The Acadiana Advocate 08-06-2026

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‘YOU DON’T TELL GOD NO’

Lake Charles native becomes youngest Catholic bishop in America

BY MEGAN WYATT

Staff writer

WASHINGTON, D.C. — He was preparing a homily for evening Mass at Howard University when the call came in.

The chaplain, then-Rev. Robert “Robbie” Boxie III, was to become a bishop.

Thoughts raced through his mind. The Lake Charles native told the ambassador for Pope Leo XIV that he was too young for such a rank and he hadn’t even been a parish pastor yet. But when the pope’s representative asked if he accepted, Boxie offered a hesitant “Yes?” “I hung up the phone and I grabbed my pillow and I just screamed in my pillow for the next five minutes,” Boxie said. “It’s like, what just happened? What did I agree to? What’s going on?”

He had just agreed to be the youngest Catholic bishop in the United States, a 45-year-old at the helm of the Archdiocese of Washington. He would also be one of just a few Black bishops in the country.

The idea of priesthood first appealed to Boxie in the third grade.

After learning about saints in school, he decided he wanted to be one. Upon discovering how involved that process was, he settled for “the next best thing” — becoming a priest.

“But as any 8-year-old would do, you change your mind,” Boxie said. “It’s kind of like the flavor of the month.”

His mother, Roxanne Boxie, remembers that phase fondly.

While on vacation in Disney World, she asked her son if he wanted a stuffed Mickey Mouse souvenir. Instead, he asked for a statue of the Blessed Mother for his bedroom altar.

“He would play with the kids in the neighborhood,” Roxanne Boxie said. “And sometimes they didn’t want to play with him because

ä See BISHOP, page 5A

Hopefuls vie for Congress Two open seats draw candidates as qualifying begins

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

As qualifying begins for the November open primary for Louisiana’s congressional districts, two seats are wide open for anyone to take — and they are drawing quite the array of candidates.

But, after the first day for candidates to sign up to run passed Wednesday, one big mystery remained: Will state Sen. Blake Miguez run for one of those H H H H H H seats? And, if so, which one?

Miguez, a Republican from New Iberia, was ä Candidates running for the qualify for 5th District until Lafayette races.

Louisiana’s maps PAGE 1B got redrawn in the spring. He won President Donald Trump’s endorsement for the seat, a powerful boost in the race.

But candidates had to requalify after the redistricting, and Miguez has been mum about whether or where he will run. He could now run in the 5th District in northeast Louisiana or in the 6th District, which was redrawn to be a majority-White district in the Baton Rouge area that will likely elect a Republican.

It was formerly a majority-Black district represented by U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a Democrat who decided not to run after the district was redrawn.

Miguez represents and has lived in the New Iberia area, but he owns a property in Baton Rouge. The possibility that he would run in a district different from the one he has long represented has prompted barbs from fellow legislators.

Miguez did not return requests for comment Wednesday.

Despite the uncertainty over whether the state senator will make a bid for Congress, one of his potential opponents — and a colleague in the Senate — fired shots at Miguez

ELECTION

PROVIdEd PHOTO

The Most Rev. Robert Boxie III is pictured during his July 7 bishop ordination ceremony in Washington, d.C.

ä See HOPEFULS, page 5A

Schwartz confirmed as director of CDC

Murrill files suit in hunt for N.O. records

BY MIKE STOBBE

BY JOHN SIMERMAN

Associated Press

Staff writer

A lawyer for Attorney General Liz Murrill sued Wednesday to force Orleans Parish Attorney Jason Williams and special prosecutor Laurie White to dig harder for emails and other communication about Murrill’s short-lived criminal indictment.

Attorney Blake Arcuri filed the petitions in Orleans Parish Civil District Court, claiming Williams and White both failed to respond properly to public records requests filed in conjunction with Murrill’s defense to the 16 felony charges she faced of public intimidation and malfeasance in office.

The filings are the latest indication that Murrill has no plans to let her abort-

ä See MURRILL, page 4A

WEATHER HIGH 90 LOW 75 PAGE 6A

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO

dr. Erica Schwartz testifies during a Senate committee confirmation hearing to be the director of the Centers for disease Control and Prevention on July 15.

NEW YORK — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, placing her in charge of a public health agency beleaguered by political meddling and low morale.

Schwartz was confirmed in a 5144 vote. The 54-year-old becomes the 22nd leader of the Atlantabased CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats, and the agency’s first confirmed director in nearly a year. Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.

Schwartz’s nomination appeared

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to be on shaky ground after a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month. The chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, and others questioned whether she would be willing to stand up to Republican President Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC to do something unsupported by science and good public health practice.

But weeks later, Cassidy said he had spoken with Schwartz after that hearing and with others who knew her, and said he had gained confidence in her.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials did not immediately respond to questions

ä See CDC, page 4A

102Nd yEAR, NO. 37

2A ● Thursday,August 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. offers $25M for leader of powerful cartel

MEXICO CITY — The U.S. government on Wednesday offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Juan Carlos González, or “Pelón,” scaling up pressure on a U.S. citizen who has emerged as the figurehead of Mexico’s most powerful cartel.

The reward was bumped up from $5 million. The Trump administration offered a total of $100 million in rewards for various leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and restricted the visas of family members and business associates of cartel members.

U.S. officials said the rewards, along with newly unsealed charges against five other highranking leaders, were aimed at crippling the organization’s leadership while President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Mexico and other Latin American nations to carry out his security agenda.

CJNG is among eight Mexican cartels designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

The group was dealt a blow in February when leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” was killed by the Mexican military. The U.S. provided intelligence for the operation, which resulted in a burst in violence in the state of Jalisco.

González, Oseguera Cervantes’s stepson and a dual Mexican and U.S. citizen, is reported to have taken control of the cartel, which is involved in everything from avocado production to drug smuggling.

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Deal will hinge on U.S. blockade

joint statement will be issued “if Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran insists on some control of Strait of Hormuz acertain Earlier, they had said the potenparties do not obstruct this

BY ELENA BECATOROS, SAMY MAGDY and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

CAIRO — Iran said Wednesday it is in the “final stage” of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week.

That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, CO ONFLICT ease pressure on the world econoIN THE T my and help bring MIIDDLE an end to the war.

EAST AST But the agreement is likely to be contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would cement Iran’s grip over the strait, which would amount to a major loss for the U.S. and a break with global norms.

Iran has insisted on some mea-

sure of control over the strait, saying it will not go back to being an open international waterway, as it was before the war.

The U.S., along with Israel, launched the war on Feb. 28, citing various goals including toppling Tehran’s government and ending its nuclear program. Those have not been achieved, and the conflict has devolved into a fight over the strait as Iran’s assertion of control and attacks on shipping have ground traffic to a near-halt.

Closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas once passed, has driven up the price of fuel and basic goods, roiling the global economy. Trump is also under mounting pressure to end an unpopular war ahead of U.S. congressional elections.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said that the agreement with Oman is in the “final stage” of drafting, and that

process,” apparently referring to the U.S. Iranian and Omani negotiators have finalized the draft deal to reopen the strait and await final approval from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, two regional officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Khamenei is believed to have been wounded in the war’s opening strikes and has not been seen in public since then.

The officials, who were briefed on the negotiations, portrayed the potential deal as a temporary solution to the dispute over the strait.

They said it is tied to an agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran in June that aimed at ending the fighting and reopening the waterway but ultimately collapsed.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks, said the potential deal will pave the way for the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations on

CDC: 15 states now linked to cyclospora

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

Drone with explosives found at German airport BERLIN — A drone with explosives was found at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport and the device was defused, authorities said Wednesday, in an incident that the country’s top security official said posed a “new quality of danger.”

Both the runways at the major freight hub were closed and several flights, including one passenger plane, were diverted to other airports after a flying object was sighted nearby shortly before midnight Tuesday. An anti-explosives robot was deployed to check an object near the south runway.

Regional police and prosecutors later said an airport employee discovered a drone near the south runway with “an unknown explosive device,” and the object was examined by police. They removed its detonator.

That the drone was carrying explosives “is a new quality of danger,” German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters at the airport.

“Drone sightings, drone threats including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the past,” he added. “That a drone armed with explosives is at an airport is a new threat scenario.”

Clerk won’t have to pay Murdaugh’s legal fees COLUMBIA, S.C — A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit by Alex Murdaugh seeking $600,000 in legal fees by the former court clerk whose misconduct led his murder convictions to be overturned on appeal.

Murdaugh sued Becky Hill in May saying she violated his right to a fair trial in the deaths of his wife and son.

A jury found Murdaugh guilty, but the state Supreme Court overturned the convictions and life sentences earlier this year saying Hill’s comments to jurors suggested the once-prominent lawyer was guilty and his testimony in his own defense couldn’t be trusted.

The problem with Murdaugh’s legal reasoning is he would have had to spend the money anyway because it wasn’t Hill who investigated or pursued justice against him, Judge Richard Gergel wrote in his ruling Wednesday. Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a notice to appeal about two hours later.

Investigators said Murdaugh was addicted to opioids and his complex schemes to steal money from clients and his family’s law firm were starting to unravel so he killed his wife and son to divert attention and buy time to find a way out of his problems.

tial agreement would have ships enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled

by Oman. Service fees would be charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, the officials said.

The U.S. has said it is strongly opposed to any arrangement that would see Iran charge fees.

Trump was asked on Tuesday evening by reporters about a report on the Axios news site that an announcement on the strait could be made on Wednesday.

“It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” Trump said. “A lot of progress has been made.”

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed Wednesday they had fired ballistic missiles toward a Saudi oil tanker on the Red Sea off the Saudi port of Yanbu, without providing evidence. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

PROVIdEd PHOTO By RUSSELL JOHNSON

Construction crews drill wells for border wall construction in July in Luna County, N.M., along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border wall contractors told to stop drilling wells

BY MIKELLA SCHUETTLER

immediately returned.

Associated Press

Agency says contractors drilled illegally

PHOENIX — The Trump administration has ordered construction crews on a border wall to stop drilling wells in droughtstricken New Mexico after ranchers said pumping groundwater needed to make concrete could threaten their livestock.

The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of President Donald Trump’s highest domestic priorities — barriers that span four states and received over $46 billion in federal funding. Controversies have sprouted up in Texas and California, with border-town residents and environmentalists reporting a wide variety of issues with construction.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees border wall construction, has said water is needed to make concrete for roads, wall construction and dust suppression. Cattle ranchers in the area say the drought has already forced them to reduce their herd size.

“It would put us in an immediate catastrophe and having to do something with our livestock. I mean, it could potentially put some people out of business, us included,” said Russell Johnson, a cattle rancher whose property runs along the border.

Johnson raised the issue at a public meeting in July after noticing an industrial well, which drilling crews told him would pump 300 gallons a minute, on land he leases for grazing. Johnson has roughly 12 wells across his ranch, which pump between three and seven gallons a minute.

A spokesperson for CBP said on Monday that border wall contractors in New Mexico have been instructed to stop drilling new wells, but did not comment on whether the wells already drilled could be pumped. The agency said they would collaborate with New Mexico and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a groundwater strategy.

“CBP is committed to working collaboratively with local landowners to ensure that construction activities do not adversely impact their water needs,” read the statement.

The federal contractors building the wall in New Mexico — Caddell Construction Co. and Fisher Industries — did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. Messages left with receptionists for Barnard Construction and Spencer Construction Co., the contractors building near Johnson’s ranch, were not

The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, which monitors and approves wells across the state, said staff have counted eight wells drilled without the office’s permission along the southern border, but cautioned there could be more. Staff visited two wells in July and reported they were pumping 200 gallons per minute.

“All nontribal wells in New Mexico, whether they are drilled on state or federal land, must have permits from the state engineer before they can be drilled or water can be pumped from them,” the Office of the State Engineer said in a statement.

The wells for border construction were all drilled on a federally owned strip of land 18 miles wide that extends just north of the border called the Roosevelt Reservation. CBP did not respond to follow up questions about whether the federal government has a right to pump groundwater on federal land without state oversight.

Cattle ranchers report culling herds Tom Patterson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, says water is the No. 1 concern for ranchers and that if wells start to go dry, it’s already too late. During wall construction in Trump’s first term, Patterson said, contractors bought water from farms, ranches, or municipalities in the area, which meant the amount of water being pumped from nearby basins didn’t increase during construction.

“Why do they need all this water?” said Patterson. “And why can’t they buy it as they have in the past from farmers, ranchers, or even from Luna County?”

Johnson said the moratorium on future well drilling is a step in the right direction, but he’s still worried after a contractor told him the well near his ranch could eventually be pumped if crews ended up needing the water. Though beef prices are up, Johnson has been forced to reduce his herd to one third its original capacity. He cites the drought, which has left less grass for cattle to graze on, as the main reason for the drop.

Before the first border wall went up, Johnson remembers seeing at least one truck of people crossing his ranch every week. Now, he says illegal crossing hardly ever happens on his ranch. As a former Border Patrol agent, he supports the border wall but doesn’t believe it should cost him his livelihood.

NEW YORK — Parasitic illness cases in 15 states have been linked to iceberg lettuce, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.

Cyclospora cases have been reported in at least 47 states this year, and investigators have continued to probe how many could be linked to a common contaminated source.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of states tied to the deadly outbreak had grown from nine to 15.

Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina were added to a list that previously included Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Investigators initially narrowed in on lettuce served at Taco Bell. Federal officials subsequently said they are focused on Taylor Farms as the source, and the company has recalled iceberg lettuce grown in

central Mexico.

There are several reasons cyclospora outbreaks can be hard to investigate and contain, said Dr. Juan Luis Marquez, medical director of the Washtenaw County and Livingston County health departments in Michigan.

It can take weeks between when someone is exposed to the parasite and when they come down with symptoms; it’s harder to analyze the parasite in laboratories; and it’s a lot of work to interview everyone who is sick and clearly identify common exposures, said Marquez, an adjunct public health professor at the University of Michigan.

Also, “there have been staffing cuts at all levels of public health — federal, local, state — so there are less resources and capacity generally available,” Marquez said in a statement.

Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.

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El-Sayed win is breakthrough for progressives Senate race close in battleground state of Michigan

BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

DETROIT — Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official who harnessed Democratic frustration with the party establishment, narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary, setting up a crucial test for progressives in a key battleground state.

El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in November in a race that will help determine control of the Senate. His first challenge will be unifying Democratic factions after a bitter primary that offered divergent visions for a party desperate for a path back to power.

The margin was extraordinarily close. El-Sayed walked off the stage at his Tuesday night election party without declaring victory, and the race was not called until early Wednesday, after nearly all ballots statewide had been counted.

At the time The Associated Press declared him the winner, El-Sayed led Stevens by 14,893 votes — just under 1 percentage point — out of more than 1.5 million ballots counted, the most in recent state history.

The political significance of the result, however, extends well beyond the slim margin.

“Abdul’s victory was, in my opinion, the most extraordinary victory that I can think of in modern American politics,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, a leader of the progres-

defined its early months.

“Back in April, I remember talking to a room of five people,” he said. “It was an opportunity for us to share an honest conversation about pain and about purpose. And I’ve been able to have 500 more of those discussions over the past 15 months.”

El-Sayed said he visited 110 cities and hosted more than 500 events. His volunteer network grew alongside the campaign, eventually reaching 12,000 people, according to his campaign.

The campaign also embraced a media strategy that reflected El-Sayed’s years outside elected office, aggressively pursuing atASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By JULIA dEMAREE NIKHINSON tention across traditional outlets, podcasts and online platforms.

Abdul El-Sayed departs following a news conference Wednesday in Some appearances, including muldetroit shortly after winning the democratic nomination for U.S. Senate tiple interviews with controversial in Michigan. streamer Hasan Piker, drew swift backlash. sive movement who was an early Party. It was an initial step toward supporter of El-Sayed’s candidacy, a unified front after a bitter pri- ‘Movement of the many’ said Wednesday. mary, and it reflected El-Sayed’s On July 5, McMorrow ended her El-Sayed, 41, has never held extraordinary political trajectory campaign, leaving a two-person elected office and entered the race in less than a decade. race between El-Sayed and Steseven years after losing MichiAfter losing the 2018 Democratic vens. Soon after, El-Sayed stood gan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary for governor to Whitmer, before door-knocking volunteers primary by more than 20 percent- El-Sayed retreated into the political in a Grand Rapids park and deage points. This time, running on wilderness. He started a podcast, clared that “we have a chance of an unapologetically progressive wrote a book and became a regular winning this election.” agenda, he overcame more than presence on YouTube and televi“More importantly, we have a $60 million in outside spending sion, slowly building a following chance at winning our politics,” Eland an opponent backed by many while waiting for a political opening Sayed said. “What we’re doing is of Michigan’s top Democrats, in- he did not know would come. building a movement of the many It arrived when Peters made the against the money.” cluding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer In the final days, El-Sayed leaned surprise announcement that he and outgoing Sen. Gary Peters. would not seek reelection, creating even further into the strategy that Extraordinary trajectory an open Senate seat in one of the had helped build his campaign.

El-Sayed was joined on Wednes- country’s most competitive states. He marched through downtown El-Sayed launched his campaign Detroit alongside social media inday by state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a former opponent in the Sen- in April 2025 with a staff of four. fluencers, then attended a private ate primary, and Curtis Hertel, In his victory speech Wednesday, pool party with content creators, chair of the Michigan Democratic he recalled the small rooms that including Piker.

On election day, El-Sayed did three interviews with content creators at Detroit’s Eastern Market before doing three more with traditional news organizations, including The Associated Press and MS NOW. Hours later, the campaign that had once struggled to fill small rooms packed Detroit’s Majestic Theatre for an election night party.

Progressives see a test El-Sayed’s victory gave progressives something they have been seeking — evidence that their politics could prevail not just in deep-blue cities and congressional districts, but in a Democratic primary in one of the nation’s premier swing states.

“Abdul El-Sayed is now the tip of the spear for the theory that shakeup-the-system economic fighters can win in swing states,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, who campaigned alongside ElSayed in the final days.

The November race against Rogers, Green added, is “put up or shut up time” for the movement.

El-Sayed campaigned on “Medicare for All,” ending military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform. He had support from progressive leaders including Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who framed the race as both a grassroots movement and a broader fight against the establishment and big-money spending.

Outside groups backing Stevens ultimately spent more than $60 million, including more than $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its affiliates.

Man arrested at Trump’s golf course faces weapons charges

By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — A California man who was arrested at President Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course was pretending to be part of the security detail preparing for Trump’s visit and had a stash of illegal weapons in his car and home, authorities said.

Jeanine John Taele, 38, was due in court Wednesday on a federal weapons charge but the hearing was canceled. He is being held at a downtown LA jail on state charges, according to booking records and not yet in federal custody, said a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office.

Taele was arrested Sunday at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, two

days before Trump visited for a fundraising dinner.

Taele was first seen on the property Friday, walking throughout the course wearing an earpiece and taking photos and videos of federal agents’ activities as they conducted a security assessment, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Taele drove away but then returned to the course Sunday. He approached federal agents and said he was employed by the State Department and was there for a security detail. Taele said he had a loaded weapon in his vehicle and was arrested after it was searched, according to federal officials.

Authorities also found a 16-round magazine with ammunition in his pocket.

He already appeared in

court on state weapons charges and a second-degree robbery charge for an unrelated incident.

Taele is charged federally with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle that was found at this home, authorities said. The complaint alleges the firearm is an illegally modified ARstyle rifle with a barrel that was cut down to 10 inches from 14 inches.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said a search of his pickup truck in the club parking lot turned up a loaded 9 mm pistol, binoculars and a badge that read “security protection agent,” according to federal prosecutors.

Law enforcement searched his home in the nearby city of Downey on

Monday and found a rifle and other firearms, magazines and ammunition, body armor and notebooks with “concerning statements,” federal authorities said. No details about the statements were released.

“Mr. Taele’s troubling behavior at the President’s public golf course merely days before the President

was expected to arrive raised serious red flags for law enforcement,” Patrick Grandy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, said in a statement.

In brief remarks about Taele’s arrest to Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said “only consequential presidents” are targeted, “and

I am definitely consequential,” which he said brought him “a little solace.”

Taele was a corporal in the U.S. Marines who was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan in 2010 and worked as a warehouse clerk, according to the U.S. Marine Corps.

He earned numerous commendations, including an award for good conduct.

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Influencer killed during livestream UNLIMITED FOR JUST $35/MONTH.

BY MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — A gunman killed a social media influencer during a livestream in Mexico’s volatile northwestern state of Sinaloa, authorities said Wednesday, a public killing that underscored ongoing violence targeting social media personalities in the Latin American nation.

The influencer, César Gastélum, was killed on Tuesday night in the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan, officials said. Mexican authorities implied the killing of the young man was linked to cartel violence but did not blame any particular group.

A video of the moment of his death, which was viewed by The Associated Press, shows him laughing with two other men in a parking lot when two men pull up on a motorcycle.

One is seen pulling out a gun and shooting Gastélum. The attackers then flee the scene.

The attack was carried out just blocks

away from the local prosecutor’s office during rush hour.

Gastélum had more than 650,000 followers on TikTok, and more on Instagram and other social media platforms and would regularly post comedy videos and content layered over Mexican regional music. He at times referred to himself in his videos as “bélico,” a term often used in subcultures in Mexico to imply a connection to cartel culture.

Sinaloa has in recent years been ravaged by warring between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. At the height of the fighting, dead bodies would be left across the city marked with a faction’s signature. One of them, Los Chapitos, would regularly leave a pizza or a pizza box on a dead body. The other, Los Mayos, would leave behind a sombrero, and it soon became dangerous to wear the hats in Culiacan as it could signify allegiance to one group.

On Tuesday night, Gastélum was filmed wearing a white sombrero.

Scientists certain SpaceX rocket hit moon

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported.

Although no one observed the actual 5,400mph collision, a telescope in Chile spotted what astronomers have identified as the debris plume resulting from the crash. Space tracking experts said it was inevitable that the leftover rocket segment plowed into the moon.

SpaceX’s Julianna Scheiman said this week that the company is working with NASA to avoid future wrecks, stressing that this projected crash was not deliberate. A combination of solar activity and gravity accidentally put it on a collision course with the moon, she said.

Boston University’s Carl Schmidt said he is “100% certain” that his team’s observations revealed signs of the lunar crash. The

European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope detected a stream of sodium and lithium stretching for miles into space for at least five to 10 minutes following the impact, he added.

“We don’t have images of the impact” but there’s telescope evidence, Schmidt said in an email.

Even before signs of the debris plume were spotted by the telescope in Chile, retired astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell noted that observations of the dead 4-ton upper stage on Tuesday night showed it heading straight for the moon. The anticipated crash site was a dusty, barren patch near Einstein Crater on the moon’s sunlit western limb — near the edge of the near and far sides, which is especially difficult to observe from Earth.

“There’s no doubt in my mind” that the rocket “is now in teeny, little pieces scattered over the moon near Einstein Crater,” McDowell told The Associated Press.

“As a physicist, I know that what goes up must come down,” he added.

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

MURRILL

Continued from page 1A ed prosecution fade away. She and Gov. Jeff Landry have urged state and federal investigations.

The attorney general’s request to Williams’ office sought phone records, written communications or draft bills of indictment that might indicate the district attorney’s involvement in the secret inquiry into Murrill. The request for records from White also sought communications on the origins of the July 2 indictment.

After the Louisiana Supreme Court swiftly stayed the indictment before Murrill could be booked, White dropped the charges, saying she did so under pressure from Williams and the other city leaders who were cast as Murrill’s victims by the grand jury.

Williams’ office formally recused itself on June 1. He’s said he had no role in an investigation the grand jury appears to have initiated on its own, exercising a little-known power under state law.

But Murrill and Gov. Jeff Landry continued to cast doubt on those claims Wednesday outside the federal appeals court in New Orleans, both saying it stretched credulity.

With the charges against her dropped, Murrill said her push for public records remains personal.

lll

“I do not believe and nobody that I know believes that this just happened magically all by itself,” Murrill said.

“It’s for me to know, and I think for everybody to know. I think we all deserve to, at this point.”

She raised the specter of suing for malicious prosecution but said she would reserve judgment, noting that both she and Landry have called for criminal investigations into the grand jury and possible leaks.

Murrill was accused of crimes for sending letters in May to Williams, Mayor Helena Moreno and five council members, claiming they were breaking the law and risked their jobs by backing an election for a unified court clerk. She argued she was doing her job.

After heavy pressure from Landry and others, the local leaders urged White, a former criminal court judge, to drop the case.

Murrill argued Wednesday that dropping the indictment didn’t affect her right to the records. If anything, Arcuri argued that it cleared legal barriers Williams had claimed in his response.

“Laurie White hasn’t answered at all. She’s refused to conduct a search,” Murrill said. “Jason Williams basically pointed at other directions. He didn’t adequately respond to our request either.”

Murrill said she would pay the lawyers herself for her quest for records

now that the criminal case is closed.

On Wednesday, White questioned why Murrill was still pursuing the records at all.

“You can’t seem to ever make Liz Murrill’s attorneys happy, or Liz Murrill. I’ve answered their questions. I dismissed the case at the request of the politicians in New Orleans,” she said.

“I don’t know what she’s looking for.

There’s no deep unknown conspiracy, and if there was, what does she hope to do? Retaliate? Which is exactly the complaint the good citizens had at the grand jury because of her letters,” White added.

“It was dismissed. How is anything that’s going on going to be perceived as anything but retaliation and retribution and intimidation?”

Williams’ office issued a statement saying it promptly responded to Arcuri’s July 10 records request and hadn’t heard from him about any “alleged deficiencies” since.

“Rather than attempting to resolve any perceived dispute through a simple conversation with our office, Mr. Arcuri and Ms. Cannizzaro chose to file this mandamus action,” the statement read.

“Their decision to bypass any effort at communication and proceed directly to litigation speaks for itself, diverting scarce judicial resources to a dispute that could have been resolved with a single phone call or email.”

CDC

Continued from page 1A about when Schwartz will start the job or her salary.

The CDC has been in turmoil since Trump returned to office last year.

Largely due to layoffs and resignations, the agency has lost 3,000-plus employees, more than onequarter of its workforce.

Morale has plummeted as a succession of mostly temporary leaders has come and gone.

The front office has been staffed by political appointees with little or no training in medicine or public health.

“Now, Dr. Schwartz needs to prove that her leadership will serve science and not the whims of politicians. CDC needs a Director who will protect public health workers, defend evidence-based guidance, and refuse any directive that would undermine public safety,” said the National Public Health Coalition, an organization of former and current CDC Public Notices Sheriff Sales

ON ITS SOUTHERLY BOUNDARY LINE AND HAVING SUCH FURTHER MEASUREMENTS, BOUND‐ ARIES, CONFIGURATIONS AND DIMENSIONS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN AND DESCRIBED ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY. SUBJECT TO SERVI‐ RESTRICTIONS, TUDES, RIGHTS-OF-WAY AND OUTSTANDING MIN‐ ERAL RIGHTS OF RECORD AFFECTING THE PROP‐ ERTY. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 149 E BUTCHER SWITCH RD, LAFAYETTE, LA 70507

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Public Notices Bids/Proposals

PUBLIC NOTICE --NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be ac‐ cepted until 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 14, 2026, at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office at 316 W. Main Street, Lafayette, Louisiana for the follow‐ ing: #2027-05 Vehicle Emer‐ gency Equipment For information on this bid, contact the Finance Office at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Documents are also available at the Sheriff’s Office Website at www. lafayettesheriff.com and www.centralauctionh ouse.com. Bids received after the above date and time will be returned un‐ opened. Bids will be eval‐ uated by and purchased based on quality, cost and adaptability of said items.

Bidders must comply with all condi‐ tions submitted in bid specifications. The Sher‐ iff reserves the right to reject any and all bids deemed unsuitable in the best public interest.

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

LAFAYETTE (BEING ALL OF THAT PORTION OF LOT WHICH REMAINS 34, AFTER THE SALE TO THE FOR ROBINSON CITY EXTENSION); STREET THAT SAID LOT HAS A WIDTH ON THE NORTH SIDE OF 70.77 FEET, A DEPTH ALONG THE EAST LINE OF 115.22 FEET, HAV‐ ING A DEPTH ON THE WEST LINE AS SHOWN ON PLAT OF SURVEY AT‐ TACHED TO ACT NO. 8212317 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH AND COMING TO A POINT ON THE SOUTH AND NORTH BY BOUNDED PROPERTY OF V.P. PIER‐ RET OR ASSIGNS, EAST‐ ERLY BY PROPERTY OF J. ALFRED MOUTON OR AS‐ SIGNS, SOUTHERLY BY WILKINS STREET, AND WESTERLY BY ROBINSON STREET EXTENSION, ALL IS MORE FULLY AS SHOWN ON THE HEREIN PLAT OF MENTIONED SURVEY. MUNICIPAL AD‐ DRESS: 1900 N SAINT AN‐ STREET, TOINE LAFAYETTE, LA 70501 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026

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DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST AMERICAS COMPANY F/K/A BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR SAXON ASSET SECU‐ TRUST 2000-3, RITIES MORTGAGE LOAN ASSET CERTIFICATES, BACKED SERIES 2000-3 Versus No. 20262315 THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UN‐ KNOWN HEIRS OF DORIS A/K/A DORIS BENOIT AND JACOBY BENOIT AND MALBROUGH, LORENA CORMIER MOU‐ TON A/K/A LORENA C. MOUTON A/K/A LORENA CLIFTON MOUTON, JOSEPH CORMIER, JR. CLIFTON J. A/K/A JR. A/K/A CORMIER, CLIFTON CORMIER, JR. AND JOSEPH BELLOW, HEIRS OF CONNIE BEL‐ CORMIER A/K/A LOW B. CORMIER CONNIE A/K/A CONNIE CORMIER 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and appraise‐ ***WITH*** ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public at the auction, LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF LOT 34 OF LILLIAN HEIGHTS SUBDIVISION, IN THE CITY AND PARISH OF

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

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HOME BANK, N.A. Versus No. 20257142 JASON PAUL ROBINO 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and appraise‐ ***WITH*** ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public at the auction, LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES, AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING OR IN ANY‐ WISE APPERTAINING, LO‐ CATED IN SECTION 35, TOWNSHIP 10 SOUTH, 5 EAST, RANGE PARISH, LAFAYETTE BEING LOUISIANA, AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOT 7, MAGNO‐ LIA RIDGE, AS SHOWN ON THE SUBDIVISION PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY ENGINEERING DUBROC INC., DATED JULY 27, 2001, LAST REVISED MARCH 20, 2002, AND RECORDED APRIL 18, 2002, UNDER ACT NO. 02-017750 IN THE OF THE RECORDS PARISH LAFAYETTE CLERK OF COURT’S OF‐ FICE. THE LOT HAVING A FRONTAGE ON LANTANA COURT WITH SUCH FUR‐ THER DIMENSIONS, MEA‐ BOUND‐ SUREMENTS, ARIES, SHAPE, FORM, LO‐ CATION AND CONFIGURA‐ TION AS SHOWN ON THE SUBDIVISION PLAT OF

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SURVEY AND IS BOUNDED WESTERLY BY LANTANA COURT, NORTHERLY BY LOT 8, EASTERLY BY PROPERTY LOCATED IN BEAU CLOS SUBDIVISION, AND SOUTHERLY BY LOT 6. BEING THE SAME PROPERTY ACQUIRED BY JASON PAUL ROBING BY ACT OF CASH SALE FROM JOHN AL LINGO OF EVEN DATE AND RECORDED IN THE RECORDS OF THE PARISH LAFAYETTE CLERK OF COURT’S OF‐ FICE. THE PROPERTY OR ITS ADDRESS IS COM‐ MONLY KNOWN AS 103 LANTANA COURT, BROUS‐ SARD, LA 70518-7618.

THIS PROPERTY WAS OFFERED PREVIOUSLY APPRAISEMENT, WITH BUT NO BIDS WERE RE‐ CEIVED, SO THE SALE WILL BE OFFERED AT COST AND ACCORDING TO LAW. ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $40.97 SHERIFF'S SALE HOME BANK, N.A. Versus No. 20260701 339 SOUTH BUCHANAN LLC, SEAN JACKSON, AND CRYSTAL JACKSON 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and appraise‐ ***WITH*** ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public at the auction, LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: 1. THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF GROUND, TOGETHER ALL IMPROVE‐ WITH MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING AND ALL AP‐ PURTENANCES THEREOF, BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS A PORTION OF LOTS 11, 12 AND 13, BLOCK 1, OF THE MC‐ COMB ADDITION TO THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE; SAID PARCEL OF GROUND IS BOUNDED NORTHERLY BY STREET, BUCHANAN SOUTHERLY BY AN ABAN‐ DONED ALLEY, AND THE PROPERTY OF O. P. DALY, ET AL, HEIRS OR ASSIGNS, WESTERLY BY PORTIONS OF LOTS 11 AND 12 BE‐ LONGING TO LEO KNIGHT OR ASSIGNS, AND EAST‐ ERLY BY PORTIONS OF LOT 13 BELONGING TO THE STATE OF LOUISIANA OR ASSIGNS; THE PROP‐ HEREIN BEING ERTY MORE FULLY SHOWN AND DESIGNATED BY THE LET‐ TERS A, B, C, D, E & A ON A PLAT OF SURVEY BY R. W. LAURENT, C. E., DATED JULY 16, 1969, A COPY OF WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 543750 OF THE RECORDS OF

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND IS MADE A PART HEREOF BY REF‐ ERENCE THERETO; TO‐ GETHER WITH 2. THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND, DESIGNATED AS “969.52 SQ. FT.” ON A PLAT OF SURVEY OF ED‐ MOND E DUPRE, JR., DATED OCTOBER 16, 1984 AND ATTACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 2003-11823 OF RECORDS OF THE PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, SAID TRACT BEING A PORTION OF THE ABANDONED ALLEY ON SOUTHEAST OF THE TRACT 1, ABOVE. THE PROPERTY OR ITS AD‐ DRESS IS COMMONLY AS 339 S. KNOWN STREET, BUCHANAN LAFAYETTE, LA 70501 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $41.19 SHERIFF'S SALE HOME BANK, N.A. Versus No. 20262657 MARILYN ELIZABETH DUHON 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: THOSE TWO CERTAIN PARCELS OF GROUND, IMPROVEMENTS, WITH BEING KNOWN AND DES‐ IGNATED AS THE SOUTH‐ WESTERN HALF OF LOTS 12 AND 13, BLOCK 7 OF SECOND NICKERSON AD‐ LAFAYETTE DITION, LOUISIANA. PARISH, EACH OF SAID LOTS HAV‐ ING A FRONTAGE OF 25 FEET ON RANSOME AV‐ ENUE BY A DEPTH BE‐ TWEEN PARALLEL LINES OF 65 FEET AND HAVE THE FURTHER DIMEN‐ SIONS AND BOUNDARIES AS WILL BE SHOWN ON THE PLAT OF SURVEY OF ADDITION OF SAID RECORD IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT LAFAYETTE AND FOR MADE A PART HEREOF BY THERETO. REFERENCE SAID PROPERTY BEARS A MUNICIPAL ADDRESS OF 127 RANSOME STREET, LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE, 70501.

BEING THE SAME PROP‐ ERTY ACQUIRED BY MOR‐ GAN ANTHONY GISCLAIR AND CHARLOTTE JEAN‐ MARD GISCLAIR BY ACT DONATION DATED OF SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 AND FILED UNDER ENTRY NO. 07-43955, RECORDS OF PARISH, LAFAYETTE MUNICIPAL LOUISIANA. ADDRESS: 127 RANSOME STREET, LAFAYETTE, LA 70501 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S

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ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $35.83 SHERIFF'S SALE HOME BANK Versus No. CATHRYN 20262370 HARISTY MATTE 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN TRACT OR OF GROUND, PARCEL IMPROVEMENTS, WITH 13.222 CONTAINING ACRES MORE OR LESS, BEING SHOWN AS THE PROPERTY OF DALE SIS‐ SAID PROPERTY LEY, BEING SITUATED IN SEC‐ TION 79, TOWNSHIP 8 SOUTH, RANGE 4 EAST, PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA. SAID PARCEL HAVING A FRONTAGE ON MARTIN PREJEAN ROAD, AND HAS THE DIMEN‐ SIONS, MEASUREMENTS, SHAPE, BOUNDARIES, FORM, LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION AS WILL BE SHOWN ON THE PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY J. BREAUX, MICHAEL DATED NOVEMBER 27, 2000, A COPY OF WHICH IS ATTACHED TO ENTRY NO. 00-044678, OF THE RECORDS OF THE CLERK OF COURT’S OFFICE FOR PARISH OF THE LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, MADE A PART AND HEREOF BY REFERENCE THERETO (“PROPERTY”).

MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 339 MARTIN PREJEAN ROAD, CARENCRO, LA 70520 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $34.11 SHERIFF'S SALE LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVIC‐ ING, LLC Versus No. 20257466 MARK J. HO‐ TARD AND KATHLEEN WHITTINGTON HOTARD 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale

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Public Notices Sheriff Sales

and sell for cash, ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PLOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS AND THE COMPO‐ NENT PARTS THEREOF, SITUATED IN SECTION 43, R4E, LAFAYETTE T9S, PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND BEING SHOWN AND DE‐ PICTED AS PLOT I ON THAT CERTAIN MAP OF SURVEY PREPARED BY & LAURENT, COLOMB SURVEYOR & ENGINEER, FEBRUARY 11, DATED 1960, A COPY OF WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THAT ACT FILED CERTAIN UNDER ENTRY NO. 423428, RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, PARISH, WHICH MAP OF SURVEY IS MADE A PART HEREOF

BY REFERENCE THERETO, SAID PLOT BEING ALL THE CONTAINED PROPERTY WITHIN THE LETTERS A, B, C, D AND A ON SAID MAP OF SURVEY, MEA‐ SURING 91.7 FEET, MORE LESS, ON ITS OR SOUTHERLY BOUNDARY LINE AND 90.0 FEET, MORE OR LESS, ON ITS NORTHERLY BOUNDARY LINE, AND HAVING SUCH MEASURE‐ FURTHER BOUNDARIES, MENTS, AND CONFIGURATIONS AS ARE DIMENSIONS MORE FULLY SHOWN AND DESCRIBED ON SAID MAP OF SURVEY. AND THAT CERTAIN PLOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS AND THE COMPO‐ NENT PARTS THEREOF, SITUATED IN SECTION 43, R4E, LAFAYETTE T9S, PARISH, LOUISIANA, CON‐ TAINING 0.104 OF AN ACRE, MORE OR LESS, AND BEING SHOWN AND DEPICTED AS PLOT 1-A ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY IRVIN L. DERANGER, P.E. & P.L.S., DATED AUGUST 22, 2006, A COPY OF WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THAT ACT FILED CERTAIN UNDER ENTRY NO. 2006RECORDS OF 39990, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, WHICH PLAT OF SURVEY IS MADE A PART HEREOF BY REFER‐ THERETO, SAID ENCE PLOT MEASURING 18.38 FEET, MORE OR LESS, ON ITS SOUTHERLY BOUND‐ ARY LINE AND HAVING FURTHER MEA‐ SUCH BOUND‐ SUREMENTS, ARIES, CONFIGURATIONS AND DIMENSIONS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN AND DESCRIBED ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY. AND THAT CERTAIN PLOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS AND THE COMPO‐ NENT PARTS THEREOF, SITUATED IN SECTION 43, R4E, LAFAYETTE T9S, PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND BEING SHOWN AND DE‐ PICTED AS “40’ R/W FOR ROAD” ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PRE‐ PARED BY IRVIN L. DE‐ RANGER, P.E. & P.L.S., DATED AUGUST 22, 2006, A COPY OF WHICH IS AT‐ TACHED TO THAT CER‐ TAIN ACT FILED UNDER ENTRY NO. 2006-39990, RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, PARISH, WHICH PLAT OF SURVEY IS MADE A PART HEREOF

BY REFERENCE THERETO, SAID PLOT MEASURING 40.8 FEET, MORE OR LESS,

LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $54.27 SHERIFF'S SALE LLC D/B/A NEWREZ SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING Versus No. 20255543 THE OPENED SUCCESSION OF MAS‐ TERN ST JULIEN, JR MASTERN ST. (A/K/A JULIEN, MASTERN M. ST. JULIEN

workers, in a statement Wednesday.

When Schwartz was nominated in April, public health experts were cautiously optimistic, citing her background.

They also noted that Schwartz was the choice of Trump and not Kennedy, who is a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before he was tapped to oversee the CDC and other federal health agencies.

Schwartz was the third Trump nominee for CDC director in the past 18 months.

The first was a former Florida congressman, Dr. David Weldon. His Senate hearing in March 2025 was canceled an hour before it was to begin. Weldon said at the time that he had been told not enough senators were willing to vote for him.

The White House then moved on to Susan Monarez, who had been serving as the CDC’s acting director. Monarez was confirmed by the Senate, but ousted from the job in less than a month.

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

GETHER WITH ALL THE AND IM‐ BUILDINGS PROVEMENTS THEREON, SITUATED IN THE PARISH OF LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN THAT SUB‐ DIVISION KNOWN AS ES‐ TATES AT MOSS BLUFF, PHASE III, AND BEING DESIGNATED ON THE OF‐ FICIAL PLAT OF SAID SUB‐ DIVISION, ON FILE AND OF RECORD IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK AND OF SAID RECORDER PARISH AND STATE, AS LOT NUMBER 148, SAID SUBDIVISION, SAID LOT SUCH SIZE, HAVING SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS AND BEING SUBJECT TO SUCH SERVITUDES AS ARE SHOWN ON SAID MAP (“PROPERTY”). MUNICI‐ PAL ADDRESS: 610 BAY LN., MEADOW LAFAYETTE, LA 70507 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $33.47 SHERIFF'S SALE

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA

RAYNE STATE BANK & TRUST COMPANY Versus No. 20261185 CARDON SALES COMPANY, LLC

Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and appraise‐ ***WITH*** ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public at the auction, LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit:

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF LAFAYETTE STATE OF LOUISIANA

THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐ GETHER WITH ALL BUILD‐ AND IMPROVE‐ INGS MENTS THEREON, AND ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐ LEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐ PURTENANCES AND AD‐ THEREUNTO VANTAGES BELONGING OR IN ANY‐ WISE APPERTAINING, LO‐ CATED IN SECTION 111, 9 SOUTH, TOWNSHIP RANGE 5 EAST, BEING AND DESIG‐ KNOWN NATED AS LOT 127 OF CANADIAN HEIGHTS SUB‐ DIVISION, PHASE II, CITY PARISH OF AND LAFAYETTE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN THE SUBDIVISION ON PLAT OF SURVEY PRE‐ PARED BY CAFFERY, PETE & REAUX, DATED JANU‐ 12, 1979, AND ARY RECORDED MARCH 27, 1979 UNDER ACT NO. 79007163 IN THE RECORDS THE LAFAYETTE OF CLERK OF PARISH COURT’S OFFICE. THE LOT HAVING A FRONTAGE ON SASKATCHEWAN AVENUE WITH SUCH DIMENSIONS, MEASUREMENTS, BOUND‐ ARIES, SHAPE, FORM, LO‐ CATION AND CONFIGURA‐ TION AS SHOWN ON THE SUBDIVISION PLAT OF SURVEY. THE LOT BEING MORE FULLY SHOWN ON A PLAT OF SURVEY PRE‐ PARED BY EDMOND E. DUPRE, JR., INC., DATED APRIL 7, 1994.

WHICH HAS THE AD‐ OF 201 DRESS SASKATCHEWAN AVENUE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70501 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $38.19 SHERIFF'S SALE

Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale and sell for cash, ***WITH*** appraise‐ ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND FLOOR in Lafayette, Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: THE PROPERTY REFERRED TO AND COVERED BY THE FOREGOING MORTGAGE IS DESCRIBED AS FOL‐ LOWS: THAT CERTAIN TRACT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TOGETHER WITH ALL BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS AND THE COMPONENT PARTS THEREOF, SITU‐ ATED IN SECTIONS 55 AND/OR 97, T10S, R5E, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, CONTAINING 1.00 ACRE, MORE OR LESS, AND BEING KNOWN DESIGNATED AS AND TRACT A-5 OF CUMMINGS INDUSTRIAL PARK (A/K/A PAUL CUMMINGS INDUS‐ TRIAL PARK), SAID TRACT HAVING SUCH MEASURE‐ BOUNDARIES, MENTS, AND CONFIGURATIONS AS ARE DIMENSIONS MORE FULLY SHOWN AND DESCRIBED ON THAT CER‐ TAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY MONTAG‐ NET AND DOMINGUE, INC. DATED MARCH 9, 2007, REVISED JUNE 18, 2007, A COPY OF WHICH IS AT‐ TACHED TO THAT CER‐ TAIN ACT FILED UNDER ENTRY NO. 2007-32038, RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, PARISH, WHICH PLAT OF SURVEY IS MADE A PART HEREOF

BY REFERENCE THERETO. FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY: SAID LOT BEARS THE MUNICI‐ PAL ADDRESS OF 213 ROAD, CUMMINGS BROUSSARD, LOUISIANA 70518.

ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $36.90

PENNYMAC LOAN SER‐ VICES, LLC Versus No. 20262147 CORDERIA J. STINER AND LARRIONA BOUDREAUX A/K/A LAR‐ BOUDREAUX RIONA STINER

SERVBANK, N.A. Versus No. 20256890 EFRAIN ALE‐ JANDRO GARCIA

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA

15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA

Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit:

Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and ap‐ ***WITHOUT*** praisement, to the last and highest bidder, at public auction, at the LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit:

ONE (1) CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐

LOT 56, NORTH

SHERIFF'S SALE

FAIRGROUNDS SUBDIVISION

Public Notices Sheriff Sales

PHASE II, LOCATED IN SECTION 35, T8S, R4E, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA, AS SHOWN ON A PLAT ENTITLED “FINAL PLAT OF FAIR‐ NORTH GROUNDS PHASES II” DATED JUNE 26, 2015, PREPARED BY PAUL L. MIERS ENGINEER‐ ING, LLC, RECORDED JULY 27, 2015, AT FILE NO. 2015RECORDS OF 28787, PARISH, LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA. WHICH HAS THE AD‐ DRESS OF 107 SADDLE CREST DRIVE, LAFAYETTE, LA 70507 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $30.68 SHERIFF'S SALE THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, F/K/A THE BANK OF NEW YORK AS SUC‐ CESSOR IN INTEREST TO JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR NO‐ MORTGAGE VASTAR FUNDING TRUST, SERIES 2006-3, NOVASTAR HOME LOAN ASSETEQUITY CERTIFICATES, BACKED SERIES 2006-3 Versus No. 20261490 CHRISTINE ANN MECHE CHRISTINE A. A/K/A MECHE A/K/A CHRISTINE MECHE 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT ---- PARISH OF STATE OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA Notice is hereby given that by virtue of a writ of SEIZURE AND SALE is‐ sued in the hereinabove entitled and numbered cause I have seized and taken into my possession and will offer for sale sell for cash, and appraise‐ ***WITH*** ment, to the last and highest bidder, at public at the auction, LAFAYETTE PARISH GOV‐ ERNMENT BUILDING, 1010 LAFAYETTE STREET, 2ND in Lafayette, FLOOR Louisiana, between the legal sale hours com‐ mencing at 10:00 A.M. on WEDNESDAY, ***AUGUST 12, 2026*** ,the following described property, to wit: THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF TOGETHER GROUND, ALL IMPROVE‐ WITH MENTS THEREON, AND ALL THE RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, AND APPURTENANCES THERE‐ ADVANTAGES UNTO BELONGING AND APPURTENANCES ALL THEREOF, BEING KNOW AND DESIGNATED AS LOT SEVENTY-FOUR (74) OF CANE PLACE SUBDIVI‐ SION, A SUBDIVISION OF PARISH OF THE LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, ON THAT CERTAIN PLAT OF SURVEY PREPARED BY CAFFERY, PATE & REAUX DATED DECEMBER 13, 1977, ATTACHED TO THAT ACT RECORDED UNDER ENTRY NO. 78-544 OF THE RECORDS OF LAFAYETTE PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND MADE PART HEREOF BY REFERENCE, AND BEING DESCRIBED WITH REFER‐ ENCE THERETO AS HAV‐ ING A FRONTAGE OF 52.36 FEET ON HARVEST DRIVE AND IS BOUNDED NORTH‐ EASTERLY BY LOT 78, BY NORTHWESTERLY LOTS 75 AND 76, SOUTH‐ EASTERLY BY LOT 73, SOUTHWESTERLY BY LOT 65, AND SOUTHERLY BY HARVEST DRIVE, AND HAVING SUCH OTHER DI‐ MENSION, BOUNDARIES AND MEASUREMENTS AS ARE MORE FULLY SHOWN ON SAID PLAT OF SURVEY. MUNICIPAL ADDRESS: 216 DRIVE, HARVEST LAFAYETTE, LA 70508 ANYONE PURCHASING PROPERTY AT SHERIFF'S SALE IS GIVEN UNTIL 2:00 P.M. ON SALE DAY TO PAY FULL PURCHASE THE AMOUNT BY CERTIFIED FUNDS PUBLISH ON: JULY 9, 2026 & AUGUST 6, 2026 LAFAYETTE PARISH SHER‐ IFF'S OFFICE MARK T. GARBER, SHER‐ IFF $39.47

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BISHOP

said Johnson, who is also Black.

“And so he’s going to be able to bring that voice as a young priest and as a Black priest to the table, which is super important.”

Mancuso said that approach was already on display during Boxie’s ordination Mass.

“He certainly spoke out very clearly for Black Catholics, for those who had been alienated from or hurt by the church and those that were searching for a place inviting them to come back,” Mancuso said. “He spoke with such power and strength but also with warmth.”

Boxie said he realizes his appointment is a big deal for Black Catholics across the country.

“This is a real sign of hope, a sign of encouragement, a sign that the church has not forgotten about Black Catholics,” he said.

Continued from page 1A he wanted to play Mass, and they didn’t want to play Mass.”

Boxie attended St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles, where his classmate Amanda Papania Hardie described him as kind and generous.

His classmates and teachers sensed he was special, she said. He was at the top of his class academically, but not everyone knew that because he was quietly driven, unassuming and humble.

“He just was good, but it wasn’t like a teacher’s pet kind of favorite thing,” Hardie said. “He really was like that. That’s just how he was all the time.”

Once he graduated high school, Boxie studied music and chemical engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He expected to eventually return to his hometown to work in the petrochemical industry.

But his plan changed after he studied abroad in Florence, Italy, which opened his eyes to interests outside of math and science.

Boxie took a year off to teach English in France, then enrolled in Harvard Law School.

He would go on to earn his law degree, clerk for a federal judge in the Washington, D.C., area and accept a position at a law firm.

That time was formative for his future calling, said the Rev. Henry Mancuso, who served as head of St. Louis Catholic High School and later as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church where Boxie grew up.

“He lived for about 15 or 16 years in a predominantly White world,” Mancuso said. “To go to Washington probably really renewed his whole sense of being a man equal to all, but also to cherish his Black experience and to be proud of it.”

By worldly standards, Boxie had it all: a high-paying job, a girlfriend, a supportive family, the ability to travel the world.

But he still felt like something was missing.

His childhood dream came back to him and he decided to go to seminary.

“It seemed like the priesthood was calling him very strong,” his mother said. “And he finally listened. He couldn’t tell God no anymore.”

Time in D.C., Rome Boxie began his seminary formation in 2010 by studying philosophy at the Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He later studied theology in Rome.

The Rev. Aaron Qureshi met Boxie in D.C. when both men were considering seminary. While Qureshi worked in information technology, Boxie was at the law firm.

There was a sense among Boxie’s peers in the seminary in Rome that Boxie was bishop material, Qureshi said, “When the news came, I don’t think it was a surprise to too many people,” Qureshi said. “A lot of us were kind of like, ‘Yeah, that checks out.’ ” Hardie, his childhood classmate from Lake Charles, also said Boxie’s journey to become a priest “made complete sense.”

During his time in seminary, Hardie and her children prepared

HOPEFULS

Continued from page 1A after filing to run for the 6th District.

“I’m not new to this district, and I’m not new to fighting for the people of this district,” state Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, told members of the media at the Secretary of State’s Office.

Miguez “is not from here,” Edmonds said. “He doesn’t understand our communities and issues.”

Edmonds said he had spoken with the White House and was confident Miguez would not get Trump’s endorsement in the 6th District; Miguez did not respond to questions about that claim.

But Edmonds also said he was unsure whether Miguez was running, or whether he would choose the 5th or 6th District.

Because of last-minute changes to the voting maps, the congressional races will be open primaries. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will head to a runoff in December.

Who qualified?

On Monday, four Republicans and one Democrat filed

‘He’s very normal’ PROVIdEd PHOTO

The Most Rev. Robert Boxie III, third from left, is pictured with, from left, his sister, Robyn Boxie; mother, Roxanne Boxie; and father, Robert Boxie Jr., at St. Mary’s Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Christmas Eve. care packages to send to him.

Later, when she traveled to Rome, he scheduled tours of the Vatican, showed her a rooftop view from the seminary that he loved and invited her to a Thanksgiving meal with him.

During a difficult divorce, he would break from his other responsibilities to hear her struggles and would regularly let her know he was praying for her.

“I’ve been around people with very impressive résumés that do not impress me,” she said. “And he’s the complete opposite. When you hear him speaking, you know he’s intelligent, but he’s very unassuming.”

When Boxie returned from Rome, he was assigned as the parochial vicar at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Largo, Maryland, just outside of D.C., for three years.

Boxie spent the next six years as the Catholic chaplain at Howard University in D.C., which he described as “the best job in the Archdiocese of Washington and even the entire United States.”

It’s also a rare gig: With over 100 historically Black colleges and universities in America, only about a dozen have Catholic ministries on campus. Of those with Catholic ministries, just six have a priest on campus.

“I was one of those six in the country,” Boxie said. “It is quite special to serve a young adult Black Catholic community on a college campus, especially at a place like Howard University — perhaps the premier HBCU in the country.”

When Boxie was appointed as a Catholic chaplain at Howard University, it was during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when only a handful of students would attend Mass in person. Now, the services are standing room only.

“They’re very inquisitive — they want to know why, why, why,” Roxanne Boxie said. “And he’s taught them why.”

Boxie said he is now one of two active African American bishops in the United States. The other is Archbishop Shelton Fabre, a New Roads native who was the bishop of the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux before becoming archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky.

There are two other active Black bishops in the United States, one from Uganda and another from Haiti, Boxie said.

The Archdiocese of Washington also was home to America’s first Black cardinal, Wilton Gregory, until his retirement last year.

“This is extremely significant,” Boxie said. “There haven’t been very many, and there certainly aren’t very many active ones right now.”

In the 1980s and 1990s, the U.S. had about a dozen active African American bishops, he said, but that number has dwindled through the years. That’s due, in part, to the number of Black priests also decreasing, which Boxie attributes to the history of racism in the Catholic Church. Black men at one point could not enter seminary, and Black women could not join religious convents. The first Black priests who were ordained could not even celebrate Mass.

“That’s not how the church is now, but that memory is still pretty apparent in a lot of people’s minds,” Boxie said. “So parents don’t want to give their sons or daughters over to that because they don’t want them to be treated like that.”

Boxie’s childhood was shaped by his small, predominantly Black church parish in Lake Charles.

Without Black leadership in the church, he said the problem of racism will persist.

“Black folks don’t feel as though they have a voice in the church,” Boxie said. “Therefore, is this church really for me? Does this church really speak for my experiences and my situation? Because I don’t see anyone who’s in leadership.”

Boxie’s life experiences differ from many other bishops, which ‘My life changed in a week’ should help him connect with members of the church, said his Boxie didn’t think anything of it longtime friend and Baton Rouge when he saw Cardinal Christophe ‘This is extremely significant’ Pierre, known as the nuncio, call Boxie is now the youngest bishop priest the Rev. Josh Johnson.

“A lot of times decisions are his number late this spring. A cou- in the United States. He’s also one ple days before, he’d taken his stu- of just a handful of active Black made by leaders in the church by people who aren’t Black or young,” dents from Howard to meet Pierre. bishops in America.

to run in the 5th District, and four Republicans filed to run in the 6th District.

The better-known contenders for the 5th District included three state legislators. Two are Republicans from Monroe: state Sen. Stewart Cathey Jr. and state Rep. Michael Echols. Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, also signed up to run.

Misti Cordell, the chair of the Board of Regents, has also announced her candidacy but did not qualify on Wednesday. Qualifying runs through Friday.

The newly-drawn 5th District covers northeast Louisiana and is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who is running for U.S. Senate. She won the Republican primary and is heavily favored to win the general election in November.

Also running in the 5th District is Austin Magee, a Republican from Franklinton, and Dan McKay, a Democrat from Bunkie.

In the 6th District, Edmonds is the heaviest hitter in the field so far.

Charlton Meginley, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, is considering entering the race, though he has not announced a decision yet, a spokesperson said.

After Boxie thanked Pierre for the opportunity for his students, the nuncio asked if Boxie was sitting down. He was.

“And then he says, ‘Pope Leo has named you the new auxiliary bishop of Washington,’ ” Boxie said.

“And I stand up. I’m like, ‘Are you sure?’ ” Boxie remembers shaking his head no as he continued to insist that there must be older, more seasoned, more qualified priests for the job. But the nuncio spoke of Boxie’s work at the university and how he’d come highly recommended by his brother priests in the diocese.

“I’m just there shaking my head the whole time,” Boxie said. “Like, this is not real. This is not happening. I’m too young. Like no. And so then he point-blank asks, ‘Do you accept?’ ” Boxie gave a hesitant “yes.”

Then he went back to trying to finish writing the homily for Howard’s final Mass of the semester.

He couldn’t yet share the news far and wide. He rescheduled his weekly Zoom call with his mom, dad and sister.

Four days later, when he finally hopped on the video call with his family, Boxie was nearly in tears.

“He’s getting ready to tell us, and we’re like, ‘Oh my God. What’s happening?’ ” Roxanne Boxie said.

“We were very, very surprised because we did not expect that at all.

He always told us that he wanted to be a parish priest and to be among people.”

At one point, his father asked Boxie if he could say no to the appointment.

Boxie responded, “You don’t tell God no.”

A week later, the announcement became public on May 1.

“My life changed in a week,” Boxie said. “The one word that just keeps coming up is ‘tremendous.’ There’s been an incredible outpouring of support, not only locally here from family, friends, acquaintances, the university but really from all across the country.”

Monique Appeaning, a Republican from Baton Rouge who served as an aide to Mayor-President Sid Edwards but departed after she was put on leave for being accused of bullying employees and using slurs, also filed to run.

Larry Davis III, a Republican from Denham Springs who declined to say where he worked, citing “ethics,” also is running.

Another Republican candidate is Michael Mebreur, of St. Francisville. Mebreur has worked as a traveling medical professional and is obtaining a master’s degree in financial economics from LSU, according to his website.

That area is now the state’s only majority-Black district and expected to be the only Democratic seat after the state Legislature redrew the

Mancuso’s advice to Boxie after his appointment was to get adequate sleep and to know deeply what he believes. As the youngest American bishop, Boxie will get invitations to speak around the world, along with diverse opinions on how to approach his new role, Mancusco said.

“I always have called him Robbie,” Mancuso said. “And when I spoke to him after the announcement, he said it made him feel good that I still called him Robbie, rather than Bishop Robbie or anything like that. That shows his humanness.”

Boxie’s friends said his vulnerability helps him to resonate with others.

“He’s not afraid to be vulnerable, to be open with others about maybe places where he has questions or is unsure and to rely on others for advice, for counsel, for encouragement,” Qureshi said.

“Sometimes, as a priest, I might look at another priest and say, ‘Is this the sort of priest that I would want as my mom’s pastor?’ And I think when you look at someone like Bishop Boxie, the answer is 100% yes.”

Johnson, who met Boxie during seminary and travels annually with him, believes Boxie will be successful in his new role because of his dedication to prayer. He’s also a great friend.

“He’s very intentional, very positive as a person,” Johnson said. “He’s very caring, and so he’s always been concerned with things that are going on throughout the world. He has a big, empathetic kind of heart, but he’s also just a smart guy. He’s very studious, likes to cut up. He’s fun to be around. He’s very normal. He’s very human.”

As the auxiliary bishop of Washington, Boxie will split duties with the Most Rev. Gary Studniewski.

Among his tasks: developing a plan to revive, staff and resource Black parishes in the archdiocese.

Although he has considered returning to southwest Louisiana over the years, Boxie said serving as a priest in the nation’s capital has been a better long-term fit.

“I love my hometown,” he said.

“It is the place that formed me and introduced me to the faith, but I have been able to grow and be challenged in Washington and have had a number of unique experiences that I wouldn’t have had in Lake Charles.”

Boxie has just one request of the community that shaped him: “Pray for me.”

6th District.

Carter, Higgins and Johnson all qualified Wednesday.

Scalise has not yet officially signed up to run.

Lauren Jewett, of Metairie, a Democrat, and Randall Arrington, of Ponchatoula, a Republican, signed up to run against Scalise.

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Other races Louisiana’s other congressional seats are held by strong incumbents — and some of the biggest names in politics, such as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents the 4th District, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who represents the 1st District.

Both are Republicans, as is U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, who holds the 3rd District seat.

None of those candidates are likely to be unseated.

Nor is U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a Democrat who represents the 2nd District.

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

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TODAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

A stray afternoon thunderstorm

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Partly sunny

An afternoon t-storm in spots

A stray afternoon thunderstorm

Humid with a t-storm in spots

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

90° 75°

LOW

93° 75°

LOW

92° 75°

91° 77°

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

Beaumont 91/77 Port Arthur 90/77

Baton Rouge 92/73

Lake Charles 91/76

10s

20s

30s

Houma 87/75

40s

50s

YESTERDAY

60s

70s

80s

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

90s 100s 110s

NEW

AUG 12

City

Austin Boston dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

PRECIPITATION

90°/77° 93°/75° 91°/74° 102° in 2023 63° in 1915

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

New Orleans 90/76

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

0s

Hattiesburg 94/73

Alexandria 92/73

Lafayette 90/75

LOW

90° 77°

TEMPERATURE Jackson 95/74

Many 94/72

LOW

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Wednesday

Longview 98/75

-0s

93° 76°

Monroe 96/75

Shreveport 96/75

-10s

LOW

Some of the same showers and storms we saw yesterday will be around again today. Expect a partly to mostly cloudy, hot, humid and breezy day with a light breeze and isolated showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will rise to the low to mid-90s. The heat index values could rise to 103 or higher. Parts of Acadiana are under a moderate heat risk, so take the proper precautions to avoid heat illnesses. Keep the umbrella with you, as rain and storms will be with us for the next few days.

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

HIGH

2:28p 8:15a 6:26a 7:36a 4:05a 3:27a 5:13a

FT.

6:30 a.m.

7:58 p.m.

12:01 a.m.

2:24 p.m.

FIRST

AUG 19

Hi

99 88 100 76 88 110 89 90 93

TODAY Lo

78 76 80 53 76 89 74 79 74

FULL

LAST

AUG 27

W

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

Firefighters get handle on Spokane wildfires

BY MANUEL VALDES, MARTHA BELLISLE and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. — Firefighters have taken advantage of cooler weather to begin getting a handle on wildfires that have displaced tens of thousands of people around Washington state’s secondlargest city, but hotter, drier and breezier days lie ahead.

Officials reported Wednesday that firefighters had established containment lines around the perimeters of all three fires affecting Spokane and that they were focused on reinforcing those lines. Temperatures were expected to climb from the 80s the past two days into the upper 90s, with less humidity, late this week.

The fires — one of which authorities say was deliberately set by a man who was arrested and charged with arson — have destroyed about 850 buildings and forced the evacuation of around 67,000 people since they erupted last weekend.

Damage assessment crews have yet to tally exactly how many houses have been lost or damaged. No deaths have been reported.

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By LINdSEy WASSON

Michelle Angstrom reacts to her burned home and property after a wildfire hit the northwest part of Spokane, Wash., on Tuesday.

The other two fires were also started by people, though not necessarily deliberately, investigators have said. They remain under investigation. Those fires, the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, started independently of the arson-caused Old Trails Fire, they said.

Some evacuees were allowed to return home, but officials did not immedi-

ately say how many. Others remained in a shelter set up in a Spokane convention center, at hotels or rentals, or at the homes of friends or relatives, with no idea of how soon they might go back — if they have a house to return to.

“We figured it would be a day or two, not four or five.

It’s not the best situation,” said Debra Curran, who has

been staying at the convention center since Saturday with her husband, who has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Their house survived, but her husband would need to be transported by ambulance, which officials won’t do until the fire risk in their neighborhood drops.

Among those under evacuation orders are patients and

staff from the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane. When the fire approached on Saturday, the staff moved 27 patients to local hospitals and temporary shelters, said Bret Bowers, a spokesperson for the center.

The medical center was not burned in the fire but several staff lost their homes.

Adam Wilson, a communications officer at the Washington State Auditor’s Office, fled Saturday with his wife and three children, ages 9, 14 and 16. They had moved into their Spokane home a little over a month earlier and were still unpacking, he said.

Since then, they’ve stayed at a hotel 90 minutes to the south and with his father in Idaho. This weekend, they’ll move again, to a rental home in Spokane that their insurance is covering.

Their house is fine, Wilson said, despite flames that leveled an entire cul-de-sac just two blocks away, leaving only chimneys standing in some cases. The neighborhood remains under an evacuation order. Even if they could return, there’s no power and no internet service, and no information about how soon either will

be restored.

“What you really want to hear, nobody can tell you,” Wilson said. “It is oddly emotional and disorienting.

We did not lose any property. From the outside it looks like a family trip — ‘Hey, kids, we’re going to go visit Papa for a week, pack your bags.’ ... And yet you feel like something isn’t right.”

In Washington, there are 16 uncontained wildfires burning more than 672 square miles and being fought by more than 7,000 fire personnel, said Thomas Kyle-Milward, a spokesman for the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

The man charged with starting the Old Trails Fire, Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, of Spokane, was expected to be arraigned Thursday.

According to court documents, he was arrested after a resident reported him being in the area where the fire began. He denied having started it when questioned by deputies.

Authorities said they previously contacted him during two fire investigations last year, including one in a state park that prompted evacuation notices, though he wasn’t charged in either.

3 charged with threatening people linked to Nolan Wells investigation

BY JOSH KELETY Associated Press

Three people have been charged with threatening a judge, a witness and local officials connected to the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-yearold found dead after a July Fourth boat trip with friends to an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

None of the three appear to know Wells, his family or the boating group, or be part of the investigation. The threats came amid rampant speculation and scrutiny of the investigation, deepened in part by uncertainty surrounding Wells’ final hours, distrust of law enforcement and the state’s long history of

racist violence.

The teenager, who was Black, had traveled to the uninhabited island with a group of friends from high school, all of whom were white. He did not return with his friends to the mainland that evening. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.

Authorities have not made any arrests or named any suspects.

An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family found the 18-year-old’s cause of death to be “undetermined” pending further investigation.

Attempts to reach the defendants for comment were unsuccessful. Phone numbers listed for some of the defendants in af-

fidavits weren’t active and a call to another number went unanswered. Emails sent to addresses listed in an affidavit for one of the defendants went unanswered. It is unclear if they have attorneys yet.

One of the defendants, Edward James Porter of Illinois, allegedly called an unnamed witness on July 31 and threatened to kill them and their family, according to an affidavit. Porter also allegedly told another person in Mississippi in a phone call that he would cut them up and put them “into a suitcase.”

Porter was charged on July 31 in federal court for the Southern District of Mississippi for the threat.

Porter threatened two members of the family of Bart Edminston

Jr., a 21-year-old who knew Wells and provided aid to the boat the group used on July Fourth, said family attorney Russell Latino.

Latino said that one of the family members who Porter threatened is a witness in the investigation.

An Ohio woman was also charged with allegedly placing bomb threats at the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on July 23. The woman, Michelle Francine Edwards, allegedly called the clerk’s office 21 times and said, “the clock is ticking,” according to an affidavit.

A California man, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, was charged on July 14 for allegedly sending a

threatening Facebook message to a Jackson County Chancery Court judge with ties to the Wells investigation. According to an affidavit, a Facebook user believed to be Dumarce sent a message to the judge’s account that constituted a “threat that a bomb would be mailed to the judge’s office.”

Judge Ashlee Cole posted a screenshot of Dumarce’s threatening message on Facebook on July 9.

Cole wrote in an earlier Facebook post that her son last saw Wells on July Fourth around 3 p.m. and decided to “stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.” Cole wrote that she deactivated her Facebook and that she fears for the safety of her children.

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

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T h u r s d ay, au g u s T 6, 2026

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Qualifying for Nov. 3 election begins Lafayette Parish’s races get first entrants

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

Staff writer

Candidates began qualifying Wednesday for the Nov. 3 elections which, in Lafayette Parish, include 15th Judicial District judges, district attorney and mayors, councils and police chiefs in several municipalities.

Qualifying continues through

Division A — incumbent Scott ELECTION Privat

Friday.

Judgeships H H H H H H in the 15th Judicial District Court that includes Lafayette, Acadia and Vermilion parishes are on the Nov. 3 ballot in those parishes.

Qualifying as of 4 p.m. Wednesday were:

n

n Division B — incumbent Valerie Gotch Garrett n Division E — incumbent Michelle Breaux n Division F — incumbent David Smith n Division G — incumbent Laurie Hulin n Division H — Shawn Eller

n Division I — Will Keaty II and David Way n Division J — incumbent Angela Wagar n Division K — incumbent Michele Billeaud n Division M — incumbent Susan Theall.

Two qualified for district attorney in the 15th Judicial District: incumbent Don Landry and former Judge Kristian Earles, who resigned his judgeship to run for district attorney.

Roya Boustany was the only person to qualify Wednesday for Lafayette City Court Judge, Division A. Three people qualified in the City Court Division B race, vacated with the retirement of Judge Doug Saloom.

Candidates include: n Ryan Harris n James Klock n Emilia Pardo.

ä See QUALIFYING, page 4B

BERRY GOOD

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

A mockingbird snacks on ripe summer elderberries in the Sterling Grove neighborhood in Lafayette on Wednesday.

Woman sentenced for embezzling from clinics Stolen funds used for personal expenses

Staff report A former Arnaudville woman was sentenced in federal court for embezzling more than $500,000 from her medical clinic employer in Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

Brooke Miller (Tauzin) Duck, 31, who now lives in Midland, Texas, was sentenced on July 31 to 22 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays in Lafayette, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

She also was order to pay $539,451 in restitution.

Duck pleaded guilty on March 16 to embezzling the money from her employer and using the stolen funds for personal expenses and luxury items, including a $15,000 payment on a timeshare vacation property and new cars.

Duck was employed as a manager by two medical clinics with offices in Lafayette and Baton Rouge and had access to the clinics’ credit cards and bank accounts.

Between May 2020 and October 2023, Duck used the clinics’ credit cards for purchases and personal expenses. She then allegedly used money drawn from the businesses’ bank accounts to pay off the credit cards associated with her purchases.

Horse jockey Robby Albarado dies at 52 Lafayette native became one of nation’s best

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 Al- discharged from the hospital. barado’s death to WKYT-TV, the McPeek told the Daily Racing Paulick Report and Horse Rac- Form that he apparently died in his sleep. ing Nation.

The 2020 Preakness “It’s been a tough Stakes proved to be one day,” McPeek told the of the greatest career Paulick Report. “Robmoments of of Albarado, by was a great friend, who road Swiss Skydiver and there was nobody to victory. As an exerbetter on a horse than Robby Albarado. He cise rider, he worked needs to be in the hall with horses such as 2024 Albarado of fame.”

Kentucky Derby winner Albarado, who reMystik Dan and 2024 tired in 2021, underwent a Kentucky Oaks winner Thorprocedure last week to place pedo Anna. a stent near his heart to deal “Saying goodbye to someone with a blockage before being who left us too soon is extreme-

ly difficult,” Churchill Downs Racetrack President Mike Anderson said in a statement.

“The Churchill Downs family is saddened by this devastating 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 TimesPicayune in 2024 that he listed Albarado as being among his role models.

In 2016, Albarado was on the

ä See ALBARADO, page 4B

St. Martin Parish deputies search for mother, daughter Pair last seen in Butte La Rose

Staff report The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating a missing East Feliciana Parish woman and her 10-year-old daughter who investigators believe may be in St. Martin Parish.

Danielle Escue Lea, 39, and her daughter, Alayna Lea, were reported missing in Baton Rouge on July 28.

Investigators said the pair were seen in the Butte La Rose

area in late April and possibly into May. They were reportedly with James Michael Nona, 42, of Montgomery County, Texas, before his arrest there on unrelated charges.

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and the Baton Rouge Police Department are investigating the case.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Danielle or Alayna Lea is asked to contact the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office at (337) 3943071 or St. Martin Crime Stoppers at (337) 441-3030. Anonymous tips also can be submitted through the P3 Tips app.

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office seeks public assistance in locating danielle Escue Lea and her 10-year-old daughter, reported missing from Baton Rouge.

PROVIdEd PHOTO

2B ● Thursday,August 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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

OUR VIEWS

Congratulations to Drew Brees on well-deserved honor Drew Brees’ accomplishments on the football field will culminate Saturday when he is formally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, as the first New Orleans Saint to be elected on the first ballot.

Brees’ ascendance to the sport’s most hallowed ground was assured years ago. His Saints record reads like video game statistics: five 5,000-passing yard seasons, six times as the NFL’s completion percentage leader, seven times passing yard leader and the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass in league history.

During his 15 years leading the Saints’ offense, the team won 62% of its games, made the playoffs nine times and captured the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.

His brilliance didn’t just reveal itself in consistency and longevity. It also shone through in individual moments and games: his 62-yard toss to Tre’Quan Smith that set the NFL passing yards record in 2018; a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson in 2012 that set the record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass; his 511-yard, seven-TD game against the Giants in 2015.

Saturday, we will join the rest of the football world in celebrating Brees’ gridiron accomplishments during the traditional kickoff to the NFL season.

But we will also celebrate much more than just that. It’s almost impossible to understate the psychological importance of what Brees did in the aftermath of the worst disaster Louisiana had seen in generations.

When he arrived, he — and new coach Sean Payton — took over a franchise whose moribund status was treated as a given. They were a perfect match for a city and a state devastated nearly a year before by Hurricane Katrina. Indeed, Brees, himself recovering from a serious shoulder injury, has said that one reason he chose the Saints was because he saw the devastation and wanted to be part of a civic rebuilding effort.

Payton’s coaching brilliance and Brees’ transcendent skill paid immediate dividends, not just in the emotional win over the hated Falcons in the famed Domecoming game, but in excellence every single day. The team’s renaissance gave New Orleans reason to believe in itself again.

The ensuing years saw the team grow ever closer to a goal once thought impossible: a Super Bowl. The city improved, too, with the two feeding off each other in a symbiotic relationship.

The whole time, Brees remained relentlessly competitive, upbeat and committed to the team and Louisiana. When he led the Saints to the title, it signified not just a championship for a sports team but the recovery of the state against what had seemed like impossible odds.

Off the field, too, Brees’ contributions are legendary. Throughout Louisiana, Brees famously financed facilities at some 50 schools, plus residential wards for cancer patients, child-care services and more.

So, thank you, Drew. Of course we’re celebrating your on-the-field accomplishments, and will rejoice to see your enshrinement, complete with Payton’s sure-to-be-emotional introduction.

But we are eternally grateful, too, for all you did beyond the playing field. You will always be a Saint.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By dAVId GRUNFELd

Retired quarterback drew Brees celebrates his 2024 induction into the Saints Hall of Fame. On Saturday, he will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the first New Orleans Saint to be elected on the first ballot.

YOUR VIEWS

U.S. can learn from these socialist countries The July 20 issue of the newspaper contained two items connected by the writers’ insights about building a stronger nation. Wayne Parker’s letter cautions against oversimplifying the controversial term “socialism.”

Jay Lapeyre’s op-ed column encourages civic engagement. I write to expand on the emotionally charged term “socialism.”

One form of socialism is practiced in two of the least democratic countries of the world: North Korea and Cuba. However, another form of socialism is practiced in some of the most progressive democratic countries.

Think Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and many other countries in Europe and elsewhere.

These social democracies combine practices of capitalism with emphasis on free and fair elections, civic participation, social cohesion and reducing inequalities in access to health care, education and housing.

We can learn from countries like these. Look at any nonpartisan ranking of the world’s countries in the areas of life expectancy, infant mortality, crime and overall life

satisfaction. Many countries that practice social democracy appear in the top 10 of one or more of these categories.

Unfortunately, the United States is not ranked in the top 10 in any of these categories. However, the U.S. is ranked in the top 10 in the category of millionaires per capita. So are Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Canada — all governed by a form of social democracy.

Ironically, some of the most popular U.S. government programs are similar to those practiced in social democracies. The nonpartisan opinion polling company YouGov surveyed a cross-section of Americans, asking about five federal programs.

Here are the programs and the percentage of respondents favoring funding at current or higher levels: Social Security (78%); Medicare (76%); Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (72%); Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (69%); and the Women, Infants & Children Program (70%).

DAVID SABRIO Metairie

By the numbers, Trump’s policies add up to misplaced priorities Have the money to buy a new car?

How about a luxury Cadillac Escalade, base price $91,000, with high performance variance as much as $170,000 each? How many are our tax money purchasing? Quantity 250, so the Secret Service “can ride in style” and Trump said “he’ll look good in it.”

How big a motorcade is he gonna have? Can’t the Secret Service carpool some? Even base price will cost $23 million.

Important expenditures: for changing the name to Gulf of America, replacing highway signage, maritime markers, updating state textbooks and maps — estimated anywhere from half a million to $200 million or more.

Vital, really important one: changing the name of the Defense Department to “Department of War.” Internal updates, signs, digital assets and stationery — an estimated $125 million.

For a gaudy military parade to satisfy and stroke his ego, more mil-

lions. As much as $2 billion a day for a war to get a nuclear deal we had that included inspections, cameras and enrichment levels.

If your neighbor’s home is on fire, what would you do? Try to help them?

Or sue because you don’t like the smoke? It’s the United States’ No. 1 trading partner. Why is he picking a fight with Canada?

Cost to Americans for food and everything else because of chaos caused by his tariffs that we’re not supposed to be paying ourselves. Gas prices because of his foolish aggression that’s igniting a rapidly spreading Mideast war. Denying healthcare to children, plus food aid to Americans and starving people worldwide.

Nero, the Earth is on fire, and here’s $500 million for a ballroom to throw another “Great Gatsby” party. That is not my vision of making America great. I’d prefer the word “shameful.”

TERRY GRUNDMANN Kenner

State abandons land, rights to billionaire’s rockets The proposed SpaceX launchpad on Pecan Island is a direct assault on Louisiana’s coast. Our state leaders preach about protecting our vanishing coast, yet they are willing to hand over a fragile ecosystem to launch rockets. They are swapping decades of oil pollution from ExxonMobil for the destructive impact of rocket launches.

Worse still is the corrupt push to shield SpaceX from accountability. The state is stripping constitutional rights from the taxpayers by giving SpaceX immunity from lawsuits.

Louisiana must stop sacrificing its citizens to play landlord to billionaires. We must reject the Pecan Island launchpad and demand that our laws protect taxpayers, not corporate balance sheets.

MONICA KEESE Mandeville

Banning foreign robotics only dulls the ability of U.S. to compete Recent actions by the Federal Communications Commission to block foreignmade advanced robotics (see your recent article, “U.S. bans foreign-made humanoid robots”) under the guise of national security represent a troubling slide into protectionism.

While shielding domestic firms from intense price competition may offer short-term comfort, it inflicts a far more damaging, long-term cost on the American economy: the loss of the ability to learn through competition.

Capitalism thrives on the relentless pressure to adapt, innovate and outcompete rivals on an open field. When international competitors command the vast majority of the global market and drive rapid technological iteration, erecting trade barriers does not foster true resilience. Instead, it creates an insulated bubble that deprives domestic developers of the rigorous, real-world benchmarking necessary to sharpen their capabilities.

Just as military strategists warn against compressing decision cycles to the point of blindness, we must recognize that artificially slowing down market exposure to global innovation does not protect us. It isolates us.

True economic strength is forged not by hiding behind walls, but by engaging with the world’s most advanced technologies and cultivating the capacity to out-learn and out-compete them.

PRESTON C. RODRIGUE New Orleans

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ARNESSA GARRETT STEPHANIE GRACE WILL SUTTON QUIN HILLYER FAIMON ROBERTS

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday,August 6, 2026 ● 3B

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COMMENTARY Armstrong’s birthday a call to action for La. jazz lovers The first time I ever saw my father cry was when he heard Louis Armstrong died.

It wasn’t obvious: He was pretending his glasses were just fogging up, necessitating use of a handkerchief near his eyes. Still, he couldn’t hide some tears running down his cheek.

Dad pulled an LP from the shelf and began playQuin ing it. I looked at the Hillyer album’s back cover, and either there or on the TV news I distinctly remember a photo of Armstrong on his New York front steps, playing his trumpet with some children.

If this guy was cherished enough to make my father cry, and if he was nice enough to hang out with neighborhood children, I figured I should give him a listen. And, well, wow: I’ve been nearly obsessed, ever since, with traditional New Orleans jazz.

These memories return because this past Tuesday was Louis Armstrong’s 125th birthday. (Is there a name for that? If “hemi” is a half, was it his hemi-semiquincentennial?) We know the exact day because, 38 years ago, New Orleans music historian Tad Jones dug up Armstrong’s baptismal records listing his birth date as Aug. 4, 1901, rather than the July 4, 1900, that the great jazz musician long had claimed.

(As an aside: I didn’t know Jones, but I randomly found myself sitting next to him at the breakfast bar of the old Bluebird Café on Prytania Street in 1988 and striking up a conversation that naturally turned to jazz — at which time he asked if I could keep a secret, and he told me he was just a day or three away from making “a big announcement” about Armstrong’s birth.

To say the least, his announcement certainly made big news.)

Of course the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival made a huge celebration of the centennial of Armstrong’s birth in 2001 (I still have the T-shirt).

And last weekend the 26th annual

TIMES-PICAyUNE ARCHIVE PHOTO

young Louis Armstrong

Satchmo Summerfest took place at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Moreover, all weekend long, on Frenchmen Street and Bourbon Street and elsewhere around town, traditional jazz bands were plying their trade. The Palmetto Bug Stompers, playing with verve at DBA New Orleans, were particularly fun.

Coincidentally, the birthdate itself saw an announcement that the documentary “City of a Million Dreams,” about jazz funerals and the city’s music culture, is now getting a nationwide release on public television. It will air on WYES in New Orleans on Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 15 at 4 p.m., and on Louisiana Public Broadcasting on Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. The documentary’s filmmaker, New Orleanian Jason Berry, also was Jones’ co-author (1986) of the acclaimed Louisiana music history called “Up From the Cradle of Jazz.”

Small world — and, as Armstrong would say, “What a Wonderful World,” as well.

Now: Apologies if all the informa-

tion above may seem a tad disjointed, but then again, this is a column about jazz, where individual musicians can improvise in unexpected directions but only while still staying tethered to, and returning to, a central theme.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, the central tune here is that New Orleans traditional jazz is a treasure, as is the particular legacy of Armstrong.

Yet what should worry all of us is that this signature music of the state — which, according to essayist Gerald Early, joins the Constitution and baseball as this nation’s three most enduring gifts to civilization — seems always on the verge of dying out. Maybe I’m missing something, but no matter how hard I look, I can never seem to find anyone under 50 years old who regularly plays the real, true thing.

Yes, there are bands and musicians semi-rooted in traditional jazz of the sort played by Armstrong, King Oliver and Buddy Bolden, but most of them are brassier, funkier, less subtle, less wedded to a central melody in each song. They may be playing great music, but it’s not really traditional New Orleans jazz.

Yet we must, we absolutely must, ensure that our native music doesn’t die.

It is heartening, though, to see key institutions devoted to the music’s continuance. There’s the aforementioned jazz museum, and of course there’s the Preservation Hall Foundation, and the New Orleans Jazz and Blues Market, along with numerous clubs that still host the music. And there’s also the ambitious, forthcoming Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience, which will be a grand, museum-plus establishment in the city’s River District.

Through all these outlets, and more, all of us should want to transmit our musical heritage to new generations.

Let’s renew our dedication to this task — both as a birthday present to Satchmo and so my late father won’t be shedding tears of loss in heaven.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

The era of peak socialism in America The emergence of the Democratic Socialists of America and their political victories, from New York City across the fruited plains of Michigan and Wisconsin all the way to Colorado, strikes many as a new thing in U.S. politics.

Previous movements have, in fact, increased, sometimes significantly, Michael the size and scope of Barone government. But it has been their opponents who have accused them of “creeping socialism,” while advocates have avoided the S-word.

Some major policies of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal — Social Security most of all — remain part of the fabric of American life, and elements of the social safety net have been expanded quietly but effectively enough that, as former Sen. Phil Gramm has argued, the government transfer payments have effectively equalized the incomes of those on the bottom 60% of the economic ladder.

But virtually no attention, so far as I can see, has been paid to the period in U.S. history when the government took maximum control of the private-sector economy, including the dissemination of information and communication of opinion.

That moment came more than 100 years ago, before the emergence not only of the internet but also of radio and talking motion pictures. It lasted only briefly, and its implications have mostly been glossed over by historians.

It has been chronicled recently, however, and with the help of artificial intelligence, by the iconoclastic economist Arnold Kling. The centerpiece is the policies adopted by Woodrow Wilson’s administration and an acquiescent Democratic Congress during the 19 months from April 1917 to November 1918, in which the United

States was at war with Germany and its allies in World War I. This creation of an American state that would “seize the railroad, ration the coal, set the price of wheat, conscript four million men, and prosecute the printed word” was the work of progressive reformers convinced that experts could do better than seemingly chaotic markets in running the economy.

Wilson’s War Industries Board, headed by Wall Street speculator Bernard Baruch, set out “to decide, for the whole nation, what got made, from what materials, in what quantities, at what price, and in what order of priority.” His food administration, headed by mining engineer Herbert Hoover, pushed for “meatless Tuesdays and wheatless Wednesday (and) victory gardens,” and doubled the price of wheat so that U.S. farmers could feed allies in Europe.

The government seized the railroads in December 1917, and Treasury Secretary William McAdoo (who was also Wilson’s son-in-law) “set the schedules, the rates, the wages, unified the equipment, and cut the competitive duplication.” It ran the system “imperfectly, expensively, but it moved the troops and the coal,” the essential fuel then for both heavy industry and home heating.

The fuel administration enforced “heatless Mondays,” the National War Labor Board set the eight-hour day and the War Finance Corporation built an emergency fleet. In November 1917, the 35-year-old Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt imposed a strike settlement on Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard manager, a 29-year-old bank president named Joseph P. Kennedy.

This socialist America was anything but friendly to civil rights and civil liberties. Wilson imposed racial segregation on the federal workforce and shut down German cultural orga-

nizations. His government prosecuted and jailed the Socialist presidential candidate Eugene Debs for defending men imprisoned for obstructing the military draft.

“Everything,” Kling writes, “so far has described a state expanding — seizing, planning, rationing, prosecuting, persuading. The last movement is the one the buildup does not prepare you for, and it is the heart of the matter: how fast nearly all of it came apart.”

The War Industries Board voted to dissolve itself on New Year’s Day 1919, less than two months after the Armistice; the War Labor Board lapsed; the food and fuel controls ended; Congress (Republican after the November 1918 election) returned the railroads to private owners in the Transportation Act of 1920.

Wilson’s Democratic Party was punished in the presidential election that year. The Democratic ticket of James Cox and Franklin Roosevelt got 34% of the popular vote. The Republican ticket of Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge got 60%, the highest percentage in any election up to that date.

You can find elements of Wilson’s wartime socialism in some selfdescribed experiments within Roosevelt’s New Deal. But when war came, he didn’t choose to nationalize the railroads and industries. Instead, he got William Knudsen to enlist executives in moving toward wartime production.

If you listen to a tape of Roosevelt’s speech to Congress on Dec. 8, 1941, the loudest applause, cheers and rebel yells came after he said, “The American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.”

Socialism, he evidently thought, was not the way to get there.

Maybe there’s a lesson there for the public today.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Nebraska Senate candidate Osborn is the real deal “A Face in the Crowd” is the prophetic 1957 movie about a charismatic drifter “discovered” in an Arkansas jail. The face belongs to “Lonesome” Rhodes, a scoundrel whose folksy act catapults him to national prominence. “Lonesome” (Andy Griffith) abuses women, but the crowd only sees a lovable spinner of down-home yarns.

He deflates after getting caught on an open mic mocking his followers as idiots and fools.

Maine’s Graham Platner was a face in the crowd, sold to Democrats as a salt-of-the-sea oysterFroma who actually came from Harrop man a privileged background. The senatorial candidate survived his sordid history of mistreating women until a plausible accusation of rape finally did him in.

American politics feasts on stories of candidates from humble backgrounds who know what it means to be a working stiff. Some such contenders are uncovered as bums or phonies. But some are the real thing.

They would include Dan Osborn of Nebraska. He is the steamfitter and former union organizer from Omaha running for the Senate as an independent against Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.

Osborn now has a decent chance of prevailing in November. His is not a new face. He had run in 2024 as an independent who did surprisingly well against Republican incumbent Deb Fischer. Osborn lost by only 7 points in a state that Donald Trump carried by about 21 points. Osborn clearly has appeal.

After the election, Osborn launched a PAC called the Working Class Heroes Fund. Its stated mission is to support candidates like him, regardless of party label. With Ricketts an heir to a family fortune exceeding $1 billion, Osborn has predictably framed the race as between the “billionaire class” and the working class.

One of his challenges, though, is to minimize the extent to which Democrats openly want him to win. Nebraska Democrats are not running their own candidate and urge their contributors to back Osborn.

To prevail in a conservative state like Nebraska, Osborn needs support from disaffected or moderate Republicans. If elected, he vows not to caucus with either party. And he criticizes Democrats for their focus on white-collar professionals.

Working in his favor is the fact that many Nebraska Republicans are not hard right.

Omaha Rep. Don Bacon, for example, is a Republican moderate known for often criticizing Trump. His is a swing district, nationally known as the “blue dot.” Seeing himself at a disadvantage among MAGA Republicans and Democrats desperate for a win, Bacon decided not to seek another term.

Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse is a traditional conservative known for his intellect and courteous manners. Sasse was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump for inciting the Capitol riot. He is now bravely confronting Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Trump’s job approval rating in Nebraska is evenly divided or slightly underwater. And so a working man fixed on pragmatic solutions would seem a serious challenger.

Arizona Democrats have Katie Hobbs running for reelection as governor. The product of a middle-class family, Hobbs put herself through college. While secretary of state in 2020, she earned national renown for defending Arizona’s election results against phony claims of voter fraud.

As governor, she has lured business to her state, which explains her directing ads toward Republicans and independents. Many Arizonans, meanwhile, remain incensed at Trump’s shabby treatment of the late Republican icon John McCain.

McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, has publicly endorsed Hobbs against her Republican opponent, Andy Biggs. Tied hand and foot to Trump, Biggs tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Moderate Democrats do have a good shot at winning this November. Electorates may have grown weary of faces in the crowd, entertainers offering colorful tales and little more.

Follow Froma Harrop on X @FromaHarrop.

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EBR schools leader charged with corruption Grand jury indicts Cole on several counts

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

East Baton Rouge Parish schools Superintendent LaMont Cole was indicted Wednesday, accused of taking part in a bribery scheme involving city-parish contractors while he was a member of the parish Metro Council.

A special grand jury charged Cole with two counts of conspiracy to commit public bribery, two counts of money laundering, and a count of malfeasance in office.

As of Wednesday evening, the court had not yet released probable cause documents that would include details about the charges levied against Cole.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Cole briefly acknowledged the indictment but then wrote about the upcoming new school year, which starts Thursday.

“By now, many of you have likely

seen the news. I plan to release a paid hundreds of thousands of dolpersonal statement once I feel we lars between 2021 and 2024 through are fully prepared for the first day various contracts, including some of school,” Cole said. “For related to former Mayornow, my focus remains exPresident Sharon Weston Broome’s scrutinized actly where it has always “Safe, Hopeful, Healthy been, on our students and BR” program. ensuring they have an outAccording to multiple standing start to the school sources, Cole and TJ Jackyear.”

Louisiana Attorney Genson have long been close friends and are members eral Liz Murrill’s office deof the same fraternity. clined to comment beyond Cole Jackson also had conissuing a brief statement.

“These are very serious charges. tracts for “Blight Community It was based on a lengthy investi- Outreach,” in which he was paid to gation by the grand jury,” Murrill identify blighted property in Cole’s said in a statement. “This investi- council district each month.

The Jacksons were charged eargation is continuing, so we have no further comment at this time.” lier this year with theft and conspiracy to commit theft related to Contractors also indicted Baton Rouge transit system conThe grand jury also charged Ter- tracts that prosecutors say were ral “TJ” Jackson and his wife, Erica fraudulent.

Arrest warrants have been issued Jackson, with the same two charges of conspiracy to commit public for all three. bribery as the ones Cole faces, plus two separate counts of money laun- A widening investigation dering.

Cole, 52, is the latest to be indictCity-parish records show TJ ed as part of a wide investigation by Jackson and his company — Broad Murrill’s office into alleged corrupInnovation Market Firm — were tion in Baton Rouge government.

Current council member Cleve Dunn Jr. was charged in January on a slew of corruption and conspiracy charges, including bribery, money laundering, theft and others.

Dunn entered a not guilty plea in Baton Rouge court on July 1.

Courtney Scott, who was a top staffer for Weston Broome, was indicted in February alongside Veronica Mathis, who was a contractor paid funds from the mayor’s Safe, Hopeful, Healthy initiative.

Scott is accused of receiving nearly $200,000 in kickbacks from Mathis. She also has pleaded not guilty.

On Tuesday, a week after The Advocate reported that he was the subject of a grand jury investigation, Cole addressed the matter at the school district’s annual back-toschool convocation gathering, calling it “one of the most challenging times of my life.”

Sources familiar with the investigation say the grand jury has been reviewing evidence against Cole for several months.

or-President Sid Edwards released his own statement hours after Cole was indicted and said he believes everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence and full due process.

“Allegations should be decided in a court of law, not in the court of public opinion,” Edwards said.

“At the same time, moments like this understandably test the public’s confidence in government.”

The mayor noted that the matters under investigation took place before he was in office and said he is trying to make sure his constituents have confidence on how local government is currently operating.

“The people of East Baton Rouge Parish deserve a government they can trust,” Edwards said. “My administration will continue doing everything in its power to ensure that their government operates with integrity, transparency, and accountability every single day.”

Email Patrick Sloan-Turner at patrick.sloan-turner@ East Baton Rouge Parish May- theadvocate.com.

The mayor weighs in

Former N.O. flood authority leader sues agency over contract

BY ALEX LUBBEN

Staff writer

Joshua Rondeno, the former superintendent of police at New Orleans’ flood protection authority, who was fired in June, sued the agency last week alleging his termination was in violation of an employment contract that Rondeno drafted himself.

The lawsuit, filed on July 28 in the Civil District Court for Orleans Parish, centers on a series of changes to Rondeno’s employment contract that Rondeno claims the board never approved.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the termination invalid and seeks Rondeno’s reinstatement, as well as back and future pay, lost retirement benefits and damages for reputational harm and emotional distress, plus attorney’s fees under Louisiana’s whistleblower law.

The board did not publicly vote on any version of his employment contract, and the board president told lawmakers that Rondeno drafted one version himself.

ALBARADO

Continued from page 1B 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

QUALIFYING

Continued from page 1B Incumbent Lafayette City Marshal Reggie Thomas was the lone candidate to qualify Wednesday in that race.

Carencro Mayor Charlotte Stemmans Clavier qualified for reelection Wednesday.

She faces at least two opponents: Don Chauvin, a retired local firefighter and Carencro city manager and CAO, who lost to Clavier in 2022, and Eric Knight.

Incumbent mayors of several Lafayette Parish municipalities had no challengers qualify on Wednesday.

They include: n Broussard Mayor Raymond Bourque Jr. n Scott Mayor Jan-Scott Richard n Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter n Duson Mayor Johnny Thibodeaux.

The city of Scott will be electing a new police chief Nov. 3 as incumbent longtime Police Chief Chad Leger is retiring. Qualifying

R o n d e n o ’s a t t o r n e y, did say the agency had not Suzette Bangeris, said been served and he had not Wednesday that Rondeno reviewed the lawsuit as of was terminated for try- Wednesday.

State lawmakers had ing to fix problems at the questioned Rondeno’s emagency.

“We believe him to be a ployment contract in the protected whistlemonths preceding his termination at blower who was the flood agency, fired on the basis where he oversaw of retaliation,” the agency’s 50 poshe said. “We do also believe that lice officers. An inihis contracts were tial version of his breached.” contract, signed by T h e S o u t h e a s t Rondeno Rondeno and Vicari Louisiana Flood in January, stated Protection Authority-East that he could only be fired oversees the system of le- by a supermajority vote of vees and pumps that pro- the board — and would have tect the east bank of the granted him four years’ pay New Orleans region from with built-in annual raises, another Hurricane Katrina. totaling up to $910,000, as The authority also has a severance if he were fired small police force whose without cause.

The Louisiana Legislative primary job is to physically protect the area’s flood Auditor’s Office has deemed control infrastructure, but any severance payments also performs community for state employees to be an policing duties in a hand- unconstitutional donation of ful of neighborhoods on the public funds.

Rondeno was at that point shoreline of Lake Pontcharmaking $208,000 per year. train.

The president of the agen- By law, the flood agency’s cy’s board, Peter Vicari, police chief cannot make said he could not comment more than the superintenon pending litigation but dent of the Louisiana State

Police, who at the time made about $207,000.

That caused Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, to question the contract, which he said on Wednesday clearly violated state law.

Vicari told Talbot at a hearing in May that the contract was justified because Rondeno was “taking a beating in the media,” which Vicari called “fake news.”

Through his attorney, Rondeno quibbled with Vicari’s account of how the contract was drafted. Rondeno said it was Vicari’s idea to add the severance clause, not Rondeno’s.

The contract was rewritten in February to remove the severance clause. But it maintained that Rondeno could only be terminated by a majority vote of the board.

Then, in May, Rondeno and Vicari signed a third document, voiding the second version of his contract because “a Committee of the State Legislature expressed concerns surrounding the circumstances under which the Employment

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 in-

put 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 $221.6 million over 34,113 mounts, according to Equibase.

for police chief on Wednesday were Caleb Lege’ and Kert Thomas.

Youngsville Police Chief Jean Paul “JP” Broussard qualified for reelection and has one opponent so far, John Melvin Trahan Jr. Incumbent police chiefs from other Lafayette Parish municipalities who qualified and, so far, face no opposition, include Broussard Police Chief Vance Olivier and Carencro Police Chief David Anderson.

The following people qualified Wednesday to run for Scott City Council: n At Large — Blaine Roy n District 1 — Jakob Goodwin n District 2 — Terry Montoucet and Sherie Stutes Sonnier n District 3 — Lee Domingue.

In Duson, voters will be electing five aldermen.

Only two people qualified Wednesday: John “Johnny” Lagneaux II and Andrew “Maxis” Malaxonis.

Youngsville voters will be electing its City Council members on Nov. 3. Qualifying so far are:

n Division A — incumbent Sharon Bares n Division B — incumbent “Lindy” Bolgiano and James “Bubba” Savell n Division C — incumbent Matt Romero n Division D — incumbent Nick Niland n Division E — incumbent Simone Champagne.

Carencro’s City Council election is on the Nov. 3 ballot. Five people are to be elected.

Qualifying on Wednesday were incumbent Taylor James, Damian Glover and Alex Savage.

Broussard voters also will be selecting their City Council members. Qualifying so far are: n District 2 — Charles Sharma and Trey Smith n District 4 — incumbent Heather Girouard n District 5 — incumbent David Forbes n District 6 — incumbent Kody Allen.

The Lafayette Parish School Board District 2 seat vacated with the resignation of Chad Desormeaux, who was arrested for shoplifting, is up for grabs. Stasia

Herbert-McZeal of Carencro qualified Wednesday.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

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TUESDAY,AUG. 4, 2026 PICK 3: 2-4-8 PICK 4: 3-1-2-5 PICK 5: 4-8-7-4-9 MEGA MILLIONS: 14-21-51-55-65 MEGA BALL: 21

Agreement was confected.”

It states that Rondeno will continue to serve in his role as an at-will employee.

Rondeno’s attorney said if the February contract was voided, then the January version, which included the severance clause, should remain in force.

Then, in early June, Rondeno was placed on leave pending an investigation into allegations that he sent inappropriate messages to a woman who was his subordinate at the agency, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation who were not authorized to disclose information about it. Rondeno was fired on June 26.

“He responded to an Instagram post with a fire emoji,” Bangeris said of the allegation. “Any suggestion that Mr. Rondeno was accused of sexual harassment is inaccurate and defamatory.”

The lawsuit also claims that Rondeno fixed administrative problems at the agency that exposed the police to potential litigation, and that he helped lead an

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effort to rectify racial pay disparities.

During his tenure as police chief, the board expanded his role and approved budgets that increased spending on police and the flood control agency. Spending increased from around $8 million per year to nearly $14 million.

A fifth of the flood agency’s operating budget is now spent on policing.

Blair duQuesnay, who leads Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, a flood protection watchdog group, said there was a “direct link between this lawsuit and political interference with flood protection governance.”

“The governor’s handpicked board president admitted he signed an employment contract that he believed to be written by the police chief himself,” she said. “He did so without consulting with the flood protection authority’s attorney, and without seeking the advice of the board.”

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Staff writer

Louisiana is set to start doling out supercharged unemployment benefits of $600 more a week on Monday, providing the first wave of relief to a staggering number of residents seeking aid as the coronavirus rocks the state’s economy.

But as benefits begin flowing and officials project no part of Louisiana is on track to run out of hospital beds or ventilators in the coming 10 days, Gov. John Bel Edwards warned Wednesday it will be a long time before things return to normal.

Until there is a vaccine and medication that can treat the virus — prospects that are months or longer away — Edwards said people will likely not see “life as you knew it before COVID-19.”

Although at some point restrictions will be loosened, it remains unclear exactly what that will look like, Edwards said. The state will rely heavily on the federal government and will need far more testing, along with contact tracing and isolation of patients who later test positive, he said.

“I promise you no matter what the timeline looks like, it’s going to be quicker if everyone follows the stay-at-home order,” the governor said.

In the meantime, as the order is set to keep thousands of businesses closed until at least A il 30 th L i i W kf C i

democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a March campaign rally in detroit.

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President donald Trump arrives to speak at a January rally in Washington, d.C.

Sanders drops out leaving former Vice President Biden

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Cajuns DL West grateful for coaches’ support UL’s handling of lineman’s brief transfer portal stint led to his decision to stay

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It didn’t last very long, but there was a tense week or so for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns after former Lafayette Christian standout Fitzgerald West entered the transfer portal.

“I remember that,” UL defensive coordinator Jim Salgado said at Tuesday’s UL media day at Russo Park. “He brought back a bad memory there for a little bit STAFF PHOTO By BRAd KEMP of a second until we ended up getting him back.”

UL defensive lineman Fitzgerald West speaks Moments earlier, West was among the UL during Cajuns media day ahead of camp on players scattered around the room talking to area media members with a huge smile Tuesday at Russo Park.

on his face and the brief scare behind him.

“I’m better off, oh yes sir,” West said. “I was better off in the middle of it, to be honest with you.

“Everyone knew what was going on, even the coaches. My D-line coach was in contact with me almost every day, making sure I was straight.”

In fact, West said the way his coaches handled the tense situation largely led to his decision to stay.

“That affected me coming back too — just the support I was getting even while I was in the portal,” West said.

The senior defensive lineman had created so much goodwill through his many relation-

ships on the team that he earned such support.

“What a great young man,” Salgado said of West. “A leader in that front and a local kid right from down the road here.

“I remember calling him when that whole thing went down and trying to talk to him. I wanted what was best for him.”

Last season, West had 23 tackles and two sacks, but delivered huge stops in big moments.

“I’m just very thankful that it ended up working out that he came back, because he’s going to help this football team

ä See UL, page 3C

Blackmon hopeful to reward Saints’ faith in him

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Kellen Moore didn’t have to think too hard about his first memory of Julian Blackmon in a New Orleans Saints uniform.

His memory was assisted by where he was standing. Addressing reporters from the corner of the Saints’ indoor practice facility, Moore was standing maybe 15 yards away from where Blackmon, about a year earlier, made a memorable interception near the end of his first practice with the team.

“I don’t even know if he knew what our coverages were,” Moore said. “He just hopped in and played ball.”

That particular memory is two-sided.

The unfortunate part is that New Orleans did not have much else to go off of when considering Blackmon as a player. He appeared in one game with the Saints last year as the starting safety before tearing the posterior labrum in his right shoulder — his second consecutive season that required surgery on that shoulder.

Then again, it is plays like that one Blackmon made in his first training camp practice — plus many more throughout camp last year — that made the Saints comfortable betting on everything Blackmon can be in their defense despite the recent injury history.

“The coaches felt like I did enough, they saw enough to know that if I came back and was able to get a full season, things would be really good and it would benefit the whole team,” Blackmon said. “We like to say, ‘together, we eat.’ I’m excited for my opportunity this year, because I feel like we can do that with me on the field.”

Blackmon looked like the ideal complement to Justin Reid in their brief time together last season. In Reid, the Saints have a safety whose primary mission is to make his opponents remember his physicality. They pair him with Blackmon, who can take away a whole half of the field with his range and

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

IN-N-OUT LSU wide receiver Phillip Wright makes a catch during drills on the first day of LSU practice on Wednesday at the team’s practice facility. STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK

The science behind LSU’s short preseason practice under Kiffin

BY JON BLAU Staff writer

Lane Kiffin strolled into LSU’s team meeting room at 11:41 a.m. on Wednesday, a full four minutes before he was originally scheduled to speak with the media following his first preseason camp practice as head coach.

There was no need to spend another four minutes in the 92-degree heat of Baton Rouge, whipping the Tigers into shape, when the season will beat on them plenty.

Practice started at around 10 a.m., and it was done in about 90 minutes.

“We’re following kind of a ramp-up program to prevent injuries, one that we kind of started last year (at Ole Miss), just looking at being fresh at the end of season and injuries in the first five days,” Kiffin said. “There’s

not much work out there, but that’s really long-term thinking.”

The opener against Clemson is just one month away, along with a season of immense expectations, but Kiffin didn’t want the Tigers going too hard, too fast.

There were certainly intense periods in the 10 minutes of practice media members were allowed to observe.

Would-be tacklers chased ball carriers in unison in a pursuit drill as assistant coaches barked. Defensive tackles jarred a sled with the palms of their hands and tossed it aside as coaches barked some more.

But it was a quick in and out on Day 1, for the media and the Tigers alike.

“We have a lot of really good pieces. We got a chance

Kiffin exhibiting experience,, confidence LSU hired him forr

STAFF PHOTO By dAVId GRUNFELd

Saints safety Julian Blackmon runs a drill during training camp on Wendesday at the team’s practice facility in Metairie. Blackmon is looking to make an impact in his return from shoulder injury.

Lane Kiffin is no longer the time boss Pete Carroll. It was wunderkind of football. about as casually as one might It’s been 20 years since Al mention cribbing a recipe Davis made the then-31-year-old from a friend. Carroll isn’t Kiffin head coach of the thencredited for being as big an Oakland Raiders. Now 51, Kiffin influence on Kiffin taking is probably as lean as he was the LSU job as Nick Saban Scott then thanks to all the hot yoga, Rabalais is, though he deserves a though he has a few more lines in slice of the credit. the still boyish face.

That said, Kiffin is at a Certainly, above all, he’s a lot wiser. point in his career where he can keep For LSU, that’s a good thing. his own counsel.

At one point during Wednesday’s Einstein said the only source of news conference after LSU’s first preknowledge is experience. LSU is Kiffin’s sixth head coaching job, season practice, Kiffin dropped into the conversation that he had a long talk ä See RABALAIS, page 3C Tuesday night with his mentor and one-

ä See LSU, page 3C

LSU coach Lane Kiffin STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

2C ● Thursday, August 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Preakness will run on a Sunday

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

A big change is coming to horse racing’s Triple Crown, with the Preakness Stakes moving to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby and being run on Sunday for the first time.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club announced the decision Wednesday.

No Triple Crown race has ever taken place on a Sunday in the century-plus-old history of the series.

The shift marks a major change on the horse racing calendar, following significant debate and speculation. Except for 2020 during the pandemic, the Preakness has been on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, since 1950.

Maryland Jockey Club CEO Bill Knauf acknowledged the tradition while also calling this the time to move the Preakness back. The Preakness will be run on May 23.

“It’s been discussed for a very long time (and) we recognized the different trends and training methods recently,” Knauf told The Associated Press. “We entered the discussion maybe even saying, ‘Hey, is two weeks the right amount? I think the week was the right placement.

It still gives an incredible test for a horse and a champion to go through that, even at three weeks.”

The aim is to get more Derby horses to participate in the second leg of the Triple Crown. For decades, it was normalcy but has become increasingly rare in recent years.

Two consecutive and three of the past five Derby winners have bypassed the Preakness to aim for the final jewel, the Belmont Stakes in June. Of the 95 horses who ran in the Derby dating to 2022, just 13 have gone to the Preakness (13.7%) with just one winner in that group.

“We are going to move it back to be able to ensure that the winner of the Kentucky Derby will then be prepared to compete in the second leg of the Triple Crown,” Moore said at a news conference in Annapolis. “By moving the day, you’re then providing additional time and

NEW YORK — Longtime college basketball announcer Dick Vitale says he is making positive strides after announcing in April that he had been diagnosed with cancer for the fifth time.

The 87-year-old Vitale said on social media Wednesday that recent blood tests came back “very good” and that the immunotherapy treatments that he has been receiving are “very effective in wiping out the cancer.”

Vitale was first diagnosed with cancer in 2021, when he revealed that he had melanoma. He also was diagnosed with lymphoma and, after being declared cancer-free, learned in 2023 that he had vocal cord cancer. The following year, Vitale was diagnosed with lymph node cancer, and he underwent surgery to help treat it.

Scottish police look into missing athletes reports

ASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA dEMAREE NIKHINSON

aj Mahal, second from right, and other horses compete during the 151st Preakness Stakes on May 16 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. space for our horses and the people who compete in the Derby to be able to then now compete to be able to be part of that Triple Crown.”

For at least next year, it has the chance to produce the opposite effect, with the Belmont scheduled for June 5, as announced Monday.

Going from a three-week to a 13day gap between the Preakness and Belmont could force owners and trainers to choose between them, given that modern 3-year-old thoroughbreds typically get significantly more time off.

Knauf said it was a decision made for the long-term future of the Preakness.

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 is the only trainer to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, said in a social media post Monday that if he has the right horse from the Kentucky Derby, he will continue to go to the Preakness annually. That was in response to the unveiling of a new championship series of races at Churchill

Downs in Louisville, Belmont Park on Long Island and Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York and does not — for now — include the Preakness.

Future changes to the schedule are always possible beyond 2027.

The shift does put the Preakness on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend beginning in 2028 and running through ‘31.

“We believe this creates tremendous excitement for our local economy and businesses,” Knauf said.

“Baltimore will become the place to be on Memorial Day weekends, as the spotlight of the racing world descends on Pimlico.”

The change comes with an extension of the media rights agreement with NBC Sports through 2032. The Preakness — as well as the BlackEyed Susan Stakes for fillies on the third Saturday in May — will air on NBC and Peacock for the next six years.

NBC Sports President of Acquisitions of Partnerships Jon Miller said at the news conference that

the network as far back as 10 years ago broached the idea of pushing the Preakness back at least a week, but previous ownership was not interested.

“It’s a success factor for everybody by moving it to the eight days later,” Miller said. “The idea of doing it Saturday-Sunday, quite honestly, was to create a weekend celebration and not just have it be a one-day event in the middle of a Triple Crown series.”

Moving the Preakness coincides with its return to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore as part of a $500 million reconstruction project, after a one-time stop at Laurel Park.

Next year, there is expected to be limited capacity, with the full, new Pimlico scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2028.

“It’s something business has been a huge champion of,” Greater Baltimore Committee President and CEO Mark Anthony Thomas told the AP. “And so people are very enthusiastic around the state’s investments.”

Acadiana area filled with top prep QBs Here’s 10 to watch during the 2026 season

appears ready to make the next step after winning its first playoff game in 2025.

Landen DeRouen, Erath The 6-2, 210-pounder, one of the state’s best shortstops and a top pitcher for the baseball team, will bring a cannon to coach Eric LeBlanc’s backfield after serving as a tight end as a junior. DeRouen is a fierce competitor who had some huge receiving games for a team that posted a perfect regular season. When he tucks the ball under, DeRouen will be difficult to tackle.

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

From teams that rarely throw the ball like Southside to the vertical attacks of St. Thomas More, Carencro and Lafayette Renaissance, good quarterback play is essential in high school football.

Here is a list of the top quarterbacks in the Lafayette area (in random order):

DJ Kelly, Teurlings Catholic STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAd BOWIE

Richmond Saunier, Lafayette High Carencro’s Carson Gurzi is pursued by the Acadiana’s dante Chavis A Dartmouth commitment who chose the Ivy League over the Sun Belt, Saunier threw for more than 1,100 yards last year while sharing snaps with John Carney.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder will be throwing to a new batch of receivers, which means the dual-threat senior will likely carry the ball and hand off to Comeaux transfer Jaden Celestine often.

Announcer Vitale optimistic despite 5th cancer diagnosis

during a first-round playoff game on Nov. 14 in Scott. expect from a 5-10, 170-pounder.

He passed for close to 500 yards for an offense that totaled close to 5,000 yards rushing.

Noah Antoine, Westgate

The Tigers figure to be in the mix for the Division II state title the next two years with Antoine Carson Gurzi, Carencro directing an offense that features The top-ranked junior quarter- a bevy of receivers, including back in the state (Prep Redzone), Cayden Lancelin. As a sophomore, Gurzi led the area with nearly Antoine was the area’s sixth-lead3,000 yards passing with 32 touch- ing passer with 2,100 yards, 19 downs and only three intercep- TDs and only five interceptions. tions. He also rushed for close to The 6-1, 170-pounder, who has 400 yards and has two good backs offers from North Alabama and to keep defenses honest in Car- Grambling, led the Tigers to their daye Batiste and DaMarion Green. second consecutive undefeated The 6-2, 215-pounder has 4.8 speed championship at STM’s 7-on-7 tournament. in the 40-yard dash.

Parker Dies, Southside

Aaron Tillman, Jeanerette

The Sharks’ option quarterback was among the area’s top rushers with nearly 1,300 yards and 18 TDs. A college baseball prospect, Dies averaged almost 10 yards per carry while running with more authority than you might

This could be the year the Tigers make their first appearance in the state championship game as Tillman returns for his junior campaign with a fantastic group of skill players, including receivers Nysir Jackson and Kobe Gage.

Listed at 6-2, 185 pounds, Tillman helped the Tigers to the Division IV nonselect semifinals in 2025 and is being recruited by some colleges as a running back.

Kennan Brown, Lafayette Renaissance As a junior, Brown was first in the area in completions (200) and touchdown passes (34) while throwing for 2,600 yards. Although the Tigers graduated their top receiver (Ja’Courey Duhon), all the other leading receivers are back for an offense that will face one of the state’s best secondaries in John Curtis, as well as juggernaut Edna Karr.

Zade Prejean, Westminster-Lafayette The 6-3, 180-pounder threw for 600 yards in a run-first split-back veer offense. His favorite target could be younger brother Zeph, who started as an eighth grader.

Prejean also averaged close to 5 yards per carry for a program that

The Rebels haven’t announced a starting quarterback between Kelly, Austin Calandra and Will Fontenot in the race to replace Alex Munoz, now at UL. All three possess the athletic ability to make an impact at multiple positions, with Kelly playing a pivotal role as a receiver in Ascension Episcopal’s deep Division IV select playoff run before transferring to Teurlings.

He is a dangerous dual-threat signal-caller with small-school offers who could get opportunities from bigger schools.

Collin Rideau, Opelousas As a junior, Rideau accounted for 2,200 total yards and 33 touchdowns, throwing for 1,500 yards while rushing for 700 more. He was a 10-for-10 through the air in one game for the Tigers, who are entering their second season under coach Harry Coleman.

Others to watch: Dace Fuselier (Iota), Grant Bertrand (Church Point), Chaise Dupre (Northwest), Kaleb Joseph (Northside), Nathan LeBlanc (New Iberia), JP Robison (Catholic New Iberia), Christian Gedward (St. Martinville), Cohen DiBetta (Acadiana), Layne Champagne (Cecilia), Jayden Hargrave (Kaplan).

GLASGOW, Scotland — Police in Scotland said they had received reports that “several” athletes were unaccounted for following the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Ugandan sporting news website NBS Sport said four members of the nation’s boxing squad had reportedly gone missing in Scotland and did not rejoin the rest of the delegation before the team’s scheduled return to Uganda on Tuesday.

The Pakistan Today newspaper also reported a missing boxer from the Pakistan team.

There have been numerous cases of athletes seeking asylum following previous Commonwealth Games, including 2018 on the Gold Coast in Australia and in 2014 when hosted by Glasgow again.

Center Washington transfers to Tennessee following injunction

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Vanderbilt basketball player Jalen Washington has transferred to Tennessee, announcing his new school less than a week after a judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction giving student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 another season of eligibility for the upcoming year.

The decision from U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney last Friday came hours after I’Ashea Myles of the Davidson County Chancery Court issued a temporary injunction to Washington and 18 other players to retain their eligibility.

Washington was the lead plaintiff in a complaint filed July 6 by the Texas Trial Group seeking the injunction.

Georgia to debut all-white uniforms vs. Western Kentucky

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia announced Wednesday the Bulldogs will debut a new all-white look as an alternate uniform when they play Western Kentucky at home on Sept. 12.

Georgia’s uniform traditionally emphasizes its primary colors, red and black, with silver trim. The new uniform will feature white helmets, with red and black stripes, white jerseys with black numbers and red trim, and white pants.

Georgia players said they were shocked when two veterans, tight end Lawson Luckie and defensive back KJ Bolden, were selected to unveil the new uniform in a team meeting.

Georgia finished No. 6 in the AP Top 25 after winning its second consecutive SEC championship last season.

Corning Classic returns to LPGA schedule after 18 years

CORNING, N.Y. — The Corning Classic is returning to the LPGA Tour schedule in 2027 after an 18-year absence, going from a popular small-market event in western New York to offering a $5 million purse that ranks among the richest outside the majors.

The tournament had a 31-year run through 2009 until it did not renew because the economy was in a downturn and LPGA leadership at the time was demanding more from its sponsors.

Now it will be known simply as “The Classic” when it gets back its familiar spot on the calendar the last week in May. Corning, New York, is about two hours southeast of Buffalo with a population of about 11,000.

Yani Tseng won the last edition of the tournament in 2009.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday, August 6, 2026 ● 3C

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SAINTS

Continued from page 1C who is at his best when the ball is in the air.

Beyond their physical skillsets, Reid and Blackmon are similar personalities who think about the game in a similar way — something that is evident while watching them communicate on the field.

But the Saints barely got a glimpse of it. Blackmon made seven tackles and recorded a pass breakup in 66 defensive snaps against Arizona in the opener last season. He went to dinner with his agent after the game and felt good about his debut performance, even if it came in a loss.

Then he woke up the next morning and felt something off in his shoulder. Imaging showed the problem, and Blackmon’s 2025 season was suddenly over.

“It was just hard to hear, especially with the anticipation of being back after having been hurt the year before,” Blackmon said.

His contract added to the uncertainty.

While Blackmon has been productive when he’s been on the field, he had to wait until the start of training camp to land with a team last year because he’d played through his first shoulder injury (suffered in Week 1 of the 2024 season) and put off surgery until after the season was over. He signed a one-year “prove-it” deal with the Saints shortly after Tyrann Mathieu’s sudden retirement last July.

Now he was staring at free agency again, only this time he was coming off back-to-back injuries. The Saints were there

again, but Blackmon knows he only has so many chances to show who he is.

“I feel like, mentally, I’m very locked in — which I’ve got to be,” Blackmon said. “It’s another prove-it year, it’s another oneyear contract, and it’s another chance for me to get out there and play a full season.”

Even when he wasn’t on the field, Blackmon added value. He played through his injury in 2024 because he felt compelled to be there for a young secondary to lean on.

When he couldn’t be on the field last season, he put on his “coach’s hat” and helped then-rookie Jonas Sanker where he could.

Sanker turned in a strong rookie season filling Blackmon’s spot in the lineup, and has since shifted over to the “Star” position in Brandon Staley’s defense — a transition Blackmon has helped ease based on his own experience playing as a nickel safety.

“He took me in and taught me the way he watches film, the way he approaches game day, everything,” Sanker said.

Blackmon said he did not know how his shoulder would respond until he was out of surgery, but this recovery went smoother than the last, and he feels a more comfortable range of motion in the joint than he did after his first surgery.

Which is good for a lot of reasons — one of them being that he and Reid have a lot of unused celebrations in the bank already, and they’re planning on using them a lot this season.

“You don’t know how many handshakes we came up with, and we didn’t get to use any of them, bro,” Reid said. “We got a whole armory of celebrations we’re going to be throwing out this season.”

Saints safety Julian Blackmon runs a drill during training camp on Wednesday in Metairie.

Continued from page 1C to be really good. But everybody wants to know ‘How many wins is that?’ ” Kiffin said. “That’s all outcome, and there’s so many variables in that. We’ve got a lot of work to do with these pieces, get them to play together well, get them to play as a team together.”

There’s urgency but also a pace to that work.

LSU had a morning practice Wednesday but will return in the evening, around 6:35 p.m., on Thursday. Then a lighter walkthrough Friday.

Another morning practice follows Saturday, then no practice at all on Sunday.

UL

Continued from page 1C tremendously,” Salgado said. “Not just the physical part of it, but I think his leadership, and, you know, the experience that he has, and the energy that he plays with.

“Guys have seen it, and that rubs off onto the other guys, and it’s somebody our younger, new players can look at, no matter what position you are, and learn from that guy, watching him play.”

O-line better off What UL’s offensive line went through last season was tough to live through.

A season-long flurry of injuries on that unit that reached double figures created different lineups each week throughout the 2025 season.

The good news is the experience gained from so many should help the Cajuns this time around.

“Now that we’re on the back end of it, you can see a lot of good things that come out of it,” Desormeaux said. “(Senior) George Jackson is back, right?

He got a year back and he’s back.

He’s lost about 35 pounds from last year and he looks incredible.”

Also, redshirt junior Matt Broussard got far more playing time than he thought and so did sophomore Jakoby Isom, among others.

“We were able to grow some depth and certainly confidence in that room,” said Desormeaux,

Position battles heating up

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The longer training camp lasts, the more the New Orleans Saints have started to experiment with their starting lineups.

Coaches across the NFL say there is competition at every position, and New Orleans’ Kellen Moore is no exception. But some spots are less locked down than others.

Through six practices, the team’s position battles have begun to crystallize — with two or three starting spots, in particular, that could be up for grabs. All of them, coincidentally, reside on the defense.

Linebacker Danny Stutsman took a series of first-team reps ahead of Pete Werner for the second straight practice Wednesday, while defensive tackle John Ridgeway took snaps over veteran Nathan Shepherd. Two days earlier, the Saints also rotated in Isaac Yiadom in place of Quincy Riley.

Moore said Monday that the changes were “no big deal,” adding that the Saints would rotate guys in “different capacities” as camp progressed. And that might be true, in some instances. It would be surprising, for instance, if Riley was ultimately relegated to a lesser role after a promising rookie season.

But the swaps do matter to the players involved, particularly for those eager to prove they’re capable of starting in the NFL. “That’s a dream,” Stutsman said when asked how badly he wants to be a starter. “That’s kind of why you wake up. That’s motivation.

At the end of the day, you want to contribute as much as you can for the defense to do as much as I can.

“There’s a respect between everyone in the room, but it’s the kind of job that you want to win. Every day you’re fighting out there and putting your best thing on tape.”

Injuries stacking up After putting the pads on earlier this week, the Saints are now dealing with the aftereffects of the ramped-up physicality. Running back Kendre Miller (back), rookie defensive lineman Christen Miller (toe), rookie guard Jeremiah Wright (shoulder) and defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver (calf) were sidelined for

STAFF PHOTO By dAVId GRUNFELd

LSU

SAINTS CAMP OBSERVATIONS

Alternating morning and evening practices will follow on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with a walk-through between them on Wednesday.

Things will get harder toward the middle of the month when consecutive practices are followed by scrimmages on Aug. 15 and Aug. 22. But this first week will fly by, because Kiffin wants to avoid softtissue issues at all costs.

“Those happen, and they linger, and then we fall behind,” Kiffin said. “It’s usually receivers, DBs — and then we can’t practice the way we want to, and the quarterbacks’ timings can be off.”

LSU needs to sync things up between a new quarterback, Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt, who missed most of spring practice, and a completely revamped

who said the unit is at eight and “hopefully by the end of camp, we can get to nine or 10 that you feel really good about.”

QB camp plan Things are very different when it comes to the quarterback position heading into camp that began Wednesday.

For most of Desormeaux’s five seasons as coach, there’s been a starting quarterback battle.

This time, everyone knows Lunch Winfield is the team’s leader and most of the camp can revolve around his progress.

“They won’t be live in fall camp,” Desormeaux said of the quarterbacks. “What it does is it allows the starter to get — really, my plan right now is he’s taking 100% of the one reps.”

The whole goal is to get Winfield as ready to play as possible.

With that said, backups Carter Coleman, Daniel Beale, Sam Altmann and Alex Munoz will also get opportunities to impress.

“Hopefully it’ll be about 90% where you can start working some of those other guys in there,” he added. “Coleman and Daniel will take all the twos ... split those and split them evenly.

Let them continue to work and continue to battle. They’ve both done some really good things.

“Then with Sam and Alex getting here, Sam will take most of the third group reps. He knows the offense and can run it. Alex needs to get him too and get himself ready. So it’s still a good spread the way that we have it.”

receiving corps. But there are enough “offseason training activities,” or OTAs, in college football now that Kiffin doesn’t see the need to overdo it.

“Looking at last year,” Kiffin said, referring to a Rebels squad that made a run to the College Football Playoff semis, “we were as healthy as any team going into the playoffs, if not healthier than anybody. I think a big part of that was because of our change of practicing less and less.”

Kiffin began really focusing on practice schedules when he arrived at Ole Miss, wondering how he could gain any possible edge over “big schools” like Georgia and Alabama that “traditionally has better players.”

“Monday, the traditional (Nick) Saban, Kirby (Smart) thing, they

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

college and pro. All that experience should make LSU fans glad Kiffin didn’t get the job when it hired Brian Kelly four years ago, or certainly before that.

“Going back over things (with Carroll), you remember how little you knew,” Kiffin said. “I equate it to parenting. The first time you’re a parent compared to if you had six kids now. It’s my sixth job.

You’ll probably do a better job.”

Kiffin had the Tigers easing into practice Wednesday morning. He said the goal is to ramp up gradually, reducing the potential of injuries and to be fresher in the long run.

Fresher — goal strongly implied — for the College Football Playoff. The way he said Ole Miss was last year when Kiffin first embarked on this workload management stratagem.

Injuries will happen, sometimes in the most mundane of ways.

Ask the Saints about losing star defensive tackle Bryan Bresee to a season-ending non-contact ACL tear the first day of training camp. But Kiffin is out to tip the odds in his favor.

“We’ve got to control,” he said, “what we can control.”

Kiffin isn’t naïve about the LSU job, maybe his biggest pressure cooker since the Raiders. Expectations are arguably higher even than they were when he was head coach at USC. In SoCal, they demand excellence from their Tro-

ASSOCIATEd PRESS PHOTO By GERALd HERBERT

Saints wide receiver Trey Palmer, right, and cornerback Isaac yiadom run through drills on Monday during training camp in Metairie.

n After having their best prac-

tice of camp Monday, the firstteam offense had a quieter outing Wednesday. Tyler Shough went 10-for15, but many of his throws were on the shorter side. His best pass of the day was when he hit Chris Olave on a comeback route about 12 yards for the first down. n The Saints love to run situational drills and Wednesday’s practice concluded with a scenario in which the offense was down 3 with 1:15 left, starting from the opposite 35-yard line. Run by both the 1’s and 2’s, neither quarterback got a satisfying result. Shough’s drive settled for a 51-yard field goal when the signal-caller was jumped by a trio of defenders for the sack. Spencer Rattler‘s unit also had to settle for a field goal after a costly delay of game on thirdand-1 led to an incompletion. n Tanner Brown, competing to unseat kicker Charlie Smyth, went 5-of-6 during the period of practice dedicated to field goals. The UFL product missed from 39 yards, making him 15-of-17 in camp. n Barion Brown is quickly becoming a fan favorite. The sixth-round wide receiver had another noteworthy day with three impressive catches in 1-on-1 drills. And during the Saints’ situational period, Brown hauled in a dime from Rattler, stayed in bounds and took off for 36 yards down the sideline.

After practice, quarterback Zach Wilson raved about the energy the rookie brings.

start practicing, which is fine; it’s won a lot of championships,” Kiffin explained at a Georgia Football Coaches Association event. “That same practice those guys do, we just walk through it. I’m conscious of legs and body and tear, and I think it pays off at the end of the year.”

Kiffin favors an Olympic-style ramp, full pads on Tuesday, halfpads on Wednesday, then a 200play walk-through on Thursday.

That last part came from former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who just seemed to have a fresher, faster team in the fourth quarter.

“Our last physical practice is Wednesday, done at noon,” Kiffin told his fellow coaches. “Alabama, Georgia … their last is Thursday at 6 p.m.”

Friday, however, isn’t a day Kif-

fin wants his team resting. He prefers a “Fast Friday” practice where his players “rev up” with a short, but full-speed practice, typically centered around special teams work.

He isn’t at Ole Miss anymore, but Kiffin’s formula doesn’t appear to have changed much at LSU. There are games to be won, but he wants his team prepared for a 12-team playoff that continues well into January.

No need to overdo it in August.

“There’s always outside circumstances and things that happen in games and injuries that have a lot to do with your season’s winloss total,” Kiffin said. “We’ve got to control what we can control, which is working really hard and getting the players used to playing together.”

jans, sure. But if USC doesn’t win, their fans can go to the beach. Or the mountains. Or the beach and the mountains in the same day.

In Louisiana, LSU football is a 24/7/365 all-consuming passion.

“Expectations are high,” Kiffin said. “I knew that when I came here.”

He is clearly confident he can deal with them because he has his systems well-established. Ole Miss fans won’t want to hear this, but Kiffin’s six years in Oxford were a touring company-like rehearsal for the Broadway theater that is being on the LSU stage.

Why is he vilified so by the Ole Miss folks? Sure, he left them on the eve of the CFP, perhaps undercutting a trip to the national championship game.

But Kiffin is also vilified there for the same reason Saban was reviled at LSU when he returned to college football at Alabama three years after leaving Baton Rouge in 2004. They’re worried, rightly so, that Kiffin has perfected his craft. Or at the very least polished it to a high gloss.

Kiffin is confident in himself, confident in his plan, confident in his staff. He spoke about how he was recently able to deal with some transfer portal issue instead of having to shepherd the offensive staff meeting because he knew offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who followed Kiffin from Ole Miss, had things well in hand. That he will do things the Kiffin way.

He doesn’t feel he has to drop in and monitor the defensive staff

room because Blake Baker, who stayed as LSU’s defensive coordinator instead of leaving for any of several mid-major head coaching jobs, is running the show.

It’s very early days. The promise of LSU, a team of “really good pieces” as Kiffin called it, is counterbalanced by questions.

Questions about quarterback Sam Leavitt’s health (Kiffin said the Arizona State transfer looked the best he’s looked, though reporters only saw him during two practice periods) and the enormous job of turning this 112-piece band of players into a symphony orchestra are reflected in the Tigers’ No. 13 ranking in the preseason coaches’ poll.

The promise is there. The Kiffin factor, shall we say.

If you haven’t found Kiffin as brash as you thought you would when he arrived at LSU, you’re not alone. While he’s been tweaking fewer noses at LSU than in past years, he still found room for a bold prediction on this first day of camp for his first season: “I know as good as we are now, we’re just beginning,” he said.

“Next year, we should have a better roster. We had to sign a (high school) class in a week, then sign a portal class with half our coaches going back and forth (to Ole Miss). We should be in a better position.”

That’s the voice of experience talking.

Wednesday’s practice, Moore said.

Moore downplayed the significance of Kendre Miller’s latest injury, which naturally drew curiosity given the fourth-year back’s lengthy history. The coach, however, said he did not know the severity of Christen Miller’s toe injury, such as whether it was turf toe.

“I don’t think (so), but we’ll see,” Moore said.

Otherwise, the Saints had their usual attendance, with Bryan Bresee (ACL), Mason Tipton (leg) and Zxavian Harris (foot) still sidelined.

Play of the day While this section is usually reserved for action that happens in team drills, there’s an exception that is going to be made for Vernon Broughton’s first rush during one-onone pass rush drills.

Lined up against guard Cesar Ruiz, the second-year defensive lineman drove the 316-pounder back roughly 10 yards in a manner of less than two seconds. The rush even elicited an “oh my God!’ from a fan sitting in the stands.

Broughton’s second rep against Ruiz could have also qualified here, too. On the second time around, the former third-rounder used a spin move to shed Ruiz off him and climb up the pocket to get to the stand-in quarterback (played by assistant defensive line coach Brian Young).

Odds and ends

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

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2026 SCHEDULE Date

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Opponent

Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct 30 Nov. 6

TEURLINGS CATHOLIC JESUIT Catholic-BR Acadiana LAFAyETTE New Iberia BARBE Southside Sam Houston SULPHUR

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Thomas More

Walker Pugh LB, 6-1, 215, Sr. A three-time wrestling champion in the heavyweight decision, Pugh led the Cougars in tackles last season.

Pugh has great instincts, diagnosing plays quickly and is a fierce tackler when he meets the ball carrier.

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Landon Ortte FS, 6-2, 195, Sr. A three-year starter in the secondary, Ortte has a good combination of size and speed. The UL commitment is a physical presence who is strong against the pass and tough in run support.

PAST FIVE YEARS 2025: 8-4 2024: 8-4 2023: 14-0 (state champions) 2022: 13-1 (state champions) 2021: 8-5

STAFF PHOTO By ERIC NARCISSE

St. Thomas More defensive standouts include, front row from left, Aidan Robinson, John david and Tristan Klock. Pictured back row from left are Landon Ortte, Hayden Hemard and Walker Pugh.

PROJECTED STARTERS Offense WR William Foreman (6-0, 175, Sr.) WR Jacques Christie (5-8, 170, Sr.) WR Jared Quoyeser (5-8, 160, Sr.)* TE Lincoln Roma (6-1, 185, Sr.) LT Jayden Brown (6-3, 260, Sr.)* LG Brennan McGill (5-7, 226, Sr.) C Alex Hebert (6-4, 270, Sr.)* RG Tyler Ritz (6-4, 290, Sr.)* RT Max Mason (6-1, 230, Sr.)* QB Eli Clark (6-0, 185, Jr.) RB Owen Bailey (5-7, 185, Sr.) Defense dE Hayden Hemard (6-2, 210, Sr.)* dT Aidan Robinson (5-7, 210, Sr.) dT Austin Macicek (6-1, 230, Sr.) dE Owen daniel (5-11, 185, Sr.) ILB Walker Pugh (6-1, 215, Sr.)* ILB Tristan Klock (5-10, 205, Sr.)* OLB Casey Meaux (5-10, 205, Sr.) OLB Taylor Eskridge (6-0, 190, Jr.) CB Owen Giglio (6-1, 170, Sr.)* CB John david (5-9, 150, Sr.) FS Landon Ortte (6-2, 195, Sr.)* * RETURNING STARTER

COACHES Head coach: Jim Hightower (490141-1) Assistant coaches: Shane Savoie (OC), Terry Tidwell (dC), david Leblanc (OL/S&C), Lance Strother (WR), Eric Miller (RB), Michael Heintz (TE), Shane Vallot (OL), Jacob Rodrigue (WR), Rowan Cline (OL), Corey Arceneaux (dT), Chris Klock (OLB), Ryan Fredrick (SAF), Ray Martin (dE), Bryant Masson (CB), Sam Kinnard (dB), and deuce Wallace (dB).

starters in tackles Jayden Brown and Max Mason, guard Last year didn’t go as well as St. Thomas More would Tyler Ritz and center Alex Hebert, they also possess a talented backfield headlined by senior running backs have liked, although the Cougars finished 8-4 overall Owen Bailey and Landyn Craft. and reached the second round of the Bailey had only 60 carries last season, but averaged division I select playoffs.

6 yards per attempt. The 212-pound Craft gives the While they know each year presents Cougars a between-the-tackles runner that is tough and its own challenges, the Cougars are physical. again expected to be contenders Quarterback is the one starting role still undecided. in district 3-5A and a state In a competition that began with as many as five championship.

Hightower candidates — Greyson Hemard, Preston Pellerin, Eli If the Cougars are going to live up Clark, Michael LaCour and Mark Guthrie — the Cougars to those expectations, they’ll rely on their defense — at haven’t yet decided on a quarterback. least early on.

“The quarterback battle has been hard to pick,” Led by seniors Landon Ortte at safety and Walker Savoie said. “We have about four to five guys in the Pugh and Tristan Klock at inside linebacker, the Cougars mix for the job and they’ve been shuffling around have a good foundation to build around. all summer. But the work they’ve all put in has been “We have three all-district players returning on productive.” defense,” offensive coordinator Shane Savoie said.

Although there isn’t a firm timeline on when the “The middle of our defense is solid. The talent in those Cougars will name a starting quarterback, Savoie knows positions in the middle is something that we are going what he’s looking for. to be able to lean on.”

“We’re looking for someone who is an elite decisionOrtte is a UL commitment with a high football IQ. Pugh maker,” Savoie said. “The entire offense relies on them. returns as the leading tackler and Klock has proven to Our quarterback has to be able to decipher information be quite versatile. under pressure and deliver.”

The strength of the defense goes beyond just those three players, as STM returns a total of five starters and How we see it The Cougars should be right in the thick of things this a handful of others who got playing time. season.

With Ortte leading the way, the Cougars’ secondary is They have talented players, but they are also a wellviewed as a strength. Ortte’s complemented by Owen oiled machine both offensively and defensively.

Giglio, who earned a starting spot midway through defensively, the Cougars are going to be stout, and his junior year, and John david whose speed and that unit will only get better as the season progresses. competitiveness make him a strong cover option.

STM will not only have a chance to win every game they The defensive line is led by senior defensive end play this season because of their defense, but there Hayden Hemard, who has established himself as a will be times that the defense will be the reason the disruptive force up front.

Cougars win.

Seniors Adian Robinson, Austin Macicek and Owen There’s a lot of senior leadership throughout the roster daniel also figure into the defense. If the defensive line but to make a run at the division I select state title, STM can hold up and develop into a strength, the defense will have to develop depth on the defensive line and could go from being good to great. solidify the quarterback position.

What we don’t know If the quarterbacks develop as Savoie expects and the There’s a lot to like about the Cougars’ offense this Cougars’ defensive line holds up, STM will make another season. deep playoff run.

Eric Narcisse Not only do they have an offensive line with returning

What we know

Jayden Brown LT, 6-3, 260, Sr. Fresh off a productive junior season, Brown was the Cougars’ highest-graded lineman last season.

Brown, a former basketball player, is long and athletic. He’s excellent in pass protection.

Jared Quoyeser WR, 5-8, 160, Sr. The Cougars’ most proven receiver, Quoyeser is STM’s most explosive player on offense. Although he only played in five games as a junior because of injury, Quoyeser displayed his game-changing abilities whether in the slot or as a returner. He has good speed, which enables him to stretch defenses both vertically and horizontally.

Tyler Ritz RG, 6-4, 290, Sr. A big and physical guard, Ritz does a great job of moving bodies and resetting the line of scrimmage on run plays. A threeyear starter, Ritz is a vital part of the Cougars’ offensive front.

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one Jay Jackson

Odds NFL Thursday

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

College Football Saturday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at TCU 6½ 7 (48½) N. Carolina at USC 35½ 38½ (59½) San Jose St. at VIRGINIA 5½ 5½ (54½) NC State at ND STATE 8½ 7½ (48½) Jax. State at E. MICH. 7½ 8½ (53½) Sac. State at STANFORD 3½ 4½ (50½) Hawaii at FLOR. ST. 30½ 30½ (52½) N. Mexico St. at UNLV 3½ 5½ (59½) Memphis

Thursday

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY O/U UNDERDOG at RUTGERS 30½ 30½ (54½) UMass at KENN. ST. 21½ 23½ (53½) W. Georgia at BUFFALO 27½ 26½ (48½) Albany at DELAW. 30½ 28½ (56½) Merrimack at W. FOREST 22½ 22½ (49½) Akron at UCF 38½ 39½ (57½) Beth-Cook. at GEO. TECH 7½ 7 (50½) Colorado at MISSOURI 50½ 52½ (60½) UAPB at MINN. 43½ 45½ (51½) E. Illinois at UTAH 35½ 34½ (57½) Idaho at ILLINOIS 27½ 27½ (56½) UAB

MLB

Thursday

American League FAVORITE LINE at BALTIMORE -168 at SEATTLE -158 at BOSTON -185 at KAN. CITY -120 National League FAVORITE LINE at MILWAUKEE -139 at PHILA. -334 at ATLANTA -157 San Diego -111 Interleague FAVORITE LINE at CINCINNATI -182 N.Y Mets -110 Toronto -120

UNDERDOG LA Angels Detroit Chi. White Sox Minnesota

LINE +142 +139 +153 +101

UNDERDOG Pittsburgh Washington Miami at ARIZONA

LINE +117 +270 +130 -107

UNDERDOG Athletics at CLEVELAND at CHi. CUBS

LINE +151 -109 +102

WNBA glance EASTERN CONFERENCE W 19 18 18 16

19 20 23

.367 .333 .233

8 9 12

Minnesota Las Vegas Golden State Dallas Los Angeles Phoenix Portland Seattle

W 25 21 21 19 11 12 11 6

L 6 9 9 11 17 19 19 26

Pct .806 .700 .700 .633 .393 .387 .367 .188

GB — 3½ 3½ 5½ 12½ 13 13½ 19½

Thursday’s games

16. Michigan (9-4) 719 22 0 17. Penn State (7-6) 463 NR 0 18. Tennessee (8-5) 428 NR 0 19. Washington (9-4) 406 NR 0 20. SMU (9-4) 378 NR 0 21. Utah (11-2) 313 14 0 22. Iowa (9-4) 291 17 0 23. Clemson (7-6) 235 NR 0 24. Houston (10-3) 194 19 0 25. Missouri (8-5) 158 NR 0 Dropped Out: No. 15 Vanderbilt (10-3); No. 16 Virginia (11-3); No. 18 Tulane (11-3); No. 20 James Madison (12-2); No. 23 Navy (11-2); No. 24 Georgia Tech (9-4); No. 25 Illinois (9-4).

Others Receiving Votes: Louisville (9-4) 153; Florida (4-8) 147; TCU (9-4) 63; Illinois (9-4) 62; Arizona (9-4) 50; South Carolina (4-8) 50; Virginia (11-3) 40; Vanderbilt (10-3) 37; Auburn (5-7) 29; Georgia Tech (9-4) 26; Boise State (9-5) 24; Oklahoma State (1-11) 22; UNLV (10-4) 17; Florida State (5-7) 13; North Carolina State (8-5) 13; Nebraska (7-6) 12; Virginia Tech (3-9) 12; Memphis (8-5) 9; Arizona State (8-5) 8; Duke (9-5) 6; James Madison (12-2) 6; New Mexico (9-4) 4; Pittsburgh (8-5) 4; Navy (11-2) 3; Western Michigan (10-4) 3; San Diego State (9-4) 2; California (7-6) 1; Hawaii (9-4) 1; Jacksonville State (9-5) 1; Kansas State (6-6) 1.

Thursday, Aug. 13

Major League Baseball

Tuesday’s games

Golden State 92, Toronto 81

Wednesday’s games

Phoenix at Atlanta, n Seattle at New York, n Dallas at Washington, n Los Angeles at Chicago, n

Thursday’s games

Las Vegas at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Los Angeles at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Toronto at Portland, 9 p.m.

Pro football NFL preseason glance Carolina vs Arizona at Canton, OH, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Cincinnati, 6 p.m.

Green Bay at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

Indianapolis at New England, 6:30 p.m.

Arizona at Las Vegas, 7 p.m.

L.A. Chargers at Houston, 7 p.m.

Tennessee at San Francisco, 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 14

Denver at Atlanta, 6 p.m.

Miami at Washington, 6 p.m.

Tampa Bay at N.Y. Jets, 6 p.m.

L 11 11 13 12

Pct .633 .621 .581 .571

GB — ½ 1½ 2

Carolina at Buffalo, noon Cleveland at Chicago, noon Minnesota at N.Y. Giants, noon Jacksonville at New Orleans, 3 p.m.

L.A. Rams at Kansas City, 3 p.m.

Philadelphia at Baltimore, 6 p.m.

Dallas at Seattle, 7 p.m.

College football USA TODAY PRESEASON POLL Rank 1. Ohio State 2. Oregon 3. Georgia 4. Texas 5. Notre Dame 6. Indiana 7. Miami (Fla.) 8. Texas A&M 9. Oklahoma 10. Ole Miss 11. Alabama 12. Texas Tech 13. LSU 14. SUSC 15. BYU

Rec. (12-2) (13-2) (12-2) (10-3) (10-2) (16-0) (13-3) (11-2) (10-3) (13-2) (11-4) (12-2) (7-6) (9-4) (12-2)

Pts. 1,741 1,637 1,591 1,544 1,524 1,522 1,409 1,174 1,104 1,096 1,050 1,034 951 838 781

American League glance East Division Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto

L 46 50 51 58 61

Pct .596 .561 .545 .487 .470

GB — 4 6 12½ 14½

Chicago Cleveland Minnesota Detroit Kansas City

W 59 57 56 55 47

L 53 57 58 58 67

Pct .527 .500 .491 .487 .412

GB — 3 4 4½ 13

Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 59 57 55 45 43

L 57 58 59 68 70

Pct .509 .496 .482 .398 .381

GB — 1½ 3 12½ 14½

Lrk. Votes 6 38 4 6 5 7 13 2 11 5 1 14 2 0 8 0 10 0 3 0 9 0 7 0 NR 0 21 0 12 0

West Division

Tuesday’s games

L.A. Angels at Baltimore, n Athletics at Cincinnati, n N.Y. Mets at Cleveland, n St. Louis at N.Y. Yankees, n Chicago White Sox at Boston, n Minnesota at Kansas City, n Detroit at Seattle, n

Thursday’s games

L.A. Angels (TBD) at Baltimore (Young 8-2), 11:35 a.m.

Athletics (Barnett 1-1) at Cincinnati (TBD), 11:40 a.m.

N.Y. Mets (McLean 7-7) at Cleveland (Griffin 12-3), 12:10 p.m.

Toronto (Cease 7-5) at Chicago Cubs (Peterson 6-7), 1:20 p.m.

Detroit (Valdez 6-7) at Seattle (Miller 4-5), 3:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Castillo 3-9) at Boston (Suarez 4-3), 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Ober 7-3) at Kansas City (Wacha 5-8), 6:40 p.m.

National League glance East Division Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 68 61 58 55 48

L 45 53 56 60 66

Pct .602 .535 .509 .478 .421

GB — 7½ 10½ 14 20½

Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati

W 70 66 57 56 54

L 43 49 58 58 58

Pct .619 .574 .496 .491 .482

GB — 5 14 14½ 15½

Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

W 69 60 59 48 45

L 46 54 55 67 70

Pct .600 .526 .518 .417 .391

GB — 8½ 9½ 21 24

Central Division

W 68 64 61 55 54

Central Division

Saturday, Aug. 15

Pro basketball

Indiana Atlanta New York Washington

11 10 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Course: Beaver Creek Club selection: 8-iron Hole, yardage: No. 8, n/a Witnesses: Guy France, Sal Arnone

FAVORITE Carolina

Chicago Toronto Connecticut

West Division

Tuesday’s games

Philadelphia 5, Washington 0 N.Y. Mets 6, Cleveland 2 Cincinnati 5, Athletics 4 N.Y. Yankees 2, St. Louis 0 Atlanta 4, Miami 2 Milwaukee 4, Pittsburgh 2 Chicago Cubs 5, L.A. Dodgers 1 Texas 5, San Francisco 4 Tampa Bay 9, Colorado 7, 11 innings San Diego 9, Arizona 4

Wednesday’s games

Baltimore 3, L.A. Angels 1 N.Y. Mets 6, Cleveland 2 Cincinnati 5, Athletics 4 N.Y. Yankees 2, St. Louis 0 Boston 14, Chicago White Sox 2 Kansas City 8, Minnesota 2 Houston 7, Toronto 2 Texas 5, San Francisco 4 Tampa Bay 9, Colorado 7, 11 innings Detroit 8, Seattle 0

Texas 6, San Francisco 0 Chicago Cubs 7, L.A. Dodgers 6 Tampa Bay 4, Colorado 0 Athletics at Cincinnati, n N.Y. Mets at Cleveland, n Washington at Philadelphia, n St. Louis at N.Y. Yankees, n Miami at Atlanta, n Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, n San Diego at Arizona, n

Toronto 5, Houston 4, 10 innings Texas 6, San Francisco 0 Tampa Bay 4, Colorado 0

Athletics (Barnett 1-1) at Cincinnati (TBD), 11:40 a.m.

N.Y. Mets (McLean 7-7) at Cleveland (Griffin

Wednesday’s games

Thursday’s games

12-3), 12:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Ashcraft 11-4) at Milwaukee (May 5-7), 1:10 p.m.

Toronto (Cease 7-5) at Chicago Cubs (Peterson 6-7), 1:20 p.m.

Washington (TBD) at Philadelphia (Sánchez 14-4), 5:05 p.m.

Miami (Junk 5-6) at Atlanta (Pérez 7-6), 6:15 p.m.

San Diego (Buehler 6-5) at Arizona (Drake 0-0), 8:40 p.m.

Pro soccer MLS Glance Western Conference Vancouver Los Angeles FC San Jose Houston Real Salt Lake FC Dallas St Louis City Portland Seattle Minnesota United Colorado LA Galaxy San Diego FC Austin FC Sporting Kansas City

W 10 10 10 9 8 7 7 7 7 6 7 5 5 4 4

Eastern Conference

L 3 5 5 6 6 5 6 8 7 6 10 7 7 9 12

T Pts GF GA 4 34 38 17 4 34 35 19 3 33 37 24 2 29 25 24 3 27 29 25 6 27 32 25 5 26 24 24 3 24 33 33 3 24 20 22 6 24 20 25 1 22 27 25 7 22 24 29 6 21 32 29 5 17 22 36 2 14 18 46

W L T Pts GF GA Nashville 12 2 4 40 35 14 Inter Miami CF 11 2 5 38 45 32 New England 9 5 3 30 28 21 Chicago 9 6 2 29 32 23 New York City FC 7 6 5 26 31 24 Cincinnati 7 6 5 26 45 44 Charlotte FC 7 7 4 25 29 27 New York 7 7 4 25 29 39 D.C. United 5 5 8 23 26 29 Orlando City 6 10 2 20 30 47 Columbus 5 8 5 20 26 28 Toronto FC 3 7 8 17 24 32 Philadelphia 4 10 4 16 25 33 CF Montréal 4 10 4 16 24 35 Atlanta 3 12 3 12 19 33 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

Friday’s games

Toronto FC 1, New York City FC 1, tie

Saturday’s games

Nashville 2, D.C. United 2, tie New England 2, CF Montréal 2, tie New York 3, Orlando City 2 Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 2 Los Angeles FC 1, Vancouver 1, tie Columbus 2, Miami 2, tie Chicago 2, Charlotte FC 1 Houston 2, Sporting Kansas City 0 San Diego FC 1, Minnesota 1, tie Real Salt Lake 1, St Louis City 1, tie Colorado 1, Austin FC 0 Cincinnati 4, San Jose 2 FC Dallas 0, LA Galaxy 0, tie Portland 2, Seattle 1

Saturday’s games

Houston at New England, 3:30 p.m.

LIVING

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

|

T h u r s d ay, au g u s T 6, 2026

5CN

Glazed swordfish, salad pair for summer perfection

BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Here’s a simple yet flavorful three-ingredient main course that goes from oven to table in just 10 minutes. Simply stir together the sauce, spread it over a swordfish fillet and bake until perfectly cooked.

Paired with a crunchy, refreshing summer vegetable salad, this quick and satisfying meal is ideal for a warm evening. Fresh, light and full of flavor, it’s a complete dinner that comes together in minutes.

PHOTOS By LIZ FAUL

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya TNS PHOTO By LINdA GASSENHEIMER

Glazed Swordfish with Crunchy Zucchini Salad

Glazed Swordfish Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer.

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard 4 tablespoons orange marmalade ¾ pound swordfish Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons orange zest (optional garnish)

Trio of recipes stir up memories while sharing a comforting meal with family

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Add mustard and marmalade to a small bowl and stir to completely combine the ingredients. Set aside.

3. Line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper and add the swordfish. Sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mustard sauce on top of the swordfish.

4. When the oven reaches 350 F, place the baking tray on the middle shelf and bake 10 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 123 F. 5. Divide in half and place on two dinner plates. Sprinkle the orange zest on top.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 343 calories (22 percent from fat), 8.4 g fat (2.0 g saturated, 3.6 g monounsaturated), 66 mg cholesterol, 35.5 g protein, 30.2 g carbohydrates, 2.2 g fiber, 666 mg sodium.

W

hen my oldest child went to college, he asked me to create a book of our most loved family recipes.

He said he wanted to have a way to cook all the dishes that we made the most during his childhood years. I hate to admit this, but my son graduated last spring and all of our well-worn recipe cards still sit on my desk waiting to be put in a logical format.

There is comfort that comes from the meals we Liz Faul share around our family tables. It is very nostalgic to think back on cooking and baking with my children as they grew up in our home. A compilation of favorite family meals is a wonderful gift because it provides the aromas, tastes and memories from home even when that home is only a distant memory.

This month, I picked three more recipes from “Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune

ä See FAMILY, page 6C

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Recipe is from “Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans,” edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker. about 5 minutes.

2. Add the sausage to the pot and cook it with the chicken, stirring it for 2 minutes, or until it is browned.

3. Add the onions and peppers and cook, stirring until soft and golden; this takes about 5-6 minutes.

4. Add the water, tomato paste, parsley and green onions. Stir and bring to a boil.

5. Add the rice, gently stir in the rice, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the 1. Heat the oil in a heavy liquid, 15- 20 minutes. Do not pot, such as a Dutch oven. stir. Fluff the mixture with a Season the pieces generously fork before serving. with Cajun seasoning. Add 6. Optional: Garnish the the seasoned chicken pieces jambalaya with sliced green to the pot, and cook over onions, parsley and a dash of medium heat until browned, hot sauce.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bite-size pieces) 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning ½ pound smoked sausage (sliced into ¼ inch-thick pieces) 1½ cups chopped yellow onions 1 cup chopped bell peppers 3 cups water 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons chopped green onion 1½ cups long grain rice

OTHER RECIPES l Eggplant Fritters and Tartar Sauce l Rosemary Cookies l 6C

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

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

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

Magic of tomato shines in Roman, Southern dishes Pomodori con il Riso, Recipe 6C

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/ TNS PHOTO

By GRETCHEN McKAy

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

I also love to combine chopped tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and thin ribbons of basil so I can If you’re like me, you can eat spoon it onto pan-fried bread vine-ripened tomatoes all day, every day, and never get tired of for bruschetta. Add a generous them. Delicious out of hand, the dusting of grated Parmesan and I could easily devour a whole juicy culinary fruit that cooks pan in minutes. treat as a vegetable adds flavor The fact tomatoes are incredto everything from salads and sauces to egg and pasta dishes. ibly nutritious only adds to their One of my favorite hot weath- magic. They’re naturally low in calories because they’re made er eats in July and August is a up of about 95% water, and boast humble tomato sandwich made with soft white bread, lots of ä See TOMATO, page 6C mayo and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

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

lll

Pomodori con il Riso

TODAY IN HISTORY

By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, Aug. 6, the 218th day of 2026. There are 147 days left in the year.

Today in history: On Aug. 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths.

Also on this date: In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting

Rights Act, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.

In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the internet.

In 2025, a U.S. Army sergeant shot and wounded five fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia before being tackled by other troops. Quornelius Radford was later sentenced to life in military prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of attempted mur-

der at a court-martial.

Today’s birthdays: Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 88. Actor Dorian Harewood is 76.

Actor Leland Orser is 66.

Actor Michelle Yeoh is 65.

Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 61. Movie writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is 56. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner is 54.

Actor Vera Farmiga is 53.

Actor Soleil Moon Frye is 50. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. is 45. Actor Ty Simpkins is 25.

Singer Nessa Barrett is 24.

Crunchy Zucchini Salad Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer.

1 cup zucchini cubes (about ½ inch each) 1 cup cherry tomatoes ½ cup cucumber cubes (about ½ inch each) ½ cup yellow bell pepper cubes (about

½ inch each) 1 cup canned, rinsed and drained reduced-salt cannellini beans 3 tablespoons reduced-fat vinaigrette dressing 2 cups washed, ready-to-eat arugula

1. Add the zucchini, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, yellow bell pepper cubes and cannellini beans to a small bowl.

2. Add the vinaigrette dressing and toss well.

3. Divide the arugula in half and place on two dinner plates. Spoon the zucchini mixture over the arugula.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 2.5 calories (11 percent from fat), 2.5 g fat (0.4 g saturated, 0.6 g monounsaturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 12.1 g protein, 36.3 g carbohydrates, 9.0 g fiber, 25 mg sodium.

Eggplant Fritters

Tartar Sauce

Makes about 6 servings. Recipe is from the cookbook “Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans,” edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker.

Recipe is from the cookbook “Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans,” edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker.

1 pound eggplant, peeled and cubed 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon sugar 1 ⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup of mayonnaise 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish ½ teaspoon finely chopped onion 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 2 dashes hot sauce Creole seasoning to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt Vegetable oil for frying OPTIONAL ADDITION: Sliced ripe summer tomato to serve with the fritters.

1. For the sauce: In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, chopped onion, lemon juice, hot sauce and Creole seasoning and mix together until combined into a smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

2. For the fritters: In a heavy pan, over medium heat, add the cubed eggplant and just enough wa-

ter (about 1⁄8 cup) to keep the eggplant from sticking to the bottom. Stir the eggplant, and cook until it is tender. Once the eggplant is soft, remove it from the heat, mash well with a fork and let it cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggplant, baking powder, flour, sugar, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and

salt. Mix well.

4. Heat about 4 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot or electric fryer to about 360 F. Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, drop the eggplant mixture into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per batch.

Drain on paper towels. You can season the fritters with more salt if you wish.

Rosemary Cookies Makes 12-15 cookies. Recipe is by Mary Youngblood Cooper, from “Cooking Up A Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans,” edited by Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker. ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour ½ cup confectioners sugar 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional) About 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

FAMILY

Continued from page 5C of New Orleans” that I could serve together as one meal with a range of tastes and textures. First, I made eggplant fritters that had crispy edges and tender centers. Also, because I had a perfectly ripe farmers market tomato on my kitchen counter, I sliced it thin and served it under the eggplant fritters and topped each fritter with a dollop of tartar sauce.

Next, I made the chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 2. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the butter, flour, confectioners sugar, rosemary and lemon juice.

3. Spoon the dough by the teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1½ inch-

es apart. Press the dough flat with a cookie stamp or the bottom of a small drinking glass dipped in granulated sugar.

4. Bake the cookies until light brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

and sausage jambalaya.

This one-dish Louisiana classic is a favorite meal to serve to a crowd. My husband often says, “Jambalaya is the perfect meal.”

My daughter recently requested that we make jambalaya for her graduation party. The chicken and sausage recipe in “Cooking Up A Storm” was easier than the version that I usually make and it tastes just as good.

There are many ways to make jambalaya. The key is to find the right balance between rice, fluid and flavor. This recipe worked

great. I garnished it with green onions and a dash of hot sauce for extra texture and spice. I served it with sweet slices of summer cantaloupe. The sweet and salty combination is a winning one.

Finally, I made the rosemary cookies. When I read that this is one of “the most requested cookie recipes since it was published in The Times-Picayune in September 2000,” I wanted to try it myself. I have only made these cookies twice, but they are already a favorite that I will add to our family cookbook.

Serves 6. You need to turn on the oven for this dish from a forthcoming book, “Rome: Classic Recipes from the Eternal City” by Lucia Tersigni and Audrey Cosson (Michael Beazley, $33). But the upside is the finished dish doesn’t have to be eaten hot; it’s just as tasty cold, making it the perfect dish for a quick summer lunch.

3. Wash and dry tomatoes.

Slice off the top one-third of the tomato and set aside the caps. Scoop out the flesh inside with a spoon, making sure not to split the skins.

4. Put the pulp in a sieve to drain off the juice, then place the pulp (without juice) in a food processor with 2 tablespoons oil.

(I picked out most of the seeds.)

5. Add garlic, basil and 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. oregano and season liber2. Line a baking dish with ally with salt and pepper. parchment that has been Blend until smooth, then dampened and any excess remove to a bowl. water shaken off. (I put the 6. Add rice to the tomato tomatoes directly into the puree and mix well. Refrigpan.) erate for around 1 hour to

12 ripe tomatoes 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped Leaves from 1 small bunch of basil Pinch of dried oregano or 1 fresh oregano sprig 12 tablespoons long-grain or basmati rice Salt and freshly ground black pepper Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

allow the rice to soak up the flavor. (Don’t skip this step or the rice will be hard and separate from the pulp.)

7. Once the rice filling is ready, stuff the tomatoes with the mixture. Replace the tops of the tomatoes and arrange in the pan.

8. Drizzle the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then cover with foil.

9. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, or until tomatoes are tender and jammy.

10. Allow to cool slightly and serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Tomato Cracker Salad Serves 4-6. Some takes on tomato cracker salad call for dicing the tomatoes and combining them with mayonnaise and crackers for one homogenous bite. This old-school recipe from Southern Living builds a salad with sliced tomatoes on top of seasoned mayo. However you make it, it’s essential to eat the salad right away, while the crackers are still crunchy. Raw sweet corn adds a crisp and juicy finish.

12 saltine crackers 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon garlic salt, divided 1½ cups mayonnaise 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 2½ pounds heirloom or other peak summer tomatoes (assorted sizes and colors), sliced Black pepper ¾ cup fresh corn kernels (1 ear) 2 tablespoons small fresh basil leaves

TOMATO

Continued from page 5C a meaningful amount of vitamin C plus lycopene, a plant compound prized for its antioxidant properties.

Below we dish up two recipes in which tomatoes take center stage. The first is a crunchy, deconstructed take on a tomato sandwich.

Made with just a handful of

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place crackers in a single layer on the sheet.

3. Brush tops of crackers liberally with melted butter and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of garlic salt.

Bake until golden brown and fragrant, 8-10 minutes.

Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise,

chives, apple cider vinegar and remaining ½ teaspoon garlic salt in a small bowl.

5. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on a large platter. Arrange tomato slices on top of mayonnaise mixture, overlapping slightly.

6. Season tomatoes with pepper to taste and sprinkle with corn. Coarsely crush crackers over salad; sprinkle with basil.

pantry ingredients, tomato cracker salad is a summer classic in the South.

The second is an Italian dish from a forthcoming cookbook featuring authentic recipes from Rome.

Pomodori con il riso is usually made with risotto-style rice that is par-cooked in the tomato pulp just long enough to get rid of its raw, hard bite, but this version made with basmati opts for simply

soaking the rice in the pulp for about an hour in the fridge to soften it. I added a generous dusting of Parmesan before serving.

For a more substantial meal, add a few chopped potatoes that have been tossed in oil and chopped fresh rosemary to the pan. Just make sure it’s a small dice so they cook at the same rate as the tomatoes. The recipe can easily be halved for smaller appetites.

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DRE#01901536 This website is a marketing and information program that sends all inquiries to state-licensed real estate professionals.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday,August 6, 2026 ● 7C

lll

FrAnK And erneSt

roSebUdS

zItS

zodIAC LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Balance is what's important, and learning and living life happily requires equality and the ability to live up to your expectations, not what others want from you. Be brave.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Plans to look and feel your best will be met with people who have their own ideas of how you should proceed. Don't trust those who paint a pretty picture with no rhyme or reason behind their promises.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Ditch replaying things in your head; move on. It's time to cut your losses and to make your way in a direction you truly believe in. Entertain the thought of immersing yourself in something that fascinates you. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Reduce, simplify, declutter and free your body, mind and soul of all that torments you.

Your energy needs to be strategically aimed at a purpose or what matters to you. Dig deep. sAGIttARIUs (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Throw your energy in a direction that lightens your heart, fills your home with happiness and allows you to let your creative spirit take over. Love looms. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Speak on behalf of those who can't. Wrap your mind around how and what to enforce to make a difference in how you live, think and move forward. Don't wait until it's too little, too late.

AQUARIUs (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Get the facts before you act. Overthinking or overdoing will lead to mistakes. Put your emotions and ego aside and do what's

best for everyone, and you'll fulfill your desire to make peace with yourself and those you care about.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Trust your instincts. Take your time and use your intelligence to sort through your options and consider the consequences. Time has a way of healing what is meant as a lesson.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Take a deep dive into your creative psyche and see what transpires. Reinventing yourself or trying something new will inspire you to be good to yourself and make a difference. tAURUs (April 20-May 20) Make your space comfortable and convenient. An opportunity to bring in extra cash from a home-based business doing something you enjoy will be uplifting and help with confidence and personal growth.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) If you don't like something, change it. Look over your personal preferences and put a to-do list together. Take control of your life, and put what you need to reach your goal in place. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Gravitate toward those who are transparent.

Take a unique approach to producing authentic answers to solutions. Specialize in being yourself and offering others your very best.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

peAnUtS

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLUE: Z EQUALs y

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

dooneSbUrY

8C ● Thursday,August 6, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

CurTiS

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BaBY BLueS

BLondie

THe wiZard oF id

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La TimeS CroSSword

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Thursday,August 6, 2026 ● 9C

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B.C.

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER We have been looking at declarer’s plan in no-trump when he has only one stopper in the suit led at trick one. But how does his strategy change when he has two stoppers in that suit?

It depends upon the number of opposing high cards declarer has to drive out before running for home. If he will lose the lead only once, he should take the first trick, give the opponents the trick they are due, and claim. However, if he has two losers to drive out, usually it is right to duck (lose) trick one.

In this example deal, West leads the spade four against three no-trump and East puts up his jack. How should South plan the play?

South starts with only five top tricks: two spades and three diamonds. He can get three winners from clubs, so also needs a heart trick. He has to concede tricks to both rounded-suit aces. The rule recommends ducking the first trick.

Let’s assume East returns his second spade. South wins and plays on clubs.

East takes his ace, but doesn’t have another spade to lead (and if he did, the suit would be 4-3).

Note that if South takes the first trick and leads a club, East wins and returns his second spade, establishing West’s suit while West still has an entry in the heart ace. Or, if South plays a high heart at trick two, West wins with his ace

garfield

Pearls Before swiNe

hagar the horriBle

and East drops the jack, the top of his sequence when he cannot win the trick.

Then West should lead his second heart, which would defeat the contract.

Finally, yes, if East, when given the first trick, shifts to his heart jack at trick two, South has to guess to play low, which is not clear-cut. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

PiCKles

Previous answers:

mallard fillmore

word game InstRUctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3.

Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD — LEsIons: LEE-zhuns: Injuries; harm.

Bizarro

marmaduKe

Average mark 19 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 25 or more words in LESIONS? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — IMPRoBIty import pity port prim primo probity prom riot romp ropy roti

obit omit orbit brim brio brit tomb topi torii trim trio

trip tromp troy typo tyro

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.”

Psalms 73:16-17 Going to God’s House can help see things as they really are. Be in church this Sunday.

— G.E. Dean

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BUSINESS T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M/news/business

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Appeals court may refuse defamation suit

SCARBOROUGH, Maine — A federal appeals court signaled that it might not allow a lawsuit brought by fishing industry businesses and trade groups against a California aquarium to proceed because of the case’s potential impact on free speech.

The New England-based plaintiffs sued the Monterey Bay Aquarium for defamation after the aquarium’s Seafood Watch conservation program placed American and Canadian lobster on its do-not-eat “red list” in 2022. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is deciding whether the lawsuit can go forward.

One of the appellate judges, Judge Seth Aframe, said during oral arguments on July 27 that it doesn’t strike him as a defamation claim and that he finds the case troubling “from a First Amendment perspective.”

“The more you broaden the class of people that fall within this, the more it feels like everybody can sue,” Aframe said.

Seafood Watch placed lobster on its list of seafood to avoid because of the threat posed to rare whales, such as the North Atlantic right whale, by potential entanglement in fishing gear.

Electronic Arts closes $55 billion sale CHICAGO — Video game giant Electronic Arts officially has new owners.

The California-based maker of popular titles like “Battlefield” and “The Sims” announced Tuesday that it closed the $55 billion sale of its business to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, investment firm Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners, which is run by U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The acquisition’s price tag is the largest-ever for a buyout funded by private equity.

And wider shifts to the gaming world could be on the way now that the deal is complete.

In a statement, CEO Andrew Wilson said EA and its new owners would “invest boldly, accelerate innovation, and build the next generation of games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire us every day.” And Turqi Alnowaiser, deputy governor and head of international investments at PIF — which already held a minority stake in EA for five years — also pledged to “invest heavily in EA’s growth,” including through the use of artificial intelligence in game development.

Japan’s Honda reports robust results TOKYO — Honda’s profit for the fiscal first quarter more than doubled from a year ago, as the Japanese automaker continues to tackle a turnaround from the first full year loss in its history.

Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday its AprilJune profit totaled 456.9 billion yen ($2.9 billion), up from 196.6 billion yen for the same period a year ago.

Quarterly sales rose 13.5% to $38 billion, as vehicles sold well in the U.S. and India, according to the maker of the Accord sedan, Fit subcompact and Super Cub motorcycle.

Honda previously recorded a $2.7 billion loss for the fiscal year ended in March, acknowledging heavy costs for its electric-vehicle plans, which didn’t measure up to the original ambitions, partly because of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.

Analysts say many consumers weren’t ready to go electric.

Honda has abandoned many of its plans for EV models.

The Trump administration has pulled back on incentive programs for EVs and withheld money to states wanting to add more EV charging stations, even as gas prices have soared over the war in Iran.

Trump’s tariffs on imported autos and auto parts, lowered to 15% from the initial 25%, also worked to dent Honda’s profitability.

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U.S. stocks remain near records Wall Street expects profit growth of 50%

BY DAMIAN J. TROISE Associated Press

NEW YORK — Stocks meandered to a mixed finish on Wall Street Wednesday and remained close to their records, while oil prices held steady.

The uncertain trading on Wall Street followed two days of big gains that gave the week and August a strong start. Several big

technology companies slumped, though, ultimately weighing down the market.

“The coiled spring investors have been waiting for has finally released, with the S&P 500 Index surging to record highs for the first time in two months,” said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, in a report.

The market has been generally rising as companies head into the closing stretch of their latest round of earnings reports with sharp overall gains. Three-quar-

ters of the companies within the S&P 500 have reported results so far, and Wall Street expects profit growth of 50% when they are all finished.

The Walt Disney Co. rose 3.6% after easily beating Wall Street’s profit forecasts, helped by a $1 billion box office haul from “Toy Story 5” and theme park revenue.

Booking Holdings jumped 6.6% after reporting that strong travel demand drove profit and revenue growth during its most recent quarter.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX fell 13.6% following the release late Tuesday of its first quarterly report as a public company, which showed that it sharply boosted spending on artificial intelligence. The company did help give semiconductor giant Nvidia a 3.4% boost after announcing it would exclusively use that company’s chips for its artificial intelligence technology.

Treasury yields slipped in the bond market. The yield on the 10year Treasury slipped to 4.61% from 4.63% from late Tuesday.

Rising temperatures could keep more flights from taking off on time Clear blue skies don’t always mean smooth flying

BY RIO YAMAT and M.K. WILDEMAN Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — Airline passengers know to expect possible flight delays when weather forecasts call for thunderstorms, heavy snow or strong wind. The omens are less obvious on a hot summer day with clear skies.

Yet extreme heat also disrupts flights and travel plans. On the hottest days, thinner air can make it harder for aircraft to get off the ground safely. Airlines may have to lighten the load by removing passengers or cargo, or carrying less fuel.

The snag is well known at airports in desert climates around the world, from the U.S. Southwest to the Middle East. But even less extreme heat can create similar challenges at airports with higher elevations or shorter runways. Researchers say human-caused climate change could make such disruptions more common.

With heat waves searing parts of the United States and Europe this summer, Las Vegas illustrated how extreme heat can interfere with air travel. American Airlines offered compensation to customers who voluntarily gave up their seats on a July 24 flight from Harry Reid International Airport after temperatures reached 114 degrees Fahrenheit.

The airline described reducing a plane’s weight as a standard industry practice in hot-weather destinations when conditions require it to ensure a safe takeoff. The explanation comes down to physics.

Hot air is thinner than cool air, making it harder for a plane’s wings to generate lift and for jet engines to generate the thrust needed for takeoff, explained Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines captain and CEO of Aero Consulting Experts.

“There is a science behind all this,” Aimer said. “You can’t deny the science of flight and what it takes for an airplane to operate.”

Airplanes struggle in hot, thin air Aimer likens the effect of high temperatures on airplane performance to athletes competing at high altitude. During this year’s World Cup, foreign teams competing in Mexico City — located more than 7,300 feet above sea level — had to contend with thinner air that can leave players fatigued more quickly.

“Just like human beings, jet engines require lots of cool, dense air to perform well,” Aimer said.

Before every departure, pilots and airlines determine whether an aircraft can safely take off by calculating several key factors, including the airplane’s weight, the airport’s elevation and the outside temperature, said Alan Price, a retired Delta Air Lines captain.

Aircraft at higher elevations are already operating in thinner air, so temperatures don’t have to climb as high to affect takeoff performance. Denver, for example, sits

ASSOCIATEd PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATT yORK

A jet takes flight as heat ripples radiate from the runway at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix in 2023. Researchers say extreme heat waves can disrupt flights due to thinner air. more than 5,000 feet above sea level.

Runway length also matters. Airliners need room to build enough speed for takeoff when temperatures soar, and shorter runways leave less distance to do that, Price said. That’s one reason airports such as New York’s LaGuardia and Washington’s Reagan National can be more likely to face takeoff restrictions or weight limits during very hot weather.

If the pilot’s preflight math shows an aircraft cannot safely depart as planned, airlines may choose to reduce cargo, carry less fuel and make a refueling stop later, wait for cooler temperatures or ask passengers to volunteer for a later flight.

But there comes a point when removing weight isn’t enough to make a safe takeoff possible.

“At some point, the numbers just don’t make sense,” Aimer said. “You could roll down a runway as long as you want, and you still can’t take off.”

planes taking off from four European airports would have to shed the weight equivalent of 10 passengers per flight by 2065.

While triple-digit temperatures come with desert living, the kind of hot days that might affect flights are becoming more frequent in both Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has averaged 43 days each year since 2020 when the temperature reached at least 110 F, according to an analysis of weather station data by The Associated Press. The number of such days increased gradually over several decades before surging in the 2020s to more than triple the average during the middle of the last century.

At Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, temperatures reached that threshold an average of about 18 days a year between 2020 and 2025 — more than double the annual average during the 1940s through 1960s, the AP analysis found.

Delays could become more common

Safety determines when to reduce weight

The Federal Aviation Administration does not set a single maximum temperature for takeoff. Instead, the FAA says, operating limits vary based on an aircraft’s make and model, its weight and the airport’s altitude.

A 2017 study by researchers from Columbia University, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the Logistics Management Institute projected that some airports could see weight restrictions on 10% to 30% of flights departing during the hottest part of the day by midcentury if greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise. The study examined 19 airports around the world and found that airports with short runways, high elevations and hotter climates would be affected most.

A more recent study concluded that current climate prediction models indicated

Airlines have dealt with these issues for years. During a stretch of scorching heat in June 2016, American canceled several round-trip regional flights between Palm Springs, California, and Phoenix. The following year, the airline canceled dozens of regional flights in Arizona as temperatures in Phoenix climbed toward 120 F. In July 2018, some airlines bumped passengers at Denver International Airport to later flights as temperatures reached 98 F, KDVR-TV in Denver reported.

Delta Air Lines also asked for volunteers to step off a plane in Las Vegas during an excessive heat warning in July 2023 because of weight restrictions tied to the extreme temperatures. That flight was ultimately canceled after passengers spent hours aboard the aircraft in the heat.

Regulators to consider new safety requirements for electric doors

BY CHASE HUNTER

The Mercury News (TNS) Nearly two years after three young people died of smoke inhalation inside a burning Tesla Cybertruck in Piedmont California, as a friend struggled to open its doors, federal regulators are considering new safety requirements intended to prevent occupants from becoming trapped when electronic latches lose power.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced last week that it had granted a November petition asking the agency to consider a new federal standard requiring a “robust and obvious” door egress system in all motor vehicles. The decision begins a rulemaking process but does not

guarantee that the agency will ultimately adopt a new standard.

“It is imperative that NHTSA moves swiftly through the rulemaking process to develop and implement new federal door egress safety standards that will protect future vehicle occupants,” said Andrew McDevitt, the attorney for the Nelson family whose son Jack died in the Piedmont crash.

“But these will arrive far too late to save the lives of Jack Nelson, Krysta Tsukahara, Jeffrey and Michelle Bauer, and so many others killed and seriously injured

by Tesla’s completely inexcusable door design.”

The Bauers were among five people killed in a November 2024 Tesla Model S crash in Wisconsin. McDevitt also represents their family.

Tesla did not respond to questions from the Bay Area News Group regarding the federal agency’s review.

Since 2018, NHTSA has received more than 140 complaints about Tesla doors becoming stuck, failing to open or otherwise malfunctioning.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation also opened an investigation in September 2025 into approximately 174,000 model-year 2021 Tesla Model Y vehicles after receiving nine complaints that exterior doors became inoperable when the vehicles lost low-voltage power.

The complaints generally involved parents getting out of their vehicles and then being unable to reopen a door to reach a child in the back seat. In four cases, an owner

broke a window to regain entry.

NHTSA found that current federal standards do not regulate the placement or labeling of manual releases and concluded that further investigation was unlikely to establish a safety defect. The agency said the broader issue was better addressed through the separate rulemaking process.

Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., introduced the legislation in January.

It would require new vehicles to have accessible manual releases for each door, establish labeling requirements and ensure first responders can enter vehicles after a loss of power.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill in May, sending it to the full House for possible consideration