The Acadiana Advocate 08-04-2026

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T u e s d ay, au g u s T 4, 2026

‘Selling dreams’

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Plea deal reached in murder case Man won’t stand trial second time in 2010 stabbing death of pizza delivery driver

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

Staff writer

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Kevin Broussard, of J/B Racing, smiles as he applies baby oil to a horse’s coat before its auction during the 50th annual Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association yearling Sale in Kinder on Saturday.

50th annual Louisiana quarter horse yearling auction generates more than $6.2M in sales

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN

they want to take to the racetrack, vetting the animals’ health, pedigree, temperament and potential for speed.

The Coushatta Pavilion was filled This year’s two-day annual Louisianawith a crowd wearing cowboy hats bred Yearling Sale took place Friday and baseball caps, the wafting smell and Saturday at Coushatta Casino and of manure and the constant sound Resort in Kinder.

More than 425 quarter horses were of flying numbers as hundreds of people bid on the next generation of offered for sale, and 329 were sold for a total of more than $6.2 million, Louisiana-bred race horses.

For 50 years, quarter horse breed- an average of $18,878 per animal.

“At these sales, we’re selling ers and potential owners have gathered in Louisiana, looking for the ones dreams; most of the time, it can be a

Staff writer

nightmare, but every now and then that dream comes true,” said Ryan Robicheaux, manager of the Robicheaux Ranch in Breaux Bridge.

“It’s like a Lotto ticket. One of these horses is going to win the milliondollar race next year. … Not all 470 are going to be great ones, but somewhere in there, there’s going to be one that’s going to make a million dollars or half a million dollars.”

ä See SELLING, page 5A

A man convicted in 2017 by a split jury for the murder of a pizza delivery driver in Youngsville will not stand trial a second time.

Aaron Richards, 50, accepted a plea deal Monday, pleading guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery in the March 29, 2010, stabbing death of pizza delivery driver Timothy Falgout.

Falgout, who was described as a deeply religious man, was stabbed five times while delivering pizza to a residence in the 300 block of Rue Canard off Chemin Metairie Road in the Youngsville area. A resident of the home found Falgout after noticing his vehicle in her driveway.

Fifteenth Judicial District Judge Angie Wagar sentenced Richards on Monday in accordance with the plea agreement to 25 years at hard labor on the manslaughter charge and 25 years at hard labor on the armed robbery charge, to run concurrently.

Richards already is serving a life sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola on a second-degree robbery charge. He was tried as an habitual offender, Assistant District Attorney Alan Haney said.

ä See PLEA, page 5A

LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT

Interim OHSEP chief named as search begins

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Benjamin Cifuentes, right, and Alejandro Resendiz Alvarez manicure a horse together during Saturday’s auction.

Bid spotter Ralph Means looks into the crowd to see if his bidder wants to increase their bid during Saturday’s auction.

Lafayette Consolidated Government has begun the search for a new director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness following the departure of Chad Sonnier, who was recently appointed Louisiana state fire marshal by Gov. Jeff Landry.

Effective immediately, Chief of Staff Christina Dayries will serve as interim OHSEP director while Dayries the administration conducts its search.

Sonnier led the department’s transition into a stand-alone office and oversaw changes to the parish’s emergency management program, including restructuring emergency operations, adopting the Emergency Support Function model

ä See INTERIM, page 5A

GOP holdouts say they will back Blanche for attorney general Cornyn and Tillis had refused to back Monday that they will support his Decision comes after said nomination, ending an impasse over Blanche’s bid for the permanent post striking deal over plans to create a fund to compensate without official confirmation killing the fund meant to compensate people who allies of President Donald Trump.

‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ The endorsement from GOP Sens. believe they were unfairly prosecuted

John Cornyn and Thom Tillis paves the way for the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance Blanche’s nomination on Tuesday after the Justice DepartAssociated Press ment and lawmakers reached a deal WASHINGTON — Two Republican sena- to formally rescind the $1.8 billion tors who threatened to block acting At- “Anti-Weaponization Fund” proposed torney General Todd Blanche’s confir- to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the mation to lead the Justice Department Internal Revenue Service.

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WEATHER HIGH 94 LOW 76 PAGE 6A

by the Justice Department. Blanche’s written order, issued late Sunday, came after the days of negotiations between the Justice Department and the Republican senators who are leaving Capitol Hill when their terms end in January.

ä See BLANCHE, page 5A

Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................4B Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

102ND yEAR, NO. 35

2A ● Tuesday, August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Board of Peace envoy meets with Israeli PM

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trump: Pirro ‘folded’ on reflecting pool case

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella” in moving to drop charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Speaking at an unrelated Oval Office event, Trump ducked questions about whether he’d fire Pirro, a former Fox News host and longtime ally he handpicked as top federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital. But the president kept up his drumbeat of sharp criticism, saying he remained disappointed by her assessment that damage to the reflecting pool was the result of shoddy construction, not vandalism.

“Frankly, I think she choked because the judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question after he signed an executive order for military spouses. “I don’t know what the hell happened.”

The move to dismiss charges against David Hearn was an embarrassing setback for the Justice Department and marked a rare moment during Trump’s second term of an aide or political appointee openly defying him. After initially posting on social media over the weekend, “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro,” Trump was still fuming two days later, insisting for several minutes that vandalism had marred the troubled project.

“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed,” the president said Monday.

“She folded like an umbrella.”

States sue to block feds from sharing data

More than 20 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Monday to block it from getting wide access to the personal information of millions of recipients of a benefits program for low-income families.

The case is the latest legal action between states and the federal government over the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which like other public programs have come under scrutiny from the Trump administration as sources of potential fraud.

The coalition of states sued in federal court in Washington to stop the agency that controls the program from moving ahead with a rule that would allow it to share recipients’ immigration status, Social Security numbers and additional personal information with other parts of government or potentially with private entities, according to the lawsuit.

“Instead of helping families struggling with the rising cost of living, this administration is trying to turn antipoverty programs against the people they’re supposed to serve,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.

Nauru changes its name to Naoero

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Pacific Island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language.

The country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Commonly known abroad by the pronunciation of Now-roo, the new name is spoken as Now-ero.

The move would return the remote South Pacific island nation to its traditional name, a statement posted Thursday to the government’s Facebook account said. The country became known internationally as Nauru only because its local name was difficult for foreigners to pronounce and was a matter of convenience rather than one of choice, according to an earlier government statement.

“This proposed change seeks to more faithfully honor our nation’s heritage, our language, and our identity,” President David Adeang said when he proposed the move to Parliament in January.

Official discusses Gaza deal with Netanyahu, urges halt to strikes

BY JULIA FRANKEL and SAM MAGDY Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump speaks Monday during a meeting about military families in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

Trump: Talks are ‘last chance’ for Iran deal

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has played this hand before during the 5-month-old Iran war — but this time, he insists it’s different.

The president on Monday said that new talks between Washington and Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of U.S. strikes on the country.

Trump, speaking at the Oval Office, said he expects negotiations will focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and create a pathway for Iran to address the United States’ concerns about its nuclear program. He told reporters they would likely learn about the status of the negotiations “today or tomorrow.”

“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearization,” the Republican president said. “And that will take a little while.”

While Trump has reveled in the U.S. military decimating layers of Tehran’s leadership and devastating its air force and navy, Iran is betting it can outlast Trump as he faces diminished stockpiles of munitions and the difficulty of executing a war that’s unpopular with the American electorate ahead of November’s midterm election.

Trump said he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new massive strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

He said 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.

But Trump reiterated that he’s running out of patience with Iran.

“This the last chance for them to sign a good document,” Trump said.

Earlier Monday, Trump had criticized Iran on social media as being “unbelievably duplicitous.”

His ire was raised by Iran claiming that its meetings with Oman on Monday were focused solely on establishing a temporary route for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the global oil trade.

“They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’ talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is be-

ing talked about, and they’re only dealing with Oman,” Trump grumbled.

Trump said whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking” about preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Trump has threatened to escalate attacks on Iran only to edge away from his threats several times since the start of U.S. and Israel strikes on Feb. 28.

Asked by a reporter how Americans view him repeatedly making grim threats on Tehran before backing away, Trump responded that he’s showing patience out of a consideration for Iranian life.

“I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” Trump said. He added, “Hopefully, they’ll come to their senses.”

Trump may still come to the conclusion that a massive escalation in the conflict with Iran is necessary.

But critics say his hesitation also might reflect an unspoken understanding inside the administration that U.S. military might alone may not be enough to compel Iran to back down and bring an end to a now monthslong war that Trump had earlier downplayed as a weekslong excursion.

“I think what we’re seeing here is a president who has an approach that’s just rather erratic,” Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “At this point, he’s trying to get us back to February. And I think if he could — if he had a big reset button he could hit — he would certainly take that option.”

With this latest episode, Trump suggested that the Saudi crown prince played a particularly important role in him turning away from escalating the fight.

The U.S. president spoke by phone with the de facto leader of the kingdom on Saturday before announcing he was halting planned strikes.

The crown prince conveyed that an escalation in fighting could have a severe impact on the global economy if Tehran responded to a new U.S. bombardment by targeting some of the United States’ Gulf allies, according to a person briefed on the call who was not authorized to comment publicly and insisted on anonymity.

Saudi officials, the person added, have underscored in their engagements with the Trump administration that the kingdom is in a good position to defend itself against further potential Iranian strikes — as are fellow energy titans Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — but that Kuwait could be more vulnerable to attacks

by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.

Michigan reports first 2 U.S. deaths related to diarrhea-causing parasite

BY MIKE HOUSEHOLDER and SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press

DETROIT — Two people have died in the cyclospora outbreak in Michigan, state health officials announced Monday, the first deaths confirmed in the U.S. related to the microscopic parasite.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said both people had underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by the intestinal illness and dehydration. The department said it would not provide additional information about the deaths.

Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.

The CDC says the illness, called cyclosporiasis, is rarely deadly.

The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the

past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.

Dr. Joel Kammeyer, the division chief of infectious diseases at Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center, called the deaths a “tragedy” but noted that despite thousands of cyclosporiasis cases, only two people have died.

“For someone who comes into an urgent care and cyclosporiasis is their only issue, it’s relatively easy to treat,” Kammeyer said. But for people who are struggling with other illnesses, he said, “it stands to reason that there are some patients that might not be able to withstand the dehydration that can come with severe cyclosporiasis.”

Cyclosporiasis is less common than other foodborne illnesses, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cases are never linked to a specific food or other source and, for years, few U.S. cyclospora outbreaks were reported. But the number started rising about a decade ago, with a particularly notable spike in 2018 and 2019.

JERUSALEM, Israel — The Board of Peace official overseeing Gaza’s postwar transition met Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement, in part to discuss a new disarmament deal the board reached with Hamas.

Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza, held “constructive and detailed” talks with the prime minister and his team, the Board of Peace said in a statement.

“The goal is clear and is not in question: the complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip and the transition away from rule by the gun to civilian governance,” it said.

According to two people familiar with the meeting, Mladenov also pressed Netanyahu to halt Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip.

Mladenov and his team, including senior adviser Aryeh Lightstone, are pressuring Israel to stop striking Gaza as they push ahead with the agreement to decommission the weapons held by Hamas.

In a statement Monday, Hamas said that the group and the various Palestinian factions “remain committed to what was agreed regarding the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, including all parties’ obligations.”

It added that the group is awaiting “a clear and official response” from Mladenov and the mediators regarding what was agreed upon.

President Donald Trump announced the agreement, which is part of a broader ceasefire deal reached last year, last Thursday. It called for Israel to cease its military operations and

for Hamas and its allies in Gaza to halt all militant activity. The agreement also laid out in general terms what the decommissioning process would look like.

After the text of the agreement was released, Israel said it had “serious security concerns” and that it shared those with the United States.

It also ramped up its strikes in Gaza, killing 17 people overnight Saturday and into Sunday, according to local health officials.

There were no recorded airstrikes in Gaza on Monday.

Israeli attacks have killed 1,250 people since the ceasefire deal was reached in October, an agreement that ended major fighting in a war that had raged for two years.

Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, mediators in the Gaza truce negotiations, denounced the ongoing Israeli strikes in a statement Monday, saying that the particular targeting of healthcare facilities, medical infrastructure and resulting civilian casualties constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.

“The mediators also called on the international community to continue to exert pressure on Israel to fulfill its end of the deal.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has since killed 73,375 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but they are considered generally reliable by the United Nations and other international organizations.

Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed.

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Washington state fires destroy hundreds of buildings Spokane-area residents forced to evacuate

BY LINDSEY WASSON, MANUEL VALDES and GENE JOHNSON

Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. — Some residents returned to devastated neighborhoods in eastern Washington state to find their homes leveled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend, covering yards in charred debris. In some cases, only chimneys were left standing.

The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s secondlargest city, were among the most destructive in state history. About 700 buildings had been destroyed — a number that was expected to climb — and some 67,000 people were under evacuation orders.

The cause was under investigation.

“Hundreds of people have completely lost their homes and farms, and many are prohibited from returning to their homes or neighbor-

hoods as crews continue to extinguish smoldering embers,” the state’s entire congressional delegation wrote Monday in asking President Donald Trump to approve an expedited emergency declaration.

The fires jumped roads and rivers and had burned about 12.5 square miles by Monday.

The sky filled with smoke and haze. Calmer winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but it was expected to be hot and dry again by midweek.

In one Spokane neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained. Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.

Among those who returned were Miriam and Daniel Sim, both 76. Miriam held her hand over her mouth as she surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005.

“It’s like a war zone,” Miriam said. “There’s nothing to save.”

“At our age, do we want to

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Miriam Sim, 76, reacts Monday while talking about her neighborhood largely burning to the ground after a wildfire hit the northern part of Spokane, Wash. rebuild?” her husband asked.

Cpl. Mark Gregory, a spokesperson for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said the county initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people, but by Monday they had cleared all but 14.

Those outstanding reports more likely represented people who had not been in contact since evacuating

IDAHO

Authorities seek motive in shooting at In-N-Out Burger

BY MICHAEL BIESECKER and DAVE COLLINS Associated Press

A driver charging his electric taxi and a former law enforcement officer who tried to intervene were among the seven people wounded in a mass shooting at an Idaho fast food restaurant that also left three people dead, according to friends and relatives of the two men.

The attack Saturday at a new In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls ended when the gunman, identified by police as 24-year-old Chad Williams, shot and killed himself. On Monday, police were still trying to determine why Williams carried out the attack, which happened in the afternoon in a busy shopping plaza in the southern Idaho city.

Many details about Williams’ life were still unknown Monday, but an initial search of court records in Idaho and Arizona, where he used to live, didn’t show any criminal cases matching his name and birth date.

Elijah Moseley, who lived across the hall from Williams in a College of Southern Idaho dorm a few years ago, described him as “an introvert” and “a pretty chill guy.”

“I was never scared or weirded out by him,” he said.

Moseley said he considered Williams a relatively close friend, though they lost touch a couple of years ago.

“I’m shocked by this and sick to my stomach about this,” he said.

Detectives are confident that Williams acted alone, Police Chief Matthew Hicks

said Sunday, noting that Williams’ family is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Two of the wounded were treated at a hospital and released, three were listed as stable, and two others were in critical condition, police said Sunday.

During the attack, an offduty state trooper and a civilian fired on Williams and diverted him from the restaurant, the chief said. Police haven’t disclosed their names or those of the victims, but some victims have been identified by friends and relatives.

Twin Falls spokesperson Josh Palmer said Monday that police were still trying to identify next of kin.

The attack happened at an In-N-Out that opened late last month as part of the California chain’s Idaho expansion.

Ethics panel recommends House censure Rep. Chuck Edwards

BY KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee recommended Monday that Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., be censured after finding that he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides in his congressional office.

A censure registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that

does not meet the threshold for expulsion.

Edwards has denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, but the committee said his behavior would “lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such.” It also described his actions as “beyond inappropriate.”

The panel highlighted numerous examples of actions it considered improper, including Edwards providing the young women with lavish

and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, and sending notes regarding his affection.

The Ethics panel found no evidence Edwards explicitly propositioned any person under his employ or engaged in any sexual activity with them. But it also said he failed to adhere to “the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers.”

than people who were truly missing or in danger, authorities said.

The Spokane-area wildfires were completely uncontained, said Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

They were among dozens across the Western U.S. stretching the ability of fed-

eral, state and local agencies to fight them. At least 390 square miles has burned across Washington, which has contended with severe drought and a paltry snowpack.

Authorities warned people not to fly drones near the burned areas, saying it could force them to delay aerial firefighting operations.

Angela and Wayde Deatherage, both 49, evacuated shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday with a son, grabbing a few bins of family photos and heirloom rings but not much else. Roughly 30 minutes later, their security camera was sending fire notifications to Angela’s phone.

Wayde Deatherage took some back roads and returned by early evening.

He stopped at the end of the street and called his wife: “Our house is done.”

Deatherage, however, wasn’t done with his neighborhood. He propped a hose at another house so it sprayed the property. That home survived.

The couple returned to their property Sunday.

“It’s just ash,” Angela Deatherage said of the home where they had lived for nearly 22 years. ”It’s like our house sunk down in the basement. ... There’s just so much loss for so many people.”

Friends and relatives of fire victims posted online appeals for money, clothes and basic necessities. Kory and MacKensie Aspaas were away with their children when the disaster hit.

Capital One: Trump accounts closed over concerns over possible money laundering

BY KEN SWEET Associated Press

NEW YORK — Bank accounts held by President Donald Trump were closed by Capital One in 2021 after it flagged financial activity that had characteristics of money laundering, the bank disclosed in a court filing over the weekend.

The court filing is tied to a lawsuit filed against Capital One by one of Trump’s financial holding companies shortly after he was sworn into office a second time.

Trump alleges that Capital One illegally closed his ac-

counts for political reasons, following the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

Capital One wants the lawsuit dismissed.

“The closures were the result of months of analysis and a careful review by Capital One’s AML team in accordance with bank policies and regulatory guidance,” the bank said in the court filing. The term “AML” is an abbreviation for anti-money laundering.

Trump has sued Capital One, as well as JPMorgan Chase, for allegedly debanking him after he left office in 2021. Debanking

occurs when banks shut down customer accounts because they believe they pose financial, legal or reputational risks to the banks.

Both banks have denied they severed their relationships with the president, his sons, and other related businesses for political reasons. The lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase is seeking damages of $5 billion.

JPMorgan has said it does not close accounts for political reasons, but closes accounts “with or without cause” and also accounts that create “legal or regulatory risk.”

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, August 4, 2026 ● 5A

lll

SELLING

Continued from page 1A Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Executive Director Misty Coats said the goal of the sale is for the horses to win.

“The hopes of these yearlings are to go to the track next year, and then not only can they run for the purses, but the breeder that’s selling them here, if they run first, second, or third, they get 25% of the purse just as a breeder, even if they aren’t the owner,” Coats said.

The 329 horses that went to new owners were priced from $2,200 to $252,000. Buyers traveled to Coushatta from across Louisiana and Texas, and some came from as far as Mexico, North Carolina, Minnesota and Arizona.

The most expensive horse sold was Pegasus SC, hip No. 430, who was purchased for $252,000 by Watson Land & Cattle — Keith Nellesen. Nellesen is co-founder of Vivint Inc., a home automation, security and solar energy company.

The horse that sold for the second most was RF A Faster Train, hip No. 416, who was purchased for $132,000 by Daniel Miranda in Louisiana from Tim and Jennie Rogers with S&E Sales Prepping LLC as the agent.

S&E Sales Prepping owner Stephen Deville said what made RF A Faster Train worth so much money was that it has a good temperament.

“That horse had a great conformation,” Deville said. “He looked the part, but also his bloodline. His mom’s a really strong mare. She’s had multiple other horses that did well in races, including one last

BLANCHE

Continued from page 1A “We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon,” Cornyn, of Texas, and Tillis, of North Carolina, said in a statement.

Blanche has repeatedly said that the Justice Department was scrapping plans for the fund, which sparked bipartisan outcry over the possibility that violent rioters who attacked police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, could be considered for payments. But skeptical lawmakers said they were concerned that could be revived without a commitment in writing, especially because Trump has continued to defend the idea.

In his order posted on social media late Sunday, Blanche wrote that the department was confirming “beyond any doubt, that

INTERIM

Continued from page 1A

and expanding emergency planning and training efforts.

Dayries will oversee the department during the transition and coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to maintain emergency preparedness and response operations.

“We’re grateful to Chad for his leadership and congratulate him on this welldeserved opportunity to

PLEA

Continued from page 1A Monday’s plea deal, Haney said, was “more about giving the victim’s (family) finality.”

One requirement of the plea deal was that Richards admit in court that he stabbed Falgout to death.

Falgout’s sister, seated in the courtroom Monday, fought back tears as Richards said that on March 29, 2010, he and another man were riding around Youngsville, getting high on drugs and drinking. Richards said he doesn’t remember each step of what happened.

“I will acknowledge that I was the one that took Mr. Falgout’s life,’ ” Richards said. “I do have remorse.”

Richards turned to Falgout’s sister, saying, “I can’t give you back your brother.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Eliezer Ortiz prepares his yearling to enter the arena during the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association yearling Sale in Kinder on Saturday. year.”

Robicheaux Ranch Inc. represented a total of 84 horses throughout the sale and sold 70 for a total of $2.1 million, Robicheaux said.

This year, Robicheaux Ranch Inc. won an award at the sale for leading agent, meaning they sold for more money than anyone else

at the event.

“These horse sales are like the NFL Combine,” Robicheaux said.

“We don’t do the 40-yard dash, but future buyers, future trainers come watch them walk, study their conformation, look at their pedigree.

They X-ray them, they scope and make sure everything is correct

there is no Fund.”

Since the settlement of the president’s lawsuit against the IRS was announced, “No Members were appointed; no funds were transferred; no process for receiving claims was established; no claims were paid,” the order said. “This order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed the Justice Department to limit the scope of a separate piece of the settlement that provided broad immunity for Trump and members of his family from tax audits.

Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement “applies by its terms only retroactively” to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement.

Cornyn and Tillis said in their statement that they

were “pleased” with the concessions made by Blanche.

“From the outset, we were clear that we needed a written document addressing our concerns on the IRS audit agreement and the anti-weaponization fund that included constraining the scope of audit protection by limiting it to the parties of the Settlement Agreement and legally ending the antiweaponization fund,” they wrote.

Democrats, however, noted that the order rescinding the fund doesn’t stop the Trump administration from compensating Jan. 6 rioters through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government.

“This supposed ‘deal’ doesn’t prevent payouts to violent insurrectionists in the future,” Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said in a social media post. Schiff added that it also “leaves in place a tax-immunity deal that could help Trump skip taxes on the $2.3 billion he made last year, and still leaves it

serve the people of Louisiana,” Mayor-President Monique Boulet said in a statement. “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, and we’re looking for the next director to continue building on that foundation.”

The OHSEP director oversees Lafayette Parish’s emergency preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery efforts and manages the parish’s Emergency Operations Center.

The position coordinates emergency planning among municipalities, public safety agencies, healthcare provid-

ers, school systems, utility companies, nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies.

Boulet said the administration is seeking an experienced emergency management professional to lead the department.

Qualified applicants are asked to submit a résumé, cover letter and professional references to applicant@lafayettela.gov with “OHSEP Director” in the subject line.

I hope you are going to have some sense of justice for your loss.”

He was originally found guilty in an April 2017 trial by a 10-2 jury vote and was sentenced to life in prison.

In April 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in the case of Ramos v.

Louisiana that nonunanimous jury decisions in cases involving serious offenses were unconstitutional.

Richards petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ at the same time the court was considering the Ramos case. Following the Ramos decision, the Supreme Court vacated the 2017 Richards conviction and remanded it back to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which ordered the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Lafayette to retry the case.

The Advocate was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in Sep-

tember 2022 for reporting on the racial impacts of Louisiana’s laws that allowed juries to convict people without a unanimous verdict, a practice that hailed back to the Jim Crow era of discrimination.

The five-part series titled “Tipping the Scales” debuted on April 1, 2018, around the time the state Legislature began debating a bill that would allow Louisiana voters to amend the state constitution to require unanimous jury verdicts.

The constitutional amendment passed by about a 2-1 margin, with The Advocate’s reporting credited with pressuring legislators to call for the election and for educating voters, putting names and faces on those impacted by the nonunanimous verdicts.

Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate. com.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

that we can tell, and then they’ll put a price that they’re willing to buy them for.”

Sales at the auction have trended upward since 2020, when they were just short of $4.7 million.

Coats said this is because the market is up and the horses have gotten better over the years.

vague who and what is covered.”

Blanche’s nomination was thrown into doubt last week after the Judiciary Committee postponed a vote that had been scheduled for Thursday morning as Tillis and Cornyn said they needed more from the administration before they could provide the necessary votes.

After the Thursday vote was delayed, Trump said in a social media post that he might pull Blanche’s nomination and resubmit it after Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year. And

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the sale, which Coats said is a testament to the Louisiana horse community.

“I think it shows the grit and the commitment that Louisiana breeders have to the race industry and to breeding, you know, great horses,” Coats said.

on Saturday the president threatened to push forward with the fund if the two Republicans blocked Blanche’s nomination.

On Sunday evening, Trump said that people who had faced charges from the Jan. 6, attack on the Capitol and could have benefited from the fund had “their lives destroyed.”

“This would be a reimbursement for the pain that they suffered,” Trump said.

“A lot of people like it.”

Blanche, who served as Trump’s defense lawyer in his criminal cases, entered

the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general. He was elevated to the top post after Pam Bondi was fired in April by Trump, who was frustrated by her failure to successfully prosecute his political enemies.

Though Blanche insisted he wasn’t auditioning for the permanent job, he has moved quickly since taking the reins of the department to promote the Trump administration’s agenda and accelerate investigations into the president’s perceived foes.

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6A ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

H

TODAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

A t-storm around in the p.m.

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Partly sunny

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Mostly sunny

A t-storm around in the p.m.

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

94° 76°

LOW

HIGH

92° 75°

LOW

90° 74°

Beaumont 94/76 Port Arthur 94/77

Baton Rouge 95/73

Lake Charles 94/76

New Orleans 94/77 Houma 92/74

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

0s

Hattiesburg 94/71

Alexandria 95/74

Lafayette 94/76

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

91° 76°

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 49 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Monday

Jackson 94/69 Many 94/72

HIGH

93° 75°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 99/76

-0s

LOW

Monroe 97/71

Shreveport 97/75

-10s

HIGH

93° 75°

If you enjoyed the weather yesterday, you should like it once again today. Expect a mostly sunny, hot, relatively humid day with a light breeze. Temperatures this afternoon will be slightly above average, rising to the mid-90s. The dewpoint temperatures are lower than they have been, so the heat index values this afternoon will rise to 104 or higher. The UV index will be at the extreme level this afternoon, so stay hydrated and protect yourself from the sun.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

High/low Normal high/low Last year’s high/low Record high Record low

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today LAST

AUG 5

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

Shown are areas of precipitation and high temperatures for the day.

93°/73° 93°/75° 90°/74° 101° in 2023 65° in 1923

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

24-hour total Month to date Normal month to date year to date Normal year to date

HIGH

1:44p 7:52a 7:36a 8:55a 3:13a 2:43a 4:21a

6:28 a.m.

7:59 p.m.

11:23 p.m.

12:11 p.m.

NEW

FIRST

AUG 12

Hi

101 85 102 73 88 112 87 91 89

TODAY Lo

78 66 80 53 76 87 69 79 69

FULL

AUG 19

W

s pc s c sh s pc t pc

AUG 27

Hi

101 83 102 77 88 112 90 91 90

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

WED. Lo

77 70 82 53 77 89 73 79 71

W

s pc s pc sh s pc t t

FT.

LOW

0.00” 0.06” 0.57” 40.85” 37.99”

FT.

HIGH

0.4 6:13a 0.3 1.2 12:33a 0.6 1.5 1:24p 0.2 1.4 3:40a 1.1 0.9 2:03p 0.4 1.0 1:02p 0.4 1.1 3:05p 0.4

---------------

FT.

---------------

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

--- --3:56p 0.4 --- --5:08p 0.5 --- ----- ----- ---

The solunar period schedule allows planning days so you will be fishing in good territory or hunting in good cover during those times. Major periods begin at the times shown and last for 1.5 to 2 hours. The minor periods are shorter.

MAJOR MINOR MAJOR MINOR

Today Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday

City

New Orleans Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Raleigh St. Louis San Diego Tampa

4:21a 5:12a 6:05a 7:01a 7:57a 8:55a 9:52a

Hi

10:33a 4:45p 10:57p 11:25a 5:38p 11:51p 12:19p 6:34p ---12:45a 7:31p 1:16p 1:41a 8:29p 2:13p 2:39a 9:27p 3:11p 3:36a 10:23p 4:08p

TODAY

94 90 87 110 83 81 88 78 88

Lo

77 75 72 90 68 73 70 70 78

W

t t pc pc pc t s pc t

GOOD

Hi

93 90 85 109 87 86 92 78 91

WED. Lo

78 74 75 91 70 74 73 69 78

W

MISSISSIPPI Memphis Vidalia-Natchez Red River Landing Baton Rouge Donaldsonville Reserve New Orleans OHIO Cairo COMITE Near Olive AMITE Near Darlington Denham Springs Port Vincent TICKFAW Montpelier Holden ATCHAFALAYA Simmesport Melville Krotz Springs Butte La Rose Bayou Sorrel Morgan City

t t t pc t t pc pc t

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

MON. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

-0.10 24.10 26.50 11.80 6.50 5.07 3.50

-1.17 -0.88 -0.70 -0.40 -0.10 -0.08 +0.04

40

15.21

+0.17

19

-1.54

none

18 29 8

-0.73 10.58 0.22

-0.15 +0.21 -0.05

13 15

1.65 0.93

-0.13 -0.01

47 34 29 20 12 6

10.75 7.31 5.80 5.35 4.40 2.72

-0.27 -0.26 -0.29 -0.13 +0.30 +0.09

data as of 7 a.m. Monday

Forecasts and graphics, except for Damon’s Outlook, provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2026

Russia blasts southern Ukrainian city with glide bombs Ukrainian drones kill at least 9

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine — Russian planes dropped eight powerful glide bombs in a span of 90 minutes on residential districts of the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing one person and wounding dozens of others, regional chief Ivan Fedorov said Monday.

Meanwhile, six people were killed by Ukrainian drone debris in ArkhipoOsipovka, a small town on Russia’s Black Sea coast in the Krasnodar region, regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said, adding that 40 others were wounded.

Three other people were killed and two were wounded in Ukraine’s overnight attack on the illegally annexed

Crimea, said the peninsula’s Russian-installed head, Sergei Aksyonov. He gave no details.

Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.

Ukraine’s innovative longrange drone technology developed during the war has enabled Kyiv to sign military cooperation agreements with nine countries, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.

Under the deals, Ukraine receives long-term funding for its defense industry while partner countries get new defense capabilities, he said, adding that agreements with 15 other countries are being negotiated.

Ukraine is using its longrange strike drones to hit targets deep inside Russia in an effort to push Russian President Vladimir Putin into seeking a peace settlement, Zelenskyy said in a speech to

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAN BASHAKOV

A burned car is seen Saturday after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukrainian diplomats.

“We will work very hard to make that happen this fall,” he said.

Ukraine wants countries to adopt heavier international sanctions on Moscow, but existing sanctions also need tightening to prevent Rus-

sian companies from exploiting loopholes, he said.

Zelenskyy also announced he is appointing Rustem Umerov, who has been involved in U.S. diplomatic efforts to stop the war, as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.

Russia has used glide bombs against Ukrainian towns and cities since it invaded its neighbor more than four years ago. The Sovietera bombs are retrofitted with guidance systems and can carry up to 6,600 pounds of explosives, leaving huge craters. Ukraine has no effective countermeasures.

The Sunday evening onslaught on Zaporizhzhia killed a 71-year-old woman and wounded 31 people, including a 16-year-old girl, as the glide bombs damaged 22 apartment buildings in four districts of the city, Fedorov said.

While Moscow’s forces have captured the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and hold other parts of the region, its capital city of the same name remains in Ukrainian hands. It is one of the four regions, along with Donetsk, Kherson and Lu-

hansk, that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 even though its forces do not completely control them.

Other large-scale damage of civilian areas has resulted from Russian ballistic missiles, and late Sunday Zelenskyy made another urgent plea for countries to send Ukraine more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems.

Only Patriot interceptors can reliably stop ballistic missiles, but they are in short supply due to the Iran war.

“The United States knows what we need. Europe knows what we need. Anti-ballistic missiles must protect people — not sit in stockpiles,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

President Donald Trump last week appeared to back off from his earlier commitment to give Ukraine a license to make Patriots itself.

He said Friday that he hasn’t made a final decision.

Trump administration overhaul Hundreds of migrant children could gut Head Start standards are stranded in Spain’s Ceuta

BY MORIAH BALINGIT Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration is planning a dramatic overhaul of Head Start that would gut its quality standards, upending the hallmarks of the early education program for impoverished children, two people familiar with the deliberations said.

Head Start, established in the 1960s to help fight poverty, has long been considered by experts to be a gold standard early learning program. Its regulations, which stretch more than 100 pages, outline requirements on everything from child-to-teacher ratios and child health screenings to family engagement.

Trump’s Republican ad-

ministration would replace those regulations with around a dozen pages of rules, leaving most of the specifics up to state and local law, said the people familiar with the deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public and because they feared reprisal.

In a post on X on Saturday night, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, said to expect a rule to be published this week. The administration “remains committed to strengthening Head Start by preserving federal investment in the program while advancing reforms that expand access, increase local flexibility, reduce unnecessary adminis-

trative burden, and ensure services are delivered effectively to children and families in need,” department spokesperson Emily Hilliard said Monday in an email.

The draft rules would require more documentation from parents who are homeless or unemployed, the people familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press. An early version of the proposal also would have barred parents who are in the United States illegally from enrolling their children, even if the children are U.S. citizens.

It’s unclear whether those provisions will make the final draft.

Head Start, which operates in all 50 states, has long enjoyed robust bipartisan support.

BY BERNAT ARMANGUE and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press

CEUTA, Spain — The teenage girl made it through the waves to Spanish territory.

Her little brother did not, drowning in the Mediterranean, while their mother disappeared in the chaos when tens of thousands of people surged through the breakwater, trying to leave Morocco behind.

The tragic story of a 17-year-old from Tangier is representative of the plight of many of the more than 800 minors who four days after the collective push by migrants into Ceuta face a scary present and an uncertain future.

She told an Associated Press photojournalist how

she and her family joined the massive crowd that tried to swim around a border fence to reach the Spanish territory on Thursday. Like many, she said they did so seeking better opportunities. The AP is withholding her identity because she is a minor in a vulnerable situation.

She described how she saw Spanish police pull the body of her 8-year-old brother from the water.

She made it to the shore but became separated from her mother, and has spent the last four days on her own.

She said some locals gave her food and some clothing, with one woman taking her into her home so she could bathe. She then went to a center for youths run by the government for some help,

but found it was full.

“I saw people stepping on the dead,” she said through a translator since she doesn’t speak Spanish. “Now we are children begging on the street.”

She is one of some 860 minors who remained in Ceuta on Monday after crossing over, according to local officials. AP journalists saw other minors asking for food.

Those minors now make up a large part of the 3,000 to 5,000 migrants who have avoided expulsion from Ceuta of the original 60,000 who came across. Spanish authorities confirmed 72 people died, mostly in the water, during the crossing.

Morocco reported 11 deaths which are not included in the Spanish total, the Spanish interior ministry said.

METRO

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

T u e s d ay, au g u s T 4, 2026

1BN

Jan Risher LOUISIANA AT LARGE

A Memorable Evening LSU’s Football Women’s Clinic brings fans closer together On Thursday evening, LSU’s air-conditioned indoor football operations center felt warm. A truck-sized opening to the practice field could explain that. But the heat didn’t matter.

At The Huddle, LSU’s Football Women’s Clinic, 333 women shopped, ate, drank, learned some plays, threw passes, tackled and ran pregame drills — all for $200 apiece or $350 for VIP, which included yoga with Lane Kiffin before the main event.

When I walked in, I was surprised to see pop-up boutiques along the sidelines of the practice field — selling all things purple and gold. And the women were buying it. The T-shirt options were impressive — the most notable styled like a campaign logo: “Kiffin/Orgeron ’26,” later spotlighted by Kiffin himself.

Ed Orgeron was standing near one of the goal lines, with a line of women waiting for photos stretching to the 30-yard line.

The routine was the same: New group. Handshake. Smile. “Geaux Tigas,” his signature call, over and over. He never seemed to tire of it.

After the shopping and photos came a panel of players, including new quarterback Sam Leavitt, then a Q&A with Kiffin hosted by Taylor Jacobs, LSU football’s chief strategy officer.

She asked a few questions, then worked through questions submitted by attendees: What home game are you most excited for?

“The first one,” Kiffin said.

Do you see Whit Weeks being your future son-in-law?

“That’s a question for Landry’s mom, Layla, over there,” he said.

Football room, football pivot.

Layla Kiffin gave a thumbs up.

Jacobs said, “Whit’s here. Maybe we should ask him.”

Lane Kiffin responded, “Let’s see how he plays this year before we do that.”

Next came the practice squads.

We divided up into assigned groups and went into training rooms with coaches and players.

I landed with the Red Stick Socialites, led by coach Kevin Peoples. Our three players turned out to be Weeks, Leavitt and TJ Dottery, a transfer from Ole Miss.

I had taken one of the last seats in the room, and the three players ended up right beside me for the better part of an hour.

They were charming, candid and sincere and talked about what goes into their roles on the football team, even before practice officially begins Aug. 5. Plus, Weeks gave more insight into his relationship with the coach’s daughter.

Then we headed outside onto the practice field, where another coach led the group through the

ä See LSU, page 4B

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

The new JS Clark Leadership Academy campus in Opelousas is ready for seventh through 12th grades, featuring a 54,000-square-foot building on 75 acres, cutting-edge facilities and the Brittney Boudreaux Allied Health Academy.

‘New area, new feel, new vibe’ JS Clark Leadership Academy opens $20M Opelousas high school

School staff members give a tour of the new JS Clark Leadership Academy campus in Opelousas on Friday.

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

JS Clark Leadership Academy unveiled a new $20 million high school campus Friday, a milestone that school leaders say will allow the Opelousas charter school to continue expanding after years of rapid enrollment growth.

The charter school, which is preparing to welcome more than 400 students, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday to welcome the community to 1040 S. Bullard St. in Opelousas — now home to a 54,000-square-foot building, sitting on 75 acres of land on the city’s west side.

The seventh to 12th grade campus is home to the Brittney Boudreaux Allied Health Academy, and a full range of contemporary campus amenities — like a media studies center, labs, modern gym facilities and dual-degree pro- T. Lewis grams where students can graduate with an associate degree or technical credentials.

The $20 million expansion has been a long-held dream for the school, which opened in 2012 at 1517 Statesman Road in Opelousas. That school will remain open as the JS Clark Leadership Academy Gateway campus, hosting kin- V. Lewis dergarten through sixth grade.

School founders Tiffanie Lewis and Victor Lewis said enrollment has tripled since the school’s opening, and the plan is to continue growing with a new elementary school on the Bullard Street campus, as well as expanding their sports program.

They also have a waiting list of over 500 students, but their growth plans are prudent, high school Principal Victor Lewis said.

“We want to make sure that our students are successful as we bring them up,” he said. “Our ninth grade only has 51 students. But next year we’ll add another section to have like 75 in 10th

ä See SCHOOL, page 4B

Funeral set for New Iberia chief D’Albor died Saturday after cancer battle

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Funeral services for New Iberia Police Chief Todd D’Albor, who died Saturday after an extended battle with cancer, will be held Thursday, according to an obituary released Monday.

The service will be held at Nativity of Our Lady Catho-

lic Church in New Iberia, with 2010, with additional roles at the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s visitation hours from Office, Jefferson Davis 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. WednesSheriff’s Office and St. day and from 11 a.m.

Martinville Police Deto 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Evangeline Funeral partment.

Home.

He continued serving D’Albor served in law as police chief throughenforcement for over 35 out his illness and reyears. He was appointed D’Albor mained involved in the New Iberia police chief department’s operain 2017, becoming the first per- tions, according to the departson to lead the department after ment. it was reestablished following a The New Iberia Police De13-year absence. partment issued a statement D’Albor also served as chief of ä See D’ALBOR, page 4B police for Jennings beginning in

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Ed Orgeron, right, special assistant to recruiting and defense for LSU football, was one of the officials taking part in The Huddle: LSU Football Clinic for Women that Jan Risher attended.

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

steal an ATM from New Orleans Firemen’s Federal Credit Union, 400 Crescent Ave., in Lockport.

Authorities said the suspects damaged the ATM, stole cash boxes and fled when confronted by the officer. Investigators recovered the cash boxes after they fell from the suspects’ vehicle during the pursuit.

The chase continued into Kraemer, where authorities said the suspects abandoned the truck

At the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, the difference between a student who finishes a degree and a student who drops out isn’t always the rigor of the curriculum.

For some students, system Executive Vice President Chandler LeBoeuf said, it’s the ability to afford food and get their basic needs met.

“Oftentimes, it’s not the academic coursework that stops them from ultimately being successful,” LeBoeuf said. “They have to make the tough decisions of pausing school and education to go to work to be able to put food on the table.”

Despite a largely standstill state budget coming out of the 2026 legislative session, a statewide program to reduce college student

ä See BLOTTER, page 4B

ä See COLLEGE, page 4B

3 arrested after ATM theft, police chase Three Lafayette Parish men resisting an officer.

Williams’ bail was set at were arrested after au$360,000. Bail for Zachthorities said they stole an ATM from a Lockport CRIME ary and Wilson was set at credit union and led of- BLOTTER $260,000 each. Wilson also is being held for the FBI ficers on a chase before Advocate in a bank burglary invesbeing captured.

Justin Williams, 25, of staff tigation and for the Baton Lafayette; Quantravion reports Rouge Police Department Wilson, 24, of Scott; and on a count of aggravated Jordan Zachary, 17, of flight from an officer.

Lafayette, were arrested According to the LaThursday. fourche Parish Sheriff’s Each was booked on counts of Office, a Lockport police officer felony theft, theft of an ATM and saw the suspects attempting to

LCTCS supports college hunger program

2B ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

Voters’ choices in fall elections narrow

As a new election cycle gets underway with qualifying for municipal and state offices starting Wednesday, we can’t help but note that Louisiana voters this fall face a dramatically changed landscape.

When the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais came down in April, fundamentally altering the understanding of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, we said that we hoped it wouldn’t be the end of the story and that voters would see the importance of their role in our democratic system.

Since then, we have seen legislators in multiple states quickly revise maps to give their party’s candidates an advantage. In Louisiana, that has meant the elimination of one of the state’s two majority-Black congressional districts, which is held by Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge.

After Callais, congressional primaries set for May were abruptly canceled so lawmakers could redraw districts. In the newly configured 6th District, approved by the Legislature in May, a heated race among Republicans is expected.

But Fields has already announced he won’t run.

Just as in 2024, when the districts were redrawn to comply with a court order and thenRep. Garret Graves decided not to seek the seat, we believe the political debate becomes poorer when voters have fewer choices.

And that is what is happening with the intense focus by political parties on rewarding loyalty above all else. We see fewer coalitions forming and fewer candidates who can talk across the aisle. We don’t hear discussions of issues that are important to large swaths of voters. That, we fear, leads too many to believe they have no option of supporting someone who’d represent their point of view or focus on solving their problems.

Let’s not forget that the Callais decision affects not just congressional elections, but also comes into play for redistricting for city councils and school boards — bodies where working collaboratively matters.

There is little that the average voter can do to change this state of affairs, but it should be clear to all that voting matters now more than ever.

This latest bout of redistricting seeks to guarantee the outcomes that party politicians want to see. But even as they “pack and crack” the electorate, their actions offer no guarantees, and indeed could make the paths of their favored candidates more perilous if voter turnout is greater than expected.

Our fervent wish is to get to a place in our state and in our country where politicians seek less to pick their voters, but rather pick up the challenge of tackling the priorities that matter to a broad majority of the electorate.

Until that day, though, we all have a responsibility to follow the campaigns, demand that candidates respond to voters and to show up at the ballot box to make our voices heard.

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identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence.

The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street 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. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

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YOUR VIEWS

Time for a fresh look at Essence support I’ve never missed an Essence Festival. In fact, I was a member of the New Orleans City Council when we helped negotiate the first Essence Festival to come to our city. I believed in it then, and after more than 30 years, I believe in it even more today.

Essence is much more than a music festival. Every year, it fills our hotels, restaurants, convention halls and small businesses, generating millions of dollars in local and state tax revenues that benefit all of Louisiana.

Over the years, public investment and financial incentives have steadily declined, even as the festival’s impact has grown. That doesn’t make sense. That’s why I believe it’s time to take a fresh look at how we support Essence.

If we’re willing to invest public dollars to attract major sporting events, conventions and other tourism opportunities, we should be just as willing to invest in Essence, which has delivered results for Louisiana for more than three de-

cades.

Other cities would welcome the opportunity to host an event of this magnitude.

We should be doing everything we can to keep this Louisiana treasure right where it belongs.

This year, I was honored to participate in empowerment panels, economic development discussions and community conversations.

I also enjoyed the music, culture and excitement that have made Essence special for more than 30 years. As always, I left inspired.

Essence has never been just about entertainment.

It celebrates entrepreneurship, education, health, culture and opportunity. It brings people together and showcases the very best of New Orleans and Louisiana.

Investing in Essence isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s one of the smartest economic investments our city, our state and our tourism industry can make. We simply cannot afford to take Essence for granted.

U.S. REP. TROY CARTER SR. New Orleans

City needs to go old-school No one is entitled to a shred of anyone else’s on parade land grabbers wealth or property In the recent article “New Carnival rules OK’d,” the newspaper reports that grills, tents, furniture and portable toilets remain prohibited in public spaces along New Orleans parade routes, but the fines for violators will increase from $250 to $1,000 and $2,000 each day thereafter. Blah, blah, blah.

Fines haven’t worked before, because enforcement is impossible.

How will raising fines be different?

What is the plan?

At the end of the parade days, I watch land grabbers lowering canopies and tents, locking up ladders and tables, bundling chairs and re-staking tarps, knowing they will be there the next day.

Many take turns sleeping in vehicles or sitting in chairs to protect

their turf for the next parade.

The misuse of public property for the private use of a few should not be tolerated. It’s time the city goes old-school. Back when it meant business, tow trucks lined up before parades, hauling away illegally parked vehicles. Then came dump trucks with city employees tossing ladders, furniture, tarps, tents and other prohibited items into them.

One sweep doesn’t work. It must become routine, both before and after parades.

The city does an amazing job of cleaning up after parades. Now is the time to put some teeth into enforcing Carnival rules.

SUSAN MUCHMORE New Orleans

Medical science can work miracles with help I really appreciated the recent letter from Jonathan Mizrahi, M.D., where he lauds the great strides in finding cures for pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Mizrahi emphasizes that these breakthroughs came via investments made many years ago, and he points out that future breakthroughs depend on our investment today.

Fourteen years ago, my wife was

diagnosed with stage 4A breast cancer. Thanks to chemotherapy and hormone treatment developed years ago, my wife is now considered cancer-free with a very low chance of it ever returning.

Let’s continue to invest in medical science. God works through medical science.

QUIN BATES Marrero

Socialism is evil because it appeals to humans’ lowest form of ambition: the ambition to have someone else do the work while you gain the benefit. You work, and I eat.

Would it really be fair for 51% of a democratic nation to force the other 49% to pay for all their living expenses? Of course not. But if we can grasp this notion, can we not also say it just as unfair at 60/40 or 80/20 or even 99/1?

Just because someone is smarter, works harder or even is just luckier than you doesn’t mean you are entitled to take their stuff.

Some say the 1 percenters are greedy, but this yearning to have someone else pay your way is really greed in its truest form.

Our country got great and remains great because we gave everyone opportunity. There is no barrier to success other than your own willingness to get out there and take some risks and do some work. Because of this, our people live freer and better than others. Because of this, we lead the world in innovation, can-do spirit and getting things done.

Think any of the socialist countries like Norway or Denmark could withstand an invasion by say, Russia or China? How many minutes do you think they could hold out on their own? It’s the presence of the United States as the world’s leading power (also many times more powerful than the next in line) that keeps these other folks safe. And us, too.

Our best and brightest’s main ambition would be to “go on the dole,” as the Brits say.

And that is why socialism is evil.

LOUIS LUZYNSKI Bush

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COMMENTARY LSU sports makes equity play This week, Gov. Jeff Landry and LSU President Wade Rousse will convene a pair of private meetings with top donors to LSU’s sports programs to lay out a new revenue model that could “change the future of college sports in Faimon America.”

Roberts Grandiose statements aside, part of the deal may already be done: Baton Rouge news website RedEye reported Monday morning that LSU had already entered into an agreement with a private equity firm for $100 million.

None of this should be surprising.

College sports is now more than ever a big-money arms race. Every school is looking for new revenue sources that will help keep it at the top of the heap.

That’s why LSU is searching so hard for more cash.

RedEye’s report, which is anonymously sourced, says that the investors will provide $100 million in upfront cash. It’s similar to deals inked

by Michigan State and the University of Utah, the report says.

In return, the firm will receive either a minimum guarantee or a percentage of media rights when the SEC negotiates its next football deal, RedEye reported.

It’s an important infusion for LSU, which runs deficits in most sports

other than football, even popular ones like gymnastics, baseball and women’s basketball.

Player compensation is a major expense. This is not the old days, with recruiting battles playing out in living rooms and at kitchen tables with mothers and fathers. They are waged in boardrooms and at conference tables, with agents and consultants.

But it would be wrong to lay the blame for this at the feet of the players.

For years, college sports was a topdown, closed economy. Within the last half-century, as television brought more and more games into American homes, the money began flowing in.

Athletics departments began to act like businesses. But they didn’t pay players in proportion to their value; the money went to coaches, administrators and facilities.

This arrangement was justified for years under the farcical ideal of “amateurism,” even as increasingly wealthy coaches put ever-increasing demands on their players’ time and effort. Players haven’t been “studentathletes” for years.

This system allowed schools to keep the major labor costs down (coaches excluded) while pulling revenue from media rights.

Today, college athletics is a marketdriven economy. Top players are looking for the best deal for them and their

families. They are finally being compensated in relation to the value they bring to their organizations, the same as every other employee.

But it puts those at the top of the program in a bind. To keep LSU’s sports roaring, to keep Tiger Stadium one of the best places to be on a Saturday night, to keep the PMAC shaking at the conclusion of a flawless floor routine, LSU officials need to pay competitive rates. That’s not cheap.

And so, we are in a spot where LSU has cut its first private equity deal.

More than the taxpayers, residents, fans, donors or the state’s political leadership, one private company now has an actual share of the flagship public university’s sports programs.

Investors aren’t looking for wins.

They’re looking for a return.

But there is a bright spot. The best way for private investors to get that return is for LSU sports to remain a hot commodity.

And the best way for that to happen is for the program to win on the field and on the court. That will do two things: keep fans happy and drive investor returns. It also puts a lot of pressure on those at the top.

It likely will lead to more such deals.

Critics will say LSU has sold out. The truth is, it had no choice.

Email Faimon A. Roberts III at froberts@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU interim coach Frank Wilson leads the team onto the field against Western Kentucky on Nov. 22 in Tiger Stadium.

Who’s to blame when kids aren’t vaccinated?

What is the death count under Donald Trump? We’re not talking about loss of life in his war with Iran. We’re not talking about natural deaths by aging or unpreventable diseases.

We mean Americans who die because they reFroma safe vaccines that Harrop fuse Trump or his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., question or discourage.

A recent occurrence of death and suffering comes from the refusal by many parents to let doctors give their newborns a vitamin K shot. Infants are naturally deficient in vitamin K, which helps prevent blood clots and internal bleeding, which can be horrific. K is a vitamin, not a vaccine. But ill-informed parents have developed suspicion of anything delivered with a needle.

Vitamin K shots were once routinely given, but now many parents refuse them. In 2024, an estimated 5.2% of American babies were not injected with vitamin K, up from 2.9% in 2017.

At least 12 such babies have died, and far more have suffered permanent brain damage.

Doctors believe the real numbers are far higher than reported.

Who’s to blame — the parents for not studying the matter or a health department that has cast aspersions on accepted science? Jessica Kirk, a

pediatric specialist at a Florida hospital, recalls trying to comfort a grieving parent. “But what I could not bring myself to say to her was, ‘There’s nothing you could have done.’ ” Falling vaccination rates are to blame for America’s worst measles outbreak in more than 30 years.

Parents are refusing the effective measles, mumps and rubella vaccine over the false claim that it causes autism. Trump is said to be hounding Bobby to look deeper for a link that 138 studies by real scientists could not find. Trump now insists that the shot be broken up into separate injections, based on zero science.

Several children infected with measles died last year, when there were far fewer cases. Many more had to be hospitalized with serious complications.

Trump makes us dizzy complaining that he doesn’t get credit for speeding up development of a COVID-19 vaccine and then putting a vaccine skeptic with a bizarre past in charge of Health and Human Services. He gushes about having “a Kennedy” from “the greatest political family” in his administration. What fun that must have been.

Trump never directly discouraged Americans from getting COVID shots.

But he kept minimizing the severity of the disease. He said it would “go away” or that it was under control.

Trump would not receive the vaccine

before cameras. That gave Americans who suspected that vaccines posed dangers more reasons to avoid them.

An estimated 250,000 Americans died unnecessarily from COVID by refusing to be vaccinated after the shots became widely available. Who’s to blame? The first Trump administration or people who didn’t seek out expert advice to get vaccinated?

Trump is allegedly unhappy with Bobby for not doing more to fan suspicion of vaccines. Really, RFK Jr. has done quite enough harm already putting Americans’ health at risk.

Complicating matters for Trump are new findings from a friendly pollster that vaccine skepticism is highly unpopular with voters. In another survey, 80% of adults said they trusted their doctors most, while only 34% put their faith in Bobby.

Why is Trump pushing doubt in mainstream science when he and his family reportedly get all the shots?

Could it be fumes circulating in his 80-year-old head? Could it be a pleasurable jolt of power from persuading people to, in effect, gamble with their lives? That possibility is too grim to contemplate.

Suffice it to say, though, the Trump administration is doing real harm, and some of it is costing American lives.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

New Hampshire, South Carolina test Democrats CRAWFORD NOTCH, N.H. — Two hundred years ago this summer, a ferocious storm moved through these mountains, prompting a massive landslide that killed seven members of the Willey family and two hired workers.

More than two decades ago, the Great Stone Face, the beloved rock formation above Franconia David that was the symbol of Shribman Notch this state and the inspiration for scores of 19th-century paintings and the soaring oratory of Daniel Webster, collapsed. Recently, the Democratic National Committee took steps to end more than a century’s New Hampshire tradition of holding the first presidential primary and delivered the prize to South Carolina.

Nothing if not resilient in the face of sadness and crisis, New Hampshire — shaped by massive geological forces that created the hills and glens of this state, buffeted by economic forces that created and then demolished what once was the largest cotton textile complex on the globe — has hewn to tradition, nurtured a culture of independence, adjusted to powerful gales of change, even endured extreme winds (234 mph, most powerful recorded in the Northern Hemisphere) and bracing temperatures (wind chill minus 109 degrees).

Now it’s girding to fight for the life of its political culture.

One asset: The Republicans show no sign of moving their 2028 primary out of New Hampshire. One response: Guided by a Granite State law that requires the state to hold the first presidential primary “7 days or more immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election” — to the mind of politicos here, and here that means pretty much everybody, Iowa’s contest, a caucus, doesn’t count — the Democrats likely will hold their primary before South Carolina’s anyway.

With the support of GOP Gov. Kelly Ayotte, they’ll dare the Democrats to refuse to seat its delegates in the national convention. But those delegates were never the point. In 2020, the last time the party had a contested presidential nomination, New Hampshire’s 24 delegates constituted less than 1% of the total.

“There’s no reason we have to listen to this decision,” said former Secretary of State William Gardner, who for decades fought to keep New Hampshire first.

That’s because the impact of New Hampshire always has been to test presidential candidates in an environment of highly engaged voters. It has provided a signal to the country of the legitimacy of some candidates (Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Michael Dukakis, John F. Kerry, Bernie Sanders) and the weakness of some highly touted others (Nelson Rockefeller, President Lyndon Johnson, Edward M. Kennedy, Bill Bradley). Often candidates who lost (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden) were strengthened by the test they endured.

This state has held the first primary since 1920 (winner: Herbert Hoover, who wouldn’t be elected president for another eight years) and has been established as an important political test since 1952 (the first of two Eisenhower victories).

The key to the cult of New Hampshire is the intimacy of the process, conducted in living rooms, libraries, church basements — a reflection of the truth that Thornton Wilder, who set his 1938 Pulitzer-winning play “Our Town” in the fictional community of Grovers Corners, New Hampshire, identified when he wrote, “In our town, we like to know the facts about everybody.” It is indelibly marked by the aggressiveness of the voters who attend meet-and-greets and town meetings, as former Governor Nikki Haley, accustomed to South Carolina politics and shivering — it was only November! — as she entered a Hooksett, New Hampshire, meeting site in 2023, discovered first-hand.

But it has a damaging distinction for Democratic policy-makers: It’s 91% White, only 2% Black (Democratic Party: 18%) and 5% Hispanic (Democrats: 16%).

If, for example, a candidate such as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who would be expected to do well in South Carolina, contests an early New Hampshire primary and does well, he could solidify his position as a putative frontrunner. A progressive candidate who likes to defy convention, such as, say, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, could campaign here alongside her ally Sanders (winner of two primaries and a familiar figure across the state border), and have a breakthrough to catapult her into serious contention she’s unlikely to win in South Carolina.

Email David Shribman at dshribman@postgazette.com.

4B ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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A ribboncutting was held at the new JS Clark Leadership Academy campus in Opelousas on Friday.

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

STAFF PHOTOS By JAN RISHER

LSU coach Lane Kiffin spoke to 333 women who participated in The Huddle: LSU’s Football Clinic for Women at LSU’s football operations center on Thursday.

SCHOOL

Continued from page 1B grade, and we’re moving it slowly but consistently.”

Tiffanie Lewis, who is the CEO and head of schools at JS Clark Leadership Academy, said the goal is to be a “community school.”

“We need to get back to having those community schools where parents come, where they have a place,” she said. “In fact, we have partnered with the Southwest Louisiana Primary Healthcare Center with a facility at this location where all of our students and families can be safe for their healthcare needs.”

The neighborhood surrounding the new campus has long dealt with blight and aging infrastructure, but Tiffanie Lewis said the area has seen new investment since the school broke ground, including fiber lines and work on the water system.

“Right behind us, they’ve

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

School staff members give a tour of the new JS Clark Leadership Academy gymnasium on Friday. already begun to tear down blight for new construction.

The community has definitely gotten involved, as well as our mayor to make sure we have progress on this side of town. The city is moving forward to make sure this area continues to grow, because we’re here,” she said.

As the campus neared completion this past spring, Tiffanie Lewis was also nearing the end of her doc-

Immigration detainee escapes ICE facility

A civil immigration detainee escaped Friday from — which had been reported the U.S. Immigration and stolen in Gretna — and fled Customs Enforcement deon foot. tention facility in Pine PraiPolice used drones, K-9 rie, prompting a search by units and assistance from the Evangeline Parish SherLouisiana State Police to iff’s Office. locate and arrest the susDeputies said Santiago Manuel Gasper, 22, a Guapects.

The investigation is ongo- temalan citizen, escaped ing, and authorities said ad- from the facility shortly ditional arrests and charges after 4 p.m. Friday. He is described as 5 feet, 1 inch are possible.

COLLEGE

Continued from page 1B hunger got a first-time, $1 million investment from the Legislature.

The infusion has elated campus leaders and food bank workers, some of whom said they were uncertain of the program’s future. They say they will be able to deliver more food, connect students with local food banks and improve on-campus food pantries, among other services.

“We are thrilled to see this funding increase,” said Zoe Duffield, with Swipe Out Hunger, which championed Hunger-Free Campus legislation across the country, in a statement. “It demonstrates not only the commitment and dedication of the Louisiana Board of Regents to the Hunger-Free Campus program, but also the state’s overall investment in the basic needs of higher education.”

Millions of college students in the U.S. go hungry,

D’ALBOR

Continued from page 1B detailing D’Albor’s commitment to the department: “You fought a courageous battle,” the statement reads. “Even during your most difficult days, you remained dedicated to and involved until your final moment.”

The department credited D’Albor with helping

with roughly 1 in 4 students in 2020 saying they had experienced limited or uncertain access to food.

Louisiana does not conduct regular surveys of how many college students don’t have enough to eat — how many live in a state of “food insecurity” — but because of the state’s poverty rate, those numbers are likely higher locally, advocates say. Misconceptions that young, collegegoing people don’t qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program compound the problem.

“There’s a lot of college students that are hungry, and people don’t realize that they are,” Marleah Walker, director of programs and outreach for Feeding Louisiana, said. “They’re maybe not in the area that they’re from, they don’t have family support, and if they don’t have a pantry on campus, or they don’t have SNAP benefits, they’re really struggling to make ends meet.”

Louisiana was one of 10 states to adopt HungerFree Campus legislation,

rebuild the Police Department after it was reestablished following its 2004 dissolution. Working with Mayor Freddie DeCourt, he helped establish the reformed agency, from purchasing its first supplies to outfitting officers and building the department’s fleet.

Other elected officials from New Iberia shared their condolences with D’Albor’s family and loved ones, including DeCourt,

They understand what it takes to look at their degree plan and look at those credits for what they’re supposed to do.

“I think the product speaks for itself, in terms of engaging those students early, especially first-generation students. Giving them this type of experience propels them to be successful as they enter the workforce or college.”

For incoming freshman Kevin Mitchell, who performed with the JS Clark band at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, that new school feeling is exciting, as well as the campus amenities he’ll be able to access — but, on the cusp of his high school years, he’s mostly excited for the experiences that are to come in his new school home.

“I’m just ready to be in high school,” he said. “It’s a whole new area, new feel, new vibe.”

toral program in education, where she studied the impact of the dual enrollment model she designed at JS Clark.

“What I found in my research is that students are more successful when they are on campus, in a safe environment that teaches them how to be college students, and teaches them how to be professionals,” Email Joanna Brown she said. “They understand at joanna.brown@ how to email professors. theadvocate.com.

tall and weighs about 117 pounds.

The Sheriff’s Office said it was notified of the escape around midnight and immediately launched a search using a thermal drone, a tracking dog and ground units. Despite several hours of searching, deputies were unable to locate Gasper.

Deputies said they received a report Saturday morning that a Hispanic man wearing a white Tshirt and white shorts was seen running south on Fifth

Street in Pine Prairie about 4:30 p.m. Friday.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, ICE said Gasper is a civil detainee, is not considered dangerous and has no known criminal history.

Anyone with information about Gasper’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office at (337) 363-2161.

The Sheriff’s Office said it will continue working with ICE and other law enforcement agencies as the search continues.

sponsored by Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, in 2022. The national initiative encourages uniformity of food services with “HungerFree Campus” designations awarded to schools and provides grants for institutions to maintain food pantries and other resources. The Louisiana program is managed by the Board of Regents.

According to the Regents’ annual Hunger-Free Campus report, wide disparities of food services between Louisiana colleges existed as recently as 2023, with one school offering a wooden box stocked with canned goods and another providing a “one-stop shop” for students complete with perishables and nonperishables, household items, a vegetable garden and cooking lessons.

To be deemed a HungerFree Campus, an institution must maintain a task force that meets regularly, notify students of potential SNAP eligibility, hold hunger awareness events and connect students with on- or offcampus food resources.

This is the first investment in the effort by the state Legislature. Previously, the Board of Regents allocated dollars internally toward the program, awarding 21 campuses in 2026 with over $100,000 in awards.

LeBoeuf said tackling college student hunger remains a multifaceted effort.

“We 100% are appreciative of the investment of the Legislature and the work that they continue to do around this space,” LeBoeuf said.

“But we recognize that for long-term sustainability, it takes partnership of all.”

who was responsible for first appointing him to the position.

“He served with an enormous amount of honor, rivaled only by the amount of love he had for his community,” DeCourt said. “A true friend to many, his willingness to serve others will never be forgotten.”

D’Albor’s family requests that instead of flowers, donations be given to the Officers Battling Illnesses Foundation.

At The Huddle: LSU Football’s Clinic for Women, 333 women took part in drills, listened to coach Lane Kiffin, coach Ed Orgeron and numerous players, amid preparations for the football season.

LSU

“Tony Hughes?” he said.

“Tony Hughes coached me.”

Hughes played football Continued from page 1B for my dad at Forest High School in central Missisteam’s pregame drills. My sippi. He went on to coach at foot is injured, so I could not many places — University fully participate. This would of Southern Mississippi, have driven my late father Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss, — a lifelong football coach Mississippi State and as — right up a wall. head coach at Jackson State.

Still, I felt him out there.

Wilson and I took a photo Lights on, with an incredible together before he headed pink and purple sunset to his way, and I headed the west. mine, texting the pic to Mothers were throwing Tony Hughes as I walked. passes to their sons. MothHughes wrote back in a ers were tackling their sons. flash: “Dwike is my favorite.

My father built a career out He is like a son to me. He is of organizing fun like this — my guy!!! I was just talking and for an hour, in the dusk, about Coach Risher at Bible study last night.” so did LSU, with a lot more Hughes and his wife have bells and whistles. told me before that, through The event was so much the decades, he has quoted more than I expected. The my father — in football and coaches and players took in life, on the field and off it. it seriously, but they were Before I left the field, I having fun — and so were tracked Wilson down to the participants. It was a blast to stand in lines and try show him the message from Hughes. Maybe it was the to throw a football 10 yards sweat on his face, but to me, into a garbage can. it looked like his eyes welled When the last rotation up with tears. ended, most of the women My father coached high hurried toward another field school football for decades where Orgeron was, with in Mississippi. He has been his gravelly voice, setting up footraces. Unable to com- gone four years.

But standing on an LSU pete, thanks to my injury, I practice field under stadium took my time. lights, there was no arguing On my slow walk over, with what I felt.

I began chatting with two He was there. people gathering equipment.

I told them how well-run and fun the whole night Email Jan Risher at jan. had been. One of them fell risher@theadvocate.com. into step beside me. Turned out he grew up in a small town in Mississippi, not too LOTTERY far from where I did. He’d played football at Hinds SUNDAY,AUG. 2, 2026 Junior College, where my PICK 3: 5-8-8 uncle spent decades as an PICK 4: 2-0-0-4 administrator.

PICK 5: 1-0-5-8-9 He told me his name was Dwike Wilson, LSU’s senior Unofficial notification, executive director of rekeep your tickets. cruiting and personnel.

“I bet you know Tony Hughes,” I said. “My dad Funerals Today coached him.”

The guy looked at me side- Leger, Preston Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church ways. in Scott at 10 a.m.

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T u e s d ay, au g u s T 4, 2026

1CN

Saints deal with fallout of Polk’s surprise decision

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss runs a drill during training camp on Thursday.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

‘LOT OF PRIDE’

LB Elliss, a former 7th-round pick, an established pro in return to Saints

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Kaden Elliss has not spent a lot of time reflecting on his professional football journey, but he quickly can recall the unfortunate moment that changed the trajectory of his career.

It was a Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. Starting weak-side linebacker Pete Werner left the field on a medical cart in the third quarter, an injury that required surgery and sidelined him for six weeks.

“You pray for everyone on the team to be completely healthy all year,” Elliss said. “If Pete doesn’t get hurt against the Baltimore Ravens my last year here, I might have just signed back as a special-teamer, and that might have been my career. You know what I mean?”

The New Orleans Saints suddenly needed to count on Elliss, known mostly for his special-teams ability, in a starting role. He delivered in a big way, recording six sacks and 63 tackles in the final nine games of that season, enough to earn him a big contract from the rival Atlanta Falcons that offseason.

This spring, Elliss returned to where his career started as a different player than the one who needed an opportunity.

He has established himself as a proven and dependable starting linebacker in the NFL. He has earned more than $30 million in his career and will top $50 million if he finishes out his third contract.

That is not too bad for a former seventhround pick out of the University of Idaho.

“There’s a lot of pride,” said gen neral manager Mickey Loomis, who wass running the front office when the Sa aints selected Elliss with the No. 244 pick p in 2019. “I think anytime you dra aft the players that are in the latter ha alf of the draft and they develop intto All-Pro, Pro Bowl (players) … tha at makes you feel good.

“Kind of pissed off that he was in i Atlanta over those years and doin ng that — like, you don’t like to see that t — but you’re happy for the playerr, but kind of mad that you didn’t see it so ooner and keep him here.”

Sometimes the timing works out, though.

New Orleans already had a line of communication out to Ellisss about the possibility of coming back when Demario Davis elected to sign with the New York Jets this offseason. That move created a void that Elliss was qualified to fill.

Elliss topped 100 tackles in each of his three seasons with the Falcons. He was the Falconss’ “green dot” defender, calling defensive plays in the huddle. And the e rush skills that first started to show when w he got his opportunity to play in New Orleans have been evident during early stages of training camp.

“I’m excited to play with him,” defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said. “Ve ery vocal,

Linebacker Kaden Elliss defends while playing for the Saints in 2022.

ä See ELLISS, page 3C

A day after Ja’Lynn Polk made the surprising decision to retire from the NFL, there still wasn’t clarity about why the wide receiver wanted to walk away.

Coach Kellen Moore called Polk’s choice “personal,” declining to share the reasons the 24-year-old provided the Saints. And Moore said there was no ill will toward Polk, adding the receiver had several conversations with the team in the days before he was placed on the league’s reserve/retired list.

“He just felt like this was the best decision for him on a personal level,” Moore said. “And so, you know, love that guy. He did an awesome job through the entire process here (over) the year-plus we had him.”

Make no mistake, Polk’s retirement was sudden and will force the Saints to change course after the black and gold had a clear vision for the former 2024 second-round pick. New Orleans was hoping to salvage Polk’s career after it acquired him from the New England Patriots last training camp.

Polk’s tenure ends without ever suiting up in a Saints uniform. He was sidelined all of 2025 because of a shoulder injury that ended his season before New Orleans traded for him.

Let’s examine the ripple effects of the Saints losing Polk.

Next man up Before retiring, Polk had established himself as the Saints’ fourth receiver — with the potential to compete with Devaughn Vele for the third spot.

With Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson sidelined through the spring during team drills, Polk got valuable reps with the starters and formed a nice chemistry with quarterback Tyler Shough.

Polk impressed well enough that Moore made a point Monday to tell reporters he was confident the wideout could contribute in the NFL if Polk were to reverse his decision.

With Polk gone, there’s a wide-open window for the eight other receivers not named Olave, Tyson and Vele to win that spot.

All eyes will turn to the Saints’ recent draft picks. Fourth-round wide receiver Bryce Lance had a good practice Sunday with back-to-back touchdowns while the Saints worked in the red zone.

On Monday, it was sixth-round wideout Barion Brown’s turn to stand out.

The LSU product flashed by hauling in several long catches and using his 4.4 speed to torch the opposing corner.

Third-year receiver Kevin Austin perhaps shouldn’t be discounted. He got work with the first-team offense near the end of practice Monday, when the Saints were scaling back the

ä See POLK, page 3C

Big-name NFL players have something to prove this season

BY DENNIS WASZAK

ing a new team, trying to overcome an injury or working to rebound from mediocre play. Here FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Breece Hall are some players with a little extra came to training camp with a new to prove in 2026. contract from the New York Jets and an intense desire to justify the Brian Thomas, WR, Jaguars big bucks.

The 2024 first-rounder out of “It makes me more hungry to LSU set franchise rookie records keep proving I am who I say I am,” for catches (87), yards receiving said the star running back, who (1,282) and TD receptions (10), received a three-year extension quickly emerging as Trevor Lawin May worth $45.75 million. “It’s rence’s top target. But Thomas’ making me want to do more than production nosedived last season I’ve done in the past.” with 48 catches for 707 yards Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield said and just two TDs. He also tied he feels “disrespected” by the for second in the NFL with 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for not drops. Thomas was impressive getting the contract extension he during offseason workouts and sought and plans to play out the fi- minicamp, and the hope is being nal season of his three-year, $100 in his second year in Liam Coen’s offense will help him more closemillion deal.

Several players know exactly ly resemble the playmaker he how they feel, entering the season was as a rookie. with something to prove because of either signing a big-money deal, A.J. Brown, WR, Patriots looking for another contract, joinThe three-time Pro Bowl pick AP pro football writer

was traded by Philadelphia to New England in June for a 2028 firstround draft pick and a 2027 fifthrounder. Brown, who’s still only 29, had 339 catches for 5,034 yards receiving with 32 touchdowns in four seasons with the Eagles — a tenure also marked by cryptic social-media posts and comments that soured his relationship with the franchise, including quarterback Jalen Hurts. In New England, Brown gets a fresh start with his childhood favorite team.

30 receptions for 292 yards in 12 other games. He acknowledged in minicamp that this is a “make or break” season.

Breece Hall, RB, Jets

Hall ran for 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last season and also had 350 yards receiving with five overall TDs while playing in 16 games. He was mentioned often in trade rumors last year but remained with the Jets. With Frank Reich running the offense, Hall should continue to be a doKeon Coleman, WR, Bills it-all bell cow out of the backfield The 23-year-old wide receiver with the hope he’ll firmly establish has the talent to be a star for the himself as one of the league’s top Josh Allen-led offense. But in- running backs. consistency and lapses in focus on and off the field have pre- Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers vented Coleman from reaching The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 by that potential. He has been disci- Cleveland revived his career in plined three times for being late Tampa Bay after replacing Tom to meetings. After having eight Brady in 2023. Mayfield insists he catches for 112 yards in Buffalo’s ä See NFL, page 3C season opener, Coleman had just

AP PHOTO By KELLy JORDAN

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas makes a catch during practice at the team’s training camp on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla.

2C ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Red Sox, Phillies, Padres go big Trade deadline expires with flurry of moves

ter Griffin from the Washington Nationals and slugger Nathaniel Lowe from the Cincinnati Reds.

The 27-year-old Adell has 16 homers and 62 RBIs this season, one year after hitting a careerbest 37 homers with 98 RBIs. Adell has spent his entire career with the Angels after being the 10th overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft.

The 31-year-old Griffin has been excellent for the Nats this season with a 12-3 record and 3.06 ERA. He’s back in the big leagues after a three-year stint playing in Japan.

The 31-year-old Lowe is having a bounceback season with a .266 average, 12 homers and 37 RBIs. He’ll add more thump from the left side.

BY DAVID BRANDT AP baseball writer

The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies took big swings Monday ahead of baseball’s trade deadline, with the Red Sox adding three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman a few hours after the Phillies picked up three-time batting champion Luis Arraez.

The pair of aggressive moves highlighted a hectic day of swaps, featuring dozens of deals in the hours leading up to Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline. Among Monday’s other fireworks: the Houston Astros added veteran outfielder Daulton Varsho from Toronto in exchange for right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, and the Chicago Cubs got pitcher Clay Holmes from the New York Mets.

The San Diego Padres made multiple moves to deepen their pitching staff, picking up former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray in a deal with the San Francisco Giants and right-hander Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers.

Here are Monday’s biggest deals:

Rutschman to Red Sox Rutschman was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 out of Oregon State and has largely lived up to the high expectations with five quality seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.

Now he moves to the Red Sox, who started slow this season but revitalized their playoff hopes with a franchise record-tying 15game winning streak in July. The 28-year-old Rutschman — who is under team control for one more season in 2027 — has had a bounce-back season at the plate with a .762 OPS, which helped him earn his third All-Star nod.

Rutschman is currently on the injured list with left wrist inflammation. He’s also dealt with an ankle injury and a concussion this year.

The Red Sox also received catcher Jake Rogers and cash considerations in the deal. The Orioles got catcher Carlos Narváez, minor league right-handed pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, minor league outfielder Enddy Azocar, and a player to be named later or cash considerations. Eyanson, who pitched on LSU’s 2025 national championship team, is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.

Other trades of note

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GAIL BURTON

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman follows through on a tworun double against the Chicago Cubs in the seventh inning on July 7 in Baltimore. The Orioles traded him to Boston on Monday.

Arraez to Phillies Arraez comes to the Phillies from the San Francisco Giants, and he’ll be expected to create RBI opportunities for sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

Arraez is hitting an NL-best .324 in a resurgent season after signing a $12 million, one-year deal with San Francisco early in spring training. The 29-year-old has his highest batting average since 2023, and he’s played better defense at second base after questions about his glove hindered his market in free agency.

Philly also got reliever Caleb Kilian back from the Giants in the trade for two minor leaguers, and it swung a separate deal for left-handed reliever Brooks Raley with the Mets.

Padres load up The Padres have won eight of nine to move one game back of the final wild-card playoff position, and this latest surge in their up-and-down season apparently prompted general manager A.J. Preller to trade yet another chunk of his severely depleted farm system for a chance to win now.

Ray is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 1222/ 3 innings this season, his third with San Francisco.

San Diego gave up right-hander

Miguel Mendez and 17-year-old shortstop Joniel Hernandez for the 34-year-old Ray, who will be an unrestricted free agent this winter. The Padres also got cash in the deal.

The 26-year-old Mize has a 4-6 record and 2.70 ERA this season over 16 starts. The Tigers received left-handed pitching prospects Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf.

Astros pick up Varsho The 30-year-old Varsho has had a disappointing offensive season with a .682 OPS over 99 games with the Blue Jays, but he earned a Gold Glove award in 2024 and remains an excellent defender.

Houston came into Monday’s games with a 58-55 record, which is good for first place in the AL West. The Astros took over the division lead for the first time since April after a three-game sweep of the Rangers over the weekend.

The Blue Jays received Arrighetti, who is 7-5 with a 4.60 ERA over 17 starts this season.

Guardians add three The Cleveland Guardians picked up a power bat and some outfield versatility by adding Jo Adell from the Angels, who received minor league catcher Jacob Cozart. Later in the day, they acquired veteran lefty Fos-

n The Pittsburgh Pirates added veteran right-hander Luke Weaver from the Mets. Weaver is in the first season of a two-year, $22-million deal. He had been one of the few bright spots this season for the last-place Mets, going 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA with one save in 42 appearances. The Pirates also added veteran right-hander Kirby Yates in a deal with the Angels. n The New York Yankees added outfielder Heliot Ramos from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor league infielder Kaeden Kent and left-hander Henry Lalane. The 26-year-old Ramos has hit .264 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 74 games this season for the Giants. n The Milwaukee Brewers added right-handed starter Dustin May and left-handed reliever JoJo Romero from the Cardinals in exchange for prospects Alexander Frías and Josiah Ragsdale. May has a 5-7 record and 4.38 ERA over 21 starts. Romero has a 3.35 ERA over 44 appearances. n The playoff-chasing Arizona Diamondbacks got a left-handed bat that can fill a spot in left field with the acquisition of Lars Nootbaar from St. Louis for prospects.

Nootbaar has hit .234 with three home runs and 16 RBIs in 48 games since his season debut in early June after heel surgery last offseason. n Toronto got utility player Josh Smith, who played at LSU, and minor league right-hander Josh Stephan from Texas for rookie left-hander Adam Macko. Smith, who in 2024 won a Silver Slugger as a utility player, was at TripleA Round Rock. He went into this season with the chance to be the Rangers’ everyday second baseman, but he hit .213 in 45 games and missed 37 games because of injuries and a bout with viral meningitis.

Skubal joins list of Cy Young winners to be traded

BY NOAH TRISTER AP baseball writer

The biggest deal of this trading season came courtesy of the Detroit Tigers, who sent left-handed ace Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, two days before Monday’s trade deadline.

Skubal is a free agent after this season, and Detroit is under .500. But even considering all that, trading away the 2024 and 2025 Cy Young Award winner couldn’t have been easy.

Skubal The Tigers will be judged on how the three prospects they acquired — Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith — perform. History shows that it’s possible to come out OK when trading a pitcher of Skubal’s caliber, but there are plenty of teams who got little in return.

Here are eight other instances when a reigning Cy Young winner was traded before the end of the following season (hat tip to Baseball Reference for the transaction recaps): n Frank Viola, Minnesota to New York Mets, 1989: Among the players Minnesota received for Viola were Rick Aguilera and Kevin Tapani. The former would save 42 games and the latter would win 16 in 1991, when the Twins won the

World Series. Viola wasn’t a rental — after finishing the 1989 season in New York, he went 20-8 in 1990 for the Mets. But New York never made the postseason with him. n David Cone, Kansas City to Toronto to New York Yankees, 1995: Cone was actually traded twice the year after his Cy Young season in Kansas City. Toronto acquired him for Chris Stynes and two players who never made the majors. When the Blue Jays floundered, they dealt Cone — in the final year of his contract — to the Yankees for Marty Janzen and two players who never made the majors. n Pedro Martinez, Montreal to Boston, 1997: Ouch. Montreal knew what it had in Martinez, but he was entering his walk year so the Expos traded him shortly after the ‘97 season for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas. Boston was able to keep him long term, and in 1999 and 2000, he turned in one of the best two-year pitching stretches in the live ball era: 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA, followed by 18-6 with a 1.74 ERA. n Roger Clemens, Toronto to New York Yankees, 1999: New York was coming off a 114-win season and a World Series title when it sent fan favorite David Wells to Toronto along with reliever Graeme Lloyd and infielder Homer Bush. In return, the Yankees landed Clemens, who like Skubal was fresh of two straight Cy Youngs. He added another

with New York in 2001 and kept pitching until 2007. n CC Sabathia, Cleveland to Milwaukee, 2008: Another good comp for Skubal, in that the Brewers got Sabathia as a partial-season rental right before he hit free agency. It was worth it when he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA down the stretch to help Milwaukee reach the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. Outfielder Michael Brantley was a player to be named later in the package that went back to Cleveland, and he would become a five-time All-Star. n Cliff Lee, Cleveland to Philadelphia, 2009: Yes, that’s two straight seasons Cleveland traded away the previous year’s Cy Young winner — and Lee wasn’t even a pending free agent. He helped the Phillies reach the World Series before being retraded to Seattle. As part of the deal for Lee, Cleveland got Carlos Carrasco, who would pitch there for over a decade. n R.A. Dickey, New York Mets to Toronto, 2012: The Mets picked the right time to deal Dickey, who won 20 games in 2012 before New York sent him to the Blue Jays in December. Right-hander Noah Syndergaard and catcher Travis d’Arnaud were part of the return, and both were still with New York when the Mets won the pennant in 2015. n Justin Verlander, New York Mets to Houston, 2023: Verlander is a tricky case since he actually left the Astros as a free agent

after winning the Cy Young for them in 2022. Then New York traded him back to Houston in the middle of the 2023 season.

Performance of the week Kyle Freeland threw Colorado’s first complete game since 2002 on Sunday in an 8-1 victory over Kansas City. It was Freeland’s 251st start and first complete game.

Eduardo Rodriguez is now the lone pitcher in major league history with at least 250 starts and no complete games.

Comeback of the week Two of the craziest comebacks of the season came this week, courtesy of teams trying to stay in the American League wild card race.

Baltimore trailed Detroit 7-0 in the top of the seventh with Skubal on the mound. The Tigers had a 99.4% win probability according to Baseball Savant. The Orioles finally chased Skubal with Leody Taveras’ two-out RBI single, and by the time Detroit’s bullpen got out of the inning it was 7-5. Baltimore tied it in the eighth, both teams scored twice in the 11th and then the Orioles won 10-9 in 12.

On Thursday, Kansas City led Minnesota 3-0 with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth. (Win probability: 99.5%.)

A hit batter, a single and a walk loaded the bases. Then Kody Clemens hit a grand slam to give the Twins a 4-3 victory.

Former LSU big man Miller finds new home with Miami

Former LSU men’s basketball player Robert Miller III has found a new home after entering the transfer portal on April 10.

The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is transferring to Miami, his father, Robert Miller II, told The Advocate. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals per game as a sophomore. Miller was ranked the No. 42 power forward in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

The Houston native was one of nine players to leave LSU ahead of coach Will Wade’s first season back in Baton Rouge. His new home, Miami, is led by second-year coach Jai Lucas, who guided the Hurricanes to a 26-9 overall record and a 13-5 finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bears safety Bryant leaves practice field on a cart

Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant was injured at practice on Monday with an apparent leg injury and left the field on a cart.

Bryant, the former Seattle Seahawks player who was acquired in free agency this offseason, was working against tight end Cole Kmet in 1-on-1 drills and clutched his left leg near the knee. He was able to get in the cart on his own power, but the scene was scary for the Bears, who are depending on Bryant’s speed in a revamped starting secondary.

The team hasn’t announced the nature or severity of the injury, but ESPN reported Bryant could miss 8-10 weeks with a hyperextension, bone bruise and small fracture.

Niners WR Evans sits out with strained quadriceps Wide receiver Mike Evans missed practice for the San Francisco 49ers on Monday because of a strained quadriceps in the latest injury to hit the team’s receiver room.

Evans was able to attend practice as a spectator and even caught a couple of passes on the side during a special-teams drill. But his absence left the Niners extremely short-handed at receiver.

Projected starter Ricky Pearsall is already done for the season because of an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament last season that hasn’t healed and requires surgery. The team’s top draft pick, De’Zhaun Stribling, has missed the past two practices with tightness in his hamstring.

Texas Rangers designate RHP Martin for assignment

Veteran right-handed reliever Chris Martin was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers on Monday after being reinstated from his third injured list stint this season because of a right shoulder issue.

Martin, who turned 40 in June, is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 16 games this season, allowing 25 hits and 14 earned runs in 14 innings. He missed 75 games during his three IL stints.

The 6-foot-8 Martin is an Arlington, Texas, native who initially played for his hometown team in 2018 and 2019. He returned to the Rangers last season, when he had a 2.98 ERA over 49 relief appearances.

Eala beats Pegula, becomes first Filipina with WTA title

WASHINGTON — Alexandra Eala’s breakthrough week at the DC Open lasted one day longer than expected. By the time it ended, the Filipino expression written across the Nike T-shirt she had worn earlier that week had become a reality.

“Once it grows, it cannot be stopped.”

After the women’s final stretched across two days because of heavy rain, Eala rallied past Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 Monday to capture her first career WTA Tour title.

The victory made the 21-yearold Eala the first Filipina to win a singles title on the tour, completing the same career-defining breakthrough that the Washington tournament once gave Pegula when she claimed her first WTA title in 2019.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday, August 4, 2026 ● 3C

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SAINTS OBSERVATIONS

Offense shines for first time in camp

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

The pads came on, and the New Orleans Saints offense enjoyed its best performance to date.

After a handful of days where things looked half a click off, Tyler Shough completed 11 of 14 pass attempts. The offensive line gave him a relatively clean pocket to operate from for much of the practice, and when pressure broke through, Shough would answer by using his legs to find space and extend the play.

It wasn’t just Shough making plays. A rookie wide receiver popped a couple of times Monday morning, and a veteran running back made an impact as a receiver out of the backfield. In both cases, it might not be the player whom you think.

Here is what happened during the roughly 100-minute practice Monday morning in Metairie.

Attendance There were no changes in attendance Monday: Receiver Mason Tipton, and defensive linemen Keeshawn Silver and Zxavian Harris continued to miss practice with injuries suffered before camp began, and right guard Cesar Ruiz missed practice with an excused absence.

New Orleans has not yet made a roster move with defensive lineman Bryan Bresee, who is expected to miss the 2026 season with a torn ACL, but it will soon have two roster spots to fill after Ja’Lynn Polk‘s sudden retirement.

Offense shines Nobody was really worried about the offense this early in training camp, but Monday’s practice was the first one decisively won by the starting offense.

Shough easily had his best day, both in terms of the passes he completed and the rhythm he had the

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints running back Travis Etienne catches a pass over Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss during training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Monday. offense in. Only three of his passes during team drills hit the ground — two of them deep shots that he put just beyond his receiver’s reach, and the other a throwaway as he was escaping pressure while rolling left.

The Saints’ pass-catching depth showed up, too: Shough’s 11 completions went to seven different players — three receivers, two running backs and two tight ends.

First-round pick Jordyn Tyson made a nice sliding catch over the middle of the field, going to his rear end to corral a low throw from Shough. Fellow rookie Oscar

ELLISS

POLK

very good communicator, very good on the blitz, too.”

Like Elliss, Godchaux was a Day 3 draft pick who found a role, established himself and found staying power in the NFL. Godchaux is entering Year 10, while Elliss is entering his eighth season.

Godchaux chose the word “grit” to describe the players who follow that path. They are not the players into whom the franchise has invested heavily, and they are the ones who have to make the limited opportunities count.

They also must have a stubborn belief.

Elliss recalled one of his first experiences after a summer practice with the Saints in 2019 — a team that would go 13-3 and win the NFC South. He told his father, former NFL All-Pro Luther Elliss, that he didn’t feel intimidated and figured he was one of the better athletes on the team.

His dad laughed him off and made sure he knew that the veterans had a different gear for an organized team activity. But the belief never left Elliss, even after he tore his ACL during his rookie season and had to work his way back into feeling like himself.

“I never viewed myself as like a seventh-round pick,” Elliss said.

“From the jump, I was always like, ‘Man, this is only because I was at Idaho.’ You know what I mean? If I had been somewhere else (in college) and done the same things, I feel like I would have been much higher drafted.”

workload for Tyson and Vele on certain reps. It shouldn’t be ignored that Austin also has found his way into playing time the last two seasons because of injuries in front of him, starting three of 16 appearances.

Outside of Austin, Ronnie Bell and Bub Means have had nice moments since camp began.

Continued from page 1C

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

NFL

Continued from page 1C

Delp got in the action by catching Shough’s first pass of the day in the left flat and turning upfield.

Importantly, the run game also produced a couple of big plays — at least, they looked like they would be big plays. While the players were in pads, they were not fully tackling their teammates to the ground.

Devin Neal hit a hole off left guard and rumbled downfield for a gain of about 10 yards before he was touched by a defender, and Alvin Kamara continued to show he still has something in the tank when he cut through the heart of the defense on a draw for a nice gain.

Odds and ends

shoulder catch from Spencer Rattler near the end of practice. n Travis Etienne prides himself on his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, and his pass-catching skills flashed Monday. He was running to the flat on one play as Shough evaded the rush and rolled to his left. Seeing Shough point downfield, Etienne broke off his route and sprinted, catching an over-the-shoulder pass for a big gain. When the first team took the field again, Etienne set up a screen perfectly, catching the pass and following his blocks for another big gain. He caught all three of his targets. n Defensive back Isaac Yiadom and linebacker Danny Stutsman both took some first-team snaps during fullteam periods Monday. Moore said the Yiadom move, which briefly sent Quincy Riley to the second team, was “no big deal” and that “we’re just giving ourselves different rotations.” n Tyson went through all the fullteam drills, but he did not participate in the 1-on-1 period. n Kicker Charlie Smyth had his first miss of training camp, pushing a kick wide from 44 yards. But he made his other five attempts, ending with a 54-yarder that cleared the uprights by a good margin.

Smyth is now 15 for 16 on his training camp field goal attempts. n For as well as the first-team offense played, the second-team defense got its hands on a couple of balls. Dalys Beanum undercut a downfield throw from Zach Wilson intended for Bub Means to pick it off, and backup defensive backs Jayden Price and Lorenzo Styles both had interceptions in 1-on-1 drills. n The kick-return group included the following players: Brown, Price, Ty Chandler, Trey Palmer, Bryce Lance, Kendre Miller and Jalen Cropper.

n Barion Brown made a name for himself as a return specialist during his time at LSU and Kentucky, but shortly after the Saints selected him in the draft, coach Kellen Moore said he believed he could help as a receiver. Monday’s practice was the best evidence in support of Moore’s statement. Brown started things off by beating Rejzohn Wright deep downfield in 1-on-1 drills.

He missed another opportunity in team drills when the defense lost him on a scramble drill, failing to track the ball to his hands, but then Email Luke Johnson at rebounded with a brilliant over-the- ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1C

Will Saints add at WR? Moore didn’t dismiss that the Saints could add another receiver to offset Polk’s departure, but the coach didn’t sound like New Orleans was rushing to make a move, either.

“We’re always looking to see if something suits us, but right now we’ve got a lot of guys in that room that are all getting opportunities,” Moore said.

If the Saints do want to add another receiver, there are a slew of notable veterans still available. Among them, former Los Angeles Chargers wideout Keenan Allen has previous experience with Moore from their time together in 2023, when Moore served as the Chargers offensive coordinator. There’s also Brandin Cooks, who rejoined the Saints last offseason but was released in November to allow him to join a contender.

Allen is coming off an 81-catch, 777-yard season, despite playing only 55% of the snaps.

“Yeah, I mean, I love Keenan,” Moore said. “Obviously I had a great experience with (the) one year. But yeah, we’ll see how that goes. We’ll see. Got a lot of receivers.”

lion, giving the Vikings someone to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job. Murray has been productive at his best as a dynamic dual threat. But he has had to deal with injuries and questions about his work ethic, something he’ll try to put to rest with the Vikings.

has shown himself with the Buccaneers to be a franchise quarterback — and wants to be paid as such. In his first two seasons in Tampa Bay, he made the Pro Bowl and led the Buccaneers to Michael Penix, QB, Falcons NFC South titles. Mayfield got off The eighth overall pick in 2024 to another terrific start last season came to Atlanta as the possible but fizzled down the stretch with quarterback of the future. Ininjuries. juries and inconsistency have threatened those hopes. Penix Kyler Murray, QB, Vikings opened last season as the starter, Arizona released Murray in the was benched late in Week 3 in faoffseason, a disappointing end to vor of Kirk Cousins and then tore what was a promising beginning an ACL in Week 11. He’s working for the 2019 top pick. He signed his way back from that injury, and with Minnesota in March for the the Falcons aren’t quite sure when veteran’s minimum of $1.3 mil- he’ll be fully ready. Atlanta signed

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Saints wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk, left, and Trey Palmer greet each other during a minicamp practice at the Saints’ outdoor practice field on June 17.

If anything, Polk’s abrupt decision underscored the importance of drafting Tyson with the eighth overall pick months earlier.

Had the Saints gone into the year with Olave, Vele and Polk as their top three, maybe the franchise would have had to scramble after Polk’s news. Instead, the Saints can assess their depth and feel confident in their top-three receivers.

cost. The Saints only had to give up a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for Polk and a 2028 seventh-round selection.

That type of framework — a 6-7 pick swap plus a player — has been increasingly common in the NFL, and the Saints have hit on other trades using the template.

Tackle Asim Richards and defensive lineman John Ridgeway, two quality depth pieces, were also acquired in a 6-7 swap.

Re-analyzing the trade Losing a sixth-round pick for a When the Saints traded for Polk, player who ultimately didn’t rethe move was regarded as a low- cord a single statistic isn’t ideal, but the Saints picked up a 2027 risk, high-reward trade.

The reward, it turns out, was sixth-round pick from the Charminimal. But notably, so was the gers last November when the

team shipped out guard Trevor Penning at the trade deadline.

New Orleans will still have a pick in that round.

If this is indeed it for Polk, he ends his career with only 12 catches for 87 yards in 15 games. His underwhelming time in New England didn’t scare off the Saints, who were optimistic that a fresh start would do wonders for a talented wide receiver whom they were high on coming out of the draft.

Sometimes, the vision just doesn’t pan out.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

Tua Tagovailoa in the offseason to compete with Penix.

C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans The second overall pick in 2023 had a terrific first season, winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, leading the Texans to the playoffs, making the Pro Bowl and giving Houston hope its franchise QB was in place. Stroud’s last two seasons might have caused some doubt. The Texans have made it to the postseason in each of his three NFL seasons, but Stroud had his worst performance in the divisional round against New England when he threw four firsthalf interceptions. The Texans exercised the fifth-year option on Stroud’s rookie contract in April and he’s eligible for an extension, with talks ongoing.

AP PHOTO By SETH WENIG

New york Jets running back Breece Hall participates in a drill during practice at the team’s training camp in Florham Park, N.J., on July 30.

4C ● Tuesday, August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Cecilia

2026 SCHEDULE Date

Opponent

Sept. 4 Sept. 10 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 1 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 22 Oct 30 Nov. 6

NORTHSIDE Teurlings Barbe ST. MARTINVILLE Notre Dame Breaux Bridge BEAU CHENE Opelousas LIVONIA CARENCRO

PLAYERS TO WATCH Braylon Calais WR, 6-2, 210, Sr. The LSU commitment has rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the past two seasons and will move to receiver, his projected position at the next level.The elite athlete also will carry and throw the football.As a junior, he scored a touchdown on every eighth carry and is the leading returning receiver.

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Deondre Briscoe RB, 6-0, 195, Sr. An H-back last year, Briscoe reached the end zone on every fifth catch. He has an ideal frame for a feature back and should find a large measure of success running against defenses spread wide by the Bulldogs’ excellent receiving corps.

Briscoe has a 4.2 GPA and power cleans 300 pounds.

PAST FIVE YEARS 2025: 7-5 2024: 12-3 (state champions) 2023: 12-2 (state runner-up) 2022: 8-4 2021: 10-3

PROJECTED STARTERS Offense WR Braylon Calais (6-2, 210, Sr.)* WR Ashton Ruffin (6-4, 180, Sr.) WR Nathan Thornton (5-7, 165, Sr.) RG Ethan Journet (6-1, 295, Sr.)* RT Kaleb Landry (5-7, 220, So.) C James Deluna (5-8, 205, Jr.)* LG Damiyan Hebert (5-8, 200, Jr.) LT Davion Charles (5-6, 185, Sr.)* QB Layne Champagne (6-0, 175, Jr.) RB Deondre Briscoe (6-0, 175, Jr.)* RB Christian Guidry (6-3, 175, Sr.) Defense DE Kennan Batiste (6-0, 230, Sr.)* DT Kaden Journet (6-1, 240, So.)* DT Chance Guidry (5-8, 285, Jr.) DE Dylan Wolfe (6-3, 185, Sr.) LB Chase Narcisse (5-8, 180, Jr.)* LB Kaleb Journet (6-0, 180, Jr.) LB Brandon Lejeune (5-9, 170, Sr.)* CB Franky Frank (6-0, 175, Sr.) CB Amiri Noel (5-7, 165, Jr.) FS Boderick Patt (5-6, 160, So.) SS Demarcus Babineaux (5-7, 175, Sr.)* * RETURNING STARTER

COACHES Head coach: Cody Champagne (7-5).

Assistant coaches: Matthew Autrey, Kaleb Carter, Chaz Ward, Alphonso Williams, Donovan Williams, Hunter Kidder, Chase Talley, Logan Duplechain, Cade Poirier.

PHOTO By MIKE COPPAGE

Cecilia defensive standouts include, top row from left, Kennan Batiste, Franky Frank, Demarcus Babineaux and Dylan Wolfe. On the bottom from left are BJ Patt and Chance Guidry.

What we know Per usual, the Bulldogs will score a lot of points with an offense that’s led by three excellent playmakers in Braylon Calais, Ashton Ruffin and Deondre Briscoe, and new quarterback Layne Champagne.

Calais, who will line up anywhere on the field, accounted for nearly 2,600 yards and 32 touchdowns while playing quarterback, receiver and primarily running back last season. He’ll mostly be a receiver this year and is rated a four-star prospect (No. 6 in-state player) by 247Sports.

“Absolutely,” coach Cody ChamChampagne pagne said when asked whether Calais will again take snaps at quarterback. “And he’s not just a Wildcat quarterback. He can throw it.”

Ruffin and receiver Christian Guidry have excellent size at 6-foot-4 and 6-3, respectively, as does RB Briscoe, a 6-foot, 195-pounder who will run behind what should be an improved offensive line led by Ethan Journet.

“Up front, we’re going to be better than we’ve been in the past couple of years on both sides of the ball,” said Champagne, who returns three starters on the offensive line and four on the defensive front seven. “We’ve been small, especially on the defensive line.”

To compensate for a lack of size, the Bulldogs used an unconventional defense during much of the past few years where all 11 players stood up prior to the snap.

With more size, including 275-pound defensive tackle Chance Guidry, new defensive coordinator Curt Ware doesn’t expect to use any gimmicks.

“It’ll be good to have a coach with a lot of knowledge in the room with young coaches,” said Champagne, whose former DC Jason Faulk took a job in administration.

Ware led New Iberia to its best season in years as the Yellow Jackets head coach in 2020, punctuated by a rout of district rival Southside in the playoffs.

Kicker Aiden Landry was an all-state performer as a sophomore before missing the 2025 season with an injury.

What we don’t know Champagne is eager to see how his team responds to adversity, including three quick turnarounds with Thursday night games.

The Bulldogs will be well-equipped for district after facing Northside, Teurlings Catholic, Barbe, St. Martinville and Notre Dame.

“This new group of seniors has some who have played through the fire, but as a whole, we haven’t,” Champagne said. “We’re pretty good when things go great. When we face adversity, we’re going to see who we are.”

How good will the defense be? Guidry and Northwestern State commitment Franky Frank are listed as new starters because they missed all or much of last season.

“We have a young kid in sophomore BJ Patt,” Champagne said. “He’s the third Patt brother to come through here and may be the best one. The Patts are always around the football.”

How we see it The Bulldogs got off to a 1-4 start last year before running the table in district and reaching the Division II nonselect quarterfinals.

The district race could be decided in Week 10 when Cecilia takes on a Carencro team moving down from Class 5A. “When we play these early teams, it’s going to show our weaknesses,” Champagne said.

The Bulldogs have several games that could go either way, such as Notre Dame, Barbe, Teurlings Catholic and St. Martinville, which won the 2025 rivalry game vs. Cecilia.

No matter its record, Cecilia is always a tough draw in the playoffs with a penchant for upsetting higher seeds. The No. 13-seeded Bulldogs outscored No. 4 Lakeshore 54-42 in the second round of the playoffs last year.

Mike Coppage

Ashton Ruffin WR, 6-4, 180, Sr. Ruffin, the younger brother of former Bulldogs standout receiver Ellis Stewart, would be the No. 1 target for most teams.

He has deceptive strength with a 275-pound power clean and enjoyed a huge spring game that was followed by a college scholarship offer from Southern.

Franky Frank DB, 6-0, 175, Sr. The Northwestern State commitment, a four-year starter, missed half of the 2025 regular season because of an injury. The cornerback racked up 36 tackles with 10 pass breakups and two interceptions in five games. He earned honorable mention all-district despite playing in only one league game.

Layne Champagne QB, 6-0, 175, Jr. Coach Champagne, who is also the offensive coordinator, doesn’t expect much of a learning curve from his new starter at quarterback, who is more of a traditional QB than his past two predecessors — Diesel Solari and Collin Dore. He more resembles pinpoint passer Alex Soileau. Don’t discount his ability to run.

SCOREBOARD Odds

Phoenix at Chicago, n

Sports Betting Line NFL

Toronto at Golden State, 9 p.m.

National League

Major League Baseball

East Division

Thursday

FAVORITE Carolina

OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG 1½ 1½ (35½) at ARIZONA

MLB Tuesday

American League FAVORITE LINE at BALTIMORE OFF at BOSTON OFF Minnesota -147 at HOUSTON -133 at SEATTLE OFF National League FAVORITE LINE at PHILA -231 at ATLANTA OFF at MILWAUKEE -172 LA Dodgers -206 at ARIZONA OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE at CINCINNATI -145 at CLEVELAND -140 at N.Y YANKEES OFF at TEXAS OFF at COLORADO OFF

UNDERDOG LINE LA Angels OFF White Sox OFF at KANSAS CITY +120 Toronto +108 Detroit OFF UNDERDOG Washington Miami Pittsburgh at CUBS San Diego

LINE +185 OFF +138 +166 OFF

UNDERDOG Athletics N.Y Mets St. Louis San Francisco Tampa Bay

LINE +117 +113 OFF OFF OFF

Pro basketball WNBA Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlanta Indiana Washington New York Chicago Toronto Connecticut

W 18 19 16 17 11 10 7

L 10 11 12 13 18 19 23

Pct .643 .633 .571 .567 .379 .345 .233

GB — — 2 2 7½ 8½ 12

Minnesota Las Vegas Golden State Dallas Los Angeles Phoenix Portland Seattle

W 25 20 20 19 11 11 11 6

L 6 9 9 11 17 19 19 25

Pct .806 .690 .690 .633 .393 .367 .367 .194

GB — 4 4 5½ 12½ 13½ 13½ 19

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Sunday’s Games

Minnesota 108, Indiana 100 Los Angeles 106, Portland 101 Dallas 83, Connecticut 63 Golden State 96, Toronto 79

Monday’s Games

Las Vegas at Atlanta, n Seattle at New York, n

Detroit (Mize 4-6) at Seattle (Hancock 6-5), 8:40 p.m.

Tuesday’s Games

American League East Division Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto

W 65 63 60 54 52

L 46 49 51 58 60

Pct .586 .563 .541 .482 .464

GB — 2½ 5 11½ 13½

Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 59 57 56 54 46

L 52 56 57 58 67

Pct .532 .504 .496 .482 .407

GB — 3 4 5½ 14

Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 58 55 55 45 43

L 55 57 58 67 69

Pct .513 .491 .487 .402 .384

GB — 2½ 3 12½ 14½

Central Division

West Division

Sunday’s Games

Philadelphia 8, Baltimore 0, 6 innings St. Louis 5, Toronto 1 Cleveland 5, Arizona 0 Chicago White Sox 9, Tampa Bay 1 Houston 7, Texas 3 N.Y. Yankees 2, Chicago Cubs 1 Colorado 8, Kansas City 1 L.A. Angels 3, Milwaukee 0 Seattle 7, Minnesota 6 Detroit 11, Athletics 0 Boston 8, L.A. Dodgers 4

Monday’s Games

St. Louis at N.Y. Yankees, n San Francisco at Texas, n Toronto at Houston, n Tampa Bay at Colorado, n

Tuesday’s Games

L.A. Angels (Detmers 3-7) at Baltimore (TBD), 5:35 p.m.

Athletics (Ginn 8-6) at Cincinnati (Singer 5-10), 5:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Manaea 2-5) at Cleveland (Cantillo 8-6), 5:40 p.m.

St. Louis (TBD) at N.Y. Yankees (Weathers 4-7), 6:05 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Martin 9-5) at Boston (Sandoval 0-0), 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Ryan 6-7) at Kansas City (Dobnak 1-0), 6:40 p.m.

San Francisco (Ray 10-6) at Texas (Gore 6-9), 7:05 p.m.

Toronto (Yesavage 5-5) at Houston (Wesneski 1-0), 7:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay (TBD) at Colorado (Hughes 0-3), 7:40 p.m.

PGA Tour Statistics

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 67 59 58 55 47

L 45 53 55 58 66

Pct .598 .527 .513 .487 .416

GB — 8 9½ 12½ 20½

Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati

W 69 63 56 55 53

L 42 49 57 57 58

Pct .622 .563 .496 .491 .477

GB — 6½ 14 14½ 16

Central Division

West Division Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

W 69 59 58 47 45

Sunday’s Games

L 43 53 54 65 67

Pct .616 .527 .518 .420 .402

GB — 10 11 22 24

Philadelphia 8, Baltimore 0, 6 innings Atlanta 4, Washington 2 St. Louis 5, Toronto 1 Cleveland 5, Arizona 0 Miami 2, N.Y. Mets 0 Cincinnati 10, Pittsburgh 2 N.Y. Yankees 2, Chicago Cubs 1 Colorado 8, Kansas City 1 L.A. Angels 3, Milwaukee 0 San Diego 5, San Francisco 4 Boston 8, L.A. Dodgers 4

Monday’s Games

Washington at Philadelphia, n St. Louis at N.Y. Yankees, n Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, n L.A. Dodgers at Chicago Cubs, n San Francisco at Texas, n Tampa Bay at Colorado, n San Diego at Arizona, n

Tuesday’s Games

Golf

Athletics (Ginn 8-6) at Cincinnati (Singer 5-10), 5:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Manaea 2-5) at Cleveland (Cantillo 8-6), 5:40 p.m.

Washington (Littell 7-8) at Philadelphia (Luzardo 9-5), 5:40 p.m.

St. Louis (TBD) at N.Y. Yankees (Weathers 4-7), 6:05 p.m.

Miami (TBD) at Atlanta (Sale 12-6), 6:15 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Jones 2-2) at Milwaukee (Henderson 5-1), 6:40 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Skubal 7-5) at Chicago Cubs (Assad 6-1), 7:05 p.m.

San Francisco (Ray 10-6) at Texas (Gore 6-9), 7:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay (TBD) at Colorado (Hughes 0-3), 7:40 p.m.

San Diego (TBD) at Arizona (Rodriguez 10-3), 8:40 p.m.

Through Aug. 2

FedExCup Season Points 1, Scottie Scheffler, 4,123. 2, Matt Fitzpatrick, 3,329. 3, Cameron Young, 3,157. 4, Wyndham Clark, 2,255. 5, Chris Gotterup, 2,254. 6, Collin Morikawa, 2,229. 7, Si Woo Kim, 2,201. 8, Sam Burns, 2,078. 9, Tommy Fleetwood, 2,046. 10, Ludvig Åberg, 1,929.

Scoring Average 1, Scottie Scheffler, 68.775. 2, Collin Morikawa, 69.458. 3, Matt Fitzpatrick, 69.509. 4, Cameron Young, 69.655. 5, Tommy Fleetwood, 69.668. 6, Sam Burns, 69.742. 7, Xander Schauffele, 69.780. 8, Chris Gotterup, 69.796.

9, Jake Knapp, 69.800. 10, Si Woo Kim, 69.806.

Driving Distance 1, Aldrich Potgieter, 330.4. 2, Michael Brennan, 326.1. 3, Marco Penge, 324.4. 4, Nicolai Hojgaard, 323.9. 5, Rasmus Hojgaard, 322.4. 6, Gary Woodland, 322.3. 7, Chris Gotterup, 322.2.

8, Min Woo Lee, 320.9. 9, 2 tied with 319.4.

Driving Accuracy Percentage 1, Russell Henley, 72.81%. 2, Aaron Rai, 71.70%. 3, Davis Chatfield, 71.18%. 4, Joel Dahmen, 70.90%. 5, Lucas Glover, 69.95%. 6, Collin Morikawa, 69.71%. 7, Brandt Snedeker, 69.48%. 8, Si Woo Kim, 69.14%. 9, Emiliano Grillo, 68.99%. 10, Tommy Fleetwood, 68.87%.

Greens in Regulation Percentage 1, 10 tied with .00%.

Total Driving 1, Jordan Smith, 59. 2, Neal Shipley, 63. 3, Scottie Scheffler, 66. 4 (tie), Ludvig Aberg and Cameron Young, 69. 6, Kristoffer Ventura, 85. 7 (tie), Gary Woodland and Sudarshan Yellamaraju, 86. 9, Kurt Kitayama, 88. 10, 2 tied with 90.

SG-Putting 1, Jacob Bridgeman, .684. 2, Vince Whaley, .678. 3, Akshay Bhatia, .664. 4, Sam Burns, .662. 5, Eric Cole, .598. 6, Scottie Scheffler, .569. 7, Alex Noren, .556. 8, Robert MacIntyre, .544. 9, Jake Knapp, .543. 10, A.J. Ewart, .521.

Birdie Average 1, Scottie Scheffler, 4.76. 2, Si Woo Kim, 4.56. 3, Collin Morikawa, 4.52. 4, Wyndham Clark, 4.41.

5, Ludvig Aberg, 4.32. 6, Jacob Bridgeman, 4.29.

7 (tie), Robert MacIntyre and Kevin Yu, 4.26. 9, Keith Mitchell, 4.24. 10, 2 tied with 4.23.

Eagles (Holes per) 1, Jake Knapp, 52.9. 2, Kristoffer Ventura, 59.5. 3, Nicolai Hojgaard, 79.2. 4, Matt Wallace, 82.5. 5, Aldrich Potgieter, 85.5. 6, Shane Lowry, 91.6. 7, Sahith Theegala, 92.3. 8, Tommy Fleetwood, 93. 9, Rasmus Hojgaard, 94.9. 10, Max Greyserman, 99.

Sand Save Percentage 1, 10 tied with .00%.

All-Around Ranking 1, Scottie Scheffler, 165. 2, Ludvig Åberg, 237.

3, Collin Morikawa, 257. 4, Sam Burns, 261.

5, Jake Knapp, 274. 6, Chris Gotterup, 308. 7, Wyndham Clark, 326. 8, Tommy Fleetwood,

329. 9, Min Woo Lee, 334. 10, Doug Ghim, 348.

LPGA Tour Statistics Through Aug. 2

Scoring 1, Nelly Korda, 69.18. 2, Haeran Ryu, 69.51. 3, Hyo Joo Kim, 70.16. 4, Jeeno Thitikul, 70.18. 5, Miyu Yamashita, 70.29. 6, Lydia Ko, 70.36. 7, Ruoning Yin, 70.63. 8, Ina Yoon, 70.73. 9, Sei Young Kim, 70.74. 10, Hannah Green, 70.76.

Driving Distance 1, Riley Smyth, 288.74. 2, Julia Lopez Ramirez, 288.55. 3, Auston Kim, 280.58. 4, Polly Mack, 279.46. 5, Suvichaya Vinjichaitham, 278.26.

6, Ina Yoon, 277.93. 7, Laney Frye, 277.63.

8, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, 276.33. 9, Helen Briem, 276.18. 10, Bailey Tardy, 274.47.

Greens in Regulation 1, Haeran Ryu, .80%. 2, Jeeno Thitikul, .75%.

3, Isabello Fierro, .74%. 4 (tie), Dongeun Lee and Lottie Woad, .73%. 6, 5 tied with .72%.

Putts per GIR 1, Hyo Joo Kim, 1.71. 2 (tie), Minami Katsu and Angel Yin, 1.73. 4 (tie), Nelly Korda and Mi Hyang Lee, 1.74. 6, Gaby Lopez, 1.75. 7, 6 tied with 1.76.

Birdies 1, Aki Iwai, 249. 2, Lottie Woad, 225. 3, Miyu Yamashita, 219. 4 (tie), Minami Katsu and Haeran Ryu, 213. 6, Ina Yoon, 207. 7, Jin Hee Im, 205. 8, Jeeno Thitikul, 202. 9, 2 tied with 200.

Eagles 1, Brooke M. Henderson, 14. 2, Nelly Korda, 9. 3 (tie), Hye-Jin Choi, Minji Kang, Sei Young Kim and Ryann O’Toole, 8. 7, 6 tied with 7.

Sand Save Percentage 1, Pornanong Phatlum, .61%. 2 (tie), Peiyun Chien, Jin Hee Im and Nelly Korda, .59%. 5, Minjee Lee, .58%. 6 (tie), Minami Katsu and Patty Tavatanakit, .57%. 8, 3 tied with .56%.

Rounds Under Par 1, Miyu Yamashita, .59%. 2, Aki Iwai, .55%. 3, Nelly Korda, .76%. 4, Haeran Ryu, .69%. 5, Lottie Woad, .56%. 6, Jeeno Thitikul, .59%. 7, Minami Katsu, .56%. 8, Jin Hee Im, .53%. 9, Cassie Porter, .59%. 10, Ina Yoon, .58%. 11, Rio Takeda, .55%.

Transactions Major League Baseball

American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Acquired RHPs Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling from Seattle in exchange for LF Taylor Ward.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Acquired CF Brenton Doyle from Colorado in exchange for RHP Mason Adams and SS Carlos Vielma.

Acquired RHPs Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin from the New York Mets in exchange for RHP Huascar Brazobán.

Designated RHP Duncan Davitt for assignment. Optioned RHP Duncan Davitt to Charlotte (IL).

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS — Acquired RF Jo Adell from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for C Jacob Cozart. Designated 2B Juan Brito for assignment.

LIVING

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

T u e s d ay, au g u s T 4, 2026

5CN

A bug and a feature Meet a much friendlier insect, bark lice. It may be helping your crape myrtles right now

Uttering the word “lice” rarely inspires enthusiasm or positivity. For some people, the mere thought of lice brings back less-than-fond childhood memories of infestations — and itchy scalps — spreading at GARDEN school.

NEWS While head lice are rightfully despised blood-sucking parasites, there’s another kind of lice that is much friendlier.

They’re called bark lice, and you might find them in your yard if you have crape myrtles.

Bark lice are small insects that show up in spring and summer. In Louisiana, we usually see bark lice on crape myrtles, but they can live on other trees.

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO

By OLIVIA McCLURE

Bark lice, sometimes called tree cattle, congregate in groups and can be ‘herded’ along crape myrtle trunks.

Adult bark lice are long, slim and brown to black. Juveniles have rounder bodies with stripes. The insects like to hang out in groups to ward off predators like birds.

“Even though they may have a scary appearance with that large aggregation, they are in fact not causing any harm to the tree,” said LSU AgCenter entomologist Aaron Ashbrook.

If you spot bark lice on a crape myrtle, rest assured

ä See BARK LICE, page 6C

Maybe as you walked out of the first Ice Water round, it hit you.

Maybe it was a door that opened — or one that didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t until the next year when you were on the other side of the process. It could have been a moment standing in a hallway, waiting, that you can still describe in detail years later.

We’re inviting readers who went through sorority recruitment — recently or decades ago — to tell us about it: What’s the specific moment from Rush Week you still think about? And what did Rush teach you that you didn’t expect? Send your response to jan.risher@theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. Aug. 10.

PROVIDED PHOTO By KIM MEADOWLARK

This pink kitchen is a project from designer Rachel Cannon, who says that she encourages her clients to be brave when it comes to color.

THE POWER OF PIGMENT

In Louisiana, paint chips don’t lie. Here’s what four designers think about current color trends.

BY JAN RISHER and LAUREN CHERAMIE

W

Staff writers

hen it comes to redecorating, a fresh coat of paint is likely the best return on investment.

The cost is minimal, but the results can improve the looks of a room dramatically.

That is — if the paint is the right color.

While paint chips don’t lie, they don’t exactly tell the whole story, either. A swatch on the wall in the middle of the afternoon looks nothing like itself at dusk.

Ask four designers what colors they’re encouraging this year in homes, and four different answers will come back — plus one flat refusal to play favorites. The bottom line is: There is not one right answer. Still, a pattern emerges in the colors of a Louisiana life. Things are warmer, softer and less predictable than the stark whites and navy blues that dominated for years.

This is the first installment of local designers sharing their thoughts on colors in Louisiana homes right now: What color are you encouraging most often right now, and what’s it replacing?

RACHEL CANNON — founder, creative director and principal interior designer at

Cannon

Davis

Gardemal

Petit

Rachel Cannon Limited: Honestly, none.

I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all color. Every home and every client is different, so every palette is built from scratch around that specific space and the people living in it. What I mostly encourage our clients to do is be brave when it comes to color!

JERAD GARDEMAL — founder and principal designer at JF Gardemal Designs: Currently, we are encouraging our clients who are in the process of refreshing their interiors to move away from spaces covered in stark whites and cool blue/grays and return to warmer, more nuanced tones.

Warm taupe colors, soft putties

and limestone shades, with accents of camel, cognac and even chocolate browns, skillfully layered, give rooms far more depth and longevity.

KRISTINA PETIT — founder and residential designer at Kristina’s Collective Interiors: A soft beige/pink. Think Setting Plaster from Farrow and Ball. It’s my replacement for warm white.

JEANNE LYONS DAVIS — writer and designer: Gray Cashmere by Benjamin Moore is the perfect non-color color.

If paint chips had a beauty pageant, it’d win Miss Congeniality. It gets along with everyone. It reads blue.

It reads green and it reads neutral, depending on the light and what’s around it. It’s the best!

Is there a color clients keep asking for that you’d steer them away from-and why?

DAVIS: Honestly, it’s never the color, it’s the saturation.

That’s where things get tricky.

If a client loves a color, we can always dial back the saturation to soften it. Bottom line: if you love it, we’ll make it work!

CANNON: It’s less about one particular color and more about trends in general. I keep a close eye on what’s trending nationally, and my instinct is almost always to steer clients away from it. Nothing ages

ä See COLORS, page 6C

New Prairieville ice cream shop serves retro flavors Ella Jean’s Ice Cream & Treats serves ice cream sundaes at 40306 La. 42 Suite 106, Praireville.

PROVIDED PHOTO

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Prairieville just got a new ice cream parlor called Ella Jean’s Ice Cream & Treats.

At 40306 La. 42, Suite 106, retro decor ornaments are seemingly in every corner. Take a seat in the palms of yellow or pink hand-shaped chairs or snap a photo by the old-school, ice-blue car bench below a neon sign. Don’t forget to grab an ice

cream cone first.

Co-owner Lauren Cappo named the sweet treat oasis after her 10-year-old daughter, Ella Jean.

Cappo is also the owner of Galvez Seafood, right next door. With Ella Jean’s love for ice cream, Cappo thought an ice-cream parlor would be a fun addition to the shopping center.

As evident in the interior design, the mother-daughter duo

ä See ELLA JEAN'S, page 6C

6C ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Does the whole queue get a say in a line cutter?

Dear Miss Manners: At times, a gro- unpleasantries, but maybe Miss Manners might advise those who cery checkout line will be very would give such permission to long, with only one cashier availask everyone in line first, as a able. Someone with a full cart, courtesy? three or four customers Gentle reader: While the ahead of me, will offer shopper stands there a customer approaching holding a cereal box and the long line with only a a stick of butter, listening couple of items permission to the vote? And in these to go ahead of them. They contentious times, somethereby award the same Judith permission on behalf of all one shouts, “No fair! She’s Martin busting into line! Get back customers behind them in MISS line, even though we were there, lady.”

MANNERS not asked if we would Of course, that reaction mind waiting a minute or is what you are trying to two longer for the single-item avoid. From the number of letters customer to check out.

Miss Manners receives about conIf the accommodating customer frontations in grocery lines, she had asked all of us if we minded, is not sure that such courtesies the odds of anyone objecting are can be offered without unpleasant almost nil. repercussions.

It is one of those small life Perhaps if it is put as, “If no one

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Tuesday, Aug. 4, the 216th day of 2026. There are 149 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Aug. 4, 2020, nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for years in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, exploded, killing more than 200 people, injuring more than 7,000 and devastating nearby neighborhoods; it was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.

Also on this date: In 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard had its beginnings as President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue cutters to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling.

In 1916, the United States reached agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million in gold.

In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him.

In 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested with her sister, parents and four others by the Gestapo after hiding for two years inside a building in Amsterdam. (Anne and her sister, Margot, died at the BergenBelsen concentration camp.)

In 1960, Burkina Faso (known then as Upper Volta) declared its independence from France after more than 60 years of colonial rule.

In 1964, 44 days after their murders, the bodies of missing civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi.

In 1972, Arthur Bremer was convicted and sentenced in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to 63 years in prison for his attempt on the life of Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace (the sentence was later reduced to 53 years; Bremer was released from prison in 2007).

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a measure establishing the Department of Energy.

In 1984, the album “Purple Rain,” by Prince and the Revolution, began its 24-week run at the top of the Billboard 200 record chart.

In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0

to abolish the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio and television stations to present balanced coverage of controversial issues.

In 1993, a federal judge sentenced Los Angeles police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 2½ years in prison for violating Rodney King’s civil rights.

In 2009, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee for entering the country illegally and ordered their release during a surprise visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

In 2017, former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli, who became notorious for a pricegouging scandal, was convicted of federal charges that he deceived investors in a pair of failed hedge funds. (Shkreli was later sentenced to seven years in prison; he was released in 2022.)

In 2019, a masked gunman fired on revelers enjoying summer nightlife in a popular entertainment district of Dayton, Ohio, leaving nine people dead and 27 wounded; police said officers shot and killed the shooter within 30 seconds of the start of his rampage.

In 2022, American pro basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted in Russia of drug possession and sentenced to nine years behind bars after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s airport.

(She would be freed and sent home in the politically charged case in exchange for the U.S. releasing Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022.)

Today’s Birthdays: Actor-singer Tina Cole is 83. Football Hall of Famer John Riggins is 77. Actorscreenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 71. Actor Kym Karath (Film: “The Sound of Music”) is 68.

Hall of Fame track star Mary Decker Slaney is 68. Actor Lauren Tom is 65. Former President Barack Obama is 65. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 64. Actor Crystal Chappell is 61. Author Dennis Lehane is 61. Actor Daniel Dae Kim is 58. Former race car driver Jeff Gordon is 55. Rapper-actor Yo-Yo is 55. R&B singer-actor Marques Houston is 45. Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, the former actor Meghan Markle, is 45. Actor Abigail Spencer is 45. Actor/ director Greta Gerwig is 43.

Country singer Crystal Bowersox (TV: “American Idol”) is 41.

Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 34. Singer Jessica Sanchez (TV: “American Idol”) is 31. Actor Tinsley Price is 14.

BARK LICE

Continued from page 5C that they are not feeding on the tree itself. Instead, these insects graze on algae, lichens, mold and other organic materials growing on the tree’s surface.

“So, in some ways, they’re even helping the tree,” Ashbrook said.

Bark lice can be a source of entertainment, too. They’re commonly referred to as tree cattle and can be “herded.” Point a finger or stick near a bark lice aggregation, and they’ll move up the tree as a group in unison.

Now, don’t assume every insect you see on a crape myrtle is harmless. It’s important to distinguish beneficial bark lice from insect pests such as aphids, which are tiny, yellowish and often found on the undersides of crape myrtle foliage. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for invasive crape myrtle bark scales, which are stationary, white-to-

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO

By OLIVIA McCLURE

Bark lice are beneficial insects that show up on crape myrtles in spring and summer in Louisiana.

gray, fuzzy insects.

Aphids and scales both suck sap from crape myrtles — aphids from leaves and scales from bark.

They excrete a sticky honeydew, encouraging the growth of sooty mold on trunks and branches.

Bark lice, on the other hand?

At most, all they’ll leave behind are the fine, silky webs they sometimes spin as another protective measure. And you can easily wash away the webs with a water hose if you don’t like the way they look.

objects, I’ll let this lady with only two items go ahead,” no one will want to be singled out as the one person saying “I object.”

But sadly, perhaps not.

Dear Miss Manners: I am 69 and have worn a visible hearing aid my entire adult life. I have had many people who know I’m hard of hearing jokingly say “What?” or silently mouth words, as if my hearing loss is somehow humorous.

I doubt they are mean-spirited, but rather cluelessly insensitive.

What is the best way to let them know that people who are hard of hearing find these attempts at humor highly offensive?

Gentle reader: Has it come to that?

That Miss Manners has to inform people that it’s not nice to make fun of others’ disabilities?

It could hardly be more meanspirited. So much so, that there is no response except turning your back on such people.

Dear Miss Manners: When placing silverware on the table, does the sharp edge of the knife face toward the plate or away from it?

Gentle reader: The simple answer is: toward the plate.

But Miss Manners can’t help offering the wordy answer.

Until the 19th century, most Westerners, including European royalty, ate with their knives (and considered Italians to be sissies for using forks). Specifically, they ate with their own knives, which they used for hunting and then brought to the dinner table.

Some diners noticed that the knives had other uses — picking teeth, for example, and settling

arguments. To cut down on the carnage — or perhaps on the sight of people picking their teeth — Cardinal Richelieu had the sharp points filed off table knives, and Louis XIV of France decreed blunted knives were to be used for dining.

Today’s dinner knife is still sharp, although never quite sharp enough. You turn it toward yourself to symbolize your intent to use it only on your roast beef and not on your dinner partner.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www. missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Partner pushes for no birth control Dear Harriette: My current form hood, he responded glumly that of birth control is about to expire, he’ll do his best, but no promises. and my partner does not I want to be considerate want me to renew it. He of my partner, but in the knew this time was comsame breath, I’ve never allowed myself to make ing, but it feels like he debig decisions under presliberately waited until just a few days prior to my prosure, and I don’t want to start now. Do you have any cedure to tell me he doesn’t Harriette suggestions on how we can want me to renew my birth Cole compromise without riskcontrol. It feels as though SENSE AND if I move forward with the ing pregnancy while we SENSITIVITy procedure, my partner decide? — Split the Baby may feel ignored, while I Dear Split the Baby: Your think I should still be on birth con- partner is being unreasonably demanding. You do not have to actrol as we figure out what’s next for us. When I brought up the idea commodate his pushiness. Stand of us having two to four weeks of your ground. Begin to talk serino intimacy so that we can think ously about the future. What do clearly and decide together if we you two want for your lives? What are ready to prepare for parentcommitment have you made or

This bathroom is a project from designer Jeanne Lyons Davis.

COLORS

Continued from page 5C a beautiful room faster than a trend that peaks and fades within a year, and I want my clients’ homes and businesses to age well.

GARDEMAL: As much as I love navy blue in all its various shades, I think it has become overused in the last five years. It’s a classic color that feels tailored and sophisticated and consequently has become a “safe” choice for many homes. Kitchen cabinets, accent walls, studies, powder rooms — it’s a color that has been so widely adopted that it can begin to feel predictable.

Petit: Not really. If you love it, let’s go for it.

ELLA JEAN’S

Continued from page 5C loves bright pops of color.

“She’s got this cute, funky, little taste,” Cappo said about her daughter. “It’s a mix of me — retro, can do whatever I want, because it’s a fun space — and her.”

Menu rundown

How do you think the Pantone Color of the year affects color choices locally?

Petit: I don’t find it does. It’s a color I don’t really agree with currently, based on my first answer.

Gardemal: 2026 is the first year that Pantone has ever selected a white as its Color of the Year. I think it’s a color that aligns wonderfully with our Southern sensibilities. It steers clients toward warmer whites and creamy ivories that are welcoming to anyone who walks through the door.

Cannon: It’s more of a slow trickle than an instant splash. In my experience, it usually takes two to three years after Pantone’s announcement before that color shows up in big-box stores and mass produced items. By the time it’s everywhere, the design world has already moved on.

and lemon sorbet.

Milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits, housemade lemonade, housemade limeade, and desserts such as strawberry shortcake, cookies and brownie a la mode are also on the menu. Lots of toppings are available, from gummy bears to graham crackers One of Cappo’s favorites is the Mookie Cookie, an ice cream sandwich with a choice of ice cream in between two cookies.

“We wanted to give a nod to the Tillamook brand just because it is so good,” she said. “We coined the name Mookie Cookie.”

The shop serves 12 flavors of scoopable, Oregon-based Tillamook ice cream: old-fashioned vanilla, chocolate, Oregon strawberry, cookies & cream, cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, white ‘Nothing but happiness’ chocolate raspberry, peaches & Cappo hopes Ella Jean’s Ice cream, marionberry pie, butter Cream & Treats will be another pecan, campfire peanut butter cup space where family and friends

are you willing to make now? If children are a serious part of your vision, when do you want to have them? How many? Have you set yourselves up for success in building a life together? Are you financially ready? Do you plan to marry, or what other way do you intend to solidify your commitment?

Talk about all of this — and yes, do so without being sexually intimate. You are looking at the big picture of your lives together. A few weeks of sober contemplation should not be too much to ask.

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

This project is a space from designer Jerad Gardemal, who says he is encouraging his clients to move away from stark white spaces and return to warmer tones.

can hang out, grab a banana split and enjoy the photogenic atmosphere.

“This is just nothing but happiness,” she said.

The business opened about midJuly, so it’s been operating for a couple of weeks. Business has been great, Cappo said.

“The response has been great,” she said. “We poured a lot into this for a long time.”

Ella Jean’s Ice Cream & Treats, 40306 La. 42, Suite 106, Prairieville. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. Hours may change when the school season starts.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● 7C

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FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

zodIAC LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Stretch your imagination, learn from your mistakes and turn your ideas into a reality. Place your energy where it has the most value. Set your emotions on the back burner and put your ego aside.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) A change may tempt you, but before you make a move, take a closer look at what you might lose. Reach out to someone you trust to tell you the truth and suggest alternatives. Patience is necessary.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) You'll be pulled in different directions, all of which need consideration. Partnerships, routine and schedules will require finetuning and a lifeline of their own. scoRPIo (oct. 24-Nov. 22) Brainpower is your weapon. Size up situations and think matters through. Refuse to let anyone pressure you to make snap decisions or to allow them to take control of your life. sAGIttARIus (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put everything in context and do what's best. Don't put yourself in harm's way physically or where relationships are concerned. cAPRIcoRN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take care of yourself, your reputation and your future. Invest more time and money in upgrading your skills and qualifications and connecting with people who can help you get ahead.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) If you want control, be prepared to follow through.

Opportunities are apparent; if you don't take advantage, you won't get a return.

You are overdue for a change, so buckle up and see what's available.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Having proper eating habits, exercising and staying away from people or situations that could lead to illness or injury are best avoided. Use your intuition, memory and common sense.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Emotions, overindulgence and social settings can lead to arguments. Don't mix business with pleasure. Being honest is honorable, but there's a time and place for it. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take hold of your feelings before you go out the door. You'll tend to overreact today, offering bold and brazen opinions to those you encounter. Take a moment to calm down and to change your demeanor.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Pick up the pieces and put them back together the way you want them to be. Stop letting negativity and upset take over when practicality and common sense are necessary. cANcER (June 21-July 22) Tread lightly when dealing with others. Stick to the facts, offer kindness and understanding, and keep an open mind when listening to others, and if that's too difficult, look inward and do a little self-help work.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: A EQuALs H

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Hi and LoiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

nea CroSSwordS

La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER Jason Fried, the founder and CEO of Basecamp (formerly known as 37signals), said, “Make decisions when you have a lot of information to make the decision. Not when you have to guess about what the decision is going to be or use data that doesn’t exist yet.”

We are looking at the Rule of Seven, which tells a no-trump declarer how long to hold up his only stopper in the suit that the opponents have led. In today’s deal, North and South have six spades. Subtracting six from seven tells South to hold up his spade ace at trick one, but to take the second trick. However, is that the right play here?

When you open in no-trump, do not worry — too much! — about an unstopped suit. Here, if South opens one club and West passes (let us assume), North would respond one diamond. What would South do next? He would have no accurate rebid.

South starts with eight top tricks: one spade, three hearts and four diamonds.

He needs one club trick to get home. But should he lead low to his jack or to his king? He does not have enough data to answer the question.

South needs to know how the spade suit is splitting. So he should hold up twice and take the third round. Here, declarer learns that West started with five spades.

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

If West also holds the club ace, the contract cannot be made — South will lose one club and four spades. So declarer must play a club to his king, hoping for the best. If it transpires that West has only four spades, South will have to guess the clubs. Wish him good luck — unless you are East or West. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game INstRuctIoNs: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD — DEFRAys: Dih-FRAZE: Provides for the payment of.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 18 words Time limit 20 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in DEFRAYS? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — outMoDED odeum outdo outed outmode toed tome mode mood mooed

moot mote moue mute demo dodo dome doom doomed

dote dude duet

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5

We must turn away from sin if we are going to follow Jesus to Heaven. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Tuesday,August 4, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

DOW 53,178.41 693.38 1.32%

NASDAQ 25,913.90 540.04 2.13%

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

FAA certifies Boeing’s new 737 Max 7 jetliner

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday approved the smallest model of Boeing’s Max jetliners for commercial service nearly a decade after the aircraft manufacturer first unveiled the plane.

Certification of the Boeing 737 Max 7 represents a milestone in the company’s work to overcome years of safety, quality and production challenges. The longdelayed Max 7 is part of Boeing’s 737 family of commercial jets, which is the company’s bestseller and has been at the center of its troubles.

The FAA said it cleared the new plane after years of additional testing, design changes and an extensive review of its design and safety systems. The certification was delayed as Boeing addressed technical issues and heightened regulatory scrutiny following two crashes involving the larger Max 8 that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019.

Since the crashes off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia, the FAA overhauled how it certifies Boeing aircraft. It said its oversight of the company would continue beyond the Max 7’s approval.

Before signing off on the aircraft, the FAA said, it required Boeing to make several safety changes, including updating flight-control software, improving cockpit alerts for pilots and redesigning the engine anti-ice system to prevent overheating.

“Our team of dedicated engineers and test experts worked through challenges, an extended pandemic, and the transition to new certification processes,” said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Tentative deal reached with flight attendants Canada’s second largest airline, WestJet, has agreed to a tentative agreement with flight attendants to end a strike that led to hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of stranded passengers over the weekend.

The union representing the flight attendants said Monday that if the deal is ratified, the work that flight attendants do before flights take off will be recognized.

The union, CUPE 8125, said that flight attendants will be returning to work now that the strike is over. The tentative agreement still faces a ratification vote.

WestJet canceled 495 flights Sunday, snarling travel plans in Canada in the middle of a long holiday weekend.

A key issue in the dispute was how flight attendants should be paid for duties performed while still on the ground. The union said some of that work is unpaid, while the company said they staff was indeed compensated, citing pay through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly rate.

Cyberattack hits Liechtenstein’s register BERLIN — A cyberattack tapped the data of some 31,000 people in Liechtenstein’s register of people behind companies and foundations in the wealthy principality, the government said.

The “register of economic beneficiaries” was accessed at night from Wednesday into Thursday last week, the government said. It said that the breach was noticed on Thursday, that measures were taken to secure data and the system taken offline.

The government said there were no indications that any data was altered or deleted.

The list of people behind companies, foundations and trusteeships is part of efforts to combat money laundering and terror financing.

Liechtenstein is a nation of 40,000 people between Switzerland and Austria, and the financial industry is central to its economy.

The government set up a crisis unit over the weekend to investigate the attack.

S&P 500 7,600.50 110.78 1.48%

EURO 1.1509 -0.0026 -0.23%

CRUDE OIL 80.34 -4.33 -5.11%

GOLD 4,033.70 -15.40 -0.38%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.99 0.04 1.01%

30-YR T-BONDS 5.23 -0.03 -0.53%

States sue Trump over tariffs

families and businesses with a But the Supreme Court ruled that lawful authority to obtain the elimiSupreme Court defeat on new round of tariffs,” said New York IEEPA did not authorize tariffs. The nation of unreasonable acts, poliGeneral Letitia James. decision forced the administration cies, and practices that burden U.S. leads to lawsuits Attorney Joining New York in the lawsuit to send refunds to importers who’d commerce,” White House spokes-

BY PAUL WISEMAN and MAE ANDERSON AP business writers

WASHINGTON — Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February.

The United States last month imposed double-digit tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union, charging that they had not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor. The new tariffs took effect just as the clock ran out on temporary tariffs President Donald Trump had turned to after the Supreme Court defeat.

“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes

announced Monday are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Trump Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Trump, who argues that high tariffs will revive American manufacturing, last year overturned decades of U.S. policy that favored lower tariffs and ever-freer trade. Invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, he imposed double-digit tariffs on imports from almost every country, saying America’s long-standing trade deficit amounted to a national emergency.

paid the tariffs. Eager to make up the lost revenue, Trump turned to temporary 10% worldwide tariffs. But they expired at midnight July 24.

Now he’s tapping more durable tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits the president to impose import taxes and other sanctions against countries found to engage in unfair trade practices. Trump used Section 301 to impose big tariffs on China in his first term, and they survived court challenges.

The administration invoked Section 301 to impose the forced-labor tariffs, which range from 10% to 12.5% and hit countries that provide 99% of American imports.

“The United States is using its

person Kush Desai said. “A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens U.S. commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed. Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the President’s first term, and they remain so now.”

The states’ lawsuit follows two other lawsuits filed in The Court of International Trade in July by small businesses that also challenged the 301 tariffs.

Both of those lawsuits argue that the government didn’t adequately establish its case against each specific economy or spell how the tariffs will eliminate the specified practice they are being levied for, as required by Section 301.

U.S stocks rally near all-time high Falling oil prices ease Wall Street’s worries about inflation

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market rallied to the edge of its all-time high on Monday after easing oil prices helped calm Wall Street’s worries that inflation could get even worse.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.5% and is just 0.1% below its record set earlier this summer.

It was coming off a frenetic July, where it swung up and down as oil prices shot higher because of the war with Iran, before ultimately ending the month just about where it started.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which measures a narrower slice of the U.S. stock market, climbed 693 points, or 1.3%, to an all-time high, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.1%.

Stocks got a lift as the price for a barrel of Brent crude sank 4.7% to $83.77. It dropped after President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he decided to hold off on new strikes against Iran at the urging of allies in the region.

Brent’s price careened between $72 and $102 last month as worries rose and fell about when the war with Iran would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again to deliver crude to customers worldwide.

The latest acquiescence by Trump helped to ease worries about the global flow of crude, and Treasury yields correspondingly fell in the bond market.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 4.68% from 4.75% late Friday. It, though, remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran.

Higher yields threaten to undercut prices for stocks and other investments, while slowing the economy by making borrowing more expensive for U.S. households and businesses. The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate has already leaped to its highest level in a year.

Monday’s ease in oil prices helped airlines and other companies with big fuel bills lead the market. United Airlines flew 5.8% higher, while American Airlines climbed 5%.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

The U.S. stock market surged close to all-time highs on Monday as oil prices eased, calming worries about inflation.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings steamed 6.6% higher.

Boeing jumped 8% after U.S. regulators certified its 737 MAX 7 planes, clearing them for commercial service.

Tyson Foods rose 2.8% after the meat company reported a slightly stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected. CEO Donnie King said strength is continuing in the company’s chicken business and its prepared foods, which include brands like Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm.

It joined a lengthening list of big U.S. companies to deliver a bigger profit for the spring than analysts expected. That’s imperative for Wall Street because stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate earnings over the long term, and worries were rising that U.S. stock prices may have broadly already shot too high.

Companies in the S&P 500 are on track to deliver earnings per share for the spring that are 47% higher than a year before, according to FactSet, with more than half of the companies in the index having already reported. If that ends up being the case, it

would be the strongest growth since the spring of 2021, when the economy was roaring out of the COVID pandemic.

Also offering encouragement for profits was a report on Monday showing that growth for U.S. manufacturing accelerated to its strongest level since 2022.

Keeping Wall Street unsettled, though, were swings for stocks of companies that make computer chips. They’ve been veering up and down for weeks on worries about whether their surging revenues because of the artificial-intelligence boom are sustainable.

If AI ends up producing less profit and productivity than hoped, Big Tech companies could curtail their spending sprees on data centers that have helped chip stocks soar to tremendous heights.

Micron Technology went from a drop of 6.4% to a gain of 1.7% through the day before ending with a gain of 0.8%, for example.

It’s up roughly 190% for the year so far.

Seoul’s Kospi fell 5.1% Monday, coming off Friday’s 17.9% surge that was its best day in history.

U.S. dollar weakens sharply against the Japanese yen

BY MAYUKO ONO and ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press

TOKYO — The U.S. dollar weakened sharply Monday against the Japanese yen after President Donald Trump and Japan’s finance minister confirmed both sides had intervened in markets.

Before late last week, the dollar was trading above 163 yen, touching 40-year highs. After regulators were suspected of stepping in, it fell below 160 yen.

Early Monday, after the official announcement of the intervention, the dollar fell to nearly 155.20 yen.

That’s a big drop for the exchange rate. The dollar was trading at 156.70 yen early Monday Eastern time.

Even though it has attracted millions of bargain-hunting tourists, the yen’s prolonged weak-

ness against the dollar has been a source of frustration for Tokyo.

Since Japan imports so much of what it consumes, a weak currency pushes prices higher. High oil prices have amplified that problem and that’s putting pressure on the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to do more to address the rising cost of living.

Efforts earlier this year to raise the value of the yen against the dollar did little to budge the exchange rate.

Normally foreign exchange markets determine the relative values of currencies, but there are many factors that shape what happens in the markets.

A big gap between interest rates in the U.S. and Japan has led investors to sell yen and buy dollars to take advantage of the higher yields from dollar-denominated assets.

Both the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve kept their interest rates unchanged at meetings last week, maintaining that gap.

So, last week, when the dollar slipped below 160 yen and stayed there, the U.S. side was suspected of lending a hand.

Officials usually stay mum on such actions. But on Sunday, Trump confirmed that the U.S. side had helped, and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama likewise issued a statement saying the finance ministry had purchased yen in coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department.

“We will not hesitate to conduct further joint intervention,” she said.

Such overt acknowledgment of market intervention is rare, said Neil Newman, managing director and head of strategy at Astris Advisory Japan. He said the last big

example was when governments intervened following a massive earthquake and tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan in 2011.

When asked why Washington was helping, Trump said Sunday that “We have a good relationship with Japan. We’re very strong —very, very strong financially — and they are, you know, they have a weakening yen, and they wanted a little bit of help, and we’re always there for Japan. Japan’s been very good to us, with the exception, of course, of Pearl Harbor.”

Trump said the U.S. got “financial benefit” out of the intervention, calling it a “signal of friendship.”

“It’s also good for the world economy,” he said.

A weaker dollar makes U.S.made goods more competitive, reducing their costs in yen terms, and might help increase American exports to Japan, Newman said.