she said,adding that it also showed conservingimperiledspecies “isnot easy and takes asustained andcommitted effort.”
Targetingthreats
Kneidel said acritical part of the conservation planwas determining that “chick survival was the big thingdriving the declines.”
Then, individually-tailored plans weredrawn up from organizationsinthe American Oystercatcher Working Group,which was led by Manomet’s Shiloh Schulte, aconservation biologist and fieldscientist whodiedlast year in ahelicopter crash in Alaska while on amission to protect shorebirds. His initialsurvey showed their numbers had declined by double-digits.
“At one site, it might be recreational disturbance, at another siteitmight be predators, at another site it might be sealevel rise or loss of dune structure that’s caus-
Oystercatchers are carried off Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge.
Lawsuitendsendangered protection forTexas lizard
BY AYDEN RUNNELS
TheTexas Tribune
The U.S.Fish andWildlife Service has ended endangeredspecies protections for aTexas lizard that were introduced in 2024 after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suedthe federal government over the designation.
The dunes sagebrush lizard is aroughly2.5-inchlong reptile native to the Permian Basinhas faced threatsfrom oil and gas exploration and development in the region fordecades, according to biologists. After thespecies was designated as endangered by the Biden administration and grantedfederalprotections in 2024, Paxton sued, arguing the Wildlife Service did not use “the bestscientific and commercial data” when it declared thelizardendangered.
The end of thedunes sagebrush lizard’sendangered classification came as part of asettlement on July 21 in alawsuit between the federal government and Pax-
ton’soffice. The agreement vacates the 2024 classification,which will requirethe Wildlife Servicetoreassess the lizard’sstatus.
In astatement, Paxton applauded the wildlife service’spending reassessmentand framed the initial classification as amisstep thatdid notconsiderhabitat restoration efforts.
“Texas, its people, and its industries should nothave to suffer the effectsofan illegalrule while the Fish and Wildlife Service further evaluates thestatus of the species,” Paxton said in anews releaseabout the settlement last month.
The wildlife service said that it is still committedto working with local partners to preserve the lizard’snatural habitat in abrief statement.
Conservationists andbiologists have pushed back on Paxton’s effort to rescind the lizard’sendangered status since the lawsuit was filed, arguing the Trump administrationhas made a concerted effort to change the status to benefit oil and
gasinterests. In February, the lesser prairie chicken, whosehabitat is foundin Texas and fourother states, was similarly stripped of its endangered status in response to acourt order “There appears to be a disturbing pattern of the Fish and WildlifeService ignoring its mission to save struggling wildlife like dunes sagebrush lizards and lesser prairie chickens for the convenience of Texas politicians and big oiland gaspolluters,” said Jason Rylander, asenior attorney with the Center forBiological Diversity in aJune news release about the suit prior to the settlement.
Oil and gas companies had warned foryears prior to the reclassification that the restrictions on development stemming from the lizards’ endangered status would slow every step of projects in the region. Anew reassessment of thesagebrush lizard’sstatus is expected within two years of the settlement, the wildlifeservice said.
ing overwash eventsthat are causing nest failure,” Kneidelsaidashewalkedalong the rocky Moonstone Beach, thesky filledwithsqueaking, least terns.
On Martha’s Vineyard, a low-lying fence withchicken wire is installed seasonally at the entrance of akey breeding site for oystercatchersand other seabirds and shorebirds, which has kept skunks and raccoons that eat their eggs off thebeach. Colorful signs have alsobeen installed educating thepublic about oystercatchers.
Focusedattention
Thebirds also benefit from federal protections givento piping plovers, athreatened shorebirdthat nestsinsome of the same areas.During thenesting season of piping plovers, vehiclesand dogs are limited or banned near beach nesting sites.
“With alittle bit of focused effort andattention on this really charismatic bird, you can teach the public howto share the shore,” saidLuanne Johnson, awildlife biologist whofounded thenonprofit BiodiversityWorks, one of the groups working on theoystercatcher’srecovery
The island was thefirst place to have nesting oystercatchers in Massachusetts and has seen thenumbers of breeding pairs increase77% since 2009.
“Ifyou focus conservation effortsonaspecies,especially beforeitbecomes endangered to the point that you’re considering listing, youcan actually sort of head off trouble at the pass,”said Lindsay Addison, acoastal biologist with Audubon North Carolina, adding the state’sbreeding pairs have increased nearly 20% to 403.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceShorebird Monitor AllisonRuhl carries an adult oystercatcher at Trustom Pond
THE GULF COAST
Biloxi house that withstood Camille, Katrina gets new life
After lengthy restoration, The Belvedere to open on Water Street
BY LILLIAN FOSTER
The Sun Herald
A storied building in the heart of downtown Biloxi, Mississippi, is getting a new life this summer.
The Belvedere, a 1920s-themed boutique lodge on Water Street offering five short-term rental spaces, is set to open this month.
Gautier-native Meredith Matthews and her husband, David, are restoring the building, which has served as apartments or shortterm rental units since 1926.
The husband-and-wife duo bought the building in May 2024 and started renovations a few months later
As they lifted floorboards and peeled back wallpaper, they uncovered unexpected layers of local history — and a few issues that would take longer to fix than anticipated.
The grand opening
Buying a 100-year-old house was not the original plan.
After the Galveston, Texas, tinyhome market gained popularity in 2022, Matthews decided she wanted to bring that trend to the Mississippi Coast.
However when she returned to Biloxi after spending 10 years in Houston, she said she fell in love with something much larger — a two-story, 20th-century commercial property
“I was actually just in love with what this place could be, but it was a complete departure from what we originally intended,” Matthews
“said.
The couple planned to restore and open the short-term rental property within six months, but termite damage, run-down stairs and unexpected reframing stalled the project for years.
“You learn the hard way about what it takes to renovate something this old,” Matthews said. “We were very naive, but we had a lot of passion and enthusiasm for the job.”
Now, the grand opening is just weeks away
The property features five suites, each inspired by a 1920s icon. The four main units, based on Zelda Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Ernest Hemingway and Josephine Baker each include a full kitchen, in-unit laundry and a single bed-
room and bathroom, with the two upstairs suites boasting patio deck access.
A fifth, smaller suite honors Clara Bow, the iconic silent film star actress known for her expressive acting. The single bedroom and bathroom unit includes a kitchenette.
Individual suites and the entire building are available to rent for stays of up to 29 days. The Belvedere has launched an early access waitlist for reservations.
“We’re going to be very proud of what we’ve done and proud of what we’ve brought to the city of Biloxi,” Matthews said.
A storied building
Two weeks before getting married to Susan Tharp in July 1969,
Dwayne Tharp rented an apartment in the building that is now
The Belvedere “I just happened to go downtown in Biloxi and went to the USO and saw a note on the board there for an apartment for rent,” Dwayne Tharp said. “It was $70 a month, which was most of my paycheck.”
The newlywed couple spent less than a month in the apartment before Hurricane Camille devastated southern Mississippi on Aug. 17, 1969.
Dwayne Tharp recalled having the only gas refrigerator in the neighborhood and hosting barbecues in the backyard to feed the National Guard.
“It was a time of togetherness That’s how people survived then,” he said.
The pair left Biloxi after Dwayne Tharp was transferred to an Air Force base in Georgia. It would be more than five decades before the couple returned. On Sunday, July 12, Dwayne and Susan Tharp celebrated their anniversary at Mary Mahoney’s.
“We used to watch all the people in the Cadillacs drive up, and we would just sit there and look at them, because we couldn’t afford anything like that,” Dwayne Tharp said.
“But we said that one day we’re going to eat at Mary Mahoney’s, and so we went back.”
Just before their reservation, they spotted a familiar scene — their old apartment.
“It was nice because everything around it has changed, but the house is still there,” Dwayne Tharp said.
“It was just like walking in on that first day,” Susan Tharp said. “It was very nostalgic.” Ocean Springs native John Lindsay shared a similar memory, having rented an apartment in the building in 1993.
“It’s very cathartic to think that it’s going to be this really nice place,” Lindsay said. “I love the fact that it’s not being totally demolished It’s using the original structure, and they’re building that history.” Lindsay and his husband, in addition to Susan and Dwayne Tharp, are hoping to attend the grand opening in August, celebrating the building’s history while ushering in a new chapter
The Sun Herald, based in Biloxi, covers the Mississippi Gulf Coast and is a news partner with NOLA.com | The TimesPicayune. Read more at www sunherald.com.
I was actually just in love with what this place could be, but it was a complete departure from what we originally intended.
MEREDITH MATTHEWS owner
The Belvedere in Biloxi is opening this month.
2026 SouthernUniversityFootballGameDay
Traffic,Parking,and StadiumRules
Southern UniversityAthletics urgesfanstoarriveearly before kick-off forall Southern Universityhomefootball gamesatA.W
MumfordStadium to help with theeaseoftrafficflow
Driverswho parkinthe paid/reserve lots must have their hang tags visible on thevehiclesorriskbeing towedand/orticketed Contraflowmay begin earlierthandesignatedifneed be Additional reserveparking will be available at theMLK Catholic Center.Call theSUticketoffice at 225-771-3171 fordetails Also,the areasonIsabelHersonDrive,nearthe Southern UniversityLaboratorySchool, will be available forparking Generalparking,which is $20, will only be madeavailable on Saturday
Designated limited mobility parking areaswillbeavailable on a first come basis. Shuttles will be available in certain areastobring fans to thestadium.Pleasesee theLimited Mobility/ReservedLot manifestfor acomplete list of lotsand availableshuttle locations SouthernUniversityFootballGameTrafficPlan ALLHANGTAGSMUSTBEHUNG FROM REARVIEWMIRROR BEFORE ENTERING CAMPUS ANDREMAINVISIBLYDISPLAYED AT ALLTIMES.VEHICLESPARKEDINRESERVEDPARKING LOTS WITHOUT DISPLAYING RESERVED HANG TAGS FORTHATLOT WILL BE TOWED. Thereare alimited number of game dayRV andtailgatingspotsavailable,call225-771-3171for more info Individualvehicleswillnot be allowedtoparkinRVlots. Allmotor homesand fifth wheelersmustparkinthe areasdesignatedfor motor homes. If youwillbetowingavehicle,you must purchase a parking permit forthe vehicleand parkitinthe designated lotthat correspondstothe permit
Traffic on Campus during Normal Traffic Flow
Traffic onto campus by wayof
HardingBoulevard
•The rightlaneofHardingBoulevard is forDecal Reserved ParkingLotsA,B,C,D,G(Mini Dome andStadium Parking), Tailgate Dome
•The left lane of HardingBoulevard is forDecal Reserved Parking Lots, E, V, Uand MLK
•Gameday busparking should enteronHardingand proceed to E.C. HarrisonDrive.Parking is $250 forall non-SU Alumni/ Booster Clubs.
Anydecal entering theMiniDomemay be allowedtopassthrough theMiniDomeparking area if it is notLot Dtoget their designated decalparking area.Trafficontocampusbyway of Swan Avenue
will be able to gettoLotsA,B,C,D,F,G,H,and I.
Traffic ontocampusbyway of B. A. LittleDr. from MillsAvenuewill be able to gettoLotsA,B,C,D,F,G,H,and I.
Alltrafficthatisnot goingtoareservedlot must park in ageneral
parking area
Traffic onto HardingBoulevard
•BradfordHall ParkingLot
•Human ResourcesParking Lot
•Parking lotonthe Scott’sBluff
•ArchivesParking Lot
•Museum ParkingLot
•Law Center ParkingLot
•MayberryDiningHall ParkingLot
•Army/Navy ROTC ParkingLot
Traffic onto Swan Avenue
•The grassareaeastofIsabelHersonStreet
•The grassareanorth of theSouthernLaboratorypracticefield
•All Persons&ItemsEntering areSubject to Inspection
•NoRe-entry-AnyoneLeaving theStadium Must Have aNew Unused Ticket to Re-enter
•Tickets MayNot be Re-sold on Stadium Premises &Surrounding Grounds(IncludingParking Lots)
•All PersonsMustHavea Ticket forAdmission -Regardless of Age(children under 2years old do notneedaticket)
•Smoking &Use of AllTobacco Products(Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes,Cigars, Pipes,Smokeless Tobacco,Snuff,Chewing Tobacco,Vapes,etc.) is Prohibited Everywhere on Southern University’sCampus
•Inall sports, access to thecompetition area shallbelimited to participating student-athletes, coaches,officials, support personneland properlycredentialed individualsatall times.
•AtNotimebefore, duringorafter acontest shallspectators be permitted to enter thefieldorplaying surface.
•Accesstothe field is reserved forparticipating student-athletes, coaches,officials, supportpersonneland properlycredentialed individuals.
LOUISIANAPOLITICS
What Trump’selection-rulespushmeans forLouisiana
WASHINGTON –President Donald Trump and his Republican allies went “all in” last week on their theorythat American elections arefundamentally flawed and rigged against the Republicans who now control Congress andthe White House.
Trump’sSolicitor General, D. John Sauer,asked Monday that theU.S Supreme Court quickly endorse an executiveorder that would limit the use of “mailin” ballots in time for the Nov.3 midterms.
In November,voters will decide if Republicans will continue to hold all the reins of power or whether Democrats should control either the House or the Senateorboth. That’swhy Trump and his allies are pushingchanges to election protocols in Congress and now at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Louisiana joined other Republican-run states Tuesday in making asimilar request of the Supreme Court in another case.
While this is amajor fighton the national level, it doesn’t particularly mean much in Louisiana, where congressional candidates from Wednesday throughFriday will pay their fees and signupto run for office.
That’sbecause the Louisiana Legislature, with its GOP supermajorities, already has approved much of what Trump wants: proof of citizenship when registering to vote; photoidentification to cast aballot; and,this is the controversial part, limits on when and how voters can mail their ballots —restrictionsabout whichevenSpeaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, has reservations, at least when it comes to counting
Cassidy leads panelto advance Schwartz to CDC
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy backed the confirmation of President Donald Trump’snominee to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in anarrow vote Thursday morning that forwarded Dr.Erica Schwartz’snomination to the full Senate. On a12-10, party-linevote, the SenateHealth EducationLabor & Pensions Committee, which Cassidy chairs, advanced Schwartz’snomination for the full Senatetoconsider herfinalconfirmation to the CDC post in Atlanta. The CDC tracks, researches, and addresses preventablehealth threats.
The panel then, also on narrow votes, approved the nominationsofSean Kaufman to be assistant secretary for preparedness and response for the Department of Healthand Human Services; and Keith Sonderling to be secretary of labor The backing of Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, was up in the air and considered necessary —particularly
votesinthe U.S. House. Trumphas refused to sign any legislation until Congress passes the SAVEAmerica Act, which requires voters to prove their citizenship when registering and show their identification when castingballots. He wants the bill to include restrictions on mail ballots.
Johnson has dutifully attached the bill’swordingtojust about every instrument passed out of the House and sent to theSenate during thepast month. Buthehas used aversion without theabsentee limits for some of thesuccessfulHouse votes on theissue.
“The mail-in ballot,” Johnson
after disagreements over thepolitical meddling of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr Last week, Cassidy said Schwartz’ssupport for vaccinations and herassurances that the alleged link between vaccines and autism would beremoved from CDC’swebsite allowedhim to back her nomination. The scientific consensusisthat vaccinations do not cause autism despite claims by Kennedy and hisMakeAmerica Healthy Again movement. The CDC webpage now says scientists “have not identifiedthe root causes” of autism.
said, “is avery difficult thing to regulateatthe federal level, because different states do it differently.”
The U.S. Constitution and federal laws specifically give states authority to stage elections as they like.
Louisianaisone of 13 states that require an excuse to vote without personally showing up at the polls. There are adozen or so acceptable reasons, suchasbeing over the age of 65 or living in anursing home. Louisiana is the only state that requires amail ballot to be submitted theday before Election Day Thirty-seven other states and
“Wecan’thaveperfection.My wife learned that when we first began to date. Yousometimes don’t get the nominee you’dlike to have but you geta nominee you have to have if you’regoing to address serious issues,” Cassidy said.
Vaccine-skeptic Kennedy last year persuaded Cassidy,aphysician who has studied the efficacy of vaccines, to back his controversial nomination as secretary of the Department of Health &Human Services based, the senator says, on aseries of promises.
OneofKennedy’s vows, Cassidy says, included that Kennedy would notchange thenation’schildhood vaccine recommendations.Kennedy attempted to rewrite those
schedules anddrop anumber of required inoculations. Afederal judge blocked implementation. At the time of Kennedy’sconfirmation,Cassidy was seeking reelection andcounting on President Donald Trumpnot to get involved in that campaign effort, even though Cassidy voted to convictthe presidentonimpeachment charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S.Capitol. Trump, however,endorsed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow,R-Baton Rouge,and Cassidyeventually lost in May’s closed party primary
Since losing theprimary, Cassidy,who leaves office in January, has since become oneofTrump’s loudest critics among Republican senators.
Travis McIlwain to take over LASERS
TheLouisianaState Employees’ RetirementSystem, commonly known as LASERS,isgetting a new leader this fall after theretirement of currentExecutiveDirector Trey Boudreaux.
Travis McIlwain will take over as executive director of the pension fund beginning Nov.1,according to aThursday news release from LASERS.
McIlwain has been on theexecutive leadership team of theretire-
theDistrict of Columbia allow voters just to request, without making excuses, an absentee ballot.
Trumpcalled mailballots “inherentlycorrupt” as late as last week at apolitical rally in Michigan. Like about 30% of the electorate in 2024, Trumpvoted absentee, according to federal elections data.
Mail-in ballots have held aspot in his litany of election abuses since Joe Biden wonthe 2020 presidential election.Though Trumphas no reliable proof of widespread fraud, he repeatedly says that cheating is responsible for Democratic electoral wins.
ment system since 2021, first as chiefadministrative officer and mostrecently as chief of staff, and he’sworked closely with “nearly every department,” according to the release.
Before joining the retirement system, he was state budget director at the DivisionofAdministration and also held anumber of other roles across Louisiana state government. The retirement system is governed by a13-member board of trusteesand hasroughly 100,000 members, according to the LASERSwebsite.
As of June 2025, it holds $17.2 billioninmarket value of assets, the website says.
Landrysigns data-sharing, fraud-fighting order
Gov.JeffLandry signed an executive order last weekdirecting theLouisiana inspector general to work with abroad swath of federal andstate agencies to halt government inefficiencies and fraud by using up-to-date technologies, including artificialintelligence, and increasing data sharing across agencies.
The order,which Landryan-
Part of the debate is how long it takes to count the mailvotes. Generally,ballot counting can’t start until the polls are closed. While votes cast on election day are counted mechanically,mailin ballots have to be opened, checked foreligibility,signatures reviewed, then counted.
Reports and analysis show that Republicans and Democrats equally use mailballots, but in somerecent counts, early GOP leads of the votes cast in person evaporated when the absentee ballots weretallied.
“I’m not saying it’srigged. I’m saying it stinks to high heaven, and everybody knowsthat,” Johnson said of the lengthy count in California’sJune primaries.
Into this milieu comes Trump’s request that the SupremeCourt essentially ratifyhis March 31 “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections.”
The executive order instructs the U.S. Postal Service to propose rules formail-in and absentee ballots, and it directs the DepartmentofHomeland Security to compile lists of U.S. citizens over the age of 18, then only deliver ballots to individuals on those “state citizenship” lists. The goal, Trumpsays, is to promote election integrity
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia argued to afederal district court in Massachusetts, where ballots are proactively mailed to voters, that the executive order violates the constitutional provisions giving states the power to organize elections.
The justices are asking opponents to file their responses by close of business Monday
Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com.
nounced in avideo on social media on Wednesday,establishes the Louisiana Taxpayer Protection Initiative, which will be helmed by state Inspector General Angele Davis. “Louisiana taxpayers deserve transparency andassurance that their money is spent wisely,” Landry said. “This executive orderstrengthens our ability to detect andeliminate lossescaused by fraud, waste and abuse in state government. We will continue to work with President Trump to protect all taxpayers.”
Under the order,the inspector generalmust collaborate with federal agencies to “make use of anti-fraud systems” as well as “data sharing and matching, joint or parallel investigations, civil or criminal referrals, and the joint recovery of federal and state funds.”
Among those listed: the U.S. Treasury Department, DepartmentofJustice, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor,Department of Agriculture, the Social Security Administration and others.
At the state level, at least 19 agencieshavetoappoint aliaison to work on the initiative.
Theeffortaimstostopfraud across government programs, improve the state’spayment systems and eligibility checks for grant awards, andrecover money that’s misspent or paid out incorrectly, among other goals.
Mark Ballard
Capitol Buzz STAFF REPORTS
McIlwain
Cassidy
Schwartz
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByRAHMATGUL
President Donald Trump’sSolicitor General, D. John Sauer,asked Monday that the U.S. Supreme Courtquickly endorseanexecutiveorder that would limit the use of ‘mail-in’ ballots in time for the Nov. 3midterms.
Record-low Danube River affects tourism, industry
BY JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press
BUDAPEST, Hungary — As wildfires rage in France and Spain and a renewed heat wave is bearing down on Western Europe, a prolonged drought half a continent away is setting record low water levels on one of Europe’s largest rivers, disrupting tourism and industry and confronting residents with the realities of climate change.
The Danube River, which runs through 10 countries from southwestern Germany to the Black Sea, has receded to never-beforeseen lows along much of its course, exposing rocks, sand bars and old shipwrecks that have rarely been seen before.
In Budapest, Hungary’s capital, the national water authority measured the Danube’s water level at 9 inches last week, well below the previous all-time low of 13 inches set in 2018. The river is expected to further ebb in the coming days with no significant rain in the forecast and temperatures expected to rise to over 100 degrees across the region.
Boat traffic
As Danube levels sank to a new low on Tuesday photographer Gábor Kertész went to the base of Budapest’s Margaret Bridge — typically underwater but now an exposed shoal to document the sight.
“The bare rocks, the dry sand bars around the bridge pillars it’s all shocking to see how things were before and how they are now,” he said.
“Where will this lead, what will happen? We don’t know that yet, but this must be the result of climate
change.”
Much of Central Europe has been under a prolonged drought for most of the year, and successive heat waves have accelerated evaporation and caused waterways to dry out
According to the Hungarian Meteorological Service, 90-day precipitation totals are 3.1 to 5.1 inches lower across nearly the entire country compared to multiyear averages.
The low water level has forced popular cruise ships, where passengers usually disembark for sightseeing in Budapest, to dock far upriver, while cargo ships have stopped operating nearly entirely, according to Hungary’s Ministry of Transport and Investment.
In Bulgaria, where the Danube forms a border with Romania, police on Tuesday evacuated 186 tourists from a cruise ship that had run aground near the port city of Vidin.
Passengers of the Viking Ullur ran out of food and water after the vessel, which had been scheduled to take on supplies in Vidin, was unable to reach the port after running into a shallow shoal, according to Bulgar-
ia’s state news agency BTA.
The ship’s 52 crew members could have to remain onboard for an extended period depending on navigation conditions and refloating options, police said.
In Serbia, hundreds of small boats and dozens of cargo ships were marooned on the dried out river bank near the northern city of Novi Sad.
One house boat owner, Radovan Segrt, who runs river excursions on his vessel, told The Associated Press that the water in the Danube had withdrawn “some 50 to 65 feet from its shore.”
“The summer season is over now, as far as boat riding is concerned,” he said.
Nuclear plant shut downs
The receding waters are also affecting nuclear energy production in numerous countries where water from the Danube is typically used to cool reactors. In Romania, where Danube water flow had fallen to 1,630 cubic meters per second, around a third of a typical July average, authorities shut down a reactor unit at the Cernavoda power plant last week for safety reasons and an-
nounced another would be shut down soon after Similarly, Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant, which
People stand on a bank of sand on the Danube River as usually submerged areas are exposed due to extreme low levels of the water following an extended period of drought in Corabia, Romania.
cooling-water supplies. That came after two successive reductions in power output in two reactors over the previous two days.
Drought exposes treasures
The exposed river bed can also pose dangers. Last week, authorities in Budapest closed the Margaret Bridge after a bomb dating from World War II was exposed at its base by the receding water levels.
Treasure hunter Zsolt Horváth was using the extreme conditions to fish metal objects from the exposed bank with a powerful magnet. He said he got a lot of pleasure from finding things like an old radio amplifier or bullet casings from the
Horváth said
supplies nearly half of the country’s electricity, began powering down a reactor on last week due to restricted
Alimited viewingof works by 20 artiststhrough Sunday, August 23, 2026 with asampling at the West BatonRouge Museum, Baton Rouge Gallery, and Southern University A&M College
Club closedfor alcoholviolations
Mankilledoutside LilBlueHouse in February
BY BLAKE LESCHBER Staff writer
The Lil Blue House, anorth Baton Rouge after-hoursclubwhere aman was shot and killed in February,has been shut down duetoa code violation.
According to the court order,the Lil Blue House —locatedat 2618 Osage St. and owned by Allnite
As Amazon drones arrive,Ifeel that history is shifting
Iwas working from home the other day when aloud whirr from beyond the window got my attention. It sounded at first like agarden weeder in a nearby lawn, but brisker,and the noise seemed to trail from above. Iwent to the patio for acloser look, which is how Igot my first look at adrone deliveryin progress. Amazon recently rolled out its drone delivery service in part of Louisiana, and my neighborhood is in the mix. Above my fence, Icould see the company’sblue and white drone hovering in abackyard acouple of houses away. It lingered in midair for an instant, like an alien craft probing the planet for signs of life. But after dropping its parcel to the ground, the drone was on its way Amazon’sdrones are limited to small packages, but Iwas left to wonder if the advertising possibilities are alsopart of what the company sees in its fleet of autonomous aircraft. Just as the Goodyear blimp has become abrand ambassador for an iconic tire company, maybe Amazon aspires to make its familiar smile logo an equally vivid fixture of the national skyline. Ihad beckoned my wifeoutside to see the drone, too,wanting afellow witness to mark the
ä See AT RANDOM, page 3B
Entertainment —isliable for ause violationina commercial district, meaning its certificateofoccupancy was revoked, and the power was turned off.
Aslew
stated.
According to the Unified Development Code, reception halls must have amajor useconditional permit and alicense from theOffice of Alcohol Beverage Control to serve alcohol.
Allnite Entertainment hasthe righttoappeal,the court order
Rachael Lambert, director of the Department of Developmentfor thecity-parish, said the Lil Blue House had an occupancyclassification as areception hall without alcohol. However,city officials were notified that alcohol was present on-site, which is aviolation of the occupancy
DistrictAttorney Hillar Moore said Allnite Entertainment could face anuisance abatement,which is alegal process thatintends to removeharmful activities that affect property use, but no current criminal charges.
On Feb. 27, Demarcus Variste, 27, was shot and killed outside theLil Blue House. Investigations showed Varistewas shot after a fight, where the unknown suspect ran away
In June 2025, Prenesha Wagner, 25, was killed in an exchange of gunfire outside the Big Blue House at Choctaw Drive andAcadian Thruway,which is aclub also operated by Allnite Entertainment. Five other people were injured and over 160 bullet casings were found. According to previous Advocate reporting,the BigBlue House wasoperating without a liquor license.
PUTTITTHERE
ABOVE: Hudson Pierce, 8, right, agonizes over missing aputt Saturday in front of siblings Eleanor,left, and Asher Nelson during an event at City Park withFirst Tee, anational youth development program.
The Donaldsonville CityCouncil introduced an ordinanceonFridaythatwould approve adevelopmentagreementfor aroughly 130-home subdivision on Thibaut Drive.
The proposed agreement is with J. Breaux Enterprises, aCarencro-area real estate development and construction company planning to build the subdivision on approximately 87 acres. UnderLouisiana
expected before it returns to the council foravote.
“We’re still going back and forth with some edits right now.I don’t think there’sgoing to be any really major changesfrom what Ihave here,” he said.
Longsaidthe development will consist of single-family homes thatwillcostbetween $250,000 and $280,000. He said mosthomes are expected to be three-bedroom, two-bath, with some four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath houses sprinkled in.
The developer has also agreed to install naturalgas servicethroughout the subdivision.
“That’sa big deal. Alot of developerswanttocut costs,and they don’twant to do gas, but they’ve agreed to do
For 27 years, LouisianaCastle, located in Washington Parish, has been atop spot for locals’ and visitors’ weddings, corporate and private events and romanticgetaways.
The castle, spread across 10 acres of land and tucked between trees, couldnow becomesomeone’spersonal estate for$1.9 million. Built in 1991, the property welcomes guests with two cement lions, named Sid and Ernie, who guard the main door. The dirt path leading to the estate islined with medieval flags that slowly peel away to reveal thegrand en-
trance.
After entering through thesolid wood door,visitors encounter an array of experiences and sights. Theones that stand out are theindoor Jacuzzi, the expansive openairpavilion fit for large gatherings,king and queen thrones, and swords and armory decorating the interior walls.
Atwo-story home, the castle features abride-and-groom suite, twobathrooms and abalcony that overlooks the estate grounds. The property extends beyond 6,000 square feet withmost furniture and decor from NewOrleans flea markets, including the thrones andprints found throughout the estate.
Thelisting includes afull commercial kitchen, fixtures imported from England and Wales, walk-in closetsand an additional off-property guest house, included with the sale.
Designed and built by Dr.Mark
A. Belcher,the castle was originally apersonal residence. As a student at Louisiana Tech University,Belcher becameenamored with castlesafterwatchinga movie titled “TheWar Lord.”
Aftertraveling and visiting castlesaround Europe, Belcher began sketching his own castle plans.Hewas set on creating what would become Louisiana Castle and his dream home.
In 1999, real estate agents Dolly andSteveIllg bought and expanded the property to make it into the event venue it is today
“Weview LouisianaCastle as a work in progress and arealways looking for anything thatcan be done to improve it.Itisour intent to continue to make Louisiana Castle better and better,” they wrote on the castle’swebsite.
So far, thecastlehas witnessed manypeople’sonce-in-a-lifetime moments; now it could be apart of someone’sentirelife story
CLUB
Alcohol ordinances in theparish require that licensed bars and clubs cannotstay open later than 2a.m.Monday to Saturday, or midnight on Sundays. After-hours clubs can’tlegally serve alcohol or encourage patrons to bring their own.
Allnite Entertainment has posted photos andvideos from inside theLil Blue House as recently as June 25, showing people dancing anddrinking alcohol Posts date back to Oct. 6, 2024, some showing the club opening after2 a.m. According to Secretary of State’sOffice records, Allnite Entertainment’sbusiness license was revokedinMay 2024. In February 2025, Calvin Leverson, the principalofAllnite Entertainment, was arrested on two firearmscounts in front of the Lil Blue House; however,agrand jury decided there wasn’tenough evidence to charge him with the crime.
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2026
PICK 3: 9-0-1
PICK 4: 6-5-8-4
PICK 5: 2-5-4-5-5
MEGA MILLIONS: 4-18-26-43-51
MEGA
STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Hudson Pierce, center,lines up his puttwithMatthewStilson, left, and Beau Faulk looking on.
ABOVE: Asher Nelson, left, and Beau Faulk sprint down ahill together during the FirstTee golf event at City Park on Saturday. RIGHT: Beau reactsto his younger sister,Eloise, running on the green to pick up Asher’sball after putting
Police seek tips in fatal hit-and-run
The Baton Rouge Police Depart-
ment is investigating a hit-and-run that killed a 35-year-old man on July 11.
The Police Department said about 1:20 a.m. on July 11, the victim was stopped in the right northbound lane in the 4800 block of Scenic Highway due to a flat
tire While standing outside his vehicle, a dark-colored SUV struck him. The driver fled the scene without stopping or rendering aid.
Police are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is
encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.
Slidell man dies in crash in Livingston Parish
Troopers with Louisiana State Police are investigating a crash that took the life of 39-year-old
LAWS
Continued from page 1B
Act 496 further prohibits the use of deepfake material against students enrolled in K-12 schools.
Balloon release ban
Intentionally releasing a balloon or planning the organized release of 12 or more balloons is now banned in Louisiana. Act 196 amends the state’s ban on intentional littering to include balloon releases outdoors by people 17 and over
The release of balloons made with biodegradable or photobiodegradable materials, as well as the use of balloons for scientific, meteorological and radio tracking purposes, are exempt from the law
Restaurant workers
Louisiana will get tougher on people who attack restaurant and front counter staff Act 892 enhances criminal penalties for assault and battery when the victims are employees in food and retail establishments.
The law comes after a Baton Rouge couple was accused in March of shooting a restaurant owner over a mistake in their food order
Hazing education
Act 309 requires the state Board of Regents to develop a policy on hazing prevention and reporting with the colleges and schools It requires students to directly receive anti-hazing educational material and for Louisiana public and private schools that receive state funds to maintain an online database of reported hazing incidents.
Named after Caleb Wilson, a Southern University student who died last year in a fraternity hazing incident, the act was the result of a legislative task force that worked to address hazing in educational institutions across the state.
Debit card surcharges Act 751 prohibits retail businesses from adding a surcharge to people who pay with debit cards.
However, before a cardholder can file a lawsuit against a business that uses a surcharge, the new law requires cardholders to
give written notice to the business, which must reimburse the cardholder within 30 days.
Checking the voting rolls
State officials must now conduct annual investigations into whether noncitizens vote in elections. Act 6 mandates that Louisiana annually check voters’ citizenship using the federal System Alien Verification for Entitlements program, known as SAVE.
Last year, an investigation done by the Secretary of State’s Office found that noncitizen voting was not a “systemic problem” in Louisiana and that of the almost 3 million Louisiana residents registered to vote, only 390 noncitizens did so illegally Immigrants’ benefits Act 745 adds new reporting requirements to a law that limits which immigrants qualify for public benefits, including SNAP Medicaid and Medicare. The act also prohibits state agencies from giving applicants more time to prove their immigration status than the federal requirement.
Erroneous inmate release
Act 116 requires the public to be notified when prisoners are wrongfully released from a parish prison facility, jail or state correctional facility
The law comes after backlash to former Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson for last year’s 10-inmate jailbreak and other incidents of improper inmate release.
Labeled seafood
Act 323 requires the la-
beling of foreign seafood and seafood “commingled” with foreign and domestic origins and places fines or penalties on processors and distributors for labeling such products as “domestic.”
The law is part of a wave of legislation aimed at protecting local shrimpers.
Church trespassers
Acts 115 and 148 expand the definition of “disturbing the 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 a wave of conservative backlash to U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters derailing a church service in Minnesota in January
Changing ‘gender’ Act 814 requires all uses of “gender” to be swapped to “sex” in state law. The law defines sex as “an individual’s biological sex, either male or female, as observed or clinically certified at birth,” and says that gender identity “and other subjective terms shall not be used as synonyms or substitutes.”
Advocates say it provides a uniform definition of “sex” in the state and aligns it with human biology
Critics say the law could create violations of gender discrimination law and target those who identify as transgender
David Davies, of Slidell. Shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, State Police began investigating a singlevehicle fatal crash on La. 16 near Ben Fugler Road in Livingston Parish. Police believe Davies was driving a 2020 Toyota Tundra south on La. 16 when his pickup truck went off the road and hit a tree.
Davies was not wearing his seat belt and sustained fatal injuries, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Impairment is unknown; however, a routine toxicology sample will be obtained and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation, police said.
AT RANDOM
Continued from page 1B
occasion. There are times in your life when you sense that history is about to change, and this felt like one of those moments.
I’ve now lived long enough to experience quite a few of them.
There was an otherwise uneventful evening in the mid-1990s, for example, when our then-landlord told me that he had just sent his first email, a brief message to his neighbor After getting a primer on how email worked, I wondered aloud why instead of sending a greet-
ing through a computer, my landlord hadn’t just knocked on his neighbor’s door
The beauty of the technology, obviously, was that it could enable users to connect cheaply and easily across vast distances. That innovation, along with the related tools of digital life, has allowed me to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Just the other day, to cite but one example, I was able to chat online with author Julian Hoffman while he sat at his home in Greece — a commonplace exchange that, in my childhood, would have required a costly and unreliable long-distance phone call.
But I occasionally find myself haunted by the thought of my landlord emailing his neighbor all those years ago. It seemed to foreshadow how often we’ve come to use technology to replace direct human connection rather than strengthen it. Will drone commerce tempt us to do likewise? With age, I’ve become less confident in predicting the future. What I have felt, on morning walks as drones buzz overhead, is that the skies have changed in a way I couldn’t have anticipated. Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman. com.
TheGoldenDeeds awardisthe most prestigious awardinthe GreaterBaton Rougearea. Since itsinceptionin1942, it hasbeen awardedtoonlyone outstanding recipienteach year forphilanthropic servicetothe community. Theactions andservice of therecipients have made thecommunity abetterplace to live andwork.
Explainwhy your nomineeshouldreceive theGolden Deeds Award. Tell us in your ownwords about themostnotable things they’vedoneinservice to thecommunity,committees andcivicand charitable groupaffiliations Tell us howtheir actionsmadeadifference Give specificexamplesofwhatthey’ve done Maximumof750 words. Nominations must meet specific requirementstobeconsidered.
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Email Marco Cartolano at marco.cartolano@ theadvocate.com.
SponsoredBY
Jeff Cleland, principal of infrastructure and regulatory affairs, talks about the drone that Prime Air uses in the Amazon drone delivery.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Family and friends hold a second-line after the celebration of life services for
is named after Wilson.
Obituaries years, he worked as an aircraft mechanic specializing in electronics and avionics, maintaining bomber aircraft in support of the Air Force's mission. Following his military service,Bob earned adegree in ElectricalEngineering from Louisiana State University. He spent most of his professionalcareer with EthylCorporation in North Baton Rouge. Bob and the love of his life,Beatrice Lynn Boesch, shared55wonderful years of marriage. Together they builttheir home in Baton Rouge,wherethey raised their threesons in ahome centeredonfaith,love,and family
Allen, Joseph Dennis Joseph Dennis "Yankee" Allen, age 74 and aresident of St.Amant, La passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Yankee is survivedby his sister,Mary Allen;3 brothers, Frederick Allen, Frank Allen, and Robert Allen (wife Barbara); He is also survivedbyhis soul mate, Crystal, and his extended family,Brent and AprilDedon,Hunter Dedon, Emily Dedon andStephanie Davidson Wolf. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Nellie Duchane Allen;brother, Larry Allen andfriend Mark Dedon. Services forYankee will be held on Monday August 3, 2026, at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533 Airline Hwy, Gonzales, LA. Visiting will be from 5:00PMuntil the funeral Service at 7:00 PM. He will be laid to rest in Rosehill Cemetery, 4309 Puttygut Rd, East China, MI. Thegravesideservice will be on Saturday,August 8, 2026,atthe Rosehill Cemeteryat12:00 PM.
Mark T. Bizette was born October 12, 1961 in New Roads, La. He passed away on Saturday,July 25, 2026 in Baton Rouge, La.at the age of 64. He was aresidentofBatonRouge, La. for 40 years. He retired from Cox Communication in 2024after 36 years of service. Mark was aveteran of theLouisiana National Guard. Mark is survived byhis wife, Gwen Conley Bizetteof30years. He is also survived by his sister, Penny Bizette Denson (Terry), sister-in-law's, Jane Conley, Liz Walker (Charlie), Gail Conley (the late John) and Colleen Conley, nieces, Heidi Bergeron (Allen), Jennifer Anderson (Tim), Justin Conley (Abby), Kevin George and Aubrie and Courtney Tierney,aswell as many great nieces and nephews. Mark was preceded in death by his parents, Harris and Isabelle Bizette, brother, MikeBizette, nephew, Tim Conley and brother-in-law, John W. Conley. Family and friends are invitedtoattend aMass of Christian Burial at OurLady of Mercy Church, 445 Marquette Ave., Baton Rouge, La. 70806 on Thursday August 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM. A rosary will begin at 8:30 AM followed by avisitation from 9:00 AM until Service time. Burial to follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, La. 70815.Inlieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mark'sname to Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area (www.alzbr.org)
John Robert "Bob" Boesch entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, July 19, following a brief battle with myelodysplastic syndrome, arare formofblood cancer.He passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family, with his sons by his side. Bob was born on January2,1943, in NewOrleans,Louisiana, to John Emile Boesch and Lois Brown Boesch. Shortly afterWorld War II, his family moved to Baton Rouge where he spent most of his life. He was adevoted husband, loving father, faithful servant of Christ, and trusted friend. Hislife was marked by his faithful service to his wife, his family andhis Lord. Bob was into scouting and building rockets as a kid. He earned Eagle Scout rank before he was 18. After graduating from Istrouma high school, Bob proudly served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. For four
Hisgreatestpassion, however, was serving Christ. Bob faithfully servedfor many years as a Sunday School teacher and deacon, firstatLanier Baptist Church and later at Greenwell SpringsBaptist Church.Helovedteaching God'sWordand quietly investing in the livesofothers
After retiring,Bob devoted countless hoursto the workofGideons International, helping place Bibles into the hands of students, hospitalpatients, travelers, military personnel, and prisoninmatesaround the world. His heart for sharing God's Word took him on mission trips with the Gideons to Zambia and Japan. Perhaps nowhere was Bob's character more clearly displayedthan in his devotiontohis beloved wife,Lynn. As Alzheimer's disease graduallystoleher memoriesand abilities overnearlytwenty years, Bob caredfor herwithremarkable patience, tenderness, and unwaveringlove. His faithful commitment through those difficult years reflected the covenant he hadmade beforeGod and stood as a powerful testimonytoeveryonewho knew them. Bob was preceded in death by his belovedwife Beatrice Lynn Boesch; his mother, Lois Brown Boesch; and hisfather, John Emile Boesch. He is survivedbyhis sisters, Linda Boesch Brietling and Martha Boesch; his sons,John Brian Boesch, Brett Emile Boesch, and Kevin ChristianBoesch; along with theirfamilies, including his cherished grandchildren. Hislegacy of faith, love,and service willcontinuethrougheach of them.
Though his family grieves his absence,they rejoice in the assurance that Bob is now at home with the Lord—whole, healed, and forever in His presence. His lifewas a blessingtomany,and his example willcontinue to inspire allwho had the privilege of knowing him.
Avisitation willbeheld at GreenoaksFuneral Home, 9595Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70815, on Saturday, August 8, 2026 from 9amuntil funeralservices at 11 am. Burialwill follow in GreenoaksMemorial Park.
Bunch, Margaret Evelyn Comeaux
Margaret Evelyn Comeaux Bunch passed awayonThursday, July30, 2026,atLegacy Nursing Home in Plaquemine,surrounded by her daughters. Shewas 87 and alifelong resident of Plaquemine. Margaret Evelyn took pride in herrole as wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-greatgrandmother. Shewas a homemaker who filled her home with love.She enjoyeddancing and listening to countrymusic. Visiting willbeatWilbertFuneralHome in Plaquemine on Monday, August3rd from9 a.m. until Rite of ChristianBurialat1 p.m. conductedbyDeaconBob McDonner. Entombment willfollow in Grace Memorial ParkMausoleum. MargaretEvelynissurvivedby her children,grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Shewas preceded in death by her husband, Capt. Kenneth A. Bunch; father,Roy J. Comeaux; mother,MarjoriePitre Comeaux Haynes; brothers, James E. Comeauxand Daniel J. Comeaux.
Christina Louise (nee Tumey) Cardona slipped quietly intoeternityonJuly 16, 2026. She is survivedby her children, includingher sonKai and hiswife,Taylor, and her daughters Kacey and Kayley. She is also survivedbyher mother, Nancy Tumey, and her siblings, MichaelTumey, Maren Elfaki,Matthew Tumey, LaurenBourque, Bryan Tumey, and Ryan Tumey.She was preceded in death by her father, Donald E. Tumey. Her familywas central to her life, and thebond she shared with them was one of her greatest blessings.
Christina workedfor the StateofLouisianafor the last 25 years at theOffice of Administrationwhere she was Manager of Human Resources. Christina enjoyed thechallenges presented by her position and treasured thefriendships she made there. She found her greatest happiness in spending time with her family,and theloveshe shared with them willcontinue to live on in the countless memories they will foreverhold close.Above allelse,she lovedher children and was immensely proud of the adults they havebecome.
In Loving Memory of Dr. AlvinFrancis Decuir Sr November 17, 1935 -July 23, 2026. Dr. AlvinFrancis Decuir Sr., 90, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, peacefullyentered eternal rest on Thursday, July23, 2026. A devoted husband,father, grandfather, educator, veteran, and man of unwavering faith, he dedicated his life to serving God,his family,his country, and his community
Born on November 17, 1935, to thelate Frank DecuirSr. and Bernadette EthelDecuir, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Rita Ann Decuir; his daughter, Jocelyn Fontenot Lange; and hissiblings, Eula Mae Mathis Bertrand, Delores Hornsby, Frank Decuir Jr., Dallas Decuir, Carolyn Bassett,and Patricia Honoré.
He is survived by his belovedwife of 51 years, Mary"Tee" Decuir; his brother, Ronald Decuir Sr.; his children, Jerome Fontenot (formerwife, Philomena), AngelaJones (Pat), Reinette Gills (Terry), Rosalyn Honoré (Charles Jr.), Julie Decuir, Alvin Decuir Jr. (Pansy), Doyle Fontenot (Gina), Darlene Perry(Donte), Shawn Decuir (Marita), and Jennifer Decuir (Winston Jr.); 25 grandchildren; 23 greatgrandchildren; and ahost of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Pinnacle PalliativeCareand Hospice,Our Ladyofthe Lake Hospital, Dr. Mark Kantrow, and his team, and to Christy Aucoin and CamilleTatefor their exceptional careand compassion.
ACatholicFuneral Mass willbecelebrated on August 4, 2026, at St.Jude Catholic Church, 9150 Highland Road,Baton Rouge, LA 70810. Visitation willbeginat9:00 a.m.,followed by theRosary at 10:30 a.m. The Funeral Mass will beginat11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at theLouisiana National Cemetery,303 West Mount Pleasant Road, Zachary, LA 70791. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be madetothe Society of St.Vincent de Paul at St. JudeCatholicChurch in honorofDr. Decuir. Funeral arrangementsentrusted to Church Funeral Services, https://www.churchfunera lservices.com.
Rosa Lee Griffin Douglas passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home at theage of 95 on July24th 2026. The homegoing celebrationofour belovedmatriarch will be August 3rd at 12 Noon. Serviceswillbe at The NewBeach Grove Baptist Church 4420 Crown Avenue.Viewing from 10am until noon. In Lieu of flowersdonations can be madeto https://www.gofundme. com/f/the-rosa-lee-douglas-e ducation-s chol arship-fund
With aheavyheart we announce thedeath of Reginald (Reggie)James Ducote, of Baker, Louisiana, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at theage of 74. Reggie was born in AvoyellesParish, Louisiana to Cleo Plauche Ducote and Robert (Bobby) WilliamDucote, Sr.When he was in grade school, Cleo and Bobbymoved their growing family to BatonRouge where Reggie and his siblings attended catholic schools and he recounted many stories about his experiences with (and fear) of thenuns. Reggie was gregarious and never met astranger. Hispeopleskills helped him excel in his work as a UPSdriver,making hima favorite personality through theday of thepeoplewho receivedpackages fromhim, and later as a Business Manager with the Teamsters. Always an advocate for theworker,he was passionate about helping others navigate thechallengesofworking withlarge organizations and received satisfaction fromsuccessfully negotiating better benefits for theemployees he represented
You couldcatch him watching LSUfootball in theFalland LSUbaseball in Summer. He loveda lively conversationand would never back down from a jovial debate. Reggie was known to tell adad joke or two, as well.
Reggie lovedtohunt and fish, though laterin life this morphed to alove of watching his trailcam and enjoying nature as a whole. He enjoyed feeding hisfamily,was awonderful cook,and his potato salad was unrivaled.
He is survivedbyhis wife of 35 years, Cynthia Socha Ducote, daughters Hannah Ducote, Denise Ducote, and Dawn Ducote grandson Marshall Ducote, sisters Bonnie Gomez and JodieDevall(Al Lambert), brothers Curtis Ducote (Brigitte), RobDucote (Scott Carter), Michael Socha (Dianne), and numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.
He is precededindeath by his parents, sons Troy Daniel Ducoteand Reggie Jr., sister Elizabeth Ducote, parents-in-law Anthony Sr. and Thelma Socha, Patricia (Trisha) Ducote, brothersin-law Robert (Roy) Devall, Edmund (Ed) Gomez,David Socha, Anthony (Tony) Socha, Jr., and nephew TimothyPerry. Avisitationwillbeheld from11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on 2026-08-03 at Central Funeral Home, 9995 Hooper Rd Afuneralservicewillbe held from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM on 2026-08-03 at Central Funeral Home, 9995 HooperRd.
the age of 79. He was surroundedbyloved ones and left from their arms to the arms of Jesus Christ. Barry is survived by hiswife,Angela;his twodaughters, Barrie Hidalgoand Amanda Elkins, andhis two sons, MathewLopezand Parker Elkins. He is also survived by Charles Elkins, II (brother), Connie Bradford (sister), andfour grandchildrenwho include RileyHidalgo, Rhodes Hidalgo,Caleb Babin, and Olivia Lopez. He is preceded in death by hisfather Charles Elkins, hismother, AmeliaElkins, and his brother, Alan Elkins. Barry graduatedfromBroadmoor High School in 1964. He attendedLSU andreceived abachelor'sdegree in Zoologywith aminor in Chemistry. In 1991, he attended Southern Law School to receivea Juris DoctorateDegree, ranking in thetop tenofhis class. He andAngela opened Magnolia Title of Baton Rouge,LLC. in 1994, which they continuedtooperate to this day. Until two weeks ago, Barrywas still goingtowork, closing loans, andreadingabstracts just as he didin 1994. In thelater years of Barry'slifewhenhewas notatwork, he studied the Bible andtaughtSunday school at hishomechurch, Indian MoundBaptist Church.Hewas always lookingfor away to share thegoodnewsofJesus Christ to anyone who wantedtolisten. He left this worldwith hisBible opened on thekitchentable, preparingtoteachthe upcomingSundayschool lesson. Like hisfather,Barry lovedtogrowa large gardenwith corn and peas. He wouldraise enough for hisfamilytoeat on for a year. It made him proud to sit at thetable with his familyand declare to all,"I grew that!" In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Indian MoundBaptist Church designatingthe funds to go to "Operation Christmas Child". Barryand Angela workedall year for the past eightyearstocollect itemssuchastoys, clothing, school supplies, toiletries, etc. to fillSamaritan's Purse shoeboxesfor childrenaged seven through fifteen. In November, thesespecial boxes are collectedbySamaritan's Purse and go across theworld to introduceJesus Christ to childrenwho didnot know him. Allfunds received will go towards theshipping costs. This year, Barry, Angela, andIndian Mound Baptist Church YouthGroup are sending six hundredwonderfully packed boxes. Barry will be missed by so many, but as he left this earth,he knew he was lovedbyso many as well. Familyand friends may sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamilyat www.resthavenbatonroug e.com.
Fenley, Juanita AnnMartin
Juanita MartinFenley, a beloved mother, grandmother,sister,aunt, and friend, passedawayon Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the age of 81. Anative of Lutcher, Louisiana, and longtime resident of Gonzales,Louisiana. Sheis survived by herchildren, Gordon Fenley(Shalane), JerryFenley, Jr.(Wendy), CynthiaFenleyLavigne (Chuck),and Seth Fenley; hergrandchildren,MadelynnFenley(Sam), Kellsey Fenley, KaitlynnFenley (Jon), Hayden Fenley (Brooke), Celeste Fenley Ducote (Dylan),Kyron Lavigne, andKoby Lavigne;six great-grandchildren;and hersister,KathleenMichel. Shewas preceded in death by herhusband, JerryLeon Fenley, Sr.; herparents, Gordon J. Martinand Doris Haydel Martin; herson Guy Fenley; andher granddaughter, Amanda Fenley. Visitation will be held at Holy Rosary Catholic Church on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, beginning at 8:00 a.m., followed by aFuneralMass at 10:00 a.m. Burial will immediatelyfollow at Hope Haven Mausoleum. Familyand friends are invited to areception at Holy Rosary Church after theburial.
Sally PrescottBarfield Graves passedaway peacefully at herhome on July 28, 2026, surrounded by thefamilyshe cherished andwho lovedher deeply. Shewas 94. Born in Baton Rouge on April 15, 1932, Sally wasthe daughterofDaniel Ramsey Barfieldand Lou Glenn AtkinsonBarfield. Shewas preceded in death by her belovedparents; her brothers, Rev. DanielRamsey BarfieldIII,S.J., and Thomas AtkinsonBarfield; andher husband, Edwin Allen"Jigger"Graves.She is survived by herbrother William Tisdale Barfield; hersix children, Allen Graves (Carla), Mary Glenn Etue (Tim), DanielGraves, Tommy Graves (Sharon), Billy Graves (Whitney), and Sally Davis (Russell); her fifteencherished grandchildren, Mitchel(Sophie) andEvan Graves,Jacob, Marshall, andMadison Etue,BarrettBeam, Katelyn andAshley Graves Marley, Ainsley, andRamsey Graves,and Michael, William, Charlotte, and JamesDavis; as well as numerousnieces, nephews, extendedfamilymembers, and dear friends whowill forever cherish hermemo-
When youneed thenews. Wherever youreadthe news
Cardona, Christina LouiseTumey
Douglas,Rosa Lee
Ducote,Reginald James'Reggie'
Bizette, Mark
Graves, Sally Prescott Barfield
Decuir,Alvin Francis
Boesch, John Robert'Bob'
Elkins, BarryL.
Barry L. Elkins, aresident of Greenwell Springs, Louisiana, passedaway on Tuesday, July28, 2026, at
ry. Sally graduated from St. Joseph's Academy in 1950 and earned her degree from Louisiana State University in 1954. Shortly thereafter, she married Edwin "Jigger" Graves in 1956. Together they shared 64 years of marriage, raising six children and building ahome centered on family,faith, and lifelong friendships. Adevoted Catholic, Sally was afaithful parishionerofOur Lady of Mercy Catholic Church for more than six decades. Hersteadfast faith was the foundation of her life, reflected in the kindness and generosity she extended to others and served as an inspiration to allwho knew her. She was actively involved in her community throughoutthe years and found great joy in supporting the organizations that were meaningful to her Sally had anatural gift for creating beauty, whether decorating ahome, planning agathering, or welcoming family and friends into her home. Her talents led to successful careersin interior design and real estate, where she enjoyed helping others create homes they loved. But nothing brought her greater joy than creating her own home and filling it with the people she loved most. Her home was rarely quiet, always welcoming, and often filled withlaughter andconversation. She leavesbehind afamily strengthened by her love and guided by the example sheset throughout her life. The familyextends its heartfelt gratitude to Sally's devoted caregivers, whose compassion and friendship allowed her to continue living with the independence and grace thatmeant so much to her They became cherished members of our family, and we willbeforever grateful.Visitation will be at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, 445 Marquette Ave., Baton Rouge, LA, on Tuesday, August4 2026, from 1:15 pm until the Mass of Christian Burialat 2pm. Burial will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Donations may be made to Our Lady of Mercy Traditions for Tomorrow Campaign.
Guelker, Mavis Erma Dougherty
Mavis Erma Dougherty Guelker was born June 10, 1931, in Bethel, Minnesota. She died peacefully at her home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 25, 2026, atthe age of 95. She is preceded in death by her husband Jack; her brothers and sisters, Lloyd Dougherty, Dennis Dougherty, Lois French, Pauline Sharp, Carol Hovern, Ione Dumas, Ruby Martin, Norma Stone and Theda Lande; daughter Sandra Guelker Loyd; stillborn twins; and great granddaughter Virginia Bennett. She is survived by her daughters, Norma Jane Guelker and Jackie Guelker Hannaman (Bobby); grandchildren Melissa Bennett Favre, Paul Bennett (Karin),Daniel Bennett (Amy), Benjamin Bennett (Mandy), Rhett Hannaman (April), and Lydia Hannaman; 11 great grandchildren; and 12 great-great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations to your local food bank or another of your chosen charitiesin her memory would be greatly appreciated. Arrangements were handled by Church Funeral Services in Baton Rouge, LA.
70815. Services will begin at 10:00am.
Legier,Barbara Ann
Barbara Ann ClarkLegier was granted apeaceful rest as she entered into eternal life on Friday, July 24, 2026. AMemorial Servicecelebrating the lifeofBarbara will be heldat11:00a.m. on Tuesday, August4,2026, at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 185 Eddie Robinson Sr. Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70802.
O'Deay,Patrick Michael 'Mike'
Patrick Michael O'Deay, resident of Gonzales, passed awayon7/31/26, at Clarity Hospice,Baton Rouge,at87. He leaves cherished memories of his lovingwife, Millie O'Deay; his sons,Michael and Brandon O'Deay; their wivesKate &Lisa O'Deay; his daughterDulci O'Deay; his grandchildren, Patrick Grace,Olivia, Kyla and HaydenO'Deay;and ahost of family &friendswho will forever rememberhis giving heart, and unwavering love. There willbenopublic service. Family will gatherprivately at Roselawn Memorial Park.
Riker, Mary Lou Bowman MaryLou (Bowman) Riker,ofBaton Rouge, Louisiana passed away peacefullyonJuly 28, 2026 at BR General Hospitalsurroundedbyfamily and friends.MaryLou attended Sacred Heart, St. Joseph Academy andDelta BusinessCollege beforeworkinginthe hotel industry at the Capitol House Hotel whereshe met herhusband, ThomasRiker.Together they worked forAC Lewis Realty as managers of theSavoy Plaza Apartments. During theirmarriageof47years,they were actively involved in their parish church, Our Lady of Mercy.MaryLou had adevotion to the Blessed Mother andalwaysprayed her rosary with special intentions for anyone she knew who neededprayers. Sheloved hostingholiday gatherings. Shewas known forher loveofcooking, especially her figcookies and cornbreaddressing,which werefavorites of her friends andfamily. Her love language wasgiftgiving and she always had something to give others. You couldn't leave her houseempty-handed.She was devoted to herfamily and ispreceded in death by herhusband Thomas Rikerand her parents ByronGeorge andMary Bowman. Sheissurvived by her daughterSherri(Montagnino) and husband David and her daughter Mary (Coghlan) Riker.She is also survivedbythe biggestjoys in herlife, her grandchildren, Gabrielle (deGraauw) and herhusband Michael, Emma Coghlanand CarsonCoghlan. Sheisalsoremembered with greatlovebyher best friends Suzie Harlan and Denise Skillern,her goddaughterRoxanne Loreno, her bonus daughter, Amy Mims and numerous friends andrelatives. Pallbearers willbeCarson Coghlan, Lee Crow, MichaeldeGraauw,Mark Loreno,David Montagnino andPhillip Skillern.Visiting hours willbeheldonMonday, August3rd from 9:00am-10:00am.A Funeral Masswillbecelebrated by Father CleoMilanoimmediately following at 10:00am both held at Our LadyofMercy Catholic Church 445 Marquette Avenue, BatonRouge,LA. Burial to follow immediately at Resthaven Gardens of Memory 11817 Jefferson Hwy, BatonRouge,LA. The
family wouldliketothank thedoctorsand nurses of theBRGeneralBluebonnet ICU, especiallyNurses Amelia,Anna and Antoinettewho we willalways be grateful to forher care. In lieu of flowers, the family requeststhat donations may be madetoOur Lady of Mercy Church or Our LadyofMercy School and St. JosephAbbey. Familyand friends may sign theonline guestbookor leavea personal note to thefamily at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com
Sanders, William Cuttino
Dr. William Cuttino
Sanders Jr.passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, July26, 2026, in BatonRouge.Hewas 87 years old.
Billwas born on September 13, 1938, the firstborn son of Helen RobinsonSanders,later Helen RobinsonDalby,and William C. Sanders Sr.Over thecourse of his life,he was ason, abrother,a husband, afather,anuncle, agrandfather, and a friend to many. He was also atalented dentist, an intense tennisplayer, a marathon runner, an animal lover, asportsfanatic, and arelentless competitor.
Billspent much of his childhoodmoving around thecountry with his parentsand younger brother, Bob, before thefamily eventually settled in BossierCity, Louisiana. There,heattended Bossier High School, played football and basketball,and graduated in 1956. He began college at Centenary CollegeinShreveportbefore transferring to LSUin Baton Rouge forhis senior year, where he was a member of theKappa Sigma fraternity. During that time, he met thelate Dr. SteveWilsonofBaton Rouge, who became both a lifelong friend and alongtime doublestennispartner. He attended LoyolaUniversityinNew Orleans for dental schooland graduated in 1964. He then settled in Shreveport with his first wife, Dixey Thornton, and openedhis first dental office on Kings Highway. He and Dixey had twodaughters, Piper and Ginger. Later,hemarriedSou Garrett, and they had twochildren: adaughter, Garrett,and a son, BillIII,whom he affectionatelyreferred to as "Son."
Billlatermoved hisbusiness to 2042 Line Avenue, where he builthis practice over aspanof42years. He gravitated toward dentistry because of its unique ability to improve not only apatient's oral healthbut also their smile.Heunderstoodthatthe confidence gainedfroma healthy smilecouldhavea lasting impact on aperson's life More than anything, he lovedconnecting with his patients on apersonal level and learning abouttheir lives.
Hisfamily willcherish memories of searching for sand dollarsonthe beach, taking road tripstoDallas Cowboyshome games, playing family tennis matches (often dubbed "The Championship of the Earth") and sharing countless adventures rooted in some typeofcompetition, whether it was agame of H.O.R.S.E., ping pong, racquetball, tennis, or nearly anything else. He had a unique way withwords and,over time, developed hisown set of quirkyexpressions and phrases, many of which willremain an enduring part of his children's vocabulary
Billfacedand overcame many obstacles in his life and persevered through personalstruggles. After moving to Baton Rouge in 2020, he was able to spend morequality time with his childrenand grandchildren.Hehandledthe reality of his declining health with aquiet strength and gracethat madehis family proud.His last days included watching theWimbledontennisfinals, feeding theneighborhood geese, and playing checkers with his childrenand grandchildren
Billwas predeceased by hisparents, William C. SandersSr. and Helen RobinsonDalby; his belovedson-in-law,Mike
Wyatt; and numerous dogs, including Tramp,Wilson, and Scout, who undoubtedlymet himatthe pearly gates withtails wagging.
He is survivedbyhis four children: PiperWyatt of Dallas; Ginger Auer and her husband,Britain Auer, of Dallas; Garrett Callaway and her husband,Scott Callaway, of BatonRouge; and Bill Sanders IIIand his wife, Lauren Sanders,also of BatonRouge He is also survivedby his grandchildren, Dixey PiperAuer, WyattAuer Sanders Callaway, Brooks Callaway, Anna Ellis Sanders, and William Sanders IV; and by his brother, BobSanders,and sister-in-law, Barbara Sanders, of Columbia, South Carolina.
The family wishes to thank themany caregivers who cared forBilloverthe past few years, particularly Dr. JenniferGreeson, Dr. MattRolfsen, Jon Rillsand thewonderful staff of Audubon Home Healthand Hospice, as well as the caregivers at Southside Gardens and Landmark of BatonRouge
The family plans to gatherprivatelyfor acelebrationofBill'slife at alater date.
Born on Easter Sunday, April20, 1930, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, William Frank
Jr., was welcomed by his parents, BonnieBellCrum and William Frank Tweedy,Sr. At age96, he transitioned to heaven on July17, 2026, at home with his wife by his side Baton Rouge was home for all buthis final few years, when he movedto Lumberton, Texas, to be near family.Two profound lossesearlyinhis life,the death of his father(age8) and of his maternal grandfather, "Big Daddy," when he was 13, taught him the significance of responsibility, hard work, respect for his elders,and trust in the Lord.His was alonglife, well-lived.
Hismotherinformed him at age 9, that he was now "the man of the house" and had to earn his own spending money.He startedwitha paper route, and later worked various otherjobs, all thewhile participating in football and track and attending church every Sunday. Aftergraduating from Istrouma High School (1947), Bud attended SLU and LSU. He enlisted in the U.S. AirForce and was recalled to duty during the Korean War.Aftercompleting his militarydutyas astaff sergeant,heearned hisBSinMathematics fromLouisiana Collegeand aMaster of Divinity from theNew Orleans Baptist TheologicalSeminary Bud pursuedhis vocation as aBaptist minister forseven years and continued servingthe Lord throughout his life.Hesupported LouisianaCollege formany years and traveled throughout thestate promoting theformationof theCooperativeBaptist Fellowship (CBF), serving as theChairman of theFinance Committee and Treasurer. Aformermem-
ber of University Baptist Church, he served as Chairman of theTrustees, Personnel, and Renovation Committees. In later years, he served as adeacon of Broadmoor Baptist Church Pivotingmid-careerto theinsurancebusiness, Bud wasa District Manager for AetnaInsurance before launching his firm, Planned Insurance Benefits (PIB). He retiredasaninsurance andfinancial advisor (CLU,ChFC) after a long, successfulcareer. He wasa member of the Million Dollar Round Table, anda past presidentof both theAmerican Society of Financial Service Professionals of Baton Rouge and theEstateand Business PlanningCouncil of Baton Rouge Later in life, Budgave up golf to pursuehis interest in saltwaterfishing, often retreating to hisbeloved camp at Pointe Fourchon, Louisiana. Adevoted footballfan,especially LSU football, Budacquireda tastefor Texas A&M footballupon his move to Texas. He was an avid reader, lovedtotravel, and couldmake an adventure outofanordinaryday. He nevermet astranger, and hisfunny stories willsurely be missed. Akind, generous, gentle soul who lovedhis family, hiscountry, andhis friends. He wasgratefulfor the blessed life he enjoyed Budissurvived by his wife, JuliaWhiteTweedy; hischildren, Paul(Rexie) Tweedy andRhonda Tweedy (David) Swiger;his stepchildren, Tom (Sarah) Owens andJeffOwens;his grandchildren, Brett (Jessica)Swiger,Craig (Megan) Swiger,Mary Catherine (Justine)Schmidt, and David Tweedy; hisstepgrandchildren, Anna Kate, Olivia, Clara, andMaribeth Owens; andseven greatgrandchildren. He considered Dr.GwenCorbett (Benson) Henryhis unofficial adopted daughter. He waspreceded in death by hisparents; hisstepfather andadoptive father, Norman "Bo"Johnson;his sister, Linda Johnson Davidson; hiswife,Martha Sue St.AmantTweedy; andhis son, William (Will) Tweedy. Bud's"Celebration of Life Service"will be held Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Broadmoor Baptist Church, 9755 Goodwood Blvd Baton Rouge,LA 70815, Visitation:10:3011:00 a.m.; Service:11:00 a.m., with areception following the service in the church fellowshiphall. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequestsdonations in Bud'smemory to: Broadmoor Baptist Church Organ Renovation Fundor Hoffman Prison Ministry, P.O. Box 7833, Shreveport, LA 71137.
the privilegeofknowing him. Agraduate of East Jefferson High School, Kenneth went on to attend Nicholls State University. Throughout his life, he workedtirelessly, believinginthe value of hard work andproviding for those he loved. Whilehe took great pride in hiscareer,Kennethalways considered hisgreatest accomplishment to be his family. Nothing brought himmorejoy than watchinghis children, grandchildren,and great-grandchildren grow andthrive. For 59 wonderfulyears, Kennethshareda devoted andloving marriagewith hisbeloved wife,Kathy Togethertheybuilta family centered on love,faith, andlastingmemories. Kennethwas alifelong sport enthusiast andavid LSUfan, rarelymissing an opportunity to cheeron theTigers. Whethercelebratinga victory or simply enjoyingtimewithfamily, he foundhappiness in the momentsthatbrought people together. Kennethissurvivedby hislovingwife,Kathy Anne Miller Wolf;children, Kelly Michael Wolf (Melissa Davis Wolf), Kacie Elizabeth Wolf Zuppardo(Vito Claude Zuppardo, Jr.) and Kory Matthew Wolf (ChristopherMichael Smith); andbrother,Keith Jerome Wolf;grandchildren,KyleDavid Wolf,Jordan AnthonyZuppardo, Parker Christian Wolf,Jeremy AndrewZuppardo, and ElijahKelly Wolf;and great -grandchildren, Scarlett Baker Wolf andLucas Christian Wolf He wasprecededin death by hisparents, Edward Joseph Wolf,Sr. and AdaCecile Juneau;and brothers, Edward J. Wolf, Jr.and GlennRichard Wolf Familyand friends are invited to attendthe visitation at OursoFuneral Home in Gonzales, LA, on Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. until11:30 a.m. AMass of Christian Burial will take place at 12:00 p.m. at St.Gabriel Catholic Church.A Committal Service will immediately follow at St.Gabriel Catholic Church Cemetery Kenneth'slegacy lives on in thefamilyhecherished above all else. His love,wisdom, andexample of devotion will remain in theirheartsfor generationstocome.
Tweedy Jr., William Frank'Bud'
"Bud"Tweedy,
Wolf, Kenneth Wilton
Hargrove,
OUR VIEWS
Successfor those going back to school takes avillage
At this time of year,communitiesacrossLouisiana band together for school supply drives, backpack giveaways and free haircuts, all furthering one goal —ensuring ouryoung people can start school on the best footing possible It’struly atime where we all can playarole in helping foster successinone student or one schoolata time. As schools across thestate welcome students back to theirclassrooms this month, we’d like to take amoment to share our wishes for afruitful year
First, to the state’s public educationleaders and district administrators whohaveled remarkable changeineducational outcomes for Louisiana studentsinrecentyears,we wish you supportfromlawmakers,teachers and parents as you continue to raise standardsacrossthe board. The achievements by noware knownto all. Louisiana students haveled thenation in growth in fourth grade reading scores. District andschool grades are the highest they’ve been in decades. And scores on the LEAP test this year were at all-time highs.
We were chagrined to see thatdespitethis record, public schooldistrictsacross thestate faced alast-minute budget squeeze as Gov. Jeff Landry and lawmakers pushed aplanto cut $168 million from district budgetstopay forteacher stipends. Districtsare nowforced to scramble to close the funding gap. That’sno waytoencourage extra effort
We know that some privateand parochial schools werealso disappointed as the state decided not to expand funding of the LA GATOR scholarship program thatletspublic funds be used at those schools. We understandthatthese schools offer choices that areright forsome parents and students. If Louisiana truly wants to expand school choice, it needs to stopmaking educationfunding an afterthought anddevelop acomprehensive plan to fund education. That brings us to what should bethe No.1 priority: the teachers andsupport staffwho dedicate so much time andenergy to making sure students succeed. We wish youclassrooms full of open and willing minds ready to absorb knowledge. We know that you have many things to deal with in the course of your jobs, but schoolshould be aplace where youfeel supported andvalued.
Finally, to students in all grades and at all levels of proficiency,wewish you an excitingyear in which you can explorenew ideasand finda path that fires your imagination. We hope you fall in love with learning andcontinuetogrow. Know that everyone has been workinghardto make sureLouisiana studentshavethe strongest foundation to develop their talents. It is now up to you to seize opportunities presented to you. And when you do, you will help build a future our state can be proud of
OPINION
In one area at least, what Gov.Jeff Landry saysand what he does areabsolutely consistent First, what he says: “Transparency is avery interesting word,” Landry toldaNew York Times reporter working on astory aboutthe massive Metadata center in Richland Parish. “Because what we’ve seen is people have used the word transparency to basically kill deals likethis.”
Andwhat he does:Landry has signed, asked lawmakers to sign and required staff to sign astack of nondisclosure agreements that essentially prevent them from talking about economic development deals or theworkings of hisadministration
thelatter,the argument is that companies pursuing billion-dollar projects don’twant their dealings aired in public.
agreements theyhavepreviously signed.
HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
In adarkly geniusmove, the NDA that Landrysigned withaMeta subsidiaryincluded aclausethat made even the existence of an NDA confidential.
So it’s fair to say that Landryisno fan of transparent government.Instead,heinsists on secrecy within his staff and he accedes to it when companies demand it. In the case of the former,Iamsurehewould insist that frank internal deliberations need to happen in private. Andinthe caseof
Youmay not know it,but if you are a subscribertoour print edition and put your paper on hold when you are on vacation, you are helping to fund an important program for Louisiana students. Our News in Education program has, for years, given students and teachersinK-12 classrooms acrossthe state access to our content for free.
On their face, those arguments are reasonable. Butthey have the effect of moving more and more of the public’sbusinessbehind acurtain of confidentiality Landry is certainly notthe first politician to do these sorts of things. There hasalways been atension between the public’sright to knowand the internal cohesion anddiscipline required to govern effectively
Officials who hide behind the veil of confidentiality demand trust from theirconstituents. “Trust us,we’re doing thebest job that can be done,” is often the message. Butthis is Louisiana. We have seen where such trust gets us. As my colleague Will Sutton notes, Louisiana was ranked as the 50th best state to live in by U.S. News &World Report for four years running. That’swhere it getsus.
In recentdays, however,the light of transparency has started to break through. Several legislators have asked the Landry administrationto release them from nondisclosure
“Ifyou send me to Baton Rouge to gain information, Ishould be able to tell the public what information I’ve gained,” said state Rep. Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville. “Togive me detailed information that Ican’ttell my public, it just doesn’tseem right to me.”
WhenHensgens refused to sign one NDA, he was told he had also signed a “blanketNDA,” he told reporter Sam Karlin. Hensgens then asked to be released from thatone as well. Amajority of Louisiana senators have signed “blanketNDAs,”Karlin found.
One spokesperson for Louisiana EconomicDevelopment, which is a part of Landry’sadministration, told Karlin thatthe NDAs were for “confidentiality,whichisnot the same as secrecy.” The spokesperson declined to clarify the difference between the two Iknowwhatitmeans. Theywant secrecy,but don’twant to be seen as secretive. The “confidentiality” may be helping themdothe people’s business, but without muchrespect for the people
Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.
corporate or nonprofit support, the newspaper is committed to funding it. Schools just have to send in arequest to participate. If you’re ateacher and want to inquire about the News in Education program, please reach out to Claudia at claws@theadvocate.com. No one is ever turned down.
Teachersuse it for civics lessons, to stay up to dateonthe news themselves or justfor fun. While the newspaper bears thecostofsubscriptions for participating schools,the cost savings it gets from vacation stops goes directly to that program. Even as subscribers still have full access to the news online, students gettoread the news online for free.
Ispoke to our director of consumer revenue Claudia Laws recently about the program and why it is important First, she said it is one of our most popular programs and she gets aton of feedback on it While the program would welcome
Teacherslove what it brings to the classroom, she said. Right now,1in3ofthe state’sK-12 classrooms hasaccess to our content through News in Education. And for anewspaper, it’spart of our mission, she noted
“I want these people to know who we are, thatweare trustworthy.And as for media literacy,wewant to encourage that,”Laws said.
Media literacy seems to be on the wane in some quarters, but we believe thatsupporting futuregenerations of readerswho value good journalism isn’t only good for business, but also for our society.
Readerswho question the sources and methods of newsgathering make
journalists better.Wewant readers to learn early how to spot the difference between news and opinion. While each has its place in abalanced media diet, they should never be confused for one another.AsAIand other forms of manipulation of media become more common, these skills become even more important.
Our News in Education program aims to provide away for schools to teach them. And who knows? It just may light afire in some students to become future journalists. Iknow Ibecame interested in the field because we read newspapers in our household whenI was growing up. Speaking of vacations, the letters tally will be on hiatus for awhile as we end the summer.But we will be back this fall as students return to school and political races heat up. Hope you are enjoying the last days of summer with family and friends.
Arnessa Garrett is managing editor for Opinions. Email her at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com
Arnessa Garrett
COMMENTARY
Scalise, Carville both blastleftist Dems
House Majority LeaderSteveScalise andlongtime Democraticconsultant
James Carville agree on very little except for their mutual love of Louisiana, but in July they were singing similarpolitical tunes on one subject.
Namely,both Scalise, R-Jefferson, and Carville warned about the radicals and socialists who are makingbig inroads in the national Democratic Party
They both are correct
cratic primary for U.S. Senate.
“We’ve been talking about it for months, this move to the Marxist socialist left by theDemocrat Party,” Scalise said, in one of several sets of remarks, only slightly hyperbolic, on the topic. “They’ve become an unrecognizable party This is surely not your father or grandfather’sDemocrat Party.They’ve fully embraced socialism.” For his part, Carville said hard-left Democrats are a“part of the problem” withinthe party,calling himself a“proud liberal” but “not aleftist.” Carville added that “I don’tbelieve you ought tobreak (things) up.”
And: “These people are so f— ing stupid Idon’t know what to say about it.” Specifically,both Carville and Scalise were referencing astring of Democratic primary wins by democratic socialists, including Brad Lander’svictory over Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., Darializa Avila Chevalier’sdefeat of five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y and Melat Kiros’ surprise triumph over incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. —and also the strong run by radical Abdul El-Sayed leading up to the Aug. 4MichiganDemo-
Again, these are not people merely as far left as “social democrats” of the European variety, but instead they selfidentifynow (or very recently) with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which is an American organization much further leftward than thesupposedly anodyne social democrats.
They don’tjustwantamore “generous” government; they want to reject the U.S. Constitution and tear down ahost of cultural institutions and mores that most Americans see as essential parts of a healthy society
To Fox News’ Shannon Bream on July 26, DSA co-chair MeganRomer saidthe organization wants to abolish the U.S. Senate, replace the offices of the presidency and Supreme Court, completely abolish borders and offer blanket amnestytoillegal immigrants, abolish prisons (“as part of along-term program”) and have the government own most large corporations
TheDSA website calls for the creation of transgender sanctuary cities. Andof course they want to defund thepolice, adopt the financially and arithmetically impossible Green New Deal, provide Medicare for All, defund theDepartment of Defense (!) andeliminate“theentire global system of capital,” among many other radical (or even crazy) ideas.
TheDSA and indeed numerous left-wing Democrats also are outlandishly antiIsrael in waysnot easily distinguishable from dangerous anti-Semitism. It’snot justthat they opposepolicies of the current Netanyahu government;they all but call for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earththrough Palestinians’ supposed “right of return”to“afree Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Michigan candidateEl-Sayed, for his part, campaigned in Aprilwith wellknown terrorist-sympathizer Hasan Piker,who has justified Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli citizens and said it “doesn’tmatter if f***ing rapes happened on Oct. 7,” praised the supposed “mujaheddin” whoattacked U.S. soldiers and said“America deserved 9/11,” among other vile statements.
Other than El-Sayed, who is running neck and neck in Tuesday’sprimary,the other radicals mentioned above are likely to win their fall campaigns in relatively safe Democratic districts. In Congress, they will join fellow radicals Ilhan Omar, Rashida Talib, Ayanna Pressley,Summer Lee and Delia Ramirez (Google them, please!), all of whom are outlandishly beyond the pale.
Worse,asthese candidates and elected officials gain traction, the rest of the party moves further leftward, so thateven El-Sayed’sopponent HaleyStevens, currently aU.S. representative,istreated as amoderatedespite left-wing interest group ratings consistently in the high 90s (of100) andconservative ratings in the lowsingle digits.
To saythe least, Stevens andplenty of otherDemocratsinCongress aren’t responsible “moderate-liberals” in the traditionofLouisiana’s former Sens. Mary LandrieuorOhio’s former senator/astronaut JohnGlenn.
None of which is to saytoday’s Republicansdon’t have their own major problems with extremism andbad ethics —many of which this column has criticized at great length, andwill continue to do so
But Democrats should listentoCarville andget their ownhouse (small ‘h’) in order.
This nationneedsboth its major parties to be somewhere within the responsible mainstream, ratherthan dens of malevolenceand lunacy
El-Sayed protested that Piker’sstatements were taken “out of context,” as if any context possibly could justify such expressions of hatredand solidarity with terrorists.
Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com
Louisianaranks dead last againfor liveable U.S. cities
In yet another ranking,the stateofLouisiana is last. Dead last.
We can argue about whodoes therankings, why they select the criteria and howthe methodology must be flawed, but when this happens over and over and overagain,there must be something to it —and that’snot good.
The latest U.S. News &World Report state rankings are out, andwe top all 50 of the United States as the worst place to live. That would be bad enough, butthisisnot our first last-place ranking by themagazine. It’snot even athree-peat. This is the fourth consecutive year we’re in last place. In the last decade, we’ve been No.50 six times. We wereNo. 50 in 2018 and 2019 as well. Thank you, Mississippiand New Mexico, for saving us fromadditionaldisgrace by beating us to thebottom in 2017
and2021, respectively.And thank you, U.S. News, for not ranking states during COVID in 2020 or in 2022. If states had been ranked those years, we might have been last then,too.
Did Meta look at this data before deciding to move in with a$50 billion data center?
U.S. News used some pretty importantmeasures that many of us use when deciding where to live. Though we might not use them all when choosing astate, we certainly consider these things when looking at a parish, acommunity,aneighborhood and astreet.
Themagazine considered healthcare, infrastructure, education, theeconomy and crime.
Thanks to Missouri (No. 46), Montana (No. 47), Tennessee (No. 48), West Virginia (No. 49) and Mississippi (No. 50), we’re
only No. 45 in health care. We rank No. 46 by theinfrastructure measurement,thanks to Rhode Island (No. 47), Alaska (No. 48), Mississippi (No. 49) and West Virginia (No. 50).
Gov.Jeff Landry has been boasting about our improved economy and education since he becamegovernor,but U.S. News doesn’tsee it the same way he does.
Only West Virginia ranks worse than Louisianainthe economy metric. Only New Mexico ranks below Louisiana in education.
Crime has been falling across the nation,inLouisiana and in New Orleans. But based on how U.S. News is keeping score, Louisianaranks last at No. 50.
We didn’tdowell in other metric categories either: We’reNo. 43 in fiscal stability, No. 45 in opportunity and No.49innatural environment. Idon’twant alot of you to start packing,
but the best states, according to U.S. News this year,are Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska, in that order I’ve been to Minnesota and Nebraska. They’re nice places to visit. And Utah can never be the real homeofThe Jazz. Speaking of jazz, obviously U.S. News & World Report did not consider culture. If it had, our state’sincredible food, diverse population and unmatched sports would have pushed us up to the tippy top of the rankings. Period. No doubt. Facts. For those reasons, and more, Ihave no intention to leave our Sportsman’sParadise —even if that meansclimbing over such states as Alaska (No. 49), Mississippi (No. 48), New Mexico (No. 47) and Michigan (No. 46) to rise from the bottom Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.
PresidentDonald Trump is kicking out about 350,000 Haitian immigrants who have lived here for many years, raising their children, paying their taxes and contributingtotheir communities. His actions are both morally indefensible and economically stupid. Even Gov.Mike DeWineof Ohio, aconservative Republican, told PBS: “The policy is wrong.” In 1990, Congress created aprogram called Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. It provides a safe haven for refugees fleeing natural disasters or political upheavals in their home countries, and since amassive earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010, migrantsfrom that country have been allowed to live and work here.
It’strue, as the administration argues, that the program was designed to be “temporary,” and that’swhy the Supreme Court voted 6-3 last June to allowTrump to target Haitians for deportation The cancellation of their protected status took effect this week. But the reality is this: The nation needs these Haitian immigrants. As aNew York Times headline reported: “Employers FearLabor Shortage as Many Immigrants Lose Protected Status.”
“Ending TPSdoesn’tsave American money,” Commissioner Marleine Bastien of Miami-DadeCounty toldanews conference. “Ending TPScosts America money.” Trump, however,isnot motivated by fiscal facts, let alone morality. He has long exploitednativist fears, especially of non-White peoplefrom what he derides as “s***hole” countries like Haiti. Andnow,withwar raging and prices rising, demonizing foreigners isone of thefew ways he has
left to energize his supporters for the midterm elections less than 100 days away
The administration’scase for ending TPS is based on threelies, andthe first is that it is safe for Haitians to return home. The country is so dangerous thatTrump’s own State Department warns travelers toavoid it andmajor U.S. airlines have suspendedflights there.
“Haiti is indeednear total state collapse,” Russel Honoré,the retiredgeneral who specializes in
disasterrelief, wrote in The New York Times. “Armed gangs have come to dominate an estimated 80% to 90% of the capital, Portau-Prince, and large areas of the country,controlling access to commerce and humanitarian aid, paralyzing basic government operationsand displacing more than amillion people.”
The second lie is that immigrants take jobs away from Americans, an oldmyth that every economicstudy refutes. DeWine cites theOhio town of Springfield, where about 15,000 Haitians have settled.
Trump falsely claimed during the campaign that those Haitians were eating local pets. In fact, says the governor,they are model citizens who have helped revitalize the city
“You’re seeing in Springfield a citythatiscoming back,” DeWine said on PBS. “And, frankly,one of the reasons it’scomeback is because of the Haitians who have been there to fill jobs that were simply not being filled at all.”
In fact, adds the governor, there’s“amultiplier effect.” The economicactivity generated by the Haitians helps create jobs for other local residents. Sending the settlers home, DeWine insists, “is ajob killer for Ohio. It’snot good forour state.”
The third lie is that deporting
Haitians can be done humanely, without dividing families. These migrants have an estimated 50,000 children who are United States citizens. Many of them have never even been to Haiti, and their parents face aterrible choice: take their children to adeeply dangerous place or separate the family In San Diego, NPR interviewed aHaitian named Josiane Valsaint, who has lived and worked legally in the U.S. since 2010 and now faces deportation. “The question,” reports NPR, “that sends tears streaming down Valsaint’sface is: If that happens, what will happen to her 10- and 12-year-old children, born in San Diego, who attend public school here?”
“Who’sgoing to take care of my kiddos?” cried Valsaint. “They’re not adults yet. They were born here.”
The Haitians are not alone; Trump wants to cancel TPS protections for more than 1million refugees from 16 other countries, and about 200,000 Salvadorans could be next.
In his increasingly desperate search for an issue that excites his base, Trump is backing apoisonous policy that will harm all Americans —including his own supporters.
Email Steve Roberts at sroberts@gwu.edu.
Will Sutton
Quin Hillyer
Steve Roberts
STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Steve Scalise, left, and James Carville in 2019
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By REBECCA BLACKWELL
AHaitian worker with TemporaryProtected Status cleans and busses tables at aKey West, Fla., restaurant.
Saints didn’teaseintocamp
Upsand downscamein flurry over threedays
Buckle up, Saints fans
This 2026 season,muchlike most years in the NFL, looks likeitmay take you on another roller coaster
There will be plenty of upsand downs, as we saw during thefirst three days of training camp.
Thefirst 72 hours keptlocal media members busier thanthe feet of adancer in asecond-line parade.
Rod Walker
Fortunately,Saturday was an offday, giving us achance to catch our breath before practice resumes Sunday. Then the
Faulk begins setting Southern’s standard
BY TOYLOYBROWN III
Staff writer
Dropped passes areimportant to Curtis Johnson. The Southern wide receivers coach watched afreshmanmishandle aroutine throw during acheck-down drill 30 minutes into the first day of preseason camp on Saturday.Johnson, the NewOrleans Saints wide receivers coach during theteam’sSuper Bowl season, delivered amessagefrom 10 yards away while the player did pushups.
“You can do amillionpush-ups,but it won’tmatter,” Johnson said. “If you don’t catch that ball,I’ll put you on defense only.” Errors in practiceare expectedbut not ahabit any of head coach Marshall Faulk’s staff wants anyone to get accustomedto, even on Day 1ofcamp.
Although Saturday was the first official practiceofcamp, the rookie headcoach said the team did some on-field work Friday. “Practice zero,” as Faulk called it, wasa day forplayers notpresentfor springpractice to acclimate themselves to Southern’sroutine and get ataste of the intensity expected throughout the rest of camp Saturday’spractice was acontinuation of the learning and conditioning. Faulk said the
ä See SOUTHERN, page 3C
Southerncoach
around the field as his team warmsup before the first dayofpreseason camp on Saturdayatthe school’spractice facility
real football begins Monday when theSaints put on thepads for the first time.
Here’salook back at thehectic
first three days
Theups
This time aweek ago, Iwrote about how good thevibes were heading into camp. Well, those vibesgot even better Thursday when the Saints reached afour-year,$132 million dealwith receiver Chris Olave.
None of us knew how long Olave’s con-
tract negotiations would linger.All we knew was that Olave wantedtobeatpractice with his teammates. He easily could have stayed at home (andout of the brutal Louisiana heat)until adeal was reached. Instead, he chosetoattend practice and go through individual drills but not risk an injurybyparticipating in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 sessions. His why on thatsays alot about him.
“Wehave alot of momentum going on with the team,” Olavesaid Friday.“I didn’twant to create any negativity with anything surrounding me or the organization.I’m ateam-first guy,and Iwanted to
LSUquarterback
Leavitthopes he found ‘home’ againin BatonRouge
By DAVID GRUNFELD
TRAVELINGMAN
Tania Leavitt remembers when her son Sam said,“This is theplace.”
Thecurrent LSU quarterback thought his football homewouldbeMichigan State. Tania, a
fitness trainer,and Jared Leavitt, aformer BYU linebacker who worked for Oracle, moved to East Lansingtobebytheir son’sside for ayear.They loved it there.
Then there was acoaching change. Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith,who didn’trecruitthe Oregon nativeLeavitt out of high school, was the hire andhewas bringing hisquarterback, Aidan Chiles, with himtoMichigan State. The writingwas on the wall.
Saints DE Chase young STAFF
PHOTO
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Marshall Faulk walks
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
6
Big Ten, SEC spar over who’s better
SEC points to its superior depth while Big Ten disputes its top-heavy reputation
BY STEVE MEGARGEE Associated Press
In the debate over which college football conference is strongest, the Southeastern Conference argues its superior depth makes up for the Big Ten winning the past three national titles The Big Ten calls its reputation as a top-heavy conference unfair Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti considers those three College Football Playoff championships — from Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana in 2025 testaments to the league’s strength from top to bottom.
“You cannot send your top teams out into the CFP unless they’ve played and have them be successful, which we have been very successful — if they’re not going through a gauntlet in the regular season,” Petitti said last week. “This idea that the middle of our conference isn’t hard is just not right.”
The balance of power between college football’s heavyweight conferences has been a major talking point at the leagues’ media days.
Petitti spoke to reporters while standing beside the Big Ten’s three recent CFP trophies Illinois coach Bret Bielema said the SEC was living in the past. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said “there’s no doubt” the Big Ten is best.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Cignetti said. “We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest. We believe everything is earned, not given. When we fall short, we say, ‘We fell short.’ We don’t cry a river, whine and complain. That’s why we’re the best.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey argued his league’s case a week earlier “When you look at our schedule, no one has created the kind of weekly competition that exists in the Southeastern Conference,” Sankey said.
Five SEC schools combined to win 13 national titles from 200622, but no SEC team has reached any of the past three championship games.
Both can support their claims
In the first two years under a 12-team CFP format, seven SEC schools have made a combined eight playoff appearances. The Big Ten had four schools total seven playoff berths.
Certain metrics support the idea that the 16-team SEC is stronger than the 18-school Big Ten at the bottom. ESPN’s Bill Connelly produces the SP+ rankings, a predictive measure rating each team’s efficiency while adjusting for tempo and an opponent’s strength.
The Big Ten had three of the top four teams in the 2025 season-ending SP+ rankings, while the SEC had nobody in the top five But seven Big Ten programs ranked below the lowest SEC team on the list: No. 67 Kentucky
Recent results favor Big Ten
Over the past two seasons, the Big Ten went 10-7 against the SEC, including a 3-0 playoff record and a 5-2 mark in other bowl games.
The Big Ten won as an underdog in all five of those non-playoff victories.
Illinois produced two of those upsets, beating South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl in 2024 and defeating Tennessee in the Music City Bowl last season. So Bielema had reason to feel good about him-
self and his conference last week when he commented that SEC backers “kind of want to live in 2005 forever.”
The 2005 reference was curious because Texas won the title that season when it was still a Big 12 member, a year before the SEC began a string of seven straight titles. Bielema said he chose 2005 because that’s the year before his head coaching career began at Wisconsin.
“The transfer portal and revenue share or NIL, however you want to describe it, when those two elements came into college football, the whole world changed,” said Bielema, who went 29-34 while coaching SEC school Arkansas from 2013-17. “I mean, it’s overly obvious to say that, but I think anything to predate that is just a different time in college football. It just is.”
Changing times
Fourteen of the 22 playoff games over the past two years have featured Big Ten teams, including two in which conference rivals faced off. No wonder even Big Ten coaches with SEC backgrounds claim bragging rights.
“I just look at what the stats are, you know and the last three years the national champion has come out of this conference,” said Pur-
due’s Barry Odom, who went 2525 at Missouri from 2016-19. “You also look at the number of playoff wins compared to any other conference, we’ve won twice as many as the next conference in the playoffs.”
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava has experience playing in both conferences after reaching the playoff with Tennessee in 2024.
“I think it’s two great leagues — two great, physical leagues,” Iamaleava said “I think the SEC brings a lot of physicality, but over the years, it’s kind of leveled out in terms of the playing field.I think everybody is able to get high-level athletes. I think there’s definitely a lot of tough SEC teams, so that every week is going to be a game, but I feel the same way in the Big Ten.”
The intensity of the debate frustrates coaches eager to settle it on the field, perhaps with more headto-head matchups.
“You never hear in the NFL, ‘Wow, the NFC’s better than the AFC,’ ” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. “You don’t ever hear, ’Check us out, we’ve won the Super Bowl the last few years.’ We’ve kind of made this some competition rather than just take a step back and say, ‘Who cares?’ Let’s play.”
Rulings grant 30 college basketball players 5th season
BY TERESA M. WALKER Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. A judge in Colorado and a Nashville chancellor issued rulings Friday that will give 30 basketball players a fifth season of eligibility and prevent the NCAA from keeping them out of the transfer portal.
I’Ashea Myles of the Davidson County Chancery Court issued a temporary injunction to Jalen Washington and 18 other players to retain their eligibility
“Defendant shall recognize Plaintiffs as eligible for the 20262027 basketball season and shall not deny or impede their recruitment, transfer, or certification on the basis of the challenged eligibility determination,” Myles wrote in her 33-page ruling A few hours later, U.S District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction giving student-athletes from the high school Class of 2022 another year of eligibility for the upcoming school year Former Minnesota basketball player Cade Tyson was among the 12 athletes named in the Colorado case. Sweeney ruled that the injunction should cover the entire Class of 2022 high school graduates fac-
The NCAA referred The Associated Press to a statement from president Charlie Baker on X on proposed legislation to regulate college sports. Baker called the “chaos” from Friday’s rulings are why it’s “long past time” leaders in college sports call for the immediate passage of the Protect College Sports Act.
“Failed professionals will continue to use college sports as a fallback option — robbing the next class of young athletes of college scholarships,” Baker said.
inevitable judicial losses as evidence that Congress should grant it broader legal protections,” the Texas Trial Group said in a statement to The Associated Press.
“The timing is difficult to ignore. First create the litigation. Then point to the litigation as the reason judicial oversight should be curtailed. No one should be surprised to learn that Mr Baker is a career politician paid millions of dollars a year to essentially running a lobbying campaign under the guise of a ‘voluntary association.’”
Noh builds 3-shot lead at Women’s British Open LYTHAM ST ANNES, England Yealimi Noh took advantage of a surprising collapse by Haeran Ryu and found her rhythm at just the right time Saturday, with four birdies over the last 10 holes for a 2-under 69 that gave her a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Women’s British Open. Noh, the 25-year-old Californian with only one LPGA title, played bogey-free on the back nine at Royal Lytham & St. Annes and finished at 7-under 206 to lead over five players. One of them is Ryu, who is trying to become the first player since fellow South Korean Inbee Park to win three straight majors in the same year
Top-ranked Nelly Korda, who captured the first two majors of the year, had her round ruined by a pair of double bogeys.
49ers WR Pearsall out for season with knee injury
San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall will have seasonending surgery on his injured right knee in the latest setback for the 2024 first-round pick.
General manager John Lynch announced the decision on Saturday for Pearsall to undergo surgery on his posterior cruciate ligament. Pearsall injured the knee last season and came back to play late in the season But he was shut down after two practices in training camp because of swelling in the knee.
The Niners announced All-Pro Deebo Samuel had returned to the team on a one-year deal worth up to $7 million to take Pearsall’s place. Samuel practiced Saturday as he returned to the place where he played for his first six seasons.
Detroit signs Pro Bowl linebacker, ex-Tiger White DETROIT The Detroit Lions signed free-agent linebacker and former LSU standout Devin White on Saturday, they announced on their X account. The 28-year-old White recorded a career-high 174 tackles for the Las Vegas Raiders last season. White, a first-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2019, was a Pro Bowl selection for the Buccaneers in 2021. White played five seasons for Tampa Bay before playing for Houston in 2024 and then enjoying a career revival with the Raiders. White has started in 93 of 100 career games in seven seasons. He started all 17 games for the Raiders last season and his 174 tackles ranked third in the NFL. He added 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception.
Correa recovering, could return for Astros in 2026
HOUSTON Carlos Correa’s recovery from surgery to repair a torn ankle tendon is progressing quicker than expected, and on Saturday, the Houston Astros’ star infielder didn’t rule out a return this season. Correa was expected to miss the entire season after undergoing surgery on his left ankle on May 11. But he is already doing everything except hitting, sparking hope that he could be back on the field sooner than expected.
“We’ll see,” he said when asked if he could play again this year “I wouldn’t be doing all this work if I didn’t think there was a chance.”
The 31-year-old Correa said he’s running between 80% and 90% and that he has a doctor’s appointment scheduled for Tuesday where he hopes to be cleared for hitting.
Mets’ Holmes prepares for his third rehab start
ing similar circumstances. Myles, who heard motion arguments July 22, also ordered the transfer portal open at noon Monday until 8 a.m. Aug 10 for any player wanting to enter and schools wanting to reach out.
On June 23, the NCAA approved a new eligibility model for Division I athletes that will allow five seasons of competition over a fiveyear period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. Washington, who played last season at Vanderbilt, was the lead plaintiff in the complaint filed July 6 by the Texas Trial Group seeking the injunction. Others include Chendall Weaver, last at Texas; A.J. Storr Ole Miss; Jason Edwards, Providence; Daniel Egbuniwe, St. Bonaventure; and Zachary Davis, Memphis.
“On the eve of congressional consideration of the Protect College Sports Act, the NCAA points to its
Myles wrote in her ruling granting the injunction that “the NCAA has not applied the challenged eligibility rules uniformly among similarly situated student-athletes” with a pattern of extending years of eligibility to “certain groups of players.”
She noted a waiver for the 202526 season for those who played at least one season at a junior college or NAIA school, and Myles wrote each plaintiff played against students who got waivers to play additional seasons or attended junior colleges.
The chancellor’s order also enjoined the NCAA from enforcing its rule of restitution against the athletes and colleges they play for this season.
NEW YORK Clay Holmes is scheduled to make his third rehab start as he returns from a broken right fibula, and he thinks there is a chance that it could be his final start as a member of the New York Mets. Holmes broke his right fibula on May 15 and is expected to throw 70 to 75 pitches for the Mets’ DoubleA affiliate in Brooklyn on Sunday, a little more than 24 hours before Monday’s trade deadline.
The 33-year-old right-hander was 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA before getting injured. He can opt out of the final year of his three-year deal following this season. Holmes says he believes that a trade is more likely than signing an extension with the Mets. “I think the trade’s more likely,” Holmes said “Nothing’s really changed on that.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARTA LAVANDIER Indiana coach Curt Cignetti reacts during the College Football Playoff national championship against Miami on Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens, Fla. Indiana is the third Big Ten team in three years to win the national title.
AP FILE PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER Vanderbilt forward Jalen Washington, left, shoots past Arkansas forward Malique Ewin, right, during the SEC Tournament championship game March 15 in Nashville, Tenn.
LSUbaseball‘surprised’ to secure LHPSchmidt
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
LSU baseballleft-handed pitcher signee
LoganSchmidt hasdecidedtojointhe Tigers for the 2027 season, he announcedon socialmedia Saturday
Schmidt chose the Tigers over professional baseball and junior college, with the former option being his presumed destination after the Cleveland Guardiansselectedhim with the No. 59 overall pick in the second round of last month’sMLB draft Schmidt, however,announced aday before the signing deadlinethat thetwo sides had not come to an agreement and he wouldnot join the organization. Thedecisionwhittled hisfuture down to LSU and junior college, with the second path allowing him to re-enter the draft in 2027. At LSU, he won’tbeeligible to be drafted again until2029 “Welooked at it actually this morning, and
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goal was to be efficient andeffective in their preparation for the season opener against Alabama State on Aug. 29 in Birmingham, Alabama.
“The separation in the guys who are first in the conference and theguys whoare last is in the preparation,” Faulk said.“So we got to make sure we prepare right Among the highestprioritiesisavoiding injuries. Faulk wants hard practices but nothing that unnecessarily increasesthe risk of injury.While he wants his players to get accustomed to the Louisianaheat they’ll feel on game days, he saidthat it’ssmarter to train early when the temperaturesremain in the 80s, which is why Saturday’spractice began at 8a.m. Under Southern’sprevious coaching regime, camp practices were inthe evening.
“You can’tuse two-a-days to build that mental toughness, and so what you have to do is within these practices,you got to create the adversity and see how theyreact,” Faulk said. “Health is everything in this game, and we want to makesurethat we’re the most healthy.”
Competition is another significantfeature. Themost obvious place is at quarterback where Faulk said he “hates” entering camp with aquarterback battle. When askedwhatheislooking for to determine thesignal-caller,hementioned
LSU
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Leavitt traveled to Tempe,Arizona,and loved talking ball with Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo. Leavitt grew up studying X’sand O’switha brother10years his elder,NFL safety Dallin Leavitt. By fourth grade,Sam was contesting his father’splay calls during games.
“Dad, they are running blah, blah, blah. Like, why are we doingthat? That’s not gonna work,” Jared recalled Sam saying. “He was definitely looking at the game and tryingtofigureout what wasour angleto win, how were we gonnascore andthe why.”
The lifelong filmjunkie clicked with Dillingham and Arroyo, and Arizona Statebecame home.
“And it was phenomenal,” Taniasaid. “It was, like, the best Cinderella story ever.”
The stands in Tempe filled as the Sun Devils flipped from 3-9 to 11-3 with aCollege Football Playoff run in 2024. It was a“magical” two years, Tania said, even if the story ended with an injury-shortened2025 season and consternation over Sam’sabsencefrom ateam banquet before he entered the transfer portal. As LSU coach Lane Kiffintried to explain after his exit from Ole Miss, two things can be true at once: An employee can love one job, then decide another job is better.
The quarterback he chose out of the transfer portal made asimilardecision.
“Everybody gets down on these kids. They didn’tcreate the system,” said Tania, who tried her best not to doom-scroll social media after her son’sdecision to transferfrom Arizona State to LSU. In this unwieldy portal era, Leavitt chose apath that satisfied his competitive instinct He sees LSU as aplace where he can train like apro. He’sbeen chasing the NFLlonger than most consider reasonable.
Ryan Paul, who trained both Leavitt brothers, remembers his first game ofcatchwith sixth graderSam, who spun the footballwith enough juice that it wasn’tboring. Hewas a natural “mover,” blessed with more agility than his run-through-a-wall older brother He believed he washeadingtothe NFL, just like his brother
“I was like, ‘OK, you’re delusional,’ ”Paul said. “But the way things are looking, he’s not too delusional.” Leavitt leaned into his obsession. He grew up with awhiteboard in his room withthe words, “How great do youwanttobe?” He asked Paul, constantly,ifhe wasworkingashard as his older brother.Ittooka few years for him to get there, mostly because Paul had to remind the younger Leavitt that workinghard didn’tmean wildly “crashing out” in every exercise.
“You can be intense,” Paul said, “without going to alevel where you’re gonna pop an aneurysm.”
His brain was worth preserving. Leavitt’s coach at West Linn High School, Jon Eagle, admired hisquarterback’sunshakable
the number of top five round draft picks that haven’tsigned over the past decade is very small,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said in an interview withThe AdvocateonSaturday “Andso(I’m) surprised, pleasantlysurprised, and excited about Logan.”
Schmidtnever was expected to makeitto Baton Rouge.
He was one of the top left-handed pitchers in the2026 high school class, entering the draft as theNo. 45 player in MLB com’s draft rankings, the No. 56 prospectinESPN’s rankings andthe No. 53 playerinThe Athletic’srankings.
At6-foot-4and210pounds,Schmidtisknown for his ability to consistently throw strikes. He also features afastball thatsits in the mid-90s and can reach 98 mph, all while throwing a slider and achangeup.
“The standout qualityisstrikethrowing,” Johnson said.“That’swhatseparates him. It’s agood arsenal of pitches.”
Schmidt is also young for his class. He reclassified from the2027 class up to the 2026 class to be eligible for this year’s draft. He didn’tturn 18 until July 23. His size, age and abilitymade him an attractive option for MLB teams heading into thedraft
“Logan’sprobably one of thebetter pitchers in that second tier of highschool arms,” onescout told TheAdvocate on the condition of anonymity before thedraft.“So, probably not aguy who’sa lock to be atrue first-rounder,but easily aguy whocould be acomp pick or maybe in the secondround for an over-slot pay later.”
Schmidt’sdecision to join the Tigers balloons their roster to 40 players. NCAA roster rules allow LSU to have 34 players, but the program was set to have five players labeled as designated student-athletes heading into next year,meaning they can be on theroster without counting against the34-man limit.
junior Hutchinson(Kansas) Community College transfer Christian Johnson, sophomore Long Beach City College transfer Wy-
confidence. He could follow frustrating interceptions withconducting 80-yardtouchdown drives.
Leavitt once rocketed apass 35 yards from one hash to the other,its flight path a steady 6feet above the ground. No one was amazed because Leavitt didthisall the time.
What sticks with Eagle more is how quickly Leavitt could count down from 100, subtracting seven everytime: 100, 93, 86, 79,72, 65, 58, 51, 44, 37, 30, 23, 16, 9, 2.
“He can get that thing in under10seconds,” said Eagle, who has long believedthe quickest thinkers are thebestquarterbacks.
He absorbed Eagle’splaybook so quickly
“A lotofkidsneed several reps of doing something before they getit. Youcouldsit down in ameetingroom 30 minutes before practice, andbythe time we gotout there, he would do it,” saidEagle, whobelieveshe was luckier to coach Leavitt than the other way around.
Leavitt became astate champion before hisprepcareer ended,but he had to bounce between states toclaim it. He played his first varsity seasoninUtahbecauseOregon shuttered sports during the COVID-19pandemic
He was sacked ahandful of times in one game by LonePeak edge rusherJohn Henry Daley,who has transferred from BYU to UtahtoMichigan.
“Wehad good players,” Jared said of his son’s6-5 Pleasant Grove squad, “but it was tough to go out there and gethit in the mouth.”
Leavitt returned to Westview HighSchool humbled, but he still had an itch to develop. He transferred to West Linn as aseniortoplay forformer NFLquarterback Chris Miller
It justsohappened Miller took apro coachingjob before Leavittarrived. Eagle swooped in, synched up with Leavitt andevenconvinced the aggressive playmakertonot run the ball in theregular season to preserve his body
When Leavitt was cut loose, West Linn went on arun and Eagle won his fourth statetitle.
“He’sanSEC quarterback,” Eagle said. “Hemight be an NFLquarterback.”
Eagle won’tdisparage OregonState for not realizing thisbecause sometimes “you’rejust notsomeone’sflavorofice cream.” And Sometimes you are before circumstances change.
Leavitt thought he found asuitor in Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris. Then just after Leavitt’svisit to the Cougars, Morris took ahead coaching job at North Texas. Morris is now at Oklahoma State.
Leavittlanded at Michigan State and loved it. Then Oregon State’sstaff moved in.
“Sam’s been through the wringer, man,” Eagle said. “People say all this stuff about kids moving. But look,coaches do it. Why can’tplayers do thesame thing? They’re just tryingtomakethe situationfor themselves better.Idon’tknow how you can find fault in that.”
Leavitt tried to explain why he’staken his passionelsewhere during arecentLSU football women’sclinic, callingArizona State a “comfortable situation.”Hejust wanted to “dosomething alittle bit different.”
“You talk about being apro, trying to become the best versionofyourself,” Leavitt
said. “There’snoother place to do it.”
That touchedoff anotherround of bitter replies on social media, accusing him of “chasinga bag” of cash.He’sjustone targetof what’sbound to be anoisy LSU season, considering thedrama surrounding Lane Kiffin’s exit from and looming return to Ole Miss. Leavittmight be theperfectquarterback to handle it all. He’soften viewed as abulldog competitor,illustrated by how he aggressively chest-bumped Dallin after aBig 12 title win, screaming until he was red in theface. He alsooffered his mom sage advicewhen
It is unclear whether LSU will need to drop aplayer after adding Schmidt, and it’s not knownwhich players count as designated student-athletes.
WhatSchmidt’s inclusion does mean is that the left-handed pitching corps just got alot stronger
The Tigers brought back four lefties— Danny Lachenmayer,Cooper Williams, Jonah Aase andEthan Plog —and added freshmen Braxton Beaty,Bradyn Cupit and Lucas Nawrocki this offseason. Cupit throws strikes; Beaty is known for his breaking ball; and Nawrocki is atwo-way player who was the No.91player in ESPN’sdraft rankings. Bringing Schmidt intothatequation providesJohnsonwith anotherpotentialstarting pitcher forboth the present and future. “It’sawide-open competition (this year), andhehas theability to contend forit, as I think anumberofguys do,” Johnson said. “Like, we have to perform better there.”
and leadership capabilities. When asked aboutthe amount of reps each will have with the first team,Faulk explained that no onewill have an edge in that regard. In the first warm-up drills with passing, Johnson had the first snap.
While Faulk isn’tpleased that he doesn’t have astarting quarterback named, he is thrilledthateveryone else is also competing forstarting roles.
“Every job is available,” Faulksaid. “Nobody here is guaranteed anything.Like I’ma guy,(that) it’sopen competition. I’m gonna play the best players. And my team, they reserve the right to have that. Ican’t just say,‘Oh, this guy is the guy just because.’
“We’replaying thebestpeople,man
That’sjustit, we got too manygood players, talented players that if aguy starts to slack off and he’s not giving us his best, thenwehave to do what’sright by the team and play the next best guy.”
Quarterbacks andkickersare theonly exceptions to Faulk’sstance on promising starting jobs ahead of camp. Even forthem, it’sa“short leash,” he said. While adroppedpass on Day1ofcamp maynot decide the top wide receiver,miscues are noticed. Southern is viewing proven players like running back Trey Holly and newcomers hoping to crack the rotation witha similar outlook: Practice seriously and execute.
Email Toyloy BrownIII at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.
she was worked up by online attacks. He asked her to picture them walking downthe road, with Tania slightly behind him
“You’rehearing everything people are saying about me.Bythe time we gettothe end, you’re ready to fight. You’re angry,” he said. “You know what? Igot AirPods in. Igot my Beats on. Idon’thear aword. Idon’tcare. So don’tlisten.”
If Kiffincan turn Leavittintoadual-threat star like he did withtransfers Jaxson Dart and Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss, the chatter should quiet. If LSU’sinvestment in theNo. 1transferclass in Americacorrelatestoaplayoff run, Leavitt’sdecision shouldn’tbethat hard to understand.
“Hewas an integral pieceofgetting Arizona State back to relevancy,and he could have stayed and they probably would have been just as competitive,” Paul said, “but it wouldn’tbethe same as this rosteratLSU. There’snoway.”
He made his own choice this time, and Tania believes her son found homeagain. Leavitthas been deep seafishing andduck hunting with LSU linebacker Whit Weeks. Alocal farmer has been providing Leavitt with fresh produce. He livesjust around the corner from his offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr LSU is just alittle different, but it could be everything he wants and needs.
“He just wants to win,” Taniasaid. “He wants to be thebest that he can be,for real.”
Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@theadvocate.com
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
LSU quarterback SamLeavitt reacts after a playduring the first dayofspring practice on March 24 at the team’s practice facility
att McCauley and returning senior Ashton Strother Forthe starter,he’svaluing performance
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Southernsafety Herman Brister, right, racesupfield with cornerback Eric Reed, left,during a drill on the first dayofpreseason camp on Saturdayatthe school’s practice facility
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RHPGausman wins
BY IAN HARRISON Associated Press
TORONTO— Kevin Gausman pitched52/3 innings forhis first win since May22, George Springer had two hits and drove in apair, andthe TorontoBlue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Saturday The slumping Cardinals have lostthreestraight andeight of 10. They’ve scored three runs or fewer in each of their past seven games. Springerhit an RBI single in the thirdand addedanRBI doubleinthe seventh.
Alejandro Kirk added atworun single as Toronto wonfor the sixthtimeinnine games and extended its winning streak over St. Louis to eight. Kirk went 1for 2 andwalked twice. The Blue Jays are the first AL team to win eight straight against St.Louis.For theCardinals, it’stheir longest losing streak against asingle opponent since
dropping nine consecutive meetings with the Mets from April 28, 2024, to May 2, 2025. Gausman (5-10), aformer star at LSU, snappedan11-start winless streak by allowingone run andnine hits. The veteranrighthander walked one and struck out four
Thesellout crowd rose fora standing ovation when manager John Schneider replaced GausmanwithBraydon Fisher in the sixth. The subject of trade rumors aheadofMonday’s deadline, Gausman tapped his heart in acknowledgment of the cheers as he walked to the dugout.
ShortstopMasyn Winn drove in the Cardinals run withanRBI double off Gausman in the sixth. Selected from Triple-A Memphis to make hisbig league debut, Cardinals left-hander Quinn Mathews (0-1) allowed two runs andsix hits in five-plus innings. Mathewswalked three and struck out three.
SCOREBOARD
Saints coach Kellen Moore talks with defensive lineman Bryan Bresee during warm-ups at organized team activities on May 28 in Metairie. Bresee suffered what is feared to be a torn ACL on the first day of camp.
the clock struck zero on the 2025 season.
LHP A.J. Minter from the N.Y. Mets in exchange for INFs Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick. Transferred RHP Cole Sands to the 60-day IL. SEATTLE MARINERS — Placed SS J.P. Crawford on
keep building the momentum going into the year and keep building that confidence with the team.”
While Olave deserves credit for his unselfishness, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis should get his props for handling this business so soon. The longer it dragged out, the more it would have become a distraction Turns out, it wasn’t a distraction at all. It’s the latest move in what has been a splendid offseason for Loomis, who nailed free agency and selected a promising draft class.
“It’s
Also listed in this category was Olave and first-round draft pick Jordyn Tyson teaming up Saturday morning for a back-to-school giveaway at the City of Love Church in New Orleans.
On the field, Chase Young and Kool-Aid McKinstry have been two of the brightest stars in camp. McKinstry tweaked his ankle the second day but said it’s nothing serious. Before that, the third-year cornerback had a pair of pass breakups on the first day He and Young are in the early lead for camp MVP
The downs
We won’t include Taysom Hill’s announcement that he won’t return to the Saints here, although it no doubt left many fans feeling down Most of us knew Hill’s time in New Orleans was over as soon as
The first big blow for the Saints came on the first day of camp. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee suffered a knee injury that likely will cause him to miss the entire season. Bresee was entering his fourth season and was a key part of the pass rush. The Saints will count on second-year defensive tackle Vernon Broughton and rookie Christen Miller to fill the void.
“It’s sad and you feel so bad for a guy like that who has put in so much work and how great of a player he has been for us,” linebacker Pete Werner said.
“What he said to me is ‘go get it done, work hard for me, do this for me.’ When any great player goes down, they don’t want you to feel bad for them. They want you to see you win. That’s what he expects out of us, so at the end of the day we’ve just got to return the favor.”
The offense also hasn’t been sharp, which isn’t uncommon early in camp. There have been dropped passes, miscommunication between Tyler Shough and his receivers and fumbles on snap exchanges.
“It comes with time,” Olave said. “Of course we’re going to have hiccups and things like that in the beginning. With time, we are building that chemistry together Once the time comes for the season, it’s going
be one of the top things to watch.” Until
AP FILE PHOTO By MATTHEW HINTON
NFL
Broncos QB Nix feels ‘normal’ again
BY ARNIE STAPLETON
AP pro football writer
ENGLEWOOD Colo. Over and over,
Bo Nix planted his right foot and accurately delivered the ball downfield Saturday
On the few broken plays, he wasn’t shy to tuck it and run.
The third-year Denver Broncos quarterback who underwent a pair of surgeries on his right ankle this offseason is back working with the starters and leading the team that he took to the AFC championship game six months ago only to watch from the luxury suites as backup Jarrett Stidham directed Denver in a three-point loss to New England in a snowstorm.
“It feels great. It feels normal,” Nix said after Saturday’s practice. “It feels like we’re headed in the right direction as a team.”
The Broncos were conservative with Nix in the offseason, mostly holding him out of drills save for some 7-on-7s at their minicamp in June. Coach Sean Payton said Saturday that Nix is right where the team expected to him be healthwise.
“I feel like nothing’s holding me back,” Nix said. “I’m out there playing like I normally do and feel really good.”
Denver’s season begins in Kansas City on Sept. 14 against the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, who’s coming off a major injury
(knee) himself. Nix said he’s absolutely not going to curtail his scrambling ways just because he broke his right ankle in the playoffs, requiring surgery and a follow-up procedure to remove bone spurs.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I’m going to roll, and I’m going to be as athletic as I can be and like to the earlier question, it’s a strength of ours and we’ve got to use our strengths and for me that’s when I feel at my best and that’s when I feel free. When I’m playing like that and I’m moving around, it’s a good thing.
“But at the same time, I also know what it’s like to have to not have that asset and have to stay in the pocket. So, I feel strong no matter what the play’s going to be, no matter what happens defensively, no matter what my reaction is.”
Payton said Nix’s ability to salvage broken plays with either his legs or accurate right arm is “one of his superpowers.”
“I think it is a strength,” Nix said, “and I think like any strength it can be overused So, I think for me it’s just about the balance, making the plays when it’s there and using that creativity and skill set when it’s not.”
Nix said there’s a time at every practice such as there was Saturday when he has to improvise, “and so our guys are in-tune with it and those guys are moving around
with me and it’s just all about the play’s never over and also being smart and just making plays.”
Nix is catching up on his chemistry with offseason acquisition Jaylen Waddle, who already has made several spectacular catches this summer
“He’s an explosive playmaker,” Nix said. “The guy’s really good at what he does. He gets open He makes plays, he’s fast. He’s really explosive. He’s great ball in hand. He’s great going and getting the ball deep. He’s great on screens. He can do just a lot of things; he’s very versatile. So, he adds an extra element to our offense.”
Nix said things are going great with his new play-caller Davis Webb, who took over those duties from Payton this offseason.
“Davis is very calm, decisive giving me the play,” Nix said. “I feel like Davis is doing a really good job of communicating with me but not over-communicating, just giving me a few things here and there, reminders, little things about a play.”
Nix, who signed a four-year, $18.6 million rookie deal as the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft, is essentially entering a contract year
“Every year for every player should feel like a contract year,” Nix said, “because you’ve got to continue to go out there and earn it day by day.”
Tests show Buffalo safety Gardner-Johnson strained calf
BY JOHN WAWROW AP sportswriter
PITTSFORD, N.Y Tests revealed Buffalo Bills safety C.J. GardnerJohnson strained his lower right calf, three people with knowledge of the injury confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team has not provided an update on Gardner-Johnson, who was hurt earlier in the day
Though it’s unclear how much time the eighth-year player will miss, the diagnosis of a strain is regarded as positive for the offseason free-agent addition competing for a starting job.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By
Buffalo Bills safety C.J Gardner-Johnson warms up before practice at the team’s training camp on Saturday in Pittsford, N.y.
Browns’ QB battle between Watson, Sanders heating up
BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter
BEREA, Ohio Cleveland Browns
quarterback Shedeur Sanders knows he is battling for the starting job with Deshaun Watson.
But he does not want to discuss how it is going.
“I answered this question a thousand times. We focus on ourselves and what we do and what we need to do to get better every day So that’s just something y’all think about and y’all care about,” Sanders said on Saturday when asked whether he is viewing each practice as a battle between him and Watson.
The competition for QB1 is not expected to be settled until at least after the second exhibition game against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 22. Coach Todd Monken said both are doing fine, although evaluations will not ramp up until the offense is fully installed. Saturday marked the halfway point of eight days of installations. The Browns will be off Sunday before six straight days of practice, including the first day in pads Monday
“I don’t think you’re really going to know until you get through all the installs because we’re not game-planning against our defense,” Monken said. “One day you go with the ones, the other day you go with the twos. Certainly that matchup’s going to be different in terms of who you’re going against.
“All of our players are working through mistakes and fighting like hell to get better.”
After being buried on the depth chart during last year’s training camp, Sanders is splitting snaps with Watson on the first team, alternating days. One day Watson throws to veterans Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman; the next, to rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
Watson said it can be difficult switching between different units because it is hard to build a rhythm, but it is the quarterback’s job to adapt.
“You’ve got to be a leader out there, and you’ve got to bring everybody to that standard, and you all have to play that way,” he said. “So regardless of what group you’re in or who you’re in there with, you’ve got to make sure you execute at a high level. It’s definitely challenging, but at the same time, you can’t make that an excuse.”
Sanders noted he has improved most in recognizing things presnap and post-snap, and he feels more consistent in his approach.
After falling to the fifth round and 144th pick in the 2025 draft, Sanders started the final seven games of his rookie season, going 3-4 with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
“He’s definitely improved; he’s grown a lot. You can see it within his fundamentals, his reads, being able to execute, call the plays,” Watson said about Sanders. “You can tell he’s a lot more comfortable and that he’s been putting in the work to be able to be where he is right now.” Watson is looking forward to playing in the preseason games, which begin Aug. 15 at Chicago. He has played in only 19 games since being acquired by the Browns from the Houston Texans in 2022 for three first-round picks. In 2022, Watson missed the first 11 games because of a league suspension resulting from his alleged sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. He made six starts in 2023 before a season-ending shoulder injury and started seven in 2024 before the first of two Achilles tendon injuries.
“I’ve just got to continue to build that football shape. I think that’s the biggest thing I’m working on through this process each day, just trying to build that endurance because it’s been a while since I’ve really been on the field with 11-on-11,” said Watson, who is 9-10 with the Browns with 19 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and an 80.7 passer rating. “Now it’s just building trust within the receivers, because everyone runs different routes and we have different types of guys.”
No. 2 draft pick Bailey causing
BY DENNIS WASZAK JR.
AP pro football writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J David Bailey is already making his presence felt only three training camp practices into his NFL career
Just ask the rookie edge rusher’s impressed New York Jets teammates and coaches.
That’s a talent-filled package the Jets fell in love with leading to the draft.
The injury occurred about an hour into practice when GardnerJohnson, who used to play for the New Orleans Saints, went down to both knees on the field in what appeared to be a noncontact injury and after defending against a run play during team drills A trainer immediately focused on the back of the player’s right foot Upon being helped up, GardnerJohnson was unable to place any weight on his right leg before eventually taking steps on it while being escorted to the medical tent Soon after, he was carted off to the locker room. General manager Brandon Beane was unable to provide an update on Gardner-Johnson’s status immediately after practice, saying: “Until we get an MRI, we’ll see.”
The Bills targeted Gardner-Johnson early in free agency to play a role in a revamped defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard. Gardner-Johnson is noted for being a hard-hitting player whose aggressive personality was con-
sidered a fit in Leonhard’s attacking style. Though he’s on his sixth team since spending his first three NFL seasons with New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson led the NFL with six interceptions in 2022 and was a member of the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team. The 28-year-old quickly has been embraced by his Bills teammates and became a vocal leader in the secondary
“I see him in the backfield all the time,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said with a laugh Saturday “I mean, oh my gosh.” The No. 2 overall pick out of Texas Tech is off to a fast start this summer During the Jets’ second practice of camp on Thursday, he was credited with three “sacks” — there’s no contact on quarterbacks with one during which he bull-rushed right tackle Armand Membou and buzzed past running back Breece Hall to get to Geno Smith. “Oh, he’s gonna be phenomenal,” defensive lineman Kingsley Enagbare gushed. “He’s going to have a long, long career The sky’s the limit for that dude. He can literally do it all: He can stop the run, he can rush the passer.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say I feel pressure,” Bailey said. “It’s in the back of your mind. Like, you know you’re the No. 2 pick, you know there’s high expectations just from the fans and also from teammates and the staff and everything. But I try to like not let that get to me. I try to say really nothing has changed, honestly “Like in terms of if I want to be the best, I’ve got certain things that I need to do.” On that list is getting a deep understanding of Aaron Glenn’s playbook on defense, studying videos, taking care of his body as a pro and watching other pass rushers he’s trying to emulate. Bailey said Von Miller is the first player he thoroughly studied, especially since the 6-foot-3, 251-pound rookie has a similar physical makeup. But he has also focused on players such as Aidan Hutchinson and Myles Garrett.
“I realize that I have my own personal game,” Bailey said. “So it’s kind of like it’s a process in selecting what you think that you can add to your bag, but then also maybe make certain tweaks in terms of how you’re going to run it on the field.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix greets tight end Evan Engram as they take part in drills at the team’s training camp on Saturday in Centennial, Colo
Bailey
AP PHOTO By SUE OGROCKI
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders speaks to the media during training camp on Saturday in Berea, Ohio.
ADRIAN KRAUS
Watson
UEFA declares no confidence in Infantino
BY GRAHAM DUNBAR Associated Press
GENEVA — Successfully stopping Gianni Infantino’s FIFA plan to sell World Cup profits to private investors was the first half of a high-stakes game in global soccer politics.
The second half kicked off Saturday with what seemed a clear aim of ending Infantino’s decade-long presidency
“No option should be off the table,” said European soccer body UEFA, whose president Aleksander Ceferin has led the fight against Infantino in a seismic week for FIFA.
“The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.”
Later Saturday, the governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF) called for accountability, saying: “A (World Cup) proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident.
It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first. This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behavior A full review of this leadership must now take place.”
Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with private investors but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday’s announcement.
Infantino was forced to scrap the plan early Saturday after his senior adviser who sat on a White House panel resigned and Asia’s soccer body joined Europe and North America in opposing it.
UEFA’s blistering statement
UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, issued its blistering statement hours after FIFA announced it was withdrawing its private equity plan.
“We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-
FIFA president Gianni Infantino gestures as he meets the media at the World Cup
Doha, Qatar, on Dec. 16, 2022.
track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game,” UEFA said. “We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.
“It is right that, in the coming days and weeks, UEFA will work with its associations and in close cooperation with other confederations to reflect on how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again.”
Norwegian soccer federation president Lise Klaveness, an elected member of the UEFA executive committee, said steps must be taken to protect the integrity of the sport.
“The entire framework of international football cooperation was unnecessarily put at risk in pur-
Mets celebrate 1986 World Series team
BY JERRY BEACH Associated Press
NEW YORK Members of the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets celebrated the 40th anniversary of the franchise’s last title on Saturday That Mets team won 108 regular-season games and beat the Boston Red Sox in a seven-game Fall Classic.
Members of that squad marveled at the miraculous turn of events against Boston on the way to the championship and lamented the plight of the current team, which has the second-worst record in the National League at 47-65.
“When we started the year our ultimate goal was to win the world championship,” former reliever Roger McDowell said before an on-field ceremony before the start of Saturday’s game.
“And when you’re the last one standing, that’s the best feeling in the world.”
The Mets felt far differently when they were one out away from elimination and trailing by two runs in the 10th inning of Game 6 of that World Series.
“To be honest, my exact words I didn’t tell anyone this, but I will say this (now) — ‘We’re about to blow this,’ ” Mookie Wilson said. “ ‘We’re about to blow this thing.’
Gary Carter hit a single that began a stunning comeback for the Mets, who forced a Game 7 when Wilson’s grounder slipped under Bill Buckner’s glove and between
his legs as Ray Knight, clasping his hands atop his head, raced home with the winning run.
After a rainout, the Mets overcame a three-run deficit and won Game 7 by the score of 8-5.
“I don’t think any of us could have ever predicted or imagined that one instance in time and baseball history would bring that much joy to people and just create a lasting memory that they just tell their kids and grandkids about,” Wilson said.
“I know I do. I talk about it all the time. My grandkids, they watch videos and they want to know about it.”
Twenty-two members of the 1986 team gathered behind second base for the ceremony along with Carter’s widow and children.
Family members representing late manager Davey Johnson, late general manager Frank Cashen, and late coaches Bud Harrelson and Bill Robinson were also on the field
The Mets have reached the World Series just twice since 1986, losing in five games to the crosstown Yankees in 2000, and to the Kansas City Royals in 2015.
New York reached Game 6 of the NL Championship Series in 2024.
This season’s Mets are in last place in the NL East
“Every ballplayer you have out there wants to win every one, not one player goes out there wanting to lose,” Wilson said, “The problem is how to win. Sometimes, you have to be uncomfortable. And that’s I think where we are.”
suit of individual interests rather than the best interests of the game,” Klaveness said Saturday ”This has been visible to many for a long time, including those of us elected to positions intended to safeguard checks and balances and provide ongoing oversight. We have to recognize that these mechanisms have not worked well enough.”
The president of the Asian soccer confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, said “the future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game.”
Infantino’ audacious bid fell apart after UEFA’s 55-member na-
tions agreed Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions. CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also said they opposed the plan.
CONCACAF’s statement added that FIFA leaders have “a duty of service over power Where that duty is not upheld, accountability cannot be optional.”
FIFA’s internal revolt
There was also an internal revolt.
Infantino’s senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned on Friday and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.
Hours later, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issued a
statement to The Associated Press, saying FIFA staff were deceived by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months and that the project must not continue.
“It is the project of one person,” wrote Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and UEFA “Not only must this project not go ahead but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”
Infantino had proposed spinning off FIFA’s commercial businesses including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women — into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.
The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm launched by Joshua Kushner the younger brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner
Other big plans have flopped
A tumultuous week in international soccer is at least the third time Infantino has rocked it with an ambitious plan many in the sport saw as reckless.
But the fallout from FIFA’s Kushner-backed plan is the first time UEFA has acted quickly to create momentum for removing the man who was its former longtime employee.
In 2018, Infantino pushed a secretive offer of $25 billion from Japan’s SoftBank to create new competitions, that posed a longterm risk to continental events for clubs and national teams.
In 2021, Infantino proposed playing World Cups every two years instead of four — an idea that also angered the International Olympic Committee where he is an elected member
Both plans created big rifts in the sport and were eventually dropped by FIFA. Despite the turmoil, Infantino was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Riley takes one-shot lead into final round of Rocket Classic
BY LARRY LAGE AP sportswriter
DETROIT Davis Riley has put himself in a position to win on the PGA Tour for the first time in more than two years and to earn a postseason bid.
Riley shot a 7-under 63 to reach 15 under on Saturday and took a one-shot lead at Detroit Golf Club, where the relatively easy course will give a lot of players on the tightly-packed leaderboard a chance to win the last Rocket Classic.
Riley closed with consecutive birdies, making a 54-foot putt at No. 17 and a 10-footer at 18 to pull into a first-place tie with Michael Brennan Riley is aiming for his third career win and first since the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge — and to get into the postseason.
He has missed 10 cuts, including last week’s 3M Open, and is No. 146 in the FedEx Cup standings.
The Rocket Classic and next week’s Wyndham Championship are the last two tournaments left before the top 70 advance to playoffs.
Riley had an opportunity to win the season-opening Sony Open as the third-round leader before closing with a 71 and falling into a tie for sixth.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I’m just excited that I’ve started to put the things together and have a chance.”
Brennan (64) had a strong round with seven birdies, but missed a 9-foot putt to bogey 18 and lost a share of the lead.
Rasmus Hojgaard (61), Chris Kirk (66), Rickie Fowler (67) and Cameron Young (68) were three shots back.
Xander Schauffele (67) is in a group another stroke back, going into the final round on Sunday Hojgaard became the third player in as many days to match the course record with a 61, giving him the lead before Brennan’s birdies put him ahead.
First-round leader Peter Malnati opened with a 61 before plummeting to 4 under with a 71 and 74.
Young matched the mark on the second day, putting the thirdranked player in the world in a three-way tie for the second-round lead with Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs. I’m just excited that I’ve started to put the things together and have a chance.”
DAVIS RILEy ON HIS PERFORMANCE THIS SEASON
Young, playing for the first time since a second-place finish at the British Open, was in the final group on Saturday and had a rough round.
He missed 11-foot putts at Nos. 1 and 3, settling for par His drive at No. 2 went wide right, landing on a berm with the ball above his feet, leading to another par
The 24-year-old Brennan, a former Wake Forest star, is shooting for his second win and first since last year’s Bank of Utah Championship in his first start as a professional.
Brennan also has a chance to improve his shot at being in the postseason after entering the tournament No. 106 in the FedEx Cup standings. He made eight straight birdies, one shy of the PGA Tour record, on Thursday to open with a 65 and shot a 67 on Friday Hojgaard of Denmark is vying
for his first win on the PGA Tour after missing the cut in his last three starts and just making it to the weekend at 3 under in Detroit.
Kirk, who was in a three-way playoff at last year’s Rocket Classic before Aldrich Potgieter
another tournament next year The Detroit-based company isn’t interested in continuing to spend $15 million a year to be part of the second tier in the new era and didn’t want to double the costs to be part of the elite tier
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARTIN MEISSNER
closing news conference in
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO Davis Riley watches his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 28.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HEATHER KHALIFA Mookie Wilson speaks during a reunion celebration in New york on Saturday for the 1986 New york Mets team that won a World Series.
Offshore anglers feel bite of shark month
BY JOE MACALUSO
Contributing writer
It’s August and it’s hot, and we can add “hot” to most offshore anglers who are hot under their collective fishing shirt collars.
It’s not because there’s a lack of fish to take their offerings. Most of them are directing their efforts toward catching red snapper And, yes, these red and tasty table-fare species are taking what anglers are offering.
So, no complaints there.
The problem comes after they hook up on a red snapper
“We can’t get them in the boat,” veteran angler John Langlois said “Sharks!”
Frustration rang in his voice along with some condemnation about the hows and whys Langlois is seeing more sharks than he’s seen in years over reefs and wrecks off Louisiana’s coast
“We had several big snapper — and I’m talking big, big snapper — and sharks were everywhere. We were in one of my favorite spots for catching big snapper, and we put one in the boat. We moved and the same thing happened,” Langlois said. “It’s hard to believe with all the snapper out there that we came in with one fish — one fish.”
So, it appears it’s shark month in Louisiana, and our state more than one-ups the recent run of “Shark Week” on a couple of cable channels.
Langlois is not the only deepwater angler complaining about seeing an increasing number of sharks during the past three snap-
LWFC to set fall inshore shrimp season this week
The main agenda item for Thursday’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting will be to set the opening dates and times for the fall inshore shrimp season. The inshore season has been closed for nearly five weeks.
The meeting is scheduled to convene at 9:30 a.m in the firstfloor meeting room at state headquarters on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge.
The state agency also announced the full 2026-2027 hunting regulations are posted on its website (wlf.la.gov) and the paper pamphlet will be available at state and regional offices and from local license vendors.
Joe Macaluso
Keep
BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer
an
per seasons. Calls average one a week about how these apex predators are “stealing our catch,” as one fisherman said after this year’s Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon Rodeo, echoing similar calls after the Swollfest and Catholic High
fishing rodeos. So here’s why: Several shark species have become the most protected marine fish in the U.S. waters. That protection came after conservation-environmental groups got the ear of federal ma-
rine biologists and asked for protection from commercial interests to halt shark finning and other practices targeting sharks.
Yes, that’s a simple explanation, but it boils down the reasons for an extraordinarily complicated set of federal regulations on what can and cannot be extracted from the shark population along with the where, whens and how many It’s also late summer Years of late Julys and Augusts along and off our coast is enough to know sharks are more active in nearshore, offshore and coastal lakes and bays at this time of year Is it because the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers’ flow has slowed enough to allow the Gulf’s saltier water to trigger shark movement and activity into shallower water? Or is it that nearshore and offshore water is the warmest it will be all year?
Whatever the cause, just know sharks are active, and it’s best to know what you can do if you catch one. The old term of “having to be a Philadelphia lawyer” to know all the rules of shark regulations applies here You need a printout of federal regulations and an illustrated fishing-guide book to know what’s legal. Yes, there are some sharks that make good table fare. You just have to know which ones and if there’s a season for them.
Red snapper
The latest recreational red snapper catch estimate by LA
Creel amounts to 701,302 pounds through the July 19 count It leaves a little more than 180,000 pounds in our state’s 882,439-pound allocation after the seasons opened May 1.
The one-week catch (July 13-19) was 78,420 pounds and followed a record-setting, two-week (weeks ending June 28 and July 5) take totaling 344,233 pounds by recreational anglers.
The Juniors
After taking the lead after the first day, Brooks Beaty and Caleb Coburn, representing the Northwest Louisiana Bassmasters, finished second in the 115-team Bassmaster Junior Championship held on Kentucky Lake near Paris, Tennessee, last weekend.
Beaty and Coburn weighed in 15 pounds, 3 ounces on a five-bass limit in round one but managed 9-6 the second day to finish with a 24-9 total. The Front Range Bass Club’s (Colorado) seventh-grade team of Adam Nieman and Charlie McMahon brought in 12-7 the second day to win with a 26-2, 10-fish catch and earned $2,000 in scholarships. Other Louisiana teams among the top finishers included John David Harmon and William Harmon (15th, 165, Notre Dame Junior Bass Team), Kase Nobile and Nathaniel Watts (17th, 16-1, Junior Southwest Bassmasters), Owen McDaniel and Mitchell McDaniel (18th, 15-11, South Beauregard Fishing Team), Piers Picou and Paxton Picou (31st, 13-12, Central Catholic) and Brantley Broussard and Cole Watkins (56th, 10-6, Junior Southwest Bassmasters).
WEDNESDAY
LA. SHRIMP TASK FORCE MEETING:
10 a.m., Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma.
THURSDAY
LA. WILDLIFE & FISHERIES COM-
MISSION MEETING: 9:30 a.m., Joe Herring Room, state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters, Quail Drive, Baton Rouge.
FRIDAY
FRIENDS OF NRA/ACADIANA
BANQUET: 5:30 p.m., River Oaks Catering & Event Center, 520 E. Kaliste Saloom Road, Lafayette. Call Kendall Comeaux, 337-298-5236. Email: kcomeau10x@aol.com
SATURDAY
NSCA REGISTERED SPORTING CLAYS: Bridge View Gun Club, Port Allen.
FRIENDS OF NRA/CENLA BANQUET:
5 p.m., Randolph Riverfront Center, 707 Second St., Alexandria. Call Paul Mahfouz, 318-528-0382. Email: paul.mahfouz@yahoo.com
ONGOING
STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT & ANGLERS RODEO/S.T.A.R.: Through Sept. 7, Coastal Conservation Association’s summer-long fishing event. Tagged redfish, coastal/offshore species categories and youth division. CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com/star
AROUND THE CORNER
AUG. 10 — RED STICK FLY FISHERS PROGRAM: 7 p.m., Bluebonnet Regional Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@gmail.com. Website: rsff.org
AUG. 12 — BUGS & BEERS: 6:30 p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N.
Dorgenois St., New Orleans. Casual fly tying. Open to public. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail. com. Website: neworleansflyfishers.com
AUG. 13 — JUNIOR SOUTHWEST
BASSMASTERS MEETING: 7 p.m., Seminar Room, Bass Pro Shops, Denham Springs. Boys and girls age-group bass tournaments for ages 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18 anglers. Call Jim Breaux, 225-772-3026.
FISHING/SHRIMPING
SHRIMP: Spring inshore season closed except for Breton/Chandeleur sounds; all outside waters open.
OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Private recreational red snapper; gray triggerfish; flounder; lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers and wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath and Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.
CLOSED SEASONS: Recreational/ commercial greater amberjack; bluefin tuna; gag, goliath and Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.
LDWF UPDATES
n CLOSED: Hope Canal Road/boat launch (Maurepas Swamp WMA, levee construction); Reserve Relief Canal Boat Launch by order of Corps of Engineers (Reserve Relief Pump Station construction) with alternate launch locations at Pete’s Landing, the Akers boat ramp & Bonnet Carré Spillway boat launch. n REOPENED: All roads on the Richard Yancey WMA (Concordia Parish).
n DRAWDOWNS: Saline Lake (through Oct. 5); Iatt Lake (through Oct. 5); Clear-Smithport Lake (Aug. 3-Nov. 16); Lake Bistineau (Aug. 12-Nov. 30).
EMAIL: jmacaluso@theadvocate.com
eye on these 10 area high school wide receivers
Some of the best wide receivers to ever play the game have come through Louisiana.
The state, which is a hotbed for the position, boasts several top high school receivers this year from the Baton Rouge area. With the 2026 high school football season right around the corner, here’s a look at 10 of the best wide receivers from the area who look to have big seasons.
ETHAN KIMMIE
Zachary, Sr
Zachary receiver Ethan Kimmie enters his senior season with high expectations. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound pass catcher is rated as a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports Kimmie is the highestranked wide receiver from the area for the Class of 2027.
“He’s a super talented kid,” Zachary coach David Brewerton said in June. “When you see him jump it’s quick and it’s off the ground quick, and his ball skills are good.” He holds offers from Florida State, Texas A&M and Kentucky, among others.
CALVIN URSIN
Dunham, Jr Dunham gained a major addition after Calvin Ursin transferred to the Tigers from Live Oak following his sophomore season He caught 32 passes last year for 425 yards and four touchdowns. The junior is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot1, 195-pound receiver looks to have a big season with star quarterback Elijah Haven throwing to him
multi-sport athlete primarily plays receiver but also made plays at quarterback and running back. Walker is a three-star UL commit, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound receiver caught 62 passes for 793 yards and eight touchdowns last year
ASHTON STARK
Lutcher, Sr
Lutcher senior Ashton Stark offers explosiveness as a multi-sport athlete. His athleticism can be seen in track and field, competing in the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump.
On the football field, the Kansas State commit is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. Last year, he totaled 56 receptions for 806 yards and compiled 15 total TDs.
RAMAJ FLOWERS
Ursin holds 13 offers, including LSU, Florida State, Texas A&M and Kentucky.
MARCUS WATSON
Central, Sr.
Central’s wide receiver room is one of the best in the area, and Marcus Watson is a big reason why. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He committed to the University of Houston in the spring. Watson offers elite speed to take the top off of defenses, which should lead to plenty of explosive plays this season.
CASH DAVIS
Live Oak, Sr Live Oak returns major production in Cash Davis. The 6-foot-1,
165-pound senior earned a spot on The Advocate’s large schools All-Metro team last year after he caught 68 passes for 1,344 yards and 13 touchdowns. Davis became the first receiver in Live Oak’s history to record more than 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
RYAN MOORE
East Feliciana, Sr East Feliciana’s Ryan Moore is a two-way star who did it all for the Tigers last year He was one of the top receivers in the state in receiving yards with 1,203 yards on 56 receptions. Moore also caught 11 touchdowns.
Moore (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) did damage any time he was given the football with an additional four
touchdowns and 362 rushing yards on 30 carries.
KEVIN SMITH
University High, Jr
U-High’s Kevin Smith is one of several new faces on the Cubs this year He transferred to University High from Oxford High (Mississippi), along with quarterback Knox Kiffin. Smith could make an immediate impact after he caught 38 passes for 783 yards and nine touchdowns last year
The 6-foot, 170-pound receiver holds several offers, including Miami, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
JOHN WALKER
Plaquemine, Sr Plaquemine senior John Walker did it all for the Green Devils. The
Southern Lab, Fr Southern Lab’s Ramaj Flowers is the youngest player on this list, but his talent and size are worthy of recognition. Flowers enters his freshman season at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds. He holds 11 college offers, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Colorado His size and ability as a playmaker should make him an exciting name quickly
BRODY DIEL
Central, Sr Another exciting player out of Central is senior Brody Diel. He offers size at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. The Wildcats senior caught 57 passes last year for 982 yards and 13 TDs He also played defensive back and recorded one pick-six. The Rice commit’s stock continues to rise after receiving an offer from Miami on June 21.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Zachary receiver Ethan Kimmie, left, makes a touchdown catch against Woodlawn on Oct. 24 in St. George.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK Lutcher wide receiver Ashton Stark runs with the ball against Liberty on Sept 18 at BREC’s Olympia Stadium.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Central wide receiver Brody Diel races up the field after making a catch in a game against East Ascension on Nov. 21.
JanRisher
On Navajo land, this Louisiana womanlearned thework of ashepherd
Readers have not let me forget about Kristyn Carver Since my column about her plan to spend aweek helping tend sheep with afamily on the Navajo Nation in Arizona, people have stopped me at grocery stores, called the office andemailed. How did it go?
Some wanted an update before she had even made it hometoMandeville. She is home now,asisher lifelong friend Jennifer Nottingham, who flew in from Alaska to join her The short answer? Carver went to Arizonatohelp move sheep. She never moved asingle one. But that’snot what she came home talking about.
It turns out the story belongsas much to a27-year-oldnamed Timothy Benally as it doestoCarver Benally helped arrangeCarver’s trip. She teachesatNew Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and has spent years wanting to better understand the Bible’smanyshepherd metaphors.
The morning she flew out, driving across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in adownpour,she prayed she’d be present towhoever crossed her path that day.Every seatmate she met and every stranger she encounteredaskedwhere she was headed. Then they wanted to know why
The plan was straightforward She would help Benally’suncle, Vince Benally,move the family’s sheep fromtheir winter campto higher summer grazing land Nature had other ideas
ä See SHEPHERD, page 6D
PROVIDED PHOTO
Jennifer Nottingham, of Alaska,from left, met her childhood friend Kristyn CarverinArizona fora week of assisting TimBenally and his family tend their sheep on thelandwhere his family has lived for generations, partofthe Navajo Nation in Arizona.
Anew placefor
INSPIRED
news and content
Beginning today,stories that appeared in the Louisiana Inspired section are moving to the Sunday Living section:
n JANRISHER: Her Sunday column will now appear each week on the front of Living, as well as her regular Tuesday column in Metro.
n LOUISIANAINSPIRED: Each Sundaywe'll spotlight astory about an inspiring person or event in the Living section.
n FAITH: We’re also relaunching apage about faith, beliefs and spirituality.Itwill appearevery other Sunday
LIVING
BY JANRISHER Staff writer
Editor’snote: Kathryn Stockett’s2009 debut novel, “The Help,”sold more than 15 million copies, spent more than 100 weeks atop The New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film Her second novel, “The CalamityClub,” was released in May Stockettwill speak about her writing and new book, including alive conversation with the newspaper’s Jan Risher,at5:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 at TheFreyhan Center,4727 La. 426, St. Francisville —presented by TheConundrum bookshop. Admission is free. Seating is first come, first served.
Kathryn Stockett can write almost anywhere. But only forso long. When thewords stop coming, she goes home to Mississippi Church Hill, to be exact, about30
minutes outside Natchez, where cell service is unreliable and interruptions are few.
“I don’tknow what it is about being away from here,” she said. “I’ll write until the words run out. Andwhentheydo, I’ll go back and sort of fill my tank.” Stockett splits her timebetween the DeepSouth andan apartmentinNew York’sEast Village, but Mississippi remains theplace that fuels herwriting. Her relationship withhome has shaped both of her novels —“The Help,” the 2009 debut that made hera literary star, and “The Calamity Club,” which arrived nearly 17 years later
Stockett remembers thefirst timeshe saw astranger reading “The Help.” Shewas walking on abeach. Aftersoaring
ferson
BYJOY HOLDEN Staff writer
Shyla Clark, from left, Sarah Edgecomb,Lauren Cole and Davis Cole stand in frontofa
Stockett
SJA Class of 1957
Fourteen former St. Joseph’s Academy classmates gathered on June 27 at St. James Place, Baton Rouge, to mark their 69th reunion. Shown are, from left, Renee Dole, Pat Prince, Wanda Hidalgo, Joanne O’Neal, Sandra Tampa, Sister Helen Prejean, Faye Guidry, Marty Tomasino, Janice Evans, Elise Fryou, Barbara Gauthier, Suzanne Danna Harlan, Sister Dianne Funguy and Regina Gautreaux.
St. Joseph’s Academy Class of 1957 reunites
The young women of St Joseph’s Academy Class of 1957 affectionately referred to themselves as “a deck of cards” because their graduating class numbered 52 students — the same number of playing cards
in a standard deck
Nearly seven decades later, 14 former classmates gathered at St. James Place, Baton Rouge, on June 27 to celebrate not only their 69th reunion but also the friendships that have lasted for a lifetime.
The room for the luncheon was decorated in the school’s
familiar red and white colors, with balloons, flowers, keepsakes and photographs from past reunions. As coffee and dessert were served, each woman shared updates about her life, while stories from their school days prompted laughter and affectionate teasing among them.
Greater Baton Rouge American Italian Association
Members of the Greater Baton Rouge American Italian Association held their annual scholarship event on July 12 at the Marriott Baton Rouge. Gathered are, from left, bottom row, Collins Golemi, Lilly Dispenza, McKinley Grace, Mary Avenel, Roman Moreau, Michael Schittone, Marianna Moreau and Maycee Grace; top row, retired LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri; East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore; EBR Mayor-President Sid Edwards, keynote speaker; Randy Indovina, GBRAIA scholarship chairman; and Phillip Cancilleri, GBRAIA president.
Join the Greater Baton Rouge Children’s Choir
Open enrollment is now open for the fall 2026 semester of the Greater Baton Rouge Children’s Choir, an inclusive youth choir dedicated to artistic excellence, character development and community engagement.
The choir equips children in first through 12th grades from diverse backgrounds with strong character, self-confidence, leadership skills and musicianship through high-quality choral training. No audition or previous musical experience is required. The season runs from Aug. 18
to Dec. 12. Rehearsals are from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays at Grace MidCity, 630 Richland Ave., Baton Rouge Tuition is $250 per child, and multi-child discounts are available. Those who register by Tuesday will receive discounted tuition of $225 per chorister Foster families are welcome, and foster children can participate tuition-free. Enroll online at www.gbrccmusic.org.
BRCC chancellor honored with social justice award Wesley United Methodist Church honored Willie E. Smith Sr with the Social Justice Award for his work as an education eq-
uity champion.
The past presidents of Attic Trash & Treasure held their quarterly luncheon at Mansurs on the Boulevard on July 14. Alice Greer hosted the
the
Bobbie
Cheryl Olinde, Iris
Linda
and
COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
The Community column runs Sundays in the Living section and accepts submissions for news of events that have taken place with civic, philanthropic, social and religious auxiliary organizations, as well as academic honors. Submissions should be sent by noon Monday to run in the upcoming Sunday column. Because of space limitations, organizations that meet monthly or more are limited to one photo per month. If submitting digitally we prefer JPG files 300KB or larger If taking a photo of a group, have them stand or sit shoulderto-shoulder. If more than six people are in the photo, arrange them on multiple, distinct rows.We prefer emailed Community column submissions to features@ theadvocate.com.We also accept submissions by mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge LA 70821.A phone number must be included.
Smith was selected for the award as a distinguished leader whose service and commitment has made an impact on the Baton Rouge community He also served as a panelist during the historic Wesley United Methodist Church’s social justice community forum where he engaged in conversation about his efforts at Baton Rouge Community College to foster an environment of service.
Under Smith’s leadership, BRCC has experienced significant momentum in workforce training, enrollment growth, industry partnerships and student success initiatives. The college has expanded programming in nursing and allied health, infor-
mation technology skilled trades and other sectors critical to Louisiana’s economy
Save the date for St. Mary’s Chapel fundraiser
At 6 p.m. on Oct. 9 at The Cabin and Courtyards in Burnside, The Friends of St. Mary’s Chapel will hold a fundraiser with live music from the Peyton Falgoust Band, a jambalaya dinner and a silent auction to benefit the restoration of the historic St. Mary’s Chapel in Convent. Friends of St. Mary’s Chapel is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to help save the chapel, which is on the 2021 Louisiana Trust of Historic Preservation List for Louisiana’s Most
Endangered Places.
For more information, visit event.auctria.com/8eb066a14b21-4c0c-9392-b700999fac7d/.
Salvation Army welcomes new corps officers
The Salvation Army of Greater Baton Rouge welcomes Sgts. Tyrone and June Rogers as its new officers, and the community is invited to meet them at a comeand-go reception from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 14 at The Salvation Army, 7361 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge.
The new sergeants recently relocated to Baton Rouge from New Orleans. For more information, call (225) 355-4483.
Eldred, Julie Terrel, Katheen Howell, Virginia Bogan and
Montagnino. Not pictured is Susan Lipsey
PROVIDED PHOTO
Chapeaux Chicks Red Hat group
Members of the Chapeaux Chicks Red Hat group met at the home of Janet Madere on July 21 for their monthly meeting of fun and fellowship. Shown are, from left, seated, Karen Graham, Joan Lansing, Ruby Foil, Tommie Morden, Maudell Hill and Lucy Palmer; standing, Betsy Hooper, Louise Rauls, Martha Smith, Susan Shilling, Kathy Joiner and Janet Madere.
Museums, nature and
BY ELIZABETHDEAL Staff writer
“What’sthere to see in Shreveport-Bossier?” is acommonly asked question. But there are quite afew uniqueattractions, events and more that people may not know about in the area.
Some popular stops worth visitingare theShreveportAquarium, Sci-Port science museum and IMAX theater; shopping at Kings Antiques in Shreveport; and listening to live music outside in the East Bank District of Bossier City. Here are 10 more interesting sights, plus famous food spots and annual events in the area.
n TheMunicipalAuditorium, 705 Elvis Presley Ave.,Shreveport, is consideredtobe thefinest example of art deco architecture in Louisiana, and it houses the original stagewhere ElvisPresley got hisstart on the “Louisiana Hayride” radio program. Outside, an Elvis statue stands tall, and inside, tours are by appointment by calling (318) 841-4000. Fees vary based on how many people are in agroup.
n Shreveport boasts the largest single trunk crape myrtle in the nation, called Bayou View,a species imported from Japanin the 1950s. Visitors can seeitduring the operating hours of Akins Nursery,5901 E. Kings Highway Shreveport, from 8:30a.m. to 5p.m. Monday through Saturday
n Bakowski Bridge of Lights over Red River,also known as the Texas Streetbridge and the LongAllen bridge, connects downtown Shreveport and the Bossier Boardwalk, lighting up the skyline daily from dusk to midnight. Thebridge has 13,000 interactive LEDlights that are programmable, changing colors and animations.
TRAVEL
1887 andretiredin1980. Museum hoursare 10 a.m. to 4p.m.Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4p.m. Sunday
n The largest chimpanzee sanctuary in the world, Chimp Haven, is just outside ShreveportinKeithville. It’s only open to the public on certain dates, which youcan find on their website.
n Stroll the botanical gardens at R.W.NortonArt Gallery and Botanical Gardens, 4747 CreswellAve.,Shreveport, andsee the large-scale painting “Captain Henry Miller Shreve Clearing theGreatRaft,” where his finger will point at you wherever you move. The museum is open 1p.m. to 5p.m. Thursday through Sunday,while thegardens are open from sunrise to sunset Wednesday through Sunday
n See the B-17 and B-24 bombers of World WarII, the P-51 Mustang, the B-52D andB-52G Stratofortress, and thehighest andfastest flying jet aircraft ever —the MACH 3+ SR-71 Blackbird —at the Barksdale Global Power Museum.Visitors must complete an application, found online, to visit. The application must be completed no less than 30 days before your arrival date. The museum is located at the Barksdale Air Force Base, 88 Shreveport Road, Bossier Hours are 9a.m. to 3p.m. Monday through Friday Eatlike alocal
Enjoying a“Humphrey Yogart” from one of the manyCounter CulturelocationsinShreveportBossierisa tradition in this area. It’sa tangy,plain frozen yogurt topped with fresh fruit, honey and granola.
people raveabout the strawberry.The originallocationisat125 Kings Highway,Shreveport. Find Strawn’sEat Shop Tooat7803 Youree Drive and Strawn’sEat Shop Also at 2335 Airline Drive, Bossier Shreveport is home to several outstanding and award-winning chefsand locally owned restaurants and breweries. Somefavorite places are Ki’Mexico, Fat Calf Brasserie,Zuzul Coastal Cuisine El Cabo Verde, Great Raft Brewing Co., 2Johns Steakhouse, BeauxJax Crafhouse and Seventh Tap Brewing Project. Wheretostay
Remington Hotel, 220 Travis St., Shreveport, is ahistoric boutique hotel in downtown Shreveport with arelaxing lobby and bar,full-service spa and fitness center FairfieldPlace andFairfieldManor are bed-and-breakfasts owned by Shreveport caterer chef John Cariere. Full of Southern décor and hospitality,theyare in thehistoric Highland district at 2221 and2300 Fairfield Ave., Shreveport. Live! Casino and Hotel, 711 Live Casino Blvd., Bossier City,isthe newest and only land-based casino in Shreveport-Bossier withrestaurants, an outdoor pool and fitness center
Events
n Shreveport is home to 23 world-renowned dioramas depicting oil drilling, cattle farming and sulfur mining in the 1940s before the transition from manual labor to machines, with the people handsculpted from beeswax. Visitors can view thedioramas at the LouisianaState Exhibit Museum, 3015 Greenwood Road, Shreveport. Hours are 9a.m.to4 p.m. Monday through Friday
TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER
By ChristopherElliott
n Take ashortdrive down Fairfield Avenue inShreveport, beginning at Pierremont Road, to view someof Shreveport’soldestturnof-the-century mansions, many of which are on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. Then turn
southonKings Highway and head to 2911 Centenary Blvd. to see the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River, Centenary College, which celebrated 200 years in 2025.
n Walk through thelaststeampowered water pumping station in theUnited States at Shreveport Water Works Museum, 142 N. Common St. The McNeill Street Pumping Station was opened in
SouthernMaidDonutsisa Shreveport favorite since1941. Elvis Presleymadeonly one product endorsement —acommercial for Southern Maid in 1954. The original location is at 3505 Hearne Ave., with several other locations.
Strawn’sEat Shop is an 80-plusyear-old diner by Centenary College known for its burgers, hot lunch plates and famous icebox pies —and hasbeenfeatured in Southern Living magazine. A favorite is chocolate, but most
Ibooked around-trip flight with Aeromexico from Washington, D.C., to Oaxaca, Mexico. Recently,the airline informed me
it had changed my connecting flight to the next day.
to the case, tellingmethat because their contract says flightsare subject to change, my request wasdenied.
Can you help me getmy$1,360 back?
Allison Turpen,Linden,Va
those clauses to hold your money hostage when they completely rewriteyour itinerary
The Red River Revel, ajuried art show with local food booths and a full music lineup, is Oct. 8-11 and Oct. 15-18 at Festival Plaza, 101 Crockett St., Shreveport. The State Fair of Louisiana with acarnival, state rodeofinals, livestock showand live music is Oct. 29-Nov.15atthe Louisiana State Fairgrounds, 3701 Hudson Ave., Shreveport. The 50thannualIndependence Bowl will host theBig 12 Conference vs. Conference USAat 7:30 p.m. Dec.22atIndependence Stadium, 3301 Pershing Blvd., Shreveport.
TheBarksdaleAir ForceBase biennial air show is April 3-4, 2027, at U.S. 70, Barksdale. Email Elizabeth Deal at elizabeth.deal@theadvocate. com.
The new itineraryleft me with alayover of more than eight hours in Mexico City.My flight would arrive at 9:30 p.m., but the connecting flightwouldn’t leave until 6:15 a.m. the following morning.
Christopher Elliott
Iwillbetraveling with anewborn.This schedule will not work for me because Ican’tstayovernight in the airport with ababy.
Irequested acancellation and refund for the flight, but the airline is refusing
I’ve called nearly adozen times to speak to different people.They finally responded
Aeromexico should have refunded your ticket themoment youpointed outthe schedule change. In fact, it should have offered you afullrefund automatically when it revised your schedule.
Airlines love to tell passengers that schedules are subject to change. It’swritten into their contracts of carriage —the legal agreements betweenyou and the airline— to protect them from liability when weather or mechanical issues cause delays. Butthey shouldn’tbeable to use
Youwere holding aticket for a flight departing from theUnited States. That meansyou are protected by theU.S. Department of Transportation. According to thegovernment, you are entitled to arefund if the airline makes a “significant schedule change and/ or significantly delays aflight and the consumer chooses not to travel.” The DOT defines it as 3hours for domestic itineraries and 6hours for international itineraries.
Aeromexico’sresponse to you was disappointing.
“Our transportation contract stipulates that all our flights are subject tochanges or cancella-
tions,”a representative wrote to you. “For this reason, although we would like to help you, the request is denied.”
That’snonsense. The airline’s internal policies do not supersede federal regulations.
When you run into astone wall like this, you have afew options.
Youcan file acomplaint directly with the Department of Transportation.That usually gets an airline’sattention because it affects their performance statistics.
Youcould have also appealed to amanager. Ipublish the names, numbers, andemail addresses of theAeromexico executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott. org.
Youdecided to ask me for help.
My advocacy team contacted the
airline on your behalf,pointing out that because your itinerary included aflight from the U.S., DOT regulations require the airline to provide arefund.
Aeromexico reviewed your case again and processed afull refund of $1,360.
“This is ahuge relief!” you told me. I’ll bet. If this ever happens to you again, remind the agent of federal regulations. And if they don’tlisten, you know where to find me.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.
Alarge crape myrtle, called BayouView, bloomsatAkins Nurseryand Landscaping in Shreveport.
‘The color comes from the people’
As it settles into its spiritual life, university’s serene chapel is gathering national acclaim
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
Brad McWhirter an architect says there’s an anxiety-choked moment when the client gazes for the first time upon the project. He’s designed and collaborated on projects ranging from schools to office buildings to churches, but it always comes down to that first real showing.
Especially when it’s not just any client, and it’s meant to be a sacred space.
When Gayle Benson stepped inside the Chapel of St. Ignatius and the Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center in the heart of Loyola University’s Uptown campus as the work neared completion two summers ago, it was hold-your-breath time.
“It gets stunningly quiet,” recalled McWhirter, a partner with Trahan Architects of New Orleans. “I’m thinking, ‘Is this bad or good?’ And?
“It just took my breath away ” said Benson, the owner of the Saints and Pelicans and several other businesses. “It’s so different.” Indeed, the chapel is different. The design drew varying opinions around Loyola when it opened in 2024. But as the campus community celebrates daily and weekly Masses in it and adjusts to the building’s unique and unadorned mood and its calm, spiritual sense of reflection, the chapel’s popularity has grown, some students and administrators say The architecture world has certainly noticed it — most recently with the American Institute of Architects’ “Small Project Award,” given to buildings less than 5,000 square feet.
“Constructed of mass timber and clad in handmade brick, the Chapel is simultaneously contemporary and innovative in its approach to simple and sustainable construction while harmonizing with the surrounding Tudor-Gothic buildings on campus in its permanence and stability,” the AIA said about the building.
Earlier this year, the Partners for Sacred Places, a national nonprofit that works to recognize and preserve religious properties, named the $8 million project as one of its 2026 Faith & Form Award winners, noting the chapel integrates both “Catholic worship and broader interfaith programming, reflecting Loyola’s commitment to inclusivity and community engagement.”
McWhirter and company founder and CEO Trey Trahan say there are other ways their design will be measured.
Will people remember it? Trahan asked.
“These are spaces that feel sa-
cred, but don’t feel threatening. That don’t feel judgmental,” he said.
Is it consequential? McWhirter added. “We are trying to create architecture that is consequential and will be here for a long time.”
‘It’s more intimate’
Chapel of St. Ignatius is round, inside and out, and not particularly large at 4,620 square feet. On the 24-acre campus, it sits on the east side of a quad near the university’s traditional, red-brick buildings.
The chapel occupies a space where Loyola’s old library stood for decades, near a court of palm trees.
Its off-white terracotta bricks and round design stand out.
Inside, the floor is polished concrete; the walls are nearly bare and, along the perimeter simple plates on the floor denote the Stations of the Cross. Chairs and kneelers can accommodate up to 200 people, forming a semicircle around the altar
“It’s more intimate,” one woman said as she strode out of the chapel’s 12:30 p.m daily Mass on a recent Monday “I like it.”
For a more traditional church experience, Catholics can look no further than Holy Name of Jesus Church, the Gothic Revival-style 1918 landmark at the campus entrance that faces St Charles Avenue and Audubon Park, and seats around 1,600. The contrast between the two places of worship is intentional, evoking different expressions of faith.
The Rev Eddie Gros, who works at Holy Name parish, said the chapel’s design serves a purpose
because it puts much of the focus on churchgoers. He noted the offwhite walls and ceiling and lack of liturgical art on the walls.
“Many times people will say the color comes from the people who are here,” Gros said.
One of the focuses of Vatican II reforms of the 1960s, he said, was to “bring people together with God among us,” as opposed to God looking down on the Mass participants.
“This place does that.”
The altar, made by Joseph Walsh of Ireland, is a simple, tablelike design of white ash. The carved wood statues by Italian artist Bruno Walpath, depict Jesus on the cross, St. Ignatius of Loyola walking with a crutch, and, in a smaller room off to the side, Mary St. Ignatius is significant to the
university, of course, as the founder of the Society of Jesus Loyola is a Jesuit university Test of time
Initially, at least, campus reaction to the new chapel was mixed, said Pharrell Every, an English literature major who will start his senior year this month.
In an October 2024 opinion piece in The Maroon, the campus newspaper, a Catholic Studies major wrote that when alone in the chapel he felt a sense of “abandonment,” and the “simplistic approach” was “more distracting” for him than worshipping in a more ornate, traditional space. The building, Every said, “raised some eyebrows.” “I do like the chapel. (But) I’ve
heard some people say that it doesn’t feel, quote unquote, chapel-y,” said Every, who is a campus tour guide.
But Every says he’s noted that over time more students are embracing it.
“Now I think it’s growing on people. I think the unique look is a draw People want to look at it.”
In addition to weekday Mass, the chapel is the site of a Sunday Mass at 5 p.m. that is geared to students. For decades, the Chapel of St. Ignatius was located on the first floor of nearby Bobet Hall, which also houses classrooms and offices. Early on, said Ken Weber, Loyola’s associate director of ministry and resident minister, “The challenge was ‘This is not what we’re used to.’”
Weber said students don’t typically look at the building “through an architectural lens. They’re looking at it, like, ‘How am I going to use this building?’”
To that end, he said, the university pushed to get the chapel in front of students more. For instance, Weber said, asking a student choir to practice there.
“We’re introducing as many student populations as possible to the chapel,” he said.
The Trahan firm has designed other churches, but Trahan, who describes himself as a devout Catholic, said Chapel of St. Ignatius is different.
“This is very emotional,” he said. “We wanted contemporary and traditional in the same plan. Embedded in the round church is a traditional church.”
In addition to the sanctuary’s circular design, the rooms inside the chapel are also round, and those interlocking circles make reference to the ichthys symbol of Christ.
“You feel a sense of access,” Trahan said of the circular design. That’s intended to imply a sense that the chapel is “accessible to all faiths,” which is important to the university’s desire to be inclusive, said McWhirter, who is Presbyterian.
Benson, the major donor for the new building, said she likes how it stands out among the campus buildings.
She only wishes her husband, Tom Benson, who died in 2018, had lived to enjoy it. The project was first announced in 2010, the Clarion Herald reported. Weber, meanwhile, predicts the chapel’s popularity will continue to grow and that it will stand the test of time.
“Ten years from now, we’ll be having a different conversation,” he said.
Reporter Bob Warren writes about faith and spirituality in Louisiana. Contact him at bwarren@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTOS By ENAN CHEDIAK
The interior of the Chapel of St Ignatius and the Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center on Loyola University’s campus in New Orleans has a polished floor with nearly bare walls.
A statue of St. Ignatius overlooks the Chapel of St. Ignatius.
Architects Trey Trahan and Brad McWhirter designed the Chapel of St. Ignatius and the Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center at Loyola University in New Orleans.
LOUISIANA INSPIRED
Vacant store has vibrant afterlife as a community hub
BY VIOLET BUCARO Staff writer
On a summertime Wednesday in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, girls and boys zip around on lightup roller skates past their mothers and grandmothers, who are plating hot dogs and nachos. At the door, Dan Bingler lugs donation bags into the storage closet. They expect 200 people tonight.
A navy curtain splits the big room into two. On one side is a stage with a silver dance pole; the other side is lined with clothing racks, shelves of household goods, bookshelves and stacks of CDs. From puzzles to furniture, Bingler said it’s not like Goodwill. It’s free.
The New Orleans Free Store (which has also been called the Fred Hampton Free Store) is anything but conventional, or bound by hard definitions: it’s a place for whatever its community needs.
Tonight: family skate night.
Friday: a punk show Monday: a health clinic And several days a week, there’s a line of people at the door at 5523 St. Claude Ave. before 4 p.m.
It’s a mutual-aid hub, providing harm-reduction, hurricane relief, community meals, activism meetups, roller skating.
“People are getting good stuff — stuff for their families, stuff for their friends and neighbors,” Bingler said.
And when the sky goes dark, it’s a packed, underground punk club.
Alongside residents of the Lower 9th, Bingler directs what goes on at the 9,000-square-foot building he revitalized. He was inspired by the initiatives of the late political activist Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party. Bingler, 42, who was raised in Florida and Louisiana, founded the Greater New Orleans Caring Collective and Southern Solidarity at the start of COVID-19, distributing food out of churches
standing Communities and Food Share New Orleans, among others, provided basic medical triage and hot meals on Mondays — and still do.
Each afternoon, Bingler said, “There are 50 people there when I open the door.”
With help from the women in the neighborhood, the free store basically runs itself, he added.
and schools.
His service programs found this brick-and-mortar home three years ago after a business management firm, Henry Consulting, gave him permission to use their property: a vandalized, vacant building the empty husk of a former Family Dollar “No rent,” Bingler said. “Just utilities.”
‘We try to help everybody’ But the community was there before he got the building. Before Bingler’s effort, the store parking lot was already a place for mutual aid, where volunteers from LSU Medical School, Trystereo, Free-
Powering Progress
“We try to help everybody, especially in this Lower 9th Ward, because, really in truth, I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know that there were so many homeless people down here,” said Phyllis Matthews, 75, a retired social worker and volunteer everyone calls Queen.
She stood next to a large, old fan: “We need air conditioning,” she chuckled. “And a big truck.”
On this particular Wednesday afternoon, she said, “We just got another shipment of 29 big bags of stuff.”
Matthews recalled three girls from Harmony High School in search of prom dresses. She said she grabbed as many dresses as she could. All the girls found one that fit.
Joretta Foxx, 76, visited the store on a Thursday in search of
new gym clothes. A friend had recommended the store, so she took the bus from the West Bank, nearly an hour’s ride, to see it for herself.
“When I got here,” she said, “Well, I thought it was abandoned, but people were waiting in line.”
There’s no sign. And the old Family Dollar sign is decorated in graffiti. The building’s brick exterior is also brushed in artful tags, neon ink and bubbly signatures, like several of the decayed buildings on the street. Foxx said she plans to come back on Monday for the hot meals.
On the other side of the curtain, Destinnee Davis, 8, glides in big circles across the smooth pavement on her skates.
“I paint and roller skate,” she said. “We play tag. Race. And I’m not scared of going up the ramp,” she said before skating off to do a trick.
Her grandmother, Erin Sims, 64, helps cook for Family Skate Night and used to roller blade on St. Claude at the now-shuttered Skateland in the 1990s. She said she’s glad her granddaughter still has a place to skate in the neighborhood.
‘A part of everything’
The neighborhood knew about the Free Store, but once the punk rock scene found it, the nighttime concerts “launched it into the stratosphere,” said Andre Charitat, 35, a metal fabricator who organizes the shows.
Charitat founded Belly Up, a “do-it-yourself” booking organization, and hosted bands out of his metal shop in the Garden District. In 2023, he inquired about putting on shows at the Free Store.
Promotion was both modern (Instagram) and old-school (flyers at coffee shops and stapled on phone poles), but word spread, and now there’s a map of the world on the Free Store wall that’s covered in spiky red push pins left by travelers who were drawn to see it for themselves.
The concerts help the Free
Store keep the lights on; benefit shows have also raised money for migrant aid, transgender support, Palestine solidarity and harm-reduction groups. After the federal government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown, Charitat said the store hosted a show for Union Migrante.
Some who turn out for the concerts also discover that the Free Store has essentials they otherwise couldn’t afford.
“I’ve had people come to shows at the Free Store and come give me a hug in tears because they didn’t have enough money to get a rain jacket,” Charitat said.
Since most club venues are 21 and over many young punks have found it too.
“They can just go and still be a part of everything entirely,” said Rodrigo Delgado Jr., 21, who discovered the Free Store at 18 and whose hardcore band, Gall, played their first show here.
“I think it’s like if anyone wants to experience what the punk community and the local punk scene has to offer, I feel like the Free Store is where you should be anyway,” he said.
No one is turned away for lack of funds (known as “NOTAFLOF”) to see a show
“If you don’t have $10, maybe you got like $5, you can still go. If you don’t have anything, you can still go,” Delgado said. “It’s less about money, and it’s less about music and it’s more about a message.”
Though the owners could sell the building to another dollar store at any moment, Bingler said the community will always have a free store.
“It just continued to grow out of like the organizing principles of seeking marginalized leadership,” he said, tears welling. “In my mind, I’ll be doing this the rest of my life.”
For a schedule of events, assistance and community services offered at the Free Store, visit gnocc.net.
STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK
Zandaya Shield, left, and Destinee Davis skate at the New Orleans Free Store.
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Dan Bingler, at the New Orleans Free Store in New Orleans, says he was inspired by the initiatives of the late political activist Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party
Michael J. Fox to receive Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at Emmys
BY JAMI GANZ New york Daily News (TNS)
NEW YORK
Michael J. Fox will
receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award during this year’s 78th Emmy Awards for his work in advancing research into Parkinson’s disease, with which he was diagnosed in 1991. The five-time Emmy winner, 65, will receive the honor at the Sept 14 ceremony in “recognition of his transformative contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and
NEEDLEPOINT
Continued from page 1D
When she returned to Baton Rouge, she went to The Elegant Needle and was excited to start her new hobby After a year of practicing needlepoint, Edgecomb decided to open her own place for people in Baton Rouge who stitch to hang out together
“I felt that Baton Rouge needed a place that was welcoming to anyone to come and stitch, meet new people, or learn how to stitch,” Edgecomb said. “I’m basically funding my ‘she shed.’”
The Red Stitch is Baton Rouge’s second local needlepoint shop or “LNS” as stitchers call them Edgecomb calls her customers and friends “The Stitch Krewe,” and she welcomes others to join in on the screen-free hobby.
“People are wanting to get off their phones and reconnect socially,” Edgecomb said. “Needlepoint you can do anywhere by yourself or with people. Sorority girls are stitching at the houses together
SHEPHERD
Continued from page 1D
For the first time in Tim’s memory, the pond at the summer camp went dry The sheep weren’t moving. Vince spent his days hauling water, barrel by barrel, to the winter camp.
He didn’t need another shepherd. He needed extra hands Carver and Nottingham helped prepare camp instead.
It wasn’t the week she’d imagined.
She spent an hour wrestling with that. She could chase the story she’d planned or pay attention to the one unfolding She chose the second.
Later, she told me the week was the closest she has come in a long time to feeling exactly where she was supposed to be.
She realized she did the same thing at home — wanting her children or her days to unfold in certain ways. On the mountain, she caught herself.
Tim understands something about adjusting expectations.
After high school, he left for Penn State, near his mother’s Pennsylvania Mennonite family
He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, where he works in government and legislative affairs for the Navajo Nation preparing officials from Washington to visit the reservation and preparing the reservation for visitors from Washington.
In some ways, bringing Carver to his family’s land was an extension of that work.
He grew up on family land with an overlook where he could see multiple states spread out below, with no light from anywhere else at night. As a boy, he often went to his favorite place, an overlook on the mountain, with his closest friend, who is half Navajo and half Guatemalan. Both boys felt different in a place where most classmates were full Navajo.
Suicide touched people Tim knew. The overlook was where he went when life felt heavy or when things were just right
Last June, he married his wife there. They are expecting their first child, a son, in August.
On Carver’s final day with the Benally family, Tim led her and Nottingham to the overlook, hiking to what he described as the second-highest point in Navajo territory, 10 feet shorter than the highest.
There was no trail. Later, Carver told me there was a point when she became fairly certain she was going to die. She did not.
The Benally family still lives with the legacy of the federal livestock reduction program that dramatically reduced Navajo flocks nearly a century ago. Hosting visitors, he believes,
advocacy,” the Television Academy announced last week.
“Michael J. Fox is one of television’s most beloved and enduring performers whose work has left an indelible mark on generations of audiences,”
Cris Abrego, chair of the TV Academy, said in a statement. “The Television Academy is proud to honor him for his extraordinary leadership in advancing Parkinson’s research, transforming pub-
All ages are picking it up.”
The new location of The Red Stitch is double the size of the current store with more room for a sitting room, threads and canvases.
Edgecomb is most excited about a back room that will be designed for stitchers to get together or for people to play mahjong. She said there will be tables that disconnect into groups of four for mahjong games or put together for needlepoint classes.
“I want friends to call each other and say, ‘Meet me at The Red Stitch for an hour,’ ” Edgecomb said “I want it to be a place for people to have a great experience and build each other up.”
The grand opening is scheduled for 11 a.m to 5 p.m. Aug. 8. The first few customers will be eligible for giveaways and goodies. Every guest will have the chance to enter to win a Red Stitch Gift Card. For more information, visit theredstitch.com
Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.
For a week, Kristyn Carver, of Mandeville, went to assist the Benally family, who are shepherds in Arizona. The Benally family has lived on this stretch of land, part of the Navaho Nation, for generations.
helps people understand life on the land and creates connections that may help preserve it for future generations.
Tim said he hopes Carver’s visit is the first of many. He wants more strangers to come, work alongside his people and leave understanding more about life on Navajo land
He is already thinking about bringing his son home.
Readers have asked if Carver came home with a better understanding of shepherds. She did.
She learned that Vince was going to do whatever was best for the sheep, whether that meant leading them up a mountain or hauling water one barrel at a time.
Vince learned shepherding from his mother, Ruth Benally — Tim’s grandmother Ruth lived on the land until 2020. Tim remembers her sitting near the corral watching the sheep. She could tell, just by looking, which animals were sick and which were carrying lambs.
Carver came home carrying something, too — not from the hike or the sheep but from the corral. Vince repaired it with whatever was available: an old box spring, delivery pallets, worn-out shirts twisted around posts to hold everything together.
Nothing wasted Everything useful.
She hasn’t stopped thinking about the possibility that the discarded parts of life might still be doing important work — might still be holding something up. She and Nottingham are already talking about going back.
Anyone interested in learning more about the Navajo Nation can reach Tim directly at timothy.benally10@gmail.com.
Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.
lic awareness and inspiring global support through The Michael J. Fox Foundation, whose investments have accelerated scientific breakthroughs and the search for a cure.”
Fox first publicly discussed his diagnosis in 1998, seven years after receiving the life-changing news. Just two years later, he co-founded his eponymous foundation alongside Deborah Brooks.
To date, the MJFF is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research, having raised more than $2.5 billion toward the cause.
“I know we’ve done a lot, but we haven’t cured Parkinson’s,” the “Family Ties” alum told Time earlier this year “I’m always pushing and never happy until we get this done. We’ve changed the way people think about the disease, and we know there’s an end, and we’ll find it.”
As Abrego said, Fox “continues to exemplify compassion, courage
and service, reflecting the power of one individual to drive meaningful change.”
Fox and Brooks, the foundation’s CEO, appeared on the July 22 cover of THR, which named MFF the Philanthropic Organization of the Year Fox is also nominated at this year’s Emmys, airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock, for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, for his role as Gerry in “Shrinking.” The nod marks Fox’s 19th Emmy nomination.
STOCKETT
Continued from page 1D
“It kind of struck me that something that I had to say was actually reaching beyond my very small circle,” she said. “In a strange way, I think the success of ‘The Help’ made me a more empathetic person.”
Paired with the backlash she received for “The Help” — that the book offered a White perspective on Black experiences Stockett said she began to write more carefully, sometimes fearfully, for years. That caution nearly cost her the new book.
Stockett said she spent years scaling back what she wanted to write in “The Calamity Club,” particularly the part of the story that features prostitutes, worrying that she would draw more backlash. However, she said, when she finally stopped writing for what she thought readers wanted to hear and wrote what she believed instead, the writing process felt liberating.
Anything else, she said, came out “bland and kind of milky.”
She’s a tire kicker
Stockett spent three years living in Bali after her daughter’s school in Atlanta grew cliquish in ways that didn’t sit right with the family The move gave her daughter a wider view of the world, Stockett said — something she’d wished for in her own upbringing — but it also slowed work on “The Calamity Club.”
Bali moves at a different pace, and every chapter took longer
Another reason the second book took so long is that she doesn’t follow a strict writing routine. Instead, she explores every plot turn from multiple angles before deciding which direction the story should take.
“I’m a tire kicker,” she said. “If I have one idea, I’ve got to look at it from eight different ways to decide if it’s a good one.”
That habit explains much of what followed — why nearly 17 years passed between novels, why she discarded an entire narrator, why a historical discovery reshaped the new book and why she kept revisiting what she wanted to say after the success, and criticism, of “The Help.” At roughly 650 pages, the novel’s well-developed characters reflect that painstaking approach — a time-consuming approach that played a role in her original publisher, Penguin, dropping her contract in 2019. This created even more hurdles before she could finish and publish the second book.
Readers, including The Conun-
drum’s Missy Couhig, say the book was worth the wait.
Couhig said she was hooked after the first few pages and was willing to carry the more than 2-pound book under her arm through multiple airports because she literally couldn’t put it down.
“I loved this book so much when I read it that I have been recommending it consistently in our bookshop ever since,” Couhig said.
Home is complicated
Mississippi is, for Stockett, a place she loves and argues with in the same breath.
“There were Christian people and there were good people, but the two didn’t necessarily always overlap,” she writes in “The Calamity Club.”
She said she figured that out when she was young.
Stockett attended a Christian school in Jackson, Mississippi, through sixth grade She said the teachers were some of the kindest people she knew but the belief system underneath their kindness is not one she can square with these days.
Mississippi has been an easy target for a long time, and at this point, Stockett thinks it takes more courage to talk about what’s good in the state than what’s wrong with it. She wants readers to see the state’s sense of community, the hospitality, the food and the beauty
But she also writes because certain things about home keep her up at night — and she has to get them out.
“I saw the hypocrisy around me,” she said. “For many, many years I did nothing to either stop it or at least to point it out. When I started writing books, that was my effort to make a change.”
She hasn’t given up on home. She points to Jackson, where the arts have endured through hard years. She still talks about the wonders of its downtown art museum and the planetarium she loved as a child. She sees the city’s restaurant scene as another sign of hope and wonders whether her hometown could experience a revival akin to Detroit’s. Whatever happens, she said she wants to support her hometown and state however she can.
Why Oxford?
Stockett’s complicated relationship with home also shaped the setting of “The Calamity Club.”
For the novel, she needed a town built around a university, she said. Jackson was too spread out to give her the kind of community she wanted. So she picked Oxford, home of the University of Mississippi.
“It always felt like there were two Oxfords,” she said. “There
was the Ole Miss Oxford — and then there was The Square and the townspeople that would remain there after four years.”
She wanted those two groups to collide on the page.
Oxford also happened to be a place she already knew Her brother lives there, and she counts the mayor among her friends.
Stockett had been writing the novel, on and off, for seven or eight years before history changed the story
Digging into the era, she came across America’s sterilization laws — state statutes that allowed authorities to sterilize people judged unfit to reproduce, often unmarried women and those displaced, especially after New Orleans closed its Storyville red-light district — a detail that plays into “The Calamity Club.”
“I was able to build that fear into these women’s psyches, that this was a real threat,” Stockett said. “This could happen to them.” She said the eugenics discovery reframed the stakes for “The Calamity Club” characters, taking them from Southern women navigating a difficult world to women whose bodies were, quite literally not fully their own.
In the author’s note at the end of the book, Stockett explains that California, not Mississippi, led the eugenics movement in the early 1900s.
Meg and Birdie
“The Calamity Club” features two memorable narrators — 11-year-old Meg Lafleur and 24-year-old Birdie Calhoun. Originally Stockett explained that there were three. She ended up cutting the third narrator, Charlie Lafleur, because the young mother’s single-minded drive to get her daughter back — didn’t hold up across an entire narrative arc.
“Anytime (Charlie) was thinking about anything other than that, it just felt kind of ancillary and beside the point,” Stockett said.
“The Calamity Club” hits a different register than “The Help,” which is often remembered as a book about race told through domestic service. “The Calamity Club” is built around women closing ranks.
Asked what she wants “The Calamity Club” to be remembered for Stockett landed on one word: sisterhood.
“When we come together as a group, we can solve problems so much better,” she said. “It’s also more fun, more interesting and a little bit less frightening when women try to join the forces and tackle something.”
Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
PROVIDED PHOTO
The Conundrum’s Aug. 5 Kathryn Stockett event will take place at The Freyhan Center, located at 4727 Cr-426 in St. Francisville. Originally a school built in the early 1900s, the 15,000 square-foot building reopened in September 2025 after being restored by The Freyhan Foundation.
Tactfullyavoidinganendorsement
Dear Miss Manners: As we are in an election year,help me figure out what to say when afriendasks for your politicalendorsement, but you think she wouldbeterrible in that elected position.I love this friend dearly, butshe absolutely does not have the temperament for the job. Gentle reader: Maybe,for the sake of the friendship, do not tell her that. Miss Mannerssuggests instead something noncommittal such as, “I am so proud of you. Whata worthy endeavor!” And when sheinevitably presses for your support,“I’m not sure what I’m doing yet, but Ithink it’s so great that you are trying to makethe world better.”
taken theplunge.
By The Associated Press
If she does win, perhaps she will surprise you. Fortunately forthe friendship, voting is stillprivate.
Dear Miss Manners: My husband and Ihad abeautiful in-ground pool installed on our property this year.Weliveina very rural area with alot of land between us and the neighbors. We have some close friends in the neighborhood and have invitedthemto swim. Although they have visited and enjoyed sitting by the pool, nonehave
Anew couple moved into the neighborhood and invited us, alongwitha couple of other neighbors, to dinner.Upon leaving, Isaid we would have them over in return sometime.
The husband responded with “Can we swim in your pool?” in a somewhat joking manner.Since Ifelt that these very respectable peoplewould not takeadvantage, Isaid “Sure, anytime.”
Our summer has been busy,sowe have not had achance to invite them back. Do we need to hurry before the cooler temperatures set in, so that the invitation can include the swim that he mentioned? Or areweonly obligated to honor thepromisewemade to have them over for dinner?
Gentle reader:: Youwill be relieved to hearthat “Sure, anytime” is not binding. Frankly,Miss Manners is relieved that this question was not about the neighbors takingyour words literally andusingthe pool without your consent.
Youindeedare obligated only to invite the neighborsback over eventually But if it is not before theweather cools,
it would be gracious to add your apologies for not doing so during pool season
Then tryharder next year
Dear Miss Manners: Inotice moreand morethat in rural/suburban areas, pedestrians, bicycle riders and other people on the road areoutright ignoring cars as theypass. Thatisn’ttosay they’re wandering willy-nilly everywhere, just that they’renot acknowledging awave from the driver in the vehicle.
Iwas raised to waveatfolks on the side of the road, including road workers, bikers and anyone else using the shared space. Iaminadevice that is larger,faster and could potentially hurt them. By providing aberth and a friendly wave, I’m acknowledging their existence, their right to use thespace and respect for their peace. To at least let me know they’re aware, can’tawave be returned? It’s asilly thing, perhaps, but it makes me wonder if people know about this tradition on the road.
Gentlereader: Yes, but maybe we allow thebicyclists areprieve. So that they can keep both hands on the handlebars. Send questions to dearmissmanners@ gmail.com.
Draining awater heater helpsextendits life
Dear Heloise: Ijust bought my first house, and Ineed to learnhow to take care of it now.DoIstill need to drain my water heater? The former owners said that the heater was 4 years old, and they never drained thesedimentin all this time. —Ashly W.,in New Castle, Pennsylvania
jays —Tim P.,inLafayette Storinggingerroot
Today is Sunday,Aug. 2, the 214th day of 2026. There are 151 days leftinthe year
Todayinhistory: On Aug. 2, 1921, ajury in Chicago acquitted seven former members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team and two others of conspiring to defraud the public in the notorious “Black Sox” scandal (though they would later be banned from Major League Baseball forlifebyCommissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis).
Also on this date: In 1790, the first United States Census began under the supervision of Thomas Jefferson; atotal of 3,929,214 people were counted in the census, nearly 700,000 of whom wereenslaved.
In 1873, inventor Andrew S. Hallidie successfully tested acable car he had designed forthe city of San Francisco.
In 1876, frontiersman “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker at asaloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory,byJack McCall, whowas later hanged.
In 1923, the 29th president of the United States, Warren G. Harding, died in San Francisco; Vice PresidentCalvin Coolidge became president In 1934, German PresidentPaulvon Hindenburg died, paving the way forAdolf Hitler’scomplete takeover
In 1945, President Harry S. Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin and Britain’snew primeminister,Clement Attlee, concluded the Potsdam conference.
In 1974, former White House counsel John W. DeanIII wassentenced to one to four years in prison forobstruction of justice in the Watergate cover-up. (Dean ended up serving four months.)
In 1985, 137 people werekilled when Delta Air Lines Flight 191, aLockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed while attempting to land at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Dear Heloise: Iuse ginger root all the time in anumber of dishes that Iprepare formyfamily.Unfortunately,this slightly expensive item tends to dryout very easily.How do Istoreginger to keep it fresh for longer? —Courtney S.,in
Peoria,Illinois
Hints from
Ashly,it’sagood idea to drain off the sediment and mineral deposits about once or twice a year.This helps protect the heating elements and efficiency of your water heater.Bytaking care of these things, you’ll also extend the life of your heater. —Heloise Forthe birdsand squirrels
Dear Heloise: Idon’tunderstand people who fight with squirrels over birdseed. I have two 40-by-9.5-inch bencheswhere Iput two different bags of birdseedon —one containing fruitand nuts and one with sunflower seeds. Ieven put some seed on the bricks around the benches. Everyone eats together.Ialso put out some raw peanuts in theirshells forblue
Courtney,here’smyfavorite method for storing ginger root: First, peel and slice the ginger root,place it in aglass jar,and cover it with sherry or mild vinegar.(Rice vinegar always works well to seal off the air from reaching the ginger.) If you can manage toslice the ginger rootthin enough, you can use aspoon to remove as much as you’dlike or need for your recipe. —Heloise
Sink stains
Dear Heloise: My lovely white kitchen sink has stains that Ican’tseem to get out. Do you have any hints for this annoying problem? —Judy E., in Tucson,Arizona Judy, fillyour sink with warm (not hot) water.Pour in about 2cups of bleach and let it sit for 15-20 minutes,
after which you can drain thewater out. If you have astubborn stain, you may need to use full-strengthbleach on a paper towel and place thepaper towel on the stain for 10 minutes. Be sure to rinse after toremove leftover bleach.
—Heloise
Refillingawater dish
Dear Heloise: Ihave awater dish for my furry pets, which features abig gallonsized glass jar that sits on top of the water dish and automatically fills thedish up when it getslow.Ihave the dish in alocation that doesn’tget alot of light, so it was hard to see thewater level in thejar.Mysolution to the problem was to buy anontoxic yellow ping-pong ball and put theball in the jar when Ifill the jar up withwater.When Iput thejar back on the water dish, theball floats on top of the water,and Ican see theball from any place in theroom. When Isee theball at the bottom of the jar,Iknow that it’stime to refill the jar so that my furry friends have enough water to drink! —Jim C., in Yucaipa, California Send ahinttoheloise@heloise.com.
In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. (The Iraqis weredriven out of Kuwaitmonths later in 1991 by aU.S.-led military coalition in Operation Desert Storm.)
In 2014, asuspected dust explosion at an auto parts factory in eastern China that supplies General Motors killed 146 people in the country’s worst industrial accident in years. The blast happened at Zhongrong Metal Products Co. Ltd. in Kunshan.
In 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden announced al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri waskilled in a drone strike in Afghanistan twodays earlier.AlZawahri and Osama bin Laden, whowas killed by U.S. forces in 2011, had plotted the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. Today’sBirthdays: Author Isabel Allende is 84. Actor Butch Patrick (TV:“The Munsters”) is 73. Rock music producer/drummer Butch Vigis71. Actor Mary-Louise Parker is 62. Filmmaker Kevin Smith is 56. Actor Sam Worthington is 50. Actor Edward Furlong is 49. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is 42. Actor Lily Gladstone is 40. Singer Charli XCXis34. Olympic swimming gold medalist Simone Manuel is 30. Actor Ayden Mekus is 21.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Heloise
BETWEEN THEPAGES WITH NATHANIEL RICH
‘the real world youcan play with’
BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer
“Cloudthief” by Nathaniel Rich, MCD/ Farrar,Straus andGiroux, 304 pages
Last month, the newspaper reported that Meta, the parentcompany of Facebook and Instagram, signed off on plans to double the sizeoftheir Richland Parish data center.Once completed, the$50 billion project, named Hyperion, will be more than four times the sizeofNew York’sCentral Park, making it one of the world’slargest data centers.
“If data was the lifeblood of modern society,our currency,our chronicle, our neural network, our godhead —its corpus was the data center,” the New Orleans author Nathaniel Rich writes in his new novel, “Cloudthief.”
For Tim, the novel’s protagonist, that data is also worth stealing In this Crichton-esque technothriller,Tim, alongside hisfemme fatale girlfriend, Virginia, attempts to pull off anesting doll trio of heists, as he crisscrosses the country’soverlooked outskirts, fromQueens to Oklahoma to Kenner
Set in the years just before the emergenceoflarge language model AI, “Cloudthief” becomes apage-turning commentary on love in the ruins of hyperscale data and what exactlymakes us human.
This interview was edited for length and clarity
In regards to Meta’sHyperion data center,can you help me understand what is happening here in Louisiana?
The most interesting thingfor me about the Meta data center is that it seems to have shifted, for
thefirst time in acentury,the balance of power in Louisiana politics. Despite this factory requiringthe construction of abunch of gasplants,the oil andgas industry in Louisiana has been dead set against it, outoffear that its energyusagewill require utility ratestorise.
The net cost will be gargantuan.
So you had this bizarre alliance between the oil and gas industry in Louisiana and environmental groups, like the Alliance for Affordable Energy, joining together to opposethe Meta plant.Landry basically told them to take ahike. And Ithink theoil and gas industry was shocked, because for the first timeinacentury,they didn’t getwhatthey wanted.That’sbeen dramatic to me, to see big tech come in and basically push aside thepetrochemical empire.
The other thingthat’s going on, and this is true nationally,isthat people hatedata centers.
In arecent New York Times Magazine piece, you write about a2007 Verizon data center heist in London.What are the challenges and advantages of turning fact into fiction?
The Verizon heist is one of the models Iused for “Cloudthief. There’sseveral others like it, particularly in that period. Data centers have been with us for a long time, and these massive centralized data centers have been with us for about 20 years.
The subject of the heist is in Pryor,Oklahoma, Google’sbiggest datacenter.When Isearched for it on Google Maps, it wouldn’t show up. They were clearly shielding it.That’s no longer the case. Butduring theyears Iwas writing the novel, that was true.
They lied about even having data centers for the first couple years once they started constructing them. Essentially, they’ve always been there, always been gargantuan energy-sucking, greenhouse-gas-devouring facilities
Butthe tech industry has been very clever at disguising these facts and concealing it from the public.
Buttoyour question, thestories that interest me are anchored heavily in reality—real historical fact, real scientific fact, technical detail. It’s very important for me to get those things right. I did alot of research for the novel. Ihave alist of 20 data heists that I drew from,essentially reported it before Iwroteit. Itried to figure out how Icould break into adata center.And Ithink Isucceeded.
Reading your work over the years, Ifound
it amusing,the sort of meta-narrative, that the data Timand Virginia unknowingly steal are your own journalistic interests: UFOs, gene editing.This is all to ask,what would you steal? Iwould probably steal what they steal. Exploitable information —either exploitable journalistically,orthrough somekind of prediction markets. When Iwas writing, Ikept thinking about “Back tothe Future Part II,”in which he brings back the sports book and can makebets because he knows allthe outcomes of the games. AndIwanted them to discover secrets, things that were secret in 2014-15, that wereleaked since. Ideally,stuff that was leaked that we don’treally know wholeaked it. In other words, Virginia might have leaked the first Pentagon UAP video, or the first Panama Papersfile. All the secrets they discover were really secrets that have since been revealed. That’sthe funofwriting anovel in the contemporary mode, the
real world you can play with.
“Cloudthief”ispartially set in Kenner, not New Orleans.This is no doubt aconscious choice? It suited the character; [Tim]is an underdog character whofeels alittle bit outside of the world. Kenner wasthe right homefor him.His whole journey is to figure out his own sense of purpose, his mission. He lives in Queens, and he lives in Kenner.There’sa similar cultural identity there. People whoare striving and working hard, but maybe are not getting the samelevel of visibility as Manhattan and New Orleans. The book is set entirely in places that are places people don’t think about, but are right in front of our noses: data centers, mini storage, Oklahoma. What Itried to do with the book is makevisible things that people don’tsee, don’tnotice, and yet are central to lifeasit’slived today
Rien Fertel is the author of four books. He can be reached at rienfertel@gmail.com
Oralhistory detailsPinkFloyd’s legacy
Y MATTHEWMCCARTY
ookTrib.com (TNS)
Music is an integral part of modrnculture. Musical genres such as ock-n-roll define generations and ive hope and excitement to listeners fortunate enough to be apartofthe musical experience. Groups suchasBlack Sabbath, AC/DC and Pink Floyd ave stamped theirmarkaround the world and on pop culturefor decades
In “Pink Floyd: Shine On: The Denitive OralHistory,” author Mark Blake uses theband’sown backround as well as the words of othrswho directed the band and were ssentialparts of its groundbreaking musical style and legacy
The music surrounding Pink Floyd s the music of the ages.Each memerofthe band plays an important ole in “Pink Floyd: Shine On” with heir words and their memories
The music of this innovative and influential band is described by Blake as the history of an era. Blake benefitsfrombeing aband insider and someone with aspecial relationship witheach individual band member. Blake givesequal attention to the band’smusical catalogue and to the accomplishments of each member. He alsosheds light on the world of the 1970s through interviews with producers, friends, and romantic interests of the band.
“Pink Floyd: Shine On” is an excellent oral history
The fresh perspective on this iconic band is much needed. Many of the musical acts that rose to prominence during the heyday of Pink Floyd did not survive thechanging musical tastesofthe 1980s. Pink Floyd, along with the acts mentioned above and others, not only survivedthe change in musical tastesbut also stayed true to their success. The 1980s witnessed amove
towards keyboard and synthesizer stylings, and Pink Floyd were able to harness that change and make it their own. Blake’swriting style provides a description of how these changes in musical tastes and style ensured the continued success of Pink Floyd.
“Pink Floyd: Shine On” is awellwrittenand enjoyable read.
The narrative flows well and leads the reader towards agreater understanding of Pink Floyd. Blake takes advantage of his reporters’ wit and style in order to craft an engaging and sympathetic work. Fans of the golden age of rock-n-roll will do well to add “Pink Floyd: Shine On” to their nighttime reading.
This chronicle will take awelcome place alongside oral histories such as “Denim and Leather: The Rise and Fall of the NewWave of British Heavy Metal” by Michael Hann.
“Pink Floyd: Shine On” is an excellent look into the world of the music that makes the world go round.
DININGSCENE
Chef FrankBrigstencalls hisnew cookbook ‘mylegacy’
It took a community to produce it,hesays
of even canonical dishes stands apart.
First you makearoux?
Not for Brigtsen’schicken and andouille gumbo, in which the roux goes in last, atechnique to coax more flavor from the caramelized vegetables. And that gets to the book’stitle.
resources and other help to open Brigtsen’sRestaurant in 1986. That relationship with Prudhomme established a circle of learning, sharing and generosity that Brigtsen has perpetuated in his own work to preserve the food traditions of southeast Louisiana.
People have been coming to the little white cottage in the Riverbend neighborhood that’shome to Brigtsen’s Restaurant for four decades, in search of meals that embody the soul of Louisiana flavor,asinterpreted by amaster of the style, Frank Brigtsen himself.
It’sarestaurant of relationships, cultivated in the familial style of hospitality practiced in the small dining rooms and in the way the food carries through generations and transmitsa sharedsense of place.
Over the past few weeks, many regulars have also been arriving at the restaurant for copies of Brigtsen’s new book, “Color of Flavor,” adistillation of those relationships in print.
When the restaurant opens at 5p.m., some of the first customers walk straight down the side hallway that leads to the small table in back, the one the chef calls his office. The wall is decorated with past culinary awards and pictures of family; the table is stackedwith books. As the chef inscribes them, his face beams witha mix of pride and gratitude. “I didn’tapproach this as acookbook, Iviewed it as my life story,” Brigtsen said between autographs. “I wanted to chronicle my life
Chef Frank Brigtsen speaks witha customer as he signs copies
of Flavor’ atBrigtsen’sRestaurant.
‘COLOR OF FLAVOR’ n Available at Brigtsen’s Restaurant (723 DanteSt.) duringbusinesshour or order throughbluerunnerfoods.com
experience andthe knowledgeI’vegained working in kitchens over more than 50 years.”
How the book came to be is also atribute to that life andcareer.It was essentially willed into being by others, driven bythe respect and admiration thechefhas built in hiscommunity.
Redbeans andwriting RickyThomasisowner of BlueRunner Foods, the Gonzales-based company best known for its canned red beans brand. He’sbeen aBrigtsen’sregular since
it opened. One night during dinner at the restaurant, Thomas asked Brigtsen if he was ready to finally write acookbook. Blue Runner,hetold him, would finance it and produce it They had adeal.
“This all comes from a love of Creole and Cajun cuisine,” Thomas said.
“Frank is just agreat ambassador for theculture and the cuisine, and that’s our common thread.”
They began to build a creative team, including Thomas’daughter Laine Starr as project manager, local photographer Romney Caruso and art director GageBurke of Brand Society. Brigtsen’schef de cuisine and protégé Nick Cooke and pastry chef James Pierce would prepare all the dishes. It was up to Brigtsen to fill the
pages withhis words.
The milestonebook project arrived as the chef has been navigating anew chapter of his life.
He is 71, and contending with health issues, including severe arthritis that has reduced his mobility.He can’trun thekitchen as he once did (those duties are now overseen by Cooke)
Buthecould write, and, at his desk, he poured his passion for Louisiana food into thework.
The result is abook of equal parts rigorand affection,asmuch narrative as instructional as Brigtsen shares thetradition, history and the people behind the food and his own journey in cuisine.
Recipes are precise, both in measurement and in sequence, which is one of the ways the chef’s treatment
‘Frankisms’build flavor
“Color of Flavor” is an abbreviation of one of the chef’s manykitchen adages: “brownisthe color of flavor.”
Anyone whospends
timewith Brigtsen will inevitably pick up more such “Frankisms,” as the chef calls his maxims. His book is an annotated guide to them
One classic: “Frank’s ‘three T’s’ are orchestrating temperature, taste and timing.”
“Fire creates flavor,” is another,and as ingredients are added (in the proscribed sequence, of course) cooks are “chasing flavor.”
Brigtsen did not learn to cook in culinary school. He learned on the job, and credits “the best Creole chefs you’ve never heard of.” Many of them were line cooks whointurn learned from earlier generations of cooks. They first showed Brigtsen the waywhen he started working at Commander’sPalace in his 20s. Paul Prudhomme, then Commander’sexecutive chef, becamethe young cook’smentor.Brigtsen joined Prudhomme when he opened K-Paul’sLouisiana Kitchen, soon to become knownaround the world.
In time, Prudhomme urged Brigtsen to follow his dream and open his own restaurant, and he gave his protégé cash, business
Chef,educator, author
It’s his calling, his life work, and it took on new urgency when Hurricane Katrina put the survival of much of Louisiana culture in doubt. While running his restaurant, he also threw himself into culinary education. He wanted to reach up-andcoming local talent, pass on what he’d learned, and inspire them to keep it vibrant.
He spent 17 years as an instructor in aspecially designed culinary course on Creole and Acadian food at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, and he was the first chef-in-residence at the New Orleans Center forCreative Arts when the high school created its culinary arts program in 2011. Brigtsen has retired from his formal teaching positions. But his students keep joining the staffathis restaurant. They’re building careers and continuing their education in Creole flavor,the Brigtsen way. “Color of Flavor” can be read as amanual forhome cooks and amemoir of a lifeinfood. It’s also aguide forNew Orleans chefs yet to come. “This book has been a dream come true,” Brigtsen said. “This is my legacy for the future.”
Email IanMcNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com
Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy
Dear Harriette: For the Fourth of July,anextended family member invited my family over for acookout. We were willing to make the 90-minute drive there and back to see everyone and spend July Fourth with them. When my grandmother was on the phone with the host, her sister,she was informed that we needed to bring our own meat and buns if we wanted to eat anything grilled. My grandmother was furious and told her we were no longer coming, arguing that if you host aparty and invite people to come over,you are responsible for providing the meat or main course. Whenever my grandma hosts aparty,she doesn’t expect anyone to bring anything and expects the same
from others.Was my grandma overreacting? —Explosive Family Fireworks Dear Explosive Family Fireworks: People are often asked to bring something to acookout, dinner or gathering. If they aren’t, they sometimes take it uponthemselves to ask the hosts what they can bring.However, it’snot usually the main course, unless it is apotluckwhere everyone is contributing. It sounds like the host wasn’t graceful in herrequest.It’s understandable thatyour grandmotherwas upset Dear Harriette: During JulyFourth weekend, my 16-year-old daughter went up to herbestfriend’scabin. Iwas under the impression that herparentswere going to drive my daughterand herfriend there since it’s afour-hour drive andboth girls have hadtheir licenses for only afew months.Instead, my daughter’s friend drove heruptothe cabin. My husband and Iweren’t
ever asked if this was OK; my daughter lied to her friend’sparents and said we agreed to this plan.
Ididn’tfind out about the drive until after they had already arrived safely When Icalled to check in, my daughter casually mentioned thather friend had driven the entireway.Iwas shocked and immediately called the other parents, who werejust as surprised as me. Am Ioverreacting or is this abreach of my trust?
—Teenagers
Dear Teenagers: In some states, it is illegalfor teenagerstodrive other teenagerswithout an adult in the car.There are also restrictions on driving at night Check the ruleswhereyou live.
It’s odd to me thatthis friend’sparentsdidn’tcheck in with you about the trip, and, more, thatthey allowed their daughter to make thatlong drive. Youare not wrong in being alarmed.
STAFF PHOTO By IANMCNULTy
of this newcookbook ‘Color
BY SARAH RAZA Associated Press
LUVERNE, Minn —Crossing the open farmland of southwestern Minnesota, you’ll encounter an otherworldly sight: amassive head with abeard, mustache and redstriped top hat looming over the horizon Pull into the small townof Luverneand the figure— a nearly 66-foot tall nutcracker,decked out like Uncle Sam —comes into full view Luverne, which thanks to alocal collector claimsto have more of the decorative figurines than people, now boasts the world’stallest nutcracker too.And yes, the star-spangled behemoth has aworking jaw
Outside aquirky rock shop in the town’scenter hundreds of people gathered recently for aweekend ribbon-cutting where the nutcracker’sname and exact height were revealed to acrowd that was later served red, white and blue cookies and slushies.
“Please welcome our newest Luverne resident, Verne the Patriot,” Katie Walgrave announced to cheers. It stands 65 feet and 71/2 inches tall, with the pedestal pushing Verne an additional 9feet over the surrounding prairie, according to Walgrave. That’s almost twice the height of a33-foot-tall nutcrackerin Neuhausen, Germany,that Guinness WorldRecords currently has ranked as the largest. Walgrave, who runs the rock shop called Those Blasted Things with her family,said that since the nutcracker was completed in mid-June, customers have quadrupled. Other local businesses have reported more traffictoo.
“Our goal is to have something that’sdifferent and that you won’tsee anywhere else. And so that’swhat we have here,” she said. Given theassociation betweennutcrackers and
Tchaikovsky’snamesake holidayballet, the Julyunveiling seemed abit outof season But nutcrackers area year-round obsessionin Luverne, which also hosts
a“Nutcracker Fest” every summer
It alltraces back to Betty Mann, 96, and atrip that she made to aCracker Barrel in January 2001 after her daughter and husband had recentlydied.
“I said to my daughter-inlaw,‘Ihad ahard Christmas andI’vealwayswanted a wooden nutcracker.I’m buying myselfabelated Christmas present,’” she recalled.
She got her first in the Cracker Barrel gift shop. She kept buying them, and Mann’scollection eventually ballooned to morethan 2,500 nutcrackers. In 2016, shedonated them to the town’s historical society, whereshe was president, hoping to drawmore visitors to itsmuseum.
Others also started donating and today,Luverne’s 7,554 nutcrackers outnum-
ber its roughly 5,000 residents. No two arethe same Afew yearsago,whenthe city brought in atourism expert to figure outhow to lure more visitors,heconcluded “we’re crazyifwe don’tutilizethe nutcracker collection,” Mayor Patrick Baustiansaid.
Acity committeecame up with the idea of building the world’stallest nutcracker,and so Verne was conceived. It was timed perfectly to arrive as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary Thenutcracker was several yearsinthe making, withthe pieces crafted in Utah andassembled in Luverne. The head and hat had to be lifted on with acrane threeweeksago,completing the structure.
It costaround $600,000 and wasfunded by donations andgrants, Walgrave said.
John Hawkinson of Lakeville, Minnesota, surprised his wife, Francine, with a triptoLuverne (nearly 200 milesaway) after ahouse fire last month destroyed her collection of nearly 300 nutcrackers.
Many represented times from their life together— anutcracker resemblinga sailorfor John’stime in the Navy, andmatchingbride and groom nutcrackers for their marriage
“Betty started her collection as away of dealing with grief,” John Hawkinson said Saturday.“We camedown here out of loss as well Ithought thatwas kind of a full circle moment.”
Luverne is about30miles from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and about 200 miles from Minneapolis.
One of its otherclaims to fame is being asetting for the secondseason of the TV show“Fargo.”
‘Improving ... but I am certainly not satisfied’
Homeowners policies are a little cheaper, easier to come by, but is the state’s insurance crisis over?
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
ä See INSURANCE, page 2E
On the upwing
Louisiana’s indoor playroom industry is evolving
BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer
Toddlers zoomed by on scooter boards, gliding between tots running around in grippy socks. Their moms kept a watchful eye from the center of the room in between conversations with other parents and sips of coffee
It was a summer weekday morning and Chee Chee’s Playroom in St George was buzzing. There aren’t many places like it, where parents can relax while their children play, said owner Kristine Valencia.
“Our goal is for Mom to come in and have a sigh of relief,” she said Valencia, a mother and former construction management professional, started Chee Chee’s in 2020 in her home base of Central after looking for a business she could run with her children in tow She opened a second location in St. George off Airline Highway in 2024 to expand the playroom into a more populated area.
Lucky for her, the appetite for the industry is there, with Chee Chee’s seeing 10,000 to 12,000 children each year across both locations.
Indoor playspaces have taken on a new form in the past decade, catering to infants, early elementary children and their parents with toddler-friendly playrooms and in-house coffeeshops. Indoor public playsets in fast-food restaurants and malls have become less common and other indoor activities like trampoline parks tend to be risky for little ones.
“More and more people don’t want children in public places,” said Michelle Brommer, who brings her 4-year-old daughter, Robin, to Chee Chee’s.
The indoor playroom model became popular in Europe in the 1970s eventually spreading to the United States, with some taking on the European model like Sprout Play Cafe in Shreveport, with a “minimalist Scan-
S
Kids run around and play together in the playground
taken on a new form in the past decade, catering
friendly playrooms and in-house coffeeshops.
dinavian vibe.” In 2023, investment in indoor playcenters in the United States reached $120 million, according to Worldmetrics, and it hasn’t stopped growing.
On Lee Drive in Baton Rouge, a Montessori-inspired playroom, Little Lennon Play Cafe, opened up last month, aiming to provide a space for children to use their imaginations in life-like playsets including a food truck and a snack bar Toddler Town Imagination Station, a mock town made for imaginative play, plans to open its doors in Harahan in a few weeks.
more options for recreation, especially in the summer when the heat limits activities. As these businesses draw in families, they help drive traffic toward nearby businesses as well, he said.
Jerry Bologna, CEO of the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, which helped finance some indoor playrooms in the parish, said the child-focused businesses boost the local quality of life by offering
Though play spaces have evolved over time, casting older models out, Bologna said business owners must
ä See PLAYROOM, page 2E
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
at Chee Chee’s Playroom in Baton Rouge. Indoor playspaces have
to infants, early elementary children and their parents with toddler-
PROVIDED PHOTOS
NOLA Kidsground is an indoor playroom in Elmwood.
Little Lennon Play Cafe displays its snack and drink offerings.
LEFT: Beach Kids BR creates a ‘Beach Town.’
censed to do business — small carriers that do not have the industry’s gold standard AM Best rating, aren’t actually writing policies yet or have just a tiny fraction of market share. Some don’t cover wind damage. Others are staying away from high-risk areas along the coast or in New Orleans. And it’s been five years since Louisiana has been hit by a major hurricane raising questions, ahead of this season’s peak, about what happens if it does.
“Overall, it’s a little bit better,” Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said in a phone interview last week. “We can say things are improving, but I am certainly not satisfied where we are.”
‘Doing better’
Premiums vary widely depending on the property and location and overall, they’re continuing to increase, much as they always have, because of inflation. But the rate of increase is much smaller today, on average, than it has been this decade, statistics show
According to Temple’s office, annual premium increases are essentially flat so far this year, after increasing 4.6% last year, 6.6% in 2024 and by double digits in 2023 and 2022.
Also significant is a drop in the number of carriers proposing rate increases, which has fallen from 50 in 2024 to 27 last year and just four so far this year At the same time, nine carriers this year have filed for decreases so far this year, while three are seeking no change.
The number of rate changes does not necessarily correlate to the number of companies doing business in the state because companies can file for multiple rate adjustments in a single year
“That tells you we’re doing better than we were,” Temple said.
Another encouraging data point, experts say, is an increase in the number of new carriers licensed to do business in Louisiana over the past three years, which total 21 altogether including seven this year.
Temple said the fact the companies do not carry the AM Best rating does not make them risky or financially unstable.
“No new carrier starts our with an AM Best rating,” said Temple of the new carriers licensed in the state. “And we’re looking closely at these companies and their finances to make sure they are healthy.”
Local brokers say more important than the new, small carriers is the return of larger well capitalized companies to parts of the mar-
ket that they had shunned after the successive disasters of Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta and Ida
“There are some large carriers that were staying out of vulnerable areas for a few years,” said Ben Albright, president and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Louisiana, which represents some 300 agencies. “They’ve started coming back. For new buyers, that’s a big deal.”
A few years ago, homeowners shopping for new policies would be lucky to get two or three quotes, he said. “Now, they can get six or seven.”
The availability of new options has helped reduce the number of homeowners forced to rely on the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. As of June, the rolls of the “insurer of last resort” had fallen to roughly 114,000, down from about 122,000 last November and nearly 20% from its peak of 140,000 in 2022.
Reinsurers still driving rates
Temple attributes part of the positive movement to a couple of key reforms passed by state lawmakers to address the insurance crisis and make Louisiana more competitive.
Those changes made it harder to file excessive bad faith claims following catastrophic events and did
away with the “three-year rule,” which banned insurers from dropping policyholders who had been customers for three years.
A couple of other factors have played a more significant role
One is the adoption of more resilient building standards in the state and the increase in the number of fortified roofs which, though still small at some 14,000, is among the fastest growing in the country, according to the Department of Insurance.
“Homeowners are seeing decreases if they have a new roof or a fortified roof,” said Justin Thibodeaux an agent with Hartwig Moss, an independent brokerage in New Orleans.
Even more significant is the reinsurance market, which is flush with cash after recovering from the losses of 2020 and 2021. Reinsurers back the smaller, less-well capitalized insurance carriers that write the majority of policies in Louisiana. They’ve attracted major investors over the past couple of years, since they haven’t been hit with the volume of claims they experienced a few years ago.
As of June 30, global propertycatastrophe reinsurance prices were down 16% year over year, the steepest annual decline in 25 years, according to industry sources.
“The reinsurance market is recapitalized and has been profitable,” Albright said. “We haven’t had the storms that we had in 2020 and 2021, so investors who stayed in the insurance market have made good money these last few years and others have said, ‘I want a piece of that.’”
1 step forward, 2 steps back?
For the local real estate market, the availability of more options at better prices has helped jumpstart home sale activity, which was up 10% in the Greater New Orleans area in the first half of the year over the same period in 2025. In Baton Rouge and Lafayette it was up 4% and 5% respectively
“There are fewer restrictions on key metrics that were really onerous a couple of years ago, like age of a roof and water heaters,” said David Favret, regional vice president at Compass. “And there are more carriers.”
The commercial real estate market has experienced even greater easing, according to Albright. Rates for owners of apartment buildings and other commercial properties have come down about 30% on average due to rate decreases in the reinsurance market.
“Commercial coverage has gotten much better, but it also got
worse much faster a few years ago,” he said. “It is always more volatile because it is more susceptible to changes in the reinsurance market.” Despite signs of hope, it is unclear how stable the state’s insurance market really is. If Louisiana is spared a major hit from a tropical system again this season and next, experts say the market will continue to improve. If it doesn’t— or if neighboring states along the Gulf Coast sustain a major hit or multiple blows, as they did in 2020 and 2021 — the progress of the recent past could be all but wiped out.
What’s more, even if the Gulf is spared a major storm, increasingly frequent weather-related disasters elsewhere could destabilize the reinsurance market with repercussions felt around the globe.
“Whether a tropical system on the Gulf Coast, a forest fire in Europe or storms spinning up a lot more hail in the Midwest, losses continue to go up globally,” Albright said. “So that gets baked into the models and that drives rates.
“But the longer we can go without a storm, the better our rates look.”
Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.
stay ahead of the curve for the in-
dustry to last in the long run.
“There’s no better barometer of our future than the educational opportunities now,” he said. Putting the iPad down Little Lennon Play Cafe owner Savannah Lennon previously taught first grade at Brusly Elementary and brought her affinity for working with young children, who are in a critical stage of brain development, to the business. Montessori education trains children in independence and life skills, Lennon said, and her business aims to help youngsters learn how to socialize away from electronics.
“Playing and using those imaginary skills and creativity, it’ll strengthen your child’s brain as they get older,” Lennon said. Angela Galer, owner of Playtopia, an indoor playroom in Lafayette that opened in December, said her business focuses on “back to basics play” for a wide range of ages. Toddlers can mill around in Playtopia’s indoor sandbox while their older siblings zoom through a racecar track.
As a mother and a grandmother, Galer said she’s seen a lot more options for kids to burn off energy in Lafayette through her 17 years living there Though there’s more indoor playrooms opening, she feels the businesses complement each other with varying offerings and different age ranges.
“It used to be very limited, but Lafayette is getting a lot more things for kids to do,” Galer said. ‘A modern living room’
In the 1990s, McDonald’s PlayPlaces peaked in popularity as a place for children to roam under the watchful eyes of their parents on the other side of the glass, earning a spot at more than 3,000 locations of the fast-food chain. The structures closed during the
By JAVIER GALLEGOS Maegan Gauthier plays with her friend’s children at Chee Chee’s Playroom in Baton Rouge. The indoor playroom model became popular in Europe in the 1970s, eventually spreading to the United States. In 2023, investment in indoor playcenters in the United States reached $120 million, according to Worldmetrics, and it hasn’t stopped growing
pandemic to prevent the spread of illness, though many PlayPlaces never reopened — there are now about 15 in Louisiana.
Charles Yi who owns and runs NOLA Kidsground in Elmwood with his wife, Uyen, describes the indoor playroom as “a modern living room,” or a place for families to gather and build community It also acts as an alternative for families who may not feel comfortable hosting in their home.
The playroom opened eight years ago, inspired by Yi’s son, who was around 5 years old at the time, an age when children can not safely play at trampoline parks and other indoor entertainment centers because of the older kids running around. Their target audience is children ages 7 and under “It’s good to have these familyoriented spaces,” Yi said. “I know
for myself that when I go to places, I think, ‘Is my child also going to have a good time here as well?’”
Revenue diversity
Running any child-focused enterprise is risky business, indoor playroom owners say, with peak traffic occurring during summer when school is out and outdoor playgrounds are too hot to touch.
The ebbs and flows of the business challenge them to create additional income streams by hosting birthday parties and serving coffee. Lennon serves dirty sodas and coffee inside her play cafe, through her drive-thru and on DoorDash, a side of the business she named Parish Soda. She said it helps differentiate herself from competition. The drive-thru allows those who simply want a sweet drink to pur-
chase one without having to enter the play cafe, a convenience aspect that also prevents random people from going near the children, Lennon said. Her goal is to eventually host classes and story times at the play cafe.
“I love teaching, and I love working with kids,” she said. “My real focus is the playground, and then coffee and dirty sodas is a bonus.”
Other businesses like churches and gyms have wanted a bite of the indoor play center rise, adding on playrooms to supplement their main gigs.
The Beach Fitness Club, a 60,000-square-foot facility on Rhoda Drive with pools, weight rooms, tennis and basketball courts and a smoothie bar, added on Beach Kids BR a few years ago to provide a space for children at the fitness
club. Complete with a summer camp and parties, Beach Kids BR boasts a “Beach Town” with kidsized recreations of businesses like Fresh Market and Wagyulicious, a pool and splash pad. Amy Agra, founder and director of Beach Kids BR, has worked at the fitness club for the past four years and wanted to open up the facility up for children. Beach Kids BR and the fitness club have attracted traffic to one another, she said.
“I think that it creates a household of memories and health, and just something that you can do with your family together in a safe place,” Agra said.
Challenges
Though the indoor play industry has seen success in the past decade, it’s seen its fair share of closures. Those who run childfocused businesses tend to come from education or caretaking backgrounds and need business acumen to sustain it.
Valencia said she’s seen at least three playroom businesses open and close in Baton Rouge in the years she’s run Chee Chee’s. A key part of her success is her team, she said, ensuring her employees can keep the business running as her own children get older and her family continues to grow
Insuring indoor playrooms can be tricky too, she said, paying $27,000 to insure both Chee Chee’s locations last year
The industry is in a nascent stage, causing insurance companies to have to learn how to appropriately charge indoor play businesses, Lennon said. Another local playroom owner referred her to her insurer, who raised their premiums following market research, she said, since the industry’s development outpaced insurance companies’ knowledge of it.
“That right there tells you this is growing and it’s going to keep growing fast,” Lennon said.
Email Ianne Salvosa at ianne. salvosa@theadvocate.com.
Humble beginnings propel hospital CEO to the top
BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor
When Al Patin started as a cardiac nurse at Lafayette General Hospital after he graduated from college in 1997, he was set for a career: He was going to be a heart nurse for the rest of his life.
But then he started taking notice of things around him.
The cost of healthcare and how to best manage it got his attention. It was enough to send him back to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to earn a master’s degree in business administration.
And that’s when hospital leadership took notice. Eighteen years later, in 2021, he was named CEO of Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center along with its surgery and orthopedic hospitals that now have 490 beds and 2,900 employees
“Somebody gave me an opportunity to be a leader, and I said yes — that’s the story,” Patin said.
“It’s as simple as that.”
Now, the massive hospital system has tapped Patin for a new position. Starting Monday, he will be CEO of Ochsner South Shore Community Hospitals and Bayou Region in New Orleans He’ll be over eight hospitals stretching from St. Mary Parish to St Bernard Parish as Ochsner will split its South Shore Region its largest in the state — into two regions to better serve the area.It comes at a good time for a career transition, he noted, since his three children are students at LSU with one set to pursue a medical career He and wife of 30 years, Nikie — Patin proposed the day they both graduated — are both Acadiana natives.
“It’s a role that’s going to require creating an identity, creating a team,” Patin said. “It’s got some great CEOs. I’m excited, and they’re eager to create something new.”
In this week’s edition of Talking Business, Patin discusses his five-year tenure with OLG and how it’s increased its footprint, the behavioral health clinic that recently opened and how his year as chair of One Acadiana shaped his career
This interview has been edited for clarity
What comes to mind first looking over the last five years? Does the construction and the expanded footprint of the main hospital come to mind first?
When we merged with Ochsner (in 2019), that was the first thing Ochsner helped us do financially but also strategically We were declining 40 to 50 patients a day that had a demand to come to
this hospital and we couldn’t take them. So with the six-story tower, in the past five years we’ve brought on 50-plus beds that are staffed. We’ve added a trauma ICU. We’ve recertified ourselves in Level 2 trauma and are on our third certification. That’s significant for the region, and I’m most proud of that.
Your graduate medical education program has also grown during that time on your campus. How has that changed the way you recruit and hire staff?
We’re now on our third year and we have what we call PGY 3s (senior residents). They will be leading our PGY 1s (firstyear residents) that just started. Eventually, we’ll have 15 general
surgery residents here in rotation that are living here for 5 years. So they start their family here. They get involved in the economy They want to live downtown. That just transfers so well to doctors that are wanting to make their future in Acadiana.
You talk highly about the culture here at the hospital.That’s something that doesn’t happen overnight. How did that come about?
The interesting part of main campus here is on any given day upward of 20% of the patients and our visitors we’re going to come in contact with aren’t from Lafayette. So I’m telling our team, “You have the incredible privilege of representing Lafayette and representing Ochsner to people who have chosen to come here.” So when we’re walking down the hallways and we have our phone in our hand because that’s the only break we have, we have to realize that’s a disconnect. We have this rule we call a 10-5 rule. At 10 feet, I want your eyes up. You make eye contact with someone. And at 5 feet, it’s a friendly greeting. I get passionate about that.
Is it hard to recruit physicians to this area? Do you have trouble getting them here?
Look, it’s not easy to recruit physicians to Louisiana. It just isn’t unless they have a connection here. If we’re recruiting someone that’s brand new to the state, we believe we need to get them on-site. Our success is always when we can get them for a site visit. We always connect them with a physician that they’re going to work with. We believe physicians recruiting physicians is key The second thing we do is connect them with One Acadiana, and One Acadiana does a site tour
with them. The third one is helping them understand we have eight locations across Acadiana. Some people may want a smaller rural location. We’re able to show them multiple options.
Last month, Ochsner and Oceans Healthcare opened a 100-bed behavioral health clinic in south Lafayette. It’s the first of its kind. How did that come about?
This is a perfect example of a community data needs assessment that we’re required to do every three years. (Our Lady of) Lourdes (Regional Medical Center) and we do it together with the United Way. Our community needs assessment has consistently shown things that you would remember, but behavioral health, mental health and mental wellness was creeping up as a significant need in our community, partly because of the gap in accessible coverage. That sort of led to a strategy on, one, do we have enough inpatient capacity in our market? And, two, are we ever going to get to a point where we can have inpatient adolescent mental healthcare? Because any of our adolescents today are leaving our market. What were some of the things you took away from your one year as board chair with One Acadiana? We know what we know in healthcare. We know our little piece of the workforce and the economy, but starting to understand site development, regulations, what other industries are doing and why they’re choosing Acadiana, how many jobs we bring and where ultimately we would need to place healthcare is a beautiful thing to think about. I learned a new language.
Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Al Patin will start Monday in a new role with Ochsner Health as CEO of Ochsner South Shore Community Hospitals and Bayou Region in New Orleans.
ACROSS THE REGION
Shreveport’s
BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer
Demolition work has started on the former Libbey Glass manufacturing center, once home to one of Shreveport’s major employers.
There is a lot to knock down. The 54-acre site has 850,000 square feet of warehouses, offices and manufacturing space. It is filled with basements, furnaces, an overhead crane and conveyor belts, much of it used over the roughly 100 years the facility was in business.
The owner, the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, is working to turn the former glass plant into a shovel-ready and certified “clean” site, said Sheena Bryant, the group’s vice president of business development.
Once environmental remediation is finished, the site will also get a certificate of completion, which means no liability for past contamination will be passed on to the new owner “It makes the competitiveness of a brownfield so much more important because it reduces the risk associated for a future end user,” Bryant said.
Everything will go.
Bryant said the only things that could be saved are the Libbey-branded water tower or structures that a future user would want to keep. “We would be open to that,” she said.
Barring that, the demo is on.
“It’s starting from the north and moving south. That’s how they’re pursuing it They’re taking it one area at a time,” she said The demolition is expected to take from 12 to 18 months.
Get used to a new name
Bryant said the group is no longer calling the site the “former Libbey plant.” The
The money was enough to purchase, complete environmental remediation, and for “other needs,” which could involve a big marketing effort to get the property into the right hands.
In the world of developable sites, Bryant said this one has a lot going for it.
“The interstate access, a rail spur, being in heavy industrial zoning, the utility infrastructure, the ability to easily access it, not just like the visibility off the interstate, but how you physically can enter it,” she said. All of that, along with the local workforce, said Bryant, should make it a highly soughtafter property and “extremely competitive.”
tions, its electrical infrastructure, water rail and natural gas on the site are what makes it so competitive.
How NLEP acquired the site
Based in Toledo, Ohio, the company opened as Libbey Owens Ford in Shreveport in 1922 and later became Libbey Glass.
Libbey Glass was a 47-year mainstay in northwest Louisiana, producing a variety of clear consumer glass items. Because of a series of job cuts at the General Motors assembly plant, Libbey was the largest manufacturing employer in Shreveport by 2008, with 960 workers.
name that will be used to reference it and in marketing outreach will be the “I-20 Legacy Site.”
“It’s so important to rebrand it We’re making such a concerted effort to provide an environmentally clean, modern site,” Bryant said.
She said no one is going to be shy about what it once was because Libbey’s opera-
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But declining demand, which was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, led to the closure of the plant and its retail outlet store at the end of 2020. At that time, the plant had 450 employees.
The plant was on the market for more than a year with no takers before it was purchased by the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, using $10 million from the state and a little over a million in local match from the Northwest Louisiana Finance Authority
Not all uses will be embraced
Not all potential developers will be right for the property, and Bryant said it won’t boil down to simply who is willing to pay the most for it.
“The crux of our mission is bringing jobs and capital investment,” said Bryant, who stressed that the jobs will also need to be well-paying and sustainable, and the use of the property will have to be something that is right for neighborhoods around it and the city as a whole. It also doesn’t have to be a new industry Inquiries from local businesses looking to expand are welcome.
Bryant said all of the material is being put together for the big marketing push, but businesses interested in the site should contact NLEP now “Libbey had such a big impact in the past, and we think that it’ll have the same impact in the future,” she said.
Email Liz Swaine at liz.swaine@ theadvocate.com.
Louisiana’srealestatemarketisridinga wave of large-scale projects andshifting economic forces
Across thestate, infrastructure development remainsstrong,drivenbypetrochemical expansionand asurge in artificial intelligence (AI) projects —including Amazon’s datacentercampusesinCaddo andBossier parishes.Manufacturing is gainingmomentuminAscensionParish, with majorinvestments such as Hyundai Steel’s$5.8billion ultra-low-carbon steel plantand NEMO Industries’$3billion AI-drivenpig iron facility
Thestate is also deepening itsroleinglobaltrade: Port NOLA’splanned$1.8billion terminal will expand containercapacity, while NewOrleans’hospitality sector evolves throughnew mixed-usedevelopments
Alternativefinancingand property insurancereform are keytosustainingthisgrowth.
STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT
The owner the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, is working to turn the former glass plant into a shovel-ready and certified ‘clean’ site, said Sheena Bryant, the group’s vice president of business development. Bryant said the only things that could be saved are the Libbey-branded
STAFF PHOTO By LIZ SWAINE
Furnace A is the largest of the three furnaces at the former Libbey plant in Shreveport.
STAFF PHOTO By LIZ SWAINE
A tall conveyor belt once moved sand for the glass into the furnace room of the former Libbey Glass plant in Shreveport.
“The crux of our mission is bringing jobs and capital investment.”
SHEENA BRyANT, North Louisiana Economic Partnership vice president of business development
BY DEE-ANNDURBIN, TERRYTANG, MAGGIE SCALES, SANDYGUATIBONZA and HIKARI MAE HIDA
Associated Press,
The Lexington Observer, La Esquina and HonoluluCivilBeat
What’sfor dinner? Lately,at Apral Jack’shouse, it’swhatever is on sale.
Jack, 50, scouts an app for deals at her local supermarket before she buys groceries. When she reaches the store,she looks in the weekly circular forcoupons she might have missed. If shelf prices look too high, she tries to find lower prices someplace else
“The apples went up here, the ones Ieat, so now I’m not going to get them here,” Jack said as she pushed acart into aStop &Shop near her home in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Couponing,comparison shopping and cutting back on favorite foods are new habits for her and millions of other Americans as they absorb the biggest jump in grocery prices in ahalf-century Buying food to eat at home has gotten 33% more expensive since the beginning of 2019,accordingto government figures With aconflict in the Middle East creating more pricepressures, the cost of filling refrigerators, freezers and pantries has made affordability acentral issue in the fall midterm elections.
Jack, acare provider andparttime Amazon worker,has fewer mouths to feed now that her three daughtersare adults.But she spends more cautiously than she once did.
Instead of shopping at Whole Foods, she builds her weekly menu around discounts anddigitalcoupons.
“Typically,I’lltry to pick the meals based on that. So like chicken fajitas: therewas athree-day sale on chicken” Jack said Beef epitomizes out-of-control grocerypricesfor many Americans. The price of apound of ground beefreached$6.82 in June which is 79% morethan at thebeginningof2019, according toBu-
Lien Chang feedsher 2-year-old grandson Cairo Miu abowlofrice next to his dad, Jack Chang,inher home on in San Francisco. Jack Chang,a barber withthree children,sayshesometimes has to rely on hismom for meals. ‘I look at my credit card everymonth and I’m like, “Wow,how am Igoing to paythis?” So I’malittle behind on bills, honestly,’ he said.
reau of Labor Statistics data. AdaTorres, 60,who lives45miles northeastof Houston in Cleveland, Texas, is one of the people no lon-
ger buying it. She does the grocery shoppingand cookingfor thehome she shareswith her daughter and three grandchildren.
“Prices are sky-high. One hundreddollars’ worth of groceries these days is nothing,” Torres said.
Chicken and cold cuts are the family’smainsource of animal proteinnow that freshmeatisa luxury,she said.Her grandchildren,ages 12,15and 16,misseating lasagna with ground beef,beef fajitas and steak with plantain chips.
Torres’ daughteristhe family’s main provider.Her workfor amobile car-washing service dwindles during the rainy season; the family only can afford one full meal aday, Torres said San Francisco has areputation as foodie city.Food preoccupies 33-year-old Jack Chang for other reasons. Theself-employed barber has three young children and apartner whoisunemployed.
“Since Ihave five mouths Ihave
to feed, basically —and then sometimes my mom, too —it’salot on me financially,” Chang said. Their family is not one that goes out forboba milk teas or artisanal icecream.Theyvisit aJapanese entertainment center with$1ice cream cones. Milkisthe only organic product they consume.
“I look at my credit cardevery month and I’mlike, ‘Wow,how am Igoing to pay this?’ So I’m alittle behind on bills, honestly,” Chang said.
When their 4-year-old daughter’s preschool hasleftover meat or bread,Chang’spartner,Tina Chhous,offers to takeit. Chhous also receives monthly food assistance through thefederal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,orSNAP.
“Without that, Idon’tknow what Iwould do,” Chang said.
Chang’s77-year-old mother, Lien, receives SNAP aid, too, and visits two food banks each week. She sharesthe canned food, eggs and produce she gets with the rest of the family
High grocery bills comewith living in Hawaii. The state gets nearly allits food from cargoships that have traveled thousands of miles, making prices vulnerable to oil market spikes. Local products also got costlier this year.The cost of shipping goodsbetween the HawaiianIslands skyrocketed amidrising fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict.
Amanda Tabadero, 28, apastry chef on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, remembers buying Mauigrown strawberries and blueberries for $7.99 per pound in 2024. Now that they cost $11, she buys berries from California or Mexico at Costco for$5when she bakes.
Tabadero also doubtsshe will buy lychee again anytime soon. Kaimana lychee, the variety grown in Hawaii, mostly comes fromthe Big Island. Tabadero said an iced coffeeand abag of fruit she recently purchased in Honolulu’s Chinatowncame to $30.
“It makes me sad,” Tabadero said. “I want to use local stuff.”
THELEXINGTON OBSERVER PHOTO By MAGGIE SCALES ApralJack orders deli meat at Stop&Shop in Lexington, Mass. At Jack’s home, dinner is decided by what’sonsale.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIANA yAMADA
Fool’sTake: Passive income from burgers
Staff report
South Louisiana businesses andnonprofit groups recently announcedthe followingpromotions, new hires and resignations.
BatonRouge
Brandon Maxwell has been named thenew public and government affairs manager for ExxonMobil’s operations in the Baton Rouge area.
Maxwell, who previously held leadershiproles within ExxonMobil’sLow Carbon Solutions business, most recently managed public and government affairs for ExxonMobil’sCorpus Christi, Texas, operations.
Tyrone Rogers and June Rogers,who recently relocated from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, have been named as the new officers of The Salvation Army of Greater Baton Rouge.
The Louisiana MotorTransport Association installedits 2026-27 executive committee.
Those electedinclude: Rickie Guillory, of Guillory Petroleum Transportation, as board chair; Randy Berard, of Berard Transportation, as board president; Jordan Hymel, of Frisard Cos., as first vice president; Colby Domingue of United Vision Logistics, as second vice president; Danielle Gaudamud, of Gallagher Insurance, as vice president at large; Nicole Austin, of Bengal Transport, as treasurer; Ben Hogan, of Dedicated Transportation, as secretary; KennyStocks, of Trinity Group of Louisiana, as ATAvice president; Brad Nelson, of FreedomTrucks of America, as alternate ATAvice president; and KarlMears, of Razorback Rentals, as chair of the council of past presidents.
NewOrleans
David Schlakman,board president of theNew Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter, hasbeen appointed to the board of directors of the Harvard Alumni Association,where he will represent Harvard Clubs acrossthe Southeast.
Meghan Donelon,senior vice president and commercial banking group manager at First Horizon Bank,has been appointed as the board chairofthe executive committeeofUnited WayofSoutheast Louisiana.
boardTreasurer Claire Rea,board
Donelon also serves as treasurerofthe board of the New Orleans Museum of Art and on theexecutive committee of theAllstate Sugar Bowl.
Emily Ross hasbeenhired by Adams &Reese as counsel in the firm’s litigation practice group in New Orleans. Ross, formerly of Pipes Miles Beckman, has taught Advanced Appellate Advocacy as an adjunct lecturer-inlawatTulane University Law School.
Danielle Reboli has beenhired by Republic Business Credit as asenior vice president and underwriter
Cheria Scaffidi has promoted by LSU New Orleans to become executive director of university advancement and president and chiefexecutive officer of the LSU NewOrleans Foundation.
Scaffidi, who joined theuniversity in 2023ascreative director and community strategist for the UNO Research &Technology Foundation, will lead theuniversity’sfundraising, alumni engagement,corporate partnerships and philanthropic strategy.
The National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana announced several new members to its board and appointed officers for the comingyear
They include:board President Michael Wright,Medical Advisory Board Chair Dr.R.Brooks Robey,
Secretary Elaine Robinson Erwin Aguilar, Dr.Arzu Hatipoglu, April Sallier, Valarie Schmale and Quynh-Tram Tran
Across Louisiana
Ginger Cangelosi has been hired as thenew CEO of the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation Cangelos i, whopreviously worked as executive director of economic development for Tangipahoa Parish government anddirector of the Tangipahoa Economic Development Foundation, will begin her new role on Aug. 15.
Emily Couvillion has been promoted to admissionsdirector of Louisiana Christian University.
Couvillionpreviously worked as an admissions counselor and thePineville university’srecruiter for theNew Orleansarea.
TheLafon PerformingArts Center,which is part of St CharlesParish Public Schools, announced the hiring of apair of arts professionals.
Tara Melvin,who manages aprivate voice studioand works as aracial justice facilitator, has been named theorganization’s newprogram director
MaryLangley,the former productionmanager for New Hampshire TheatreProject anda company member of IntramuralTheater Co.,has becomeits audience services manager
Do you have personnel changes to share or other ideas for our business coverage? Drop us a line at biztips@theadvocate. com.
In late2025, McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) announced it hadincreased itsdividend —for the49th year in a row.You don’tcreate arecord like that by accident. The companyisone of theworld’slargest fast-food chains, operating at ascale hard to comprehend, with over 45,000 locations across morethan 100 countries. The key to thestory,however,is that95% of McDonald’slocations are franchises. It basically collects rent and royalties from itsfranchisees, makingitafairlystable business. Restaurantconcepts go in and out of favor over time, but McDonald’shas been along-term survivor.And despitearecent pullback in thestock —McDonald’swas recentlytrading near its 52-week low —the business is performing reasonably well, withfirstquarter 2026 consolidated revenue up 9% (4%inconstantcurrencies) and adjusted earnings pershare up 6%. That’s impressive forsucha large business.
McDonald’smay notbeagrowth machine, but it’s certainly adependable and stable long-term investment. Andlet’snot forget the dividend income it can provide you, with itsrecent2.8% dividend yield. The stock was recentlydown around 13% year to date. With a reasonable recent forward-looking price-to-earnings ratiobelow 21, McDonald’sisatop dividend stock you can comfortably hang on to for the long haul.(TheMotley Fool recommends variousoptions on McDonald’s.)
Fool’sSchool:Isa market crashcoming?
Plentyofinvestors are worrying about an imminent stock market correction or even acrash.(Acorrection is generally considered to be adrop of 10% to 20% or so. Abear market is along decline of more than 20% from arecent high, while acrash is sudden, steep and often 20% or more.) Are they right to worry? Well, we have long advised against tryingtotime the marketorpredictpullbacks, but it’snot unreasonabletoatleast consider apullback andtoplanaccordingly Afterall, there are multiple con-
cerning signs —valuationsbased on earnings are at or near levels that havepreceded past bear markets or crashes. Geopolitical and economic conditions aren’texactly reassuring, either; concerns include tariffs, the war with Iran and the threat of inflation. Rising inflation will often lead the Federal Open Market Committee to raise interest rates, which is generally not great for business or the stock market, as borrowing money becomes costlier
Also, thelong-term averageannualgainfor the S&P500 is close to 10% —and we’ve nowhad doubledigit gainsinsix of thepast seven full years, includingfour years topping 25%.Plus,the S&P500 was up 10.6% alreadyin2026 as of midJuly.Manyindividualstocksare nowovervalued, andsuchrelentless increases can’t go on forever
The stock marketisvolatile by nature. It hasdownturnsevery few years, such as 2022’scorrection of 18%,soyou need to expect them. Ideally,plantobea long-term investor,riding them out. (Downturnstypically last afew months or years, but they could last longer.) The next pullback might be years away,but it could certainly happen sooner.Sodon’t keep anymoney that you’llneed within five,ifnot 10, years in stocks. Andperhaps sellsome investments now, so you’ll have cash on hand to pounce on stock bargains that result from amarket downturn
Ask the Fool:Points, points,points
What are financial“points”? —G.L.,Decatur,Georgia
There are afew differentkinds. If you’re takingona mortgage, youcan typically opttopay one or more“points” in order to lower your interest rate (and, thus,your monthly payment). Apoint is set equalto1%ofyourloan value, so witha $300,000 mortgage, paying a point would cost you$3,000. Thenthere are “basispoints,” which represent oneone-hundredth of apercentage point, or 0.01%.Ifaninterest rate rises from 3.45% to 3.55%,ithas gone up by 10 basispoints. Stock market indexes can also be measured in “points” rather than dollars to avoidconfusion(they weightsome stocks morethan others). For instance, the Dow Jones Industrial Averageorthe S&P500 will rise or fall by anumberof pointseach day.
Schlakman
Donelon
Cangelosi
Couvillion
Melvin Langley
Ross
Reboli
Scaffidi
Motley Fool
Rising top to the
BY GRACE MAYER Staff writer
At first glance,FlyingDolly’s looks like any other ice cream and sno-ball stand. But the smallblue and red store off La. 22 in Mandeville belies amuch bigger —and growing —business operation.
Over the past three years, the 15-year-old business hasgrown from asingle storefront in Mandeville that Jeff Robertson opened with his wife, Corey,in2011 into a franchise operator withlocations acrossthe Gulf Coast.
Flying Dolly’s, known for its oneeyed pug mascot and ice cream, sno-balls andstuffed sno-balls made in-house, now has eight locations and counting. Revenues are on track to hit $5.6 million this year up between 5% and 10%over last year —and plans are in the works to begin packaging and selling to local grocers.
“We’ve had investment groups that have come to us and said, ‘Hey, we want to open up 10 stores in this area,’”CEO and co-owner Jeff Robertson said. “That’snot what we’re looking for.We’re looking for owneroperators.”
Expandingout of state
At the start, the Robertsons kept
their day jobs. He worked as a manufacturer representative for abuilding materials and manufacturing company; she. nowDolly’s chief financial officer,did human resources and payroll for apayroll processing company
“Weopened up at 2o’clock every day. Iprayedthatmybossnever caught me,” Jeff Robertson said.
“Weworked here until 8:30 or 9at night.Our kids did homework upstairs,and my wife and Iserviced customers.”
Robertsonsaidhewas drawn to opening an ice cream andsno-ball business becauseofthe range it would attract, from young children to grandparents.Healsofiguredit was recession-proof
“People are going to give up their $100 steak dinners, but chances are they can find$3 or $4 to spring for ice cream or sno-balls,” Robertson said.
Known as Just Chillin at the time, thestore initially outsourced icecream production to Blue Bell Creameries and New OrleansIce Cream.But sixmonths after launching, the Robertsons decided to move manufacturing in-house to have complete control over operations.
“I told mywife, ‘We can make ice cream,’”Robertson said. “I thought certainly we could do what other
small batch companies are doing nationwide. We started researchingmachines and recipes andwe jumped right intoit.”
Thepairdeveloped flavors and churned ice creaminthe back corner of their Mandeville store, a space thatwas about the size of a parking spot. In 2014, they relocated to alargerpropertyonLamarque Street in Old Mandeville andbuilt a1,100-square-foot manufacturing facility,costing some $350,000.
Fromthere, the Flying Dolly’s team distributesaround 1,200 gallons of productper week, shuttled via alargetrailer andfreezer van to stores in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.
Jeff Robertson didn’t have plans to franchise until acustomer approached him in 2021 with theidea of opening astoreinJackson, Mississippi. The Robertsons walked thecustomerthrough thesteps and training —and that owner soon went on to open asecond location in Jackson.
“Another friendofourssaid, ‘You’vegot something that you can expand on. This is something you can franchise,’ ”Jeff Robertson said. “Wegot agood franchise attorney and started working with him.”
Around thattime, Robertsonrebranded from Just Chillin to Flying Dolly’stoexpand out of state.
Those early successes led Robertson to formalizealarger franchis-
ing strategy,which included hiring Shane Mutter as an owner andinvestor.Mutter brought seven years of experience in marketing and sales for ahemp startup in Colorado.
Mutter,now president, is focused on adding franchise locations within athree-hour drive of Mandeville, which has led to the recent openings of locations in Kenner and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He’sinconversations with partiesinterested in expanding into Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In the long term, expansion plans include opening locations in Georgia and Florida.
TheFlyingDolly’s team is carefulinselecting franchise owners, who consist of families, motherdaughter duos, former employees and customers. That’sallowedFlying Dolly’stofeel more like afamily business than achain, according to Shannon Farrell, aco-owner and managing partner in Mandeville She started scooping ice cream and sno-balls at Flying Dolly’sasahigh schooler and returned after college to workasamanager “Wedon’t necessarily want to be that story where that business opened 50 units this year,and they have 100 units coming,” Mutter said.“We reallydon’t wanttogrow that fast.”
Growing.
Still, Flying Dolly’sisscaling up.
The business has 150 employees today,44ofwhom are based at the Mandeville store, and plans to add at least 12 franchise locations by next summer. In September, the business will also open asecond store in St. TammanyParish:afranchiselocationinAbita Springs will be run by Anthony
Flying
Flying Dolly’ssells its products in itsstores
WhyLouisiana? TheRiskand Reward Behind a$32 Billion Data Center Push
In lessthan 18months,Louisiana has transformedfromvirtually no hyperscale data center presence to hosting three of the largestprojects in the country,led by majordigital leaders.A$10billion campus in Richland Parish,1 a$12 billion investmentacrossCaddo and Bossier Parishes,2 and a $10billion River Bend facilityinWestFeliciana Parish1representacombined $32 billion commitment that placesLouisianaatthe center of the nationaldatacenterboom. Construction is nowunderway
Developers chose Louisiana forgood reasons. Thestate’s industrial contractorshavespent decades building refineries, chemical plants and LNG facilities —complex,high-stakes work at scale
This expertisetransfers directly to data center construction,and it’s ameaningful edge.Louisiana contractorsare already building data centersacrossthe countrybecause they’reamongthe best at this type of work. Siting aprojectinthe statekeepsthattalent close,resulting in faster projectdelivery andtightercostcontrol. Siteselection also reflectsaclear-eyedinsurancecalculation.Two of the three major projects sit in North Louisiana, near the Arkansas border.Locating away from the Gulf Coasthurricane corridor materially changes the underwriting math.
With confirmed projects nowspreadacrossthe northwest,northeast and southeast of the state, underwritersare watching howthat geographic concentrationaccumulatesacrosstheir books
Powerand waterdraware legitimatecommunityconcerns. Data centersconsumeboth at ascale thatstrains local grids and utility capacity. Some Louisiana powercompanies arealready planning upgrades to support the newdemand. Longer term, on-site generation,including small modular reactors,may reducegrid dependency forfuturebuilds. These aren’t unsolvable problems. Buttheyneed to be part of the projectplan from dayone
Building success:Whatittakes to getitright
These facilities areinNorth Louisiana because it’s moreaffordable to secure the coverage and limits required —it’saninsurancedecision as much as alocation one
Louisiana’s broader property and casualtymarket,byWagener’s currentread, is stable. Theinsurancemarketisabsorbing an unprecedentedvolume of high-limit construction requests as data center buildsacceleratenationwide.Excessliability and commercial automobile liabilityfor contractor fleets —already under pressure in large construction programs —facegenuine capacityconstraints when asingle siteisworth $10billion to $15billion.
In Louisiana specifically,thosepressures aresharper: commercial automobile liabilityrates forconstruction rank among thehighest in the country,and excess liabilitycapacityfor large industrial programs is genuinelyconstrained. That friction shows up in pricing, deductibles and whatcarrierswill actually put on thetable
Climate perils compound thatscrutiny. North Louisiana avoidsthe worstofthe Gulf Coasthurricane corridor,but majorstorms still push wind and rain well inland. Inland flooding and severe convectivestorms areliveperils acrossall three projectlocations.
Done right, projects of this scale bring lasting returns. Thetax revenuewill flowintoLouisiana communities overdecades, into education, infrastructureand economic development, well beyond whatdirectemploymentfroma data center operation alone woulddeliver. Louisiana movedearly in this cycle and secured a strong position.
Gettingthatrightstarts beforefinancingcloses,with construction risk, supply chain exposures, powerstrategy and operational coverage all aligned from dayone.Thatincludesparametric triggers forbusiness interruption —coverage thatactivates without a physical loss —which matterswhen agrid failureorsupply chain delaycan cost millions beforeasingle claim is filed.
Gallagher’s Data Center Solutions team workswith developers, contractorsand operatorsacrossthe full projectlifecycle.To connectwith ourLouisiana team, visit AJG.com/louisiana
Troy Wagener Area ExecutiveVicePresident
Scan the code to connectwith us.
JUDE BRIDWELL
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EDUCATION CoordinatorofInternational Programs &Student Wellbeing(Hammond,LA) Actasthe primaryadvisor forthe Int'l StudentUnion,coordcommunication forincomingint'l students &enhance campus engagemt &culturalaware‐ness throughprogram support.Bachin Educ,HealthEduc& Promotionorre‐latedfield.1 yr of higher ed expinstu‐dent devlpmtorprogram devlpmt & implementatn.MustsendCV& cvrltr to ryan.preatto@selu.eduorRyan Preatto,SoutheasternLouisiana Uni‐versity, 303 UnionAve Hammond,LA 70402w/in30days, refJob #2025-010 #LI-DNI#DNI
FINANCIAL Research Scientist(Hammond,LA)
Lead academic research on smallbusi‐ness economics& regional dvlpmt Dvlp economic models &forecasts to support business growth strategies Providedata-driveninsights& policy recommendations to stakeholders Master's in Economics, or aclosely rltd field. Advanced expertiseineconomet‐ricmodeling, forecasting, causal infer‐ence,economicimpactanalysis, mixed methods, &Input-Output(I/O) model‐ing. In-depth knowlineach: machine learning;deep learning;predictive modeling; experimental dsgn &A/B testing; classification;regression; panel& time series modeling;datavi‐sualization; Scikit-learn;TensorFlow; Keras; LangChain; Statsmodels; Seaborn; Matplotib;Plotly. Proficiency in prgmg(Python,R,GAMS, Julia, IM‐PLAN)& cloud-basedanalytics plat‐forms. AbilitytoapplyAI& machine learning to real-world problems in eco‐nomics,policy, &business. Strong record of collaborationw/external stakeholders &interdisciplinary teams. MUST send CV &cover letterto waynericks@selu.eduorWayne Ricks Southeastern LouisianaUniversity 1514 Martens Dr,Hammond,LA70401 w/in 30 days,ref Job# W2025-177.#LIDNI#DNI
INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY Senior Manager, IT Risk,DataPrivacy & Security –Baton Rouge, LA Performing andreporting on assigned outsourced and/or InformationTech‐nology audits;Documenting proce‐duresperformed,findingsand/orother issues;DevelopingefficientAWS data pipelines,executing complexSQL queries, andcreatingSpark jobs forIoT processing;Streamliningapplication controltesting workflowsfor aclient s SOXComplianceaudit;Conducting regularauditsonAWS cloud, ensuring 100% compliance with industry stan‐dards; Communicating resultstoap‐propriatemanagement; andAssisting co-workers in thecompletionoftasks andassignments. Send resume to: TammyDehne,EisnerAdvisoryGroup LLC, 2501 SWayzata Blvd Minneapolis MN 55405.
Experian,POBox 2104,
75013,
3742 TransUnion,POBox 2000, Chester, PA 19016, www transunion.com,1-800888-4213 Upon receiptofcreditre‐ports, individualsshould review them carefully They should look forun‐recognized accountsor creditor inquiries, and forinaccuraciesinre‐
(“FTC”)ortheir stateAttorney General forinformation about identity theftand credit report fraudalertsand security freezes.The FTC maybecontacted at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,Washington, DC 20580, 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338),and TTY:1-
secure itssystems that same day. In addition,Eyemart immediatelylaunchedan investigationtodeter‐mine thenatureand scopeofthe incident Thedatainvolvedvaries basedona givenindivid‐ual’srelationshipwith Eyemart. Forcertain Eye‐mart customers, their name,visioninsurance information,dateofbirth and/or eyeglass pur‐chaseorprescription were involved.Eyemart hasmailednotification letterstosuchcus‐tomers except whenit couldnot determinean addressfor them.For otheraffectedindividu‐als, name,address, So‐cial Security number, date of birth, eyeglass prescription,healthplan and/or otherinformation wasinvolved(as more particularlydescribed in Eyemart’snotification letterstosuchindividu‐als).Ifyou have ques‐tionsorwould like addi‐tional information, in‐cludingwhether youare oneofthe above-de‐scribedcustomers for which Eyemartwas not able to determineanad‐dress, youmay contact Eyemartat800-655-4635. As part of Eyemart’sre‐sponse to this incident andits ongoingcommit‐ment to informationse‐curity,Eyemart contin‐uestoreviewand update itstraining, processes, andprocedures, andis workingtoimplement
Many
end with retirement, paying dental billsout-of-pocket cancome as a shock,leading people to put off or even go
Simplyput —without
in your
When you’re comparingplans
Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1 That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it wasnever meanttocover everything. That means if youwant protection,you needto purchase individual insurance.
Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensiveones.
The best way to preventlargedental bills is preventive care.The American Dental Association recommends checkupstwiceayear.
Consider these national averagecostsof treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethis canbeareal burden, especially if you’re on afixedincome.
Previous dental work canwear out. Even if you’vehad qualitydentalwork in the past,you shouldn’t take your dentalhealth forgranted. In fact, your odds of havinga dental problem only go up as youage.2
Treatment is expensive— especiallythe servicespeople over 50 often need.
Inside thisissue of Digital Kids...
❚ When Is aChild Ready fora Smartphone
❚ Five Ways to Model Healthy Tech Habits
❚ Addressing Online DangersWithout Fear,Anxiety or Shame
❚ Building Healthy SocialMedia Habits
❚ Controlling Smart Screen Time
❚ Technology to Support Academic Success
❚ Andmore
Topfactors to consider before giving achild asmartphone
There is no perfectage fora childtoget asmartphone. Instead, parentsshould consider their child’smaturity, needs andability to handle theresponsibilities that come with having adevice. Here aresome questionstoask before taking theplunge.
WHY DOES YOUR CHILD NEED ASMARTPHONE?
Identify thepurpose.Isitfor communicatingafter school,coordinating extracurricularactivitiesorstaying in touch with family?Understandingthe need can helpparents decide whetherasmartphone, basic phoneorsmartwatchisthe best fit.
Before handingovera device,discuss the rules. Screen time,socialmedia,downloading apps,privacy settings andappropriate online behavior should allbeaddressed.Establishing expectations earlyhelps children understand that smartphonescomewithresponsibilitiesaswell as privileges.
CANYOUR CHILD HANDLE DISTRACTIONS?
Smartphonescan make homework,sleep and family time more challenging. Thinkabout whetheryourchild canput adevice down when necessary,focus on schoolworkand participate in activities withoutconstantlychecking notifications.
DOES YOUR CHILD UNDERSTAND ONLINE PRIVACY?
Before gettinga smartphone,childrenshould understandbasic digital safety concepts, includingnot sharingpersonalinformation,
usingstrongpasswords andrecognizingthat noteveryoneonlineiswho they claimtobe.
COULD ASIMPLER DEVICE MEETTHE NEED?
Asmartphoneisn’t theonlyoption. Basic phones, smartwatches anddevices with limitedcapabilities canprovide communicationand safety features. Starting small canhelpchildreneaseintogreater responsibility.
WHATISYOURFAMILY’S TECHNOLOGYPHILOSOPHY?
Consider thevalues youwanttechnology to support. Is your goal to encourage communication, learningand independence whileprotectingfamilytimeand sleep?
Having aclear philosophy canhelpguide decisions aboutdevices, apps andscreen time as your childgrows.
CThe kids are watching: Fiveways adults can model healthy tech habits
hildren often learnbywatchingthe adults around them,and technology useisnoexception.Parents who demonstrate healthydigital habits canhelp kids developbalancedrelationships with screensand understandthattechnologyisa tool,not thecenteroflife.
PUT DEVICES AWAY DURING FAMILYTIME
Onesimplewaystomodel healthy behavior is to be fullypresent.Put phones away during meals, family outingsand conversations. Showingchildrenthat they have your attentionreinforces the importance of face-to-face connections.
CREATE DEVICE-FREE TIMESAND SPACES
Bedrooms,dinner tables andthe hour before bedtimeare good opportunities to
unplug. Theseboundariescan improvesleep, encourage conversation andremindkidsthat notevery moment needstoinvolve ascreen.
MAKE TIME FOR OFFLINE ACTIVITIES
Children notice when adults prioritize exercise,reading, hobbies andtimeoutdoors. Whetherit’sgardening, cooking, playing sports or simplytakinga walk,making room foractivities away from screens demonstratesthattechnologyisjustone part of afulfillinglife.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA INTENTIONALLY
Parentscan show kids that social media doesn’t have to be mindlessscrolling Followingeducational or inspiringaccounts, taking breaks from certainplatforms and turningoff unnecessary notificationshelp
demonstratethoughtfultechnologyuse.
BE HONESTABOUT YOUR OWNHABITS
No onehas perfecttechhabits. Admitting when you’ve spenttoo much time on your phoneortakinga breakfromscreens teacheschildrenthateveryonebenefits from reevaluating their digital routines. Modeling self-awareness and flexibilitysends the messagethathealthy technology useisabout balance,not perfection.
Children aremorelikelytoadopt healthy habits when they seethose behaviors reflectedathome. By modelingbalance and prioritizingreal-world connections, parents canhelpchildrenbuild healthyrelationships with technology that will servethemwell.
ESTABLISHHEALTHY SCREEN-TIME HABITS!
Screens play amajor role in how children learn, play,and connect—butbalanceiskey.
The pediatricians at TheBaton Rouge Clinicare heretohelpyour family buildhealthy screen-timehabitsand provide trustedguidanceevery step of theway.
Makesureyour children practicethe 20-20-20 rule: for every20minutes spentlooking at a screen,lookatleast 20 feet away for20seconds.
Designateperiodswithout screenssuchas duringmealtime and twohours before bed.
Lead by example: Demonstratehealthy screen habits,such as puttingyourphone on ‘donot disturb’ during family time.
FTeaching modern lifeskills: How parents can addressonline dangers without fear,anxiety or shame
romscams andcyberbullying to inappropriatecontent andonlinepredators,the internet presents challengesthatcan feel overwhelming. Butconversations aboutonlinesafety do nothavetobefrightening. In fact, acalm, ongoingapproachcan help children feel more comfortablespeakingupwhensomethinggoeswrong. Rather than waitinguntil thereisa problem, experts recommendtreatingonlinesafetyas anotherlifeskill Thegoalistohelpkidsrecognize warningsigns andknowwhattodoifthey encounterthem. Here aresometipstoguide thosediscussions.
FOCUS ON BEHAVIORS INSTEAD OF SPECIFIC THREATS
Explainthatpeopleonlineshould neverask kids to keep secrets from their families, send money, sharepersonal information or provide photos that make them uncomfortable. Children shouldalso understandthatnot everyone onlineiswho they claimtobe.
AVOIDUSING SHAME OR PUNISHMENTWHEN DISCUSSING ONLINERISKS
Kids maybemorelikelytokeepconcerning experiencestothemselvesiftheybelieve they will loseaccess to their devices or getin trouble. Parentscan reassure children that they will work throughdifficult situations together.Kidsshouldalsoknowtheycan turn to adults forsupport withoutfearof beingblamediftheyreceive asuspicious message, come acrossharmful contentor experience bullying.
REGULAR CONVERSATIONS AREMORE EFFECTIVE THAN ONE-TIME LECTURES.
Asking kids abouttheir favorite apps,creatorsordigital trends creates opportunities formeaningful discussions. Theseconversations also allowparents to teachchildrenhow to recognize scams, handle cyberbullying andrespond to inappropriatecontent in age-appropriate ways.
ENCOURAGE PRACTICAL RESPONSES.
Blocking users, reportinginappropriate behavior,takingscreenshots andaskingan adultfor help areall toolschildrencan use to protectthemselves. Theseactions help youngpeopleunderstandthattheyare not powerlesswhenproblemsarise.
Beyond likes and followers:
Howparents
canhelp kids build healthy social media habits
Whether your childisinto Instagram, TikTok,YouTube, Snapchat –ormaybe allof them –you canhelpthemdevelop healthy relationshipswithsocialmedia by teaching them to useplatforms intentionallyand in ways that supporttheir well-being. Oneimportant lesson is that social media shouldbeatool, notameasure of self-worth. Follower counts, likesand comments do not
define aperson’svalue.Helping children understandthatonlinecontent often represents carefullycuratedmoments rather than everyday realitycan reduce thepressure to comparethemselvestoothers.
Parentscan encourage kids to payattention to howcertain contentmakes them feel.If followingaparticularaccountleavesthem anxious,unhappy or insecure,itmay be time to unfollow, mute or limitexposureto that content. On theother hand,following creators whoinspire creativity,kindness, learningorhealthy habits canbea positive experience.
Regularconversations aboutsocialmedia canalsohelpparents stay connectedtotheir children’s onlinelives. Asking what they enjoywatching, whichcreatorstheyfollow or what trends they areseeingcan create opportunities formeaningful discussions withoutmakingsocialmedia feel forbidden
or off limits.
Parentscan also encourage children to balance onlineconnections with real-world experiences. Sports, clubs, family activities, readingand time with friends in person all help reinforce that social mediaisone part of life, notthe centerofit.
Most importantly, parentscan model healthyhabitsthemselves. Demonstrating thoughtful useofsocialmedia,avoiding constant comparisonsand taking breaks when needed show children that it is okay to step away andprioritize their mental and emotionalwell-being.
Social mediaisheretostay. By teaching children to be intentionalabout whothey follow,recognizewhencontent affects their self-esteem andmaintainbalance between onlineand offlinelife, parentscan help them buildhabitsthatsupport confidence,healthy relationshipsand overall well-being.
Here’s how parents can help kidsand teens learn, create and exploreat the EastBaton Rouge Parish Library
By Amanda McElfresh I amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
Fromstory timesfor toddlers to test prep forteens,the East BatonRouge Parish Libraryoffersawealthof free resources forchildren andfamilies. Of course,there arethousands of books, magazines, DVDs andaudiobookstocheck out. Beyond that,EBRPL is asafeplace for kids andteens to buildskillsand discover newinterests. Here areafew ways EBRPL canhelpthemthrive.
SIGN THEM UP FOR ALIBRARYCARD
Parentscan choose whichtypeofcard they want their childtohave–standard, restricted,orunrestricted. Thetypeofcard determines what materialsand services a youthcan accessfrombothprint materials andonlineresources. Even babies canhave their ownEastBaton RougeParishLibrary card
To learnmore, visityourlocal EBRPLbranch with your child(bringa photoIDand proof of currentaddress) or email ebrplcards@ ebrpl.com
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TUTORING
If your childisstrugglingtograsp certain concepts, EBRPLcan easily help them connecttoanonlinetutor at no charge Alltutorshavedegrees in thesubjectsthey aretutoringand have undergoneextensive trainingand background checks. Kids can even meet with thesametutor regularlyif they find them helpful.Visit www.ebrpl. com/departments/kids/homeworkand-learning/homework-help to learn more.
Beyond tutoring in core subjects,EBRPL offersresources forkidstoprepare for variousstandardized tests, includingpractice versions.APstudentscan watch content videos forbiology,calculus, U.S. historyand worldhistory,while an onlineSkillsCenter helps kids of all ages buildcompetencies by using flashcards,games,worksheetsand quizzes.
EXPLOREENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Besides readingmaterials,local families can checkout itemslikeboard games, museum andstate park passes, digital microscopes, andmusical instruments. Patronsof appropriateagesand whohavecompleted
thebadgingprocesscan also reservetime to usedevices such as 3D printers,sewing machines, virtualreality headsets and multimedia equipmenttorecordvideos, podcastsand more.Meanwhile,kid-friendly databaseshelpelementarystudents learnthe basicsofresearchand getaglimpse of the worldvia thousandsofvideo fieldtrips and photos. Forteens,onlineEBRPL resources canhelpthem find localjobs, volunteer opportunities, even accesstopractice for drivingexams,and so much more
“We’ve gotthe kids coveredinEastBaton RougeParish,”saidEBRPL Assistant DirectorMaryStein. “Weare trying to help buildcapacity within theeducational networkbecause allofuswantkidsto succeed everyday.”
d DsBelong
Discoverfree resourcesfor every age and every stage.
Whetheryour childloves to read, create, exploreorlearn somethingnew,the East Baton RougeParishLibrary offers free programs, technology, tutoring, events and resources designed to helpthem thrive.
Read Thousands of books, audiobooksand digital resources.
Learn Free programs, tutoring,homework help and test prep.
Create 3D printing, musical instruments, museum passes, makerspaces and more.
15 Locations |Open 7Days aWeek Free programs•Freeclasses •Freedigital resources Allyou need is yourLibrary card! Visit ebrpl.com/library-services/ or scan this QR Code:
Smart screen time: Howparents can create healthy digital habits at home
Technologyiswoven into nearly everypartofchildhood today, from homework andextracurricular activities to entertainment andstaying connectedwithfriends.Instead of viewingscreens as somethingtofearoreliminate, parentscan helpchildrendevelop healthyhabitsbysetting clearexpectationsand creating routines that encourage balance.
Onestrategyistoinvolve children in creating family technology rules. Discussingexpectationstogethergives kids abetter understandingofwhy boundaries matter andcan make them more likely to follow them. Older children andteens,inparticular, often respondwellwhentheyhavea voice in establishingguidelines. Creating device-freespaces canhelpfamilies stay connected. Bedrooms,dinnertablesand family gatherings arecommonplaces wherephonesand tablets areset aside. Thesescreen-freeareas encourage conversation,improve sleephabitsand help children learn that notevery moment needsto be filled with adevice. Many families also find successwithdevice-freetimes. Turningoff
screensduringmeals,the hour before bedorcertain evenings each week cancreateopportunities forfamilyactivities, outdoorplayand meaningful conversations.
Parentsshouldalsoconsidertheir owntechnologyhabits. Children aremorelikelytoadopt healthybehaviors when they seeadults puttingphonesawayduringconversations,limiting distractionsand beingfully presentduringfamilytime.
Healthydigital boundaries areabout teachingchildrenhow to usetechnologythoughtfullyand responsibly.Bycreatingshared expectations, establishingscreen-free spaces andmakingtimefor life beyond devices, parentscan help children develophabitsthatsupport learning, relationshipsand overall well-being.
CHILDHOOD MATTERS HERE
Pre-K3 through 8thGrade
Norush to grow up.Justthe rightsupportatevery stage. From play-based exploration in EarlyChildhood to strong academic foundationsinLowerSchooland high school preparation in Middle School, students arechallenged as theygrow.
Feels LikeFamily
Our Pre-K3 through 8th grade communityallows students to grow alongsidefamiliarfaces, build lasting friendships, and develop confidence in asafe, supportive environment. Students aresupportedbyteachers whoknowthem well, recognizetheir strengths, and encourage them to reachtheir full potential.
Nurturing Mind, Body &Spirit
We believe in nurturing the whole child through meaningful experiences thatdevelopthe mind, body, and spirit. Students of allfaiths areencouraged to explore, serve,and grow with confidenceand purpose.
WhyFamilies ChooseSt. Luke’s?
•Pre-K3 through 8th Grade
•2023National Blue Ribbon School
•7:1 Student-to-Teacher Ratio
•Athleticsfor 3rd–8th Grade
•Visual and Performing Arts
•Play-Based EarlyChildhood
•Engaging, ChallengingAcademics
•Innovation Lab&Learning LabSupport
Thebestways to use today’s technologyto support academic success habits
Frominteractivemathlessons and virtualtutoringtoeducational videos andAI-powered studytools, technology canhelpstudentsbetter understandclassroom concepts,build confidence anddevelop skills.activities. Here aresomewaysfamilies canmake technology work foreducation.
children to exploresubjectsthatspark their interest.Today’s locallibraries also have e-books, audiobooks anddigital resources availabletoborrowfor free in amatterof minutes.
Reinforce classroomlessons.Online educationalvideos andpractice websites let kids review concepts that challenged them or dive deeper into subjects they enjoy. Whetherit’smastering multiplication, understandingphotosynthesisorreading more aboutanhistoricalevent,digital tools let students revisitlessons as often as needed Stay organized. Digital calendars,reminder apps andhomeworkplannersmakeiteasier to keep trackofassignments,quizzes and projects. Thesetools reinforce duedates and helpkidsbreak their work into smaller tasks, whichcan reduce stress andprevent lastminutecramming.
Builddigital literacyskills. Learninghow to research credible sources, collaborate on virtualplatforms,protect personal information andcommunicaterespectfully onlineare essentialskillsfor people of all ages. Parentscan beginreinforcingthese habits earlybytalking to kids aboutonline safety,encouraging responsibletechnology useand helping them thinkcriticallyabout what they seeonline.
Technologyisn’t replacinggreat teachers,hands-onlearningorface-toface relationships. Students still benefit from robust classroomdiscussions, readingphysical books,conducting science experiments andparticipating in extracurricularactivities. Butwhenused thoughtfully, digital toolscan complement thoseexperiences by providingadditional practice,expandedinformation andwaysto help students become independentlearners.
Challenges of AI in the Classroom
Artificial intelligencehas quickly become one of the mostdiscussedtopics in education. Ai
Asstudents return to classrooms, schoolsand colleges arecontinuing to developpolicies that encourage innovationwhile maintaining academic integrity.
Generative AI toolscan helpstudents brainstorm ideas,summarize information, practice writingand explore complex topics. At thesametime, educatorsare grapplingwithconcerns aboutplagiarism, misinformation andover-reliance on technology.
Many school districtsand highereducation institutions have adopted formal guidelines outliningacceptableusesof AI. Rather than banningthe technologyoutright, educators increasinglyfocus on teachingstudents how to useAIresponsibly andethically.
Teachers sayexpectationsvarydepending on theassignment. Some instructors allow AI to assist with research andidea generation butrequirestudentstocomplete finalwriting independently. Others require students to disclosewhenAItools were used during thecompletionofanassignment. Digital literacy hasemergedasa major educationalpriority. Students arelearning howAIsystems work,how to verify information andhow to recognize potential bias or inaccuraciesingeneratedcontent Educatorsargue that theseskillswillbecome increasinglyimportant in future workplaces. Colleges facesimilarchallenges. Professors areredesigningassignments to emphasize critical thinking,personalreflection and in-class participation.Oralpresentations, project-basedlearningand collaborative activities arebecomingmorecommonas institutions adapttoevolvingtechnology.
Edutopia recommends that educatorstalk to students aboutAIbytreatingitasan open, judgment-freedialogue rather than a list of restrictions.Frame discussions around skill-buildingand transparency,ask openendedquestionsabout their habits, andset clearboundaries forwhenAIisahelpful tool versus ashortcut.
Students often express mixed opinions Some view AI as avaluableproductivity tool,while others worryabout fairness and academic honesty. Many educatorsaim to preventconfusionand misunderstandings by having open discussions aboutexpectations. School administrators emphasize that AI should supplementlearningratherthan replace it Thegoalistohelpstudents developproblemsolvingabilities, communicationskillsand subject-matter knowledgethatcannotbe outsourced to technology.
•9
•Digitalcitizenship
TheParenting Playbook for ChildrenOnlin
FMOL Health |Our Lady of theLake Children’s Hospital in BatonRouge serves as themaincampusand central hubfor a statewide networkofpediatric healthcare and offersone of theonlypediatric emergency roomsinLouisiana staffed 24/7 by physicians certified in pediatricemergency medicine. It is home to theregion’sonlyLevel II pediatric trauma programand thearea’sonlyspecialized pediatricpharmacy. It offersafullspectrumof comprehensivepediatric services with more than 300 pediatricproviders,including60 specialistsfocused on immunology, cardiology, psychiatry, endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology, sleepmedicineand more.Itisalso oneofonlyeight expandedSt. Jude Affiliate Clinics in theU.S. Thehospital is locatedat8300 Constantin BoulevardinBaton Rouge.
Tips for Parents
Focusonkids’ mental health.Pay attentionto changesinmood,behavior, sleephabits, social interactionsand activity levels.Encourage open conversationsabout what your childseesonline. When in doubt, talk with your pediatrician.Don’t ignore recurring physical symptoms like stomach pain, headachesorchronic fatigue Have information availableatall times. Details aboutyourchildren’s medications,allergies and knownconditionscan help guide pediatriccare in alltypes of situations.Yourchild’s physical and mental health go hand in hand
www.ololchildrens.org
(225) 374-HEAL
8300 Constantin Blvd., BatonRouge LA 70809
Facebook, X, andInstagram: @ololchildrens
TikTok and YouTube: @fmolhealth
Formorethan70years,NeighborsFederal Credit Unionhas been afull-service financialinstitution,serving members throughout theBaton Rougearea. Its solutions includingcheckingand savings accounts, retirement accounts, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loansand more.Branchesare locatedinBaton Rouge, Central, Denham Springs, Lafayette, Port Allen, Prairieville,Walkerand Zachary.
Tips forParents
Give kids hands-onmoney experience
Allowances, birthday moneyorearnings from chores helpchildren practice saving, spendingand decision-making.
Setfamilysavings goals. Whethersaving fora vacation, newbicycle or holiday gifts, shared goalsteach planning, patience and teamwork
Discussdigital financialsafetyusing trustedsources to teachabout strong passwords, onlinescams,protecting personal information andusingpayment apps responsibly.
www.neighborsfcu.org
(225) 819-2178
Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok: @NeighborsFCU
YouTube: @neighborsbatonrouge
RESOURCE GUIDE
For80years, TheBaton RougeClinic has been atrusted healthcare partnerfor generationsoffamiliesthroughoutour community.Since opening ourdoors in 1946, we have growntooffer comprehensivecare forevery stageoflifethrough exceptional primarycareandabroadnetworkofspecialty services TheBaton RougeClinic remains committed to providing compassionate, patient-centeredcarefor generationstocome. Ourmaincampusislocated at 7373 Perkins Road in BatonRouge.
Tips for Parents
•Establish HealthyScreen-TimeHabitsfor your Children
•Communicate:Talkopenlywithyour children aboutthe contenttheyengagewith online!
•Makesureyourchildrenpractice the20-2020 rule: forevery 20 minutesspent looking at ascreen, look at least20feetawayfor 20 seconds.
•Designateperiods withoutscreens such as during mealtime andtwo hoursbeforebed
•Leadbyexample: Demonstratehealthy screen habits, such as puttingyourphone on ‘donot disturb’duringfamilytime.
www.batonrougeclinic.com (225) 769-4044
7373 Perkins Road
BatonRougeLA70808
Facebook: @BatonRougeClinicAM
Instagram and YouTube: @BatonRougeClinic
TikTok: @batonrougeclinic
X: @BRClinicAMC
At OasisCounselingand Supervision, KirstenDantinoffersaspace that is collaborative, grounded andgrowthoriented. Kirstenhelps clients work throughanxiety,relationships,trauma andlifetransitions,while supporting superviseesindevelopingconfidence, clinical skills andethical practice through intentionalmentorship. Individual and relationship counseling is available in-personorvia telehealth.In-person counseling is availablefor individuals under age18who identify as queeror LGBTQ+.
Tips for Parents
Counseling cangivekidsasafeplace to talk.Many find it easier to open up to aneutral adultabout worries they don’t want to discusswithfamilyorfriends
Atrained counselorcan helpkidslearn healthycopingskills, recognize their strengthsand developwaystoexpress their feelings appropriately.
Forkidswho identify as queeror LGBTQ+, counseling canreinforcethat they deserve supportand acceptance, whichcan lead to better overall mental health andlower ratesofdepressionand anxiety
OwnerRebecca Lawopenedthe first brick-and-mortarlocationofLilly &Jace Kids Boutique in BatonRouge in 2022. Sincethen, theboutiquehas become knownfor itsthoughtfullycurated selection of children's clothing, gifts, andaccessories, many of whichfeature regional designers andLouisiana-inspired styles.
Customersreceive personalizedservice tailored to their needs, whetherthey're shoppingfor aspecial occasionoutfit, a meaningful gift,oreverydayessentials.
Tips forParents
•Choosequality over quantity.Children grow quickly, butwell-made clothinglasts longer,maintains itsappearance, andcan be passed down to siblings, cousins, or friends •Encourage self-expression. As children getolder,allowingthemtohelpchoosetheir outfits builds confidence,independence,and decision-makingskills.
•Keepa fewready-to-wearoutfits on hand.Havingone or twooutfits designated forschoolprograms, family gatherings, church events,orlast-minutecelebrations helps reduce stress andmakes gettingready much easier
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Rawlin Cauthron tries out his newprosthetic legthat BlakeRobichaux,right, acertified VA orthotist prosthetist,designed and made for him at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in New Orleans.
FINDINGTHE PERFECTFIT
Prostheticsexperthelps VA patients regain mobility
BY RACHEL MIPRO
Contributingwriter
Rawlin Cauthron —“Doc” to hisfriends —has just gotten anewly fitted American flag leg, the latest in a line of prosthetics to match the one he lostina motorcycle wreck years ago.
When he had the accident in 2001, he underwenta lot of surgery to try to save his leg, but the extensive fractures complicated matters. His love of riding made his decision for him.
“The doctor finally toldme, ‘I could get you where you could hobble around, but it would alwaysswell up,’” Cauthron said. “I said,‘Can Iridemymotorcycle?’ He said no, Isaid, ‘Cutitoff.’”
Cauthron joined the Armyin1972, and was discharged in 1974 after he fractured hisspine falling down amine shaft while trying to rescue someone. Afterhis accident,his first prosthetic leg wasmadebyhis local Veterans Affairs clinic.
“It feltkind of strangenot walking on crutches anymore,” Cauthron said. “It was great, don’tget me wrong, Ilove not havingtowalk on them crutches, but other than that, Imean, it waskind of weird,but Igot used to it.”
Cauthron’sbeencomingtothe NewOrleans VA Medical Center for abouta decadefor leg care.
Hisfirstleg builtinthe Crescent Citywas made in 2014 by Blake Robichaux,a certified VA orthotist prosthetist.
Legs are changed out about every five yearstokeep up with body changes andshifting needs
ä See PROSTHETICS, page 2X
BlakeRobichaux works on amold for aprosthetic in hislab.Hehas made countlessprosthetics since he started with the VA in 2013.
What to watch forin extremeheat, even if you’re ‘usedtoit’
This is acolumn in aseries from Dr.Olivia Ragusa, aprimary care physician at Baton Rouge General, sharing insight on avariety of health topics for patients of all ages, including prevention, wellness tips and everyday strategies to help individuals and families stay healthy
Living in south Louisiana, heat feels like part of our identity
Dr.Olivia Ragusa
DOCTOR SAyS
We mow the lawn in July,cheer at football games in August and tell ourselves, “It’ll be fine, I’mused to the heat!”
But being born and raised here or alongtime transplant —doesn’t makeyou immune to the potential forheat-related illness.
Yes, the human body can adapt to warmer temperatures over time. We call that heat acclimation; however,acclimation is not immunity.Even people who spend years working outdoors or exercising in the Louisiana heat can reach adangerous limit. That limit can change from day to day, which makes things trickier Something as simple as poor sleep, dehydration, stress, illness or even certain medications can lower your body’sability to handle heat. Youmay feel fine one day and struggle the next without realizing why.
What you really have to be careful about is that heat stress doesn’talways feel dramatic at first. It often builds slowly,and what feels normal foryou might actually be chronic strain. When you’re exposed to high temperatures fortoo long, your body works overtime to cool itself.Your heart pumps harder to moveblood toward the skin so heat canescape. That extra effort can raise your heart rate, affect blood pressure,reduce blood flowtovitalorgans, and place addedstrain on your kidneys and cardiovascularsystem. That’s especially risky for people with conditions like high blood pressure,diabetes, or heart disease. Ioften remind patients that heat illnessesrarelystart with collapse.
They usually start with subtle warning signs that can then turn into big red flags.
STAFF PHOTOSByCHRISGRANGER
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO The sun beamsdownona lifeguard while she watches over abeach at LakeHarriet in Minneapolis
HEALTH MAKER
N.O. surgeon has spent decades fixing kids’ hearts
‘I’m nowhere near finished’
BY MARGARET DeLANEY Staff writer
Dr Benjamin Peeler has learned a lot during his career, especially from other doctors.
In Nashville, Tennessee, Dr Ken Jacobs taught him about the inner growth it would take to become a surgeon. Dr John Tarpley taught him the power of selflessness. In Virginia, Dr. Curt Tribble was the “ultimate surgical teacher” and “a hero to everyone,” Peeler said.
Dr Irv Kron, the former chief of cardiac surgery, pediatric cardiac surgery and chair of the department of surgery at the University of Virginia, made the difficult seem simple.
”He has elevated the careers of so many surgeons in the country,” Peeler said. “It has been the honor of my career to have Kron as a teacher, mentor and a colleague and friend over the last 30 years.” Peeler graduated medical school in 1991, completed his first residency in general surgery in 1998, his second residency in thoracic surgery in 2000 and his third residency in vascular surgery in 2001 at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. Then, he completed a fellowship in congenital cardiac surgery in 2002 at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Now, Peeler is a leader in his own right as the chief of pediatric cardiac surgery and co-director of the Congenital Heart Center for Ochsner Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
What first drew you to medicine and specifically to surgery?
Certainly, at some level my interest in medicine is related to the fact that my dad was a physician. He was an adult cardiologist. Both of my parents instilled in me the concept of work as an avocation, not as a job. Ultimately, when it became clear that baseball was not going to be a career,
it was a natural turn towards medicine.
As far as surgery goes, that became very clear to me within the first weeks of medical school. The things that fascinated me about surgery were the complexity of the problems the acute serious illnesses that were treated and the relative immediacy of the results.
As a pitcher, I was used to having the ball in my hand, so it made sense.
What was the congenital heart program like when you first arrived in New Orleans, and what did you envision for the future?
When I first started at Ochsner, many of the foundational elements of an excellent congenital heart program were already present. Pediatric cardiology was excellent and growing, as was pediatric cardiac anesthesia.
We built a dedicated pediatric cardiac ICU shortly after my arrival, and that helped grow the quality of the program.
What are the unique challenges of oper-
ating on infants compared to adults?
Neonates, infants and children can have a wide range of heart defects and required operations, more than 150 different operations. The size of children as compared to adults can provide challenges. Pediatric patients also often have other problems that don’t involve the heart that can make surgery riskier and their recovery more difficult.
What is it like to meet families at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives?
I have a great deal of empathy for families that have children with congenital heart disease. In fact, often times when I first meet a family, I tell them that I’m sorry they have to meet me at all.
I try to not instill false hope into families, but I do try to make them feel confident in our ability to provide the best care possible.
Additionally, our lead cardiac surgery physician’s assistant (who is also my wife) is a congenital heart patient. She has had three
surgeries and frankly she has more energy than any of us.
When she meets patients and families, it really is like a “whoa” moment for them to see someone with her history thriving. It’s really a good thing.
Over your career, how has the field of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery evolved?
When I started my training in the early ’90s at Vanderbilt, pediatric cardiac surgery was only several decades old. The pioneering work that went on in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s to establish the possibility of pediatric cardiac surgery was amazing but fraught with difficulty At Vanderbilt, they were still transitioning from earlier techniques, such as use of the hypothermia box, to the more refined techniques that we used today
Interventional cardiology has more techniques that are applicable and can keep kids from needing surgery One of the things that I like most about my specialty is
PROSTHETICS
Continued from page 1X
Cauthron had one built as a peg leg for a pirate costume, another for swimming, and another that could fit inside a cowboy boot. Robichaux has made countless prosthetics since he started with the VA in 2013, working on them inside a large workshop room filled with machines, locks, limbs and other pieces of the trade, including one or two realistic-looking feet models.
The process begins with a hollow socket fitting, finding the right size and fit for each amputee.
After a suitable socket is picked, the hollow socket is filled with plaster to create a cast before the plaster cast is laminated, creating
a lightweight and durable shell.
The process takes about two hours to complete, Robichaux estimated. He’s made them for a range of ages, from 29 to 86.
The technology’s improved over the decades. When Robichaux started, the first legs he made used a plaster and gauze system, where he’d smear the plaster on the side of the person’s leg, wrap gauze around the wet plaster and continue the process
New casting materials were introduced in the late 1990s, streamlining the process.
“We started using it, never looked back,” Robichaux said.
One problem remains the same over time: When leg prosthetics are used, the leg shrinks over time because of fluid level changes and pressure
“No matter what you build, when
they get fitted with prosthetics, that’s the last time it fits that good,” Robichaux said. “Because their limb is always changing, but the prosthetic is never changing. Educating them how to maintain the fit, when to check, how to look for problems, that’s the biggest thing.”
Prosthetics fashion evolves like other styles Cauthron favors an American flag print, but older veterans like the flesh-colored, unobtrusive limbs with a more realistic look, Robichaux said. For these, he uses foam, fitting and shaping it to have the proportions of a leg before putting a cosmetic skin layer over the whole thing.
“The younger guys, if they have to wear a leg, they want it to be blinged out All shiny Silver showing. As fancy as possible,” Robichaux said.
that is exceptionally collaborative. The pediatric interventional cardiologists and I always try to find the best combination of therapies for each patient, and it takes a lot of different disciplines in the pediatric heart center to deliver the best results.
How has pediatric heart surgery changed survival rates and quality of life over the decades?
The improvement in survival from congenital heart defects is one of the greatest stories in modern medicine. If you were born with a congenital heart defect in the 1950s, your chance of surviving one year was 25%.
Currently that number is about 95%.
Additionally, approximately 90% of babies born with a congenital heart defect are expected to survive into adulthood. If you take for instance one of the most severe heart defects, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, there has been a vast improvement in outcomes.
Before 1980, 100% of these babies were expected to die before 1 month of age. Advances in all facets of care of these and other serious conditions have led to our current results.
Nationally, 87% of babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who undergo the Norwood operation are expected to survive. At Ochsner, our results are closer to 92% to 95% survival.
When you look back on your career, what are you most proud of?
I’m proud of growing three excellent programs in three states that needed the programs to grow to better serve the needs of the population. And, of course, I’m very happy to have provided service to each individual patient and family
Both things are extremely gratifying.
When I get follow-up pictures and information from families, it’s the best. I’m nowhere near finished, though. There’s a lot more to achieve.
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.
HEAT
Continued from page 1X
Watch for symptoms like headaches or nausea, dizziness or confusion, and unusual fatigue or weakness. With heat-related illnesses, you might also experience rapid heartbeat or shortness of breath. You may stop sweating altogether despite being hot.
That last one is especially concerning. If you stop sweating, that can be a signal that your cooling system is failing
If you notice these symptoms, stop what you’re doing. Get into shade or air conditioning, drink fluids and cool down. If symptoms worsen or don’t improve quickly, seek medical care.
Being tough has its place, but this brutal heat doesn’t care how tough you are. Trade the tough-it-out method for smarter habits like hydrating before you feel thirsty, taking breaks during the hottest part of the day outside and listening to your body
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth,personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries,state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to live well. Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions,stories and more.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Dr Benjamin Peeler, the chief of pediatric cardiac surgery and co-director of the Congenital Heart Center, stands in the pediatric intensive care unit at Ochsner Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.
STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER
Rawlin Cauthron straightens his new prosthetic leg at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in New Orleans.
Blake Robichaux looks at a prosthetic foot in his lab at the Veterans Affairs Hospital
EatFit LiveFit
Lymphatic drainage is trending: Here’swhatitactuallydoes
In 2024, over 18 million U.S. households reported being food insecure at some time during the year At thosetimes food-insecure households were unable to provide enoughfood to meet theneeds of alltheir members because theyhad insufficient moneyorresources, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
percentageofhouseholds experiencing food insecurity between 2021 and 2023 because of lack of resources, as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Between 2021 and 2023, an average 16.2% of Louisianans were food insecure, defined as adults whoreported that the food that they bought always, usually or sometimes did not last— and theydidn’t have moneytoget more
Thestate has the third-highest percentageoffood insecure adults in the country.
Food insecurity is associated with chronic and acutehealth problems andhealthcare needs in children, according to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention.Additionally, food-insecure adults are at ahigher risk of developing several chronic conditions,including coronaryheart disease, diabetes,obesity and cancer
Thesestates had the highest
n Arkansas with 18.9%, n Texas with 16.9%, n Louisiana and Mississippi tied with 16.2%, n Oklahoma with 15.4%, n Kentucky with 14.5%, n South Carolina with 14.4%, n West Virginia with 13.7%, n Wyoming with 13.1% n and Michigan with 13%. These states had the lowest percentageoffood insecure households: n NewHampshire with 7.4%, n North Dakota with 8.6%, n South Dakota with 9%, n Minnesota with 9.1%, n Vermont with 9.2%, n Massachusetts with 9.3%, n Washington with 9.5%, n Hawaii with 9.6%, n Rhode Island with 9.7%, n and Iowa and NewJerseywith 9.8%.
BY LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press
WASHINGTON Abloodtest may predict if apparently healthy older adults are likelytodevelop Alzheimer’ssymptoms in the next five or 10 years,researchersreported Wednesday That information could be reassuringorterrifying, but for now it’s apotential tool to speed drug development by helpingtoidentify and enroll high-risk peopleintostudies of possible Alzheimer’streatments or preventive strategies Alreadylarge clinical trialsare testing if certain drugs could prevent or at least delay the disease
and if any ofthosepansout, doctors willneed an easy way to tellwho shouldtry them
The scientists behind the new study stress that it’stoo soon for healthy people toseek out the so-called p-tau217 test, which is currently usedtohelpdiagnose whether peopleexperiencing cognitive problems have Alzheimer’s or another disorder
“Wait and get testedwhen you can potentially do something about it,” stressed Dr.Reisa Sperlingof the Mass GeneralBrighamNeuroscienceInstitute, the study’ssenior author.“At this point it wouldn’t changewhat Iwould tell someone to do.I’d still tell them to eat well,
sleep well, exercise alot and stay engaged.”
The new findings showed that symptom-free older adults who harbored very high levels of ptau217 had a38% risk of developingcognitive impairment over five years. That risk grew to 78% by 10 years. The research was published in JAMA and presented at the Alzheimer’sAssociation International Conference in London.
It’s not clear exactly what causes Alzheimer’s, but its telltalemarkersare brain-clogging amyloid plaques and neuron-killing tau tangles. Thep-tau217 test measures aform of tau that correlates with
how much plaque buildup someone hasand gives ahint about tangles, Sperling said.
The Mass General Brigham team analyzed data from2,684 older adults whowerehealthywhen they’d joined some long-running Alzheimer’sstudies, receiving the p-tau217 blood test at enrollment andyearly cognitive checkups. Between the earliest enrollment in 2004 and last year,about 478 had developed cognitive impairment.
Study participants with very low p-tau217 levels likewise had alow risk of developing cognitive impairmentoverthe five- to 10-year period. There’sa conundrum in predict-
ing Alzheimer’s: Lots of people harbor high levels of amyloid plaques yetnever getdementia. Aleading theory is that at somepoint amyloid buildup triggers an abnormal type of tau to form tangles, leading to symptoms.
Sperling said thebloodtestdata offers some new clues. Whiledifferentintermediate levelsofptau217 signaled progressive risk, only the very highest level seemed to correlate with other evidence about that tipping point.
“This is agradual process where amyloidand taubuild up in the brain and this blood-based biomarker is telling you how far you are in that process,” she said.
BRO UGH TT OY OU BY
Molly Kimball RD,CSSD
Keep Your Healthcare at Your Fingertips
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SUNDAY, AUgUSt 2, 2026
CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley
SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr
GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne
MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters
ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson
ROSEBUDS / by Supr Dee
ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis
grams
directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each 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.
word game
instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
todAY's Word — tAiLsPin: TALE-spin: A mental or emotional letdown or collapse.
Average mark 39 words Time limit 60 minutes
Can you find 55 or more words in TAILSPIN?
ken ken
instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner
instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally
Sudoku
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
super Quiz
Extra care
Today’s deal is from a recent club duplicate. All the NorthSouth pairs reached four spades and received the queen of hearts lead. Most declarers went down in this contract by assuming a favorable 3-2 split in trumps, which would happen about two thirds of the time. They cashed the two top trumps before ruffing a diamond in dummy. They had to lose two trump tricks, one diamond, and one club.
One declarer was more careful. Before touching trumps, he cashed the ace and king of diamonds and ruffed a diamond in dummy East over-ruffed and shifted to the jack of clubs. South won in dummy with the ace and cashed the king of trumps. He then ruffed a heart in his hand and ruffed his last diamond in dummy East also over-ruffed this but the defense could only get a club trick from here and South made his contract. He won the club continuation in hand with the king and cashed the ace of trumps, which was sure to draw the last trump no matter who had it. Nicely done! This line of play also gave South a slim chance for an overtrickprecious in a pairs game. If both opponents had followed suit to the third round of diamonds,
South would have ruffed his last diamond with a low trump in dummy. This would produce an overtrick if the trumps split 3-2 and the opponent with three trumps over-ruffed the fourth diamond.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Explore and expand your interests and plans. Choose to discover what’s available and to put the past behind you. Get your priorities straight and your plans in place.
SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov 22) Speak up, offer suggestions and lead the way Social events will be entertaining and offer lively conversations that connect you to interesting people. Don’t hesitate to share your feelings.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) If you takeacloserlookatcontracts,investmentsandmedicalissues,you’llgain insight into how to enhance your life financially and physically Don’t let emotions and anger block personal growth.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Let your feelings determine your next move. Don’tallowanyonetoleadyouastray or preoccupy your time. Use your wisdom, experience and intuition to carve out what works best for you. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Hide out, be observant and assess your situation. Opportunities are present, but navigating your way to the best results will be difficult if you lack awareness regarding how your decisions affect others.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look inward. You’ll waste your time if you try to change others or dwell on situations you have no control over Find your bliss, and follow the path that makes you feel good about yourself.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You’ve got more going for you than you realize. Shake off the negative, let go of the past and prepare to engage in positive ventures and activities. Financial gains are within reach.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Push anger aside and focus on truth, positive alternatives and being good to yourself and loved ones. Let common
sense lead the way, and you’ll send a message that others can understand and relate to.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Talk less and do more. Your actions will give onlookers a chance to see what you can do. Stretch your imagination, put your skills to work for you and flesh out your ideas.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Don’t broadcast what you plan to do. Keep your life simple, abide by the rules and regulations, and put a minimalist mindset to work for you. Too much of anything will lead to trouble.
GEMINI(May21-June20) Pushforward with optimism. Use your imagina-
tion, follow your heart and have fun Refuse to let your jealousy or emotional manipulation take precedence over kind words and offering a helping hand.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Put what’s happening in context. Recognize yourchoices.Reachouttothosewho share your sentiments, and build a strong alliance you can count on There is strength in numbers.
1. Lake Michigan.2."TheWindy City." 3. Chicago Cubs and Chicago WhiteSox. 4. Chicago Blackhawks. 5. The ChicagoTransit Authority 6. The Loop. 7. Theelevatedrapid transit system. 8. The Chicago Bulls. 9. Michael Jordan. 10. Chicago Bears.11. WrigleyField andRate Field. 12.The UnitedCenter.13. Soldier Field. 14.Daley Center.15. Navy Pier
SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?
Saturday's Cryptoquote: How quick time goes by now,compared towhenyou were akid. Summer used to last forever.Now it's twelve weeks. John Goodman
Answer
Crossword Answers sCrAbble
jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly
