Cole addressesinvestigation during parish’s annual back-to-school convocationattendedby 6,000 employees
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
Baton Rouge schools Superintendent LaMont Cole broke hissilence Tuesday on an ongoinginvestigation of him by the Louisiana Attorney General’sOffice focusing on histime as aMetro Council member,part of awider probe into corruptionincity government
“I am currently experiencing one of the most challenging times of my life,” Cole told an audience of about 6,000 East Baton Rouge Parish school employees gathered at the district’sannual back-to-school convocation.
The Advocate broke the news of the long-running investigation a
week ago, citing multiple sources School officials subsequently confirmedthe investigation in an email to district staff. Cole went further Tuesday as he spoke at Felton G. Clark Activity Center at SouthernUniversity.
The superintendent saidhehas beenencouraged by numerous texts and messages from well-wishers on staff, including biblical passages. One is from John 13:7, where Jesus speaks. Cole summarized it as,“Youmay not know now,but later you will understand.”
“I want to thank you for your support.Ilove you and Ifeel your appreciation,” Cole said. “And let me
STAFFPHOTO
Betty Cormier,who has worked for adecade at the PecanIsland Food Store, says she doesn’tyet know howaSpaceX spaceportmightchangelife in the smallcommunity she has come to know well.
‘Itwould be life-changing’
BY ALEX LUBBENand JOEL THOMPSON Staff writers
Betty Cormier tended the counter Tuesday at the Pecan Island Food Store, aquiet storefront and gas station on La. 82 in the southern reaches of Vermillion Parish.
Surrounded by marshland, wildlife preserves andhunting andfishingcamps it’s oneofthe only places to get food, fuel and supplies formiles around. Butshe’sheardthatthat may notbethe casefor much longer SpaceX,billionaire Elon Musk’scommercial aerospace company, is in talks with the state of Louisiana over a 130,000-acre tract of land nearby that sources say the company wants forlaunching rockets. A spaceport would reshape this remote community on Louisiana’ssouthwestern coast, bringing potentially thousands of jobs but also construction, noiseand otherchanges. Havingheard littlefrom local and state leaders, Cormier and someofher neighbors are wary. “Our store is not equipped to handle 1,500 extra people,” she said. “There’salot of concern about whether we can adapt.”
In interviews, parish officials have said they are enthusiastic about the opportunities SpaceX
ä See SPACEX, page 10A
EntergyputspurchaseofTexas powerplant on hold
proceedingsin its controversial plan to buy aTexas power plant for $1.8 billion, saying it is workingonaplan to lessen the costs to residents.
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
Facing questions from investors and regulators, EntergyLouisiana has indefinitelypostponed
Entergy on Monday asked a judge to suspendthe procedural scheduleinthe case,postponing ahearingthat was scheduled for September. Entergy told thejudge
it needsadditional time becauseof “complex and factintensive issues in the case,”inwhich Entergy is asking for permission to buy the Cottonwood power plant from a privateequityfirm
Entergy spokesperson Brandon Scardigli saidinastatementthat the companyneedsadditional time to address “issues raised” by the
Public Service Commission staff.
The PSCregulates Entergy
He also said Entergy is working with thePSC to “identifyways to lessen the initial bill impacts of the proposed Cottonwood acquisition.”
It was notimmediately clear what areworked versionofthe deal wouldlook like. But the move reflects mounting opposition to the
acquisition, whichhas put Entergy at the center of adebate over whether data centers will raise costs forresidents.
Aconsultant hired by the Louisiana Public ServiceCommission, Entergy’s regulator,testified earlier thissummer that theproposed
See ENTERGY, page 8A
By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Superintendent LaMont Cole speaks during Tuesday’sconvocation.
STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIERGALLEGOS
Representatives from East Baton RougeParish schools parade around the arena holding banners of their schools duringthe annual back-to-schoolconvocationatSouthernUniversity on Tuesday
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
Court: Feds wrong to terminate
climate funds
WASHINGTON A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday said the Trump administration improperly terminated billions of dollars in funds to boost clean energy projects, handing a win to a coalition of nonprofits picked to run the Biden-era effort.
Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision will be put on hold for several days giving the Environmental Protection Agency time to ask the Supreme Court to step in.
The judgement by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a loss for the Trump administration in one of its earliest efforts to dismantle President Joe Biden’s campaign to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as a “green bank,” is a $20 billion congressionally authorized program that provided money to nonprofits that would then make loans and invest in small energy projects, energy-efficient buildings and transportation.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin accused Climate United Fund and other nonprofits picked to run the green bank of mismanagement and potential fraud. He froze billions that had been placed in a Citibank account for the program and then terminated their grants. The groups disputed any wrongdoing and sued, arguing the Trump administration broke the law and violated the Constitution by not spending money authorized by Congress.
Officials: Transmission tower sparked Eaton fire LOS ANGELES Sparks from an idle transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison caused the 2025 Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses, Los Angeles County fire officials said in a report released Tuesday. It took firefighters nearly a month to extinguish the blaze, which scorched 22 square miles.
The Eaton fire burned at the same time as the wind-whipped Palisades fire. An AP analysis at the time showed both blazes torched more urban area than any California fire in decades
The Eaton fire was caused by electrical arcing on the utility’s out-of-service tower atop a ridge covered with dry fuel, the agency said in a statement When bare, uninsulated wires touch or come close together it can cause arcing, which is when electricity jumps through the air, producing sparks.
The report said SoCal Edison was responsible for maintaining and operating its electrical lines and equipment “in a manner that would minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by them.”
Guatemala evacuates hundreds amid eruption
GUATEMALA CITY Guatemala remained on alert Tuesday after evacuating hundreds of people following an eruption the day before of the Fuego volcano, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and one of Central America’s most active volcanoes.
The country’s disaster management agency said 659 people were evacuated from eight villages in the danger area and are being housed in nearby shelters. The eruption started on Monday morning, with videos showing clouds of gas and ash above the volcano as lava and pyroclastic flows roll down.
Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the Guatemalan disaster management agency said that about 10 more communities are expected to be evacuated throughout the day
CORRECTION
An article Saturday detailing new laws taking effect in Louisiana misstated the act number of a law relating to the protection of restaurant workers. Act 342 enhances criminal penalties for assault and battery when the victims are employees in food and retail establishments.
The Advocate regrets the error
Netanyahu pushes back on Gaza deal
Israeli leader says no withdrawal until Hamas fully disarms
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY, IBRAHIM HAZBOUN and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza City Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed and pushed back on a recent deal announced by President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu’s remarks cast more doubt on the deal to disarm Hamas, which was seen as a potential breakthrough for ending the war It also marked a rare public display of friction with the Trump administration.
The agreement called for Hamas to begin disarming and for Israel to halt its strikes and begin withdrawing from the roughly 60% of Gaza it currently controls. It was based on an October ceasefire agreement that ended major military operations and brought about the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza but has stalled on other fronts.
Netanyahu, who faces a tough battle for reelection in October reiterated his stance that disarmament should come first. He said Israeli forces would continue to “do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our territory, and our citizens.”
The Trump administration “sent us a draft. We did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments. This is our position,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media.
Mass funeral held in Gaza
Earlier on Tuesday, Palestinians gathered for a mass funeral of more than 100 bodies finally recovered from a deadly Israeli strike in Gaza in 2023. More than 300 people were killed on Nov 22, 2023, weeks into the war with Hamas, when warplanes flattened a residential block in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood.
Around 40 bodies were recovered soon afterward in a frantic scramble of rough tools and bare hands, but most were buried deep beneath the rubble. Reports of the high number of victims in one of the war’s deadliest attacks took days to reach the public in the chaos just before its first ceasefire.
Over the weekend, first responders dug through the destroyed buildings and recovered remains of 112 victims, including 40 children, according to the Civil Defense, a rescue agency operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry
It said 157 bodies still have not been found.
“The only crime of these martyrs was that they remained steadfast and resilient
in their homes, believing that these homes would protect them,” one relative, Taysir al-Hassayna, told The Associated Press following the funeral prayers.
For the missing, it’s “as if their bodies had evaporated without a trace.”
Recovery of remains
Only now are some bodies of people killed in the war’s ferocious early months slowly being recovered, as the fragile ceasefire allows such efforts to push ahead in parts of devastated Gaza.
Those discoveries have contributed to the war’s rising toll. The Hamas-led militant attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 73,377 Palestinians, including since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
At least 7,400 people have been reported by relatives to still be under the rubble, Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the ministry’s records department, told the AP The true number is likely thousands higher because in some cases entire families were killed in a single bombing, leaving no one to report the missing, al-Waheidi has said
The people mourned on Tuesday were from a residential block belonging to the Hassayna and Abu Sharia clan, and many were related. AP has identified at least 60 families across Gaza who lost 25 or more family members during the first three months of war
On Tuesday, the remains of the victims, wrapped in Palestinian flags, were laid in rows on the ground. Many were marked with photos, and flower petals were scattered around them all. Hundreds of people surrounded the bodies for funeral prayers, some standing on the rubble.
Following the prayers, people carried the bodies on stretchers along a narrow street lined by destroyed buildings and buried them in a nearby cemetery Deadly strikes continue
At least 1,252 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s Health Ministry
The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants but says women and children make up most of the dead.
Israel says its strikes are against militants who endanger its soldiers, took part in the Oct. 7 attack or carry out other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
The U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement last October called for Hamas to be disarmed and for Israel to withdraw An International Stabilization Force was to be deployed, and an independent Palestinian administration was to oversee governance and reconstruction.
Trump administration revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to U.S.
BY MATTHEW LEE and MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Trump administration has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the United States in retaliation for Brazil’s denial of visas last month for two American diplomats who sought to visit ahead of upcoming elections as well as Brazil’s stalling on approving President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador in Brasilia.
The State Department said the decision was a reciprocal response to Brazil’s actions and officials said the step had been delayed several times to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva room to back down, something he did not do.
Officials said, however that it could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appro-
priate action and accepts Trump’s ambassadorial choice.
Trump has had a fractious relationship for some time with Lula’s administration, which has opposed him on numerous policies, particularly in the Western Hemisphere regarding Venezuela and Cuba. Their relationship also has been strained by Trump’s fondness for Lula’s first term successor and then predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest, and his son Flavio, who is Lula’s main opponent in October election.
Lula has spared Trump himself from criticism and claims they liked each other when they first met at the United Nations Assembly General in September of last year The Brazilian leader has blamed Secretary of State Marco Rubio for some of the actions against his country
Blanche’s AG nomination clears critical hurdle
Senate panel advances bid after deal with GOP holdouts
BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Acting
Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.
Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits. Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump 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 said his reasons for backing Blanche go beyond the deal struck Sunday adding that he believes the Justice Department needs a “stabilizing force” at the helm.
The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators — John Cornyn, of Texas; and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns. The full Senate could vote later this week on Blanche’s nomination. If all Democrats oppose him, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes if Sen. Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, who was hospitalized after a fall, does not return before then. Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche’s nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn’t moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement. After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.” Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general’s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it. The order also doesn’t stop the admi nistrati on from compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government. The fund “can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,” said Dick Durbin, of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee.
Palestinians gather Sunday around a car struck in an Israeli military strike in Gaza City
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Iran,Omanworking on deal to reopen strait
Officialssay plan couldhelp wind down war
BY SAMY MAGDY, AAMER MADHANI and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press
CAIRO— Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, apotential breakthrough that could help wind down thewar in the Middle East, regional officials said Tuesday Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlledroute and exit through aroute controlledbyOman,withservice fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told The Associated Press
They said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take adifferent form, with any deal linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’sports. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations un-
porters on Monday,Trump reiterated his public stance that he’sopposedtotolling in thestrait.“I’mnot going to let themcharge,”Trump said. “Anybody’sgoing to charge, we’ll charge.”
IranianForeign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said thebilateral talks with Oman are focused on “establishing safe inbound andoutbound shipping lanes,” routes that“uphold sovereign rights while alsoaddressing thenational securityconsiderations of both Iran and Oman.”
hoping that will happenvery shortly.”
Rubio has previously ruled outany deal that would give Irancontrol over the strait, saying last month thatit would create a“very dangerous precedent” for other parts of the world.
TreasurySecretaryScott Bessenttold CNBC that “there is achance we may have adeal today or tomorrowtoopenthe strait and move towards amorenormalized position in this conflict.”
largely shut it down, causing aspike in the price of fuel, fertilizer and other goods, and rattling economies far beyond the Middle East.
Trump said Mondaythat the U.S. was in talks with Iran, saying it wasTehran’s “lastchance”toreach adeal andavoidanother U.S.military escalation.
foldingbehind closed doors. Anyagreement formalizing Iran’scontrol of the strait wouldmarka significantstrategic victory for Tehran. For thatreason,the U.S. could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade.The strait was an open internationalwaterway before the U.S. and IsraelattackedIran on Feb. 28 AU.S. official familiar with thenegotiations said that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iranorcharges. The official,who wasnot authorized to comment publicly and
spoke on condition of anonymity,saidthe U.S. remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controlsthe lanes or theabilitytotransitthrough them.”
U.S.President Donald Trump is undermounting pressure to end an unpopular war thathas driven up gas prices ahead of midterm electionsand drawn down U.S. supplies of some munitions. In recent days, he has again whipsawed between threatening massive strikes and voicing support for diplomatic efforts. In an exchange with re-
Family:Man complained of access to meds before deathatimmigration jail
BY HALLIE GOLDEN and JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press
Family members of a Salvadoranman who died at aNew Jersey immigration jail are demanding an independent investigation into his death, alleging he was denied proper medical care inside afacility that has become aflashpoint for protests against President Donald Trump’simmigration crackdown. The man, Edwin LopezCornejo, was hospitalized Saturday aftersuffering a “medical emergency” while being held at Delaney Hall in Newark, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He died the same day His official cause of death willbereleased following
NEWJERSEY
further medical examination, according to ICE, which has listed his age as 41.Relatives said he was 39.
At anews conference Tuesday,distraught family members said Lopez-Cornejo had complained he was not getting regularaccess to hismedications, which he took for diabetes,highblood pressure and seizures. His mother,Maria Cornejo, said he called the day before his death to tell herhehad spokentoadoctor early Friday andhad lost feeling inhalf hisface and arm. “My sonneeded medical attention, and he didn’t receive it,” Cornejosaidin Spanish.“He wasagood father.Agood son. Ahard-
working man. He didn’t harm anyone.”
Through tears, his 12-yearold daughter,Ashley Lopez, said the family knew his health had worsenedindetention.“Allofuswere worried about him,” she said. In their statement, ICE said Lopez-Cornejo “received proper medical care andwas seen by medical professionals” while in custody.Hehad been held at the facility since his arrest June 18, according to the agency, which accused him of entering the country illegally In all, at least 56 people havedied in ICEcustody during Trump’s second term. Hundreds of detainees across theU.S.havebrought lawsuits accusingimmigrant detention facilities of failingtoprovide proper medical care.
“The final results of these negotiations will be announced once concluded,”he added, in remarks carriedby Iran’sstate-run IRNA news agency
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said “there’s been progress made in those talks, but notfinality yet. We’re
Asked whether there would be tolls for movement through the strait, Bessent said: “I think it would be freedom of movement.”
The potential agreement between Iran and Oman was firstreportedbyThe New York Times.
Afifth of the world’straded oiland gastransited thewaterway before the war.Iranian attacks on ships have
“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearization,” Trumpsaid. “And that will take alittle while.” Iranhas denieditisnegotiating with the U.S., saying thetalks areonly withOman. Thetwo sides reached an interim agreement in June to reopen thestraitand launch 60 days of talks aimed at ending the war andresolving the long-standing dispute over Iran’snuclear program. That agreement collapsed over escalating hostilities focused on the strait, and the deadline is around two weeks away
By The Associated Press
The House Ethics Committee said Tuesday it had opened an investigation into domestic abuse allegations against Republican Rep. Max Miller as the embattled Ohiocongressman faced pressure from President Donald Trump and escalating criticism from his former father-in-law,Ohio Sen Bernie Moreno Miller,asenior adviser to Trump during his firstpresidency, facedaWednesday deadline to decide whether to stay in his race for re-
election, with Republicans nervous thatthe allegations surrounding the secondtermcongressman could cost them aseatastheytry to hang ontotheir House majority in this year’smidterms. Leadersofthe ethics committee said in their statement that thecommittee was reviewing whether Miller “may haveengaged in domestic violence andabuse or illegal drug use.” Earlier in the day,Miller said he had requested his own investigation into theallegationsmade by his ex-wife,
Emily Moreno.Itwas not clear whether his request or another one prompted the committee to investigate.
Trump spoke with Miller on Monday and advised that hiscandidacy “doesn’t look good,” according toasource familiar with theconversation who was grantedanonymity to discussaprivate conversation. Trump’sconversation with Miller was first reported by Axios Miller said during aCNN interview Tuesday that he wasn’texitingthe race, despitewhat he described as Trump’swords of caution.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RAZIEH POUDAT
Regional officials sayadeal between Oman and Iran to reopen the StraitofHormuz could help bringanend to the war.
Manaccused in Spokanefirequestionedpreviously
Documentssay he waspartofprobe in 2other blazes
BY MANUEL VALDES, ED WHITE,MARTHA BELLISLE and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. Aman
charged with intentionally setting awildfire that’sdestroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Washington state’ssecond-largest city was questioned by law enforcement duringtwo fire investigationslast year, though he wasn’tcharged in either,court documents show Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old TrailsFire, the biggest of three blazes that have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. According to court records, he de-
niedsetting thefire. His bail was set at $1 million. Authorities haven’tsaid what caused the other two fires burning around Spokane.Nodeathshave been reported Farinacci, 37, served about adecadeinprison after killing his father in Arizona in 2010. Last year,authorities questioned him in two firerelated cases in Spokane, according to aprobable cause statement filed in Spokane CountySuperior Court.
One involved several “bussized” fires in an area near Farinacci’sapartment in July 2025, police records in that case say.The other involved awildfire in astate park that promptedevacuation notices thefollowing month. In neither case was hearrested Atip leadstoanarrest
On Saturday,Paul Child, 64, wasdrivingwith his grandson along some railroad tracks in his rural neighborhood northwest of Spokane. He saw aman standing and looking toward nearby trees.
scriptionofthe man he had seen —bald, White, wearing agreen shirt and carrying a backpack.
Aresponding sheriff’s deputy saw aman matching that description walking morethan 1mile away anddetainedhim.Another deputy also responded, and Child showed up to identify the person in custody —Farinacci —asthe one he had seen in the area of the fire, the document states.
About 10 minuteslater,as they were returning home, the man was still there
“He was bent over in the brush, actingnervous,” Child told The Associated Presson Tuesday.“Youget the feeling this guy’suptosomething.”
“No longer than10minutes after Igot home, my daughter says, ‘There’safire,’”Child recalled. “My first words were, ‘That SOBstarted a
Authoritiesidentifythree people killed in IdahoIn-N-Outshooting
BY DAVE COLLINS and SARAH RAZA Associated Press
The three people killed when agunman opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger in Idaho included aworker at the restaurant chainand a man from the area known for helping others get sober Authorities released the names Tuesday of the people who died when 24-year-old Chad Williams opened fire at the Twin Falls restaurant. The attack Saturdayafternoon ended when Williams shot andkilled himself. Police said they are confident Williams acted alone but havenot yet identified amotive.
Ashley Garibay,23, who was killed in the shooting, worked for the burger chain on ateam that trained new employees away from where shelived in Stockton, Cali-
fornia. Herfamilysaidshe loved herworkand called her an “amazing, beautiful soul who loved living life.”
“She wasadventurous, outgoing, smart and driven, neverletting obstaclesget in herway,”her family said in a statement. “She lit up aroom with her bright smile and a laugh that was contagious.”
Dale Schultz, 66, of Salt Lake City,and Christopher Claunch, 59, of Hagerman, Idaho, about 28 miles northwest of Twin Falls, were also killed, according to police.
OneofClaunch’sfriends, Garren Taylor,said Claunch completed arehab program for alcohol abuse in Idaho a couple of years ago and was immediately hired at the center.Taylor said Claunch, known to those close to him as “Toph,”dedicated his life to helping others get sober “He helped hundreds of
people,” Taylor said Monday “He was justagift to anyone he came in contact with. It wasn’t aboutthe paycheck Hisattitude was: ‘I getto help someone today.’ ”
Acandlelight vigil was plannedTuesdaynight at Twin Falls City Park, and policehaveopeneda center where those who were affected by theshooting could get support andrequest or collect personal items left at the scene. Flags in the citywill be at half-staff until next week. The In-N-Out location opened in late July as partof the Californiachain’sIdaho expansion. Garibay gother firstjob at oneofthe restaurants, and she dreamed of one day managing one of thestores, her family said. She worked in Stockton and joinedthe traveling team in 2023, said family spokespersonKristin Cole.
fire!’ It was the exact spot where he was standing.”
Child’sdaughter called 911 and he drove back to thespot where he’d seen the man, sheriff’sdetective Michael Drapeau wroteinthe probable causestatement.He gave apolice officer ade-
Farinacci hadabackpack anda fanny pack,inwhichhe had apack of cigarettes, waterproof matches anda butane lighter, it says. He told the deputies he didn’tstart the fire and he denied having been in the area where it started.Hewas wearing a green T-shirt that read, “who needs luck Ihave charm,” the detective wrote.
Thedeputies wereunaware of Farinacci’sprior fire-related contacts andthe
cause of the Old Trails Fire hadn’t been determinedyet, so they released him to continue working on evacuation efforts, Drapeau wrote. But the following day awildland fire investigator ruledout other possible causes,including sparks from electric wiresorpassing trains, andpolicearrested Farinacci on Monday “As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens whowerepayingattention to theirsurroundings,being aware andwilling to step up andsay something thatled to therelatively quickapprehension of Mr.Farinacci,” Sheriff JohnNowelstoldreporters. Farinacci appeared in court Tuesday via video link from the jail and was represented by Colin Charbonneau,director of the Spokane County public defender’soffice. Ajudge set hisarraignment for Thursday
BY SAM MCNEIL, JOSEPH WILSON and COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press
BRUSSELS Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’smigration policies faced fierce criticism as leaders from across the European Union met Tuesday following last week’srush of migrants to the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa. The sudden arrival of 72,000 migrantsonThursday and Friday sparked ahumanitarian crisis in Ceuta and reignited the immigration debate in the 27-nation bloc, though most of the migrants soon went back. More than
80 migrants died, including some whodrownedorwere trampled in astampede to cross abreakwater barrier, according to Spanishand Moroccanauthorities.
Openletters from22EU leaders, anda quick retort from Sanchez,have exposed aroiling debate inside the EU pitting migrationhawks against theprogressive Spanish leaderwho has challenged consensus within the bloc on migration as well as NATO spending, Gaza and Israel
Sanchez’sgovernment has dismissed the attacks aspolitically motivated, saying most of the migrants were pushedback fromCeuta
within hours in “close coordinationwith theMoroccan authoritiesand with very little support fromotherEuropean states.”
While ministers seemed to rally back around Sanchez after meeting Tuesday, Europe displayed a deeply damaging disunity in the aftermath of Ceuta as it facessecuritythreats from Moscow,instability with Washington andeconomic tensionwith Beijing, said Alicia García-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific and Middle East for the financial firm Natixis.
“Europe has shown weakness again,” shesaid. “Massive weakness.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON
From left, homeowner Al Acosta, his son Louis Acosta, daughter Renee Stewartand son-in-lawJamie Stewartlook throughthe remains of Al’shomeonMonday after awildfire hit the northernpartofSpokane, Wash.
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•“Good to excellentreliefin86% of patients with Herniated discs” - TheAmericanJournal of Pain Management
•“Decompression Therapyreported a76.5% with completeremissionand 19.6%withpartial remissionof pain anddisability” -Rio Grande Hospital,Department of Neurosurgery
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acquisition would effectively mean residents would pay for energythat’slargely only needed because of Meta’smassive north Louisiana data center.After The Times-Picayune |The Advocate reported about the testimony, Gov. Jeff Landryissued an executive order demanding that data center developers pay for theirown energy costs.
Entergy filed arebuttal in the case in late July,saying the company has been considering buying Cottonwood for years and that it’s notneeded because of Meta’sdata center But the company has faced pushback from the PSC, where at least two members have suggested they will oppose the deal. Commissioners Eric Skrmetta and Mike Francis, both Republicans, indicated they would vote against the proposed deal, which would cost the average residential customer about $9 amonth more on their electricbill.
Francis said Tuesdaythathis stance hasn’tchanged and that he expects Entergy to present areworked version of the deal.
“They’re going to have to go back to thedrawingboard and present adifferent case, would be my guess,” Francis said.
Commissioner Davante Lewis, who has also raised questions
about the proposal, said investors asked himabout Cottonwood at a recentgatheringofregulatorsin Minneapolis. He suggested Entergy isgetting “serious pushback” from investors, who are questioningwhether the company will ever win approval “I find it hard-pressed that this application will beapproved without fundamental changes to it,” Lewissaid, adding that he hasn’t taken an official position on the deal.
Scardigli, of Entergy,said the preceding will continue on a“revised timeline.”
“During this period, Entergy Louisiana is also working with LPSCStaff andother parties to identify ways to lessen theinitial bill impacts of the proposedCottonwoodacquisition,” he said in a statement. “Because it is an existing facility option andavoids new construction costs,Cottonwood offers an opportunitytoadd existing, dispatchable generation quickly
that supports the power needsof ALL of ourLouisiana customers, at afraction of thecost foranew build.”
Entergy’splanned acquisition is beinglitigated before an administrative law judge.Judgestypically make arecommendationtoeither approveorreject suchapplications, and the PSC has the final say Entergy Corp. CEO Drew Marsh told investors on arecent earnings call that while Cottonwood isn’t the“shiniest new plant out there,” buying it would be cost-effective for customers in the long run.
He also said the company is workingto“mitigate the impact” on ratepayers.
“The biggest issue is atiming question, because the full plant is what’savailable at thebeginning of next year,and it’sfor sale now,” Marsh said. “It’snot for saleatthe ideal time when allthese other customers are arriving,that aren’t data centers. Andsowe’re working through that and figuring out ways that we can manage the risks, and we feel confident we’ll comeupwith something.”
Theproposed acquisitionraised questions about whetherMeta was following aWhiteHouse pledge it signed promising to payfor its own power whenbuilding data centers. Meta spokesperson FrancisBrennan said at the timethat theanalysisbythe PSC consultant, LaneSisung, was“inaccurate speculation.”
“Meta pays itsown way,both for thepower and new infrastruc-
“They’re going to have to go back to the
ture we use,” he said in June. “Our agreement with Entergy is built to guarantee we paythose costs,not Louisianans.”
Sisung’sanalysis raised ahost of problemswith the plan. Cottonwood is 22 years old, has reliability issues that would require hundreds of millions in spending by Entergy to fix and was acquired by aprivate equity firm afew years ago for farless than Entergy is planning to buy it for.
And, he wrote, the need forpower exists “principally by the Metarelatedramp periodratherthanby general system load growth.”
The data center,one of the largestinthe world, hasbecomea flashpoint for anational debate over themassive infrastructure buildout to power artificial intelligence products.
Landry’s administrationhas signed nondisclosure agreements with Meta and other data center developers as part of abid to land the facilities.
Hisadministration also pushed througha taxbreak fordatacenters that could give billions in benefits to tech giantslike Meta and Amazon.
port bycalling 1-877-3228228orbyvisiting www annualcreditreport.com andfollowing instruc‐tions forsubmissionof requests. Relevant con‐tactinformation forthe nationalcreditreporting agenciesisasfollows: Equifax, PO Box740241, Atlanta,GA30374, www equifax.com,1-800-6851111 Experian,POBox 2104 Allen,TX75013, www experian.com,1-888-3973742 TransUnion,PO Box2000 Chester,PA19016, www transunion.com,1-800888-4213 Upon receiptofcreditre‐ports,individuals should reviewthemcarefully Theyshouldlook forun‐recognizedaccountsor creditorinquiries,and for inaccuracies in re‐porteddatasuchasad‐dress, paymenthistory ordateofbirth.Ifany‐thing looksincorrect,in‐dividuals should contact the credit reporting agencyusing contactin‐formation provided with the report.Individuals may also contactthe Federal TradeCommis‐sion(“FTC”) or their state Attorney General for informationabout identitytheft andcredit reportfraud alerts and securityfreezes.The FTC may be contactedat600 PennsylvaniaAvenue NW, Washington,DC 20580, 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338),and TTY:1866-653-4261. 195722-jul31-aug6-7t
UAL
1234
70767 (File#26-0036)
LUELLA
53CB188 E62(MAPFILED IN ORGINALCB61E111) (PLAT MAP69) APUBLICHEARING will beheldbythe West Baton RougePARISH COUNCIL to ratify the condemnationorder.The ownerofthe structure may appeal thedecision ofthe Parish President byappearing at this meetingofthe PARISH COUNCIL to show cause why thestructure should not be condemned. Date:Thursday,August 13,2026 Time:5:30pm Public hearings will be heldatthe West Baton Rouge Parish Govern‐mentalBuilding, 880 N. Alexander,PortAllen, LA 70767. PublishedinThe Advo‐catefor Two(2) consecu‐tiveweeksfrom 07/30/2026 through 08/13/2026. 194760-JUL30-AUG13
say, Iwant to thank you for being afriend.”
Then Cole launched into his own renditionof“Thank YouFor Being AFriend,” the theme song to the ‘80s TV sitcom “The Golden Girls,” ashow he said he usedto watch withhis grandmother.First, Cole said the lyrics out loud and then sang them, sparking asingalong from the arena crowd.
Cole did not providethe audience any details about the accusations he is facing or theinvestigationthat he is undergoing. Cole left the MetroCouncil in July 2024 to become superintendent of Louisiana’ssecond-largest traditional school district.
After Cole spoke,the Rev Joshua Johnson, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus CatholicChurch in Baton Rouge, summoned Cole back to the stage to pray over him, prompting many in the audience to likewise lift their hands in prayer.
On July 28, after the news of the investigation of Cole broke,the district’shead of communications, Taylor Gast, sent an email to staff.
“Weunderstand that news like this can create uncertainty and concern. During this time, we encourage everyone to remain calm, avoid speculation, andallow theappropriate processes to move forward,” Gast wrote. “Our focus remains on what matters most. We will continue serving our students, supporting one another,and continuing the important work happening in ourschools and departments each day.”
Employees reported back to work Monday,and students return to classes Thursday Cole’scomments Tuesday capped arousing pep rally event. It featured an Olympic-style “paradeofschools” where groups from schools acrossthe parish held banners showcasing their sites. Several school bands also performed, including South-
ernUniversity’s famedHumanJukebox.
Aconvoy of school buses transported school staffto Southern University on Tuesday.They arrived inafestive mood,filling the stands and wearing T-shirts marking their particular school
“Where’s my Istrouma Indians? Igot to give thema shout,” asked Mayor-President SidEdwards,promptingasectionofthe standson thefar side of thearena to stand up and shout. “Yeah!
It’s good to see y’all.”
Edwards, alongtimefootball coach,spent his final years beforebecoming mayor at Istrouma High. He said he knows thestaff’s true feelings about having to come back to work
“Y’all are happy today, but Ipromise you yesterday,you were moping around alittle bitwith the endofsummer,” he said.
Echoing other speakers, themayor encouraged educators in the room to make personal connections with their students, to help them down abetterroad, tosave their lives, “literally.”
“As we usedtosay in football, it’snot about Xs and Os,” Edwardssaid. “It’s aboutJimmys and Joes.”
Other prominent community leaders and government officials were on hand, including DistrictAttorney Hillar Moore, Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed and state SuperintendentofEducation Cade Brumley.Five of the nine members of the parish School Board also were present.Board President Shashonnie Steward and Vice President Cliff Lewis offered introductoryremarks.
Cole, however,was the main event. The superintendent waited until it was his turntospeak before he finally entered the auditoriumto rousing music, similar to the style of apro wrestler enteringthe ring.
He highlighted high-profile changes during his twoyeartenure, including closing several schools, changing starttime atagrowing number of schools, and
notable gains on standardized tests. He also pointed to alargeemployee payraise approved in June that is lifting starting teacher salaries by $6,000 to$56,000 ayear
“I promiseyou we’renot done yet,” Cole said.
Cole grew up in Baton Rougeand attended several Baton Rouge schools before graduatingfrom Tara High He namedaloud several teacherswhomhecredits with changing his life;one, Joyce Wilson, was in the audience and is ateacher still at Broadmoor High.
“Yearsfromnow,one of your studentsmay stand on this very stage and talk about theteachers who inspired them,and that teacher could very well be you,” Cole said. “That’sthe power of public education.That’s thepower of the teacher That is thepower of the East BatonRouge Parish school system.”
Email CharlesLussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.
might bring to a remote section of Louisiana’s coast, as are some landowners nearby At the same time, others in Vermilion, which has a population of about 60,000 people, are more skeptical Around 5,000 people live in the remote area around Pecan Island where sources have told The Times-Picayune and The Advocate that SpaceX plans to build a launch site.
For months, many in Vermilion have heard the rumors of a major project involving a space company, but there’s been little information shared so far from public officials. Gov Jeff Landry’s office has declined to comment about any potential launch site in Vermilion Parish The company has declined to comment, but referred to a post on X that states that the company needs more launch sites and that included a map of the area around Pecan Island.
Vermilion Parish President Chad Vallo said he expects to hear from state officials at some point, and he said he’s excited for the jobs and potential economic growth. His office is in the process of reaching out to elected officials in Texas near SpaceX’s Starbase, the company’s flagship launch site, to find out about the impacts of the spaceport there.
“If it does come to fruition, it would be life-changing,” Vallo said, adding that he hopes that his grandson, who serves in the U.S. Navy, will be able to return to the area and get a job with SpaceX “He could possibly be home and wouldn’t have to go find a job somewhere else.”
Vallo said that to the extent he has heard from constituents, they support the project Still, in interviews Tuesday, and during an online call organized Monday night by a local opponent of any space development, some residents didn’t share that view. Environmental advocates are concerned about how a site devoted to space launches could impact the coastal region that’s nestled between wildlife refuges.
Wayne Miller, the assistant fire chief in Pecan Island, said he’s opposed to the project, as are many people he’s heard from. He’s also concerned about the
lack of information
“The state needs to open its mouth and tell us what’s happening,” he said
A spaceport on the Gulf
Pecan Island is a small community along a stretch of wetlands about 45 miles southwest of Lafayette. Down the road from the town, in an area called Freshwater City is a small stretch of filled-in marsh that SpaceX has indicated on social media that it may acquire for its next spaceport.
About 130,000 acres of wetlands around Pecan Island are owned by ExxonMobil, which acquired the land in 1958 when it bought Humble Oil, according to Jason Theriot, a historian and author of a book about the area. Since then, the land has been managed by an entity called the Vermilion Corporation, which oversees duck hunting there
As part of a settlement with Exxon in lawsuits alleging that the company damaged parts of Louisiana’s fragile coastline, the state is negotiating for SpaceX to receive control of the land, either through a sale, long-term lease or other type of arrangement.
The site is potentially a Goldilocks location for Musk’s company It’s near the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a shipping channel that SpaceX may make use of. There’s abundant natural gas nearby, which is needed for rockets. And there are few nearby residents to complain about the sonic booms — which, near SpaceX’s launch site in Texas, have been strong
enough to physically damage houses in the area.
Still, environmentalists are raising concerns about the potential impact of the project on the natural areas that surround it. The stretch of land SpaceX is looking to acquire is situated between the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge to its west and an Audubon-owned site, the Paul J. Rainey Sanctuary to its east. Both provide key habitat for migratory bird species.
“As SpaceX considers development in Vermilion Parish, we are concerned about potential impacts to sensitive habitats, wildlife, fisheries, air quality, local livelihoods and emergency-response times when roads become congested,” said Alyssa Portaro, the executive director of the Habitat Recovery Project, a Vinton-based environmental group. She called for conducting environmental studies of the area to establish baseline data against which the impacts of the project can be measured.
‘Something’s happening SpaceX’s Texas launch site has affected the environment there. After one of the landmark launches of Musk’s Starship rocket in 2023, conservationists canvassed the landscape for signs of environmental damage. The impact was clear. Yellow egg yolk stained the ground where birds’ nests had been the day before, according to The New York Times. None of the nine nests that conservationists had been
monitoring survived the launch intact.
Louisiana has passed legislation aimed at reducing any liabilities for SpaceX and other companies who want to launch rockets in the state. A new law passed this spring aimed at shielding aerospace companies from lawsuits over the impacts of any potential launch site, barring nuisance lawsuits from local governments or residents, as well as other legislation meant to lure commercial spaceflight companies to the state.
Pierre Miller, 64, an attorney who lives in New Orleans and whose family owns around 10,000 acres in coastal Vermilion, said he was open to the idea of SpaceX developing in the area. He said the area never recovered from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and could use an economic shot in the arm.
“I’m curious about it and excited about the possibilities,” he said. “I don’t know why it can’t be compatible with (existing recreational uses). They will need a lot of empty space buffer.”
Regardless of their views on the prospect of a space launch site, residents and landowners said they were largely just seeking more information on what might be coming. And with a lack of official information, questions have spread. A few weeks ago, large white Xs appeared on a number of streets in the area. During a call Monday evening organized by a local opponent of the project, the markings became a topic of speculation.
“We all know something’s happening,” one Pecan Island resident said of the Xs which brought guesses that they were visible from satellites. Others guessed that they were simply marking roads that would need to be widened.
Warren Winch, 79, a Pecan Island native who has given airboat tours of the region, was focused less on what might be coming that what might no longer exist in the area if SpaceX arrives.
“If they put it where they say they are at least I’ll have a nice view of the launches,” Winch said. “What I worry about are my kids who raise cattle for a living and other people who do shrimping and crabbing to survive. Most of them don’t want it, and I can only imagine what it’s going to look like for them.”
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
The LSU health sciences centers in Shreveport and New Orleans have officially joined the flagship institution as branch campuses, the university announced Tuesday
The merger was approved by LSU’s accrediting agency the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, at its June board meeting. It cements the university’s plan to operate as an “integrated research enterprise,” a release from the university said.
“The work happening every day on LSU’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge is complementary to that of our research-intensive centers across the state, and this designation recognizes that,” Chancellor Jim Dalton said. “While we are unified as a single institution, we also recognize and respect the specialized work occurring across LSU’s research, instructional, and patient care sites and value the benefits that an appropriate degree of operational autonomy provides to the state.”
The move is part of the university’s ongoing reorganization to unify the main campus in Baton Rouge, the LSU AgCenter, the health sciences centers and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center so they act as one research entity Some local advocates in Shreveport have expressed hesitation about the plan, saying they fear losing independence.
University administrators argue the merger will help LSU attain a top-50 ranking in the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey, an annual census of the universities that spend the most on research The ranking depends on combining research dollars across campuses, they say A team of commission reviewers will visit LSU this fall to evaluate the implementation, per the release. LSU awaits approval for its reorganization from the U.S. Department of Education and will receive final authorization at the accreditor’s December meeting, the release said.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Wayne Miller, who raises show pigs in Pecan Island, says he is opposed to the SpaceX project.
SpaceX earnings call offers no hint of La. plans
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
In an earnings call with Wall Street investors Tuesday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his top executives discussed the growth and financial performance of the publicly traded company’s rocket, satellite and AI divisions.
They didn’t mention any plans for a new spaceport in coastal Vermilion Parish.
As previously reported, Gov Jeff Landry’s administration is in the final stages of negotiating a
deal with SpaceX to build a launch facility on a 130,000-acre site near Pecan Island about 45 miles southwest of Lafayette. Landry is expected to announce the deal, which will bring thousands of jobs and commercial infrastructure to the remote area, later this month.
On Tuesday’s call, Musk and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell alluded to the company’s plans to exponentially scale up the number of reusable Starship rockets it will blast into space carrying Starlink satellites.
Eventually, Musk said, Starship payloads will also include components for AI data centers in space.
“I know this sounds nuts we are going to land a lot of tonnage on the moon,” he said. “We’re going to build factories on the moon.”
But he did not elaborate on what it will take to build enough new launch facilities and increase capacity at existing facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Florida, to attain those goals.
None of the Wall Street analysts that were allowed to ask questions following the company’s presentation pressed for details on the topic, focusing instead on the com-
pany’s financial performance.
In a request for comment last weekend on the Vermilion Parish deal, a SpaceX spokesperson referred to a previous post from May on its platform X. “We are constantly exploring to find viable sites to expand Starship operations in the future, both domestically and internationally,” the company said in its social media post.
Tuesday’s call was the first since SpaceX went public in June with an initial public offering that raised a record-breaking $85.7 billion. In the months since, the company’s share price has tumbled from its mid-June high of $172 a
share to $125 when the markets closed Tuesday
The company reported Tuesday that it brought in $7.8 billion in revenue in the second quarter up 92% from the same period a
Porn site says age verification regulations not working
Louisiana leaders dismiss concerns
BY ALYSE PFEIL and MATT ALBRIGHT Staff writers
One of the world’s largest pornography sites sent a letter this week urging state officials across the country to reconsider age verification regulations, but it received an icy response from leaders in Louisiana, which has one such law
“These laws do not work and, as a result, have put your constituents’ children and adults’ personal data at risk,” says Pornhub’s letter, which is addressed to hundreds of state-level leaders.
“If you truly intend to protect minors online, you must acknowledge the facts and introduce a real solution.”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who received the communication, was not convinced.
“Not only will we NOT reconsider age verification for Pornhub’s website, but we’re going to pursue even more accountability,” Murrill said
in a statement on X.
State Rep Laurie Schlegel, the Metairie Republican who sponsored Louisiana’s age verification law and also got the letter, was similarly critical.
Schlegel called it “a desperate attempt” by the company to avoid taking responsibility for keeping minors off its platform.
She noted the lobbying effort comes as lawmakers in Congress are actively considering federal legislation such as the SCREEN Act, which would establish ageverification requirements for websites with sexual content.
Louisiana in 2022 passed a law requiring pornographic websites to digitally verify that a user is older than 18 before viewing their content. Supporters argued it was necessary to keep children away from age-inappropriate content and safe from child predators. Opponents said it would violate users’ privacy through the collection of personal data and would push young people away from more responsible sites that implement the age checks to more dangerous
ones that don’t verify users’ ages. In its letter, Pornhub argued those concerns are being realized.
“Dangerous websites that are breaking the law by refusing to implement any kind of age assurance are benefiting from the law by winning traffic over from the compliant websites that have,” the letter states.
The company argued a better solution exists and has been tested in the United Kingdom: Requiring companies like Apple and Google to enable parental controls, which block porn and other adult content, at the level of the operating system by default. Users would need to verify their age to disable those controls.
“This method protects minors without requiring adults to surrender unnecessary personal information to multiple websites,” the letter states. “It also avoids creating systems that are easily circumvented through tools like VPNs.”
Schlegel said she supports age verification measures that work at the system or
device
Judge hears arguments to restrict clothing
Spectators in rape trial could be banned from pink
BY BLAKE LESCHBER
Staff writer
A Baton Rouge judge Tuesday
heard arguments on a motion to restrict spectators from wearing pink to the trial of the first suspect accused of raping Madison Brooks
This decision is one part of a highly anticipated trial for the first of four being tried for the alleged
rape of 19-year-old LSU student
Brooks in 2023, after which she was fatally struck by a car
Judge Gail Horne Ray will make a decision on the motion Thursday — less than two weeks before 21-year-old defendant Desmond Carter’s trial will begin.
The Motion to Prohibit Prejudicial or Intimidating Spectator
Displays was filed at the end of
June and sought to keep spectators from wearing pink clothing or attire that references Brooks to restrict potentially influencing jurors However, the state has since pushed back on this motion, saying it’s “unreasonable.”
Pink is the color of the Madison Brooks Foundation, which Brooks’ mother, Ashley Baustert, founded. The organization works to “ad-
vocate for the safety of young adults.”
Defense attorney Caitlin Fowlkes claimed members of the public wearing coordinated clothing could prejudice the jury against Carter and undermine the presumption of innocence.
“In fact, about a week after I filed this motion, (Baustert) posted on Facebook, encouraging people to attend the trial and wear pink,” Fowlkes said during the motion hearing Tuesday
AFTERNOON STROLL
Fowlkes referenced multiple Facebook posts by Baustert both in the hearing and in the motion
These posts encouraged supporters to attend court events, wearing pink clothes and “Madi stickers.” Assistant District Attorney Sonya Cardia-Porter, in a written response to the motion, pushed back on Fowlkes’ claim, saying the posts “demonstrate victim advocacy rather than a plot to intimidate the jury.”
St. George approves changes to Long Farm plans
Development layout tweaked, rezoning tabled A woman walks over a bridge along Capitol
lakeside
follows the
on a sunny afternoon recently in
the
egrets and other waterfowl. A little over 2 miles, the path offers a quiet setting for an afternoon stroll.
BY ANNAKATE FREELAND
The Baton Rouge police officer who was arrested by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday
BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer
The St. George Zoning Commission has approved a slight change to the development plan for the Long Farm Village mixed-use development that will tweak the layout for better efficiency Long Farm Village is a more than 200-acre development with residential, commercial and public components by developer Russell Mosely The zoning change will alter the access point for the commercial portion, which is currently accessible through the residential area. Mosely said the change was inspired by feedback from residents who are trying to prevent traffic moving through the neighborhood to get to the commercial portion.
The change received unanimous approval from the commission at its meeting Monday evening. Mosely said he plans to implement cul-de-sacs to prevent through traffic in the residential portion. The development has been built up for more than a decade and includes single-family homes and upscale apartments. Recently, 215 residential lots have been completed. The commercial portion is anchored by Rouses Market. Several new restaurants are opening soon, including Cheba Hut, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, Swig and
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Lake
Baton Rouge. The
path
edge of Capitol Lake with views of
State Capitol. Birding enthusiasts can find ducks,
PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
at
Railroad Ave. in downtown Donaldsonville has
owned by the local Masonic lodge since its construction in 1895.
building was sold on Friday to a local businessman.
N.O.’s mule-drawn carriagesnot affectedbyban
BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
On asweltering Saturday morning outside Jackson Square,Willy Picket rested his shoes on the front of his wooden carriage and looked at his 14-year-old whitehaired mule, Baby Girl Picket was dressed for the weather,with breathable shorts, astraw hat, an Under Armour shirt and slip-on shoes he said were built to withstand mule urine.Baby Girl stood in front, wearing a tiny blue MardiGras krewe hat. It was late July,asNew Orleans settled into thelong stretch of high temperatures and humidity that arrives each year,and as adebate about tourist carriages simmered in other U.S. cities. New York City is considering banning its iconic horse-
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drawn carriages, which have been in Central Park for 167 years. In June, an 18-year-old tourist there died after leaping from arunawaycarriage whosedriver hadstepped off to take apicture. The death came not long after a carriage horse there died after eating apoisonous plant and broader questions arose about heat andanimalwork. “I can understandwhere they say they don’twant them working hard,” said Picket, 72,ashesat in the driver’s seat of his four-seat green carriage parked in arow of mule-drawn carriages along Decatur Street. “But Iknow we don’ttreat them bad.”
Picket, who grew up in Uptown New Orleans and started driving in the 1980s, was respondingtosome animal-rights activists’ claims of mistreatment in the carriageindustry.Inadditionto the concerns in New York, in Philadelphia,where Picket himself once did astint as a horse-drawn carriage driver,officialsinJune banned
work, personal development and community service.
The building’sfirst floor has two commercial spaces, one of which is occupied by Cane Sugar Toffee
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“The socialmedia posts… are calls for peaceful support,” theresponse stated. “The (posts) share information about court dates beingopentothe public, invitinganyone interested to ‘attend,’ ‘wear pink’ and ‘pray.’” Fowlkescountered thatclothing is communicative to ajury and even pointed out the prosecutors
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Dumpling &Bao. Commissionersalso held apublic hearing for the proposed rezoning of part of aresidential tract at
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General Liz Murrill in astatement
Robinson was placed on administrative leave in Februaryafter shewas namedinthe federal investigation. She had been with the department since 2009.
Police: 5-year-old shot self with babysitter’sgun
A5-year-old boy shot himself in the hand with agun left unattended while ababysitter was in charge of him, Baton Rouge police said Haidyn Moten, 21, was arrested Monday and charged with cruelty to juveniles. During the investigation, police said the child entered Moten’s
its carriages (though the last business closed there in 2023). Other cities like Chicago have also phased out thepractice in recent years. Soon San Antonio will, too. Talks of similar bans haven’tproliferated in New Orleans,where horses and mules have been pulling people in some capacity, whether in carriages or streetcars or parades, for
Co.,owned by LewisSavoie. The business opened in 2024. Dawson said he and Savoie have discussed expanding the sweet shop into the other commercial space, which is unoccupied.
The secondfloor offersa full kitchen, dining hall andmeeting room. Dawson said the space will need to be cleaned and have afew
were wearing pinknail polishduring the hearing, claiming the state endorses themessage —although theprosecutors denied that the nail polish was an intentional choice.
“It’sthe basisofwhy defendants who are incarcerated are notable to wear jail clothing during atrial; it is communicative,” Fowlkes said. “At that point, they’re no longer spectators; theyare now involved in the trial.”
In acited 1966 Supreme Court case, Sheppardv.Maxwell, the court ruled that adefendant’s right
the intersection of Perkins Road andPecueLanetobusiness use to build an office for Stuart &Co. General Contractors. Several residents spoke in opposition of the proposal due to concernsabout theplannot meeting thecriteria for commercial use and potentially spiking ongoing
room, where his .45-caliber Glock handgun was onthe bed, unattended andloaded.While playing with the gun, the child shot himself in the left hand and was taken to the OurLady of the Lake Children’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Motenadmittedtopolice that he was supposed to bewatching the child and hadleft the gun unattended.
BRPD found that Moten had a warrant for his arrest as afugitive from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Officefor illegal carrying of aweapon Woman struck by vehicle on highway dies
Awoman who was walking along OldHammond Highway with two otherpeoplelateMonday night
centuries.But theturning tide in some cities is something Picket and his boss, Mid-CityCarriages owner Louis Charbonnet III, have on their mind.
Charbonnet, who is 87 and said he is thinking of selling Mid-City Carriages after threedozen years of family ownership, said he’s gotten questionsabout the recent accidentinNew York from
repairs before it can be used. He said he imagines it being used as office space.
The thirdfloor,which features a large meeting room, will continue to be used by theMasons rentfree for sixmonths, Dawson said. Afterthat, theorganization would pay rentifitdecides to stay “The third floor is, Iwould imag-
to afair trialwas violated by a“carnivalatmosphere” in thecourtroom, which deprived the defendant of “judicial serenity and calm” he was entitled to. Another cited 1965 case found that television cameras prejudiced juriesaswell. Cardia-Porter also calledthe motion“overly broad, vague and unenforceable,” and raised concerns regarding the First Amendment rights of spectators. Additionally, the state wrote that it supports thecourt being able to instruct thejury“in clear and unequivo-
traffic anddrainageissuesinthe area. Steve Legendre, acommercial real estatebroker withStirling Properties, saidhehas had thelisting since2020and many prospectivebuyers have been interested in the property for commercial use.
The commission voted to defer
died after she fell into the path of avehicle,the East Baton Rouge ParishSheriff’s Office said.
The incident happened at 10 p.m. near the intersection of Old HammondHighway andManson Drive.
Thepreliminaryinvestigation found that thewoman was walking with two other people, oneof whom wasona bicycle,whenshe suddenly fell intothe roadway and was hit by an approaching vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said in anews release.
“The driver attempted to avoid the collision, but wasunable to do so,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
The woman was taken to thehospital but later died of her injuries.
“Thedriverremainedonscene and is cooperating with investigators,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “At thistime, investigators do not believe speed or impairment were
people contemplating purchasing his business.
“I told them,‘Go to court, look at theaccidentrate,’” Charbonnet said of the industry in NewOrleans.
“They weresatisfied.”
‘Stubbornasa mule
Notably,New Orleans already has its ownban on horse-drawn carriages, and the mulesthat pull them today are part of apact made decades ago.
In 1980, twohorsesdied pulling packed carriages through theFrench Quarter during asummer heat wave. The deaths provoked aflurry of attention on the industry and led to calls to end the practice.
Instead of outlawing animal-drawn carriages entirely,the New Orleans City Council brokered acompromise withthe carriage industry and the Louisiana SPCA.The horses werereplaced with mules, ahybrid of horse anddonkey, which some veterinarians say are
ine, just likethe day theybuilt it,” Dawson said. Dawson said the expansion of industry withthe $5.8billion Hyundai Steel mill under construction has given him hope forhis investmentindowntownDonaldsonville.Hesaid it has been agoal of his to “getbusinessesback on Railroad Avenue.”
cal terms” to disregard anyattire from thegallery Carter is charged with acount of first-degree rape and third-degree rape.Hewas one of four men in avehicle with Brookswhenprosecutors allege shewas sexually assaultedafter anight of heavy drinking. Aprevious motion from Fowlkessought to have Carter’sfirstdegreerapechargequashedover claims the statute was unconstitutionally vague and written in away thatFowlkes said criminalizes all
adecision on the proposal for 30 days to allow time forthe developer to meet with the PecuePerkins Highland Homeowners Association to discuss concerns.
The commission also approved amendments to the Unified Development Code that update regulations for outdoor storage,includ-
factors in the crash.”
The identity of the deceased is being withheld, pending verification andnotificationoffamily, according to the department.
Mankilled in carcrashon Plank Road on Monday
Aman was killed in atwo-car crash after he ran into atruck going in the opposite directionon Plank Road on Monday morning, said Louisiana State Police.
Statetroopers responded to the carcrash shortly after 9a.m. on PlankRoadsouth of Welch Road.
During the investigation, troopers found 33-year-old Dakota Harvard was driving a2010 Chevrolet pickup north on PlankRoad.
For reasons still underinvestigation,Harvard crossed over into the southbound lane and struck the rear
moresure-footed, intelligent and better able to withstand heat than horses. New Orleans is oneofthe only places in theU.S.that bans horse-drawncarriages butallowsmule-drawn carriages.
“This is onething that NewOrleans got right. It putsmules to work,and not horses,” said Charbonnet, a former state representative whorepresented the French Quarter at the timethe regulations were implemented.
“Horses will work until they die; they’ll just drop dead on you. Mules will let you know when they aretired,and it’s timetogotothe barn. That’s whythey say,‘stubborn as a mule.’”
In the yearssince1980, the city has further ratcheted up its regulations around heat and animal welfare By city ordinance, mules can’tbeused if the temperature reaches 95 degrees or the heat index reaches 105. If they do, owners face a $500 fine.
“I’ve been very involved in AscensionParish fora long time
But in Donaldsonville, we never had aspark to get this going, and nowthat’shappened,”hesaid. “I think it’sgreat to be involved, and Ican buy abuilding that’sover 125 yearsold, andit’sstill in the same shape as it wasalmost when it wasbuilt.
group sex. Ray dismissed the motion, but admitted the rape lawwas “sloppily written.” Afirst-degree rape charge carries amandatory lifesentence in prison without the possibility of parole.
Raywas previously recused from the cases before the state SupremeCourt returned hertopreside over the trials in May.Among prosecutors’ complaints wasthe fact that Ray’sson is aconvicted rapist. Carter’strialisscheduledtobegin on Aug. 17.
inga requirement to ensure outdoor storage is not visible from streets, and replacing the words “waivers” and “exceptions” with the term “variance” in the development code.
axle of adumptruck carrying sand. Harvard was properlyrestrained but suffered fatal injuries and was declared dead at the scene. The driverofthe truck wasalso properly restrained and wastaken to the hospital forminor injuries. Impairment is notsuspected,but police will run routine toxicology samples.
Willy Picket, withBabyGirlthe mule, rolls past Jackson Square witha family in NewOrleans on July 25.
Chipotle pulls jalapeños from some restaurants
CHICAGO— Chipotle Mexican Grill said Tuesday that it had removedjalapeñosfrom some of its restaurants, afterdetermining the peppers could potentially be tiedtoa salmonella outbreak publichealth officials areinvestigating.
In abrief statement, Chipotle maintained that the “health and safetyofour guestsand employees is our highest priority” —and that it was aware of authorities investigatingthe source of asalmonella outbreak impacting severalfood service retailers.
The company added that it had pulled the jalapeñosout of an abundance of caution and “replacedthem with product from different growers.”It didnot specify how many of its restaurants were impacted, or where the previous peppers had come from.
The Minnesota Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that it was investigating asalmonella outbreak tied to several Mexican-style, quick-service restaurants —with jalapeños as the suspected source. Officialsidentified 110 cases in the state. Chipotle made up themajority of those where theywere able to reach impacted consumers foraninterview —who ate at the chain between mid-June and mid-July —but not all.
McDonald’sposts strong second-quarterprofit
McDonald’sposted astrong profitinits secondquarter andnamed anew head of the U.S. market with sales athome under pressure as many Americans grow increasingly cautious aboutspending.
Same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least ayear, edgedup0.8% in the U.S. That’s asharp slowdownfrom the 2.5% increase ayear ago, when the company hadabig win with a meal tied to “A Minecraft Movie.” Global same-store sales rose 1.3%.
CEO Chris Kempczinski said duringthe company’searnings call on Tuesday that the U.S. performance was partly hurt by inconsistent execution across its restaurants and marketing programsthat didn’tmeet expectations.
“Wedon’thave astrategy problem,”hesaid. “Wesimply didn’t execute at the level we needed to in the second quarter.” Another issue was apullback on thenumberofdigitaloffers that customers received, Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said. Without those offers, customers either boughtless, or didn’tbuy at all. McDonald’s plans to address this by launching more digital offers nationally,starting next week. The company is also looking to send more personalized offerstoits most loyalusers, he added.
Toyota reports hefty profitoncheapyen
TOKYO— Toyota reportedTuesday anearly doubling ofprofit for the fiscal first quarter as solid demand in the U.S. and Indiacombined with afavorable exchange rate to boost results.
The Japanese automaker, which makes the Prius hybrid and Lexusluxury models, recorded a$9.4 billion netprofit in the April-June period, up from$5.8 billion the same quarter the previous year Quarterly sales rose 10% year on year to $85 billion.
Acheap yen raises the value of overseas earnings for Japan’sgiant exporters like Toyota Motor Corp. The U.S.dollar was trading at about 145 yen during the fiscal firstquarter in 2025, butatabout160 yen for the same period this year.
The dollar is now trading at about 158 yen because ofa joint U.S.-Japan market intervention, which came lastweek, or in thefiscal second quarter
The favorable currency effectadded $2.2 billion toToyota’squarterly operatingprofit in the April-June period
The automaker is figuring the yenat160 to the dollar for the full fiscal year
NEW YORK The U.S. stock market ralliedtorecords on Tuesday as profitskept piling up for companiesand as oil prices eased. TheS&P 500 shot up 1.8%, and the main measureofWall Street’s health topped its prior all-time
high set acouple months ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 907 points, or 1.7%, to its own recordset the daybefore, while theNasdaq composite jumped 2.6%
Despite worries about high inflation,the war in Iran, frustration withthe economy and apossible bubble in stock prices because of theboom in artificial-intelligence technology,Wall Street hit its latest apex and rewarded investors who remained patient because profits keep soaringfor companies. Stock prices tendtofollow thepath of corporate earnings over the long term.
Palantir Technologies helped lead the wayand surged 29.5% afterCEO Alex Karp said its overallrevenue leaped 93% in what he called an “otherworldly” quarter.Besides reporting astronger profit for the spring than analysts expected, the AI company also raised its revenue forecast for the full year of 2026.
Caterpillar climbed 5.6% after the heavy-equipment maker likewise reported stronger profit and revenue than analysts expected. It wasthe first time Caterpillarmade morethan $20 billioninsales and revenue in aquarter,and CEO Joe Creed saidit’sseeing strongor-
der rates and agrowing backlog across its mainbusinesses.
Caterpillar is also benefiting from the AI boom through increased orders for turbinesused to power data centers, among other things.
They’re the latest companies to deliverevenbetter profits forthe latest quarter than investors expected,following strongresults from Amazon, Microsoft and others. Comingintothisweek, companies in the S&P 500 index were on track to deliver growth of nearly 50% in earnings per share for the spring from ayear earlier,according to FactSet.
Oilcompanies post banner profits as Iran wardrivespriceshigher
By The Associated Press
NEW YORK Big oilcompaniescontinue to bookmassiveprofits as fighting in Iran disrupts energy markets and sends oil and gasolineprices sharply higher
Six of Europe’slargest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than lastyear.Profits at BP,based in London, more than doubledto $3.9 billion in the second quarter,the company said Tuesday
AndSaudi Aramco reported a44% year-onyear increase in second-quarter net profit that reached $32.69 billion, driven by higher crude oil, refined products and chemicals prices.
Thesupercharged performances from big oil in Europe and the MiddleEast follow reports of enormous profits from the largest U.S. oil drillers last week.
As the conflict has dragged on,high oil prices have driven up the cost of gasoline, jetfuel and diesel, which has led to higher shipping costs. In theWest, filling up the car or buying aplane ticket is costing consumersmore. But the situation in parts of Asia
BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer
WASHINGTON— U.S. job openings fell slightly in June, but thelabor market continued to showresilienceinthe face of an economic shock from fighting in Iran and the closure of theStrait of Hormuz. Employers posted 7.36 million vacancies in June, down from 7.54 million in May,the Labor Department said Tuesday.The numbers were in line with economist expectations.Openings rose by 97,000 at warehouse,transportation and utility companies and 39,000 at federal government agencies.
aremoredire becausethe regiondepends more heavily on fuel exportedthrough the Strait of Hormuz. Fuel supplieshaverun low in some countries,leading to rationing and sporadic closures of schools andgovernmentoffices.
Despite oil prices falling to their lowest level in three weeksTuesday,big U.S. energy companies drew theire of PresidentDonald Trump, who criticized them this week for their outsized profits.
Trump said he’s nothappy with Chevron and Exxon Mobil, though energy prices skyrocketed only after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in lateFebruary,and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed offto tanker traffic.
About 20% of theworld’s oil typically flows through thestrait.
“Theymadetoo muchmoney,too much money,” Trump said Monday. “They ought to give some of thatback to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”
Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profitsdoubled to $14.5billion, boosted by record diesel production.
Openings droppedatwholesalers andmanufacturers of nondurable goods. Layoffs were little-changed at 1.8 million, and the number of people quitting their jobs —asign of confidence in their prospects —rose slightly The gross number of people hired —beforesubtractingthose who quit or lost their jobs —rose slightly 5.3 million. But hiring is weaker thanit was in the jobs boom that followed pandemic lockdowns. Then, gross monthly hiring often topped 6million. Still, theU.S. jobmarkethas remained sturdy despite asurge in en-
The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in $116 billion in revenue, up 42%.
Chevron, based in Houston, nearly quadrupled its profits to $12 billion and revenue jumped 56% to morethan $70 billion.
On Tuesday, theprice of U.S.crude oil fell 5.4%, or $4.36, to $75.98 per barrel. The sharp decline followed comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told CNBCthat the U.S.and Iran “may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait.” Oilprices forU.S. crude are downfrom around $92 abarrel in late July,but still more than 13% higherthanwhenthe conflict with Iran started.
Brent crude, the international standard, fell 4.9% to $83.87 per barrel.
Aresolution to the Iran conflict, which has lastedmorethanfive months, could giveoil shippersthe abilitytosendvesselsout of the Persian Gulf, where tankers of oil and other products have been trapped during the fighting.
Sharesofmajor oilcompaniesare up by around 20% to 30% this year,easily outpacing the 13% gains on the S&P 500.
ergy prices caused by theconflictin Iran, rebounding from a2025 slump. Before thewar in Iran, roughly 15 millionbarrels of Persian Gulf oil wereshipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz.The strait borders Iran, whichhas fired on ships attempting to transitthe passage. So far this year,companies, governmentagencies and nonprofits have added an average 92,000 jobs amonth. Thatisupfrom fewerthan 10,000 amonth last year —fewest outsidea recessionsince 2002 as employers held off on hiring becauseofhighinterest rates and uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’sunpredictable eco-
nomic policies. Whenthe Labor Department releases its jobs report for July on Friday, it is expected to show job gains of 100,000, up from 57,000 in June. The unemployment rate is expected to have remained at alow 4.2%, accordingtoa survey of forecasters by thedata firm FactSet. In yearspast, 100,000 newjobsa month would have been mediocre. But Trump’simmigration crackdown andthe ongoing retirements of baby boomers mean that fewer people are competing forwork. So the economy doesn’tneed as many new jobs as it once did to keep the unemployment rate from rising.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By AMR NABIL
Furr,Martha Faith BaptistChurch, 15880Plank Road,Baker at Noon.
Obituaries
Aucoin, Rosalie Tullier
Rosalie Tullier Aucoin, age 95, passed away peacefully on Saturday, August1,2026, aftera courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by the love of her family.
Rosalie lived alife devoted to caring for others.
Aproud graduate of Charity Hospital School of Nursing in 1952, she dedicated 40 years of her life to nursing in obstetrics, helping bring countless new lives into the world. Her compassion, gentle spirit, and unwavering dedication made her abeloved caregiver and colleague throughout her career.
Above all, Rosalie wasa devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother. As the mother of eight children, she centered her life around family and took great joy in nurturing and supporting those she loved. Her home was aplace of warmth, laughter, and lastingmemories. Her life was abeautiful example of quiet strength, unwavering faith, peace, humility, and unconditionallove.
She enjoyed many hobbies that reflected her curious mind and creative spirit. She loved painting, reading, working crossword puzzles, playing word games, completing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time playing cards with family and friends. In her younger years,she especially enjoyedsquare dancing and the friendships it brought into her life.
She is survived by her loving children, Jayne Aucoin Dominique, Cynthia Aucoin Phillips, Patricia Aucoin Couvillion, Albert A. Aucoin (Debbie), Deidre Aucoin Bensimon, Michelle Aucoin Stieffel (Frank), and
Douglas L. Aucoin(Angela); 24 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren;her 2 sisters-in-law; numerous niecesand nephews; extended family members and alifetimeoffriendshipsmade.
Rosalie was precededin death by her belovedhusband, Erby M. Aucoin Jr.; her son, Erby M. AucoinIll; her grandsons, AlanM.Dominique and Jason D. Ward; her sons-in-law, Michael Couvillion and Brian Phillips; her daughter-in -law, Janis Aucoin; her parents,Enos and Zelma Averett Tullier; her four brothers; and her only sister
Shewillberemembered forher loving heart,her dedicationtoher family and profession, herquiet strength, and the kindness she sharedwith everyone she met. Her legacy lives on through the generationsoffamilyshe cherished and the many lives she touched throughout her remarkable 95 years. Shewillbedeeplymissed and foreverloved. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made in remembrance of Rosalie Aucoin to St. Matthewthe ApostleChurch, 10021Jefferson Hwy, River Ridge,LA 70123, 504-737-4537 or to Ochsner Health System, DepartmentofPhilanthropy,attention cancer research, 1514Jefferson Hwy, Suite 1E032, NewOrleans, LA 70121. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend aFuneral Mass on Friday, August 7, 2026,at 12:00pmatSt. Matthew the ApostleChurch, 10021 Jefferson Hwy,RiverRidge, LA70123. Visitation willbegin at 10:00 am with aceremonybythe Nurses Honor Guard at 11:45amfollowed by the Mass. Interment will take place in Greenoaks Memorial Park,9595Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,LA 70815. Fondmemories and words of condolences may be shared at www.leitzeag anfuneralhome.com.
Thursday, August 6, 2026 from 6-8 pm; viewing at the church on Friday, August 7, 2026 at 9:00 am until CelebrationofLife Service at 11:00 am conducted by PastorKeno Spurlock; interment at PortHudson NationalCemetery.
Dreher,KerwinLeonard
DearHeavenlyFather, a terrible storm is raging Youare my anchor; you are my safe harbor. Into your hands Icommend my soul.Amen. Dearones, grieve not for me forI am home, Iamsafe.(perPawPaw). Kerwin was born on March 18th, 1943, to Hilda Easley Dreher. He diedat 4pmonAugust 1st.Hewas raised by his maternal grandparents -Earnest L. Dreherand Olive Webb DreherinBaton Rouge, LA He was married to the most loving and gracious lady -Gladys Marie Higgins Dreher. Gladys and Kerwin had twosons, Frank E. Dreherand Kerry Dreher, who he is survived by as well as daughter-in-law, Janice Lorino Dreher; grandsons, Logan Reed Dreher, Dickie Taylor Dreher, ErycKristopher Lorino,Victor Giovanni Lorino;and dear close friend Kristie Kimball (KK). Preceded in death by his mother, maternal grandparents, and wife. Kerwin served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1971 aboardsubmarines and patrol boatsinVietnam. He was amember of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve from 1977 to 1998 and retired at therank of Chief Warrant Officer. He proudly served his state as well as a Louisiana StatePolice trooperfrom 1971 to 1989 reaching therank of Lieutenant. PawPaw, as he was affectionatelycalledby those who knew and loved him was passionate about allthings outdoors and remained an avid fisherman, shrimper, crabber and hunter throughout his life He took greatpride in teaching his grandsons and scores of otheryoung people to love and respect
Louisiana'svastnatural resources.His grandsons all learned to shoot, hunt,fish and to appreciatethe beauty of nature.Hewas a greatstoryteller, always filling theroomwithhis deep knowledge of history and hisquick wit. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him and willalways havea special place in our hearts. Kerwin was not pretentious norarrogant and he madelifelong friends of those who spent time with him in his work, his servicetoour country and especially thosewho sat and talkedwithhim on his countless trips to Grand Isleand to the woods.Helived alonglife filled with aloveoffamily, friends and theLord. Funeral arrangements will be held at Coffman Funeral Home in Harrison, ArkansasonAugust 7th. He willbelaid to rest at Sandhill Cemetery in Yardelle,Arkansas next to his mother Hilda according to his final wishes.
Furr, Martha Myra Johnson Bishop Martha Myra Johnson BishopFurr, amother, a homemaker, and owner and president of Baker Printing Company, passed away peacefully at her home in Baker, La on Thursday, July30, 2026. She was89years old. Born February 1, 1937, in Edinburg,Miss.,Martha was thedaughterofElsie Kate Mooney Johnson and Arthur D. Johnson. In 1953, she married Jack Andrew Bishop, with whom she had 6children -4 sons and twindaughters. The couple openedBaker Printing Co. in 1962, and upon Jack Bishop'spassing in 1983, Martha continuedtorun thebusiness, which is still in operationtothisday. In 1992, Martha then married Albert Furr, who passed away in 2014. Martha's life was atestament to theimportance of unwavering faith, quietstrength, and extraordinary determination. During atime when female business owners were ararity, she played an integral role in the dayto-day operations of the business that she and her husband had built, one that her family continues to run to this day. Her greatest legacy,however,
wasthe Christian faithshe steadily lived andinstilled in herfamilyfor generationstocome. Martha's devout Christian beliefs profoundly influencedand guided everyfacet of her life. Martha is survivedby hersons, John Andrew Bishop (Dawn) of Clinton La., Richard Dean Bishop (Karen)ofZachary, La., TimothyPaulBishop (Debbie) of Saratoga, Wyo., and SpencerJay Bishop (LuAnn) of Clinton,La.; her daughters, Martha Bishop Kwasny(John)ofBrandon, Miss., and Myra Bishop Penn (William "Michael") of Lena,Miss.; onestepdaughter, LanaFurr Griffin (Cary) of Baker,La.; three stepsons, Douglas Furr (Betty) of Baton Rouge,La., Tommy Furr (Susan) of Baton Rouge,La., and Roger Furr of Baker,La.; 55 grandchildren, 56 greatgrandchildren, and5 greatgreat-grandchildren.She waspreceded in death by herfather,ArthurJohnson; mother, ElsieKateMooney Johnson; sisters, EllaJohnson and Nell Johnson Grant; brother, LeeJohnson, Sr.; husband, Jack Andrew Bishop; husband, A.T Furr; daughter-in-law, RobbieWestBishop; grandson, Trenton PaulBishop; granddaughter, Nichole Laureme Penn;and greatgrandson, Ruston Dwayne Bishop. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at FaithBaptist Church at 15880 Plank Road in Baker, La., from 9
a.m. untilthe service at noon. Burial will immediately follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, 6213 Groom Road,Baker, La. 70714. Pallbearers will be John Charles Kwasny, William Michael Penn, SpencerVance Bishop, BennettEarl Bishop, Rusty Dean Bishop, andByram Hall Bishop. Honorary pallbearers willbeJohnEddie Grant, Jr., NoelStiles, John AndrewBishop, II, and JerrelDouglas Day, andRoger Furr. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to QuietWaters Ministries, P.O Box 2247, Madison, MS 39130, or at quietwatersms.org. Share memoriesat www.CharletFuneralHome com
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Sunday, July 26, 2026,at the age of 85. She was a native of Baton Rouge, and along-time resident of Plaquemine, Louisiana. Glenda attended Baton Rouge High School and had alifelong career in accounting and publicservice. While working at the Louisiana Department of Revenue, she met her husband-to-be Francis A. Landry, Jr. Glenda continued her publicservice at the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, from which she retired. Glenda was formerly amember of the Catholic Daughters and Garden Club in Plaquemine, LA. She was an avid reader and acat lover. She was predeceased by her parents, Glenn "Gene Cuny and Pearl Mitchener Cuny,her husband, Francis A. Landry, Jr., andher stepson, Francis Dean Landry. She is survived by her two daughters, Julia Landry Wascom (Andrew) and Joelle Landry McClelland (Cory), and two grandsons she loved with all her heart, Cade and Luke McClelland. In accordance with Glenda's wishes, there will be no formalfuneral service or visitation. As Glenda was adevout Catholic her entire life, her daughters will request a Catholic mass intention for her. The family kindly requests that any memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which was an organization Glenda supported.
Kenneth "Ken" Andrew Lavespere, 83, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at his home in Denham Springs. He was born January 29, 1943, in Cloutierville, Louisiana, to FelixAndrew Lavespere and Madonna Rachal. He was raised there with deep love and devotion by his beloved aunt, Etta Dell Cannon ("Aunt Dell"). He was also deeply cherished by his mother, Madonna, and his stepfather, William "Bill" Rachal, who were married for over 50 years. Ken is survived by his wife, Boyu Fan, and his stepson, Jingxu "Jimmy" Lan. His legacy lives on throughhis sons and their families, including son Robbie Dean Lavespere (Denni Tweedy) and children: Robbie Lavespere, Macey Allement (John Allement), Laird Lavespere,Eli Lavespere, Ethan Lavespere, and Kenneth Lavespere;and hisson Kenneth Andrew "Andy" Lavespere Jr. and children: Colt Lavespere, Cross Lavespere, and Crew Lavespere; he raised his sons, alongside their mother, Mary Margaret James -with whom he maintained alifelong bond of warmth, affection, and friendship.
He is the proud greatgrandfather of LillieAllement, Lucy Allement, John Allement, and Lorrie Allement. Ken is also survived by his sister, Patsy Bessonett, and his brothers, Greg Rachal and Delbert Rachal.
Ken is preceded in death by his parents, Felix Lavespere and Madonna Rachal; his stepfather, William
Rachal;and his beloved Aunt Dell, who raisedhim.
Relatives and friends areinvited to celebrate Ken'slifewith aservice to be held at 10:00a.m.on Saturday, August8,2026, at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge Avisitation willbeheld at thefuneral homeonFriday, August 7, 2026,from 6:00 p.m.to 8:00 p.m., and on Saturday,beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Following the service, Ken willbelaidtorestat St.John the Baptist CatholicChurchCemetery in his birthplace of Cloutierville, Louisiana. Amore detailedand specific obituarycan be found on his tribute page through www.resthavenba tonrouge.com.
Family and friends may signthe online guestbook or leave apersonal note to the family at www.resthav enbatonrouge.com
Dorothy Glenn Schneider,69, of Prairieville, Louisiana,passed awayon July 31, 2026.Born in San Antonio, Texas, on April25, 1957,Dorothy graduated from Oliver Wendell HolmesHigh School.She married the love of her life, RoySchneiderJr.,onApril 2, 1983,and togetherthey builta life centered on love, family, and devotion Dorothy worked as alibrarian, whereshe shared her love of learning with countless others. She found joyinthe simple pleasures of life and especially enjoyed reading, shopping, and spending time with familyand friends. Sheleaves behind alovingfamilywho will cherishher memory,includingher children, Jennifer McKeithen (Japeth), BrianSchneider(Lori), Elizabeth Schneider,Patricia Lee (Seung Yull), and Bonnie Schneider. Shewas the proud grandmother of Wesley, Lucas, Diana,and Yuna, each of whom brought immeasurable joy to her life.Dorothy is also survived by hersiblings, Roger Barr,DonnaBrown, and Dicy Ormiston,along with numerous extended family members,dear friends, and allwho were blessed to know her. The family wouldliketoexpress their heartfelt gratitudetoOur Lady of The Lake Hospitaland to PinnacleHospice,aswellas JonathanLyons and Brandi Baker,for the compassionate careand support they provided during Dorothy's final days.A visitation will be held on Saturday, August 8th, 2026,from9:00 a.m-10:00a.m. at Ourso Funeral Home,13533Airline Hwy, Gonzales, LA, 70737. Servicewillbegin at 10:00 a.m. and intermentwill follow at Serenity Oaks Cemetery.
Tweedy Jr., William Frank 'Bud'
BornonEaster Sunday, April20, 1930, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, William Frank "Bud"Tweedy, Jr., was welcomedbyhis parents, Bonnie Bell Crum and William Frank Tweedy, Sr. At age96, he transitioned to heaven on July17, 2026, at home with his wife by his side.
Baton Rouge was home for all buthis final few years, when he movedto Lumberton,Texas, to be near family.Two profound lossesearlyinhis life,the death of his father(age8) and of his maternal grandfather, "Big Daddy," when he was 13, taught him the significance of responsibility, hard work, respect for his elders,and trust in the Lord.His was alonglife, well-lived.
His mother informed him at age 9, that he was now "the man of the house" and had to earn his own spending money. He startedwitha paper route, and later worked various otherjobs, all thewhile participating in football and track and attending church every Sunday. Aftergraduating from IstroumaHighSchool (1947), Bud attended SLU and LSU. He enlisted in the U.S. AirForce and was recalled to duty during the Korean War.After completing his militarydutyas astaff sergeant,heearned hisBSinMathematics fromLouisiana Collegeand aMaster of Divinity from theNew Orleans Baptist TheologicalSeminary. Bud pursuedhis vocation as aBaptist minister forseven years and continued servingthe Lord throughout his life.Hesupported Louisiana College formany years and traveled throughout thestate promoting theformationof theCooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), serving as theChairman of theFinance Committeeand Treasurer. AformermemberofUniversity Baptist Church, he served as Chairman of theTrustees, Personnel,and Renovation Committees.Inlateryears, he served as adeaconof BroadmoorBaptist Church. Pivotingmid-career to theinsurance business, Bud was aDistrict Manager for Aetna Insurance before launchinghis firm, PlannedInsurance Benefits (PIB). He retired as an insurance and financial advisor (CLU, ChFC)after a long, successfulcareer. He was amember of theMil-
lion DollarRound Table, anda past president of both theAmerican Society of Financial Service Professionals of BatonRouge and theEstate and Business Planning Council of Baton Rouge. Later in life,Bud gave up golf to pursue his interest in saltwater fishing,often retreating to his beloved camp at PointeFourchon, Louisiana. Adevoted football fan, especiallyLSU football,Bud acquired a taste forTexas A&M football upon his move to Texas.Hewas an avid reader, lovedtotravel,and couldmakeanadventure out of an ordinary day. He never met astranger,and his funny storieswillsurely be missed.A kind,generous, gentle soul who lovedhis family,his country, and hisfriends. He was grateful for the blessed life he enjoyed Bud is survivedbyhis wife, Julia White Tweedy; his children, Paul (Rexie) Tweedy and Rhonda Tweedy (David)Swiger; his stepchildren, Tom (Sarah) Owens and Jeff Owens; his grandchildren, Brett (Jessica) Swiger, Craig(Megan) Swiger, Mary Catherine (Justine)Schmidt,and David Tweedy; hisstep-
grandchildren, Anna Kate, Olivia, Clara, andMaribeth Owens; andseven greatgrandchildren. He considered Dr.GwenCorbett (Benson) Henryhis unofficial adopted daughter. He waspreceded in death by hisparents; hisstepfather andadoptive father, Norman "Bo"Johnson;his sister, Linda Johnson Davidson; hiswife,Martha Sue St.AmantTweedy; andhis son, William (Will)Tweedy. Bud's"Celebration of Life Service"will be held Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Broadmoor Baptist Church,9755 Goodwood Blvd Baton Rouge,LA 70815, Visitation:10:3011:00 a.m.; Service:11:00 a.m., with areception following the service in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequestsdonations in Bud'smemory to: Broadmoor Baptist Church Organ Renovation Fund or Hoffman Prison Ministry, P.O. Box 7833, Shreveport, LA 71137.
White, Donald Ray Blue
Donald Ray Whitewas born July 10, 1951 in Zachary, Louisiana to Alvin J. Whiteand Bertha Ella White. Donald Ray passed away on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at OurLady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
It’sarare thing these daystohear goodnews about insurance rates in Louisiana. Solet us cautiously cheer signs that thedrastic,cascadingproperty insurance crisis of thepastfew yearsmay be easing
Business writer Stephanie Riegel’srecent reporting connected this welcome development to an important downstream effect: Themarketfor homesales in thesouthern partofthe stateisimproving, and real estateagentssay better affordability and availability of insurance is abig reason why.Commercialsales are doing even better than residential, Riegelalso reported. Prices are still subject to inflation, but importantly,the rate of premiumincreases has slowed on average to the lowest level in several years. According to thecommissioner of insurance’soffice, premium increases arebasically flat so far in 2026, after theyincreased4.6% last year,6.6% in 2024 and by double digits in 2023 and 2022
Fewcarriersare proposing rate increases this year,and ahandful have even filed for decreases. And newcarriers are coming into the market, although some are not writing many policies yet. Also, some bigger carriersthathad stopped writing are now dipping theirtoesback into the market
All this has given many homeowners more optionsand driven down reliance on the statebacked insurer of last resort.As of June, the Citizens’ rolls have dropped nearly 20% since 2022.
There are multiple factors at play here
One is that Louisiana hasnot been hitbya major hurricane since 2021,when Ida barreled through the New Orleans areaand stayedstrong well inland. That, and fewer storms elsewhere, allowed insurers to recover from severalyears of huge payouts. The reinsurancemarket,which backs up smaller companies, is thriving forthe samereason Government policieshavecontributedtoo Higher building standards and arecent focus on encouraging —and helpinghomeowners afford —fortified roofs havemade insuring homes here alessrisky bet.
Commissioner of Insurance TimTemplealso points to recent legislative policieshechampioned, which were designed to boost the free market and encourage competition.They include bills to make it more difficult to file excessive bad faith claims following catastrophic events, and to end alaw thatpreventedinsurers from dropping policyholders whohad been customers for three years without specific cause.
Noneofthis is to say that concerns over future rates and availabilitydon’tremain. And somefolks arestill seeingspikes. One big storm, or asequence of themlike we sawinthe years leading up to Ida, could reverse these positive developments.
“Overall, it’salittle bit better,” Temple said. “Wecan saythings are improving, but Iamcertainly not satisfiedwhere we are.” We aren’teither,but we’ll takeit. As we know from recent experience, this new trend is certainly better than the alternative.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
In 1969, Secretary of TransportationJohnVolpe halted plans for an elevated expressway slicing through the French Quarter.That wasn’t sentiment —itwas Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which requiredfederal agencies to assess harm to historic places, consult with affected communities andinvitepublic comment before breaking ground. That law is now being dismantled. AJuly 17, 2026 draft from theAdvisory Council on Historic Preservation would make avoiding harm optional, public comment discretionaryand aproject’s foreseeable ripple effectsirrelevant. Mandatory tribal consultation would vanish, along with guaranteed notification for stateand local governments. Even iconic culturallandscapes —think theGrand Canyon, not just buildings —could stopcounting as “historic properties.” Louisiana has moreatstake than most. Itstourismeconomy—built on the French Quarter,plantation corridorand historic neighborhoods
—depends on those places staying recognizable. Preservation lawhas kept wrought iron balconies, shotgun houses and centuries-old street grids intact despiterelentless pressure to modernize. Strip away that protection, and you jeopardize bothlivelihoods and the sense of place that defines the state. Without Section 106, the fate of historic places rests on the tastes of whoever holds power.Aleader whofavors glass and steel over wrought iron could dismiss the French Quarter as an eyesore and clear the way forhighrises. The same logic applies to any landscape deemed to be in theway Section 106 did not block every bad idea, but it forced communication. Remove thatrequirement,and theonly thing protecting the French Quarter or the Grand Canyon is whetherthose in charge happen to like them. That’s not preservation —it’swhim. Everyone should be alarmed.
SANDRA STOKES chair of advocacy Louisiana LandmarksSociety NewOrleans
Thenames they area-changin’
Nothing is too inconsequential or beneath the notice of the egomaniac in the White House.
He’shad the name of Palm Beach International Airport —PBI —changed to Donald J. Trump International Airport, withthe FAAdesignated three-letteridentifier now DJT.If/when the arch is built it will undoubtedly be named the Archde Trump (that’ll showthose ungrateful French people or something similar, withhis nameonit.
He wants the new Navy battleships, under construction, to be named after himself. He wants the U.S. Mint to produce adollar coin withhis likeness (never been done for aliving person).
He already has his signature on our paper currency He wants to change the nameofthe 200-year-old Penn Station to Trump
Station. He wanted his name on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts(the Supreme Court stopped that).
The new paint scheme on his billiondollar gift airplane is remarkedly similar to the one on his privately owned Boeing 757, now beingused by his sons (the previous paint scheme on AirForce One airplanes was in usefor 60-something years)
When the ballroom is finished, it’ll surely be known as the Trump Ballroom. Etc., etc.
He has not yet tried to puthis name into the Pledge of Allegiance. But maybe On the other hand, would we rather have Kamala Harris in theWhite House?
ROBERT RADELAT Baton Rouge
Whogetsnukes,who gets bombed?Confusion reigns
Trumpisgoing to provide Saudi Arabia with the technology to build anuclear weapon. Israel already has nukes. America is at war with Iran be-
cause they can never have anuclear bomb. Could we get some clarification on all of this?
ALEX
CHAPMAN Ville Platte
Been there, stayed here,got theT-shirts
After reading therecentcolumn by accomplishedjournalistStephanieGrace, “Landryknows darn well that New Orleans is special,” and theopinionpiece by Mitch Landrieu, “New Orleansisn’t aLa. liability; it’s an asset,” Idecided to writethis letter Iama 78-year-old lifelong resident of New Orleans. Iproudlywear aT-shirt that says“Be ANew Orleanian wherever you are.” The slogan became popular among thediaspora of NewOrleans residents who movedtemporarily to other cities and states followingHurricaneKatrina EveryoneI knowsaidtheyfound no place quitelike NewOrleans, asingularly unique city
So whatdoes it mean to “Be aNew Orleanian, wherever youare”? It meanssharing andcelebrating ourculture, ourmusic,our food,our history,our neighborhoods, ourdiversity,our festivals andour resilience.
The best thing aboutwhere we come from is us.Toquote Bob Dylan, “There are alot of places Ilike,but Ilike NewOrleans better.”
I’ve ordered anew T-shirt that says “New Orleansthinks they’re Soooo Special.” I’ll wear it when Igoout to hear our music, eat our food,dance at festivalsand joina second-lineparadewhenever possible. ELAINE HANEY NewOrleans
It’s an open primary, nota‘jungle primary’
Let’sstop calling our open primary —orwhat’sleft of it —the “jungle primary.”
Until recent years, our election system wasconsistently and accurately called the open primary.The statute creating it calls it simply the primary Ballotpedia.org, which reports extensively on American elections, refuses to use “jungle primary” giving the following reasons:
“First, the term has negative connotations. In this context, the adjectival use of jungle suggests disorder and chaos. It infers anegative judgment against the electoral system
“Second, the term lacks descriptive force. It does little to explain the substance or function of the system it is used to describe.”
Let’shear it for“open primary”! And let’slobby our legislators to bring it back forfederal elections, the state SupremeCourt, Public Service Commission and BESE.
LINDALIGHTFOOT Baton Rouge
In NolanWells’death, mayberaceisn’t theissue
Will Sutton
It’sbeen more than amonth since the lifeless body of Nolan Wells was found just off of Horn Island, Mississippi. Before the Fourth of July,most people outside of the Ocean Springs, Mississippi area didn’tknowhis name. His death, andthe mysterious circumstances before and after,have catapulted his name into the national consciousness. Far too little is known about what happened, how it happened and who, if anyone, is responsible. By far,the biggest accusations and assumptions have been focused on race. After watching several interviews of Wells’ parents, listening todozens of interviews with Wells family attorney Ben Crump, anationallyknown civil rights lawyer,and interviewingCrump on WBOK’sGood MorningShow,I’m notsosure this is about race. It may be, but there are too many questions.
n If the initial autopsy wascompleted, why haven’tthe resultsbeen shared with Crump’steam and the family? “We’ve been informed that thestate of Mississippi autopsy has been completed, but they have notdivulged to us in any way what the findings of that autopsy are,” Crump toldme.
n There’sbeen afamily-requested autopsy,performed by Dr.Robert Mitchell Jr., aprominent, board-certified forensic pathologist and president of the National Medical Association. Cause of death? Undetermined
n Were his airways and lungs waterlogged? “Wedon’tknow that,” Crump told me. “That’swhy we ain’tspeculating on it.”
n If Wells did drown, what was the condition of his body before he drowned? “Was he forced intothe water,”Crump asked, questioning what might have happened, “or did hegoin unforced?”
There are so many questions. Who are these friends of Nolan’s, and who are their parents? Whywas cellphone content deleted?Why didn’t someone call in an emergency? Why didn’tanyone ask about Nolan when he went missing? Why hasn’t someone,
anyone, been arrested and charged?
These are not race issues. Black, White,Latino, Asian or other,any parentwould want answers after losing achild in such circumstances. Crump noted that he fought for justice for thefamily of Shanquella Robinson, a young Charlotte woman who traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and died undermysterious circumstances.All of hertravel friends were Black Mexicoand Mississippi are different, though. “In the past, things haven’talways happened forBlack people like we felt they should in Mississippi when you look at their history,” saidCrump Reconstruction provided freedom and opportunity to millions of formerly enslaved people with constitutionalamendments and opportunities in business, law and politics. It was toomuch for many White Mississippians. Reconstruction was ended and, still, hundreds of Black people were lynched. On vacation from Chicago, Emmett Till was killed there. Mississippi was the laststate to removethe Confederateflag from itsofficial state flag, in 2020.
It’snatural to wonder about therole of race in this death. Nolan Wells was
Black. The friendswithhim that day were White. That doesn’tmean anyone was racist. It doesn’tmean nobody did anything racist.
“Wecontinue to say that we’re not casting any aspersions whatsoever,” Crump said on WBOK. “Wejust want thetruthofwhat happened. We want them to be transparent just like we’re being transparent.”
An audio recording of the Sea Tow emergency call was released by the stateofMississippi. It’sbeen diced, sliced, played fast,played slow and transcribed in attempts to decipher every word. Many have concluded that background voices clearly indicate that Nolan Wells was on the boat, not left behind as friends reported.
It’snot the easiest thing, but we should hit pause on the race pedal, let Crump and team do their job keeping this matter in thepublic’sears and eyes, let them conduct their investigation and trust that local law enforcementwill do their jobs, realizing that every move will be dissected by the public.
Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com. He’sonInstagram at @editorwillsutton
HowAmerica overcame Puritanvs. Cavalier divide
“If history were taught in the formof stories, it would never be forgotten.” attributed to Rudyard Kipling
Iran war eating Donald Trump’s presidency
An Iran war thatwas supposed to be brief, andthenwas supposedtobeover, is imposing an increasing price on Donald Trump’spresidency.
We’ve seen the second term of aRepublican administrationgothis waybefore. There aredistinct echoes of George W. Bush’sIraq War— the conflictthatTrump has long excoriated— in the president’s predicament. Now,the Iranwar is different thanIraq. There is no ground invasion, no regime change, no occupation, no counterinsurgency
The casualties aren’t close to the same scale, andTrump hasbeenfighting Iran for months, whereas Bush was embroiled in Iraq for years (and so were his successors).
Yetthe political trajectory looks similar Then, as now, an unpopular conflict is putting downward pressure on aRepublican president’sapprovalrating.
Mainstreampollsters routinely have Trump’sapproval rating below 40%, and some put it below35%;Fox News hashim at 39%, while CNN (34%)and AP (33%) are lower. At this juncture of Bush’ssecond term,his averageapproval rating wasaroughly comparable 38%,although he hadfurthertofallasthe war continuedand the financial crisis hit. If the Iran war is not exacting nearly the same priceinblood and treasure as the Iraq War, it is inflicting adirect economic cost on Americansthatwasn’tpresent during the Iraq War.
It was often said of violent clashes in the streetsofthe U.S. in the 1960s,“The Vietnam war has come home.” Well, the Iran war came home the first time the average price pergallonofgasoline went above $4
Trump would have much more leeway to engage in aprotractedoperation to bring Iran to heel if the public could, in effect, forget about the war for awhile,but there’sareminder everyday of what’shappening in the Strait of Hormuz on gasstationsigns acrossAmerica. In the CNN poll, 28%approve Trump’shandling of Iran, while 25%approve his handling of inflationand 21% his handling of gasprices These issuesare related.
George Will
Because the Civil War’sembers are as cold as winter,itissafe, and as fun as summer,torevisitNorthern and Southern cultural antagonisms that once shattered national tranquillity.So, if you readonlyone American historybookthis summer, shame on you, but make it DavidS.Reynolds’ “Two Ships.” It will, among other things, inoculate you against the mischievous novels of WalterScott. Reynolds, aCity University of New York historian, uses hissubtitle —“Jamestown 1619, Plymouth 1620, and the Struggle for the Soul of America” —toassert this: The White Lion, the ship that first brought slaves to Virginia, and the Mayflower, which brought to New England Puritans in flight from monarchical absolutism and Anglican bossiness, incubated two ultimately incompatible American futures.
Reynolds’ powerful demonstration is that his story —the symbolism of the twoships —isnot his.Itwas ubiquitous in American political rhetoricuntil, happily,itnolonger was, as the nation transcended old categories.
Like any binary applied to acomplex society,the two-ships division always obscured and distorted much. Still, Southerners, not without reason, came to regard the “Puritan North” as zealots persecuting heretics, conducting witch trials,regulating personal behavior and celebrating Oliver Cromwell’sbeheading of King Charles I, while lecturing the Southonits (obvious)sins Northerners came to disdain the “Cavalier South” for having imported the English aristocracy’spreferences for social hierarchy, the Church of England rituals and dissolute livingassociated
with leisure, gambling, lavish entertaining,dueling and other attributes of a society obsessed with feudal notions of chivalry and “honor.”
Only smallminorities in both regions, especially the 300 or so FFVs (First Families of Virginia), exemplified these traits. History’strajectory is, however, disproportionately influenced by such minorities.
Reynolds says the Cavalier culture rooted in Virginia had “virtually died out” by 1776, when the Revolution temporarily brought Northand South together. Distinctly non-Cavalier Virginians (Washington, Jefferson, Madison and others not notably religious) played leading roles.
But in 1820, the Missouri Compromise embedded slavery and sectionalism in the center of politics. Reynolds says two centuries of “Cavalier values of hierarchy and subordination” then reasserted themselves. And “the momentous juxtaposition of the twoships in antislavery speeches and writings” began anew
“Distortion,” Reynolds writes, “is intrinsictocultural memory.”Southerners remembered the Mayflower as laden with fanaticisms, including abolitionism. AMissourian responded, diagnosing “the Sir Walterdisease.”Mark Twain blamed the Scottish writer Walter Scott, whose romantic re-creations of the past (“Ivanhoe” and such) permeated Southern culture. Twain thought the “sham chivalries of abrainless and worthless long-vanished society” made Southerners cherish “bogus decorations” and ranks, doing “more real and lasting harm,perhaps, thanany other individual that ever wrote.”
He exaggerated somewhat. But many others chimed in. Abraham Lincoln’s Navy secretary,Gideon Welles, blamed the Civil WaronSoutherners who “studiedScott’snovels, and fancied themselves cavaliers” and “a superior and better race.”
Lincoln, to whom the nation was always ahouse undivided, avoided the Puritan-versus-Cavalier dichotomy. Many others embraced it
The New York Herald, the nation’s most popular newspaper,said “the Puritanand the Cavalier …will always fight when theymeet.There is nothing in commonbetween thembut hate.” Cavaliers, nourished by myths, disdained the materialistic North. Fortunately,they were ground down by the North’smaterial strength. There is much to be said for materialism undergirding anoble cause.
Much later,the South —and, regrettably,the nation —experienced yet another resurrection of Cavalier-cumWalter-Scott sentimentality.In1936, Margaret Mitchell’smagnolia-scented novel “Gone with the Wind” becamean instant sensation. This was one year after aCavalier in spirit, the Virginian editor Douglas Southall Freeman, published, to critical acclaim and commercial success, another slab of Southern sympathy: the final twovolumes of his Pulitzer Prizewinning four-volume biography of Robert E. Lee.
Then, as now,and as ever,the nation needed one of Mark Twain’sinoculations against nonsense. The antebellum South like slavery itself, was in essence monarchical —the divine right of sometorule others. And Huckleberry Finn understood: “All kings is mostly rapscallions.” Reynolds’ twoships, whose voyages through the nation’smemory lasted more thantwo centuries, have sailed far over history’shorizon. Good riddance. One measure of our national progress is thatbothhave been supplanted as national emblems by araft on ariver,carrying neither aPuritan nor aCavalier, just Huckand Jim Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.
Trump wants his presidency to matter.So, ratherthanbeing content with doing whatever he could at the margins to lower prices, he went for big, legacy-defining initiatives— tariffs andthe Iranwar —that raised prices. In so doing, he forfeitedhis signature issue of economicstewardship. In the latest Fox News poll, 33% approve of his handling of the economy and67% disapprove.
Whenthe memorandum of understanding was signedwith Iran, Trump boasted about how, by reopening the strait, it would avoid greater economicdistress; he said he didn’t want to be anotherHerbert Hoover.Now,the strait is basically closed again. Absent another deal,he’sfaced with the choice of escalation or an ongoing low-level conflict, neither of which is going to be palatable to the public
The CNN poll found thatnearly threequarters of Americans think Trump hasn’t paid enough attentiontothe country’smost pressing problems. The fact is thatIranwasn’t apriority for the public and there was no attempt by the White House to make it oneuntil afterithad alreadylaunchedthe war.
The same way Bush’ssuccess toppling the Talibancreated the predicate forthe IraqWar, Trump’sstunning capture of Nicolás Maduro made it easiertobelieve that the Iran war would be acakewalk.
The idealistic establishment Republican and the “AmericaFirst” populist both got lured into overestimating the efficacy of American military power.
We still don’tknowhow Iran will end. Perhaps Trump will manage asatisfactory conclusion, andhehas more room to bounceback up againpolitically thanBush did afteryearsof the Iraq War. Still, the next Republicanpresident to launch major military operations would be well servedtobemoreprudent and mindful of worst-case scenarios than were either of his two otherwise very different GOPpredecessors.
RichLowry is on X, @RichLowry
Rich Lowry
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Attorney Ben Crumplistens as the Rev. Al Sharpton speaks about Nolan Wells duringamemorial service celebrating Wells’ lifeatCenter Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Miss., on July 20.
Work in progress
What I’ve liked,loved andloathed throughaweekofSaintstrainingcamp
ith
WDodgers, RedSox go forit; others mostly idle
BY NOAH TRISTER AP baseball writer
The Los Angeles Dodgerslanded perhaps the bestpitcher in baseball in Tarik Skubal, triggering anotherround of disgust over how thetwotime reigning champions seem to get everystar they want. Bryce Harper —who might have to go through the Dodgers to reach the WorldSeries with Philadelphia —was having none of it.
“A lot of teams could have done what they did,”Harper said. “That’snot a money move, that’s aprospectmove, right? There’s alot of teams in baseball that have theprospectstomove them.”
five practices under their belts, the Saints are alittle more than halfway through the initial installation phase of training camp. They willhavecompleted theentire playbook by the time they scrimmage against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a joint practice next week.
It’sstill relatively early in the preseasonprocess, but six practices have provided enough evaluationtime to develop some observationsof this 2026 edition. The vibes have been excellent so far.The execution not so much. Unless, of course, you’re afan of stingy defense.
My early thoughts and observations as we enter Week 2 of training camp
Earlystandouts
The best players I’veseen so far,innoparticular order,are Chase Young, Kool-Aid McK-
Kiffinknows LSUunder a microscope
Tigerscoach needskey questions answered before season opener
BY JON BLAU Staff writer
Lane Kiffin knows LSU is under amicroscope, and he lovesit.
“The expectations that everybody in the media has that we’re supposedtobethis great team right away,that’sanawesome challenge,”Kiffinsaidat SEC media days. “You wanttotalk aboutgetting uncomfortable? That does it. Expectationsmake you uncomfortable
“They make you not beabletojustgothrough motions in any aspect of your program.”
For the next month of preseason camp, there has to be an urgency to everythingthe Tigersdo, because their chances of meeting sky-high expectations would be disastrously reduced by aSept.5 loss to Clemson in Tiger Stadium.
Here are some questions Kiffin needsanswered as practice opensWednesday HowisSam Leavitt’sfoot?
This one could be sorted out really quickly
If Leavitt is fully healed from fall foot surgery —which also requiredapin to be taken out inthe spring —then he should drop backand roll out with ease when practicestarts.
If he’slimited in any way,the questionlingers. Andit’sabig question.
instry,Erik McCoy,Juwan Johnson and Kelvin Banks.
These five players have stood out,bothinthe quality and consistency of their play
Still waiting
Amongthe veteran players I’d like to see morefrom are Zach Wilson, Kendre Miller, Noah Fant, Anfernee Jennings and Tyree Wilson. Sean Payton used to say he didn’tneed to see it all the time from veterans, but he needed to see it at some point. That’swhere I stand witheach player in this group.
Gettingtheir kicks Veteran Ryan Wright is a massive upgrade in the punting game, where his powerful right leg will be aweapon. He also has shown excellent touch on placement puntsinside the 10.
Meanwhile, kickers Charlie Smythand Tanner Brown have been lights-outinthe place-kicker competition. Both
ä See DUNCAN, page 4C
Kiffin’soffenses at Ole Miss thrivedwith dualthreat quarterbacks;the Rebels’ quarterbacks averaged524 yardsrushing perseason duringKiffin’s six-year tenure.
It’smoredifficult for defenders to playthe run if theydon’tknow when aquarterback might pull it.Ifdefenses arebeing gashed, theyhavetoload the boxand quarterbacks face simpler coverage schemes with fewer disguises.
Leavitt rushed for 443 yardsinhis first season at Arizona State and was on pace for 568 lastyear until afoot injurysidelinedhim.For comparison, Garrett Nussmeier totaled minus-153 yards rushinginfive years at LSU.
Kiffin will demand more from his quarterbacks in the run game, and Leavitt can deliver,ifhealthy If he’smoving around well and he’swell-synched
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
By the timeMonday’strade deadline passed, theDodgers hadtaken their big swing, and theBoston Red Sox had thrown caution to thewind, sending prospects every which way to acquireAdley Rutschman and others. Other contenders, however, took amore tepid approach. Milwaukee added right-hander Dustin May.The
If you haven’tsecured LSU football tickets forthe upcoming season be prepared to pay asteep price —atleast for the marquee games in Tiger Stadium this fall. Intense interest in the Tigers brought about by the arrival of coachLane Kiffin and aroster thatreportedly cost upwards of $40 million to build and an exciting schedule led to an unprecedented demandfor season tickets earlier this year.The school sold out of its complimentofmore than 71,000 season tickets, with athletic directorVerge Ausberry sayingthere was arecord waiting list of 44,000 as well. That leaves single-game tickets through LSU or secondary websites like StubHub or Vivid Seats, with many of those ticketscommandingahigher price tag for the best games. Like theticket resellers, LSU has had “dynamic pricing,” aterm for prices that fluctuate depending on demand, foratleastfive years, according to athletic ticket manager Brian Broussard. This season, that has led to premium prices forLSU’sbiggest games: Sept. 5against Clemson, Sept.26against Texas A&M, Nov. 7against Alabamaand Nov 14 againstTexas. There are still much lower priced tickets for
LSU’sother three home games: Sept. 12 against Louisiana Tech, Oct. 3against McNeese Stateand Oct. 17 againstMississippi State.
“Wehave become more aggressive in thatspace in the past few years,” Broussard said. “With this year’shomeschedule and program changes …the market is higher than what we’ve seen thepast few seasons for certain games.”
Here’sabreakdown of ticket prices throughLSU’sathletic ticket website as of Tuesday afternoon: Clemson: Tickets for LSU’sseasonopener werepriced on its site from $175-700based on location. The cheapest tickets forClemson’sfirstvisit to TigerStadium were in the east and west upper decks, with the mostexpensive seats being for the first tworows labeled as obstructed-view seats on the lower westsideline behind the LSU bench.
Louisiana Tech: Prices ranfrom$20 in the upper reaches of Tiger Stadium to $150 in the lower bowl for apairofseats on the west side at the north 30-yardline. Texas A&M: TicketsonLSU’s site started at $145 andwentto$550. Thelatterwereprimarily for obstructed-view seats on the first tworowsofthe west sideline, but alsowould get you aprime single
Jeff Duncan
STAFF PHOTOSByDAVID GRUNFELD
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looksfor areceiver during atraining camp practice on MondayinMetairie.
STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU quarterbackSam Leavitt, right, walks to the huddle during spring practice on March26atthe LSU practice facility. ThehealthofLeavitt’sfoot from fall surgerywill be akey questioninpreseason camp
Saints cornerbackDalys Beanum returns an interception during trainingcamp on Monday.The defense has gotten the better of theoffense on most days so far in camp.
On TV
HORSE RACING
NOON SaratogaLive FS2
9a.m. WorldSeries Game 13 ESPN2
1p.m. L.A. Dodgers at ChicagoCubs MLBN
6:05 p.m. St. Louis at N.y.yankees PRIME
BROADCASTHIGHLIGHTS
6:30p.m. Pittsburgh at MilwaukeeESPN
9:30 p.m. DetroitatSeattle MLBN MEN’S SOCCER
6a.m. K-League vs. Man City CBSSN 1:25 p.m. Arsenal vs. RealBetis CBSSN
5:25
6p.m.
8:50
6p.m.Watley vs. FernandezESPN2
WOMEN’S SOCCER
9p.m.North Carolina at DenverCBSSN TENNIS
10 a.m. Canada-ATP/WTATENNIS WNBA
6p.m.Seattle at Newyork USA
8p.m.Los Angeles at ChicagoCNBC
No onehas dominatedthisyearinPGA
IN BRIEF FROM STAFFAND WIRE REPORTS
Churchill Downs, NYRA team up forchampionship
Billy Horschel was optimisticas ever in January to start his 16th year on the PGA Tour.Hechose not to add afew tournamentslate in 2025 when returningfromhip surgery,and that probably cost him asure spot in the Masters becausehefellout of the top 50 in the world. There were no regrets. “I’m betting on myself,” Horschel said at the Sony Open. He has reached the end of the regular season at No. 176 in the world, which isn’tnearly as troubling as being No. 107 in theFedEx Cup in ayear when his full exempt status is set to expire. It’sareminder how golf offers no guarantees—meritocracy works both ways —and Horschel has plenty of companyatthe Wyndham Championship, the final regular-season eventthat determines the top 70 who advance to the postseason and areassured a full card for 2027.
Outsidelooking in Jason Day,who 10 yearsago was No. 1inthe world and looked unbeatable at times, is at No. 75 in the FedEx Cup. He started the year with arunner-up finish behind Scottie Scheffler at The American Express but has had only one other top 10 this season. Particularly glaring another 11 spots down the standingsatNo. 86 is five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, whowas all the talk back in January when he became the first player who bolted fromLIV Golf (at just the right time as it turns out) to rejoin the PGA Tour Koepka had been gone nearly four years, long enough to not fully understand how thepoints system worked. His immediate goalwas to get into the $20million signature events —one of the conditions of his return wasbeing ineligible for sponsor exemptions to those tournaments. He didn’t make it into any of them.
Andright when he was in position to contend —two shots out of the lead going into the weekend of the Canadian Open —hehad a
DEADLINE
Continued frompagexx
New York Yankees madeasolid pickupininfielder Luis García, butgeneral manager Brian Cashman said they tried for Skubal and Rutschman and didn’tget either.Atlanta was fairly quiet. Near the postseason cutoff, a fewteams acted like they were much further behind. Detroit is 21/2 games out of aplayoff spot andjust 51/2 out of first place in the AL Central. The Tigers havethe second-best run differential inthe American League butstill parted with Skubal and right-hander Casey Mize. Baltimore is also 21/2 games out of awild card,and July wasits most successful month in over twoyears. But the Orioles traded Rutschman, starter Dean Kremer,outfielder Taylor Ward and reliever Tyler Wells. They got a lotbackfor Rutschman— three of Boston’stop fiveprospects according to MLB Pipeline —but didn’tadd many players likely to help this year.
“This is not the plan that we had going into the season,” team president Mike Elias said. “I wish that we were in abetterposition in the standings rightnow.This is not something thatweembrace, but once you findyourself in these positions,you make the right moves by the franchise.”
Miami won six in arow,lost 12 in arow,then wonsix ofseven. The Marlinsare two games out of aplayoff spot but traded catcher Liam Hicks to Tampa Bay for prospects.
Here’sadivision-by-division look at this year’sdeadline: AL East Tampa Bay willhope Freddy
freak injury in his hand that one round later forced him to withdraw
Now he has one tournament left to reach thepostseason. He needs at least afourth-place finish at theWyndham Championship, a tall taskconsidering he has only one top 10 this year.Atleast he is secure for two moreyears from winning the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in 2023.
No onehas stood out
Butit’sbeen astrange year for so many players accustomed to smoother waters.
Who would have predicted before the first tee shot of 2026 that Chris Gotterup would have more wins than Scottie Scheffler and RoryMcIlroy combined?
No one will —orshould —be concerned with Scheffler.Hewon hisseason opener in the California desert, and nothing else. He also has five runner-up finishes and five other finishes in the top 4. Four of those runner-up finishes
Peralta can findhis formafter posting a4.99 ERA thisseason for the New York Mets. In additionto García, the Yankees added outfielder Heliot Ramos, but Aaron Judge’s health is probably going to be the biggest factor down the stretchfor New York, and this deadline did nothing to change that reality
The vibes are good in Boston thanks toarecent 15-game winning streak,and nowthe Red Soxbring in anew All-Star in Rutschman. But for Boston fans of acertain age, tradingshortstop Marcelo Mayer —the No. 4overall draft pick in 2021—for San Francisco reliever Erik Miller might stir unpleasant memories of Jeff Bagwell forLarry Andersen.
It’s not ashock thatBaltimore traded Rutschman less than two years from free agency,especially given what Bostonwas offering. The samecould eventually happen withGunnarHenderson.
What’s hard to swallow for Orioles fansis thattheyonly enjoyed two good seasons beforeit occurred.Last-placeToronto balanced buying and selling more than the Orioles, dealingrighthander Kevin Gausmanaway but replacing him with the much younger José Soriano
AL Central
TheWhiteSox made asplash by trading for Luis Castillo.But he hasn’tbeen good this year,going 3-9with a5.06 ERA for Seattle. Clevelandisbarely holdingonto awild-card spot but made an honest effort to stayafloat by adding slugger Jo Adell and pitcherFoster Griffin. Minnesota wasalso looking to buy at the deadline. That amounted to adding Kremer from the Orioles, plus acouple priceyrelievers in A.J. Minterand Jeff Hoffman.
paid out more than his lone victory Themargins arethin in golf, even for the No.1player in the world.
McIlroy isn’tthe least bit stressed that his one title this year wasarepeat at Augusta National. Yes, he would love to win another FedExCup title. Odds are it would be sweeter to getanotherRace to Dubai title in Europe,especially at the expense of PatrickReed No winnersfromtop 10
Cameron Young is the defending champion at the Wyndham Championship. Andtothink it was only ayearago when Young had never wononthe PGA Tour.Since then, he wasa lone bright spot for the Americansinhis RyderCup debut, he won ThePlayers Championship andasignature eventat Doral, and he had at least ashare of the Sunday leadattwo majors without bagging one.
Butthere’ssomething else about Young andthis oddseason.
Don’t totally write off Detroit yet.The Tigers made the playoffs after selling at the deadline two yearsago. Probably not happening this season,however.Not only did they shed Skubaland Mize, they also failed to improve their bullpen. Kansas City wasan obvious seller, but Lane Thomas and Kris Bubic could only bring back so much.
AL West
Houston is now in first place but just twogames over .500. The Astros acquired Daulton Varsho, agood defensive outfielder,and will keep relyingonYordan Alvarez to provide the offense. Jacob deGrom said he wanted to stay with Texas, andifthere were any plansfor theRangerstobebig sellers, they didn’tcome to fruition. Texas lost its sixth straight game Monday night but is still just two games out of awild card Seattlehas plentyofpitching even after trading Castillo, and there’stime forthe Mariners to claw back into aplayoff spot. The Atletics have fallenapart lately and did almostnothing at the deadline
The Angels weremuch moreactive, dealing Soriano,Adell, Ryan Zeferjahn and Kirby Yates. They acquiredinfielder ArjunNimmala,a2023 first-round pick, from Toronto.
NL East
Atlanta leads thedivision comfortably and largelystood pat, acquiring Thomas from the Royalsand right-handerTylerMahle from SanFrancisco. Philadelphia made one of the biggest additions Mondaybytrading forthreetime batting champ Luis Arraez, amove that will shift BryceHarper back to theoutfield. Miami has twoplayoffberthsinthe past 20 years andisn’texactlypulling out
He wonthe Cadillac Championship when he wasNo. 4inthe world. That was May 3, andno from the top 10 haswon aPGA Tour event sincethen. It’snot getting any easierout there, if it ever was.
Half of thePGA Tour members among the top30inthe world ranking have yettowin thisyear Theworld ranking of the other three majorchampionssounds like numbers drawn in Bingo 44 (Aaron Rai at the PGA Championship), 34 (WyndhamClark at the U.S.Open) and56(Ryan Fox at the British Open).
It wasthe first timethreemajor champions in oneyear were outside the top30since2009 delivered Angel Cabrera (69),Lucas Glover (71), Stewart Cink (33) and Y.E. Yang (110)
BrianRolappmentioned three guiding principles when he was introducedasCEO at the Tour Championship last year.First on his list was parity,and he probably didn’tknowhow right he was when he said, “The PGA Tour has incredible, competitive parityand balance among its players.”
“Everybody wants to go into an event not knowing who’s goingto win,” Rolapp said.
Show of hands who hadRai winning the PGA Championship against the strongest field in the majors. Or Gary Woodlandwinning the Houston Open justover twoyears after returning from brain surgery,one of the most emotional wins of this crazy season.
Four weeksremain before the FedExCup is decided, andperhaps it will allmakesense in the end. It starts with the Wyndham Championship, the tournament most players wouldlovetoskip because it meansthey’re locked into agoodspotfor the postseason.
Horschel would need at least a two-way tie for second to have a mathematical chance of making it to the FedEx Cupplayoffs. The waythis year hasgone, don’tbet against it.
Young might have summed it up best on Tuesday when he shared advice for himselfand anyone else in this game: “Nothing is given and nothingisimpossible.”
all the stops to make it this season. Washington was surprisingly in theplayoff race and made apretty standard hitting-for-pitching swap when it sent Curtis Mead to Boston for Connelly Earlytwo weekends ago. Now theNationals have lost six straight and sold at the deadline, dealing Garcia and Griffin. The Mets were obviously going to be sellers and parted ways with Minter, Peralta, ClayHolmes and Luke Weaver
NL Central
Perhaps Milwaukee was hesitant to give up abig packageof prospects to rent Skubal forthree months, but watching him go to theDodgers couldn’thave been pleasant. The Cubs alsodid more than the Brewers, adding former LSUstar Kevin Gausman, Holmes and Zeferjahn to their pitching staff.Pittsburgh added Weaver, Yates and Camilo Doval to its bullpen. St. Louis traded Mayand reliever JoJo Romero within the division to the Brewers, andCincinnati traded Nathaniel Lowe within the state to Cleveland.
NL West
Evenafter trading for Skubal, theDodgers have seven prospects in MLBPipeline’stop 100. Arizona mostly stood patbut did addoutfielder LarsNootbaar.San Diegowas unusually quiet before landing Mize. Robbie Ray also joins the Padres’ pitching staff. SanFrancisco had abusy week, selling off Arraez, Mahle, Ray, Miller and Ramos. TheGiants will hope the RedSox movedonfrom Mayertoo quickly Colorado added infielder Connor Norby,who was once asolid prospect for the Orioles but never really tookoff afterbeing dealt to Miami
LEXINGTON, Ky.— Churchill Downs and the New York Racing Association are partnering for anew horseracingseriesthat’sbeing billed as aseason-long championship forthree-year-old Thoroughbreds Starting in 2027, the Thoroughbred Championship Series will crowna three-year-old champion following asix-race series that will be held across three venues Louisville’s Churchill Downs andNew York’sBelmont Park and Saratoga Race Coursewill be the sites for the six-race series, which will be used to determine achampion three-year-old Thoroughbred.The series, which will stretch out over five months, begins with the Kentucky Derby Nextyear’sDerbyisset for May 1atChurchill Downs.
Williams sistersare playing together in Cincinnati Open
MASON, Ohio— TheWilliamssisters are back on track to playing doubles tennis ahead of theU.S. Open.
Serenaand Venus Williams are set to take part in the Cincinnati Open, which begins next week. Organizersannounced Monday they had received awild-cardentry into the doubles field.
Theylast played adoubles matchtogetheratthe 2022 U.S. Open. It is their first time teaming up in the hard-courttune-up tournament in Mason, Ohio.
The Williams sisters received a wild-cardentrytoplay doubles at Wimbledon, but an injury to Serenapreventedthatfrom happening. Theyhave won 14 major titles and three Olympic gold medals in doubles play
U.S. to kick offWorld Cup cycle with home matches
ATLANTA— TheU.S. men’s national team will kick offthe nextWorld Cup cycle with four matches over 11 days on homesoil.
The friendlies include games against Peru,Chile, Mexicoand Canada in U.S. cities that didn’t host World Cup action this summer
The Americans will face Peru on Sept. 26 at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Three days later, they will host Chile at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The US-Mexico rivalry resumesOct. 3atState FarmStadium in Glendale, Arizona. And the finale against Canada follows threedayslater at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. All four matches will be broadcastonTNT,HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.
Preakness date for2027 set to be revealedonWednesday
ANNAPOLIS, Md. The date of the 2027Preakness Stakes is settobe revealed on Wednesday by Maryland Gov. WesMooreand theMaryland JockeyClub.
There has been speculationabout the Preakness moving back from two to three weeksafter the KentuckyDerby to get more horses from the Triple Crown opener to runinthe second leg.Golden Tempo became the second Derbywinner in arow and third in five years not to takepart
Butthe Belmont Stakes stayingon the first Saturday in June for next year could extend the troubles of thecondensedcalendar foratleast onemore Triple Crown season. The return of theracetoBelmont Park is set for June 5, as part of anew 3-year-old championshipseries
Royals activate shortstop Witt after 2weeks on IL
KANSAS CITY, Mo The Kansas City Royals activated All-Star shortstopBobby Witt from the injured list on Tuesday after he missed twoweeks with back tightness. “He’sdonea greatjob working to getback, communicating with themedical departmentand getting himself in agood spot that we feel comfortable,” Royalsmanager Matt Quatraro said before Tuesday night’sgameagainst Minnesota. “We’re very happy to have him back.”
Athree-time All-Star,Witt leads theAmerican League with30 stolen bases. He is batting .279 with13homers and39RBIsin94 games.
Witt was in the lineup against the Twins, but Quatraro said theRoyalsmight manage hisworkloadin the coming days.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JON SUPER
Brooks Koepkawalks on the 18th green during thethird round of theBritishOpenon July 18 at RoyalBirkdale golf club in Southport, England.
Doug Ferguson
SoonersseekmoreproductionfromTEs
BY TIM WILLERT Associated Press
NORMAN,Okla. Oklahoma leaned on an elite defense to reach the College Football Playoff inBrent Venables’ fourth year as coach. Much of that defense returns, but the Sooners will need more production from their running backs and tight ends to make a return trip. Oklahoma is lookingtoboost production from the tightend position heading into fallcamp, which begins Wednesday,and Venables has added former NFL All-Pro Jason Witten to his coaching staff to help spark im-
provement
Witten inherits amix of veterans and youngplayers, including transfers HaydenHansen (Florida) and Rocky Beers (Colorado State).
“We’re apart of the run game. Being the guy who’susually at theend of the line of scrimmage you’reanextension of the offensive line,” WittensaidTuesday “That’satough battle,going againstdefensive ends and linebackers in this conference.
When the ball gets to us we’ve got to be able to seal gaps,we’ve gottoset the edge,we’vegot to create lanes.”
Last season, Oklahoma finished 13th in the Southeastern Conference in rushing(118.5 yards per game), with aper carry average of 3.54 yards
Witten said Sooner backs struggled to create “explosive runs,” thoseplays that gained 12 yards or more.
“Obviously the teams that arehavingsuccessonoffense, they’reable to get that,” he said. “Andthat’sacombination of alot of things. The line’s gotto get them to the second level,the
receiversgot to blockonthe perimeter,the runners got to make somebody miss sometimes, you gottohave good steam. Butthe tightend’s usuallya bigpartof that.”
Witten brings “instant credibility” to the position,Venables said.
“Experience doesn’tget you there as quicklyasbeing an experienced teacher,” Venables said. “He’sgot anatural skill set when it comes to teachingthe game, howhethinks. He’svery bright buthe’sable to be an effective communicator with the guys.” Hansen, afifth-year senior who
Ohio State, Oregon are1-2 in USAToday poll
Ohio State and Oregonhold down the top two spots and the Southeastern Conference has fiveofthe top10 teamsinthe
USAToday preseasoncoaches
football poll released Tuesday
The Buckeyes received 38 of the 72 first-place votesand were well ahead of the Ducks, who got six first-place votes. No. 3Georgia received seven first-place votes, No.4 Texas got two and No. 5Notre Dame five.
Defending national champion Indiana was No. 6with 14 firstplacevotes and was followed by Miami, the team it beatin the College Football Playoff championship game.Texas
A&M, Oklahoma and Mississippi rounded out the top10.
Texas Tech, at No. 12, was the highest-ranked of four Big 12 teams in the poll. The SEC, with nine, had the mostranked teams. LSU was rankedNo. 13. No teams from aGroup of Six conference were in the Top25. Ohio State went 12-0 in the 2025 regular season before losing to Indiana in the Big Tenchampionship game and to Miami in the first round of the CFP.The Buckeyes return aHeisman Trophy finalist in quarterback Julian Sayin, one of the nation’stop receivers in
Fireworks erupt as LSU players take the field in TigerStadium in an undated photo.
on Dec.31inArlington, Texas.
Continued from page1C
with arevampedreceivingcorps, Clemson hasmore to worry about inWeek 1. Howare trenches shapingup?
Even if Leavitt is 100%, the Tigersneed aline to keep him there.
Jordan Seaton, the preseason All-SEC honoree, is agiven at left tackle. Braelin Moore and Aliou Bah seem reliableatcenterand right guard. But that leaves two pretty big question marks at left guard and right tackle.
Bo Bordelon appears to be in the running for one spot, but the fifth-year senior played just 11 snaps last season. Weston Davis lined up at right tackleall spring, but his redshirt freshman campaignwas uneven. There are other options. DevinHarper,a sophomore, is oneoffour players who followed Kiffinfrom Ole Miss to LSU. He only played 72 snapsasafreshman but 57 came at righttackle. LSUalsobroughtinBaylor’sSeanThompkins, whohas fivestarts at tackle. The sooner LSU can identify abest five, the better,because the Tigers’ line needs to build as much cohesion as possible, especially coming off of aseason where LSU wasn’teven among thetop 120 rushing offenses nationally
Whereisthe defensivedepth?
LSU looks well-stockedata coupleofpositions defensively Whit Weeks, T.J. Dottery and Davhon Keys form afantastictrio at linebacker
DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland are atalented cornerback duo, and Boise State transfer
Ty Benefieldisa projected NFL draft pick supporting Tamarcus Cooley and Dashawn Spears at safety
But there are questions at cornerwith Aidan Anding sidelined by an Achilles tear.Ja’Keem Jackson, aformer Florida
transfer who played84snaps lastseason, andMichael Turner, mostlya special teams contributor,are next up unless freshman Havon Finney is ready
Defensive end doesn’tappear especially deep following GabrielReliford’s ACLinjury in the spring. Tennessee transfer JordanRoss, ajunior who hasyet to realize hisfive-star billing, and five-star freshman Lamar Brown could aidPrincewill Umanmielen.But does anyone else emergeto create competitive depth?
There seems to be enough for asolid 11, butadefense playing opposite Kiffin’s tempo offense needs ample rotational pieces to notwear out at the end of games.
Howmanyfreshmenare ready?
Speaking of Brown and Finney,they aren’tthe only first-year players who could earn substantial roles in preseason camp.
DeuceGeralds, amidyear enrollee, was taking first-team snapsatdefensivetackle in spring. The 6-foot-1, 280-pounder isn’tall that big, but he has an explosiveness that could createheadaches for interior blockers.
He’saccompanied by five-star Richard Anderson, who stood 6-3, 360 pounds in high schoolbut appearstohave slimmeddown following asummer in LSU’sstrength and conditioning program. He’sa potential gapplugger
How prominently do Geralds and Andersonfeature in the defensive tacklerotation rather than veteran options Dominick McKinley,Malik Blocton and Stephiylan Green?
Receiver CoreyBarber and offensive lineman Brysten Martinezwere also top 10 recruits at their respective positions in the2026 class. Do they, or any numberofhighly rated LSUfreshmen, prove they are readyto contribute immediately?
Football is adevelopmentalgame, so it shouldn’tbeexpected thatfreshmenoutshine upperclassmen. Butthere aresometimes outliers, andKiffinmightneed a coupletoemergeifhis first LSUteamis goingto meet its potential.
TICKETS
Continuedfrom page1C
ticket on the west side at the north25-yard line about30rows up.
McNeese State: Thecheapestprice rangefor any LSUgame, with tickets goingfrom $20-$100. The best available seats were on the west side near the north 5-yard line,11rows up. Mississippi State: Tickets for LSU’s most inexpensive SoutheasternConference home game ranfrom$40300, thelatter againfor obstructed-viewseatsonthe bottomtwo sideline rows.
Alabama: Like TexasA&M, LSU is hosting Bama for the second straight year becauseofchanges necessitatedbythe SEC’snew nine-game scheduling format. SinceAlabama isn’t one of LSU’sthreepermanent opponents, this willbe the last game in the annual
played three seasons for the Gators, brings size (6-foot-8) and experience to the position group.
“He’s like an encyclopedia,” Hansen said of Witten.“When you’ve played 17 years you know exactlywhat works, what doesn’t work.You knowall these little secretsthat no one really knows unless you’ve played 17 years in the league.
“I felt likeafreshman again learning fromthis guy and everyday is just something new. He points outthings that I’venever thought twiceabout. When you go and you implement the things he tells you see results almost instantly.”
IRVING, Texas AppalachianState athletic director DougGillin has been appointed to the College Football Playoffselection committee. CFP executive director Rich Clark made the announcement Tuesday, naming Gillin as the replacement forformer UL AD Bryan Maggard. Maggard recently became the deputy athleticdirector at Missouri.
Gillin has spent the last 12 years at AppState,overseeing thefootball program’s multiple conference championships and the No. 20 spot in the final 2019 CFP rankings. Gillin served on the NCAA Division IFootball Oversight Committee between 2020 and 2023 and was previously the deputy director of athletics at Missouri from 2012-15. The CFP selectioncommittee is responsiblefor ranking thetop 25 teamsand setting the field for the 12-team CFP. The committee meetsin-personbeginning in early November and produces aranking of the top 25 teams each week leading up to its final selections.
seriesbetween theTigers and CrimsonTide dating to 1964. Ticketswere going for $225-700,with asingle seat 45 rows up on the east goal line going for$650.
Texas: TheLonghorns come to Tiger Stadium for the first time since 1953. That andbeing ledby quarterback Arch Manning coupledwithsky-high expectations made this LSU’s priciest ticket on arange of $260-750.
The latter price would get you asingle ticket on theeast 15-yard line, row 55.
Broussard said mostof the single tickets available this season werepart of returned visiting team ticket allotments or tickets not eligible forseason ticket sales By comparison, most tickets on sale Tuesday for LSUhomegames on StubHub went from $17 for east upperdeck ticketsfor the Louisiana Tech game to
asomewhat inexplicable $2,258 forseats near the south5-yardline on the bottom of the west side upper deck.
Ticketsfor theClemson game on StubHub ran from $224-1,300, from $152-1,624 forTexas A&M,from $2631,713 forAlabama and $250-1,135 forTexas
For more LSU sports updates,sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate. com/lsunewsletter
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Jeremiah Smith and an experienced offensive line. The Associated Presspreseason Top25poll will be re-
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GARETH PATTERSON Ohio State widereceiver Jeremiah Smith runs the ball against Miamiduring the second halfofthe Cotton Bowl
Witten
Lions LB White seeks starting role
BY DANA GAURUDER Associated Press
ALLEN PARK, Mich.
Devin White
finished last season as the NFL’s third-leading tackler He’s still no lock for a starting job with his new team.
The 28-year-old former LSU player had a career-high 174 tackles — a franchise record — for the Las Vegas Raiders last season. A free agent after the season, he was still available until the Detroit Lions, in need of depth at linebacker, signed him to a oneyear contract on Saturday
“It’s a great opportunity and I don’t want to let it pass me by,” White said Tuesday With Jack Campbell, who signed a four-year, $81 million contract extension this offseason, entrenched at middle linebacker, White will look to push for a starting job at one of the outside spots. Derrick Barnes started all 17 games last season, but White could compete with Malcolm Rodriguez for the weakside job. Rodriguez suffered a torn ACL in November 2024 and was limited to seven games last season. Rodriguez left Tuesday’s practice early with an ankle injury Rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder, a fourth-round pick, is expected to miss several more weeks with a hamstring injury
White says he’s ready for whatever role the team has in store for him.
“They control all the depth chart things and whenever it’s handed to me to go in, I just run in there as fast as I can so (the coaches) won’t put somebody else in,” he said. “That’s all I’m trying to do. I just feel if I keep doing that and just stay humble, my role will increase and I’ll get better and better within the defense to help these guys make plays.”
The fifth overall pick of the 2019 draft, White spent his first five seasons with Tampa Bay He signed with Philadelphia in March 2024, but never played a snap for the Eagles before he was released. He then hooked on with Houston and had a limited role with the Texans.
The Raiders took a flier on him last offseason and White set the franchise record for most tackles in a single season. However, his deficiencies in pass coverage made him expendable.
The only guarantee he’ll get with the Lions is a chance to earn a regular role.
“It’s all about competition,” defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “We have the chance to acquire somebody that we feel like can come in, whether that’s push to start or push guys in the room to make them better
Reigning rushing leader Cook not looking back
BY JOHN WAWROW Associated Press
PITTSFORD N.Y James Cook treats carrying the football the same way he answers questions about his accomplishments.
The Buffalo Bills running back does both by solely looking forward. So there was no point in asking Cook to reflect on last year, when he used a brief training camp holdin as leverage to get a new contract, and then proved his worth by leading the NFL with 1,621 yards rushing.
“I don’t like to talk about last year, because last year is in the past. This year is a new year,” Cook said last week. “Put last year behind me, and just come out here to do it again.”
That would be difficult for anyone, given that only two players since 2001 have won consecutive NFL rushing titles — Derrick Henry (2019-20) and LaDainian Tomlinson (2006-07).
Propelling the 26-year-old Cook’s belief entering his fifth season are a healthy dose of self-confidence, an offensive line that is mostly intact and newly promoted head coach Joe Brady’s offensive scheme.
Despite Josh Allen’s strong arm and improvisational skills, the Bills split rushing and passing attempts evenly during Brady’s two-plus seasons as offensive coordinator Brady sees no reason to change course or to reduce Cook’s workload this year
“I expect James Cook to take another step this year in different elements of his game and continue to be the workhorse as a runner,” Brady said.
“And he wants it, right?” he added. “He had such an incredible season last year And without div-
ing into exactly what, this is what I told him: He has got to get better
We can’t take steps backwards.”
Cook’s power and elusiveness were on display in practice Tuesday, Buffalo’s first full day in pads.
On the first team drill, Cook took a handoff and burst through a hole on the left side for what would have been a 5-yard gain, and then sprung back up off the ground and kept running. A few minutes later, on a sweep to the right, Cook turned the corner and lowered his shoulder pad directly into the midsection of safety Cole Bishop.
“It’s a new year, and he’s going to do the same thing that he did last year, having that intensity,” Bishop said.
Cook led the NFL last season with nine games of 100 yards rushing or more, and his 12 rushing TDs were fourth in the league. He had a career-high 309 carries and averaged a career-best 5.2 yards per attempt, which tied for second in the NFL
His only blemish has been ball security He lost four of seven fumbles, including one at the Denver 30 in a 33-30 overtime loss in a divisional-round playoff game.
Brady made a point to remind Cook about protecting the ball after the running back lost a fumble early in camp.
“I fumbled. So I just got to fix it,” Cook said. “The ball is everybody’s job, and that’s my job I’m willing to protect it.” Make no mistake, Cook thrives on challenges. He did so last year by withholding his services before eventually landing a four-year $48 million contract.
Cook has his sights set higher this year, for himself and the Bills.
“I’m looking forward to doing even bigger things So whatever that is, I’m willing to do it,” he said.
NFL
Panthers WR Legette carted off field with a stinger injury
By The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C
Carolina Pan-
thers 2024 first-round draft pick Xavier Legette was carted off the field with a stinger injury Tuesday after landing awkwardly as he attempted to make a leaping catch in the end zone.
Stingers are injuries that impact the nerves in the upper arm, neck or shoulder and often give a player a burning sensation in his arms and hands. Most stingers resolve quickly, but some symptoms can last weeks or months.
“We’re going to evaluate him more over the next day or so and just make sure that he is in the right spot,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “We have a nice little window here to get him turned around.”
Canales said Legette does not have a concussion.
Legette will not play in the Panthers’ preseason opener on Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals in Canton, Ohio.
Falcons LB Walker injures leg
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker was carted off the field on Tuesday after injuring his left leg during practice in Flowery Branch, Georgia.
Walker, a first-round draft pick from Georgia in 2025, started as a rookie and had 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Walker was the No. 15 overall pick and one of two pass rushers taken by the Falcons in the first round. James Pearce Jr was the No. 25 overall pick. Walker is versatile and able to line up as an edge rusher or outside linebacker Walker couldn’t place any weight on the left leg as he was helped off the cart and taken into the locker room.
Robinson agrees to extension
The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year contract extension with Bijan Robinson through the 2030 season that makes the fourth-year player the NFL’s highest-paid running back.
Robinson reposted the NFL’s Instagram post detailing the extension on Tuesday morning, writing “God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!”
The extension is worth up to $75
DUNCAN
Continued from page 1C
have strong legs and the ability to make kicks from 60-plus yards. Their consistency has also been excellent in camp.
I expect this competition to be determined during preseason games, and by the looks of things, it figures to go down to the wire. Whoever wins the job will have earned it.
The kicking game has gone from a weakness to a potential strength.
How the backs stack up
Much has been made about the pairing of Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne in the backfield. The plan is to use camp to determine how the staff wants to deploy the duo this season.
So far, Etienne has taken the bulk of the first-team reps on early downs, with Kamara getting the first call on third down and in passing situations.
This feels like an evolving process, but I’ll be surprised if it’s a Kamara-Mark Ingram-like 50-50 split when all is said and done.
The depth chart behind the top two is crowded with contenders. Devin Neal, Audric Estime, Ty Chandler and C.J. Donaldson have all shown flashes of playmaking ability, but this feels a competition that will be determined by special-teams performance.
Still, there’s decent depth here, especially if Miller can stay healthy
Team’s conditioning is excellent
Coach Kellen Moore said the team knocked the annual precamp conditioning test “out of the park,” and it’s shown. The team’s improved speed is noticeable at practices.
Several players reported to camp with stronger streamlined physiques, including McKinstry,
million with incentives, with $51 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press.
The base value of $66.75 million gives Robinson a $22.25 million average per year that makes him the league’s top-paid running back. Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley’s average is $20.6 million.
Cowboys TE Fant out for season
Dallas Cowboys tight end Princeton Fant is out for the season after suffering a knee injury at camp Monday in Oxnard, California.
Fant tore his ACL and partially tore his MCL, and he will undergo surgery in the coming weeks, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday Fant was hurt on a kneeon-knee hit to his left leg after being blocked backward into running back Israel Abanikanda during the Cowboys’ first full-pads practice.
Fant has appeared in 11 games over three seasons for the Cowboys, playing mostly on special teams, after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2023. He is the cousin of New Orleans Saints tight end Noah Fant.
The Cowboys sustained another injury in practice Tuesday when safety Alijah Clark hurt his ankle and had to leave practice early Ravens, Flowers reach extension
The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract extension with two-time Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers, according to a person with knowl-
Godchaux and Chris Olave.
Moore’s second team is notably leaner and faster than his first. And that’s allowed them to zip through Moore’s high-tempo practices.
Many have finished early so far in camp.
Chase Young is a beast
The veteran edge rusher is the best player on the roster — and it’s not even close. He opened Tuesday’s padded practice by pancaking Banks in one-on-one pass rush drills. He continued to dominate in team drills, stuffing a run by Etienne on first down and stopping him on a dump-off pass in the left flat a short time later
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has asked Young to be more of a leader this year, and he has embraced the role. He is noticeably more comfortable and confident in his approach. He looks and sounds like a guy ready for a breakout campaign.
Shough’s passing is on point
Tyler Shough has experienced a so-so start to camp, in part because he hasn’t had much help around him. Shough has impressed teammates and coaches with his leadership skills off the field and his arm talent on it.
Justin Reid remarked on how catchable Shough’s passes are, noting his ability to feather the ball and reduce the torque when needed. It’s a subtle skill, and Shough seems to have mastered it. He knows how to match his throw to the receiver’s route. When a receiver drops one of his passes, it’s rarely because he has thrown a worm-burner into their feet.
Shough’s completion percentage has been down so far, but it’s not because of the accuracy of his passes.
Still waiting on the offense
Somewhat predictably, the
Carolina Panthers receiver Xavier Legette makes a catch during training camp on July 23 in Charlotte, N.C.
edge of the deal. The agreement, which includes $108 million guaranteed, is a sizable commitment to Flowers, who is coming off a season in which he caught 86 passes for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns.
Baltimore drafted him in the first round in 2023, and the shifty 5-foot-9 receiver immediately became a factor with his quickness. He’s now posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a top target for quarterback Lamar Jackson. Bears’ Wright lands $116M deal Chicago Bears right tackle Darnell Wright has agreed to a lucrative contract extension, answering a major question for the team going into the season.
The Bears announced the fouryear deal on Tuesday, posting “The Wright Tackle is here to stay” on social media. Wright’s $116 million contract includes $93 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with the agreement who spoke to The Associated Press. The contract is the biggest ever for a right tackle and includes the most guaranteed money for an offensive lineman in NFL history, according to ESPN.
“Our team is rooted in being driven by belief and built by hard work, and Darnell epitomizes our culture in every way,” coach Ben Johnson said in a statement. The 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Tennessee, Wright anchored an offensive line that helped the Bears rank third in the NFL in rushing last season on their way to the NFC North title.
Saints offense has been a work in progress so far as the unit works key additions Etienne, Fant, Jordyn Tyson and David Edwards into the mix. With so many new moving parts, a slow start is understandable. But the Saints focused their offseason on adding explosive playmakers this offseason, and the big plays have been few and far between so far Worse, the unit has been plagued by sloppiness. Dropped passes, errant snaps and shoddy blocking have conspired to derail too many drives.
On the bright side, the offense did flash some big-play potential in Tuesday’s padded practice. Spencer Rattler hit Barion Brown for a long pass, and Kamara ripped off a nice run up the middle. Otherwise, the big offensive plays have been rare. It’s early There’s no reason to hit the panic button, especially when you consider that defenses are generally ahead of offenses at this stage of camp. But at some point, we need to see better, more consistent execution from this offense.
Running on empty
Full disclosure: The Saints have had just one padded practice, so the evaluation here is limited. T hat said, the rushing attack has been tepid at best. Kamara and Neal had big-play runs on Tuesday, but those have been the exceptions, not the rule, so far in camp.
There just hasn’t been a lot of room to run, which might say more about the Saints’ improved run defense than anything else. Time will tell.
The joint practice session next week against the Jaguars, who had the top-ranked run defense in the league last season, will be a good gauge.
Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PAUL SANCyA
Detroit Lions linebacker Devin White runs after practice at the team’s training camp on Sunday in Allen Park, Mich.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
By SCOTT KINSER
Cleveland unveils name, branding for WNBA team
BY JOE REEDY Associated Press
CLEVELAND Cleveland’s WNBA expansion team had three priorities for the franchise’s name. It had to have its own identity and not be related to the Cavaliers It needed to tie into Lake Erie. And fans wanted something progressive. The Cleveland Sirens think they accomplished all three Tuesday when they introduced the name and branding during an event at Rocket Arena
The WNBA’s 16th team will begin play in 2028. Cleveland was home to one of the league’s original franchises when the WNBA started in 1997, but the Rockers folded in 2003 when owner Gordon Gund could not find a new buyer
Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group, which has owned the Cavaliers since 2005, paid a $250 million ex-
pansion fee for Cleveland’s return to the WNBA.
Janice Braxton, who played for the Rockers for three seasons (1997-99), narrated a video introducing the name and the theme of “Hear the Call.”
Braxton, along with other former Rockers players, were also at Tuesday’s event
“We were at dinner with them last night and we gave them a sneak peek of the video. And they were overwhelming in their support and clapped several different times,” said Allison Howard, the Sirens’ president of business operations.
The logo features a Siren underneath the name. The “S” in the wordmark also conceals “CLE”. The two shades of blue take inspiration from Lake Erie and the Rockers logo.
“We really wanted something that people could rally behind a real character And we’re really excited about that,” said Grant Gil-
bert, Rock Entertainment Group’s VP of business and basketball operations.
“I think the other aspect of the siren name and brand that was really considered and that we get very excited about is how authentically it extends just beyond the name and branded logos itself. The potential of the name is endless.”
Over the past year Cleveland has had 9,000 deposits for season tickets Howard expects that to increase now that the name has been announced.
“This team can exist very much on the independent side of the Cavaliers. And that’s also what we are seeing right now The demographic is totally different,” Howard said. “They eat different food, they drink different drinks, they get here earlier, they purchase merchandise differently, and they come from all over the state and even outside of the state.”
Top FIFA officials break with Infantino on World Cup plan
Executives decry failed plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits
BY GRAHAM DUNBAR
Associated Press
GENEVA Two senior FIFA executives — coaching great Arsène Wenger and CEO-like secretary general Mattias Grafström — distanced themselves Tuesday from their boss Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors.
Wenger said in a statement he knew nothing of the $20 billion plan and that it was “absolutely necessary” to drop the proposal, and Grafström sent an email to all FIFA staff — seen by The Associated Press — calling the last week a “sad and reproachable series of events.” He also said it created “turmoil which is difficult to comprehend and accept.” Neither directly named Infantino or offered support for the now-embattled president.
Late Tuesday media reports in Britain said Infantino would hold a crisis meeting with senior FIFA staff in Morocco on Wednesday, which the governing body hadn’t confirmed.
The comments by Wenger and Grafström had echoes of the direct criticism from FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who said Friday that staff had been “deceived” by Infantino’s private equity plan, which provoked a furor in global soccer Lamour called it the “project of one person” and said FIFA staff “deserve better than contempt and intimidation.” The three executives are respected and trusted figures among the 211 FIFA
member federations who now hold sway over Infantino’s grip on a presidency that looked unshakable after the World Cup ended barely two weeks ago.
Legal threat to FIFA Wenger, Grafström and Lamour also were named in a letter from UEFA’s lawyers to Infantino among 18 executives whose data and communications should be retained as potential evidence.
“You do not need to worry,” Grafström wrote Tuesday to the hundreds of FIFA staff based mostly in Zurich and Coral Gables, Florida.
“I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience.”
Wenger, who was hired by Infantino in 2019 and is FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, said he was “not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.”
Infantino withdrew his $20 billion proposal early Saturday after a furious backlash by global soccer officials, including European body UEFA warning of a boycott of all FIFA games and events.
The plan would have created a subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise — to run the moneymaking parts of the not-forprofit soccer body’s work: organizing tournaments like the World Cup, selling broadcasting and sponsorship rights, tickets and hospitality.
It proposed raising $4.2 billion from investors by selling stakes amounting to about 20% in FFE, based on an equity valuation of $20 billion. The “anchor investor” would have been Thrive Eternal, launched by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is a
Legendary jockey Albarado dies at 52
Louisiana native had 5,222 career victories
Staff report
Lafayette native Robby Albarado, who claimed 5,222 career victories as a jockey, died Tuesday at the age of 52 in Sarasota Springs, New York, after undergoing a heart procedure last week, according to multiple outlets.
Ken McPeek, a trainer who employed the retired jockey as an exercise rider, confirmed Albarado’s death to WKYT-TV, the Paulick Report and Horse Racing Nation.
“It’s been a tough day,” McPeek told the Paulick Report. “Robby was a great friend, and there was nobody better on a horse than Robby Albarado. He needs to be in the hall of fame.”
Albarado, who retired in 2021, underwent a procedure in Saratoga last week to place a stent near his heart to deal with a blockage before being discharged from the hospital. McPeek told the Daily Racing Form that he apparently died in his sleep.
The 2020 Preakness Stakes proved to be one of the greatest moments in the career of Albarado, who road Swiss Skydiver to victory As an exercise rider, he worked with horses such as 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and 2024 Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna.
“Saying goodbye to someone who left us too soon is extremely difficult,” Churchhill Downs Racetrack president Mike Anderson said in a statement. “The Churchill Downs family is saddened by this dev-
astating loss and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and numerous friends.”
Fellow Lafayette native
Brian Hernandez Jr., who was Mystik Dan’s jockey at the 2024 Kentucky Derby, told The Times-Picayune in 2024 that he listed Albarado as being among his role models.
In 2016, Albarado was on the verge of his 5,000th victory when he spoke about a career that spanned nearly three decades.
“You have a lot of wisdom and knowledge about racing now,” he said that year “Physically I’m able to do what I was 20 years ago. People who were 20 years ago, like valets, come up to me and say, ‘Man, you’re riding the best I’ve seen you since you’ve been here.’ I used to win five a day here, and they never said that.”
Trainer Kellyn Gorder praised Albarado for his approach as a jockey
“I’ve always been a big fan of Robby’s,” Gorder told The Advocate in 2016. “He hardly ever makes a mistake, and he rides hard
and wins for me a lot. One of the things I really like about him is he can give you a lot of input after a race that actually helps.” In 2008, the jockey founded the Robby Albarado Foundation, which helped underprivileged kids in the Louisville, Kentucky, area.
“When I was a young kid I grew up in a very poor area,” Albarado told BloodHorse.com in 2008. “I got a couple of chances from a few people who helped me in racing — and if I can make a change like that in someone’s life, then that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Albarado recorded his first win in 1990 at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas and gradually built a reputation as one of the best jockeys in the nation. He won his first Triple Crown race in 2007 aboard Curlin in the Preakness. Curlin was named Horse of the Year in 2007 and 2008. Albarado finished his career with earnings of $221,560,458 over 34,113 mounts, according to Equibase.
son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity,” Wenger wrote.
Cash offers
FIFA’s 211 member federations — already effective owners of the governing body as a nonprofit association under Swiss law were offered $20 million each The deadline to accept was Sept. 19.
They also were promised a doubling of their FIFA funding for the four years through 2030 to $20 million instead of the previously announced $10 million.
Infantino shared details of the project to FIFA management just one week after the July 19 final of the financially successful World Cup in North America that drove FIFA’s revenues to $15 billion for the 2023-26 commercial cycle — almost double the income tied to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar Grafström, a longtime loyal aide to Infantino since their work together at UEFA, urged FIFA staff to “all continue being proud and happy” about the first 48-team World Cup.
“A sad and reproachable series of events — which were thankfully concluded with the FFE project permanently abandoned for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality,” he wrote.
Infantino came under even more pressure when former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein criticized the soccer body’s leadership on Tuesday, describing prize money withheld from his Jordan national team as a kind of blackmail.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOE REEDy
Cleveland Sirens president of business operations Allison Howard introduces the name of Cleveland’s WNBA franchise during an event Tuesday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
STAFF
MICHAEL DEMOCKER
Robby Albarado after
LIVING
Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand refined tastes, especially with respect to food and drink
Wine andspirits
August wine dinner: 6:30p.m. Tuesday at Carrabba’sItalian Grill, 7275 Corporate Blvd Baton Rouge Carrabba’sishosting a“Sip Around the World” wine dinner with afour-course menu and wine pairings. Taste wines from New Zealand, Provence, Tuscany and California. The menu includes shrimp salad with balsamic vinaigrette, linguine pasta with basiloil, sirloin with Calabrian pesto and vanilla panna cotta with strawberry sauce. Tickets are $60 per person, available for purchase at locations.carrabbas.com/louisiana/batonrouge/7275-corporate-blvd
Sip, savor and stroll at your own pace while samplinga selection of wines from Natale Verga in Italy.Three Italian spritzesare also included in thelineup: an Aperol spritz, limoncello spritz and Hugo spritz. Tickets are $25 per person, available for purchase at martinwine.com/events.
Mahjong and Margs: 5p.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday,Aug. 23, at Mestizo, 2323 S. Acadian Thruway,Baton Rouge
Join the crew at Mestizo for an evening of mahjong and margaritas, whether you’re a seasoned playerorabeginner
However,knowledge of the game is required. There will be four tables for four players each, so if you want to play with your regulars, bringthem along.All tiles, mats and racks neededtoplay the game will be provided. Participants must bring aNational Mahj League card or any mahjong card of choice. Tickets are$25 per person, available for purchase at www.mestizorestaurant.com/ events.
ä See BONVIVANT, page 2D
Maybe as youwalked outofthe first Ice Waterround, it hityou Maybe it wasa door that opened —orone that didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t until the next year when youwereonthe other side of the process. It could have been amoment standing in ahallway,waiting, that youcan still describe in detail yearslater.
We’reinviting readers who went through sorority recruitment recently or decades ago —totell
us about it: What’s thespecific moment from Rush week you still think about? And what did Rush teach youthat youdidn’t expect? Send your response to jan.risher@theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. Aug. 10.
‘EXCELLENT AS USUAL’
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
t90years old, Lionel Selser doesn’tfind himself behind the wheel often. That is,unlesshe’sdrivingdown thestreet to Po-Boy Express.
The BatonRouge-based po-boy chain was founded in 1992 by the Ismail brothers, who broke ground on what may have been thefirst drive-thru po-boy restaurant in the city
Longtime customer Selserventures out to oneofPo-Boy Express’ six locations almost daily to get his seafood fix.
“They’reclosed on Sundays,” Selser said. “If theywerestill open on Sundays, I’d be eating on Sundays too.”
The business was started by four brothers, and 34 years later, they still run most locations. Today, customersmostly visit for thepo-boys, each loaded with seafood or cold-cut meat, and dressed with lettuce, tomatoesand mayonnaise. Pair it with aside of thin-fried onion rings anda fountainsoda, and you’ve got yourselfapoor
BRQ Sliders Trio withcrispy Brussels sprouts
wich building at alongtime sub chain, Blimpie.Acquiring ajob wentsmoothly. Finding an affordable education in New York —not so easy Since1992, this family-operatedchain has transformedthe
boy’sluxury Howitstarted Firstborn brotherSaid Ismail emigrated in 1976 from Palestine to Manhattan,New York, where he beganlearningthe ropes of sand-
Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
by the samefamily since1992.
BONVIVANT
Continued from page1D
Newfood on theblock
The turkey lettuce wraps are back at BLDG 5, 2805 Kalurah St., Baton Rouge. They’re served with Asian-braised ground turkey,hearts of romaine, sesame seeds, micro cilantro, mei ploy and Cambodian slaw
In theknow
Galvez Rum,1848 Charter St., Jackson, recently earned agold medal for its Victory Blend Rum and a silver medal for its Silver Rum during the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The competi-
tion is judged through a rigorous, blind tastingprocess designed to ensure fairness, consistency and credibility,anews release said. Gold medalwinners represent“exceptional quality residingnear the summitofachievement —atestament to unparalleled craftsmanship and excellence.” Silvermedal winners exhibit “outstanding qualities showcasing refinement, finesse, and delightful complexity that placesthem among the best examples of theirkind.”
If youhave an upcoming food event or akitchen question, email lauren. cheramie@theadvocate com. Cheers!
Continued from page1D
fresh, and each slider was full with smoky flavor
My meal came with a trio of barbecue sauces: asweet one, avinegar one and aspicy one. In my opinion, BRQ’ssweet sauce is one ofthe best in the city.Dipping the sliders into the sweet sauce wasadelight. The Brussels sprouts had anice char on them and were glazed to perfection.
—Joy Holden, features reporter Malatang
n Tiger Tang, 7064 ASiegen Lane, Baton Rouge
Tiger Tang just soft opened in Siegen Village, and I’d neverhad Szechuan food up until this point. Iknew it was going to be spicy,and it sure was, but not in an overpowering way like I anticipated.
It’sabuild-your-ownbowl sort of place, so I chose bok choy,two different types of mushrooms, onion, seaweed knots, noodles,rice cake,beef and pork belly. Thereare eight different broths, and the OG Mala Tang broth sounded like agood place to start.
This bowl was deliciously spicy while elevating the flavors of each ingredient. The broth was savory and comforting, and I particularly lovedthe seaweed knots and beef. Ialso tried some mango fruit tea, and the cold tempera-
ture providedagreat cooling sensation in between theheated bites. I’m excited to return in thefall andwinter
—MaddieScott, features reporter Tapas
n Pamplona TapasBar, 631 Jefferson St., Lafayette Tapas, smallplates, appetizers —Ilovethemall, largely for the abilityto shift between flavors without gettingoverwhelmed Fora light dinner at Pamplona TapasBar,I went for afresh arugula salad with aplate of Muhammara, aspreadmadefrom peppers, almondsand pomegranatemolassesthat creates atangyand spicy flavor profile With thebold flavors of the Muhammara, abitter arugulasalad with pops ofappleand orange slices, manchegocheese, almondsand aquincevinaigrette was theperfect accompaniment.
—JoannaBrown, staff writer
PO-BOY
Continuedfrom page1D
“I looked around, andI found that Louisiana had the cheapest college in the country,” Ismail said. “So that’s how Icame to Lafayette.”
In 1980, he graduated from theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette withadegree in civil engineering and landed ajob in highway development at the LouisianaDepartment of Transportation andDevelopment. But as years passed, Ismail wanted to bring ajob opportunity to his brothers.
“I’mthe oldest, so Ineed to help them find something they can make aliving of and live comfortably,” he said. “Working oddjobs, Circle Kand this-and-that, wasn’tenough for them.”
With five years of experience in slinging sandwiches at Blimpie, IsmailtooktoLouisiana’s capitalcitywhere he opened his own business concept inside arundown Taco Bell. TheIsmailbrothers cameonboard and called it Po-Boy Express, adrive-thru and dine-in concept
No other po-boy shop had adrive-thru at thetime, he said.
TheIsmailbrothers have grown Po-Boy Express to six locations in the BatonRouge area: n 6606 Siegen Lane, Baton Rouge n 4320 Perkins Road,Baton Rouge n 3485 CedarCrest Ave., Baton Rouge n 641 South Range Ave., Denham Springs n 10097 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge n 14273 Greenwell Springs Road,Central
“You have to excel at anything,”Ismail said. “Otherwise, youcannot get it. You really have to have it inside you.”
Menu rundown
At each location, the seafood is quality. The restaurantonly serves domestic seafood in the form of wildcaught shrimp,oysters and domesticfarm-raised catfish.
Themenuhas beenevolving since 1992, atime when selectionsincluded pizza, cornedbeef and pastrami,
each running at $2.59 or less.
Times have changed, and youngestbrother TimIsmail led the chargeonrecipe experimentation.
“I liketocreate stuffand come up with something new,” TimIsmail said. “All the sauces thatwehave, I did. Allthe recipes, Iworked on it and improved it.”
Today,the menuboasts 16 different po-boys, each dressed with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise on white or wheat bread.The mostpopular sandwichis the fried shrimppo-boy, made with Gulf shrimp fried in ahouse-made flour blend anda Cajun-inspiredseasoning blend.
Burgers, salads and seafood baskets arehearty options forthose wanting somethingother than the staple sandwich. There are also sideorders like meat pies, cheese sticks, fried mushrooms, fried pickles, stuffed jalapeños and acustomerfavorite:thin-cut onionrings, which took about five years to perfect the recipe.
Occasionalspecialsmake theirway onto the menu: Philly quesadillas, seafood muffulettas, chop cheese burgers and fish tacos, which are usually available during Lent.
DiscoveringLent
Po-Boy Express hadbeen open for less than ayear when they headed to work on what they thoughtwas a normal Wednesday in February. It was not anormal Wednesday
“One time came the Lent,” Said Ismail said, “and we
don’tknow nothing about Lent. Nothing.”
Before the restaurant opened, aline of customers had wrapped around the building, said second-oldest brother Jafar “Jeff” Ismail. To crankout ordersand get the line down, the kitchen turned into afrenzy.The dining room buzzed with customers, and with everyemployee’s hands full, afamily friend working across the street ran over to sweep the floor
At the end of the day,Jeff Ismail found anote left behind while cleaning tables. “Excellent as usual,” the note stated.
“That made our day,” Jeff Ismail said. “I starteddancing. Thatmadeour day. Not only me. Everybody in the restaurant. Me, my brothersand my workers. That littlemessage. Imean, we thought we did terrible.”
Aftertheir first Lenten season,the Ismail brothers knewtobrace forimpact next time. The days leading up to AshWednesdaywere “like an emergency,” Jeff Ismail said. Theyneeded extras of everything. As Baton Rouge hasgrown(and gained five morePo-boy Express locations), the crowds have leveled, andstaffcan handle it better
Legacy
Each Ismail brother has adegreefromULand has played different roles in the business.
Said Ismail led theinitial charge in opening the stores and handling paperwork.
TimIsmail workshopped recipes and designed the
restaurants’ interiors. With Hussein “Mike”Ismail’s computer science degree, he handled the registers and electronic aspects. And Jeff Ismail wasthe glue, picking up products and keeping operations afloat.
Each brother,except Said Ismail, works at and mansa differentPo-Boy Express location, and new generations in thefamily have risento carry the family legacy Said Ismail’sson, Ause Ismail, hasbeen there since the beginning of Po-boy Express. His earliest memory is walking through therundown Taco Bell right when hisfather bought it in 1992. He was 5yearsold, and once he wastallenoughto see over the counter,hewas taking orders at the register
“I grew up idolizing them andjust seeing what they were doing,” Ause Ismail said. “I thought they were basically like rockstars.” Today,Ause oversees the Siegen Lane location. He believes the consistency and quality is what has madethe family business successful.
“We’vealways been sticking to our guns on that,” Ause Ismail said about using only domestic seafood. “Itcan be easy to cut corners and stuff like that, but we’ve neversacrificed on the quality.”
Birthday celebration
On Selser’s90th birthday on Oct. 23, he brought acouple friends with him on his almost-daily lunch at Po-Boy Express.
Staff surprised Selser with afree meal andemerged from the kitchen while serenading him with the happy birthday song. The management andstaff treatshim well, he said. He doesn’tgo to any other restaurants. Although the business’s name boasts po-boys, that’s not what Selser is there for. “I eat fish. Fish only,” Selser said. “I don’teat the bread. Idon’teat anything else. Idon’tdrink to drink, because I’m trying to make it to 91.”
He’shoping for another birthdayathis local Po-Boy Express.
“I still go there,” Selser said.“Iwentthere today. Iwent thereyesterday.I don’tgothere on Sundays, because it’sclosed.”
STAFF PHOTO By MADDIE SCOTT
Build-your-own malatang from TigerTang
STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN Muhammaraand pita wedges fromPamplona Tapas Bar in Lafayette
The roast beef
supreme po-boy, from left, oyster basket and shrimp po-boy are on the menu at Po-Boy Express.
PROVIDED PHOTO
The Ismail family at their first Po-boyExpress location, likely around 1992
STAFF
PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Pleaseholdyourapplause
DearMiss Manners: Iwent to the symphony,which I’ve done for many years now Iknow that proper symphony etiquette is to refrain from clapping between movements. However,itseems to me that many symphony attendees are not aware of this rule. This has given rise to arather awkward situation: About half the audience knows the rule and does not clap, and the other half does clap —so inevitably there is rather weak and half-hearted applause between movements. Should symphonies try to educate their patrons on the rule with an announcement at the beginning of the concert? Or should we decide this rule has outlived its usefulness and applaud between movements the way we applaud each scene at the opera?
clappingbetween movements, shechooses to believe that it is still viable, but that it is easy to forgiveanaudience member so caught up in the emotion of theperformance as to momentarily forget it.
By The Associated Press
Today is Wednesday, Aug. 5, the 217th day of 2026. There are 148 days left in the year
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Dear Miss Manners: I am recoveringfrom afairly bad cold that Isuspect Icaught during my last hair appointment. While getting my hair washed,several workers were coughing and sneezing around me. Iget all thevaccines and wear masks on planes, but it is hard to wear amask during ahaircut.
ShouldIevenmention this suspicion the nexttime I’matthe salon? If so, what to say without sounding accusatory?Itseems folks have forgotten thelessons from thepandemic.
Gentle reader: The announcement couldgoafter the one about what to do if the theater is overrun by period instrumentalists.
Forgive Miss Manners; she has aheadache from trying to scan aQRcode for the playbill in the absence of aprinted program. This is also why she was unable to verify if the symphony has already acted on your advice about aprinted etiquette lesson —many have. As to the rule against
Gentle reader: That there is no national consensus on what was learned from the pandemicmay beone of the few things thecountry can agree on.
But theetiquette around employees exposingcustomers to more mundane illnesses in commercial establishments is thesame as it was before: Express your concernsprivatelyto theboss so as not to single out or embarrass individual employees.
Dear Miss Manners: When did
it become appropriate for people to inject astatement proclaiming their religious beliefs, withanair of superiority, into conversations that are not specifically about religion?
Icannot count the times Ihave heard “I’ma Christian,and …” in the middle of acompletely unrelated discussion. We could be talking about purchasing car tires, and this happens. Idon’tneed to know their beliefs. Furthermore, this statementhijacks themeaning of the word “Christian.
Gentlereader: Etiquette has long recommended against injecting politics or religion into general conversation because of the strong feelings they engender
We have lately seen the consequences of disregarding the former rule. As to when the latter practice began, Miss Manners is not a theologian, but she believes Christian proselytizing dates at least as far back as Saint Paul—although not as acredential for judging tires
Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick,1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
Todayinhistory: On Aug. 5, 1962, South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without avalid passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment
Also on this date:
In 1861, Abraham Lincoln signed theRevenue Act of 1861, which levied thefirst incometax on Americans(aflat tax of 3% on those making over $800/year) to help fund theUnion’sCivil Wareffort.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragutled his fleet to victoryinthe BattleofMobile Bay, Alabama.
In 1884, thecornerstone for theStatueofLiberty’s pedestal was laid on Bedloe’sIsland in New York Harbor
In 1914, thefirst electric traffic light system was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at theintersection of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue.
In 1936, Jesse Owens, of the United States, won the200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals
In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as prisoners taken during the Korean Warwere exchanged at Panmunjom.
probable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.”
In 1964, U.S. Navy pilot Everett Alvarez Jr.became the first American flyer to be shot downand captured by North Vietnam; he was held prisoner until February 1973.
In 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed aplan in June 1972 to use the CIAto thwart the FBI’sWatergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon’s resignation.
In 2010, 33 workers were trapped in acopper mine in northern Chile after a tunnel caved in (all were rescued 69 days later).
In 2011, the sun-powered robotic explorer Juno rocketed toward Jupiter on a five-year quest to discover
the secret recipe formaking planets. (Juno reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016.)
In 2024, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whohad ruled Bangladesh for15 years, fled to India after weeks of student-led protests in which morethan 800 people were killed and about 1,400 wereinjured. Today’sbirthdays: Country music songwriterBobby Braddock is 86. Popsinger Samantha Sang is 75. Actor-singerMaureen McCormick is 70.Rock musicianPat Smear is 67. AuthorDavid Baldacci is 66. ActorJanet McTeer is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer PatrickEwing is 64. ActorMarkStrong is 63. Director-screenwriter James Gunn is 60.Actor JonathanSilverman is 60. ActorJesse Williams is 45. Actor/singerOlivia Holt is 29. NBA guard Anthony Edwards is 25.
Dear Heloise: This is aword of caution to never put things in the dryer and leave the house. Maybe you’ve doneitin the past without problems, but Idid and nearly burned my house down. A neighbor saw smoke coming from my home and called the fire department. The kitchen was damaged where the washer and dryer were located, but thankfully,the rest of the house was OK. It was due to aproblem with the wiring. The thought of losing my whole house with all the things inside makes me want to cry.Imade afoolish error.Don’tmake my mistake. —Terry B.,inKansas Fadedlaundry
Casey,it’smore than likely the sun. Youmight wanttotry movingyour clotheslinetoanarea of the yard where there isn’tdirect sunlight andhangthem outside every so often, instead of every time you do the laundry
—Heloise Adios, junk!
Dear Heloise: We’re moving across thecountry from California to North Carolinabecause of my husband’s job.Iwent through this houseofours andrealized that Ihad tons of junkIwould never use again.I’d keep it, thinking, “Someday Imight need this,” or “It’stoo pretty to toss out.”
Dear Heloise: My mother always hung her sheets and towels outside on aclothesline, and they smelledwonderful for days. We always got such anice breeze becauseour house was on a hill out in the country.Now that I’m married, I’ve been hanging up my clothes and sheets outside on sunny days, but Ithink the sun is bleachingthem. My dark blue towels look terrible, as do my black jeans and dark blue sheets. Is it the sun or due to washing darkitems in detergent? —Casey D.,in Amarillo,Texas
If you haven’tworn it in ayear,you probably never will. It’ssurprising howlittle we really need. We took two truckloadsto Goodwill andtwo to achurchcharity shop —and I’m not done! I’m so happytohaveless. It just feels good to lighten the house and my possessions.
Iabsolutely loveyour column —Harriet M.,AHappy Camper in California
Stainedpatio furniture
Dear Heloise: My white patio furniture was expensive, but Iplan on keepingitfor along time. Recently,I noticed somedarker areas on
thefurniture that my hose can’tseem to get out. How do Iget my patio furniture clean? —Linda A., in Madison, Indiana Linda, you can mix a solution of one-fourth of acup of bleach and 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap in agallon of water.Besuretoput on rubber gloves to protect your hands.First, try a littleonatest spot to see if thesolution works. If it does —and it should —use asponge and wipedown your patio furniture
Let it sit for afew moments while the bleach works on your furniture, then rinse with ahose. If you have abattery scrubber,you might want to use it on your furniture. —Heloise Printercheat sheet
Dear Heloise: My printer can do so manythings, but it’simpossible for me to remember all thestepsthat Ineed for each task, like printing labels, sending a message, copying aphoto, scanning adocument, etc. So, every time someone helped me, Imade acheat sheet of instructions and have it posted on mybulletin board. It’ssaved me hours of frustration and a few tears! —Lori R., in PearlCity, Hawaii
Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
In 1957, themusic and dance show “American Bandstand,”hosted by Dick Clark, madeits national network debut, beginning a30-year run on ABC.
In 1962, Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her deathwas ruled a
Hints from Heloise
LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Refuse to leta sensitive situationexplode. Listen, take your timetorespond and refuse to letanyone bait you into adiscussion that will lead to tension or personal or financialloss.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Pay attention in order to avoid getting into impossible situations. Take amoment and learn from experiences that you wish you could go back and change. Rely on your memory.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Enjoywhatlifehas to offer.Don't laboroverwhatyou cannotchange, but embrace what delights and excites you. You oweittoyourself to appreciate whoyou areand what you have to offer.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Sethigh standards and refuse to buy into someone else'slifestyle.Emotions will be difficult to disguise, so keep your distance from people you don't trust. Playyour cards close to your chest and maintain control.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Don't go overboard when it comes to your livelihood and professional affiliates. By directing your attentiontopastimes and people you enjoy hanging out with, you will enrich your life andspark ideas
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Lessons learned will be your saving grace. Use your intelligence and foresight to guide you when dealing with those whodon't share your beliefs. Entitlement can lead to trouble.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Embrace change and do your best to fulfill your
dreams,hopesandwishes.Yourstrength liesinyourabilitytomakeyourown opportunities and to see them to completion.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Be careful not to make asnap decision you regret. Look at thespecs andfigureout what's doable Use your experienceand intelligence to navigate your way forward. Don't be fooled by someone'scharm.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Trustyour instincts, not whatothers tell you to do. Change begins with you, not someone else invading your thought processand dictating the outcome. It's up to you to payattentiontodetail.
TAURUS (April20-May 20) Being disciplinedand sticking to rules, regulations andwhat's in your best interest will take precedence over someone using pressure to push youina directionthat's betterfor themthanyou
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Formulate aplan, research andput your heartand soulinto improving your lifestyle. Refuse to let outside influences cost you or lead you in the wrongdirection. Focusondoing what's best for you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Money andemotionswill lead to trouble.Don't buy into somethingyoucannotafford.Avoidjoint ventures or trying to keep up with someone. Life andfriendships aren't races.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotationsbyfamous people, past and present.Each letter in thecipher stands for another. TODAy'SCLUE: KEQUALS D
For better or For WorSe
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobjectistoplace the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
JohnStuartMill,a19th-centuryBritish philosopherand economist, said, “The only freedom whichdeserves thename is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so longaswedonot attempt to deprive othersoftheirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.”
At the bridge table, though, it is your job to impede your opponents’ efforts to obtain your downfall. In this deal, how shouldSouththwartthedefense’sefforts todefeatthreeno-trumpafterWestleads his fourth-highest diamond?
Thereisastrong case for North’s raisingone no-trump to three no-trump, eschewing Stayman. He has ahighhonor in hisdoubleton andextra high-card strength. Even if North uncovers a4-4 spade fit,game in that strain might fail due to,for example,abad trump split, when there are nine winners in notrump.
South starts witheight top tricks: three hearts, one diamond and four clubs. The ninth winnerwillcome fromspades. But playing on that suit will give the lead back to the defendersand maybe they can runthe diamond suit.
The Rule of Sevenrecommends holdingupthediamondaceforoneroundand taking the second trick. Here, though, that is fatal. West gets in with his spade ace and cashes three diamond tricks.
wuzzles
Ifthediamondsare4-3,Southisalways safe. But if they are 5-2, what is the layout?
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle whichcreates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: NOONGOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters.2.Wordsthat 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” maynot be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
ToDAY’s WoRD IMPRoBITY: im-PRO-bih-tee: Indecency.
Average mark 16 words
Time limit 35 minutes
Canyou find 27 or more words in IMPROBITY?
YEsTERDAY’sWoRD —DEFRAYs
God’s
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles hidato
mallard fillmore
ad‐vertisementfor bids and thoserequiredonthe bid form shallnot be waivered.The Louisiana MilitaryDepartment Deputy Director forCon‐tracting andPurchasing andthe StateContract‐ingOfficerdonot pos‐sess authoritytowaive anyinformality inciden‐
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