Scientist Solomon david holds agarfish after taking a finclipping in Wilkinson County,Miss., on Thursday. The restorationefforts at LochLeven, Miss., led by thenature Conservancy,supportsthe growth of alligator gar populations and demonstrates the importance of floodplain habitats in the ecosystem’shealth.
net spread out like aspiderweb over murky waters, hung for amoment and dropped. Charles Vaughan hauled it in and found what he’d traveled 1,000 miles for: ababy fish.
Thealligatorgar was already more than afoot long at about 2months old, armored in hard scales with apointed snout full of sharp teeth. Thespecies can live for acentury and grow to more than7 feet long.
“They’ve got super fast growth rates,” said Solomon David, aprofessor of aquatic ecology at the University of Minnesota who calls himself “the gar guy.” Under the right conditions, these fish can grow to over 2feet long within ayear.“The right conditions arebasically like here,” David said.
The alligator gar is what ateam of researchers Vaughan and David, along with GabbyGonzalesand Luxi Feyereisen, all with the University of Minnesota system —spent ahot morninginJulywading through theshallow waters at Loch Leven to find. And they found one, a sign that arestorationeffort here is working.
At Loch Leven, a6,000acre former farm surrounded by alevee built before theCivil War, the Nature Conservancy led aproject to reconnect the waters of theMississippi River with part of its natural floodplain,orthe land that the river onceflooded.
Centuries ago, the river ran through here. In 1776, it cut off the bend, leaving behind an oxbowlake— LakeMary, which curves in ahorseshoearound the property.The riverkept flooding this land until the
ä See SUCCESS, page 4A
Israel
says it hasserious
Trumpannounces U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement
BY SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press
TEL AVIV,Israel Israel has shared “serious security concerns” with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said as Israeli strikes overnight andinto
unease with Hamasdisarmament
Sunday evening killed at least 17 people, includingchildren, in Gaza.
Theremarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’soffice, weresome of the first public comments since President Donald Trump announced theagreement Spielman told The Associated Press thatIsrael’sintelligence assessment is thatHamas remains committedtorebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He said theIsraeli
military would not withdraw from Gaza —whereitcontrols morethan 60% of the territory —before Hamas disarms.
“Ourassessmentisthat if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed,itwill quickly expand itspresence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israelicommunities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” he said, referringtothe Hamas
ä See CONCERNS, page 5A
EAST BATONROUGE PARISH
School system to trynew busrouting software
Programhas so far‘exceeded’ officials’ expectations
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
With anew school year about to start, the East BatonRouge Parish school system is gambling on newbus routing software thatpromises to find children and get them to school more accurately and efficiently
It’s apromise school officials heard before, and it doesn’talways come true.
“A lot of times companies present something to you, and you try it, and it doesn’tdowhat they say,” said Transportation Director Rob Howle. The new software will get its first full test Thursday when the district’s400-plus buses hit the road forthe start of the 2026-27 school year In 2023, East Baton Rouge purchased modern routing software from Denver-based TripSpark, but it failed to workasadvertised. School officials ended up shelving it late that summer and reverted to the district’sold routing software just days before the start of school.
Student transportation cratered that year,a crisis that dragged for weeks. Asevere shortage of bus drivers was the biggest problem,but confusionoverbus routes addedtoopening-ofschool confusion and exacerbated the crisis. Amonth into theschool year,the Transportation Department quickly purchased yet another software package, this time fromCanadian-based BusPlannerInc.The district stuck withBusPlannerfor thenextthree years even though the software often proved cumbersome and required special workarounds. Inputting and updating routes took years to complete. In aMay 2025 report,anoutside consulting firm found lots of out-of-whack bus routes, especially in special education. One issue is that BusPlanner couldnot easilysync up withJCampus, East Baton Rouge’senrollment software.
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
Several hopeful Baton Rouge attorneys and a handful of sittingcommissioners will have the opportunity this week to register to run forone of the 15 judgeships up for election in November Those seats were recently divided by the state Legislature into two new election “subdistricts,” with seven judge races in each subdistrict and one parishwide race. But as the WednesdayFriday qualifying window nears, alegal challenge to those newly drawn subdistricts is still in federal court and likely won’tsee aruling formonths. The challenge came fromthree sitting Baton Rouge judges whosuedthe stateonthe grounds the new maps removed amajority-Black subdistrict and thus violated afederal judge’s1990 order Meanwhile, judge candidate Vernon Thomas is sending out mailers educating voters that
STAFF PHoToSBySoPHIA GERMER
The narrowsand the Mississippi River are seen in Wilkinson County,Miss., as scientist Solomon david and his team of students collect garonThursday
Brazil’s Lula launches
reelection bid
SAO PAULO What is very likely to be the last reelection bid of Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was confirmed on Sunday by his Workers’ Party as the 80-year-old leader faces increasing pressure from foreign leaders ahead of October’s elections. It will be his seventh race for the top job. Lula’s rival, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, has enjoyed open support from members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Brazil’s president said in his party convention speech he wants to boost his country’s defense industry, protect its rare minerals, and claimed “no Chinese, no American, no French will touch” these resources without respecting the South American nation’s sovereignty
Suicide bomber strikes Pakistan rally
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber targeted protesters at an antimilitant rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, mostly civilians and police officers, and wounding more than two dozen others, officials said. The attack happened in Kabal, a town in Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where demonstrators had gathered near a police station, chanting antimilitant slogans and demanding peace, district police chief Omar Khan said.
According to witnesses shortly before the attack, speakers at the rally said that ensuring security and eliminating militancy were the state’s responsibility They also accused authorities of failing to act decisively against militants, saying residents wanted to live without fear after years of violence that devastated the region.
Police official Omar Khan said at least nine civilians and five officers were among the dead.
AI draws boos at German festival
BERLIN An experiment with artificial intelligence at the annual Richard Wagner festival in the southeastern German town of Bayreuth drew boos from the audience after producing a staging that appeared to leave some spectators confused.
Curator Marcus Lobbes and his team were greeted with boos and whistles as they took to the stage at the end of Saturday evening’s performance of “Götterdämmerung,” German news agency dpa reported. However, there was warm applause for the singers and musicians, and particularly for conductor Christian Thielemann.
Festival organizers said ahead of the performance that it would be the first time AI took part on stage at the event, “not as a character, but as an image-generating force.” They said that singers would be “the fixed point within a visually seething cosmos of light, texture, history and association, amidst projections that erupt, constantly shift, and merge into one another.”
The AI-assisted projections included scenes from previous performances of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle and historical themes, and drew from images pre-selected by Lobbes, the director of the Academy for Theater and Digitality in Dortmund, and his team.
The collage that the technology projected on stage puzzled the audience, dpa reported, with images including former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the towers of the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and a special postage stamp marking German reunification in 1990.
Police: Suspected shooter killed self
Man found shortly after 3 die in Idaho fast-food restaurant gunfire
By The Associated Press
TWIN FALLS, Idaho The suspect in a fatal shooting at a fast-food restaurant in Idaho died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said Sunday, crediting an off-duty officer and a citizen with firing shots that diverted him.
Investigators are confident that the gunman, identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, acted alone during the shooting Saturday in Twin Falls, Police Chief Matthew Hicks said at a news conference In all, three people died and seven others were injured at the recently opened restaurant in the southern Idaho city of about 56,000 people.
Authorities said Sunday that two of the injured were treated at a hospital and released, three were listed as stable, and two were in critical condition.
Hicks said an off-duty state trooper and an armed citizen whose
identities weren’t immediately disclosed — both fired back and diverted the gunman from the restaurant
“We believe their actions helped drive the suspect away from the scene, preventing further casualties,” the chief said. “We want to take a moment and commend the actions of the off-duty officer and the citizen, and their heroic action to stop this incident.”
Hicks said detectives are working to determine Williams’ motives, and said the suspect’s family was cooperating fully with law enforcement. He also warned of misinformation spreading online identifying a different man as the shooter saying the man had “no involvement in this incident whatsoever.”
One of those killed was an employee, the fast-food chain’s owner said.
“My heart is broken my chest is heavy, my eyes burn from the tears I’ve shed. We lost one of our beautiful Associates tonight,” In-N-Out
owner Lynsi Snyder said in a statement released early Sunday on social media. “In-N-Out will be mourning with the families and praying for them as they tread through a very painful season.”
The FBI on Sunday encouraged the public to submit images and videos related to the shooting Saturday in Twin Falls that left seven other people wounded, some critically
The In-N-Out had opened just about a week earlier, on July 24, as part of the California-based company’s recent expansion to Idaho.
Snyder did not identify the worker
Officials were still trying to notify relatives of victims and so were not yet releasing the names ages or other details about the people hurt in the shooting, Twin Falls spokesperson Josh Palmer said Saturday
Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Palmer said.
Palmer said investigators were interviewing witnesses to the shooting. The restaurant is in a busy shopping plaza, and hundreds of people were in the area when it happened around 2 p.m.
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 wearing a uniform, bleeding from a gunshot wound to 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.
He said the shooter fired at least three or four rounds and it was not clear whether or not anyone in particular was targeted.
Video taken by a driver from across the street captured a shooter who appeared to be dressed in black, walking up to a white car carrying a long rifle, opening the driver-side door and popping the trunk. The person then walked to the trunk and reached inside. At that point the driver who shot the video left quickly, fearing that the man might be getting more weapons.
Hundreds of thousands line Amsterdam canals
Boat parade held week after deadly Berlin Pride fest attack
BY MIKE CORDER Associated Press
AMSTERDAM — Hundreds of thousands of people lined Amsterdam’s canals on Saturday to watch the city’s canal boat parade, the highlight of an annual Pride festival that this year comes just a week after a deadly attack on a Pride event in Berlin.
Openly gay Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, dressed in a white shirt, black life vest and gold necklace, waved to crowds as he sailed in a small boat through the colorfully decorated parade of 80 vessels, waving to participants and spectators as techno music pumped from speakers along the route.
The colorful floating parade came a week after the Berlin attack left one person dead and 29 injured. A suspect, Abdul Ballout, was suspected of driving a van into a crowd near the festival Saturday night before apparently stabbing others with a machete in what authorities believe was an
Islamic extremist attack. Ballout was shot and killed by police during a confrontation on July 26 in a suburb of the city authorities said.
Jetten, the first Dutch prime minister to take part in the boat parade, said in a video posted on X that the event was more important than ever because worldwide the freedom and security of the LGBTQ+ community “is under pressure with new discriminatory legislation, lack of safety on the street or last week’s terrible attack in Berlin.”
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said in the after-
math of the German attack that authorities in the city would “where necessary take extra measures that visitors will hopefully notice as little as possible.”
Motorboats carrying police officers cruised the canals and a helicopter hovered overhead as Saturday’s parade got underway
The Berlin attack also cast a shadow Saturday over Hamburg’s Pride parade, one of Germany’s biggest, where increased security was noticeable as dozens of trucks made their way through Germany’s second-biggest city.
Police and organizers said
Ukrainian drones kill 5 in Russia, set fire to Wildberries warehouse
By The Associated Press
Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least five people across Russia, also hitting industrial sites and a further warehouse belonging to Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries, local officials said. Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace, is sometimes described as the country’s answer to Amazon. In under two weeks, Ukraine has struck over a dozen of the retailer’s depots, part of Kyiv’s aerial campaign aimed at undermining Moscow’s war effort, hurting its economy and making people feel the consequences of the Kremlin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Russian air defenses overnight shot down 635 Ukrainian drones, including over occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov Seas, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow The ministry did not say how many were launched or struck targets. Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 133 drones during the night, 24 of which hit targets, according to the Ukrainian air force. Later on Sunday separate Russian attacks on the
Ukrainian cities of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv killed at least two people, according to local officials.
Ukrainian drones targeted a Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region, some 500 miles from the RussianUkrainian border, according to local Gov Vyacheslav Fedorishchev He said a fire had broken out but there were no casualties.
Kyiv’s campaign against Wildberries first hit the company’s sites in Elektrostal, just east of Moscow, and in the Tambov region July 18 Strikes followed on facilities
across western and southern Russia, as well as Russianheld Crimea. At least nine people have been killed and scores wounded. In Ukraine, one person died on Sunday as a Russian guided bomb struck a residential building in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, according to local administration head Ivan Fedorov. Another attack on Sunday killed one person and set fire to a postal terminal on the outskirts of Kharkiv, in the northwest, said regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov
about 300,000 attended, compared with about 260,000 people last year, German news agency dpa reported.
Hamburg’s police chief said earlier this week that roughly twice as many officers as last year would protect the event.
The boat parade is the traditional highlight of Amsterdam’s Pride. This year it coincides with a World Pride
celebration that also is being hosted by the Dutch capital.
Rod Lugtenburg, 55, of Toronto, said he came to Amsterdam for World Pride. He stood on the city’s famous Skinny Bridge wearing a Tshirt emblazoned with a rainbow maple leaf as the boats passed.
“For me, it’s about acceptance, being able to be who you are,” he said.
People celebrate atop a boat on one of the dutch capital’s historic canals Saturday during the Canal Parade, the most popular
ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By yEVHEn TIToV
ghter puts out a fire Sunday at a nova Poshta postal warehouse following a Russian air attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv Ukraine.
Trump: Gulf leaders’ input weighed heavily in decision
BY AAMER MADHANI and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Sunday he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
He added that a plan was in place for U.S. forces to carry out “the biggest attack since World War II” on Sunday But he decided to scrap the plan and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.
“I said to the crown prince, ‘What would you rather do? Would you rather us do this or not?’” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf
ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo President donald Trump speaks to reporters Sunday onboard Air Force one while returning to the White House.
club in Bedminster New Jersey
“They said we would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don’t know where these attacks lead.”
Trump and the crown prince spoke on Saturday before the U.S. president announced in a social media post that Mideast allies had
Ceuta grapples with aftermath of border surge
Most migrants leave Spanish territory
BY SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press
CEUTA, Spain Ceuta over the weekend no longer looked like a city on edge, but residents were still rattled by the events of the week.
Most of the 60,000 migrants who swam, scrambled and later charged into the tiny Spanish exclave in North Africa this week had walked back to Morocco by Sunday, but some stayed on in the hills surrounding the city Spanish authorities continued searching for bodies in the waters near the stretch of urban beach that tens of thousand of migrants had breached days earlier
Shops in Ceuta reopened, and the usual blend of residents and tourists in the city of 84,000 were filling the open-air terraces, restaurants and cafes
At least 72 migrants died, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, Spanish authorities said Sunday Morocco reported 11 deaths on its side of the border, but it wasn’t immediately clear if these were in addition to those reported by Spain. The kingdom’s authorities blamed misinformation and human traffickers for the breach, adding that they were opening an investigation into the events.
But the city that prides itself on being home to four cultures was still grappling with the aftermath of the border surge, with locals disagreeing on what caused it and who exactly is to blame.
“It’s not the young men’s fault,” said Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, 44, a waiter at a fish restaurant in town
“If you open the border of course everyone comes in,
but the young men aren’t to blame The authorities are responsible.”
Some migrants who returned to Morocco described a border that was effectively open and said authorities did little as they watched thousands of people cross.
The unauthorized arrivals on Thursday and Friday of 50,000 to 60,000, mostly young men, swelled Ceuta’s population by more than half. Abdelkader lamented what happened, but said that those who breached the border behaved relatively well.
“It could have been much worse,” he said.
The humanitarian crisis caused by the sudden rush of people has reignited a debate around immigration in Europe and beyond. Over the weekend, far-right, antiimmigrant Spanish politicians and well-known rightwing influencers descended on the city, sparking counterprotests that included members of the Spanish city’s large Muslim population, many of whom are of Moroccan descent.
Alvise Pérez, a far-right Spanish politician and member of the European Parliament, called on Saturday evening for migrants to be expelled as he faced an angry crowd of rival protesters. Pérez eventually had to shelter in a bar as residents banged on the windows, until police escorted him away.
Among the counter-protesters on Saturday was 20-year-old Ceuta resident and student Noor Ahmed. She denounced the protest and presence of figures like Pérez in her city as opportunistic.
“They just want to take advantage of the humanitarian crisis Ceuta is currently experiencing,” Ahmed said
reached the “perimeters” of a deal to end the 5-month-old war
It was another turnabout for Trump, who a day earlier said he’s “losing faith” in negotiations with Iran and offered the ominous warning that the U.S. military “will be hitting them very hard.”
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the emerging deal would include a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway where about a fifth of the world’s energy flowed before the start of the war and would resolve U.S concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorization as part of its conflict with the U.S. And Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz “will in no way return to the status it was before February 28th,” the day the war started.
On a call with Iranian state TV he added that Iran is discussing shipping through the strait with Oman, on the other side of Hormuz, but that there’s no current talk about reopening the crucial waterway Trump has announced halts to strikes on Iran on several occasions since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, only for things to unravel and fighting to resume again Iran’s defense minister said on X that the country was “neither surprised nor passive” following Trump’s announcement and said Iran remains alert in the face of concrete threats from the U.S. While Iran’s leaders appear united in a war strategy signaling strength and endurance, a struggle for control seems to be brewing within the theocracy’s leadership between those who oppose all negotiations with the U.S. and others who count on military pressure to win at the negotiating table.
Trump on Sunday said he expected negotiations to resume “tomorrow afternoon” but did not detail who would be involved in such talks. A regional official said the proposal announced by Trump over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue working out many of the issues that have stymied prior progress on the deal
The official, who is involved in the mediation efforts, said the proposal calls for reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranianbacked militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan
The U.S in exchange, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil as stated in the tentative ceasefire deal, he said No deal has been reached yet, but mediation efforts are underway, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to the media.
Wash. fires force evacuation of 5,000 homes
BY JOHN HANNA Associated Press
About 5,000 homes have been evacuated and about 600 homes, businesses and other buildings have been destroyed by wildfires that remained uncontained Sunday in eastern Washington state, authorities said.
The fires burned more than 8.2 square miles around Spokane, the second largest city in Washington, and were among dozens across the western U.S. stretching the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. No deaths have yet been reported from the fires in the Spokane area.
Meanwhile, crews using bulldozers and helicopters continued for the 10th day to fight a fire that has burned nearly 525 square miles of grassland in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. The area is home to cattle ranches, and authorities said the fire is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures.
The National Weather Service issued warnings about the air quality in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, western and central Idaho and western Montana. It issued red flag fire warnings for parts of Utah and Montana and western Nebraska, and extreme heat warnings for the southern parts of Arizona, California and Nevada and northern Montana.
There were three fires in the Spokane area: the Old Trails Fire, the Fairview Fire and the Meadowview Fire, and the state issued air quality warnings. Washington Gov Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency Saturday and the National Weather Service issued a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag alert for eastern Washington.
Benjamin Cossel, public information officer for the federal response team from California, said that as it gets warmer during the day, cool air that’s now closer to the ground and keeping winds at bay will rise, allowing those winds to move through the area. The Spokane River cuts through the city of about 229,000 people, and there are steep canyons on both sides that channel the wind.
Helicopter collision near Athens kills 2
Wildfires continue to rage in Europe
BY ELENA BECATOROS and THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece Two Greek firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday as they were battling a winddriven wildfire west of Athens, sending one aircraft crashing to the ground. Two crew members, a Greek and a Danish national, died in the crash. The collision laid bare the danger at the most volatile front of Europe’s wildfire emergency Strong winds drove flames deeper into the region of the Greek capital
and forced fresh evacuations, France guarded a stillburning scar four times the size of Paris, while Spain’s major fires stopped advancing.
The aircraft were Bell helicopters operating over the Psatha area west of Athens, each with a two-person crew Foreign firefighting and helicopter crews are often deployed in Greece to help tackle wildfires during the country’s hot, dry summers. The two crew members who were recovered alive were a Greek and a British national.
Farther west, containment brought no end to the emergency France’s largest wildfire remained held within
its perimeter after forcing 224,000 people to flee in what may have been the country’s largest civilian evacuation outside wartime. Hot spots still burned within a 162-square-mile scar, thousands remained unable to return home, and nearly 3,000 firefighters were deployed against the Gironde megafire and a second, still-uncontained blaze in Provence. Together, fires in France and Spain have driven roughly a third of a million people from homes and vacation sites, emptied communities at the height of the European summer and stretched emergency services across simultaneous disasters.
“They push the fire through the canyons, up, up the slopes, and then outside the slopes and around,” he said. “It’s very, very hilly, very, very steep slopes, a lot of canyons that create really turbulent, really challenging sort of wind scenarios.” Authorities in Spokane set up a shelter at the city’s
main convention center
Several larger fires continued to burn in less populated areas northwest of Spokane, including one about 80 miles from Spokane that has burned about 210 square miles. Another fire in eastern Oregon, about 70 miles to the northwest in the Stinkingwater Mountains, has burned about 336 square miles. “The whole northwest is heavily impacted right now,” said Keila Vizcarra, the spokesperson for the federal team from California handling what’s been named the Big Grass Fire in western Idaho and eastern Oregon.
Short-term spending bill proposed to
Funding extension sought to last through midtermcampaigns
BYKEVIN FREKING Associated Press
WASHINGTON Key senators unveiled ashort-term spending bill on Sunday that wouldkeep federal agencies funded past the midterm electionsand into early December as they look to avoid agovernment shutdown during the middle of campaign season.
The Senate is likely to vote on the measure before leaving Washington at week’send for its traditional August recess, aperiod that many lawmakers want to spend shoring up their reelection prospects rather than working in the nation’s capital.
The bill generally funds the federal government at current levels though Dec. 11. The House has passed asimilarmeasure,but it did not include various exceptions sought by the WhiteHouse. Sena-
Continued from page1A
19th century,when alevee was built in aring around it so it could be farmedfor cotton.
But the ring levee would be overtopped when the river rose too high, inundating the entire property all at once, filling it like abathtub. Those floods happened sporadically throughout the 20th century, onceevery few decades. Then, they started happening back-to-back in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2019.
“Several 100-year floods in arow,” said Will Prevost, adirector of freshwater programs with the Nature Conservancy.“They’d have to cut the levees —orthey blew out —every time.”
And every time the levees were overtopped, the farmland would be ruined. Animals on theproperty —deer, raccoons —would drown. So the landowners reached out to the Nature Conservancy They designedasimple structure, abox culvert with avalve that can be opened and closed.
“It allows the water on the interior of the property to rise and fall with the flood pulse of the Mississippi River,” Prevost said, keeping the river from busting through the levees. “It also acts more like anatural floodplain, like it’ssupposedto.
“Projects like this are becoming increasingly necessary, Ithink, on aglobal scale,” said Joshuah Perkin, aprofessor of ecology and conservation biology at Texas A&M who was not involved with the project. “When levees are put in place, the connection from the river to the floodplain is severed. This is apattern that’shappening everywhere.”
‘Trash fish’nolonger
Now,David is here looking for gars, to findout whether the floodplain is providing habitatfor spawning fish. Alligator gars need flooded vegetation to spawn —exactly the type of landscape that Loch Leven provides “If we find baby gars on the floodplain, it’sagood indication that the floodplain is serving its use as far as supporting aquatic wildlife,” David said.
And though they’re looking specifically for alligator gar, David said that’sbecause they function as an “indicator species.” If the gars are doing well, that’sasign that the ecosystemishealthy.And because they migrate between the river and the floodplain they can give scientists afuller picture of the health of the broader riverineecosystem.
“Although people at one point considered gars to be ‘trashfish,’including alligator gars, theycan serveas good indicators of aquatic ecosystem health,” David said. “And it’snot just gars that we see here. We see crappie, we seebass,wesee sunfish —all kinds of other fish. We’re just using garsas arepresentativegroup.”
They’re far from trash to David,who kept several as pets while he was in graduate school. They lived in a
tors have been spending recent days negotiating which of those exceptions to include.
One exceptionthatdid notmake it into the bill, Democrats noted, was theadministration’srequestto include $1billiontobuild “Trumpclass” battleships
In another major differencewith the House bill, Democrats say they also wereable to include language that will ensurethe administration cannot transfer funds from other programs to the Border Patrol.
Thelate-summer action on a funding fix is unusual. Normally, Congress waitsuntil thefinaldays or hours of afunding deadline to pass short-term fundingextensions, butthistimesenatorsare acting two monthsbefore theend of the fiscal year on Sept.30.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune saidpassing the measure was histop priority going into the August recess. He notedthatthe American people have already experienced two record-breaking government shutdowns in thepast 10 months
“Weneedtoensure thatthey do not face athird,” Thune said. Partieswanttoavoid shutdown Ashort-termfunding extension is needed becauseCongresshas struggled to get the dozen annual appropriations bills negotiated andapprovedbeforethe Sept.30 deadline. By extending government funding now, lawmakers can use the ensuing months to workout their differences on full-year funding. It won’tbeaneasylift as Republicansseek adramatic increase in defense spending while cutting non-defense spending. Trump proposed a10% cut in nondefense programsoverall. Meanwhile,he calledfor boosting defense spending by some 44%.
Apotential shutdown before votersgotothe polls is ascenario that both parties are looking toavoid, as polling indicated that neither party evaded blame for last fall’srecord 43-day shutdown. Democrats sought to extend an expiring health insurance tax credit and refused to
go along with ashort-term spending bill that did not include that priority.But Republicanssaidthatwas aseparate policyfight to be held at another time.
Asecond spending battleover funding forthe Department of Homeland Security took 76 days to resolvewhenDemocrats refused to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement andthe Border Patrolwithout changes to those operations
Policy on grants delayed
Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican chairofthe Senate Appropriations Committee, along with Democratic senators, are seekingtoblock aproposed rule from President Donald Trump’sadministration related to grants. The rule would require asenior political appointee at each agency to review grant proposals through criteria that include “ensuring that discretionary awards advancethe President’s policy priorities.” Collins and SenPatty Murray, thetop Democrat on the Appro-
priations Committee, said the rule would nottake effect during the course of the stopgap spending bill. Collins said she advocated for significant changes to the rule, “citing its potential to politicize grants and harm small, rural communities, families, andbiomedical research.”
Democrats want to kill the administration’seffort altogether.Senate Minority Leader ChuckSchumer, D-N.Y.,saiditwas a“disgraceful” effort that would “further politicize all federal grants.”
“While Republicans rejected killing the proposed rule outright, I’m going to keep fighting to put astop to it once and for all, and Iwill keep pressing my Republican colleagues to do exactly that,” Murray said. DemocratsfearTrump would turn federal grants into acudgel to punish perceived political foes and reward allies, while also underminingCongress’sconstitutional power of thepurse. The WhiteHouse Office of Management and Budget says its effortisabout improving accountabilitytoensure taxpayer dollars aren’twasted or misused.
GabbyGonzales, amaster’sstudent at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Charles Vaughan, amaster’sstudentatthe University of Minnesota-duluth; science professor Solomon david; and Luxi Feyereisen, amaster’sstudent of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities,collect and measure garfish in Wilkinson County,Miss., on Thursday
at Twin Cities and duluth, collects and measures garfish.
300-gallontankinthe house he shared with other fish scientists in AnnArbor, Michigan. Histeam also stoppedby theLivingston Parish Gar Fish Rodeo on Sunday atthe Blind River Bar,accessible onlybyboat inthe middle of the Maurepas Swamp. There, workingalongsidelocal fishermen, they collected additional fishsamples to bring
backtotheir Minnesota lab. They’ll agetheir garspecimens using their otoliths, a type of ear bone made of calcium carbonate crystal. Humans have them too; when ours slip out ofalignment, we get vertigo. Aspecialized saw cuts that crystalline bone into thin slices, and the crosssections show rings,likea tree’s, that canbe counted underamicroscope
to estimate the fish’sage. ‘Showfolks up north’
To David, all of this work is connected.
“If you think of it from an angling perspective, we all tendtowantbiggerfish,”he said. “Those floodplain systems can help youget those bigger fish.” New Orleanians, wholive downstream from projects like Loch Leven,are connected to it, too, according to Prevost.
When the flood gate is opened and thewatersflood Loch Leven, it can hold 72,000 acre-feet of water— roughly enough water to fill 25 Superdomes —acting as akind of mini spillway. That water isn’tflowing downstream when theriverisat flood stage, andcould,toa small extent, lower the flood risk downstream in Baton
Rouge and New Orleans. To the Nature Conservancy,that’sanargument for replicating theseprojects
The more of them there are, the morethe rivercan breathe, the less likely it is to flood towns and cities. And themorebabygars David finds here, thestronger the argument becomes for reconnecting more floodplains to the Mississippi notjust on the lowerriver, but also in Minnesota, where his lab is.
“It would be great to see projects connecting thefloodplain to theriver throughout the Mississippi River,and even on other rivers,”hesaid. “Wecan show folksupnorth the value of floodplains.”
Email AlexLubbenat alex.lubben@theadvocate. com.
Scientist Solomon davidholds an alligator garfish in Wilkinson County,Miss., on Thursday.
STAFFPHoToS
By SoPHIA GERMER
Scientist Solomon david, with the help of master’s students from theUniversity of Minnesota
Howle, who took over thedepartment in spring 2024, has been considering changing routing software yet again. And he feels he’sfinally found the right fit with EZRouting. It’saproduct sold by TransAct Communications LLC
—itdoes business as Pathwise which is based in suburban Seattle.
“It has so far exceededour expectations,” Howle said.
The parish School Board on July 23 approvedsubscribing to EZRouting. It will cost almost $86,000 for the first year and comes with an estimated savings of $65,000 over athree-year period. Board members voted unanimously for the purchase, but not without trepidation.
“Our firsttwo years on the board, transportation was amess. Last year,itbecame alittle smoother,” said board PresidentShashonnie Steward. “I’m concerned about the transition and it running smoothly forthe beginning of the school year this year.”
Howle said the software takes just 10 to 15 minutes to learn
“You can come by,” Howle promised. “I can train you.”
Several board members told
CHALLENGE
Continued from page1A
year’srace will be different from any before, because of the district changes.
So,what future does thecase have if elections are already proceeding without it yet being resolved, and what could happen to candidates who are qualifying in subdistricts that might eventually be ruled illegal?
“That would be up for the court to decide,” said Steve Irving, the attorney for the threeBaton Rouge judges who challenged the new maps last year: Donald Johnson, Ronald Johnson and Gail Horne Ray AlbertSamuels, chairof theDepartment of Political Science at Southern University,agreed.
East Baton Rough Parish schools Transportation director RobertHowle pointstothe top of the windshield of abus that has aPro-Visions camera systemonJune26, 2025. The East Baton RougeParish school system is implementing newbus routing software to enhance accuracy andefficiency for student transportation.
Howle they’dtakehim up on that offer
Thenew routing softwareis oneofseveral steps EastBaton Rouge Parish has taken in the past coupleofyearstoimprove student transportation. In June, the board approved asubstantialemployee
Any possibleresolutionsare in the hands of federal Judge John deGravelles, including potentially orderingnew elections if the maps are found to violate Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act.
Irving filed last year to have thejudgeship elections delayed until after the new maps couldbe ruled on, arguing that “without immediaterelief, plaintiffs will be required to participate in an election conducted under an unlawfulscheme.”
Hisrequest was denied.Atthe core of thestate’s opposition to Irving’smotion to delay was the “Purcell Principle,” alegal doctrine advisingfederal judgesthat they should avoid makingrulings thataffect how elections operate too closely to when the elections are being held.
While thedoctrine has no specific guidelines for how close to an
payraise. Last year,bus driv-
ersstarted at $14.20 an hour and topped out after 40 years at $22.53 an hour.Now they start at $20.50 an hour and eventually increase to $29.04 an hour after 35 years. At the same time, the school system is putting more stress on
upcoming election is too close, deGravelles did rule againstdelaying elections because of apending court decision lastJuly,citingarguments from SecretaryofState Nancy Landry that afall 2025 special election for oneBaton Rouge court seat was basically already underway Sincethen, theU.S.Supreme Court has issued arulinginLouisiana v. Callais, acase thatlimits Section 2ofthe Voting Rights Act, the legal tool thatBlack votershaveusedfor decades to challenge district mapsthey argue dilute thevotingpower of minority voters.
Now,with arulingissuedinCallais that directlyimpacts thekind of voting-map challenge that Irving has madeagainst the state, deGravelles hasordered both sidesofthe threeBaton Rouge judges’case to present newbriefs
transportation by changing start times. Adozen schoolsthis year will have new start times, times different than the other schools in thedistrict. Theplanistochange all schools to new start times over thenext two years.
One attraction of EZRouting for Howle is that while the software is new to Louisiana, it is used by one of thelargest school districts in thecountry,Clark County Schools in Las Vegas. “If it can handle Clark County and Las Vegas, it can definitely handle what we have,” Howle said. To avoid problemsdown the road, Howle persuaded Pathwise to let East Baton Rouge try out EZRouting for months, starting in April, beforedeciding whether to purchase it. He said the district used the software successfully to map routes for summer school this past summer EastBaton RougeParishhas an inherently complicated transportationsystem due to the school district’sextensive menu of magnet andother specializedprograms thatallow children to travel outside their homeattendance zones.
“Depending on where you live, youcould attend about any school in the district,” Howle said. “Itisa great benefit to our students, but it makes transportation challenging.”
on howtheir arguments have changed post-Callais. Samuelssaid oneimpact from the Callais decision will be that minority litigantslooking to argue that specific electoral districts are racially gerrymandered must first prove that those divisions aren’t merely apartisan gerrymander In apreliminary versionofhis post-Callaisbrief,Irving argues that this distinction is nearly impossible to make in Louisiana, where ahistory of racially discriminatory covenants packed Black voters into specific geographic areas. His briefalso notes that political gerrymandering is still illegalunder the Louisiana Constitution. In its post-Callais brief, the AttorneyGeneral’sOffice wrote that Irving’sbrief was confusing to the point of making it “difficult to understand what is happening.”
The ease of use should also allow the school system to offer faster, better-informed responses to the many complaints from the public about school buses that mark the start of every school year.Since it’srelatively easytolearnand use, more Transportation Department staffhave been trained on it.
“It’sallowed us to expand the number of handsondeckwho can actually help whenproblems arise,” Howle said.
One feature of the software that Transportation plans to turn out later in the school year allows it to send updates directly to parents through email and cellphone numbers usinginformation from JCampus, such as when aroute changes significantlyorpickup times shift.
Howle sent board members a videotohelp sell them on shifting to EZRouting. He created abus route from scratch involving students from Baton Rouge Magnet High, which draws students from across the parish. After 12 minutes,BusPlannerroutedjustsix students. By contrast, EZPlanner routed 48 students in 48 seconds.
“I wasreally shocked that it was that muchquicker than the older system,” he said.
Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate.com.
TheAttorney General’s Officehas complained in multiple filings that theplaintiffs’casealsoinconsistently challengesboththe 19th JudicialCourt Districtand the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal’sdistricts.
ZacharyFaircloth,the office’s principal deputy solicitor general, wrote that beyond the disarray,Irving’sfilings also fail to properly address Callais. “Tosum up, thiscase was a mess to begin with—and it is even more of amess now that (a) the governing law has radically changedsincethe filing of the MotiontoReopen and(b) Plaintiffs haverefused to specifically identify what claims they intend to press and how those claimssurvive Callais,” Faircloth wrote. Email Quinn Coffmanatquinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.
militant attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.
“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” Spielman said. His comments come days after Hamas said that it would begin disarming as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed nine months ago to end the nearly threeyear conflict. It marks apotential breakthrough in ending the conflict, butmany hurdles, conditions and long timelines remain.
Trump’s20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militantgroup to surrenderits weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza,the arrival of anew technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international securityforceand the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.
Hamas disarming has been asticking point and has deadlocked negotiations for months. In announcing the deal on social media on Thursday,Trump said it would be carried out in “carefully structured phases.”
Acopy of the agreement obtained and verifiedbythe AP said that all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the U.S.backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, upon its arrivalinthe enclave. It’snot clear when that would happen since it is contingent on other steps.
Aprocess to decommission and store heavy weapons and to dismantlemilitary production sites and tunnels will beginafter the arrival of the Palestinian committee andthe deploymentofinternational forces. The process will be linked to aphased Israeli withdrawal, according to the agreement.
The areas Israel controls in Gaza have been mostly destroyed and depopulated. Most of the territory’s2 million Palestinians are in the
other part, where hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods. Israelappearsunlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a toughreelection battle, with his far-right coalition partners urging him to keep up the pressure on Hamas and leave forces in Gaza, and opponents accusing himof failingtoprevent the Oct. 7,
2023, attack.
Hamas-ledmilitantsattackedIsraeli communities then,killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 othershostage. Israelrespondedwith apunishing militaryoffensive that haskilledmorethan73,000 people, according to theGaza Health Ministry
The ministry,which was partofthe recentlydissolved Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and interna-
tional organizations. It does notdistinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities. While Spielman said Israel greatly appreciates Trump’s commitment to its security and to finding adurable reso-
lution, the government’sposition on disarmament is based on detailedintelligencesaying thatHamas continuesto rearm,recruit fighters, and rebuild its military capabilities.
The White House did not provide additionalcomments on Sunday,when asked specifically about Israel’sassessment thatHamas remains committed to rebuilding its military
U.S. officials, who briefed reporters on thedisarmament agreement last week, said that Israel had beenconsulted at every step of the negotiations and wasnot being asked to do anythingmore than what it had committed to as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed last October
It’s unclearwhatexactly Israel conveyed to the White House. Twopeople with knowledge of the deal told the AP thatIsrael hadcommunicated itsissues with it to former British PrimeMinister Tony Blair,who’spart of the Trump-led Board of Peace.
One of them said that among the points Israel wanted was freedom to conduct military operations in Gaza. They spoke anonymously because they werenot authorized to speak to the media.
According to another person familiar with the deal, the Israelis raised two other issues: that Qatar and Turkey not be involved in verifying the stages of the agreement, and that Hamas’ weapons be destroyed after confiscation The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they werenot authorized to speak to the media. Sincethe ceasefire was signed last October,Israel has continued striking Gaza, saying it’stargeting Hamas and its infrastructure. Gaza hospitals said at least 17 werekilled in the latest Israeli strikes, including children. Astrike on aresidential apartment in southernGazakilledthreefamily members, including their 4-year-old child, according to Nasser hospital, where the bodies arrived.
STAFF FILEPHoTo By MICHAEL JoHnSon
Monday struggles
Historic building forsaleat$175K
BY ANNAKATEFREELAND Staff writer
Ahistoric downtown
Donaldsonvillebuilding listed on theNational Register forHistoricPlaces hit the market lastweek for $175,000.
The three-story woodframebuilding, at 520 Railroad Ave., was built in 1892.Itonceoperated as ageneral store and features athree-sided balcony and an adjacent one-story rear shed. The main buildingcontains
3,722 square feet, with about 1,861 squarefeet on both the first and second floors.
Katz Investment LLC bought the building in 2020 for $130,000, according to Ascension Parish assessorrecords “It hasbeengutted,and workhas been done to whereit’sa clean slate for someone to finishtowhatever they desire,” said Brandon Katz,a Realtor with LV &Associates Real Estate Firm, which has listed the property
Alistofcommercial and residential building permits issued by EastBaton Rouge Parishgovernment from July 27-31.
BUSINESS
Future of LSUlaw clinic uncertain
2024 crimelaw narrows parole eligibility
BY IZZY WOLLFARTH Staff writer
Since 2014, second- and third-yearlaw students enrolled in the Parole and Reentry Clinic at LSU’sPaul M. Hebert Law Center have represented incarcerated men and women before the state parole board.
The clinicprovides free legal representation for men and women seeking freedom after serving at least 20 years in prison, and the students gain much-needed legal experience.
But crime legislation passed in 2024 cut early release opportunities for many who would have qualified for representation, and the clinic’sfuture is now uncertain.
“I have to be thoughtful about what we’re going to do to continue to give students this experience,but Idothink it’s going to shift because the opportunities of the cases are justdrying up,” said Robert Lancaster, assistant dean of experiential education at LSU Law School, who leads the clinic.
The clinic has operated for the past 12 years in collaboration with the Louisiana Parole Project, anonprofit dedicated to reentry services and mentorship, andthe LouisianaBoardof Pardons &Committee on Parole. But during the 2024 special crime session, Louisiana eliminated parole for anyone convicted of acrime after Aug. 1, 2024. Many incarcerated persons are now also required to serve at least 85% of their sentences before becoming eligible for release.
The impact of the legislation has beendramatic. In 2023 alone, 387 individuals were granted parole out of the 790 hearings conducted, according to the Louisiana parole board. In 2024 and 2025, Gov.JeffLandry’s first two years in office, 714 parole hearings were conducted with 185 individuals released.
Francis Abbott, executive director of the parole board, said via email that the board continues to see the clinicas an important investment in public service.
“While the criminaljustice reforms enacted in 2024 have narrowed parole eligi-
bility, they (the Parole and Re-entry Clinic) have made the need for knowledgeable legal representation and case preparation even more important,” he said. “Their work helps to balance the board’sdecisionsand has greatlyaffectedthe livesof their clients.”
Theclinic is asemesterlongcourse that accepts a small cohort of eight students. Studentsare expected to devote aminimum of 135 hours to thecourse, including time spent visiting local prisons to meet with clients and preparing for parole hearings.
Whilestudents areunder thesupervisionofLancaster,itisuptothemto build trust and ultimately represent their clients.
Matia Wright, who enrolledinthe course in fall 2024,successfullyassisted a client who spent 41 years in prison getreleased on medical parole. She recounts the experience as emotionally charged,yet life-changing.
“I thinkthat if someone wants asecondchanceafter they’re willing to take ownership for what they did, they’re willing to understand what theydid wrong, and they’re willingtomake society abetterplace, that we shouldlet them,” she said.
Another former student, staffattorneyatthe Louisiana Parole Project and a supervising attorneyfor the clinic, Adreaynne Hutchinson, saidthe experience influenced the way she looked
the case, which hasoften a very lengthy section on the factsofhow horrible the crimewas,” said Lancaster “Everything that’swritten aboutyourclientismostly aboutthe very worstthing they ever did, andastheir lawyersyou have to tellthe different story.”
As the numberofpeople released on parole declines, the number of people in prison is expected to increase.
The Crime and Justice Institute estimates thatLouisiana’sprison population will nearly double by 2034.
Remembering her time in theparole clinic, Wright hopes for an attitude shift in Louisiana government
at thecriminal justice system.
“Weliterally walk away witha whole new look on not just the criminal justice system, but people and the ability for people to change and your ability to connect with people,” she said.
The purpose of theclinic, accordingtoLancaster,isnot only to provide incarcerated persons withrepresentation, but also to teach future lawyers narrative advocacy and effective storytelling.
Lancaster explains that on the first day of class, students are given adetailed folio about theirclient’s crime.
“WhatI hand them is a file thattypically will contain theappellate opinion in
“My hope is thatgovernors will be alittle bit more empathetic towards incarceration,” said Wright. “Maybe instead of focusing on high crime or trying to get people to vote andmakingemotionally charged decisions based on maybe what thepublic thinks that they take astep back andreally try andconnect with thepeopletoget themtounderstand why this (parole) is agood thing.”
Izzy Wollfarth received her master’sdegree in mass communication fromLSU in May.She reported and wrote thisstory with the support of the nonprofit Louisiana Collegiate News Collaborative, an LSU-ledcoalition of eight
3912 GUS YOUNGAVE., BLDG 3: renovations of 6,750-square-foot building that includereplacement of finishmaterials on the interior, painting/signage/ lighting on theexterior, upgraded ADA-compliant restrooms,$350,000; applicant,Marcus Williams; contractor, CobyConstruction Management. 16310 COMMERCIAL AVE.: twopylon and four wall signs,$28,000; applicant, StacieLandry; contractor, Deep South Signs
9313 S. CHOCTAW DRIVE: armaturebusiness, truck driving school, gravel yard main shop;applicant,Brian Treuil.
10520 S. CHOCTAW DRIVE: housethe charters used for commercial travel services; applicant, Briana Toussaint; owner, KennyBegovich.
10444 N. MALL DRIVE: install exterior door, rework existing pavementinaccommodation of door, $180,000; applicant, Melissa Holman; contractor, UHC United Heating and Cooling.
7401 FLORIDABLVD.: commercial wall sign, $5,010; applicant, Phillip Vatelle; contractor, Deep South Signs
5889 AIRLINE HIGHWAY: occupancy for The Hair Palace,a10,120-square-foot retailerproviding hair care products, skincare, cosmetics,wigs,hair extensions barber suppliesand salon equipment;$65,000; applicant, Farid Saleh
3130 BALIS DRIVE: facility to store and bale cardboard that will be transported to Georgia Pacific for recycling; applicant and owner, CharlesBell.
8325 FLORIDABLVD.: car dealership;applicant,Lino Carcamo Diaz; owner, Iyad Jarbon.
1620 EXCELLENCE WAY: 12,557-square-foot parking lot for twotwo-story townhouses, $3.7 million; applicant,Conor McGuinness; contractor, Womack-Legette AJoint Venture.
11331 OLD HAMMOND HIGHWAY: newoutpatient medical clinic, providing family medicine, primary care, preventative careand
routine medical services; applicant, Raisa SilvaPerez; owner, MarcelaJolivette.
333 LEEDRIVE: remodel a 40,000-square-foot retirement community,$50,000; applicant, Eric Parnell; owner, Kevin Chetham; contractor, CharlesCarter Construction Co. 11616 SOUTHFORK AVE.: administrativeoffice for anonmedical personal careagency; applicant and owner, DonyallowBatiste. 11210 S. CHOCTAW DRIVE: warehousefor logistics company; applicant, Estella Hu;owner, Patrick Crane.
NEWHOMES
1805 E. CARRIAGE HOUSE DRIVE: $185,000, 3,532 square feet; applicant, Phillip Johnson; contractor, Magnolia Property Solutions 9502 DAWSON TRACE AVE.: $200,000, 2,465 squarefeet; applicant, Jacob Harelson; owner, Carlos Alvarez;contractor, Alvarez Construction Co. 8341 ARCH WAY: $187,044, 2,398 squarefeet; applicant, Lacy Hebert; contractor, DSLD Homes. 308 WOODLIGHT AVE.: $850,000, 4,051 squarefeet; applicant and owner, Chuck Dupree; contractor, Dupree Construction Co. 16169 CHANCEL AVE.: $200,000, 1,763 squarefeet; applicant, Jacob Harelson; owner, Carlos Alvarez;contractor, Alvarez Construction Co. 16177 CHANCEL AVE.: $200,000, 1,763 squarefeet; applicant, Jacob Harelson; owner, Carlos Alvarez;contractor, Alvarez Construction Co. 16173 CHANCEL AVE.: $200,000, 1,763 squarefeet; applicant, Jacob Harelson; owner, Carlos Alvarez;contractor, Alvarez Construction Co.
16181 CHANCEL AVE.: $200,000, 1,763 squarefeet; applicant, Jacob Harelson; owner, Carlos Alvarez;contractor, Alvarez Construction Co.
4307 BOULONNAIS AVE.: $100,000, 3,303 squarefeet; applicant and owner, Bryant Chenevert;contractor, Chenevert Homes. 27755 ALPHONSE LANE, GREENWELL SPRINGS: $750,000; 3,916 squarefeet; applicant and contractor, Kenneth Black;owner, KennyBlack. 1648 N. 29TH ST.: $155,000, 1,651 squarefeet; applicant, StormyJack Connor; contractor, Habitat for HumanityofGreater Baton Rouge Inc.
universities, funded by the Henry Luce and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundations
PRoVIdEd PHoToS
Students enrolled in theParole and Re-entryClinic at LSU’sPaul M. HebertLaw Center in fall2023 stand with clients whom theyassisted in getting released fromprison. Crime legislation passed in 2024 has drastically reduced the number of peoplereleased from prisononparole
Stephanie King,left, a former Parole and Re-entry Clinic client, graduates from Tulane University after being released from prison.Robert Lancaster,the supervisor of the clinic, attended her ceremony.
STAFF PHoTo By MICHAEL JoHnSon
Ared-eared slider tries toclimb onto alog to sunalongside another turtle recently at alakeinBaton Rouge.
Trumppolls strong among Republicansonimmigration
BY AMELIA THOMSONDEVEAUX, LINLEYSANDERS and MIKE CATALINI Associated Press
WASHINGTON Immigration remains astrongerissue for President Donald Trump than the economy or Iran, according to anew AP-NORC poll, even after three people were killed in encounterswith Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the span of under aweek in July
Trump is not gettinga glowing endorsement on his immigration approach from Americans overall, the new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public AffairsResearch found.
Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of his performance on immigration, adecline from 49% at the beginning of his second term.
Despitethat, about8 in 10 Republicans continue to approve of how Trump is handling immigration. That’sa slight decline from the beginning of Trump’ssecond term, when about 9in10Republicans approved, but his support on the issue within his base has been mostly stable sincelast summerdespite a chaotic year of immigration enforcementactions.
Republicans are alsomore likely to approve of how Trump is handling immigration than the economy or Iran. In just the past month, Republican approval of Trump’shandlingofIran dropped slightly in AP-NORC polling.
The poll foundthat about half of U.S. adults say Trump has “gone too far” on deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.That number has also remained steady for over ayear,despite multiple immigration crackdowns that deployed federal law enforcement to large cities and at least 10 deaths involving encounters with immigration officers since themass deportation campaign began. Republicans, however,are much less likely to say Trump has overstepped in his immigration enforcement actions.
Overall, Trump’spopularity has fallen since he took office last year,but the findings highlight therelatively muted impact of the past year’saggressive immigration enforcement on his public standing. That’sacontrast withviews of his handling of Iran, where he’sseenmore recent signs of slippage, even among his own supporters.
Immigration
Americans remain divided on whether Trump has overstepped on immigration. About half of U.S. adults
say Trump has “gone toofar” when it comes to restricting legal immigration, in line with the last time the question was asked in February. Roughly half —47% —say Trump has exceeded his authority when it comesto deporting immigrants living in theU.S. illegally. In each case, about3 in 10 say Trump’sactionshavebeen “about right,” andcloser to 2in10say he hasn’tgone far enough.
Few Republicans —about 2in10orfewer —say he’s “gone too far” on deporting immigrants in the country illegallyorrestricting legal immigration.
Most Americans,however, say he’s gone too far when it comes to usingtraffic stops to find and arrest immigrants living in the U.S. illegally —a practice that was at thecenter of two recentICE shootings in Maine —and when it comes to sendingfederal immigrationagentsintoU.S cities. Republicans were also less likely to see these as oversteps.
JamesLeatherman, a 68-year-old Republican from San Antonio,isoverall supportiveofTrump’shandling of thepresidency and backs him on immigration in particular.
“You cannot comeinhere illegally —you’re breaking the law,”hesaid.
More Americans disapprove thanapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws.About half of Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” disapproveof the agency’sapproach, while roughly3 in 10 “strongly” or “somewhat”approve. There’s awidepartisan split, though: About 6in10Republicans approve of ICE’sapproach, compared with about 2in10 independents and just 4% of Democrats.
EricCoursen, 76, an independent from Chincoteague, Virginia,agrees with the president thatthere were issues with theimmigration system. He said doesn’t believe in open borders —but he’s deeply opposedtohow the administration hasbeen enforcing immigration law
“It’slike taking some bread when you’re hungryand youtakeit, you’re going to shoot that person rather than just, you know, get them for theft?” he said. “It’s just overkill.”
Economy
About3 in 10 U.S. adults, 32%, approve of howTrump is handlingthe economy
That’sdown from 40% at the start of hissecond term, and marks ashift from his first presidential term when the
economy was astronger issuefor Trump.
During Trump’sfirst term, hislowestapprovalonthe economy was 40% in December2017. Now,his rating is well below that.
Roughly 7in10Republicans—69% —approve of howTrumpishandling the economy.That’sroughly in line with the share who approveofhow he’s handing the presidency,but it’s slightly below the78% who approved earlyinTrump’s secondterm.
Leatherman, despite his supportfor Trump, saidhe’s feeling thepinch of higher prices in his budget. “I almost have to go to thebank to get aloan beforeIgogrocery shopping,” he said.
About7in10U.S. adults describe thenation’seconomy as “very”or“somewhat” poor,inline with April. Republicansare more optimistic, with about6in10saying that the U.S. economy is doing well, compared with about2in10independents and roughly 1in10Democrats.
Healthcare
Healthcare hasnever been astrongissuefor Trump. Unlike with immigration andthe economy,aclear majority of U.S. adults has disapproved of Trump’sperformance on healthcareacross bothpresidential terms. That hasn’t changed in the new poll, whichfound that only about 3in10Americans approve of howTrump is handling healthcare, in line with when thequestion waslastasked in December He’sseen arebound on the issue among his own supporters sincelate last year, though. Roughly 71% of Republicansnow approve, compared with59% in the December poll.
That shift comes as Democrats kicked off 100 days until themidterm elections last week,with leaders saying they’llfocus on healthcare cuts, in additiontothe cost of living andthe war in Iran Democratsand independents continue to overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’shandling of healthcare.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,165 adultswas conducted July 23-27 using asample drawn from NORC’sprobabilitybased AmeriSpeak Panel, whichisdesignedtobe representative of the U.S. population.The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus3.7 percentagepoints. Themargin of sampling error is plus or minus 6.0 for Republicans overall andplusorminus 5.4 for Democrats overall.
Kansas GOPputting focus on moving statecourt right
BYJOHN HANNA AP political writer
TOPEKA, Kan. Kansasvoters will decide Tuesday whether to elect state Supreme Court justices rather than have the governor appoint them, apush from conservatives who have chafed for years over court decisions they disagreed with on issues such as abortion, school funding and the death penalty If the constitutional amendment passes, supporters hope to elect at least four conservative, anti-abortionjusticesto the seven-member court by 2033. Kansas is considering the change amidconcerns that increasingly contentious and expensive judicial elections in other states are making their courts more partisan and less independent. Spending in asingle state Supreme Court race in Wisconsinlast year topped $100 million.
Kansas Gov.Laura Kelly,a term-limited Democratwho opposes the measure, said gerrymandering and dark money have put the Legislature out of step with the state and,“to thinkyou can make the judicial branch apartof that dysfunctionalsystem is
frightening.”
GOP lawmakers cite multiplerulingsbyKansas courts overthe pasttwo decades as reasons for change. Most recently, adistrict court judgeearlier this month reinstated athree-day grace period for voters to return mailballotsafter Election Day, which GOP lawmakers had eliminated. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, seeking the Republicannominationfor governor,called the decision “outrageous” andurged people to vote yes on the ballot question. The same judge —afinalistto fill the most recent Supreme Court vacancy blockedenforcement ofa 2025 law banninggender-affirming care fortransgender minors. Masterson described him as “radical.” The list of rulings Republicans criticize also includes rulingsoneducationfunding back to 2004. Supreme Court decisions forced lawmakers to increase fundingtocomply with the state constitution.
“If we electour Supreme Court, they won’tforce you to spend money on schools,” Masterson said in remarks in Novembertoaconservative group, the Marion County Pa-
triots for Liberty,the Marion CountyRecord reported.
Electing stateSupreme Court justices gainedcurrency among Republicans after a2022 public vote affirming the high court’s landmark 2019 decision thatKansas’ bill of rights guarantees bodily autonomy and access to abortion.Total spending by both sideshas exceeded $12 million.
Legislators who worked to overturn theSupreme Court’sprotections, including Masterson,helped writethis year’sproposal.
Seven weeks after that 2022 vote, Attorney General Kris Kobach, thenaGOP candidate for the office, told aRepublican club in Wichita that electing justices would “slowly and quietly” put antiabortion justices on the high court
The vote-yes campaign’s biggestdonor —providing $1.7 milliontoward the campaign’s$3.7 million in spending —isaNashville-based nonprofitthatsupports Republican candidates, groups and causes. Kansans for Life, the state’smost influential anti-abortion group, has spent at least$87,000 over thepast 11 days on mailers and texts.
Ex-father-in-law says Rep. Max Miller
‘a danger’
Congressman is fighting domestic violence accusations
BY MARYCLARE JALONICK and JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press
WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Bernie Morenosaid his for mer son-in-law, U.S. Rep. Max Miller,should no tb e serving in theHouse andshould “seek professional help” as Miller defendedhimself against allegations of domestic abuse in alive videoonX on Sunday. Moreno, who has been publicly restrainedinrecentmonthsasthe bitter custody dispute has played outbetween Miller andhis daughter Emily,saidin alengthy post:“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, MaxMiller failsthem.Heshouldnot serve in the House of Representatives.”
Moreno wrote that Miller “needs serious psychological help. He is adanger to my daughter,and Ihold my breath every minutehehas custody of my granddaughter.”
Miller said Sunday that he will remain in hisrace forreelectionbefore a Wednesday deadline to replace him. Democrats have seen anew opportunity in the northeast Ohio congressional seat as the Republican incumbent has facedmountingpressure over the domestic abuse allegations in abitterand drawn-out custody battle with his ex-wife.
“I’m not dropping out of this race and I’ll win in November,” said Miller,who denied abusing his former wife and his daughter
Accusations against Miller, whohas been endorsed by President Donald Trumpand was a White House adviser during Trump’sfirst term, have been public for years but have recently drawn increased scrutiny as back and forth in the case has escalated.
Emily Moreno has said that Millerscalded, hit andthreatened her while they were married. Miller denied those allegations in thevideo, as he has in the past.
BY STEVEPEOPLES AP national politics writer
NEWYORK Ken Martin is in survival mode. Desperate to save his job as chair of theDemocrati c Nati on al Committee, he is avoiding mediaappearances, monit oring his critics’ social mediaposts and refusing —at least so far —tomake any substantive changes at his troubled organization.
Ahalfdozen state leaders andother committee members, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymitytodiscuss internalconversations, describedMartinasdefensive and extremely distrustful of others, even somepeople on his own team, as calls for his resignation grow louder among Democratic operatives who lament his leadership decisions, lackluster fundraising and even his tendency to lash out in anger But there is no sign that theorganization’s mem-
bership plans to replace Martin before themidterm electionsinNovember, even as some wonder how muchlonger he can hold on. The drama threatenstoundermine the party’smomentum in the battle to retake control of Congress from President Donald Trump’sRepublican Party “I sense no movement from the DNC to make a change,and so thatdecision’s up to Ken. Andhe’s told me he’sinit, so Itrust himonmaking that decision,”saidColoradoDemocratic Party Chair Shad Murib, aDNC member andstrongMartinsupporter.“What we’re seeing right now is awhole group of folks who live on Twitter and consultants fighting harderagainst Ken Martin than they’ve ever fought against Donald Trump.” Martin did not grant an interview request. In arecent Substack post, Martin defended himself this way: “If the question is whether theDemocraticParty will be readytowin —everywhere, at every level, in this election and for the decadeahead —the answer is aresounding yes.”
Martin
Clinical trials should be accessible to all
Clinical trials are essentialto developing new treatments and improving survival and quality of life forpeople with cancer.Yet, they are not accessible to everyone. At 27, Iwas diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia.I was lucky to receiveatailored treatment plan based on the groundbreaking blinatumomab clinical trial. The access Ihad to this treatment proved lifesaving and significantly improved my quality of life compared with the intense chemotherapy that had previously been the standard of care. For many patients, both medical costs, like copays and deductibles, and non-medical costs,including transportation, lodgingand meals, canalso be major barriers to trial participation.
The bipartisan Clinical Trial Modernization Act (SR4440 and HR3521) would help removethese financial hurdles by allowing trial sponsors to help cover both medicaland non-medical costsassociated with trial participation. It wouldalso ensure that aportion of certain types of financial support for trial participation would not be considered as income, protecting eligibility for safety-net programs such as Medicaid and ensuring patients are not taxed for their trial participation. As acancer survivor,Iurgeour elected officialstohelp more patients participate intrialsand access innovative treatments with this criticallegislation.
COURTNEY FOURNET Baton Rouge
Trump’scrusade againstfraud is ironic
It’srather ironic that President Donald Trump is tryingtostop nonexistent voting fraud. This is from the fellow who voted by mail recently,isonaudio trying to “find” 11,000 votes in 2020 and used gerrymandering and threats to keep the Republicans in power Several states had fake electors trying to verify votingballots.A year ago, the Department ofGovernment Efficiency (DOGE) was wrecking things, looking forfraud and waste.
The new ballroom ($600 million estimated so far), trashing the reflecting pool($14million and counting), an airplane as a“gift,” using defense money for questionable purposes and trying to get immunity from audits for his family and business —knock, knock, Congress! Anybody doing your job? Not to mention Epstein and theIran war.Wake up,America!
KIM ALLAIN River Ridge
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR
AREWELCOME.HEREARE
YOUR VIEWS
Love ourcountry as it becomes better andmorefreeovertime
Shouldwelove our country because the Declaration of Independence says “Governmentsderivetheir just powers from the consentofthe governed” and “All men are created equal?” Or should we hateour country because it was legal to own slaves until 1865 and women weren’t allowed to voteuntil 1920?
Wouldn’titbemore helpful and hopeful to love our country for becoming better and morefree over time?
If we love theU.S. and all our fellow Americans (no matter who they vote for), we can continue to grow
STEVENW.LLOYD neworleans
We must move beyond researchto find solutionsthatcut
carbon dioxideemissions
Thankyou for your recent article on our warming Gulf. Unfortunately,the editorial response deemed the threat of climate changemerely “worrisome.”
Moreover,its priorities were limited to more research.
Some observersdiscount the impactsof climate change by failing to recognize that carbon dioxide emissions remain in the atmosphere for 100 years or so. Thus, even if the world sharply and quickly reduces its emissions, the ill effects of the changes in ouratmosphere are bound to get much more serious than they are today
The body of scientific research already justifies the need to promptly reduce the emissionsofgreenhouse gases. The National Academy of Sciences published amassive research agenda for climate change in 1975! By 1979, the basics of climate science had achieved ahigh level of consensus.Since then, the Academy,the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other authoritativebodies have produced dozens of very detailed reviews
The Gulf has not been ignored. Of note, the BP settlementafter the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon directed considerable funding towardunderstandingGulf science with more precision. Gaps remain. But we already know alot.
Since the1980s, foes of action to protect our atmosphere have argued we must wait for scientific certainty or exactitude to cut emissions. Thus, theeditorial’scall to know “exactly” what’shappening in the Gulf falls into thetrapofassuming thatscientists will ever achieve exactitude about medicine, weather or climate. That day will never come.
We need to electrify vehicles, transition electric power away from fossil fuels and sharply reduce methaneleaks. Each solution has becomemore affordable and practical in recent years.
If we don’tmove briskly beyond more research, we will have difficulty defending our diffidence to our drowning descendants.
JAYHAKES neworleans
SeniorsdependonMedicareAdvantage plans
Attorney general’sthreats crossaline
Lafayette lawyer Lance C. Beal’s columncritiquing the indictment of Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill for her threatening letter to several New Orleans public officials misstates Louisiana criminal law
He describes Murrill’sletter-writing action as “what every Louisiana attorney sends before filing suit,” a remark whichisprecisely wrong.
The Louisiana extortion statute is fairly broad:
A. Extortion is the communication of threats to another with the intention thereby to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage or immunity of any description. Any one of the following kinds of threats shall be sufficient to constitute extortion:
(2) Athreat to accuse the individual threatened or any memberofhis family or any other person held dear to him of any crime.
(5) Athreat to cause harm as retribution for participation in any legislative hearing or proceeding, administrative proceeding or in any other legal action.
(6) Athreat to do any other harm.
B. Whoever commits the crime of extortion shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than one nor more than fifteen years. (La.R.S. 14:66, in pertinent part) Lawyers, and others, are prohibited from sending demand letters whichthreaten any of the foregoing. Did Murrill do that? It certainly seems so.
STEVENLEMOINE attorneyatlaw
Metairie
Shoutout to members of national Guard
Re: “Historic drop in New Orleans crime is worth celebrating:” Your recent editorial forgot to mention the dedicated, hardworking, mostly young people in the National Guard and the Louisiana National Guard fortheir efforts to help secure and makethe city safer Ihave met many, and they’re pleasant and wonderful. I’mglad to have their help. Let’srecognize that, too.
MORRISKAHN neworleans
StoryonTrump’s election claims wasburied
Recently,the paper published an article detailing the claimsthat President Donald Trump’s2020 candidacy failed due to a“deep state” conspiracy.The article debunks his claimsofinterference in his loss of that election.
To SEnd US ALETTER SCAn HERE
OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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. Box588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.
Louisiana seniors rely on Medicare Advantage plans because they make real-world healthcare affordable.
As director of theNew OrleansSenior RX Program at the Council on Aging, Iappreciate that thefederal government’sCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services adjusted the final Medicare Advantage ratenotice to better reflect thereal-world pressures facing the 35 million Americansand their families whorely on the program. Healthcare costs are top of mind for seniors and their families, especially to ensure access to high-quality care for manyolder Louisianans. Healthcare affordability is an ongoing issue. Seniors will continue working on it with policymakers in Washington tostrengthen Medicare Advantage andtoensure that concerns about the stability of the Medicare Advantage program and the predictability of healthcarecostsare heard loud and clear
For seniors and patientswith disabilities who depend on Medicare Advantage, this option is alifesaver Louisiana’sseniors deserve aprogram that reflectstoday’shealthcare costs and meets their needs. More than half of Medicare beneficiaries nationwide have chosen Medicare Advantage as their coverage, and enrollment continues to grow.InLouisiana, this option serves morethan 60% of all Medicare enrollees. Healthcare costscontinue to rise. When federal funding for aprogram doesn’tkeep pace withrising medical costs, the people relying on it will eventually feel the impact. That is our fear with Medicare Advantage. We rely on our congressional advocates. To our elected representatives: We are watching, and we vote!
SHARON SHELLING neworleans
Ifind it disturbing that an article about the leader of our country using his influence to mislead the populace at large with his untruths is not on the front page, but relegated to the sixth page.
Not to have this information on the front page of the paper,Ibelieve, is adisservice to the readers, no matter what their political beliefs may be.
Our elected leaders, no matter whichparty or office they have been elected to, should not be allowed to push unfounded theories as truths or lies. This article could have served the readership and public at large had it been on the front page. Please keep up the good work of informing the populace of NewOrleans and surrounding parishes and cities.
WILLIAM EDWARDS neworleans
FILE PHoTo
newAmerican citizenspledgetheir allegiance to the flag during anaturalization ceremony in neworleans.
Defensebillisnosellout to Israel
Congress has been knowntoslip indefensible special-interest provisions into large must-pass bills when no one is looking. What it has never donebeforeis use such sleight of handtohandover control of the U.S. militarytoaforeign country.But that’swhat we’retold is on the verge of happening on Capitol Hill.
The House just passed the National Defense Authorization Act, asprawling $1.15 trillion bill that supposedlyincludes a provision buriedinit “merging” the U.S. and Israeli militaries.
This provision, known asSection219, hasunited some of the most fervent anti-Israel conspiracy theorists on the right and the left in denouncing the alleged betrayal of America, from Marjorie Taylor GreenetoAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, from TuckerCarlsonto CenkUygur
AOC has warned that the provision“is an existential threat to Americansovereignty and democracy.”
Greene has said anyone who voted for thebill “sold out the American people to aforeign country.”
Carlson wants literal treason trials. So what is the substanceofSection 219? Legislationoften has obfuscatory titles,but this provision is deemed, with admirable clarity,the United StatesIsrael Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.
It calls for the secretary of defense to designate “an executive agent” to coordinate between the U.S.and Israel on “bilateral defense technology research, development, testing, evaluation, integration and industrial cooperation.”
The Pentagon will come up with aplan for such cooperation and report back to Congress.
That’sit. There is nothing about merging the general staffsofthe U.S. military and the IDF; nothing about creating ajoint office whereDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, work together; nothing about givingBibi Netanyahu partial control of CENTCOM.
That the United States would want aclose working relationship with Is-
rael on military technology is hardly surprising. Israel is one of the world’s most innovative societies and, givenits precarious security environment,has become aleader in advanced defense technologies
That anefarious interpretation of the bill hasgottensome traction underlines howany preposterous lie, so long as it’s about Israel,getsa hearing thesedays
Likemany conspiracy theories, this onedepends on adarkview of Americansociety.Weare allegedly so corrupt that we arehanding control of our militarytoa foreign country without any senior military leaders or officials in an “America First” administration lodging acomplaint. No wonderCarlson wants the kind of tribunals that attended theend of World WarII.
At the firstNuremberg Trials, Wilhelm Keitel was found guiltyofcrimes againsthumanity and hanged; at the secondNurembergTrials, Mike Johnsonwill be found guilty of supporting mutually beneficial technology sharing between allies—means of execution yetto be determined.
One perversityhereisthat Netanyahu conceives of the technological coopera-
tionasasubstitutefor the U.S. military aid thathesupportsphasing out.In other words,enemies of Israel oppose U.S. militaryaid, and when aconstructive plan is offered for how to go about ending it,they oppose that,too, as an Israeli plot.
Anotherperversityisthat theU.S. should want averyclose relationship withIsrael on missile defense, an area whereIsrael excels and that, as we’ve seen in the Ukraine and Iran wars, is crucial to modernwarfare.
And yet, thesame people who portray themselves as zealously protective of the U.S. national interestwant us to turn our back on asource of technological advance.
Israel naturally fits in theWestern alliance, but nations ultimately pursue their selfish interests. If we spurn the Jewishstate outofirrational animus, it will inevitably look elsewhere and perhaps build astronger relationship withChina. Then we will surely be told by the critics now obsessedwithending the U.S.-Israel relationship that Israel has shown itstrue colorsand deserves even moreofour scorn.
Rich LowryisonX@RichLowry
Future storms couldbring worseoutcomes
As Tropical Storm Berthaapproached Louisiana, most residents likely gave ashrug and gotonwith their daily routines. This wasn’t ahurricane, just a“little” disturbance. Its winds were not likely to move ashingle off their roofs and, most importantly, its storm surge would likely max out at 2to4 feet, conditionsweoften see during stiff southerly blows. No big deal. But what if those little disturbances start pushing surges 6feet —orhigher?
And what if the scientificbreakthroughs that have led to better predictions for threats from weather and pollution arerestricted? Whatifwedon’t know how to best protectour families and our property?
That’sthe future revealed by two news stories that arrived just before Bertha.
The
first: New NASA research says in just 24 years the GulfofMexico will rise as much as 18 inches along the Louisiana coast.
That means that soon “little” disturbances like Bertha could push surges 4 to 6.5 feet —orhigher More worryingly,that also means larger storms will be pushing even higher,more damaging surges further inland, not just drowning the coastal zone but requiring more frequent evacuations in areas above I-10. This increases the urgency for findingmore billions in funding to lift storm surge levees. And there’snotelling how high thecost of flood insurancewill soar or if we can even get it. The report was produced by the NASA Sea Level Change Team which includes researchers from NOAA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California InstituteofTechnology, which led the effort. It was based on three decades of satellite altimeter measurements of seasurface height and correlated with NOAA tide gauge records dating as far back as 1920. In other words, this is based on factual measurements of what has happened
and what is continuing to happen.
Theprojections now place theaverage2050 rise along the contiguous U.S. at 12 inches. That includes 10 to 14 inches on average for the East Coast,4 to 8inches forthe West Coast and 14 to 18 inches for the Gulf Coast.
Thespeedofthat change places future sea level rise in thehigher range of thescenarios in the accepted models.
Those are based largely on the amountofgreenhouse gas emissions beingreleased into theatmosphere. This is moresolid evidence that reducing the use of fossil fuels is an existential issuefor Louisiana. That second piece of news paints a dark future for Louisiana’scoastal and environmental health: President Donald Trumphas decided to have political loyalists instead of qualified scientists decidehow the nation spends its billions in scientific research grants. These appointees —basically “yes” menand women —require no background in the subjects of the grants. They must only certify research that alignswith Trump’sopinions on science and other subjects. They will have thepower to deny grants on subjects
and from organizations Trumpdislikes. They can also cancel grants for research he disapproves of that are already underway
Andthis is apresident who still claims climate change is ahoax, whose love for oil, gas and coal has led him to cancel funding for green energy programs, kill federal electric vehicle incentives and open wilderness and national monumentstodrilling. He is even moving to cancel the long-standing energy efficiency ratings requirements for homeappliances, aprogram popular among consumers because it saves them money
So, what do you thinkwill happen to an application for research on lighter, safer,more powerful and longer-lasting EV batteries? Or on the human health risks from pollution at petrochemical refineries and methane releases from oil drilling sites?
Or thehuman healthimpacts of greenhouse gas emissions?
Is this makingAmerica great again?
Bob Marshall, aPulitzer Prizewinning Louisiana environmental journalist,can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com.
If you squint, you can see them. Theyare signs that the Democratic Party understands historian Robert Conquest’srule: The behavior of anybureaucratic organization can best be understoodby assuming that it is controlled by asecret cabal of its enemies. In the Aug. 4primary,Michigan’sDemocratic Party will select its Senate candidate. Three stalwarts of the national party’skamikaze caucus, two of them fresh from telling Maine’s Democrats whomtonominate for Senate, are now instructing Michiganders. They are Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who called Maine’sGraham Platner “mykind of man,” and Sen. Bernie Sanders, another Platner enthusiast. These two, and Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez, who flinched from Platner,have discovered anew paladin of progressivism.
Abdul El-Sayed is 41. In 2018, he lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary by 21 points to a centrist Democrat, Gretchen Whitmer,who is now completing her second term. Today,El-Sayed campaigns with Hasan Piker,a“Twitch streamer” (yes, that is ajob description in today’sAmerica) sympathetic to Hamas. Piker has apologized for having said, “America deserved 9/11.” Today, El-Sayed says Israel is a“rogue state”guilty of “genocide.” He says, opaquely,that there should be “certain kinds” of law enforcement at America’sborders, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be “abolished.”
He favors Medicare-for-all, asingle-payer healthcare system. One hundred eighty million Americans are covered by employer-provided health insurance that El-Sayed would terminate. He would erase muchthat organizedlabor has achieved by negotiating the untaxed benefits of generous employer-provided healthcareplans. Amoderate Democrat who hadbeen seeking the Senate nomination recently withdrew. This should help El-Sayed’sremaining opponent, Haley Stevens, who was trailing in polls taken before the withdrawal. She is afour-term congresswoman from Oakland County,much of it suburban Detroit. Forty-six years ago, this county was the canary in the national Democratic Party’scoal mine:Oakland was an early habitat of anew political species, “Reagan Democrats.” Theyare now called “Republicans.”
Timeschange. Stevens’sdistrict voted solidly for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. Stevens is acentrist liberal, supportive of Michigan’sauto industry,not Hamas. She is something that purple Michigan might like. Donald Trump’s2024 victory in Michigan was wafer-thin (1.4%), but Michigan Democrats should remember: He carried it.
The American Enterprise Institute’sRuy Teixeira, acenter-left Democrat, describes a perverse dialectic of “Trumpian overreach:” The more Trump is flamboyantly provocative, the more Democrats lurch into “histrionic,radical, ineffective responses.” He controls the shrillest Democrats by triggering them, and theypropel their party toward self-indulgent, self-destructive choices, such as El-Sayed.
The United Auto Workers has endorsedElSayed. It might, however,someday be the United Graduate Students.
Michigan, historically hospitable to strong unions, experienced history-making labor conflicts in the 1930s. “The strike heard around the world” was the sit-down strike at aGeneral Motors plant in Flint. In the “Battle of the Overpass,” Ford employees bloodied UAWorganizers near the main gate of the River Rouge plant.
But U.S. automaking is no longer so concentrated in Michigan. It has dispersed, oftentoright-towork states, partly to avoid the increasingly radical UAW. More than 100,000 of its roughly 400,000 active members (down from alate-1970s peakof 1.5 million) are whatthe union calls “academic workers” —graduate student teaching assistants, postdoctoral researchers, etc.
No wonderthe UAWlikes El-Sayed, who vibrates like atuning fork to academic radicalism. And he is fluent in the online snark and condescension that clogs social media. For example,hehopes Stevens’ssupporters “find some way to teach her how to string together two coherent sentences.” She “is asuit with alarge AIPAC” —American Israel Public Affairs Committee —“bank account, that’sit.”
Of course: Beware of the Jews. El-Sayed has impeccable credentials for representing today’sleft. But he is not running to be the senator from Ann Arbor.And Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-South Carolina, who is Black and the closest thing to apower broker remaining in today’spolitics, supports Stevens. If El-Sayed is nominated to replace retiring Democrat Sen. Gary Peters, his Republican opponent will be formerseven-term congressman Mike Rogers, who in 2024 lost aMichigan Senate race by just 0.34%. In that case, Rogers almost certainly will win. Republicans almostcertainly will retain control of the Senate. And Robert Conquest’srule certainly will be validated.
EmailGeorge Will at georgewill@washpost.com.
Bob Marshall
Rich Lowry
George Will
ASSoCIATEd PRESS FILE PHoTo
Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, center, flanked by House Majority Whip TomEmmer,R-Minnesota, left, and House Majority Leader SteveScalise, R-Jefferson, speak to reporters at the CapitolinWashington.
STAFF PHoTo By CHRIS GRAnGER
Plaquemines Parish flood controlstaff move largesandbags alongLa. 39 in preparation for Tropical StormBertha on July 21.
Saints WR Polk re sf SPORTS
retires from NFL
Promising 24-year-old receiver placed on reserve/ retiredlistonSunday
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
Going into training camp,several people in the New Orleans Saints organization said they were excited to see what receiver Ja’Lynn Polk would do withhis secondopportunity.
The team never got to find out: Sunday afternoon, theSaints placed Polk on thereserve/retired list, meaning Polk has retired from the game at the age of 24. The reasons behind Polk’sdecision are still not known. The former second-rounder out of Wash-
ington endured arocky 2024rookie season with the New England Patriots, catchingjust 12 of his 33 targetsfor 87 yards. He suffered ashoulder injury that required seasonending surgery beforethe 2025 season began.
NewOrleans likedPolk when he was coming out of the draft and bought low on hispotential, acquiring him from the Patriots last fall for alate-round pick swap.
He had earned someadmirers inside the organization for the work he put in this
ä See POLK, page 4B
SHIFTING INTO
Saintscornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry takesabreak in between
Metairie.McKinstryishoping to step up in his third year withthe
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
Justin Reid wantstotell you aboutKool-Aid McKinstry
The New OrleansSaints safetywants to tell youabout the work the third-year cornerback has done from the startofthe offseason program to training camp.He wants to tell you aboutthe growth that he’s seen,how McKinstry has disrupted play after play with anurgency and naturalness thatmakes itapparent that the corner has been working on his game. AndReid wants to tell you how excited he is for McKinstrythiscoming season, how confident he is thatall the work the 23-year-old has put in willpay off.
“That cat is going to be something special,”Reid said. Reid is far from alonein hisopinion. Alloffseason, numerous Saints —from players to coachestoevengeneral managerMickey Loomis— have made apoint to single out McKinstry,somuchsothatitalmostfeels deliberate. On some occasions, likewithReid,the praise comes when asked ageneral question about the secondary.On
others, themention comes completely out of nowhere likewhenLoomistargeted McKinstry as akey player the Saints are hoping will take another leap in 2026.
“The leap he made from Year 1toYear2 waspretty good,”Loomis said. “Weneed another.”
Theplaybook, intentional or not,mirrorswhathappened withChase Young ayear ago. Last summer,players and coaches weren’tshy about boasting about the pass rusher —all while acknowledging theyneeded more out of him. That mixofconfidence and pressure worked. Young rewarded their faith with acareer-high 10 sacks in 12 games, puttingitall together despite missing thefirst five weeks because of acalf injury
Now, the attention hasturnedtoMcKinstry.And it makes sense. The Saints lost Alontae Taylor in free agency to the Tennessee Titans, and rather thanspend bigon his replacement,New Orleans is trusting safety Jonas Sankercan hold it down in theslotand that McKinstry further ascendsasaNo. 1corner.(Taylor played both
ä See SAINTS, page 4B
‘A great deal forour program’
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
Jay Johnson had only seen it happen once before.
WhenJohnsonwas theassociatehead coach at San Diego in 2010, signee and right-handedpitcher Dylan Coveywound up at school despitebeing theMilwaukee Brewers’ first-round pick. His physical withthe club after he was picked revealed that he had Type 1diabetes, resulting in the twosides not being able to agree to signing terms.
The Covey saga wasthe onlytimeJohnsonhad ahigh school signeewho waspicked in the topfew rounds of the MLB draft but still endedupatschool.But that changed on Saturday Logan Schmidt, one of the top high school left-handed pitchers in this year’sdraft who the Cleveland Guardians selected withthe No. 59 overallpickinthe second round, is joining the Tigers, he announced on Saturday.The top prospect turned downachance to sign with the Guardians and join the junior college ranks —whichwould have allowed him to be eligible for next year’sdraft —tocome to Baton Rouge. “Inthis era, they only pick guys that they have agreements with,” Johnsonsaid in
ä See LSU, page 3B
LSU football players report Tuesday for preseason camp, with the first full-team practice set forWednesday Typically,I loathe preseason camp, smothered as it is by August’sgiant outdoor sauna of oppressive heat and humidity
But considering how fast, furious and mind-spinning off-the-field newscontinues to be surrounding college athletics, never have Ibeen so looking forward to standing on asideline dripping sweat while watching the Tigers assemble the building blocks forthe coming season. No cell phone calls or texting allowed during practice, you say? Fine with me. It will be awelcome respite from the constant barrage of sweeping and stunning changes that have me longing to just watch someone play agame. Could be football. Could be cornhole at this point. Ialmost don’tcare.
Three headlines from the past week highlight the constantly shifting landscape of college sports where we are all trying
3B
STAFF FILE PHoToByMICHAEL JoHnSon LSUcoachJay Johnson reacts to acall in a game against Sacramento State on March 8 at AlexBox Stadium.
Kuwaki wins Women’s British Open
By The Associated Press
LYTHAM ST ANNES, England Shiho
Kuwaki of Japan saved par to stay alive in a sudden-death playoff Sunday and won with a par on the second extra hole to claim the Women’s British Open over Esther Henseleit of Germany for her first major title.
Kuwaki closed with a 1-under 70 and looked like a winner as she waited nearly 30 minutes in the scoring room. Henseleit, in the final group, holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Lytham & St Annes for a 70 to join Kuwaki at 5-under 279.
Henseleit then had the advantage in the playoff when the 23-year-old from Japan was in deep grass short of a bunker and had to lay up short of the green. Kuwaki hit wedge to 3 feet to save par and got another chance when Henseleit missed a 15-foot birdie putt for the win.
The tables turned on the second extra hole. Henseleit’s tee shot on the 18th drifted far enough to the right that it was beneath a gorse bush.
She did well to get that back to the fairway, and hit wedge to about 12 feet. But her par putt stayed left of the cup, and that left Kuwaki to tap in for par
“Very happy with how I gave myself the opportunity to win today and how I handled myself. Just got a bit unlucky on the second playoff hole there,” Henseleit said. “I tried really hard and I guess it just wasn’t meant to be today.”
This is the second straight Women’s British Open title for Japan, following Miyu Yamashita’s victory last year at Royal Porthcawl. Kuwaki, often known for her fashion, becomes the fifth player from Japan to have won an LPGA major over the past three years.
PGA and Evian Championship winner was still in the mix on the back nine. She needed birdies and instead closed with two straight bogeys for a 74 to tie for sixth.
Nelly Korda, the No. 1 player in women’s golf and winner of the year’s first two majors, started eight shots behind and closed with a 68. She was the leader in the clubhouse for the longest time at 2 under until Kuwaki finished.
Korda tied for fourth along with Jeeno Thitikul (73).
Thorbjornsen wins in Detroit
In Detroit, Michael Thorbjornsen made a 26-foot putt for birdie on his last hole to shoot 7-under 63 and reach 18 under to win his first PGA Tour title by two shots at the final Rocket Classic.
The 24-year-old Thorbjornsen sealed his spot in the FedEx Cup playoff after rolling into the Motor City No. 69 in the standings. The top 70 advance to the postseason after next week’s Wyndham Championship.
Thorbjornsen started the fourth round three shots behind leader Davis Riley, whose rough start opened opportunities for the field.
L.A. sends All-Star Plum to Mercury for Makani, picks
The Los Angeles Sparks traded All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury for a first-round pick next year, Monique Akoa Makani and a second-round draft choice in 2028. The deal was finalized late Saturday night ahead of Sunday’s trade deadline and was first reported by ESPN. It’s rare for an All-Star to be traded in the middle of the season, only happening a handful of times before Saturday night.
Plum will wear No. 0 for the Mercury She is a free agent at the end of this season and has been sidelined since June 21 because of a lower leg injury Plum was averaging a careerbest 23.9 points and 6.4 assists before getting hurt. Los Angeles has struggled without her, including losing its past six games.
A’s slugger Kurtz to see specialist for hurt thumb
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz will see a hand specialist in Los Angeles on Monday about his injured right thumb and could be headed to the injured list.
“I can’t believe it,” Kuwaki said through a translator and the trophy presentation. The disappointment on Sunday belonged to third-place Yealimi Noh (74), the 25-year-old Californian who began the final round with a three-shot lead until it slowly went away with bogeys.
She fell out of a share of the lead with a bogey on the 14th hole. Noh was one shot behind and had two reasonable looks at birdie — with
Kuwaki already in the clubhouse at 279 — but failed to convert.
“It stings being one short,” said Noh, who had missed three straight cuts before this week “I told myself this morning, no matter what happens I’m happy to be in this position again A couple of weeks ago I was losing a lot of motivation. This week has helped me feel so much better about my game.”
Haeran Ryu fell short in her bid to become the first player since Inbee Park to win three straight majors in one year The Women’s
Thorbjornsen took advantage, surging into the lead at No. 14 with his third of four birdies in a six-hole stretch and closing with a clutch, curling putt that went in the right side of the cup.
“Perfect pace, perfect read,” he said.
He’s the eighth first-time winner this season on the PGA Tour and the second straight, following Jackson Koivun’s victory last week at the 3M Open.
“It was such a battle, playing with some great players,” Thorbjornsen said “Everyone was in the mix after nine holes.”
Xander Schauffele (65) briefly led during the final round and finished second, two shots back.
Palou, Rossi give new IndyCars rave reviews
BY MICHAEL MAROT Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi were sold on the new IndyCar at first glance.
Then they climbed inside the cockpit, took it around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 14-turn 2.439-mile road course and were even more impressed.
Palou, the four-time series champ, and Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, became the first test drivers of the new model and both left the track giving the car rave reviews.
“I am very happy to announce that we will race it next year,” Palou joked Sunday “I wish (it was next year) — like that’s the level of excitement I think among everybody I think everybody, when we saw it live for the first time, I was shocked at how good it looked and how excited I was to give it a try.”
The Spaniard who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing certainly would be leading the pack again if
he actually competed in the IR-28 next year because it isn’t scheduled to debut until 2028. Naturally, though, Palou, who has won 21 of the past 64 races including Indy in 2025 and is on the cusp of clinching a fourth straight series title, would prefer everything goes
quicker
His interest in this model was piqued after seeing the initial renderings of the lighter, sleeker, jet-like looking car
The higher sidepod and more expansive, wavier front wings make the car look larger while the
digital display featuring the car’s position during a race, qualifying or practice appears just behind the redesigned, less bulky aeroscreen give as a high-tech feature.
Designers promised the car would have roomier cockpits, run faster and race better all while adding safety features.
Rossi thought it was better than advertised. He started seven Formula 1 races in four seasons before moving to IndyCars in 2016, and at 6-foot-1, Rossi is one of IndyCar’s tallest drivers.
“Not to draw comparisons to F1, we don’t like doing that, but I think anyone who drives an F1 car for the first time, they notice how smooth the car is — not from a powertrain standpoint but from the surface standpoint,” Rossi said Saturday “This car starts to get to that level.”
He added: “It’s a little bigger, certainly more room for me. My knees aren’t headed into the top of the chassis, which is great. But it’s not like you’re out there driving a Suburban.”
Bienvenu wins Baton Rouge Amateur golf tourney
BY CHARLES SALZER
Contributing writer
Endurance is always a factor at the Baton Rouge Amateur golf tournament, and Sunday’s championship match was no different for Mark Bienvenu, who outlasted Jacob Maranto 4 and 3 to win the title at BREC’s Santa Maria Golf Course.
Fourth-seeded Bienvenu and No 7 Maranto each won semifinal matches Sunday morning to advance to the championship match.
Bienvenu defeated top-seeded Jeremy Gautreaux 4 and 3 while Maranto got past No. 3 Carter Schmitt 1 up. Bienvenu’s play stayed on an even keel in the afternoon, but Maranto, who never trailed at any point during his first three matches, was unable to keep pace. Against Bienvenu, he lost the first three holes and couldn’t make up ground the rest of the match. The Baton Rouge Amateur win
was the first for Bienvenu. He had earned a spot in the 16-man field each of the previous five years but never advanced past the quarterfinals until this year Bienvenu’s name will be engraved on the Baton Rouge Amateur trophy, which lists champions as far back as the 1950s.
“It’s an amazing feeling, especially with the quality of the names on that trophy beside me.
I’m really honored,” Bienvenu said. “Match play is grueling. To get through two days of pure heat and wind, it was a grind and I’m very proud.” Beinvenu took a 5-up lead into the back nine after he made a 6-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole. Maranto had chances to cut into the lead at holes 12 and 13, when Beinvenu made back-toback bogeys. At the 12th hole, Maranto threeputted for bogey from the left fringe, and three-putted again from 30 feet below the hole at 13 as the match went dormie with five holes to play
Maranto extended the match with a birdie at 14, but gained no more ground at the par-5 15th hole. He saved par after his third shot approach came up short of the green, but it was only good enough to halve the hole.
“The front nine really killed me. I think we were even on the back,” said Maranto, who played 56 holes, eight more than Beinvenu, during the first three rounds. “It was brutal to play that many holes It takes a lot out of you to keep hitting good shots.”
Maranto hit the shots he needed to in his semifinal win over Schmitt. The match was all square through 17 holes, but Maranto won the par-5 18th hole and the match with a par Schmitt hit his second shot into the water fronting the green while Maranto laid up and eventually two-putted for his par Against Gautreaux, Beinvenu won two of the first three holes and led the rest of the way Gautreaux won the Baton Rouge Open last month and has already
RESULTS
Baton Rouge Amateur Santa Maria Golf
secured enough points to earn BREC’s player of the year award with one tournament remaining.
“I’ve lost to (Gautreaux) before in this tournament even though I’ve always played really well when I lost,” Beinvenu said. “It definitely felt good to get through him. I woke up knowing I was going to have to bring it.”
Kurtz went on the IL with a sprained right thumb on July 11 and returned two weeks later But he has struggled at the plate since then, going 1 for 18 in seven games. Kurtz was also hit on the left forearm with a pitch on Wednesday but was able to return to the lineup for the next two games.
Manager Mark Kotsay said on Sunday that the team will determine the next steps for Kurtz after he visits the specialist.
The 23-year-old Kurtz is batting .256 with 21 homers and a teamhigh 69 RBIs.
Braves place López on IL with knee inflammation
ATLANTA The Atlanta Braves placed right-hander Reynaldo López on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation on Sunday
The Braves recalled right-hander JR Ritchie from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals. The move with López was expected after he was scratched before Saturday night’s scheduled start against the Nationals. López was warming up in the bullpen when he experienced discomfort in the knee.
Fill-in starter Martín Pérez held Washington hitless until the seventh inning of the Braves’ 8-3 win. Ritchie is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 games including seven starts with Atlanta.
British PM: Infantino not the right man to lead FIFA British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Sunday that FIFA president Gianni Infantino was not the right man to lead world soccer’s governing body in the latest fallout from the now abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
“I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage,” Burnham said. “The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people football people around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn’t acceptable.”
On Saturday, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership — possibly paving the way for a challenge to Infantino’s presidency
Wiebes wins again at Women’s Tour de France
GENEVA Lorena Wiebes again sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Women’s Tour de France on Sunday
The Dutch rider won the flat 91.9mile stage from Aigle to Geneva, the second on Swiss territory, in 3 hours, 42 minutes, 8 seconds. Wiebes went ahead with some 250 yards to go and claimed her seventh overall victory at the tour
Wiebes also won the opening stage on Saturday in the same dominant fashion.
“It’s special to win in the yellow jersey but also because again, my team SD Worx-Protime, worked really hard for this,” Wiebes said.
“The girls were chasing full gas in the final to bring back Riejanne Markus. That makes it even more
to
Top takeaways from Big Ten media days
BY COLLEEN KANE Chicago Tribune (TnS)
CHICAGO Indiana’s Curt
Cignetti was the final coach to take the big stage at Big Ten football media days, walking up in front of a crowded room Thursday at the Hilton Chicago.
“Everybody ready to get out of here and get home?” he cracked.
Big Ten coaches have a busy month ahead as training camps get underway to prepare for a season that starts Aug. 29 for a handful of FBS teams and the following weekend for the rest.
But first the coaches cycled through myriad interviews over three days. They talked about their teams this season but also the state of the conference and other big-picture topics including what Cignetti did last season with the national champion Hoosiers.
Here’s what coaches said during the event.
On Indiana’s rise
The Hoosiers’ rapid turnaround from longtime Big Ten bottom dweller to 16-0 national champion in Cignetti’s second season was a popular topic. Coaches gave Cignetti and his players their due but also noted that it shows what’s possible in this era of college football thanks to the transfer portal, revenue sharing and name, image and likeness compensation.
“If you look at it in the landscape of college football, it should give every player, every coach, every fan base hope, vision and belief that it can happen,” Purdue’s Barry Odom said. “It’s sped things up for everyone. But you also look at how they pieced it together It worked for them. It’s not the same for every team and program.”
Bielema, whose team lost, 63-10, to Indiana in September, said it was the greatest run he has seen in college football.
“I’m not going to say that Indiana inspired me, but I
RABALAIS
Continued from page 1B
to get a grip and find our footing.
Protect College Sports Act
There was widespread surprise Friday when the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten reversed course to express support for the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act. The bill, which was running on fumes at best, now has a renewed chance of becoming law, though a narrow window before the congressional summer recess and November’s midterm elections remain major hurdles. What changed the SEC and Big Ten’s collective mindset? Political pressure from the Trump administration was a factor but apparently the big selling point was a provision that prevents schools from circumventing the revenue-sharing cap through third-party deals. Under the PCSA, schools would be allowed to pay players as much as $48.8 million annually, according to CBSSports.com.
Also very importantly, the PCSA would protect women’s and Olympic sports, almost all of which operate at a financial deficit. Schools would be prohibited from reducing the number of varsity teams, roster participants or competition (games and tournaments) below a threshold required for FBS membership.
Again, the bill still has a long way to go to get across the goal line, but at least there is a chance. Congressional oversight, of course, has its potential pitfalls and unintended consequences, but schools have shown over and over again that they are unable to police themselves when it comes to spending. The PCSA has the potential to take college athletics off
would say that what they have done shows you wherever we are in college football,” Bielema said. “Don’t get me wrong, it takes an incredibly talented person.
Curt is an extremely intelligent coach who surrounded himself with some really gifted people, it looks like.
“And, you know, it is inspiring because you see something that I’ve known forever, right? I’ve been in this conference a long time, and to see Indiana become what they are is pretty impressive. I like those kinds of things. I like people that do things that no one else says they can do, and he obviously just did it.”
Michigan looks to move on
Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham said he wants to ‘put the drama to bed.’
Kyle Whittingham, the coach atUtahfor21seasons,tookover a Michigan program in Decemberthathashadalaundrylistof scandals in recent years at the leadership level, including the firing of coach Sherrone Moore after an inappropriate relationship with a staffer
Whittingham is tasked with bringing stability back to the program. He acknowledged his players have been through a lot over the last several years and said it will be “refreshing” for his team to focus only on football and academics.
“There has been a lot of drama,” he said. “We hope that we’ve come to the end of that and we’re ready to proceed just with the business of playing football and winning football games and graduating players and putting the emphasis on things that should have the emphasis.”
Underwood’s expectations
Bryce Underwood was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 and had big expectations on his shoulders in his first season at Michigan He completed 202 of 335 passes (60.3%) for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine in-
the unsustainable path it is currently on.
Class of 2022 injunction
Also Friday, a U.S. district judge in Denver ruled that all college athletes who graduated high school in 2022 whose clock ran out this spring were eligible for a fifth season in 2026-27.
The judge, Charlotte Sweeney, clarified her ruling Sunday (that’s as of this writing; who knows what could change again?) to say her ruling doesn’t override current transfer rules, roster limits or revenue sharing caps. In other words, if a football team has a full roster for this fall, it can’t just add a fifth-year player or exceed its revenue sharing cap.
The NCAA, which adopted a “five-for-five” eligibility rule set to go into effect this fall, is expected to appeal what still is a potentially chaos-causing ruling. All that said, Sweeney’s decision could be a silver lining for LSU men’s basketball and coach Will Wade. He is still trying to build a roster for the 202627 season, a build-out being hampered by new NCAA restrictions on players who have competed in foreign professional leagues. Programs with open roster spots and revenue-sharing funds could be landing spots for Class of 2022 players seeking a fifth year Arizona has already signed former Clemson forward RJ Godfrey, one of the plaintiffs in a suit against the NCAA’s “five-for-five” rule.
Sweeney’s ruling highlights the need, hopefully addressed by the PCSA, to steer college athletics away from the epidemic of players and schools seeking out a friendly judge to grant their eligibility That can’t be what the legal system is about.
Ole Miss lawsuit
This past week, Ole Miss
terceptions as the Wolverines went 9-4.
Whittingham said there’s plenty for Underwood to improve, but he thinks the sophomore’s future is bright.
“He just turned 18 years old, true freshman, thrust into the starting role of the Michigan Wolverines,” Whittingham said. “I don’t know what people did expect, but he was able to win nine ballgames and put up some decent numbers.
“He knows, we know those numbers have to improve. Given the circumstances, I thought he did some good things. What we’ve seen since we’ve been there, since we’ve analyzed the film, first of all physically he’s got everything you want: 6-4, 230 pounds, runs about a 4.6 40. Has a cannon for an arm, throws well on the move.”
QB Sayin is fired up
For the first time since C.J. Stroud in 2021-22, Ohio State will have the same quarterback starting in back-toback seasons.
The Buckeyes fell short of expectations in 2025, losing in the Big Ten title game to Indiana and in the CFP quarterfinalstoMiami.ButJulianSayin andhisfellowHeismanTrophy candidate, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, lead a formidable groupthatcouldberankedNo. 1 in the preseason.
Ryan Day said Sayin is a different person this year, stronger both physically and in how he uses his voice. He also has a new coach to challenge him: former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who was most recently the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator
“(Sayin) has liked the challenge of some of the things that Arthur is bringing to the table,” Day said. “When you go from coaching Aaron Rodgers to a college quarterback, you can certainly imagine what that’s been like for Arthur
announced it was seeking nearly $1 million in combined damages for breach of contract from two Ole players now at LSU: defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and offensive lineman Devin Harper Both reportedly signed revenue-sharing agreements with Ole Miss before jumping in the portal in January to follow Lane Kiffin to LSU. Ole Miss, which claims it was put in a roster bind because of when the players left, says it’s tried to collect from LSU on Umanmielen and Harper’s behalf. Ole Miss said it’s heard crickets from LSU other than to affirm it wasn’t party to either player’s contract with their former school I see both sides of this convoluted coin. On one hand, a contract should be a contract, and both players should be beholden to Ole Miss for the deals they signed.
On the other hand, this makes Ole Miss look rather petty, especially since it’s also asking for reimbursement of legal fees. Would Ole Miss be doing this if Umanmielen, a certain starter for the Tigers, and Harper, in the mix for a starting spot on the O-line, hadn’t followed the now vilified Kiffin to LSU? No way to tell, but I believe if they’d gone to NC State or Louisville (who the Rebels open with Sept. 6 in Nashville) this wouldn’t be an issue.
In the end, it’s another log for the LSU-Ole MissKiffin fire leading up to their ever more emotional Sept. 19 showdown in Oxford.
Maybe Ole Miss and LSU should agree to play double or nothing with the lawsuit riding on the outcome.
For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter
Lynx hold off Fever
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS Rookie sensation Olivia Miles spearheaded an efficient offense with 28 points, Courtney Williams added 27 points, and the Minnesota Lynx won their 10th-straight game with a 108-100 win over the Indiana Fever on Sunday
There was a rally outside the Target Center that pitted those supporting Fever reserve Sophie Cunningham, who told ESPN last week she believed trans athletes should not play against girls, against those with the opposite feeling.
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve wore a shirt that read, “Trans kids belong,” and had a pregame conversation with Cunningham, who was booed throughout the game. “Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve said after the contest. Minnesota had a 96-82 lead with 6:41 to play before the Fever, who had scored 100 in a record six-straight games, pulled within 100-98 with more than 2 1/2 minutes to go. Miles and Williams both came up with big baskets as the Lynx won their 10th straight for the first time since 2016.
LSU
Continued from page 1B
an interview on Saturday “In this case, they picked a player they didn’t have an agreement with.
“It also speaks to his talent and his capabilities that they were willing to roll the dice on it.”
Schmidt, a top-60 player in the draft, according to The Athletic, ESPN and MLB.com, will get a chance to develop under Johnson and LSU for potentially the next three seasons before he is eligible to be drafted again in 2029.
“It’s a great deal for our program on a lot of levels,” Johnson said. “Having been doing this for a long time now you don’t win these with Major League Baseball, typically.”
LSU ramped up its communication with Schmidt’s camp once it became clear that he wouldn’t come to an agreement with Cleveland, speaking with them “several times” in the 2-3 weeks leading up to Saturday’s announcement Johnson met with the lefty in person twice last week, including with pitching coach Nate Yeskie on Saturday
LSU’s meetings with Schmidt were less about selling him on his opportunity to play for the school and more about listening to him and his family about what they thought was best for him
“This is a trickier dynamic with a player that was sought
“First time playing each other, so there’s a bit of a feeling out sort of thing,” Reeve said. “And offense definitely had their way with each of the teams’ defense. Certainly knew it probably wasn’t going to be sustained, and it wasn’t. We were hoping at some point our defense could be a separator
“We felt like we had to really fight to win, and glad we glad we did that The next time we play them, each team is going to have a lot more information.”
The league’s No. 1 offense definitely made life difficult for the league’s No. 2 defense, but the Fever who played in Portland on Friday night, struggled to stop the Lynx on the offensive end. Both teams shot 57% and both had 11 3-pointers and went 11 of 15 from the foul line They also combined for 55 assists. The big difference was Indiana had 12 turnovers to six for Minnesota, which had an 11-5 edge in offensive rebounds and 9-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
Napheesa Collier had 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Lynx (25-6). Natasha Howard scored 13 points and Kayla McBride 10.
The Fever (19-11), who had their five-game win-
ning streak halted, were led by Kelsey Mitchell with 37 points, her fifth 30-point game of the season and 14th straight 20-point game, second in league history behind A’ja Wilson’s 15-straight in a single season. Caitlin Clark added 19 points and 10 assists and Aliyah Boston had 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
“We were just a little bit of a step slow,” Clark said of the defense. “ Proud of our group for finding ways to adjust, and that’s what you have to do versus a really good team.”
Both teams got off to a blistering start with Minnesota leading 36-32 after one quarter tying the league record for most points in an opening period. Mitchell had 16 points in the first period, but Miles had 14 in the second and the Lynx led 64-53 at the break.
The crowd, listed as 16,505, certainly had plenty of Fever fans. That’s not a surprise given that Clark grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa, which is about 3 1/2 hours away “It was weird hearing fans cheer when the other team scored,” Miles said. “Both ways, there was cheering for baskets and it was just loud in there. The energy, it’s what you want as a basketball player.”
after by Major League Baseball for a long time,” Johnson said. “I mean, he reclassified up into the 2026 class with the thought of being a firstround pick, and, frankly, he pitched that way during the high school season this year.” Schmidt’s fit at LSU With 39 players on its roster before Schmidt’s surprise inclusion, it was hard to find many holes on LSU’s roster after the MLB draft. But Schmidt still fills a potential need as a lefty who could contend for a place in the starting weekend rotation. Freshmen rarely come out of the gates as starters in Southeastern Conference play, but Schmidt’s bigger frame (he’s 6-foot-4), mid-90s fastball, strike-throwing capabilities and two off-speed pitches provide him the tools to contend for a rotation spot.
LSU has seven lefties besides Schmidt, but Cooper
Williams was the only arm among them who had any chance of cracking the rotation.
“It’s a wide-open competition, and he has the ability to contend for it, as I think the number of guys do,” Johnson said. “We have to perform better there.” At the very least, Schmidt has the talent and polish to make a big impact out of the bullpen immediately, similar to what Casan Evans provided for the Tigers in 2025. He and fellow freshman Lucas Nawrocki — the No. 91 player in the draft, according to ESPN — were LSU’s biggest left-handed additions over the offseason after the Tigers didn’t add a lefty out of the portal. “I’ve always believed in left-handed pitching and left-handed hitting,” Johnson said. “And really excited about that group as we start out.”
FILE PHoTo By PATRICK dEnnIS LSU pitcher Cooper Williams throws against BethuneCookman on April 7. Williams is one of seven lefties who has a chance of cracking the Tigers’ starting rotation.
The
ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By ABBIE PARR
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve right, stand on the court during the first half of a game on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Rattler holding steady in backup QB battle
Shough sporadic as first-team offense has sloppy outing
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
At some point, Kellen Moore says he plans to rotate the backup reps between Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson
The New Orleans Saints signed Wilson with the intention of creating a competition for the spot behind starter Tyler Shough The move was nothing against Rattler personally the Saints kept the quarterback, despite plenty of trade speculation — but rather, New Orleans’ staff wanted to see what they had in the former 2021 second overall pick.
But through the first four practices of training camp, as well as OTAs and mandatory minicamp, the competition hasn’t materialized.
And that’s a credit to Rattler
The third-year quarterback has seemingly given his coaches no reason to contemplate a switch over the past few months. The 25-yearold has been largely steady, even as the offense has yet to fully find a rhythm. Wilson, by contrast, looks very much like a player still learning a new system, which is understandable since this is his first year with the Saints.
“Eventually, we’ll probably do something,” Moore said. “We just like to rotate these guys and give different exposures. All three of those guys are playing good football.”
But if Rattler keeps performing as he has been, he likely won’t be in jeopardy of losing his backup job. Here’s what else stood out on Day 4.
Attendance: The Saints saw a few faces return to practice. While Cesar Ruiz and Ja’Lynn Polk were still excused for personal reasons, tight end Cody Hardy was removed from the non-
football-injury list. Defensive linemen Zxavian Harris (foot) and Keeshawn Silver (undisclosed) were in uniform, but still working with trainers off to the side.
Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (ankle) returned to team drills after sitting out of them Friday as a precaution.
Sloppy starters
The Saints moved practice indoors Sunday due to inclement weather Practicing inside did not help the first-team offense get into a groove.
Shough was again sporadic as he and the Saints try to adjust to the new pieces on offense. In 11-on-11 drills, Shough completed only three of his 13 passes — although there are some caveats.
ASSoCIATEd
Titans’ Levis: ‘There are not 32 QBs in this league better than me’
BY TERESA M. WALKER AP pro football writer
NASHVILLE,Tenn. Go ahead and call
Will Levis cocky
The Tennessee Titans quarterback currently fighting for the backup job here, or somewhere else, isn’t worried about winning anyone’s approval.
He wants to play
“There are not 32 quarterbacks in this league better than me,” Levis said Saturday “I know that for sure.” Levis’ confidence has not wavered one bit from his arrival as the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 draft. The general manager who drafted him was fired in January 2025, and Levis now has to earn more playing time with his third different coach for a franchise that drafted a quarterback No 1 overall in 2025. His biggest goal for this training camp? Be the best version of himself.
“When I get the opportunities, I know I’m gonna make the most of it and I’m going to shine,” Levis said. On paper Levis is a prototypical quarterback at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds with all the physical tools. He is 5-16 as a starting quarterback having completed 61% of his career passes for 3,899 yards with 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The other side? Levis threw four pick-6s in 2024, the most for this franchise in a season since the then-Oilers relocated to Tennes-
see in 1997. He lost five of eight fumbles and had only one more TD pass (13) than interceptions (12) that season
He missed three games and much of a fourth with a sprained AC joint in his right, throwing shoulder
Levis appeared ready to back up Cam Ward until sharing a photo of the U-shaped dip in his shoulder on social media, announcing he was having season-ending surgery the day before the Titans reported to training camp
That left no competition for Ward, and the Titans went 3-14 with Brian Callahan fired early in his second season
The Titans then hired Robert Saleh as coach who brought in offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Tennessee also signed veteran Mitchell Trubisky, the second overall pick in 2017 to a two-year contract hoping to tap into both his experience with Daboll and backing up a young quarterback in Buffalo.
That leaves Levis competing with Trubisky to back up Ward.
The Titans could keep Levis as the third quarterback for depth or trade him if Levis plays well enough this preseason to attract an offer
That’s what Tennessee did with Malik Willis in 2024. Now Willis has a starting gig with Miami.
“I know I put the tape out there already that I’m a dang good quarterback in this league,” Levis said. “And I’m even better than I ever have been.”
Two of those seeming incompletions were up for debate as it was unclear whether Chris Olave was in bounds on a deep ball on Shough’s first throw, while another appeared to be incomplete on a bang-bang play that could have been interpreted as a catch-and-fumble by Travis Etienne. Another of Shough’s incompletions, too, would have been wiped away because of an offsides penalty from Chase Young Still, whether he was 3-of-13 or 5-for-12, Shough struggled in team drills against New Orleans’ starting defense. He threw his second interception of camp when he held the ball for too long and tried to force a throw near the end zone that safety Julian Blackmon intercepted. He also saw Jonas Sanker make an impressive pass breakup when the second-
POLK
Continued from page 1B
offseason, and Polk also seemed motivated to put his time in New England behind him.
“I feel like I’m supposed to be here,” Polk said earlier this summer “For them bringing me in here and having that trust of seeing the player I’m capable of being, it speaks a lot. I just want to go out there each and every day and show them they made the right decision of bringing me in here.”
Polk had been absent from the past two days of training camp for what the Saints called an excused absence for personal reasons.
He was expected to play a large part of a revamped Saints receiver corps this season.
Polk was one of three receivers the Saints acquired shortly before
SAINTS
Continued from page 1B
inside and out.)
Fittingly, McKinstry is back wearing No. 1 — his college number that was previously taken by Taylor When McKinstry wore that jersey at the University of Alabama, that was the last time he was truly seen as a true, shutdown cornerback.
But if the progress he has seemingly made this offseason is real, and the momentum carries into the regular season, it won’t be long before McKinstry’s reputation as an elite corner is established at the NFL level.
“I’m the type of guy that keeps my head down and work,” McKinstry said “I thank (my teammates) for that recognition It just showed me that my work is paying off, but me, I’m the type of guy that I’ve got to keep my head down and work and be able to do this day in and day out.
“That’s the type of guy that I am.”
So, this offseason, McKinstry made it a priority to get in the best shape of his life Back in his hometown of Birmingham, the Alabama native focused on running. Miles. Sprints. Forty-yard dashes. You name it. McKinstry said he did it all because if there’s one thing he’s realized the most about playing his position, it’s that cornerbacks have to be able to run.
But McKinstry didn’t come to the realization on his own. For that, he credited his coaches —
we’re counting it as an incompletion.
If there was a bright spot for Shough, it came during 7-on-7 drills. He went 4-for-4 in his reps, notably hitting Etienne on a nice wheel route and finding DevaughnVele in traffic for a touchdown from the 5-yard line
“It’s training camp,” Moore said. “There are good days and days you want to improve. That’s part of this installation process.”
Play of the day
Bryce Lance continues to make plays. And during a 7-on-7 rep Sunday, the rookie wide receiver read the Saints’ zone defense perfectly as he found an opening in the back of the end zone so that Rattler could deliver the strike past a few nearby defenders.
Rattler’s pass itself was a dime. But the play also said something about the fourth-round wideout’s ability to read coverage.
“For him to be able to weave through all that coverage, it might not look like nothing is there at first, but for him to just feel that zone in the back of the end zone was big time,” Rattler said.
Odds and ends
year safety broke up a pass to Jordyn Tyson on the way to the ground. Shough hasn’t received a lot of help from his playmakers, either Drops were again an issue Sunday as Alvin Kamara couldn’t hold onto a good look that was generated off of play action. And there was one — or two — fumbles from the supporting cast, as well.
On the first, Juwan Johnson fumbled the ball out of bounds after a completion. The second turned out to be more controversial. Late in practice, linebacker Pete Werner punched the ball out of Etienne’s hands as soon as Shough’s pass arrived — causing the official to rule it a catch-and-fumble This, however, was highly debatable as it appeared Etienne had not established full control and for these purposes,
the start of last season, joining Devaughn Vele and Trey Palmer Then New Orleans selected three receivers in the 2026 NFL draft, including No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson.
The Saints’ top three in their rotation may not change after this news Vele may have had the inside track at the primary No. 3 role, though the Saints certainly would have varied personnel based on their opponent.
But Polk’s sudden retirement may impact the schedule New Orleans had for its other young receivers, with fourth-rounder Bryce Lance potentially being pushed into a bigger role than initially envisioned for him. It could also create space for another player to make the roster, such as Ronnie Bell or Kevin Austin.
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
past and present. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban, he said, used to stress that a cornerback needed to play every down, even if they were only seeing the ball five times per game And last year, Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley pointed to Jalen Ramsey’s conditioning when McKinstry inquired about some of the greats that Staley previously coached before arriving in New Orleans.
“You got to be able to run all day,” McKinstry said. Before he suffered a minor ankle injury that kept him out of team drills Friday, McKinstry had been running and then some. Arguably the Saints’ top performer to begin camp, no play appeared to summarize his effectiveness more than his pass breakup on Devaughn Vele in which he came crashing in to knock the ball out of the receiver’s hand. Even without pads McKinstry had established a level of physicality and command that kept him on the winning end of his matchups.
That, too, started to happen more and more as last season progressed. The Saints believe McKinstry made significant strides over the second half of the season. And though Pro Football Focus’ charting system is subjective, the data reflects what the team saw McKinstry, according to PFF, went from allowing 32 catches for 444 yards and five touchdowns over the first nine games to just 17 catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns over the final eight contests. Now, there’s demand for anoth-
n Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee will indeed undergo knee surgery after tearing his ACL last week, Moore said.
n The Saints squeezed in some extra reps near the end of practice as they conducted 11-on-11 drills with the first-team on one side of the field, while the second and third units worked on the opposite end.
n Sunday’s practice again featured a lot of work in the red zone, an area New Orleans struggled in last season. n Moore estimated the team has installed only half of its playbook so far n Monday marks the first day of pads for the Saints. Get ready
Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com
er jump.
Young knows what it’s like. In training camp last year, teammate Cam Jordan notably said they wanted to see waves, not splashes, from the pass rusher And linebacker Pete Werner called for Young to be “on his game” in the fall. But that type of push, Young said last week, provided motivation. He understood it came from a healthy place — and that his team had faith in him.
This year Young said he can tell that McKinstry understands his “number is being called” — but also noted McKinstry hasn’t had a pass caught on him yet.
“He knows he has to step up,” Young told the Times-Picayune.
“It’s good.”
In addition to his team standing to benefit if McKinstry hits a new gear, the cornerback could stand to gain a lot individually as well.
He’ll enter the final year of his contract in 2027, and if he dominates, McKinstry could be in line for a big-time extension, even before that season begins.
McKinstry just watched a similar path unfold for Chris Olave, the Saints wide receiver who recently signed a four-year extension worth up to $132 million. But for now, the cornerback said it’s not his job to be focused on any similarities. Instead, McKinstry has heard what his teammates have said.
And he’s found plenty of motivation in that.
“I feel like that’s something I’ve got to do for these guys,” McKinstry said, “to make sure their word come to life.”
PHoTo
By MATTHEW HInTon Saints wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk makes a catch on Wednesday at training camp in Metairie. Polk retired from the nFL on Sunday.
PRESS PHoTo By GEoRGE WALKER IV Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis huddles with teammates during the team’s training camp on Saturday in nashville, Tenn.
STAFF PHoTo By dAVId GRUnFELd Saints backup quarterback Spencer Rattler runs a drill during training camp on Sunday at the team’s indoor practice facility in Metairie.
NFL
Lions, Saints lead teams to go from worst to first
BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer
Going from last place to first in the division is far from an oddity in the NFL.
With last-place teams getting advantages like favorable schedules and higher draft picks, there have been 27 teams since the 2002 realignment that followed up a lastplace finish with a division title the following year
The New England Patriots and Chicago Bears both pulled off the trick last season, making it the fifth time in the last six seasons that at least one team has done it. Perhaps no team is better positioned to do it this season than the Detroit Lions, who came in fourth in the NFC North with a 9-8 record last season and still have many of the key pieces that helped the team earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs in 2024.
The Lions were hurt by injuries on defense and the struggle to replace offensive play-caller Ben Johnson. Drew Petzig was hired in the offseason to take over as offensive coordinator after John Morton was stripped of play-calling duties midway through the season. The Lions benefit from a last-place schedule that features nine of their 11 games outside the division against teams that finished with losing records last season
Here’s a look at the contenders based on their odds to finish first from BetMGM Sportsbook: Detroit Lions
Odds to win division: +175. Reason for optimism: The Lions have the best odds of any team in the NFC North to win the division after all four teams in the ultracompetitive division finished with winning records last season. Petzig takes over an offense that could be one of the most potent with stars like Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. Reason for pessimism: The offensive line that had been the strength of the team in recent years has several questions. Sewell is moving from right tackle to left tackle and the other four spots are manned by unproven players, including firstround right tackle Blake Miller
The secondary is a major concern with safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph hobbled by injuries that might linger into the season
New Orleans Saints
Odds to win division: +260. Reason for optimism: Quarterback Tyler Shough showed promise in nine starts as a rookie, with the Saints getting five of their six wins with him at the helm. New Orleans has a solid offensive line, playmakers Chris Olave and rookie Jordyn Tyson at receiver and a defense that was much improved under coordinator Brandon Staley With no team in the NFC South finishing with a winning record last season, the gap between last place and first is narrow Reason for pessimism: Olave played 16 games last season but has a history of concussions that could be a concern for a team that has few proven stars on offense. The pass
rush got 10 1/2 sacks from Cameron Jordan last season but he might need more help as he turned 37 this offseason If Shough regresses, the Saints could be looking at a sixth straight season out of the playoffs.
New York Giants
Odds to win division: +550
Reason for optimism: New coach John Harbaugh brings a proven track record to a franchise that needed a big jolt. Jaxson Dart showed flashes as a rookie with 15 touchdown passes and nine TD runs and could be better if WR Malik Nabers is healthy Brian Burns and Abdul Carter give New York a potential strong one-two punch at pass rusher and rookie Arvell Reese could make an immediate impact.
Reason for pessimism: The Giants had one of the league’s worst run defenses last season and traded away defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence in the offseason. That leaves a potentially big hole on the interior defensive line. If Nabers doesn’t get back to his rookie form from 2024, the offense lacks playmakers on the outside.
Tennessee Titans
Odds to win division: +850. Reason for optimism: If Cam Ward takes a big step in year two after some rookie struggles as the No. 1 overall pick and new coach Robert Saleh can improve the defense, the Titans could make a big jump after back-to-back three-win seasons. Star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons anchors the defense and rookie receiver Carnell Tate should provide a big boost to Ward on the outside.
Reason for pessimism: The offensive line remains one of the worst in the league and could hamper Ward’s progress. The defense underwent a major overhaul in the offseason but might take more than one season to get back to being competitive.
Cleveland Browns
Odds to win division: +2,000. Reason for optimism: The Browns got major contributions from last year’s draft class led by Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger, prolific tight end Harold Fannin Jr., running back Quinshon Judkins and defensive tackle Mason Graham.
With four picks in the first two rounds in April, the Browns are hoping they added more building blocks.
Reason for pessimism: Not much matters until the Browns find their quarterback. Deshaun Watson is returning from an Achilles injury that sidelined him all last season but he hasn’t been an effective quarterback since 2020. Shedeur Sanders made seven starts as a rookie but showed no signs of being a franchise quarterback. The offensive line remains a major problem and the defense must replace Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett after he was traded to the Rams.
New York Jets
Odds to win division: +2,000.
Reason for optimism: A reworked staff under coach Aaron Glenn will lead to improvement and new QB Geno Smith will look more like the passer he was in Seattle than last season with the Raiders thanks to a much better offensive line.
Reason for pessimism: The Jets have the longest active playoff drought in the NFL at 15 seasons and need lots of work to get back to contention. Smith was one of the worst QBs in the league last season.
Las Vegas Raiders
Odds to win division: +2,200. Reason for optimism: There’s nowhere to go but up after last season’s three-win campaign under Pete Carroll. New coach Klint Kubiak takes over after helping Seattle win the Super Bowl last season as offensive coordinator and will develop an offense around No 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. The offensive line should be improved with free agent acquisition Tyler Linderbaum and a healthy Kolton Miller, and the team has young playmakers in Brock Bowers and Ashton
Jeanty
Reason for pessimism: The Raiders are in a tough division with returning playoff teams Denver and the Chargers, along with Kansas City The issues that plagued Las Vegas last season will likely take more than a year to fix. The defense lacks stars outside of Maxx Crosby, the wide receivers are weak and there are questions at three spots on the offensive line
COMMENTARY
Broncos need to reunite coach Payton with QB Hill to help injured Nix
BY SEAN KEELER The denver Post (TnS)
DENVER If it means saving Bo Nix’s ankle, we would absolutely die on that Hill.
Taysom Hill, a Sean Payton favorite when the two were in New Orleans together, announced this past Wednesday that he was leaving the Saints. The longtime quarterback-tight-end-specialteams-gadget-dude said he’s considering his options. The football wonks up in the Grading The Week offices are hoping, and not all that quietly, that the 6-foot-2, 221-pound former BYU star would consider a short-term deal here. And that the Denver Broncos will do the same for the veteran utility banger
As Payton/George Paton moves go, finding a place for Hill in orange and blue just makes sense. Almost too much sense, when you think about it. Yes, Hill will turn 36 next month. Yes, he hasn’t played on at least 300 combined offense/ special teams snaps since 2023. Yes, he hasn’t attempted more than 11 passes since 2022. You know what we say to that?
Nix the overthinking, my friend.
As this past January reminded us, the most important, critical, almost spinal thread toward a march to the Super Bowl in 2026-27 is a.) playing in postseason games; and b.) having Nix healthy and rarin’ to go for those playoff tilts.
Taysom, even at 36, could become one of Bo’s best friends. What could the Broncos use on the fringes right now, at least on paper?
n A different, more athletic, option at backup QB. That’s Hill.
n More proven, reliable, shortyardage options at tight end. Also Hill.
n A veteran presence who knows Payton and can help smooth over the coach’s more well-known, shall we say rough edges during times of crisis. Especially on game days. Sound like anybody we know?
Again, it’s about Bo. What if, instead of always leaning on Nix
as a runner on critical shortyardage situations, you could take No. 10 out from time to time and use Hill as a “tush push” weapon on third or fourth down? Or at the goal line, where Nix’s ankle would also be routinely tested?
Or, if you want to keep the element of surprise, why not line up with both quarterbacks on short yardage, and make the defense have to choose who’s getting the ball? Given Payton’s madscientist proclivities and gameplanning creativity, the sky’s the limit. Any coach that could get Frank Crum in the end zone in a postseason game could find fun ways to use Hill in a pinch.
Nix accounted for 25 rushing first downs on 83 attempts last fall, a ratio of 30.1%. Hill sported a first-down ratio of 30.8% in 2025, and a 46.1% first-down ratio the season prior to that Save those legs, man. Save those ankles. We’ll grant you this: The same caveat applies to shoehorning Hill onto the Broncos as it does to trying to bring back, say, Von Miller — with a roster this sound, at least at the start of training camp, how often would he actually, seriously, play? Whom would you cut to make room? And, true, something might have to go very wrong over the next few weeks for an obvious roster spot to open up.
But by the same token, it’s not as if the Broncos can’t afford him, either According to OverTheCap.com, as of Friday afternoon, the law firm of Payton & Paton had $29.5 million in cap room to work with, ninth-most of any NFL franchise. And unlike the Vonster, Hill has been used as a spot/situational player for years. He knows his role. Knows the drill. He also comes to Dove Valley with a comparatively clean slate locally
What do you give a team that has, presumably, everything? A player that can do about anything might be the final X-factor that pushes the Broncos over the AFC pile and into a Super Bowl berth down in Inglewood, California, next February
Jeanty hopes to return to first-round pick form
BY MARK ANDERSON AP sportswriter
HENDERSON, Nev
There were
flashes last season of the Ashton Jeanty who put up historic rushing numbers in 2024 at Boise State and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.
But 2025 was a trying rookie season for the Las Vegas Raiders’ first-round draft selection that year, certainly not to even his lofty expectations.
Jeanty has taken those experiences into 2026 with the hopes of producing the type of season that he hopes would make him one of the NFL’s top running backs.
“When everything is not going well, continuing to go to work and having hope and faith,” Jeanty said. “I think that’ll carry into this year Just taking it one week at a time, whether you win or you lose, you’ve got to attack the next game and the next week with the same mindset.”
It’s not that last season was a complete failure. Jeanty, in fact, came within 25 yards from reaching 1,000 behind an offensive line that was the NFL’s worst. His 1.6 yards per attempt before contact, according to Pro Football Reference, was third worst among backs with more than 100 rushes.
The Raiders invested in their offensive line, most notably signing three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum out of Baltimore to a three-year, $81 million deal, with $60 million guaranteed. That’s the richest contract ever for an interior offensive lineman. Las Vegas also signed Spencer Burford, who spent the previous
four seasons at San Francisco, and he has been the first-team left guard this training camp. Left tackle Kolton Miller returns from an ankle injury that ended his season after just four games. How much better the line will be remains to be seen, but there is genuine hope that Jeanty will have more running room than he had last season.
“He wants to be a major part of this team,” first-year coach Klint Kubiak said. “We’re going to give him that opportunity.”
That comment falls in line with a similar one Kubiak made in the offseason that he expects Jeanty to be the bellcow back even with fourth-round pick Mike Washington Jr on the roster The rookie has had his moments in camp, and even got a carry with the starting offense on Sunday
“It’s always great to come out the game and have another guy come in there and there’s no drop down,” Jeanty said. “I truly believe he’ll be able to help us win some games.” The Raiders, of course, are counting on Jeanty to do the same, and he enters the season with a lot of focus on how he can take his game to another level.
One way, according to offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko, is for the soft-spoken Jeanty to be a more outspoken leader
“It’s always tough being in the first year trying to figure out so much stuff,” Jeanty said. “But this year, there’s a lot of expectations for me and I think I’ve got to make a big jump. I think that starts with helping my teammates as well and just being a better teammate.”
ASSoCIATEd PRESS PHoTo By PAUL SAnCyA
detroit Lions head coach dan Campbell talks to the media before practice at the team’s training camp on Thursday in Allen Park, Mich.
STAFF PHoTo By dAVId GRUnFELd Saints quarterback Tyler Shough hands the ball off to running back Travis Etienne during training camp on Sunday at the ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie.
LIVING
FORTHE PEOPLE
Banksy didn’t authorizethe Banksy exhibition in Tampa, butheknows aboutit
BY CHRISTOPHER SPATA
TampaBay Times (TnS)
TAMPA, Fla. For years,Michel Boersma,curator of aprivate collection of 160 worksbythe artist Banksy goingondisplay in Tampa this week, has traded emails with the artist’smysterious and notoriously strict authentication office known as Pest Control.
It’s the only conduitfor those withouta direct relationship with Banksy to reach out to the artist, whose identity hasnever been confirmed.
“I”m 99% sure there’sasection of that correspondence that was directly with (Banksy),” Boersma said. “At somepoint I’m like, ‘I’m in my 50s, you’re in your 50s, and we’re emailing each other at 2 o’clock at night. Iknowwho I’m talkingto. Whyare we playing this game?’
At first, the emails felt only contentious. Banksy,hesaid, had been actively trying to disruptthe traveling exhibition behindthe scenes, pressuring collectors who’d purchasedpiecestonot allowthem into the show.Boersma, to get cooperation, agreed to cover the
edition numbers on some artworks so that Pest Control wouldn’tknow whose they were. There were other attempts at disruption, Boersma said,without getting into details. “It involved (Banksy) involving his Hollywood friends and twoveryinfluential
artists to try to stop us.”
That complicated relationship follows “The Art of Banksy” to Tampa, where it runs through Sept. 27 on the stageofMorsani Hall at theStraz Center for the Performing Arts.
ä See BANKSY, page 2C
will be author Sebastian Junger,Trevor Phillips and GiannaToboni. All will be contributors to the show
The new journalistsjoin current correspondents Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim andBill Whitaker. Their hirings cometwo months after ashakeup at the storiedprogram, led by the network’snew editor-in-chief, BariWeiss. Weissinstalled Bilton,who has little substantive broadcast news experience, as executive producer,replacing Tanya Simon, who was let go after a30-plus year
tenure with the show.Also let go were correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi andCecilia Vega —and soon after,ScottPelley,after atense confrontation with his bosses over the changes. In addition to the three dismissed, Anderson Cooper whose primary job is at CNN —said earlier this year he was
Austria’s 16th-century bell foundryadds modern tech to keep
BY PHILIPP JENNE Associated Press
INNSBRUCK, Austria Wearing protective gear to shieldfrom the extremeheat of molten bronze,workers at oneofthe last bell foundriesinEurope are casting bells weighing several tons. One after another,the artisans carefully pour themolten metal into specially shaped molds held together with steel bands to create12bells for churches in Italy,Germany and Romania. Foundedin1599, theGrassmayr Bell Foundry,inInnsbruck, western Austria, has survived wars, famines, epidemics and economic challenges. These days, the family business is run by brothers Johannes and Peter Grassmayr During theRenaissanceinthe late MiddleAges, there were hundreds of bell makers in Europe, while today only ahandful remain across the continent.
AP PHoTo By MATTHIAS SCHRAdER
An employeeworksonthe inside of abell at the 400-yearoldfamily-owned bellfoundry Grassmayr in Innsbruck, Austria.
The Grassmayrs’ secret to success: tenacity combined withinnovation,such as 3D printing, scanning, lasers, and computer simulation apps. “Certain things are just like they were400 years ago. But we innovated alot. Especially within the last 20 years, we’ve changed alot,” Johannes Grassmayr told The Associated Press. The productioncycle formaking abell takes threetofour months. In the past, cleaning a freshly cast bell and polishing
ä See FOUNDRY, page 2C
TnS PHoToSByJEFFEREE Woo
Fraser Goulding,left, and Jake Grundy, artinstallers, takeout Banksy’s ‘Mona Lisa on Mesh’ while theyprepare to hang it on awall at the Straz Center on July 27 in Tampa
Continued from page 1C
Visitors will walk through a temporary museum displaying prints, paintings, sculptures, sketches, stencils and ephemera owned by about 40 private collectors. Tickets start at $29.99 before fees
Banksy emerged from the graffiti scene in Bristol, England, in the 1990s and gained attention in the 2000s as his darkly funny stencils appeared on walls across the world. His instantly recognizable attacks on war, authority, consumerism and inequality — and his hidden identity created a phenomenon. Soaring auction prices, famous collectors and the Oscar-nominated documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” put him at the center of the art world.
The exhibition in Tampa includes familiar images such as “Girl with Balloon” and “Rude Copper,” along with what its organizers call the original “Flower Thrower,” apparently made as a gift to one of Banksy’s former girlfriends years before the image became internationally recognizable. Another featured work is a version of the “Mona Lisa” that was purchased by actor Brad Pitt, returned to Banksy in 2022 and transformed into a new work that is now being publicly displayed in the United States for the first time.
The show has traveled internationally for about a decade, but Tampa marks the first time it has been installed directly on a theater stage. Temporary walls were erected across the stage and orchestra pit area, creating a sort of maze where the art will be individually lit and rock music will play Videos feature people from Banksy’s past, including printmaker Ben Eine and former girlfriend Leonie Laws Banksy did not curate, approve or authorize any of it Pest Control declined to comment on specifics of “The Art of Banksy” or Boersma’s characterizations of their communication. In an email to the Tampa Bay Times signed “PCO,” the office only reiterated that the exhibition is “wholly unofficial and unauthorized.”
But over the years, Boersma said, Banksy has stopped trying to disrupt the exhibition. And he has never condemned “The Art of Banksy” publicly That’s not an endorsement, by any stretch, but to Boersma, it means something.
“If you look at Pest Control’s website right now, on the homepage above or under their logo, there’s a message attacking another exhibition in London,” Boersma said. “They could have done that when we were in London, but they never did.” He feels his exhibition, due to its effort to authenticate every artwork, has reached a sort of “gentleman’s agreement” with the artist.
Most of the works in the exhibition carry certificates of authenticity issued by Pest Control Other pieces, such as personal sketches or gifts, fall into categories for
Continued from page 1C
it made up 30% of total production time. Nowadays, with the help of modern tools, that process takes only a tenth of the time.
Grassmayr keeps some of its most innovative production steps a secret, such as a special chamber where the bells are cleaned with a highpressure sandblaster, not to mention the specialized apps used to calculate the sound of each particular bell. Even with modern technology, the process of designing and forming the molds for a large bell can take up to six months.
“The important thing is that you have calculate, form and then cast the bell as a musical instrument.” Johannes said, adding that the greatest difficulty in creating the bell is the risk that molten metal pressure will destroy the mold
which Banksy does not issue certificates. Those have been supported by provenance connecting them directly to Banksy or his associates, including correspondence, photographs and statements from their original owners.
Boersma said the exhibition has turned down objects that looked convincing when he and other experts could not trace their histories.
“The risk of us putting it on display and then it not being correct was just not worth it,” Boersma said.
The relationship with Pest Control shifted, Boersma said, when the office began pressing him to provide a list of works traveling under Banksy’s name. Boersma initially refused, but it became clear to him they only wanted to make sure anything identified as a Banksy was actually made by Banksy and that any work made by somebody else properly credited the real artist.
That made Boersma realize they were, from different angles, trying to protect the same thing.
“I’m taking a leap of faith,” Boersma recalled writing.
“I’ll send you the artwork list.” It was, he said, “the beginning of us doing a dance of trusting each other.” Pest Control, he said, will flag anything that isn’t right. Pest Control did not confirm that arrangement to the Times.
The producers are making some of that email correspondence part of the Tampa attraction. Visitors purchasing the VIP experience can enter a lounge displaying selections from the emails. The exhibition’s website characterizes them as an ongoing dialogue about authenticity and intellectual property
Corey Ross, owner of Starvox Entertainment and a producer of the exhibition, said the presence of actual artwork is the main difference between “The Art of Banksy” and competing attractions that rely heavily on enlarged scans, recreated images or immersive projections.
Boersma, Ross said, spent years developing relationships with collectors and convincing them to let valuable and sometimes intensely personal objects travel.
“This show, in a way, celebrates the collectors as much as it celebrates Banksy,” Ross said The works in this exhibition are not taken from streets or public walls, or works that were ever available to see for free, its producers say They are objects Banksy sold or gave to people who now control where they are displayed. They also believe that as more artwork is stashed in storage containers to avoid
sure inside the molds, he said. To ensure the integrity of the mold, only high-quality clay is used and then encased in steel sleeves designed to withstand extreme pressure.
But it’s not only the difficulty of the production that has Grassmayr worried. The modern bell-making industry is under pressure as fewer churches are being built, changing the demand for bells. Rising energy costs due to the war in Ukraine are not helping, and labor costs have risen 30% since the pandemic in 2020
But the main cost factor of a newly cast bell is still the price of materials. The best bells require high-quality bronze, which is 80 parts copper to 20 parts tin. A few years ago, the price of bronze was $9.23 per kilogram compared with $26.17 today, Johannes said
Richard Wormley, an assistant curator, shows Banksy’s ‘The Flower Thrower’ at the Straz Center on July 27 in Tampa.
TnS PHoTo By JEFFEREE Woo
taxes, awaiting the day it will be flipped for a big payoff, there’s value in keeping it on display somewhere.
Many of the lenders are not wealthy art investors, Boersma said. They are early admirers who bought prints when they cost 50 or 100 pounds or spent years of savings on a work before Banksy’s market exploded. Some knew the artist personally Others bought the art before his name alone could add hundreds of thousands of dollars to its value.
The exhibition’s early “Flower Thrower” offers the most personal example.
Boersma said Banksy made the small work in 1997 as a Valentine’s Day gift for Laws In a filmed interview included in the exhibition, Laws recounts receiving it and later sending it to Pest Control while seeking formal authentication.
The work was returned months later with its original personal message partly ground away and replaced
The exhibition will show visitors a scan of the reverse side, where remnants of the first inscription can still be seen.
For Ross, an independently assembled retrospective can do something Banksy’s own projects can’t do. When Banksy creates an exhibition, it is typically a new artwork, not a history “The Art of Banksy” places pieces from different stages of his career together, alongside the stories of the people who acquired them.
Museums generally have policies against staging a retrospective for a living artist without that artist’s direct cooperation.
“When someone is as public and as political and as influential as Banksy has been,” Ross said, “there’s also a place and value for a third party to look at what his work is and to talk about it.” Banksy is arguably the most famous living artist in the world.
Tampa artist Leon Bedore, better known as Tes One, sees the absence of Banksy’s permission as a disqualifying problem.
Bedore, whose career has roots in graffiti, declined an invitation to walk through the exhibition before it opened.
“The reason is that ‘The Art of Banksy’ is not an authorized exhibition of his work,” Bedore wrote in an email. “It’s just one of many exhibitions that tour and exploit his work for spectacle and profit.
“If you’re a fan of Banksy I highly encourage you to seek out and experience his work where he originally placed it,” he wrote. “Context is key, and an unauthorized exhibition has none of it.”
By The Associated Press Today is Monday, Aug. 3, the 215th day of 2026. There are 150 days left in the year Today in history:
On Aug. 3, 2019, a gunman opened fire at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, resulting in the deaths of 23 people; after surrendering, the gunman told detectives he targeted “Mexicans” and had outlined the plot in a screed published online shortly before the attack.
Also on this date:
In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, on his first voyage that took him to the present-day Americas.
In 1936, Jesse Owens, of the United States, won the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he took the 100-meter sprint.
In 1972, the U.S. Senate
‘60 MINUTES’
Continued from page 1C
leaving of his own accord after two decades.
Enthusiasm over hires
Weiss and Tom Cibrowski, the CBS News president, praised the new hires in an internal memo. “We couldn’t be more excited about this news,” the two said, welcoming the new additions. “Onward!”
Bilton called Douthat “one of the preeminent public intellectuals in America today, a thinker of uncommon rigor and a journalist of deep empathy.” The columnist has spent nearly two decades at the Times and is an author of numerous books.
The producer called O’Donnell “a powerhouse.”
“You’ve seen her all over the network. She’s launched a new podcast. And you’ll see much more of her in our halls because Norah will be
ratified the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1977, the Tandy Corporation introduced the TRS80, one of the first widelyavailable home computers.
In 1981, U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike, seeking pay and workplace improvements (two days later, President Ronald Reagan fired the 11,345 striking union members and barred them from federal employment).
In 2018, Las Vegas police said they were closing their investigation into the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting that left 58 people dead at a country music festival without a definitive answer for why Stephen Paddock unleashed gunfire from a hotel suite onto the concert crowd.
In 2021, New York’s state attorney general said an investigation found Gov Andrew Cuomo had
a correspondent on 60 Minutes.”
Bilton praised Junger for his nonfiction work “The Perfect Storm,” about a catastrophic 1991 storm. The book “landed with an electric charge in the world of reported nonfiction, defining an intense and intimate form of storytelling and establishing Sebastian as a generational talent,” Bilton said Toboni joins“60 Minutes” as a contributor and CBS News as a national correspondent. Previously a senior correspondent with VICE News and VICE on HBO, she comes to the program from CNN.
Calling her a journalist of “extraordinary range,” Bilton noted that Toboni has interviewed members of ISIS, investigated cartel violence in Mexico and has written a book on the death penalty
Also serving as contributor will be Trevor Phillips, announced last month as the news division’s senior global affairs correspon-
ernment employees; the report stepped up pressure from fellow Democrats
Cuomo to resign, and he did so a week later Today’s birthdays: Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy is 101. Actor Martin Sheen is 86. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 85. Film director John Landis is 76. Actor JoMarie Payton (TV: “Family Matters”) is 76. Hockey Hall of Famer
is
is
phen Carpenter (Deftones) is 56. Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady is 49. Actor Evangeline Lilly is 47. Olympic swimming gold medalist Ryan Lochte is 42.
dent. Based in London, he is “one of the most respected and trusted voices in the United Kingdom for his ability to ask the toughest questions and hold anyone in power to account,” Bilton wrote in his memo.
Upheaval at ‘60 Minutes’ Turmoil had raged at “60 Minutes” for more than a year before the May shakeup. Much of it came after President Donald Trump sued the show over its editing of a 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. That became part of a broader shakeup at CBS News after Weiss was named to the new role of editor-in-chief by parent company Paramount late last year following David Ellison’s arrival as the network’s corporate leader Jocelyn Noveck covers the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press.
When the workers cast a large bell weighing several tons, the liquid bronze creates up to 137 tons of pres-
“That’s why I can’t even say how much a bell is going to cost in a year I just hope the metal price is going to come down again,” he added. To keep the business going, the family has increasingly turned to restoring old
bells, often with the help of modern technologies. Hundreds of defective bells from 12 European countries have been restored at the Grassmayr bell foundry, according to the company Bells made by Grassmayr can be found in over 100 countries, ranging from Japan to the United States.
One of the largest the brothers have cast was for Romania’s National Cathedral in Bucharest. Cast in 2016, it is 10.8 feet tall and weighs more than 27.5 tons. Another creation, weighing 16.5 tons, hangs in a church on Mount Tabor in Israel.
Johannes showed the AP several recently cast bells that were being left to cool down for a week before being removed from their molds. He pointed to the precise negative imprint still visible in the clay form.
“This bell is for the church in Zethau, in Germany,” he said. “I’m very happy with the casting. I’m especially happy that the innovations of the past decades helped a lot to make the bells ever more beautiful and better.” FOUNDRY
Marcel Dionne
75. Actor John C. McGinley
67. Rock singer/guitarist James Hetfield (Metallica) is 63. Actor Lisa Ann Walter (TV: “Abbott Elementary”) is 63. Rock musician Ste-
LEO (July23-Aug. 22) Gather information and consider the possibilities. Don't stop short, have low confidence or let confusion take over. If you do thelegwork, you'll be surprised how much you can achieve.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Personal situations involvingmoney, contracts and commitments will be strained if not handled openlyand honestly. If you feel someoneisgiving you the runaround, theyprobably are.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Completeyour missions beforeyou getintodiscussions or take on new projects.It's important to stayontop of matters if you want to eliminate undue stress. Don't overthink.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Stayfocused on your agenda and objective. Apleasant disposition will help you gain the respect and assistance you need. A change or moveyou want to pursue will have underlying stipulations.
SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Make domestic changes to ease your overhead.Considerwho and what is costing you, and go through aprocess of eliminationtoensure you aren'twasteful.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Educational pursuits that enrich your mind or physical changes that make you more appealing can both help you build momentum in achieving personal and professional gains.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Imagination, intuition and an abundance of energy
that needsanoutlet will help you find apathloadedwithall sorts of interesting opportunities. Reinvent yourself
PISCES(Feb. 20-March20) Pull in the reinsand rethinkyourplans. Acting prematurely will leave you cleaning up amess. Be methodical, resourceful and humble when it comes to how you proceed.
ARIES(March 21-April 19) Limitthe information you share. Choose your words wisely, anddon'tmakepromises you can'thonor.A direct approach will help you get what youwant and when.
TAURUS (April20-May 20) Choosing practicality over whimsywill save you fromloss. Avoid hype about earning easy money. Someone will have a hidden agenda that can leave you in a vulnerable position.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Makinga lifestyle change or renovation or participating in apastime you feel passionate about will enhance your chances of fraternizing with someonewho offers insight intosomething unique.
CANCER (June 21-July22) Themore information you have, the easier it will be to avoid traps and trouble. Listen carefully, and don'tlet anyone push you intoanargument. Using charmwill help you get the support you need
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotationsbyfamous people, past and present.Each letter in thecipher stands for another.
TODAy'SCLUE:G EQUALS I
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
JohnWesley,an18th-century English preacher, said, “Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; foritisashame if Icannotwrite better sermons now than Idid sevenyearsago.”
Last weekImentioned theRuleof Seven. In ano-trump contract, when a defender leads asuit in which declarer has onlyone top-trick stopper (usually theace), theRule of Seven tells declarer how long to hold up that stopper. He subtractsfromseventhetotalnumberof cards hissidehas in thesuit and holds up for that number of rounds.
When declarer is only worried about thesuitled,the Rule of Sevenworksfine But it needscarefulhandling.
In this deal, how should Southplan the play in three no-trumpafter West leads the spade two?
TheRuleofSeven is primarilyuseful when theopponents have eight cards in theirsuitdividing 5-3. Declarer holds up his ace for tworounds (seven minus five is two), so that thedefenderwith the long suitcan cashhis two remaining winners only if he hasanentry.
Whatiftheir eight-card fitisbreaking 4-4? Then thereisnopoint in holding up, because declarer cannot break theopponents’ communication in the suit. They will always get three tricks (unless declarer can immediately run for home).
wuzzles
In this deal, if South takes the first trick and drives out thediamond ace, he losesonlyonediamondandthreespades. Butifheducks hisspade aceattrickone,
By Andrews McMeel Syndication
aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InStRuctIonS: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2.
Average
loCKhorNs
Thankthe Lord forall of his blessings. G.E. Dean
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
to www.centralbidding. com. No bidreceived afterthe scheduledtime foropening will be con‐sidered. Official Biddocuments areavailable at Central Bidding. Electronic Bids areacceptedatCentral Bidding. CentralBidding canbeaccessedat www centralbidding.com.To view these, download receivebid noticesbyemail,and submit thebid youmustregisterwith CentralAuction House. Vendors/Contractorswill have theoptiontosub‐mittheir bids andbid bondselectronicallyor by papercopy. Forques‐tionsrelated to theelec‐tronic biddingprocess, please call CentralBid‐ding at 225-810-4814.
A NON-MANDATORY PreBidConferenceshall be held on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 10:00 A.M. at 232 Lafayette Street BatonRouge,Louisiana 70801.Interestedbidders arestronglyencouraged to attend this meetingas access to theexisting structurewillbe pro‐id d
p vided TheBidding Documents, consisting of Advertise‐ment forBids, Informa‐tion forBidders,Bid Form,Bid Bond,Agree‐ment,General Condi‐tions, Supplementary Conditions,Special Con‐ditions, PaymentBond, PerformanceBond, No‐tice of Award, Notice to Proceed,Drawings, Spec‐ificationsand Addenda maybeexaminedatthe followinglocations: Gros Flores Positerry,LLC Architecture andInterior Design 12032 BricksomeAve BatonRouge,LA70816 Bids shallbeaccepted from Contractorswho arelicensedunder LA R.S. 37:2150-2163 forthe classification of BUILD‐INGCONSTRUCTION. TheOwner requires that each bidder attach to his bida certified check, cashier’scheck,orbid bond equivalent to 5% of thetotal bidasevidence of good faithofthe bid‐der. Sureties used forob‐tainingbonds must ap‐pear as acceptable on theU.S.Departmentof theTreasuryCircular570. Proposal prices shall specificallyEXCLUDE any andall taxeswhatso‐ever.Act 1029 of 1991 ex‐emptslocal governments from stateand localtax effectiveSeptember 1, 1991. Proposal prices shallinclude anyship‐ping /transportation charges, if applicable No bidder maywithdraw hisbid within forty-five (45) daysafter
only vendor informationsharedat thebid openingwillbe thereading of thenames of thosevendors who submittedbids. Electronic bids forthe solicitation will be down‐loaded by theCityof BatonRouge andParish of East BatonRouge,Pur‐chasingDivision. Beginning as soon as f ibl f h bid
andexam‐ined withoutchargein theoffice of theProject Architect, or as re‐questedfor electronic copies viaPDF from the ProjectManager by emailingOliviaLazarus at olivia@whlcarchitec‐ture.com.For additional information, contact WHLC Architecture.at theabove emailorphone number225-767-1530. Bids shallbereceived electronically viawww lbiddi
of Avi‐ation(DOTD), alongwith thesecuringofother re‐quired approvals. Project numbers will be as‐signed upon approval by theFAA.
1. Policy:Itisthe policy of theDepartmentof Transportation (DOT) that DisadvantagedBusi‐
R.S. 38:2214. Electronic BidDocu‐mentsmay be submitted by Contractorstothe Construction &Facilities Management Office by submitting theirbid alongwiththeir bidsecu‐rity to https://www.cen tralauctionhouse.com Electronic bids
g
tronic form at theLaPAC website https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/dspBid cfm?search=departm ent&term=102. Bids,amendmentsto bids or requestfor with‐drawal of bids received after time specified for bidopeningsshall notbe considered forany cause whatsoever. Inquirieswillbereceived up until 5pmonAugust 7, 2026. Full informationmay be obtained upon request from theabove address or by telephoningLatisha Cannon at (225) 389-3259, Ext.3271, or viaemail lcannon@brla.gov. Anyvendorwho would like to listen to theopen‐ingofthisbid canaccess thefollowing link,atthe date andtimeofthisbid opening:
NOTE:The only vendor informationsharedat thebid openingwillbe thereading of thenames of thosevendors who submittedbids. Join by phone +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll Access code:263 373 080 (followedbythe #but‐ton)
Alternatenumbers to call if numberabove is not available, which may occurdue to network traffic(usethe same Ac‐cess Code,followedby the# button): United States Toll (Boston)
+1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago)
+1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas)
+1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver)
+1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 Thesenumbers will pro‐vide youwithliveaudio access to this bidopen‐ing. 195305 July 27, Aug. 3, 2t $103.88
Job Site Visit to follow. 194554-668898-July 21, 27, Aug. 3-3t
The following resolution was offered by Dustin Yates and seconded by Murelle Harrison:
RESOLUTlON
Aresolution providing for canvassing the returns and declaring the results of the special election held in the Parish of East Baton Rouge on Saturday,June 27, 2026, to authorize the renewal of a special tax of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”).
BE IT RESOLVED by the BoardofCommissioners of theRecreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (the “Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), that: SECTION 1. Canvass. This Governing Authority does now proceed in open and public session to examine the official tabulations of votes cast at the special election held in the Parish of East Baton Rouge on SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2026 (the “Election”), to authorize the renewal of aspecial tax therein pursuant to the following proposition (the “Proposition”): PROPOSITION (MILLAGE RENEWAL)
Shall the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), continue to levy aspecial tax of 3.96 mills taxonall property subject to taxation in the Parish (an estimated $24,800,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entireyear), for aperiod of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, to provide funds for maintaining and operating the public parks and recreational properties and facilities of BREC, and making available funds for the operating budget of BREC?
This Governing Authority does further proceed to examine and canvass the returns of the Election thereof.
SECTION 2. Election Results. According to the official certified tabulation of votes cast at said Election, therewas atotal of 46,538 votes cast IN FAVOR OF the Proposition and atotal of 27,798 votes cast AGAINST the Proposition, resulting in amajority of 18,740 votes cast IN FAVOR OF the Proposition. The Proposition was therefore duly CARRIED by amajority of the votes cast by the qualified electors voting at the Election.
SECTION 3. Promulgation of Election Result. The results of said election shall be promulgated by publication in the manner provided by law,after receipt from the Secretary of State’soffice of the actual costs of the election, as required by §18:1292 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended.
SECTION 4. Declaration. The foregoing results of the Election are hereby declared by this Governing Authority and shall be published as required by law
SECTION 5. Procès Verbal. A Procès Verbal of the canvass of the returns of the Election shall be made and acertified copy thereof shall be forwarded to the Secretary of State, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who shall recordthe same in her office; another certified copy thereof shall be forwarded to the Clerk of Court and Ex-Officio Recorder of Mortgages in and for the Parish of EastBaton Rouge, who shall record the same in the Mortgage Records of said Parish; and another copy thereof shall be retained in the archives of thisGoverning Authority
This resolution having been submitted to avote, the vote thereon was as follows: YEAS: 7Mr. Polito, Mr.Stages, Mr.Vicknair,Mr. McDavid, Mr.Temple, Mr.Yates, Dr.Harrison
NAYS: 0 ABSENT:2Mr. Evans, Mr.Ortego Andthe resolution was declared adopted on this, the 23rdday of July, 2026.
/s/ Janet C. Simmons /s/ Michael Polito
Interim Superintendent and Ex-Officio Secretary Chairman
PROCÈS VERBAL OF THE CANVASS OF THE VOTES CAST AT THESPECIAL ELECTION HELD IN THE RECREATIONAND PARK COMMISSION FOR THE PARISH OF EAST BATONROUGE, ON SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2026.
BE IT KNOWN AND REMEMBERED that on Thursday ,July 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., at its regular meeting place, the BREC’sAdministration Building, 6201 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Boardof Commissioners of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (the “Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), and being the authority ordering the special election held
said election the following proposition, to wit: PROPOSITION (MILLAGE RENEWAL) Shall the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), continue to levy aspecial tax of 3.96 mills tax on allproperty subject to taxationinthe Parish (an estimated $24,800,000 reasonably expected at this timetobecollected from the levy of the tax foranentireyear), for aperiod of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, to provide funds for maintaining and operating the public parks and recreational properties and facilities of BREC, and making available funds for the operating budget of BREC?
Therewas found by said count and canvass that therewas atotal of 46,538 votes cast IN FAVOR OF the Propositionand atotal of 27,798 votes cast AGAINST the Proposition, as hereinabove set forth, and it was further found and determined that therewas amajority of 18,740 votes cast IN FAVOR OF the Propositionashereinabove set forth. Therefore, the Governing Authority did declareand proclaim and does hereby declareand proclaim in open and public session that the Propositionashereinabove set forthwas duly CARRIED by amajority of the votes cast by the qualified electors voting at the said special election held in the Parish of East Baton Rouge on Saturday,June 27, 2026. Resultsbyprecinct areavailablefromthe Interim Superintendent and Ex-Officio Secretaryofthis Governing Authority during regular business hours or via the Louisiana SecretaryofState’swebsite (voterportal sos. la.gov) Exhibit “A” attached hereto and made apart of this Procès Verbal is acopy of the Notice of Special Election and proof of publication thereof THUS DONE AND SIGNEDatBaton Rouge, Louisiana, on this, the 23rdday of July,2026.
ATTEST:/s/ Michael Polito Chairman /s/ Janet C. Simmons Interim Superintendent and Ex-Officio Secretary
EXHIBIT “A”
NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION
Pursuant to the provisions of aresolution adopted by the Boardof Commissioners of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (the “Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), on December 17, 2025, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that aspecial election will be held within the Parish on SATURDAY JUNE 27, 2026,and that at the said election therewill be submitted to all registered voters in the Parish of East Baton Rouge (the “Parish”), qualified and entitled to vote at the said election under the Constitution and Laws of the StateofLouisiana and the Constitution of the United States, the following proposition, to-wit:
PROPOSITION (MILLAGE RENEWAL)
Shall the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), continue to levy aspecial tax of 3.96 mills taxonall property subject to taxation in the Parish (an estimated $24,800,000 reasonablyexpected at this timetobecollected from the levy of the tax foranentireyear), for aperiod of 10 years, beginning with the year 2027 and ending with the year 2036, to provide funds for maintaining and operating the public parks and recreational properties and facilities of BREC, and making availablefunds for the operating budget of BREC?
The said special election will be held at each and every polling place in the Parish, which polls will open at seven o’clock (7:00) a.m. and close at eight o’clock (8:00) p.m in accordance with the provisions of La. R.S. 18:541. The polling places at the precincts in the Parish arehereby designated as the polling places at which to hold the said election, and the Commissioners-in-Charge and Commissioners, respectively,shall be those persons designated according to law The estimated cost of this election as determined by the Secretary of State based upon the provisions of Chapter 8-A of Title 18 and actual costs of similar elections is $548,300. Notice is further given that aportion of the monies collected from the tax described in the
the officersappointed to hold the said election,
as provided in this NoticeofSpecial Election, or suchsubstitutestherefor as maybeselected anddesignatedinaccordance with La.R.S. 18:1287, will make due returns thereof to said Governing Authority,and NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN thatthe Governing Authority will meet at its regularmeeting place, the BREC’s Administration Building, 6201 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,Louisiana,on THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2026, at 5:00 P.M.,and shall thenand there in openand public session proceed to examine andcanvass the returns anddeclarethe result of the said special election. All registeredvoters of the Parish areentitledtovote at said special election andvoting machineswill be used.
PROCLAMATION
I, the undersigned Chairmanofthe BoardofCommissioners of the Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (the“Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the Recreationand Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), do hereby declare, proclaim andannouncethatthe proposition submitted at the special election held in the Parish of East Baton Rouge on Saturday,June 27, 2026, wasCARRIEDbya majority of the votes cast at the said special election, allasdescribed andset out in the above Procès Verbal THUS DONEAND SIGNEDatBaton Rouge,Louisiana,onthis, the 23rdday of July,2026.
/s/ Michael Polito Chairman
STATEOFLOUISIANA PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE
I, the undersigned Interim Superintendentand Ex-OfficioSecretary of the BoardofCommissioners of the Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (the“Governing Authority”), acting as the governing authority of the Recreation andPark Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (“BREC”), do hereby certify thatthe
($15,000,000) in oneor more series at arateor ratesnot exceedingeight percent(8.0%)per annum.The Bondsare to be sold to Raymond James& Associates,Inc or such otherpurchaser to be determined by the Corporationata later date to financethe ac‐quisition, construction andequipping of NSA East Bank Apartments locatedin NewOrleans, Orleans Parish,Louisiana (the Project”) at ameet‐ingofthe BoardofDirec‐tors of theCorporation scheduledfor August 12, 2026, at ten(10:00) o’clocka.m Louisiana time,atthe officesofthe LouisianaHousing Cor‐poration,2415 Quail Drive, BatonRouge Louisiana70808. TheCor‐poration reserves the righttopostponethe date,hourand placeset forthabove forthe sale of theBonds (without anyfurther publication of notice of thechangein thesaledate, time and/or location). In the eventthe sale is post‐ponedasprovided above, anyone desiring writtennoticeofthe sub‐sequentdateand time which said sale is to be accom¬plished must re‐questsuchnoticefrom theChairwomanofthe BoardofDirectors of the Corporation. TheBonds will be sold pursuant to theterms of a resolution to be adoptedbythe Cor‐poration anda TrustIn‐denture(the“Inden‐ture”) to be executed by andbetween theCorpo‐ration anda trustee bank
Theprincipal of andin‐terest on theBonds will be payableatthe princi‐paloffice of thepaying agentoragentsselected by theCorporation in ac‐cordance with theprovi‐sionsofthe Indenture.
TheBonds will be dated as provided in theInden‐ture,willbearinterestat such rate or ratesestab‐lished at thetimeofsale of theBonds (not in ex‐cess of eightpercent (8.0%) perannum), payableonsuch datesas setforth in theInden‐ture,and will mature no laterthanforty (40) yearsfromdateofis‐suance
TheBonds will be is‐sued in fullyregistered form in thedenomina‐tionsasprovidedinthe Indenture. Bondswillbe transferable as provided in theIndenture
This Notice of Sale of Bondsisbeing published in accordance with the requirements of the LouisianaConstitution, applicable statutes and theAct.For aperiodof thirty (30) days from the date of publication hereof,any person or personsininterestshall have theright to contest thelegalityofthisnotice, theresolution, anyprovi‐sion of theBonds to be issued pursuant to it,the provisions securing the Bonds, andthe validity of allother provisions and proceedings relating to theauthorization andis‐suance of theBonds.If no action or proceeding is instituted within the thirty (30) days,noper‐sonmay contestthe va‐lidity of theBonds,the provisions of theresolu‐tion pursuant to which theBonds were issued thesecurityofthe Bonds, or thevalidityof anyother provisions or proceedings relating to theirauthorization and issuance,and theBonds shallbepresumedcon‐clusivelytobelegal Thereafter no courtshall have authoritytoinquire into such matters.
Forfurther information relative to theBonds and notcontained in this No‐tice,addressButlerSnow LLP,BondCounsel,201 St.Charles Avenue,Suite 2700, NewOrleans,LA 70170. BY ORDEROFTHE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, acting as thegoverning authorityofthe Corpora‐tion
LOUISIANAHOUSING CORPORATION
/s/ KevinJ.Delahoussaye
TheLouisiana Officeof StateParks is requesting proposalsfor aPublicPrivatePartnership pro‐ject to design,construct andoperate ahigh-qual‐ityrecreationalvehicle campground andrelated amenities. Formorein‐formationgotoopportu‐nitiesinlouisiana.com. 192994-jul2-aug15-45t $207.90
PUBLIC NOTICE Forthe Meetingofthe GoverningAuthority of AmericanaEconomic DevelopmentDistrict CouncilChambers, 4700 Main Street Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Immediatelyfollowing closeof MeetingofMayor and City Council A. CALL TO ORDER Themeetingwas called to orderbyChairwoman AmbreDeVirgilioat8:06 p.m.
B. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Rolled over from previ‐ousmeeting.
C. OPENING PROCEDURES
1. ROLL CALL MEMBERSPRESENT John LeBlanc AmbreDeVirgilio JamesGraves Jennifer Landry MEMBERSABSENT Brandy Westmoreland
2. MINUTESOFTHE PRE‐VIOUSMEETINGOFJune 09, 2026, regularmeeting. Themotionwas made by Mr.LeBlanc Themotionwas sec‐ondedbyMrs.Landry To approvethe Minutes of June 09, 2026, regular meeting, andapprove them as written.
YEAS:LeBlanc,DeVirgilio, Graves,Landry NAYS:None ABSENT:Westmoreland ABSTAINED: None D. NEWBUSINESS 1. Mrs. DeVirgilio gave an update on theAEDDac‐count balance, with the ending balance $218,334.88.
2. Mrs. DeVirgilio spoke regardingthe AEDD sales
taxreport. 3. Resolution of Disbursement
PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE theLouisiana De‐partment of Conserva‐tion andEnergy, Office of Permitting andCompli‐ance (OPC)has received thefollowing applica‐tion(s)for aCoastal Use Permit (CUP)inaccor‐dancewithLa. R.S. 49:214.21 et seq.,and the rulesofthe CoastalMan‐agementProgram.Appli‐cationsfor coastaluse permitsmay be in‐spectedat617 North3rd Street,Room 1078, Baton Rouge, LA or on theOPC webpageat: https:// denr.louisiana.gov/page/ public-notices Copies areavailable,costs apply. Writtencomments aresolicited from the public andmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofthisnotice. Comments must be up‐loaded directly to our electronic record throughthe OPCweb‐page or mailed to:OPC Administrator, Kyle
Beloware thereferenced application(s):******* CUPNUMBER: P20260616 Name:Brod-Glo, LLCGloria Callaisc/o C.J. Savoie Consulting Engi‐neers, LLCP.O.DRAWERR PAINCOURTVILLE,LA 70391 Attn:Clarence Savoie III Location:As‐sumption Parish,LA; Lat. 29-52-35N Long 91-12-11W;Section 1T14S R12E;Lot##42-C; Parcel#900013075; 630 MICHEL ROAD BELLE RIVER, 70339 Description: Proposed clearing of un‐derbrush andvines of a wooden sectionofprop‐erty approx.2.38ac along Michel Road.No excavation or fill re‐quired.******* CUPNUM‐BER: P20260348 Name: LouisianaDOTD1201 CAPITOLACCESS ROAD BATONROUGE,LA70802 Attn:Randi EamesLoca‐tion:Terrebonne Parish, LA;Lat.29-24-42.25 N, Long.90-46-59.55 WDe‐scription:Perform main‐tenanceonthe struc‐ture(s)controlling the FalgoutCanal Bridge and replacethe submarine cables used to open and closethe structureunder FalgoutCanal.Approx 140 cy of native material will be excavatedand used as backfill. CUPNUM‐BER: P20260612 Name: BrammerEngineering, Inc. c/oTim Morton &As‐sociates,Inc.500 S. MOR‐GANAVENUEBROUS‐SARD,LA70518 Attn: Donna HollierLocation: Terrebonne Parish,LA; Lat.:29-3-20.7N,Long.:9043-35.4W;Section 3,4 T24S R17E;Section 34, 35 ,25, 26 T23S R17E;Lot# Secs.20, 21, 29, 30, 31, T23S-R18E;Description: Proposal to plug and abandonthe S. L. 19141 Well No.1 andthe S. L. 19141 SWDWellNo. 2, re‐move thewellstructures, aproductionplatform, walkway, tank battery andthe pipelines associ‐ated with thewells and theproductionfacility, whichwillrequire ~4,407 cy of excavation viajet‐ting to remove ~33,487' of lines. No dredging or propwashingwillbe needed foraccess.
TheBonds arebeing is‐sued pursuant to theAct andthe Indenturefor the purposeof financingthe acquisition, construction andequipping of amulti‐familyhousing project andpayingthe costsof issuance associated with theBonds.The Bondsare limitedobligations of the Corporationand will be payablesolelyout of the income,revenues, and receipts derivedfromthe Projectand fundsand accountsheldunder and pursuant to theInden‐ture andpledged there‐for. As provided in the Actand theIndenture theBonds do notconsti‐tute an obligation, either generalorspecial,ofthe StateofLouisiana,any municipality or anyother politicalsubdivision thereof. p
For the Meeting of Mayor and Council City of Zachary,LA Council Chambers, 4700 Main Street Tuesday,July 14, 2026, 6:30 P.M.
A. CALL TO ORDER Mayor McDavid called the meeting to orderat 6:30 p.m on Tuesday July 14, 2026, at the Zachary City Hall located at 4700 Main Street, Zachary,LA.
B. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Invocation by Councilman Landry Pledge of Allegiance by Scott Masterson
C. OPENING PROCEDURES
1. ROLL CALL MAYOR David McDavid COUNCIL MEMBERS John LeBlanc– District 2 AmbreDeVirgilio –District 3 James Graves –District 4 Jennifer Landry –District 5MEMBERS ABSENT Brandy Westmoreland –District 1
2. READING OF CITY POLICY RELATIVE TO OPEN MEETINGS Beforeproceeding with the meeting, Mayor McDavid read a statement into the recordregarding the Open Meetings Law,and citizens’ right to participate in public meetings. The statement sets forth general rules of conduct of the public meeting and outlined the process through which acitizen can have items placed on the Council agenda. Acopy of therules is available at City Hall, Mayor’sOffice or by calling the Clerk of the City Council. The rules will also be available at every Council meeting.
3. CHANGES/ADDITIONS TO AGENDA The motion was made by Councilman LeBlanc
The motion was seconded by Councilwoman DeVirgilio To approve adding arequest to speak, Sabrina Jones, to item G1B
YEAS:LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry
NAYS:None
ABSENT:Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
D. READING OF THE MINUTES
1. Approval of Minutes June 23, 2026, regular meeting, and approve them as written. Approval of the Millage Minutes of June 23, 2026, Council Meeting and approve them as written. The motion was made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio
The motion was seconded by Councilman LeBlanc To approve minutes June 23, 2026, regular meeting, and approve them as written. Approval of the Millage minutes of June 23, 2026, Council Meeting and approve them as written.
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry
NAYS: None
ABSENT:Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
E. HONORS, RECOGNITIONS, AND INTRODUCTIONS
1. AProclamation declaring July as Parks and Recreation Month and Parks and Recreation Professionals Day.Accepting the proclamations on behalf of BREC wereDr. RaHarold Lawson, Director of Park Operations for the East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission, Katrina Ward,Director of Recreation, and several Zachary residents who proudly serveas BREC employees.
F. CONTRACT ITEMS/CONTRACTS OR ITEMS RELATING TO PROJECTS
1. Street/Road Projects
2. Sewer
3. Subdivision Inspections
4. Water and Gas Projects
5. Other Projects
G. PRESENTATION OF DELEGATIONS
1. Request to Speak a) StaffSergeant Kristen A. Kimble, Louisiana Army National Guard. StaffSergeant Kimble, introduced herself to the Council, as arecruiter for the Louisiana ArmyNational Guard. StaffSergeant Kimble’smission is to help young adults and families explorecareer opportunities, discover their next path in life, and
2. Hardship Waivers 3. Other Variances
4. Exceptions of Regulations
H. ACTION MANDATED BY HOME RULE CHARTER
I. PLANNING &ZONING MATTERS
1. Receive Minutesofthe Regular meeting of of the Planning Commission and the Minutes of the Regular meeting of _________, of the Zoning Commission.
2. Planning matters REQUIRING aPublic Hearing
3. Planning Matters NOT requiring aPublic Meeting
4. Zoning Matters REQUIRING aPublic Hearing a) TA-001-26 (One AcreMinimum) Mr.FredNeal, Jr.with Villavaso and Associates spoke to the Council regarding the revisions of the TA-001-26 that the Planning and Zoning Commission made at their meeting on July 6, 2026. Mrs.Wilsonstated that the next step wouldbeto introduce an ordinance.
5. Zoning Matters NOT Requiring Public Hearing a) ZOI -55786-EOP E.M. Treakle Subdivision —Proposed exchange of property between Lot 7-A-6-A and 7-B-6-B into Lots 7-A-6-A-1 and 7-B-6-B-1 of the E.M. Treakle Subdivision (Holloway Plantation), on property located at 25701 and 35700-35800 Adams Lane. The motionwas made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motionwas seconded by Councilman LeBlanc
To approve arecommendation of no objection - ZOI -55786-EOP E.M. Treakle Subdivision —Proposed exchange of property between Lot 7-A-6-A and 7-B-6-B into Lots 7-A-6-A-1 and 7-B-6-B-1 of the E.M. Treakle Subdivision (Holloway Plantation), on propertylocated at 25701 and 35700-35800 Adams Lane.
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio,Landry
NAYS: None ABSENT: Westmoreland, Graves
ABSTAINED: None
6. Other Matters
J. RECEIVE RECORD OF PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
1. Receive accounts payablereport as of June 2026. The motionwas made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motionwas seconded by Councilman LeBlanc
To approve receiving accounts payable report as of June 2026.
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio,Landry
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Westmoreland, Graves
ABSTAINED: None
K. BUDGET AND FINANCIAL MATTERS
L. OLD BUSINESS PENDING FOR FINAL ACTION
M. OLD BUSINESS PENDING
N. NEW BUSINESS
1. Approval of aspecial event permittoDana Tucker to sell alcohol for the 2026 Zachary Really HotAir BallonFestival in August
The motionwas made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motionwas seconded by Councilman LeBlanc
To approve of aspecial event permittoDana Tucker sell alcohol for the 2026 Zachary Really HotAir BallonFestival in August
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio,Graves, Landry
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
2. Approval of aspecial event permittoDaiquiri Shack 2Geaux to sell alcohol for the 2026 Zachary Really HotAir BallonFestival in August The motionwas made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motionwas seconded by Councilman LeBlanc
To approve of aspecial event permittoDaiquiri Shack 2Geaux to sell alcohol for the 2026 Zachary Really HotAir BallonFestival in August
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio,Graves, Landry
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
3. Request to go into Executive Session of the Counciland Mayor pursuant to La. R.S. 42:17(A)(2) with regardtospecificcivil litigation matter –Moore v. East Baton Rouge Parish et al,19th JDCNo. 777,371. The motionwas made by Councilwoman DeVirgilio The motionwas seconded by Councilman Graves To approve to enter into executive session in order to discuss a specificlitigation matter and enter into an executive session at 7:41 p.m.
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio,Graves, Landry
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
The motion wasmade by CouncilwomanDeVirgilio
The motion wassecondedbyCouncilmanLeBlanc
To approve returning from executive session andre-enteringinto the public meeting at 7:52 p.m.
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry
NAYS: None
ABSENT:Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
4. Request for authorization for Mayor to enterinto Special Counsel Contract for Faircloth Melton Bash &Green,LLC -Moorev.East Baton Rouge Parish et al,19th JDC No. 777,371. The motion wasmade by CouncilwomanDeVirgilio The motion wassecondedbyCouncilmanLeBlanc To approve request for authorization for Mayor to enterinto Special CounselContract for Faircloth Melton Bash &Green,LLC -Moorev.East Baton Rouge Parish et al,19th JDC No. 777,371.
YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry
NAYS: None
ABSENT:Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
5. To vote for District 1ABC Board Appointee, Darion Williams. The motion wasmade by CouncilwomanDeVirgilio
The motion wasseconded by CouncilmanLeBlanc To approve District 1ABC Board Appointee, Darion Williams. YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None
ABSENT:Westmoreland
ABSTAINED: None
6. Discussion of acquisition of property -Mae Street at Old Baker Road. The Mayor discussed thatthe City of Zachary is looking into the purchase of the property
7. Discussion andAdoption of Council Meeting Procedures. Discussion of Council Meeting Proceduresthatwerepresented to Council by the Mayor.CouncilwomanDeVirgilio andCouncilwoman Landrydiscussedadopting ‘Robert’s Rule of Order’.
O. CONDEMNED BUILDINGS –PUBLIC HEARINGS OR OTHER ACTION REGARDING BUILDINGS BEING CONSIDERED FOR CONDEMNDATION City Attorney, Mrs. Wilson stated the next meeting is Thursday, July 23, 2026.
P. REPORTSFROMDEPARTMENT HEADS
1. Receive the June Monthly Inspection Report
The motion wasmade by CouncilwomanDeVirgilio The motion wassecondedbyCouncilmanGraves To approve receiving the June Monthly Inspection Report YEAS: LeBlanc, DeVirgilio, Graves, Landry NAYS: None ABSENT:Westmoreland ABSTAINED: None
Q. COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF BUSINESSNOT ON AGENDA (No Action May Be Taken UnlessDeclared an Emergency) CouncilmanLeBlancstatedhewill be riding around looking at AT&T boxes thatare damaged in his district.
R. ADJOURNMENT The meeting wasadjourned at 8:04 p.m.
Karen Burdette Clerk of City Council CITYOFZACHARY PARISH OF EASTBATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA CERTIFICATION
KarenBurdette DavidMcDavid, Mayor Clerk of the City Council CITY OF ZACHARY PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE STATEOFLOUISIANA
