Indictments stem from Cole’s time on Metro Council
He faces conspiracy, malfeasance, money laundering charges
speaks during the annual back-to-school convocation
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
East Baton Rouge Parish schools Su-
perintendent 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 personal statement once I feel we are fully prepared for the first day of school,” Cole said. “For now, my focus remains exactly where it has always been, on our students and ensuring they have an outstanding
start to the school year.”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office declined to comment beyond issuing a brief statement.
“These are very serious charges. It was based on a lengthy investigation by the grand jury,” Murrill said in a statement. “This investigation is continuing, so we have no further comment at this time.”
The grand jury also charged Terral “TJ” Jackson and his wife, Erica Jackson, with the same two charges of conspiracy
See CHARGED, page 7A
School Board leaders express support for Cole
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
Barely two years after taking the job, LaMont Cole’s future as the leader of Louisiana’s second-largest traditional public school district is in question after he was indicted Wednesday on felony corruption charges.
It doesn’t appear though, that the 52-year-old veteran school official is in any immediate danger of being sidelined or removed from his job overseeing the
“We want to explicitly state that we stand firmly behind Mr. Cole as he navigates this matter.”
SHASHONNIE STEWARD AND CLIFF LEWIS, East Baton Rouge Parish School Board president and vice president
education of about 38,000 students
In a joint statement released Wednesday, board President Shashonnie Steward and Vice President Cliff Lewis say they
continue to support Cole and ask that parish residents “maintain faith in our schools as we move forward together.”
“We want to explicitly state that we stand firmly behind Mr Cole as he navigates this matter,” they wrote. “Our legal system is built on the foundational bedrock of due process and the presumption of innocence. Just as we teach our students to respect fair processes, we must allow the legal system to run its course
See SUPPORT, page 7A
ELECTION
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 seats? And, if so, which one?
Miguez, a Republican from New Iberia, was running for the 5th District until Louisiana’s maps 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
ä See HOPEFULS, page 7A
Qualifying began Wednesday for the open primary in November for Louisiana’s congressional districts.
Siblings’ murder-for-hire trial gets underway in Iberville Parish
BY OLIVIA TEES Staff writer
On Aug. 27, 2024, 65-year-old Herman Harris was found shot to death in his home in Maringouin, and his family immediately contacted the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office. A couple of days after Harris’ body was discovered, authorities
arrested siblings Rilonda and David Brooks, along with 27-year-old Johnnie Hicks, of Mississippi. Investigators believe the brothersister duo hired Hicks to carry out the killing so they could avoid a lawsuit Harris intended to file against Rilonda Brooks, his former boss. Now almost two years later in a crowded courtroom at the Iber-
During opening arguments
Wednesday, District Attorney Tony Clayton said the state will pursue the narrative that Rilonda Brooks crafted the entire opera-
ville Parish Courthouse, the trial is officially underway to determine who will bear the responsibility for the brutal slaying of Harris. Judge Alvin Batiste came out of retirement specifically to preside over the case. The Brooks siblings and Hicks were indicted by a grand jury on charges of second-degree murder, conspiracy, aggravated burglary and obstruction of justice. However each of the three defendants has their own defense attorney — and each is providing conflicting stories about what happened.
tion and enlisted her brother to hire the triggerman and carry out her “dirty business.”
“This mastermind here, as you sit here right now, ice cold water runs through her veins,” Clayton said, pointing to Rilonda Brooks. As Clayton addressed the mostly White jury, he gestured toward the
See TRIAL, page 7A
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Superintendent LaMont Cole
for East Baton Rouge Parish school employees on Tuesday at Southern University.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
U.S. offers$25M for leader of powerful cartel
MEXICO CITY The U.S. governmentonWednesday offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Juan Carlos González,or “Pelón,” scaling up pressure on aU.S. citizenwho hasemerged as thefigurehead of Mexico’s mostpowerfulcartel.
The rewardwas bumped up from $5 million. The Trump administration offered atotal of $100million in rewards for various leaders of theJalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and restricted the visas of family membersand business associatesofcartel members
U.S. officials said the rewards, along with newly unsealed charges against fiveother highranking leaders, were aimed at crippling the organization’s leadership while President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Mexico and other Latin Americannations to carryout hissecurity agenda.
CJNG is among eight Mexican cartelsdesignated as a foreignterrorist organization. Thegroup was dealt ablow 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 aburst in violence in the state of Jalisco. González, OsegueraCervantes’s stepson andadual Mexican and U.S. citizen, is reported to have takencontrolof the cartel, which is involved in everything from avocado production to drug smuggling Drone with explosives found at German airport
BERLIN Adrone with explosives wasfound at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airportand the device was defused, authorities said Wednesday,inanincident that the country’stop security official said posed a“new quality of danger.”
Both the runwaysatthe major freight hub were closed and several flights, including one passenger plane,were diverted to other airports after aflying object was sighted nearby shortly before midnight Tuesday.An anti-explosives robot wasdeployed to check an object near the south runway
Regional police and prosecutors later said an airport employee discovered adrone 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 anew quality of danger,” German Interior Minister AlexanderDobrindt told reporters at the airport.
“Drone sightings, drone threats including in ahybrid context, are something we know from the past,” he added. “That adrone armed with explosives is at an airport is anew threat scenario.”
Clerkwon’t have to pay Murdaugh’slegalfees
COLUMBIA, S.C— Afederal judge has thrown out alawsuit by Alex Murdaughseeking $600,000 in legal fees by the former court clerk whosemisconduct led his murder convictions to be overturned on appeal.
Murdaugh sued Becky Hill in May saying she violated his right to afair trial in the deaths of his wife and son.
Ajury found Murdaughguilty, but the state Supreme Court overturned the convictions and life sentences earlier this year sayingHill’scommentstojurorssuggested the once-prominent lawyer was guilty and his testimony in his own defense couldn’tbetrusted.
The problem with Murdaugh’s legalreasoning is he would have had to spend the money anyway because it wasn’tHill who investigated or pursued justice againsthim, Judge Richard Gergelwrote in his ruling Wednesday.Murdaugh’sattorneys filed anotice to appeal about two hours later
Investigators said Murdaugh was addicted to opioids and his complex schemes to stealmoney from clients and his family’s lawfirm were starting to unravel so he killed hiswife and son to divert attention and buy time to find away out of his problems.
Deal will hingeonU.S.blockade
Iran insistsonsomecontrol of Strait of Hormuz
BY ELENABECATOROS, SAMY MAGDYand DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
CAIRO— Iran saidWednesday it is in the “final stage” of drafting an agreementwith Oman over the Strait of Hormuz,and U.S.President Donald Trump has said adeal could be announced this week. That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an end to thewar Butthe agreement is likely to be contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran’sports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would cement Iran’sgrip over thestrait, which would amount to amajor loss for the U.S. and abreak with globalnorms.
Iran hasinsisted on some mea-
sure of control over the strait,saying it will not go back to being an open internationalwaterway, as it was before thewar
The U.S., along with Israel, launched the war on Feb. 28, citing various goalsincluding toppling Tehran’sgovernmentand ending its nuclear program.Those have not been achieved, and the conflict hasdevolved intoafight over the strait as Iran’s assertionofcontrol andattacksonshipping have ground traffic to anear-halt.
Closure of thestrait, through which afifth of theworld’straded oiland natural gasoncepassed, has drivenupthe priceoffuel andbasic goods, roiling the global economy.Trump is alsounder mounting pressure to end an unpopular war ahead of U.S.congressional elections
Iran’sForeign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei,said that theagreement withOman is in the “final stage” of drafting, and that
ajoint statement will be issued “if certain parties do not obstruct this process,” apparently referring to theU.S. Iranian and Omani negotiators have finalizedthe draft deal to reopen the strait andawait final approval from Iran’sSupreme Leader AyatollahMojtaba Khamenei, two regional officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Khamenei is believed to have been wounded in thewar’sopening strikes and has not been seen in public since then.
Theofficials, who were briefed on the negotiations, portrayed the potential deal as atemporary solutiontothe dispute over the strait. They said it is tied to an agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran in June that aimedatendingthe fighting andreopening the waterway but ultimately collapsed.
Theofficials, whospoke on conditionofanonymity to discuss the private talks, said the potential deal will pave the way forthe U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations on
Border wall contractors told to stop drilling wells
BY MIKELLA SCHUETTLER Associated Press
PHOENIX TheTrump administration hasordered construction crews on aborderwall to stop drilling wells in droughtstrickenNew Mexico afterrancherssaid pumpinggroundwater needed to make concrete could threaten their livestock.
The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of PresidentDonaldTrump’shighest domestic priorities —barriersthat span four states and received over $46 billion in federal funding. Controversieshave sprouted up in Texasand California, with border-town residents andenvironmentalists reporting awide varietyofissues with construction
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees border wallconstruction,has said water is needed to make concretefor roads, wall construction and dust suppression. Cattle ranchers in the area say thedrought 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. Imean, it could potentially putsome people out of business, us included,” said Russell Johnson, acattle rancher whose property runs along the border Johnson raised the issue at apublic meeting in July after noticing an industrial well, whichdrillingcrews told him wouldpump300 gallons aminute, on landheleases for grazing. Johnson has roughly 12 wells across his ranch, which pump between threeand seven gallons aminute.
Aspokesperson forCBP said on Mondaythatborder wall contractorsinNew 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 withNew Mexico and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to developa groundwater strategy.
“CBPiscommitted to working collaboratively with local landowners to ensurethat construction activities do not adversely impact their water needs,” read the statement.
Thefederal contractors building the wallin NewMexico—Caddell Construction Co. and Fisher Industries —did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. Messages left with receptionists for Barnard Construction and SpencerConstruction Co., the contractors building near Johnson’sranch, were not
immediately returned.
Agency says contractorsdrilled illegally
The New MexicoOfficeofthe State Engineer,which monitors andapproves wells across thestate, saidstaff have countedeight wells drilledwithout the office’spermission along the southern border, butcautioned there could be more. Staff visited two wells in July and reported they were pumping 200 gallons per minute.
“All nontribalwells in NewMexico, whether they are drilled on state or federal land, musthave permits from the state engineer before they can be drilledorwatercan be pumped from them,”the Office of the StateEngineer said in astatement.
The wells for border construction wereall drilled on afederally owned strip of land 18 miles wide thatextends just northofthe border called the Roosevelt Reservation. CBP did not respond to follow up questions about whether the federal government has aright to pump groundwater on federal land without stateoversight.
Cattle ranchers report cullingherds
TomPatterson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, sayswater is the No. 1concernfor ranchers andthatifwells start to go dry, it’s already too late. During wallconstruction in Trump’sfirst term, Patterson said, contractorsbought water from farms, ranches, or municipalities in the area, which meant theamountofwater being pumped from nearby basins didn’t increase during construction.
“Why do they need allthis water?” said Patterson. “And why can’tthey buy it as they have in thepast from farmers, ranchers, or even from Luna County?”
Johnson said the moratorium on future well drilling is astep in theright direction,but he’sstill worried after acontractortold 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 forcattletograze on,as themain reason for the drop.
Before the first borderwall went up, Johnson remembers seeing at leastone truck of people crossing his ranch every week. Now,hesays illegal crossing hardly ever happens on his ranch. As a former Border Patrol agent, he supports theborderwallbut doesn’tbelieve it should cost him his livelihood.
Tehran’snuclear program Earlier,they had said the potential agreement would have ships enterthe Persian Gulfthrough an Iranian-controlledroute and exit through aroute controlled by Oman. Servicefees would be chargedfor providing security and preserving the maritimeenvironment, the officials said.
TheU.S.has said it is strongly opposedtoany arrangement that would see Iran charge fees.
Trump was asked on Tuesday evening by reporters about areport on the Axios newssite that an announcement on the straitcould be madeonWednesday “Itcould happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” Trump said. “A lot of progress has been made.”
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemenclaimed Wednesday they had fired ballistic missiles towardaSaudi oil tanker on the Red Seaoff theSaudi port of Yanbu, without providing evidence. There was no immediate commentfrom Saudi Arabia.
CDC: 15 states now linked to cyclospora
BY MIKESTOBBE Associated Press
NEWYORK— Parasitic illness cases in 15 states have been linked to iceberg lettuce, U.S. health officials said Wednesday Cyclospora caseshave been reported in at least 47 states this year, and investigators havecontinuedto probe howmanycould be linked to acommoncontaminated source. TheCenters forDisease Control andPrevention said the number of states tied to the deadly outbreak had grownfrom nine to 15. Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina were added to alist 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 thesource, and the company has recalled iceberg lettuce grown in
central Mexico. There are several reasons cyclospora outbreaks canbehardtoinvestigate and contain, said Dr.Juan Luis Marquez, medical director of the Washtenaw County andLivingston Countyhealth departments in Michigan. It can take weeks between whensomeoneis exposed to the parasite and whenthey comedown with symptoms; it’shardertoanalyze the parasite in laboratories; and it’salot of work to interview everyone who is sickand clearlyidentify common exposures, said Marquez, an adjunct public health professor at the University of Michigan. Also,“therehavebeen staffing cuts at alllevels of public health —federal, local,state —sothere are less resources and capacity generally available,” Marquez said in astatement. Cyclospora is amicroscopic,spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosivebowel movements,” according to the CDC.
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crewsdrill wells for border wall construction in July in Luna County,N.M., along the U.S.-Mexico border
CDCleaderconfirmed
Senate approves Schwartz fortumult-ladenagency
BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press
NEW YORK
TheSenate on Wednesday con-
firmed Dr.Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, placing her in charge ofa public health agency beleaguered by political meddling and low morale.
Schwartz wasconfirmed in a51-44 vote. The 54-yearold becomes the 22nd leader of the Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats, and the agency’s first confirmed director innearlyayear.Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, andaleadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.
Schwartz’snomination appeared to be on shaky ground after ahearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee lastmonth. Thechairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-BatonRouge, and others questioned whether she would be willing to standuptoRepublican PresidentDonald Trump’s health secretary,Robert F. Kennedy Jr., if he ordered CDC todosomething unsupported by scienceand good public health practice.
But weeks later,Cassidy saidhe had spokenwith Schwartz afterthat 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 notimmediatelyrespond to questions aboutwhen 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,
BY MICHAELCASEY Associated Press
Months beforeLindsay Clancy strangled her three children, she lost significant weight, couldn’tsleepand complained of postpregnancy mental health issues, the family’sformer nanny testified at her murder trial Wednesday But the nanny never worried the Massachusetts mother might be adanger to her children or to herself.
“I observed awonderful mom who loved her kids,” Elaine Rossi told the jury on the seventh day of the trial in Plymouth. “She wasconcerned about their safety, and Callan eating and sleeping. She wasawonderful mother.”
Clancy’sdefense says she was aloving mother who was overmastered by postpartum psychosis, adangerous psychiatric condition that afflicts asmall proportion of women after childbirth and affects their hold on reality Prosecutors contend that sheacted intentionallyon Jan. 24, 2023, and should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of Callan,
theagency has lost 3,000-plus employees more than one-quarter of its workforce. Morale has plummeted as asuccession of mostlytemporary 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 herleadership will serve scienceand not the whimsofpoliticians.CDC needsa 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 organizationofformer and current CDC workers, in astatementWednesday.
When Schwartz was nominatedinApril, public health experts were cautiously optimistic, citingher background. They also notedthatSchwartzwas thechoice of Trump and not Kennedy,who is aleading voiceinthe anti-vaccine movement before he was tapped to overseethe CDC and other federal healthagencies.
Schwartz was the third Trump nominee for CDC director in thepast 18 months.
The first was aformer Florida congressman, Dr.David Weldon. HisSenate hearing in March 2025 was canceled an hour before it was to begin. Weldon said at the timethat he hadbeen told not enough senators were willing to vote for him.
The White House then moved on to Susan Monarez, who had been serving as theCDC’s actingdirector.Monarez was confirmed by theSenate, but ousted fromthe jobinless than amonth. Trump administration officials said shewas not aligned withthe president’s agenda, so theyterminated her.Since then, therehave been aseries of HHSofficials as actingCDC directors.
“With all the turmoil of the past twoyears, the CDC desperately needs stability,experienced leadership and asteadfast commitment to science,” saidDr. Georges Benjaminofthe American Public HealthAssociation,inastatementWednesday
La.federal judgecould hold U.S.
officialsincontempt
Government has triedtodeport mandespite orders notto
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
ABaton Rouge federal judge on Wednesday weighed holding U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials in contempt in ahearing after finding federal officials repeatedly tried deportinga mandespitethe judge’srepeated orders to stand down.
“The issue is not whether Ican make acontempt finding, but whether Ishould,” saidU.S. District Judge JohnW.deGravelles of the Middle District of Louisiana in aZoom hearing in thecaseof43-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed Acontempt ruling against officials within DHS, which oversees U.S.Immigration andCustoms Enforcement would mark the secondsuch order by afederal judge this month amid an ongoingclash betweenfederal judgesand theimmigration crackdown from President Donald Trump’sadministration.
AMaryland man jailed over thepast year at the “Camp 57” immigration lockup in theLouisiana State Penitentiary at Angola,Mohammedmoved legally into theU.S. in 2014 and earned asylum from his native Ethiopia.
crackdown. DeGravelles in February orderedMohammed freed from Angola, ruling that ICElet him languish in detention without aviable placetodeporthim after finding he had qualified for supervised release.
ICE agents rearrested Mohammed two months later after finding thatthe two small African countries would agree to take him,a federal official previously testified. DeGravelles slammed governmentlawyers fortheirhandling of therearrest, againordering him released.Inthat instance, he ruled agents violated Mohammed’sdue process rights, including by failing to servehim papers saying where he would be deported, and warned the government against arrestinghim againwithoutthose steps.
Last week, ICEagents in Maryland did exactly that, deGravelles wrote in acurt order that triggered Wednesday’shearing.
The government, DeGravelles wrote after consulting Mohammed’sattorneys, again failed to serve Mohammed withrequired papers notifying him of the country to which he would be sent —thistime, the Central African Republic. Government officialsalso didnot interview Mohammed to determine whether he had credible fear of harm upon arriving there, among other failures to adhere to due-process requirements.
officials involvedinattempts to deport Mohammed,hesaid. Afederal judge in California on Tuesday held DHS in civil contemptfor allegedly slow-rolling her order to create digital copiesofmessagescontained on personal cellphones of immigration agents involved in immigration raids in Los Angeles.
AseniorICE official who ordered Mohammed’s rearrest, Vernon Liggins, told deGravellesduring Wednesday’shearing that some required papers were not served to Mohammed during his latest arrest because of the huge volume of people ICE is nowdetaining.
“Wetry to getall detainees served as quickly as possible,but we’rearresting alot of people nowadays,” Liggins said. “Mr Mohammed, I’m sure, wasn’tthe first personprocessed that day.”
Citing internalDHS sources, ABC News reported that ICE arrests reached arecordhigh of 51,000 in July
Attorneys for Mohammed asked deGravellestocompel the government to pay his attorneys fees as well as about $180 in compensation for time lost to his detention. They also asked deGravellestoaffirm aportion of an earlier ruling requiring a14-day notice period if the government seeks to detain him again.
Dawson and Cora Clancy, whorangedinage from 8 months to 5years. Rossi washiredinSeptember2022, afew months after Callan was born, and let go in December after Clancy, 35, decided nottoreturn to work. Rossi saidshe wasn’ttold why Clancy, af ormer labor and delive ry nurse, chose to remain at home Thedefense sought to portray Clancy as ad ot ing mother who acknowledged hermental health difficulties.Prosecutors likely hope thejurywill seea mom who wasn’timpaired by her mental health. Rossi testified thatshe saw prescription medicine bottles in thehouse, and that Clancy “shared withme she had postpartum and couldn’t sleep,” and had taken to sleeping in the basement. In her journals duringthat
time, Clancy indicated she was struggling with anxiety and feeling overwhelmed by motherhood.
Both the prosecution and defensereadexcerptsfrom herdiarytothe jury Monday, where she catalogued an ever-shifting lineup of psychiatric prescriptions, as well as thoughts of suicide Clancy remains paralyzed fromthe waist down after jumping from her home’s second-story windowonthe night of the killings.
Clancy wrote abouther struggles to get newborn Callan to sleep, and constant worriesofhis being sick She also expressedconcerns about going back to work, not being able tobreastfeed, and feeling disconnected fromher childrenand her then-husband.
“I’m so desperatetoget a mental breakfromtaking care of everyone thatmy mind is trying to find somethingphysically wrong with me,” she wrote in aNov.18, 2022, entry
“I have crazybrain fog.I feel likeIcan’t make aplan,” shewrote in another,undated entry.“Ilive moment to momentwaiting forthe next nap time.”
Scientists certainSpaceXrockethit moon
BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A SpaceX rocket that launched apair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year,scientistsreported. Although no one observed the actual 5,400-mph collision, atelescope in Chile spotted what astronomers have identified as the debris plume resulting from the crash. Spacetracking experts said it wasinevitable that the leftover rocket segment plowed into the moon.
SpaceX’sJuliannaScheiman said this week that the company is working with NASAtoavoidfuturewrecks, stressing that this projected crash was not deliberate.A combination of solar activity and gravity accidentally put it on acollisioncoursewith the moon, she said.
Boston University’sCarl Schmidt said he is “100% certain” that his team’sobservations revealed signs of the lunar crash. The European Southern Observatory’sVeryLarge Telescope detected astream of sodium
andlithium stretching for miles into space for at least five to 10 minutesfollowing theimpact, he added.
He was ordered deported after achild sexual abuse conviction, and federal officials marked himlast year for deportation either to Eswatini or Equatorial Guinea— part of apush by the administration to send deportees to countries other than theirplaces of origin amid the administration’songoingimmigration
The judge called government lawyers to hisvirtual courtroom Wednesday to show why he should not hold “decision-makers who are responsible forthis redetention in contempt.”
DeGravellessaidhe would deliverarulingon that question within aweek. The civil contempt ruling would apply to seniorICE
James Finncovers federallaw enforcement andcourts forThe TimesPicayune|The Advocate. Email him at jfinn@ theadvocate.com or contact him on Signal at jamesfinn.82.
Schwartz
Rossi Clancy
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 be-
yond 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 progressive movement who was an early supporter of El-Sayed’s candidacy, said Wednesday
El-Sayed, 41, has never held elected office and entered the race seven years after losing Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by more than 20 percentage points This time, running on an unapologetically progressive agenda, he overcame more than $60 million in outside spending and an opponent backed by many of Michigan’s top Democrats, including Gov Gretchen Whitmer and outgoing Sen. Gary Peters.
Extraordinary trajectory
After losing the 2018 Democratic primary for governor to Whitmer, El-Sayed retreated into the political wilderness. He started a podcast, wrote a book and became a regular presence on YouTube and television, slowly building a following while waiting for a political opening he did not know would come.
It arrived when Peters made the surprise announcement that he would not seek reelection, creating an open Senate seat in one of the country’s most competitive states. El-Sayed launched his campaign in April 2025 with a staff of four. In his victory speech Wednesday, he recalled the small rooms that
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 attention across traditional outlets, podcasts and online platforms. Some appearances, including multiple interviews with controversial streamer Hasan Piker, drew swift backlash.
‘Movement of the many’
On July 5, state Sen Mallory McMorrow ended her campaign, leaving a two-person race between El-Sayed and Stevens. Soon after, El-Sayed stood before door-knocking volunteers in a Grand Rapids park and declared that “we have a
chance of winning this election.”
“More importantly, we have a chance at winning our politics,” ElSayed said. “What we’re doing is building a movement of the many against the money.”
In the final days, El-Sayed leaned even further into the strategy that had helped build his campaign. He marched through downtown Detroit alongside social media influencers, then attended a private pool party with content creators, 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.
“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.
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.
Man arrested at Trump’s golf course faces weapons charges
By The Associated Press
ANGELES
LOS
— 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. attor-
ney’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 AR-style 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 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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
El-Sayed departs following a news conference Wednesday in Detroit shortly after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S Senate in Michigan.
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
Appeals courtmay refuse defamation suit
SCARBOROUGH, Maine Afederal appeals court signaled that it might not allow alawsuit brought by fishing industry businesses and trade groups against aCalifornia aquarium to proceedbecause of the case’s potential impact on free speech.
The New England-based plaintiffs sued the Monterey Bay Aquarium for defamation after the aquarium’sSeafood Watch conservation program placed American and Canadian lobster on its do-not-eat“red list” in 2022.The Boston-based 1st U.S. CircuitCourt of Appealsisdeciding whether the lawsuit can go forward.
One of the appellate judges, Judge Seth Aframe, said during oral arguments on July 27 that it doesn’tstrike him as adefamationclaim and that he finds thecase troubling “from aFirst 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 seafoodtoavoid because of the threat posed to rare whales, such as the North Atlantic right whale, by potentialentanglement in fishing gear
Electronic Arts closes $55 billion sale
CHICAGO Video game giant Electronic Arts officially has newowners.
The California-based makerof popular titles like “Battlefield” and “The Sims” announced Tuesdaythat it closed the $55 billion sale of its business to Saudi Arabia’ssovereign wealth fund PIF,investment firm Silver LakePartners andAffinityPartners,which is runbyU.S. President Donald Trump’sson-in-law Jared Kushner
The acquisition’spricetag is the largest-ever for abuyout fundedbyprivate equity And wider shifts to the gaming world could be on the way now that the deal is complete In astatement, CEO Andrew Wilson said EA and its new owners would“invest boldly,accelerate innovation, and build the nextgeneration of games and experiencesfor 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 aminority 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’sHonda reports robust results
TOKYO— Honda’sprofit forthe fiscal first quarter more than doubled from ayear ago, as the Japanese automaker continues to tackle aturnaround 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 ayear ago. Quarterly sales rose13.5% to $38 billion, as vehicles sold well in the U.S. and India, according to the maker of the Accordsedan,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’tmeasure up to the original ambitions, partly because of U.S.President Donald Trump’spolicies.
Analysts say many consumers weren’tready to go electric. Honda has abandonedmany of its plansfor EV models.
The Trump administration has pulled back on incentive programs for EVs and withheld money to states wanting to add moreEVcharging stations, even as gas priceshave soared over the war in Iran. Trump’stariffs on imported autos and auto parts, lowered to 15% from the initial 25%,also workedtodent Honda’sprofitability.
U.S. stocksremainnearrecords
Wall Street expects profitgrowthof50%
BY DAMIAN J. TROISE Associated Press
NEW YORK Stocks meandered to a mixed finish on Wall Street Wednesdayand remainedclosetotheir records, while oilprices held steady
The uncertain trading on Wall Street followed two days of big gainsthatgave theweek and August astrong start. Several big
technology companies slumped, though, ultimately weighing down themarket.
“The coiled spring investors have been waiting for has finally released,with the S&P 500 Index surging to record highs for the first timeintwo months,” said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, in areport.
Themarket hasbeen generally rising as companies head into the closing stretch of theirlatest round of earnings reportswith sharp overallgains. Three-quar-
tersofthe companies within the S&P500 have reportedresults so far, andWallStreetexpects profit growthof50% whentheyare all finished.
The Walt Disney Co. rose 3.6% after easily beating Wall Street’s profitforecasts, helpedbya $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 itsmost recent quarter
ElonMusk’sSpaceX fell 13.6% following the releaselateTuesdayofits first quarterlyreportas apublic company, whichshowed thatitsharply boostedspending on artificial intelligence. The company did help give semiconductor giant Nvidia a3.4% boost after announcing it would exclusively use that company’schips for its artificial intelligence technology Treasury yields slippedinthe bond market. The yield on the 10year Treasury slipped to 4.61% from 4.63% from late Tuesday
Rising temperatures couldkeep more flights from taking off on time
Clearblueskies don’t always mean smooth flying
BY RIOYAMATand M.K. WILDEMAN Associated Press
LAS VEGAS Airline passengers knowto expect possible flightdelays when weather forecasts callfor thunderstorms, heavy snow or strong wind. The omens are less obvious on ahot summer day with clear skies. Yetextreme heat also disrupts flightsand travel plans. On thehottestdays, thinner air can make it harder for aircraft to get off the groundsafely.Airlinesmay have to lighten theload by removing passengers or cargo, or carryingless fuel.
The snag is well knownatairportsindesertclimates around the world, from the U.S. Southwest to theMiddle East.But even less extremeheat can create similar challenges at airports with higher elevations or shorter runways. Researchers sayhuman-caused climatechange could make suchdisruptions more common.
With heat wavessearing parts of theUnited States and Europethissummer,Las Vegas illustrated howextreme heat caninterfere with air travel.
AmericanAirlinesoffered compensation to customers who voluntarily gave up their seatsona July 24 flight from Harry Reid International Airport after temperatures reached 114 degrees Fahrenheit.
Theairline described reducing aplane’s weight as astandard industry practice in hot-weather destinationswhen conditions require it to ensure asafe takeoff. The explanation comes down to physics.
Hotair is thinner than cool air,making it harder for aplane’swings to generate lift and for jet engines to generatethe thrust needed fortakeoff, explained RossAimer,a retiredUnited Airlines captainand CEOof Aero ConsultingExperts.
“There is ascience behind all this,” Aimer said. “You can’t deny the scienceofflight and what it takes for an airplane to operate.”
Airplanesstruggleinhot,thinair
Aimer likens the effect of high temperatures on airplane performance to athletes competingathighaltitude. During this year’s World Cup, foreign teams competinginMexico City —located morethan 7,300 feet above sea level —had to contend with thinner air that can leave players fatigued morequickly
“Just like human beings, jet engines require lots ofcool, dense air to perform well,”
Aimer said
Before every departure, pilots andairlines determine whether an aircraft can safely take off bycalculating severalkey factors, including the airplane’sweight, the airport’s elevationand theoutside temperature, said AlanPrice, aretired DeltaAir Lines captain. Aircraft athigher elevations arealready operating in thinnerair,sotemperatures don’thave to climb ashigh to affect takeoffperformance. Denver,for example, sits
morethan 5,000 feet above sea level
Runway lengthalso matters. Airlinersneed room to build enough speed for takeoff when temperatures soar,and shorterrunways leave less distance to do that, Price said.That’sone reason airportssuch as New York’sLaGuardia andWashington’sReagan National can be more likely to face takeoffrestrictions or weight limitsduring very hot weather
If thepilot’s preflight math shows an aircraft cannotsafely depart as planned,airlines may choosetoreduce cargo, carry less fuel and make arefueling stop later,wait for cooler temperaturesorask passengers to volunteer for alater flight.
But there comes apoint when removing weight isn’tenough to makeasafe takeoff possible.
“At some point, the numbersjust don’t make sense,” Aimer said. “You could roll down arunway as long as you want, andyou still can’ttake off.”
Delays couldbecomemorecommon
The Federal Aviation Administration does not set asingle maximum temperature for takeoff. Instead, the FAAsays, operating limits vary basedonanaircraft’smake and model, its weight and the airport’saltitude.
A2017 study by researchers fromColumbiaUniversity,NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and theLogistics ManagementInstitute projected that someairports could see weight restrictions on 10% to 30% of flights departing during thehottest part of the day by midcentury if greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise. The study examined 19 airports around the world and found thatairports with short runways, high elevations and hotter climates would be affected most.
Amorerecent study concludedthatcurrent climateprediction modelsindicated
planes taking offfrom 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 morefrequent in both Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has averaged 43 days each year since2020 when the temperature reached at least110 F, according to an analysis of weather station data by The Associated Press. The numberofsuchdaysincreased gradually over several decades before surging in the 2020s to more than triple the average during the middle of the last century
At Harry ReidInternational Airport in Las Vegas, temperatures reached that threshold an average of about 18 days ayear between 2020 and 2025 —more than double the annual average during the1940s through1960s, the AP analysis found.
Safety determines when to reduce weight Airlineshavedealtwiththese issuesfor years. During astretch of scorching heat in June 2016, American canceled several round-tripregional flights between Palm Springs, California,and Phoenix. The following year,the airline canceled dozens of regional flights in Arizonaastemperatures in Phoenix climbed toward 120 F. In July 2018, some airlines bumped passengersatDenverInternational Airport to later flights as temperatures reached 98 F, KDVR-TV in Denver reported.
DeltaAir Lines also asked forvolunteers to step off aplane 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 afterpassengers spent hours aboard the aircraft in the heat.
Regulators to consider newsafetyrequirementsfor electric doors
BY CHASE HUNTER
The MercuryNews(TNS)
Nearly twoyears afterthree young peopledied of smokeinhalation inside aburning Tesla CybertruckinPiedmont California, as a friendstruggled to open its doors, federal regulators are considering new safetyrequirements intended to preventoccupants from becoming trapped when electronic latches lose power
TheNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced last week that it had granted aNovember petition asking the agency to consider anew federal standard requiring a“robust and obvious” dooregress systeminall motor vehicles. The decision begins a rulemaking process but does not
guarantee that the agency will ultimately adopt anew standard.
“Itisimperative thatNHTSA moves swiftly through the rulemaking process to develop and implementnew federal door egress safetystandards that will protect future vehicle occupants,”said Andrew McDevitt, theattorney for the Nelson family whoseson Jack diedinthe Piedmont crash.
“But thesewill arrive far too late to save thelives of Jack Nelson, Krysta Tsukahara, Jeffreyand Michelle Bauer, and so many otherskilledand seriously injured by Tesla’scompletely inexcusable door design.”
TheBauerswereamongfive people killed in aNovember 2024 Tesla Model Scrash in Wisconsin. McDevitt also representstheir family
Tesladid notrespond to questions from the Bay Area News Group regarding the federal agency’sreview Since 2018, NHTSA has received more than 140 complaints about Tesladoors becoming stuck, failingtoopenorotherwise malfunctioning. NHTSA’s OfficeofDefects Investigation also opened an investigation in September 2025 into approximately174,000 model-year 2021 Tesla Model Yvehicles after receiving nine complaints that exterior doors becameinoperable when thevehicles lost low-voltage power
Thecomplaints generally involved parentsgetting outoftheir vehiclesand then being unable to reopena door to reach achild in the back seat. In four cases, an owner
broke awindow to regain entry NHTSA found that current federal standards do notregulate the placement or labeling of manual releases andconcludedthatfurther investigation was unlikely to establish asafetydefect.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 manualreleases for each door,establishlabeling requirements and ensure first responders can enter vehicles after aloss of power
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill in May,sending it to the full House forpossible consideration
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By MATT yORK
Ajet takes flight as heat ripples radiate from the runwayatSky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix in 2023. Researchers sayextreme heat wavescan disrupt flights due to thinner air.
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from fellow legislators. Miguez did not return requests for comment Wednesday
Despite the uncertainty over whetherthestatesenatorwillmakea bid for Congress, one of his potential opponents — and a colleague in the Senate — fired shots at Miguez 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
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to commit public bribery as the ones Cole faces, plus two separate counts of money laundering.
City-parish records show TJ Jackson and his company Broad Innovation Market Firm — were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars between 2021 and 2024 through various contracts, including some related to former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s scrutinized “Safe, Hopeful Healthy BR” program. According to multiple sources, Cole and TJ Jackson have long been close friends and are members of the same fraternity
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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
On Monday, four Republicans and one Democrat filed 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 an-
nounced 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.
Monique Appeaning, a Republican from Baton Rouge who served
Jackson also had contracts for “Blight Community Outreach,” in which he was paid to identify blighted property in Cole’s council district each month
charged earlier this year with theft and conspiracy to commit theft related to Baton Rouge transit system contracts that prosecutors say were fraudulent. Arrest warrants have been
The Jacksons were
without premature judgment or distraction.”
They promised that daily school operations “will proceed without interruption.”
“Our dedicated teachers, administrators and support staff remain entirely focused on preparing our classrooms, uplifting our students, and delivering the high-quality education our families deserve,” Steward and Lewis wrote.
Cole faces two counts of conspiracy to commit public bribery, two counts of money laundering, and a count of malfeasance in office.
Cole is two years into a four-year contract as school superintendent with an annual salary of $285,000. His contract expires June 30, 2028
The School Board last year gave Cole a high overall score when it
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other side of the room, where the defendants were flanked by their defense attorneys.
“Folks, you will never be as close to three cold-blooded killers as are in this courtroom today,” Clayton said. Harris, who previously worked for Rilonda Brooks’ trucking company, was injured when she allegedly dragged him along the side of a dump truck after she became angry with him, Clayton said. The injury resulted in emergency surgery and a towering medical debt for Harris.
On Aug. 15, 2024, Baton Rouge injury law firm Dudley DeBosier sent a letter to Rilonda Brooks stating that Harris would be suing her and her company for expenses related to his injury
The Brooks siblings had received more than $4.9 million in December 2023 from a settlement with a trucking company in Beaumont, Texas, after it was held responsible for an accident that killed their mother, according to court records.
Clayton alleges that these occurrences motivated Rilonda Brooks to plot the killing.
Clayton also presented the jury with a detailed timeline of the day before, the day of and the days following Harris’ death, which included timestamps of phone calls between the siblings, Hicks and a fourth person, Javadda Lewis. Lewis, who was on the run for more than a year after the killing, was arrested
evaluated his performance in his first year as superintendent, the highest score it has awarded a superintendent since 2007.
The indictment comes at an important time for Cole and the school system. Thursday is the first day of the new school year for students. On Tuesday Cole held a rousing back-to-school convocation where he was cheered by an audience of nearly 6,000 school employees, but also admitted that the investigation by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office has made this “one of the most challenging times in my life.”
In an interview Wednesday, School Board member Patrick Martin V struck a similar note as Steward and Lewis.
“My expectation is that he would continue to serve as superintendent,” Martin said. “He’s been doing a fantastic job. There is absolutely no reason to think there have been any financial impropri-
while hiding in a trailer in Mississippi. He will serve as the state’s star witness because he allegedly drove Hicks to Harris’ home.
Clayton presented a series of text messages between Lewis, Hicks and David Brooks from the day and hours before the fatal shooting, saying “David Brooks issued the final execution order.”
“Boy, do we have a whole lot more for you, because I’m telling you, sometimes it’s not just the crime but the cover-up,” Clayton said.
The defense attorneys each took turns pleading their clients’ innocence to the jury.
Victor Woods, who is representing Hicks, said the only reason Hicks was involved was that he made the mistake of trusting Lewis for a ride
“The state’s case against Johnnie Hicks is based upon statements of Javadda Lewis and things taken out of context. Let’s say more correctly: It’s based upon the lies of Javadda Lewis,” Woods said. Lewis has been interviewed by investigators many times and has provided contradictory statements almost every time, Woods said. He told the jury it would not be reasonable to listen to his witness testimony and take everything he says as the truth.
Woods told the jury no recorded phone calls or physical evidence prove Hicks knew the Brooks siblings or had anything to do with their company
Hicks was in prison for five years for armed robbery and was released three months before Harris’ killing. Woods said there was no way he
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.
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.
issued for all three.
Cole, 52, is the latest to be indicted as part of a wide investigation by Murrill’s office into alleged corruption 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 kick-
eties under his tenure. We have made great strides academically.”
That said, Martin continued, “we certainly take the indictment and the facts of the situation very seriously,” and said he may change his views depending on how Cole’s case proceeds.
Martin, an attorney and a former board vice president, said the indictment is not a surprise — he said he heard rumors for months — but Cole is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Martin said what he has seen so far involves Cole’s eight years as an elected member of the Metro Council.
While Martin said he is happy with Cole’s management of the school system, he is talking to fellow board members about having a third person potentially Deputy Superintendent Adam Smith — review and sign off on district contracts along with the superintendent and the board president to help reassure the public.
would have any incentive to commit a murder for people he had no ties to.
“A desperate person’s selfserving story is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Woods concluded.
David Brooks’ attorney, Kathryn Jakuback, pushed back on the narrative that her client had anything to do with the crime. She acknowledged David Brooks is not a great person, but said his only crimes were using and selling drugs.
According to police interviews Lewis said David Brooks promised him a kilo of cocaine for driving Hicks to the victim’s house. During the night of the killing, Lewis is seen on Flock cameras driving from Mississippi to David Brooks’ house in Point Coupee Parish, where he was supposed to be picking up 3 kilos of cocaine.
David Brooks allegedly promised Lewis an extra kilo of coke for driving Hicks to kill Harris.
Jakupack said the only nefarious thing going on was a drug deal, not a murder plot.
“David Brooks made very poor choices. They were arguably some of the worst choices that a person can make when put in an impossible situation But buying cocaine, buying drugs is not murdering someone,” Jakuback said.
According to surveillance footage, Lewis and Hicks arrived at David Brooks’ house in the early morning, shortly after Harris was killed. Jakupack said David Brooks began to panic when they gave him the alleged murder weapon, saying he had no idea what was going on.
Jakupack said that the
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. 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 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. Walter “Rocky” Beach, who is from Gonzales and is not affiliated with any party, qualified to run in Carter’s district. Meanwhile, Democrat Conrad Cable, a farmer from Farmerville, and Republican Mike Nichols, of Pitkin, are challenging Johnson.
backs 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-to-school 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.
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-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 de-
“We do need to take some steps as a board to make sure that there is no hint of impropriety and that we are safeguarding the district’s finances,” Martin said.
Board member Nathan Rust was more circumspect. Rust said he first heard of the investigation when the news broke last week and knows few details.
“It’s a little too early to start making decisions about something we have to learn more about,” he said. Rust said as a board member he is focused right now on having a successful start of the new school year He said he is confident the board will make the right decisions on the superintendent’s future going forward.
“It’s something we are going to work together as a board to determine what is going to best for our kids and our staff,” Rust said.
Board member Mike Gaudet said he has no comment at this time.
state’s case against David Brooks specifically is just a series of snapshots, and the state has failed to give the jury a clear picture of what actually happened.
Finally, Rilonda Brooks’ defense attorney Harry Daniels argued that his client should not be responsible for a crime simply because her brother may have been. He alleges David Brooks, Hicks and Lewis are the sole suspects responsible for the death of Harris.
He told the jury that despite all the evidence that will
cided 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.”
The indictment of Cole came on the same day that candidates for the School Board began qualifying for the upcoming Nov 3 election. Qualifying ends Friday Sixteen people qualified Wednesday for nine seats. At least three seats are open — Mark Bellue is term-limited, Gaudet long ago said he wasn’t running again, and Dadrius Lanus on Tuesday said he plans not to run for a third term.
A veteran educator with 28 years of experience, Cole has spent half of that time as chief academic officer for CSAL Inc., a Baton Rougebased charter school network. He devoted the first half of his career working for the public school system, including stints as principal of Capitol and Park Forest middle schools.
Cole represented District 7 on the Metro Council for two terms, from 2016 to 2024, and served as mayor pro tempore.
be shown to them throughout the trial, not one shred shows Rilonda Brooks told David Brooks to hire Hicks and Lewis to kill Harris.
“This is a simple case of trust and betrayal. We trust that our loved ones will not commit a crime that will have us falsely accused and on trial for murder We equally trust that, if our loved ones do commit a crime, that we won’t be falsely accused,” Daniels said.
Daniels told the jury that some of the evidence might be suspicious but urged
them to dig deeper and question everything the state will present.
For instance, Daniels addressed the state’s narrative about Rilonda Brooks being the mastermind. He argued that if she were aware of what was going on, she would have turned off the cameras in her home that caught Lewis and Hicks driving to Harris’ home.
“Rilonda Brooks is seated at that table because of the actions and the betrayal of her brother David Brooks,” Daniels said.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
LaMont Cole served on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council before becoming schools superintendent for the parish.
Trump pushes false claims that pool was vandalized
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON Jeanine Pirro this week found out there is a tradeoff between loyalty to President Donald Trump and being loyal to reality
The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia — a fierce defender and decadeslong friend openly refuted Trump’s claims of vandalism regarding one of his treasured construction projects in the nation’s capital, admitting in court filings that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was due to shoddy workmanship.
The moment comes as the Republican president is struggling to convince Americans that they should believe what he is telling them about the economy, his agenda and his war on Iran before pivotal midterm elections in the fall — and reveals the inherent challenges for his team in delivering hard truths he does not want to hear Trump has historically engaged in exaggeration, but this was a moment in which he wanted a U.S. citizen, Olympic canoeist David Hearn, to be indicted, tried and possibly imprisoned for the act of touching a chunk of sealant in the already damaged pool.
The White House said that Trump was not aware ahead of time that Pirro’s office would drop the charges.
Trump says he told Pirro he was “not happy” about her decision and that a video backed him up even though it is not clear from the footage shot at a distance that any property destruction occurred.
“Well I just think she was totally wrong,” Trump told reporters Tuesday night. “And everybody saw the vandalism.”
By publicly rebuking Pirro, Trump sent a message to other administration officials that he is not to be contradicted, regardless of what the facts show
“He just blows it up like a keg of dynamite — it’s a form of intimidating employees to be in groupthink,” said Rice University professor Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian “‘If you work for me, you triple down.’ Never disagree with the boss, even in a small fractional way.”
Trump has faced withering criticism for launching the war with Iran without fully laying out the rationale for the public or considering that country’s ability to withstand intense bombing. Trump snubbed a housing bill to address the affordability problems that
supposed to be providing him with credible information.
The latest blow-up “reflects a president who is struggling to shape the narrative as his national approval ratings remain extremely low,” said Julian Zelizer, a political history professor at Princeton University “The more controversy that he faces — over Iran, the Epstein files, inflation and more — the less control he has and the stronger the chances that he will be forced to confront reality.”
The president continues to dwell on the 2020 election that he falsely claims to have won. He likes to boast that America is booming with an unverifiable $19.2 trillion in investments from foreign countries, even as economic growth has been meager over the prior three months.
A new court filing from Hearn’s team disputes the department’s contention that it only recently learned its case was flawed and urges a judge to not only dismiss it but to foreclose the possibility of ever resurrecting it.
“From day one, the case against Mr Hearn was motivated by political considerations and devoid of adequate factual support,” defense lawyers wrote. “Those political pressures have not dissipated in the mere four weeks since the government saw fit to obtain the indictment.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to discuss internal Justice Department conversations related to the case.
voters say are their biggest concern, letting it become law without his signature.
Some Republican lawmakers have suggested that Trump is being sheltered from facts or chalk up his choices to poor staff work.
During Trump’s second term, Republican senators including Ted Cruz of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have said Trump was receiving “bad advice,” a subtle critique of the president that shifts blame onto the aides who are
The White House did not respond to questions about how aides brief the president and whether officials feel comfortable providing information that could contradict his public statements.
On the reflecting pool, Pirro pursued the investigation despite what defense lawyers say was abundant evidence from the outset that the damage at the pool was the result of preexisting problems that had nothing to do with Hearn.
He deflected on the question of whether or not he supported the decision, acknowledging on one hand that Trump has “every right to be extraordinarily frustrated with damage done to our national monuments in this city and elsewhere” while simultaneously praising Pirro for what he asserted was “an unprecedented effort” to improve safety in the nation’s capital.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has supported Trump’s claims that vandals damaged the pool.
N.M. sues DOJ and Blanche, saying they blocked its Epstein probe
BY SAVANNAH PETERS Associated Press
CEDAR CREST, N.M New Mexico’s attorney general sued the U.S Department of Justice on Wednesday, accusing it of blocking the state from investigating sex crimes at Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch near Santa Fe.
The lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., said the department and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stonewalled New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s criminal investigation into Epstein and others, taking action that “harms victims and undermines the public interest.”
The lawsuit sought judicial intervention to force the federal government to turn over materials to New Mexico’s investigators It was filed the same day that the New
Mexico House of Representatives released a report saying “those directly responsible for protecting New Mexicans relied on others to do their job,” including federal prosecutors in New York.
Epstein took his own life in a federal jail in New York City in August 2019 after he was denied bail on sex trafficking charges lodged against him when he was arrested a month earlier
Epstein’s former girlfriend and close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges in New York. Witness testimony at Maxwell’s trial alleged she and Epstein had sexually abused women at his New Mexico ranch
According to New Mexico’s lawsuit, state prosecutors “have faced sustained resistance” to the kind
of information-sharing common between state and federal investigators.
The Justice Department said in a statement it was not releasing some information the state requested because of federal court orders that ban disclosing victimidentifying information.
“New Mexico has provided no lawful basis to justify such sweeping disclosures,” the agency said.
The lawsuit claims the Justice Department and Blanche were hiding information about Epstein and his co-conspirators when the state is one of the few jurisdictions that may still be able to hold Epstein’s associates accountable or “provide some sense of justice to survivors.”
New Mexico’s attorney general said his office made 10 requests for key information that were ig-
nored or denied.
The interim report released by the New Mexico Survivors’ Truth Commission in part blamed federal prosecutors in Manhattan for a dearth of information about Epstein’s activities in New Mexico.
The commission said federal officials focused on Epstein’s misdeeds in New York, Palm Beach, Florida, and the Virgin Islands, while leaving his offenses in New Mexico unexamined.
But the commission also cited evidence gathered by federal prosecutors in New York to describe women who recounted suffering sexual abuse from Epstein at his Zorro Ranch.
At Maxwell’s trial, Annie Farmer, now a psychologist, testified she was 16 when she agreed to go to the ranch, where Maxwell touched her breast during a massage and
Epstein unexpectedly crawled into bed and pressed himself against her
A group of Epstein victims and victims’ family members accused Blanche in a statement of “continuing to protect abusers” by withholding the information sought by New Mexico.
Epstein purchased his expansive property in Stanley, New Mexico, a sparsely populated ranching community about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, in 1993 from former Democratic Gov Bruce King and built a hilltop mansion with a private airstrip and helipad.
The property was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023 to the family of Don Huffines, a Republican recently appointed Texas’ state comptroller In a February social media post, Huffines said his family plans to operate a Christian retreat there.
‘STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE AMAZED’
Walker middle schoolers move into $22M campus
BY GIGI LIMAN Staff writer
When roughly 500 middle schoolers walk through the South Fork Junior High doors Thursday morning, they will get to call themselves something few students can: part of a school’s inaugural class.
The first day of classes in Livingston Parish marks the official opening of South Fork, a $22 million, 80,000-square-foot campus that gives Walker’s middle school students a permanent home — complete with a new name, a new mascot and a new motto.
“The students are going to be amazed at the changes in not just the facility, but the culture, the level of pride and community engagement,” Principal Jeffrey Watts said.
The campus features a new gymnasium and modern classrooms; outlets run throughout the building, and water fountains sit at nearly every corner Among the marquee additions is a dedicated room for computer science engineering and STEM projects, called the maker space. In the lab-style space, students will assemble microchips, build Rube Goldberg chain-reaction machines, work with 3D printers and even dissect sheep brains.
“I’m so excited for their environment to be able to reflect what they can achieve,” said Amber Harris, a seventh grade science teacher
ä See AMAZED, page 2B
Proposed Gonzales development advances
Panel recommends rezoning 36 acres
BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer
BR group starts CEO search
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer
The Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership has launched a national search to find a new president and CEO, more than two and a half months after the organization forced out its former leader A 10-member search committee made up of members of the group’s board and executive committee will oversee the search. Highflyer, a Baton Rouge-based human resources company, will manage the search process.
Lori Melancon was removed as president and CEO in May after nearly two years in the position. During her tenure, the organization changed its name from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber to the Partnership.
Trey Godfrey, the organization’s senior vice president of policy and talent development, and Jayson Newell, senior vice president of business investment, have served as acting co-CEOs.
Klein Kirby, chair of the group’s board and the search committee, said the organization wanted to take its time before beginning a search for a permanent leader
“It took time to meet with staff and former board leaders, assemble a strong search committee, and engage a firm to support the search,” Kirby said in a statement. “Because we have confidence in the organization’s current leadership and staff, the board was able to give the process the careful consideration it warranted before opening it to the public.”
The organization is “looking for a leader with real ambition for the Baton Rouge area’s future,” Kirby said “Someone with the vision, drive, and relationship-building skills to bring our region’s business, government, and community leaders together and push for meaningful growth.”
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer
The Gonzales Planning and Zoning Commission voted Monday to recommend rezoning nearly 36 acres along West Orice Roth Road for a proposed townhome development, reversing a decision it made just a month earlier The move comes after the commission failed to make a recommendation on the request in July when a motion did not receive a second. The proposal later went before the City Council, which sent it back rather than act on it without the commission’s recommendation. The request, submitted by D. Daniels Construction, would allow the developer to begin preliminary plans for 68 townhomes and 18 single-family homes on vacant property along West Orice Roth Road. The property is currently zoned for single-family residential and commercial uses. At the commission’s July meeting, Chair Scott Hughes said the commissioners’ primary concern was the potential impact on traffic and public safety
culated over two decades. He said that with growth, he expects an increase of about 37% in daily traffic off the east side of Interstate 10 in 2046.
“It’s not going to lock it up, but I would say the growth is expected, and one thing you have to look at as a planning commission is if the growth doesn’t come to y’all, where exactly is it going?” Setze said.
Jamie Setze, executive director of the Capital Region Planning Commission, addressed those concerns Monday explaining some traffic data cal-
If approved by the City Council, the rezoning would allow the developer to move forward with more detailed engineering, drainage and traffic studies before construction could begin.
The commission also voted to recommend approval of a special-use permit for a laydown yard at 630 W. New River Road
submitted by Vince Diez Properties, despite four objections from nearby residents over drainage concerns. A laydown yard is a designated outdoor area used on construction or industrial sites to temporarily store heavy equipment and building materials. Vince Diez, who owns the Gonzales-based real estate and commercial development business, told commissioners that only a portion of the property — approximately 300 feet by 125 feet — would be used as the laydown yard, sitting behind three other properties and away from the area of concern for flooding. Both items will be up for final approval from the City Council on Monday
The new cafeteria at the recently built South Fork Junior High School facility in Denham Springs is seen on Tuesday.
PHOTOS By PEARL SPURLOCK
The first day of classes in Livingston Parish marks the official opening of South Fork Junior High, a $22 million campus that gives
School supply giveaway draws large crowds
2nd annual Burreaux Back to School event gives away 1,100 backpacks
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
On Tuesday, a line of families
snaked out the door of the Elite Training Academy Sports Performance Complex in Baton Rouge all the way down to the parking lot for the second annual Burreaux Back to School Kickoff.
Families with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, elementary school kids and middle schoolers waited patiently to wind through the indoor football field and collect free school supplies and giveaways.
Donnie Laing, facility and security manager at Elite, estimated about 2,000 people attended the back-to-school event. The Joe Burrow Foundation passed out 1,100 clear backpacks, and community partners handed out supplies. Remaining supplies will be distributed to area schools.
The Elite parking lot at 5414 Burbank Drive was full, and cars were parked along the shoulder Robin Burrow, Joe’s Burrow’s mother and secretary and treasurer of the Joe Burrow Foundation,
to School
The 2026 Burreaux
supplies and community involvement.
said that the amount of community partners had grown significantly and the crowd was larger by about 500 than last year
“This is a great opportunity and a touch point for organizations with after-school programming in the community,” she said.
The Burrow Foundation’s mission is to provide resources and support to the underprivileged and underserved, with a primary focus on addressing childhood mental
health and food insecurity The event focused on removing barriers to academic success.
“Getting kids what they need to start the school year is part of that to me,” said Robin Burrow, a retired elementary school teacher and principal. “I remember kids walking into my classroom — they didn’t have backpacks, their clothes were too little, and they didn’t have new shoes for school — and other children came in all fresh
and glittery That’s hard for them.”
Robin and her husband, Jimmy, walked around the crowds in matching LSU Joe “Burreaux” jerseys. Robin Burrow picked up babies, chatted with parents and entertained kids waiting in line.
The 60-yard indoor field had community vendors and organizations set up along the edges so families could move through the line efficiently In the middle of the field, children played with a tackling
dummy, threw footballs in a drill and ran through hurdles, an agility ladder and cones.
Community partners provided composition notebooks, lined paper, markers, crayons, tissues, hand sanitizer, folders, pencils, pens, rulers, water bottles and more. Some participating partners included Baton Rouge Area Youth Network, Baton Rouge Family Resource Group, Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Front Yard Bikes, Girl Scouts, Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Jump Start, Mayor’s Office of Community Development, MMR Group, Ochsner Medical Center
Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, Rain Will Bring Flowers Foundation, Raising Cane’s and Unstuck among others.
Robin Burrow said that they felt welcomed and supported in Baton Rouge from the very beginning, and they love coming back.
“We just want to continue to give back to the places that touched Joe’s life the most,” she said, “and obviously LSU and Baton Rouge are right at the top of the list. Joe wouldn’t be who he is today without LSU. So we feel like we have a responsibility to give back to the community that gave so much to him and to our family.”
Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
REZONING
Continued from page 1B
The data report on U.S. animal shelters and no-kill designations are provided annually by the Best Friends Animal Society, an animal sanctuary situated on more than 5,000 acres in Utah.
At the shelter in Plaquemine, 440 cats and dogs were adopted last year; another 240 were trans-
The Iberville Parish Animal Shelter has kept its status as a no-kill shelter for the second year in a row, a distinction given to facilities where more than 90% of the dogs and cats were saved. The rating, reached by the Iberville Parish shelter in 2024, stayed in place for 2025, the parish government said in a news release Tuesday
ferred to rescue partners, and 93 were reclaimed by their owners, a parish spokesperson said.
“Maintaining the no-kill status for a second year in a row is something our entire community should be proud of,” Alison Alvarado, director of the shelter, said in a statement. “We encourage our community to continue supporting the shelter by adopting, fostering, volunteering and
donating, so we can continue this lifesaving work.”
Parish President Chris Daigle said the recognition reflects the hard work of everyone involved with the shelter
“We couldn’t do it without the continued support of our community,” he said in a statement.
Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate.com.
Continued from page 1B
The new building marks the end of a bumpy opening chapter for Walker
students. Walker’s first middle school was created six years ago in response to the rapid growth within Livingston Parish. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, students who previously had been dispersed among other middle schools in the district were consolidated into the original Walker High School, which was built a century ago. As the junior high population expanded, portable buildings were brought in to accommodate classes the aging campus could not hold. The cafeteria was too small to give all students a distinct lunch period, so some students had to take a break in the middle of class to leave for lunch and then return.
“It’s a total 180 from what we had previously,” Watts said.
The new cafeteria — large enough to end split lunch periods — is shared with neighboring South Fork Elementary, an arrangement Livingston Superintendent Jody Purvis said is an example of economical use of space. Community bond
The junior high is just
development within Livingston
Outdoor tables and chairs at
Decorations line the library window at the new South Fork Junior High School campus on Tuesday.
STAFF PHOTOS By PEARL SPURLOCK
area of discussion for more than 20 years and chose the property because of its rural appeal.
Eddy said his concern is that the proposal does not meet the criteria of the city’s Unified Development Code to rezone from residential to commercial due to the other residential tracts in the area.
“I would consider this a spot zoning request,” he told the commission.
Joe Territo, president of the Pecue, Perkins and Highland Homeowners Association, said residents are worried about potential traffic and flooding issues, along with how the area will be used and the look of the future commercial space.
“We don’t know if he is going to sell to a big company; we want to protect ourselves for years to come,” Territo said about the future of the area. After 40 minutes of discussion, the commission voted to defer a decision on the proposal for 30 days to give the developer time to meet with homeowners in the area, a move that both parties were open to.
“We want to make sure the zoning is correct before we approve it,” said commission Chair Billy Aguillard.
Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.
SEARCH
Continued from page 1B
is in the process of building a new gym; three multipurpose buildings are planned for Live Oak, and Denham Springs High School’s STEM center has been tapped to add a new administrative and classroom building.
Leaders say South Fork Junior High will give students far more than just updated facilities.
While the parish system ranks among Louisiana’s top 10 performing school districts, Walker schools have historically trailed their parish counterparts. Teachers said they hope the new campus will give students a greater sense of motivation and connection to their school. As members of the inaugural class, they will shoulder the responsibility of shaping the culture and legacy for the students who will follow
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years, and this is a whole new experience,” said Tricia Franatovich, an English and language arts teacher
To be a part of it from the ground up, it makes you way more invested.”
The community seems to be embracing the new school. Nearly 90% of students turned out with their parents and siblings last week to attend the school’s orientation.
“Seeing them walk through the campus for the first time, it was special,” Watts said. “Just the smiles and looks of amazement and the wow factor.”
The committee is searching for candidates with strong executive leadership experience and a record of producing results within a multistakeholder environment. The ideal applicants will have expertise in economic development, public policy and business leadership, and be able to manage board and investor relationships and build regional coalitions. Applications will be taken through Sept. 5 at greaterbatonrouge.org/careers. The committee expects to spend 12-15 weeks reviewing applications and meeting with job candidates, but that timetable may change to get the right person for the job, said Morgan Almeida, a spokesperson for the organization.
Email Timothy Boone at tboone@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By JOy HOLDEN
Back
Kickoff at Elite Training Academy drew about 2,000 people for school
The new gymnasium at the recently built South Fork Junior High School is seen on Tuesday.
"I have fought the good fight, Ihave finished the race, Ihave kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day"-
2Timothy 4:7-8
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Sherrie Badie, who went home to be with the Lord on July 27th at 9:30pm. She passed peacefully surrounded by her family.
Sherrie was born November 14, 1953 in Baton Rouge, LA where she lived for 72 years. She was aloving mother, devoted wife, friend, and active member of her church, Grace Life Fellowship. She is survived by her loving husband of 54 years Woodrow Badie, her children Jaimie Badie, Esther Badie, Deborah Badie, and Jacob Badie, bonus son LaWoodrow Badie, bonus daughter Carlisa Brooks, grandson Camdyn Badie, brother Kenneth Dixon, and ahost of neices and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie and Soforia Dixon, brother WillieDixon Jr., sister Joyce Flowers, son Jeremy Nelson Badie, and nephews Darryl Jack and Rodney Jack. Sherrie showed kindness and empathy to everyone she met. She was a true example of Jesus' commandment to love your neighbor and will be sorely missed.Services will be held August7,2026 at Hall Davis and Sons, 9384 Scenic Hwy, Baton Rouge. Visitation: 8-9 am, Funeral Services: 9-10:30 am, Internment at Louisiana National Cemetery in Zachary, LA.
Bowie, Joe Louis 'Joe Boy' Joe Louis Bowie, 83, of Baton Rouge, passed away July 31, 2026. Afaithful deacon of Greater NewGalilee Baptist Church for over 50 years, he was the beloved husband of Gloria Dean Dunn Bowie. Afuneral service will be held from 11:00 AM on August 8,2026 at Greater New Galilee Baptist Church, 9185 Wilbur Street. Hollins, Rosie Mae Rosemary
On March 1, 1938, in Rankin County, Mississippi Rose Mary Ferguson, the first child, was born to the union of the late Earl and Lizzie WashingtonFerguson.
On April 29, 1956, Rose was united in holy matrimony to Lawerence Hollins. To this union three daughters were born.
On Friday, July 24, 2026, at 6:00 a.m., Almighty God served his final summons on his child, Rose Mary.A viewing (wake) will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on 2026-08-07 at Richardson Funeral Home, 11816 Jackson Street.
Ricky Terrell Jackson born June 18,1968 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Joseph Jackson Sr. and Louise Jackson. Ricky finished his race on July 25, 2026,atthe ageof58years old.Hewas loved and willbetruly missed by family, and friends. Visitation will be held Friday, August 7, 2026, 9am until religious servicesat11am, New Sunlight B.C.1777 America St Baton Rouge,La. Burial will take place at Louisiana National Cemetery.Thanks to Desselle Funeral Home for assisting and taking care of our loved one.
Plain, William 'Willie'
On Thursday, July23, 2026,Willie transitioned to his final resting place. He willliveinour hearts forever. Celebration of Life Service:Friday,August 7, 2026,10:00amatHallDavis Celebration Center,9348 Scenic Hwy. PastorStanley Plain, Officiating Thomas, Kami Lyon
KamiLyon Thomas, a native of Baton Rouge,LA and aresident of St.Francisville,LA, passed away on Saturday, August 1, 2026,atthe ageof47. Kami graduated with abachelor's degreefromSoutheasternand furtheredher education at LSUobtaining amaster'sinsocialwork. Shewas the ownerofMa Milles Boutique.She loved shopping, gardening, hunting,painting and spending time with herdaughter. Kami hada givingheart, a smilethat was infectious and nevermet astranger. Sheissurvived by her loving daughter, Camille Grace Thomas; Her parents,William"Billy" Lyon and Seritta Catania Lyon; her sister,Ragan LeBlanc (Marco);niece and nephew, Laney LeBlanc and Landen LeBlanc. Visitationwillbeheldat Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817JeffersonHwy. Baton Rouge, LA 70816, on Saturday, August 8, 2026,from 12:30 p.m. until Funeral Service at 2:30 p.m. Interment willfollow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Pallbearerswill be Marco LeBlanc, Landen LeBlanc, Ben Thomas, TuckerFreeman, Brandon Freeman and Troy Canella; honorarypallbearerwillbe Randy Thomas. Family and friends may signthe online guestbookorleave apersonalnotetothe family at www.resthavenbatonroug e.com.
Avisitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on 2026-08-08 at Mt. Gideon Baptist Church, 2453 Hwy 952.
Afuneral service will be held at 11:00 AM on 2026-08 -08 at Mt. Gideon Baptist Church,2453 Hwy 952.
To donate and to seethe
Funerals Today Jackson, Ricky Terrell
Congratulations to Drew Brees on well-deserved honor
Drew Brees’ accomplishments on thefootball field will culminate Saturday when he isformally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, as the firstNew OrleansSaint to be elected on the first ballot.
Brees’ ascendance to thesport’smost hallowed ground was assured years ago. His Saintsrecord reads like video game statistics: five 5,000-passingyard seasons, sixtimesasthe NFL’s completion percentage leader,seven times passingyard leader and the mostconsecutive gameswitha touchdown pass in league history
During his 15 years leading the Saints’ offense, the team won 62% of its games, made theplayoffs nine timesand capturedthe franchise’s only SuperBowltitle.
OUR VIEWS YOUR
His brilliance didn’tjust reveal itselfinconsistency andlongevity.Italsoshone through in individual moments and games: his 62-yard toss to Tre’Quan Smith that set the NFL passingyards record in 2018; a40-yard touchdown passtoDevery Henderson in 2012that set the record forconsecutivegames with atouchdown pass; his511-yard, seven-TD game against the Giants in 2015. Saturday,wewill join the rest of the football world in celebrating Brees’ gridiron accomplishmentsduring the traditionalkickoff to theNFL season. But we will also celebrate much more thanjust that.It’salmostimpossible to understate thepsychological importance of what Breesdid in theaftermathofthe worst disaster Louisiana hadseen in generations.
When he arrived, he —and new coachSean Payton—tookover afranchise whose moribund status was treatedasagiven. They were aperfect matchfor acityand astate devastated nearly a year before by Hurricane Katrina. Indeed,Brees, himself recoveringfrom aserious shoulderinjury,has said that one reason he chose theSaints was because he sawthe devastation and wanted to be part of acivic rebuilding effort.
Payton’scoaching brilliance and Brees’ transcendent skillpaid immediate dividends, notjust in the emotional win over the hated Falcons in the famed Domecoming game, butinexcellence every singleday.The team’srenaissancegave NewOrleansreasontobelieveinitself again The ensuing years saw theteam growever closer to agoal once thoughtimpossible:aSuper Bowl. The cityimproved,too, with thetwo feeding off each other in asymbiotic relationship
Thewhole time,Brees remainedrelentlessly competitive, upbeat and committedtothe team andLouisiana. When heled theSaints to the title, it signified not just achampionship for asports team but the recovery of the state against what had seemed likeimpossible odds. Off the field, too, Brees’ contributions arelegendary. Throughout Louisiana, Breesfamously financed facilities at some 50 schools, plus residential wards for cancer patients, child-care services and more.
So, thank you, Drew.Ofcourse we’re celebrating your on-the-field accomplishments, andwill rejoice to see your enshrinement,complete with Payton’ssure-to-be-emotional introduction. But we are eternally grateful, too, forall you did beyond the playing field. Youwill always be aSaint.
U.S. canlearn from thesesocialist countries
The July 20 issue of thenewspaper contained two items connected by thewriters’ insightsabout building a stronger nation. Wayne Parker’sletter cautions against oversimplifying thecontroversial term “socialism.”
Jay Lapeyre’sop-ed columnencourages civic engagement. Iwriteto expand on the emotionally charged term“socialism.”
Oneform 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 themost progressive democratic countries.
Think Norway,Sweden, Denmark, Finlandand manyother countries in Europe and elsewhere.
These social democracies combine practices of capitalism withemphasis on free and fair elections, civic participation, social cohesion and reducing inequalities in accessto healthcare, education and housing. We can learn from countries like these. Look at any nonpartisan ranking of the world’scountries in theareas of life expectancy,infant mortality,crimeand overall life
By
satisfaction. Many countries that practice social democracy appear in the top 10 of one or moreofthese 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 aform of social democracy Ironically,some of the mostpopular U.S. government programs are similar to those practiced in social democracies.The nonpartisan opinion polling company YouGov surveyed across-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 HealthInsurance Program (72%); Supplemental NutritionAssistance Program (69%); and the Women,Infants &Children Program (70%).
How about aluxury Cadillac Escalade, baseprice $91,000, withhigh 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 amotorcade is he gonna have? Can’tthe 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 amillion to $200 million or more Vital, really important one: changingthe name of the Defense Department to “Department of War. Internal updates, signs, digital assets and stationery —anestimated $125 million. Fora gaudy military parade to satisfy and stroke his ego, more mil-
lions. As muchas$2billion aday fora war to get anuclear deal we had that included inspections, camerasand enrichment levels. If your neighbor’shome is on fire, what would you do? Trytohelpthem? Or sue because you don’t like the smoke? It’sthe United States’ No.1 trading partner.Why is he picking a fight with Canada?
Cost to Americans for food andeverything else because of chaos caused by his tariffs thatwe’re notsupposed to be paying ourselves. Gas prices because of his foolish aggression that’s igniting arapidly spreading Mideast war.Denying healthcare to children, plus food aid to Americans and starving people worldwide.
Nero, the Earthisonfire, andhere’s $500 millionfor aballroom to throw another “Great Gatsby” party.That is not my vision of making America great.I’d prefer the word “shameful.”
TERRYGRUNDMANN Kenner
land,rightsto billionaire’s rockets
The proposed SpaceX launchpad on Pecan Island is adirect assault on Louisiana’s coast. Our state leaders preach aboutprotecting ourvanishing coast, yettheyare willing to hand over afragile ecosystem to launch rockets. Theyare swapping decades of oilpollutionfromExxonMobil 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 fromlawsuits.
Louisiana must stop sacrificing its citizens to playlandlord to billionaires. We must reject the Pecan Island launchpad anddemandthatour laws protect taxpayers, not corporate balance sheets.
MONICA KEESE Mandeville
Reader misses detailed coverage of GrandIsle Tarpon Rodeoresults
Igrew up in small town Baton Rouge, being born in 1957. From the time I was ayoung child to the late 1990s, I was going to Grand Isle to be with my first cousins at the Wilkinson camp on Santiny Lane.
All during that timeand leading up to the current day,one of the oldest fishing tournaments was held, and it was called the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo. All during those early years the editors would proudly show photos and nearly full-page stories from each day of the tournament. Now we get zero articles and zero write-ups and zero publication of the leaders on the various fishing brackets.
What ashame, especially considering that alarge number of NewOrleans people fish this tournament, as do so manyothers from around the great state of Louisiana.
Icertainly hope that this publication will change its stance on the Tarpon Rodeo. The Advocate also used to post articles about the Golden Meadow fishing rodeo, and once again nothing. Ihope others will write in as well about this dismal reporting.
RICHARD G. KEANIII Baton Rouge
STAFFFILEPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Retired quarterback DrewBrees 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 NewOrleans Saint to be
Armstrong’sbirthdayacall to action forLa. jazz lovers
The first time Iever saw my father cry was when he heard LouisArmstrong died.
It wasn’tobvious: He was pretending his glasses were just fogging up, necessitatinguse of ahandkerchief near his eyes. Still, he couldn’thidesome tears running down his cheek.
Dad pulled an LP from the shelf and beganplaying it. Ilooked at the album’sback cover,and either there or on theTV news Idistinctly remember aphoto of Armstrong on his New York front steps, playing his trumpetwithsome children. If this guy was cherished enoughto make my father cry,and if he was nice enough to hang out with neighborhood children, Ifigured Ishould give him a listen. And, well, wow:I’vebeen nearly obsessed, ever since, with traditional New Orleans jazz. These memories return because this past Tuesday was Louis Armstrong’s 125th birthday.(Is there aname for that? If “hemi” is ahalf, wasithis hemi-semiquincentennial?) We know the exact day because, 38 years ago, New Orleans music historian TadJones dugupArmstrong’sbaptismal records listing his birth date as Aug.4,1901, ratherthan the July4,1900, that the great jazz musician long had claimed (As an aside: Ididn’tknowJones, but Irandomly found myself sitting next to him at the breakfast bar of the old Bluebird Café on Prytania Street in 1988 and striking up aconversation that naturally turnedto jazz —at which time he asked if Icould keep a secret, and he told me he was just aday or threeawayfrom making “a bigannouncement”about Armstrong’s birth. To say the least, his announcement certainlymade bignews.)
Of course the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival made ahuge celebration of the centennial of Armstrong’s birth in 2001 (I stillhave theT-shirt). And last weekend the 26thannual
tion above may seem atad disjointed, but then again, this is acolumn about jazz, where individual musicians can improvise in unexpected directions but only while still staying tethered to, and returning to, acentral theme.
If you haven’tfigured it out yet,the central tune here is that New Orleans traditional jazz is atreasure, as is the particular legacy of Armstrong. Yetwhat should worry all of us is that this signaturemusic of the state —which, according to essayist Gerald Early,joins the Constitution and baseball as this nation’sthree mostenduring gifts to civilization —seems always on the verge of dying out. Maybe I’m missing something,but no matter how hard Ilook, Ican never seem to find anyone under 50 years old who regularly plays the real, true thing
Nebraska Senate candidate Osborn is therealdeal
SatchmoSummerfesttook place at the New OrleansJazz Museum. Moreover, all weekendlong, on Frenchmen Street and Bourbon Street and elsewhere aroundtown,traditional jazz bands were plyingtheir trade. The Palmetto Bug Stompers, playing withverve at DBA New Orleans, were particularly fun. Coincidentally,the birthdateitself saw an announcement that the documentary “City of aMillion Dreams,” about jazz funerals and the city’smusic culture, is now getting anationwide release on public television. It will air on WYES in New OrleansonAug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. andAug. 15 at 4p.m., and on Louisiana Public Broadcasting on Aug. 18 at 8p.m.The documentary’sfilmmaker, 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 aWonderful World, as well. Now: Apologies if all the informa-
Yes, there are bands and musicians semi-rooted in traditional jazz of the sort played by Armstrong, King Oliver and Buddy Bolden, but mostofthem are brassier,funkier,less subtle,less wedded to acentral melody in each song. They may be playing great music, but it’s not really traditional New Orleansjazz.
Yetwemust,weabsolutely must, ensure that our native music doesn’tdie. It is heartening, though, to see key institutions devoted to the music’scontinuance. There’sthe aforementioned jazzmuseum,and of course there’sthe Preservation Hall Foundation, and the New OrleansJazz and Blues Market, along with numerous clubs that still host themusic. Andthere’salso the ambitious, forthcoming Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience, which will be agrand, museum-plus establishmentinthe city’sRiver District. Through all these outlets, and more, all of us should want to transmit our musical heritage tonew generations. Let’srenew our dedication to this task—both as abirthday present to Satchmoand so my late father won’tbe shedding tearsofloss in heaven.
Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com
Theera of peak socialisminAmerica
“A Face in the Crowd” is the prophetic 1957 movie abouta charismatic drifter “discovered”inanArkansasjail. The face belongs to “Lonesome”Rhodes, ascoundrelwhose folksy act catapults him to nationalprominence. “Lonesome” (Andy Griffith) abuses women, but the crowdonly sees alovable spinnerofdown-home yarns. He deflatesafter getting caught on an open mic mocking his followers as idiots andfools.
Maine’s Graham Platner was a face in the crowd, sold to Democratsasa salt-of-the-sea oysterman who actually came from aprivileged background. The senatorial candidate survived his sordid history of mistreating womenuntil aplausible accusation of rape finally did him in.
American politicsfeasts on stories of candidatesfromhumble backgrounds who know what it means to be aworking stiff. Some suchcontenders areuncovered as bums or phonies. But some arethe real thing. Theywould include DanOsborn of Nebraska.Heisthe steamfitter and former union organizerfromOmaha running for the Senate as an independent against RepublicanSen Pete Ricketts.
Osborn nowhas adecent chance of prevailing in November. His is notanew face. He hadrun in 2024 as an independent who did surprisingly well against Republican incumbent DebFischer. Osborn lost by only 7points in astate thatDonald Trump carried by about 21 points. Osborn clearly has appeal. Afterthe election, Osborn launched aPAC calledthe Working Class Heroes Fund. Its statedmissionistosupport candidates like him, regardless of party label. With Ricketts an heir to afamily fortune exceeding $1 billion, Osborn haspredictably framed the race as between the “billionaire class” and the working class.
Michael Barone Quin Hillyer
The emergence of the Democratic SocialistsofAmerica and their political victories, from NewYork City across the fruited plains of Michigan andWisconsin allthe way to Colorado, strikes many as anew thing in U.S. politics. Previous movements have, in fact, increased, sometimes significantly the size and scope of 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’sNew Deal —Social Security most of all —remainpart of the fabric of American life, and elements of the social safety net have been expanded quietly but effectively enough that, as former Sen.PhilGramm has argued, the governmenttransfer payments have effectively equalized the incomesofthose on thebottom 60% of theeconomic ladder
But virtually no attention, so far as Ican see, has been paid tothe 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 overbyhistorians. It has been chronicled recently, however, and with the helpofartificial intelligence, by the iconoclastic economist Arnold Kling. The centerpiece is the policies adopted by Woodrow Wilson’sadministration 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 alliesinWorldWar I.
This creation of an American state thatwould “seize therailroad, 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’sWar Industries Board, headed by Wall Street speculator Bernard Baruch, set out “to decide, for the wholenation,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 theprice of wheat so that U.S.farmers could feed allies in Europe.
Thegovernment seized therailroads in December 1917, and Treasury Secretary WilliamMcAdoo (who was also Wilson’sson-in-law) “set theschedules, the rates, the wages, unified the equipment,and cut the competitive duplication.” It ran thesystem “imperfectly,expensively,but it moved the troops and thecoal,” the essential fuel thenfor both heavy industry and home heating. The fueladministration enforced “heatless Mondays,” theNational War Labor Board set theeight-hour day and the WarFinance Corporation built an emergency fleet. In November 1917, the 35-year-old AssistantSecretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt imposed astrike settlement on BethlehemSteel’s Fore River Shipyard manager,a29-year-old bank president named Joseph P. Kennedy
This socialist America was anything but friendly to civil rightsand civil liberties. Wilson imposed racial segregationonthe 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 militarydraft “Everything,”Kling writes, “so far has described astate expanding seizing, planning, rationing, prosecuting, persuading. The last movement is theone thebuildup does not prepare you for,and it is theheart of thematter:how fast nearly all of it came apart.”
The WarIndustries Boardvoted to dissolve itself on New Year’sDay 1919, less than two months after the Armistice; the WarLabor Boardlapsed; the food and fuel controls ended; Congress (Republican after the November 1918 election) returned therailroads to privateowners in theTransportation Act of 1920.
Wilson’sDemocratic Party was punished in thepresidential 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%, thehighestpercentage in any election up to that date. Youcan find elements of Wilson’s wartime socialism in some selfdescribed experimentswithin Roosevelt’sNew Deal. Butwhen war came, he didn’tchoosetonationalize the railroadsand industries. Instead, he got William Knudsen to enlistexecutives in moving toward wartime production
If you listen to atape of Roosevelt’s speech toCongress on Dec. 8, 1941, theloudest applause, cheers and rebel yells cameafter he said, “The American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.” Socialism,heevidently thought, was not theway to get there.
Maybe there’sa lesson there for the public today
Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.
One of his challenges, though, is to minimize the extent to whichDemocrats openly want him to win. Nebraska Democrats arenot running their owncandidate andurge their contributors to back Osborn. To prevail in aconservative state like Nebraska,Osborn needs support from disaffected or moderate Republicans. If elected, he vows nottocaucuswith either party.And he criticizesDemocrats for their focus on whitecollarprofessionals.
Working in his favor is the fact thatmany Nebraska Republicans are nothardright. Omaha Rep. Don Bacon, for example, is aRepublican moderate known for often criticizing Trump. His is aswing district, nationally known as the “blue dot.” Seeing himself at a disadvantage among MAGA Republicans and Democrats desperate fora win, Bacon decidednot to seek another term
Former Nebraska Sen. BenSasse is atraditionalconservative known for his intellect andcourteousmanners. Sasse wasone of only sevenSenateRepublicans who votedtoconvictTrump for inciting the Capitolriot. He is nowbravely confronting Stage 4pancreatic cancer
Trump’sjob approval rating in Nebraska is evenly dividedorslightly underwater.And so aworking manfixed on pragmatic solutions would seem aserious challenger
Arizona Democrats have Katie Hobbs running forreelection as governor.The product of amiddle-class family,Hobbs put herself through college.While secretary of state in 2020, she earnednational renown for defending Arizona’s election results against phony claims of voterfraud.
As governor,she hasluredbusiness to her state,whichexplains herdirecting adstoward Republicans andindependents. Many Arizonans, meanwhile,remain incensed at Trump’sshabby treatment of the late Republican icon JohnMcCain.
McCain’swidow, Cindy McCain, has publicly endorsed Hobbs against her Republican opponent, Andy Biggs. Tied hand andfoot to Trump, Biggs triedtooverturn the results of the 2020 election.
Moderate Democrats do have agood shotat winning this November.Electorates may have grown wearyoffaces in the crowd, entertainersoffering colorful talesand little more.
Follow Froma Harrop on X@FromaHarrop.
Froma Harrop
TIMES-PICAyUNE ARCHIVE PHOTO young Louis Armstrong
heat index valueswill rise to the upper 90s to 105. Partsofthe Baton Rougearea are under amoderate
risk,sotakeprecautions to avoid heat illnesses. Also, keep the
with you, as rainand storms will be with us for the next fewdays.
Firefighters gethandleonSpokane wildfires
BY MANUEL VALDES, MARTHA BELLISLE andGENE JOHNSON Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. Firefighters have taken advantage of cooler weather to begin getting ahandle on wildfires that have displaced tensof thousands of people around Washington state’ssecondlargestcity,but hotter,drier and breezier days lieahead.
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 setby aman whowas 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 beenreported. The other two fires were also started bypeople, though not necessarily deliberately,investigators have said. They remain underinvestigation. Those fires, the Autumn Laneand Fairview fires,started independently of the arson-caused Old Trails Fire,theysaid Some evacuees wereallowed to return home,but
staff from the Mann-GrandstaffVAMedical Center in Spokane.Whenthe fire approached on Saturday, the staff moved 27 patients to localhospitals andtemporary shelters, said Bret Bowers, a spokespersonfor the center The medical center wasnot burned in the fire but several staff lost their homes.
“Whatyou really want to hear,nobody can tell you,” Wilson said. “It is oddly emotionaland disorienting. We did not lose any property From the outside it looks like afamily trip —‘Hey,kids, we’re going to go visit Papa for aweek, pack your bags.’ And yetyou feel likesomething isn’tright.”
officials did not immediately say howmany. Others remained in ashelterset up in aSpokane conventioncenter, at hotels or rentals, or at the homes of friendsorrelatives, with no ideaofhow soon they might go back —ifthey have ahousetoreturnto.
“Wefigureditwould be a dayortwo, notfourorfive It’s not the best situation,” said DebraCurran, who has
been staying at theconvention center since Saturday with herhusband, whohas ALS, alsoknown as Lou Gehrig’sdisease. Theirhouse survived,but herhusband would need to be transported by ambulance, whichofficials won’tdountil thefire risk in theirneighborhood drops. Among those under evacuation ordersare patients and
Adam Wilson, acommunications officer at the Washington State Auditor’sOffice, fledSaturdaywith his wife and three children, ages 9, 14 and 16. They had moved into their Spokane homealittle over amonth earlierand were still unpacking, he said. Since then, they’ve stayed at ahotel 90 minutestothe south and with his father in Idaho.This weekend, they’ll move again, to arental 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 underanevacuation order.Even if they could return, there’snopower and no internet service, and no information about how soon either will be restored.
In Washington, there are16 uncontained wildfiresburning more than 672square miles and being fought by morethan 7,000 fire personnel, said Thomas Kyle-Milward, aspokesman for the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
The man chargedwith starting theOld Trails Fire, AaronF.Farinacci,37, of Spokane, wasexpected to be arraigned Thursday.According to court documents, he wasarrested after aresident reported him beinginthe area where the fire began. He denied having started it whenquestioned by deputies.
Authorities saidtheypreviously contacted himduring twofire investigations last year,including oneina state park that prompted evacuationnotices,though he wasn’tcharged in either
BY JOSH KELETY Associated Press
Three people have been charged with threateningajudge, awitness and local officials connected to the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-yearold found dead after aJuly Fourth boattripwith friendstoanisland offMississippi’sGulfCoast
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, deepenedinpart by uncertainty surrounding Wells’ finalhours, distrust of law enforcement and the state’slong history of
racist violence.
Theteenager,who was Black, had traveled to theuninhabited island with agroup of friends from high school, all of whom were White. He did not return with his friendstothe mainland that evening. Hisbody was found two days later off the island’scoast. Authorities have not madeany arrests or named anysuspects. 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 thedefendants for comment were unsuccessful. Phone numbers listed for some of the defendants in af-
fidavits weren’tactive and acall to another number wentunanswered.Emails sent to addresses listed in an affidavit for one of the defendantswent unanswered. It is unclear if they have attorneys yet.
One of the defendants, Edward James PorterofIllinois, allegedly called an unnamed witnessonJuly 31 and threatened to kill them and theirfamily,accordingtoanaffidavit. Porteralso allegedly told another personinMississippi in a phone call that he would cutthem up andput them “into asuitcase.
Porter was charged on July31in
federal court for the Southern District of Mississippi for thethreat Porter threatened two members of the family of Bart Edminston
Jr a21-year-old who knewWells and provided aid to the boat the group used on July Fourth, said family attorney RussellLatino Latino said that one of the family members who Porterthreatened is awitness in the investigation. An Ohio woman was also charged with allegedly placing bomb threats at the George County Chancery Clerk’sOffice and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on July 23. The woman, Michelle Francine Edwards, allegedly called the clerk’soffice 21 times andsaid, “the clock is ticking,” according to an affidavit.
ACalifornia man, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, wascharged on July 14 forallegedly sending a
threatening Facebook message to aJackson County Chancery Court judge with ties to the Wells investigation. According to an affidavit, aFacebook userbelievedtobe Dumarce sent amessage to the judge’saccount that constituted a“threat thata bomb would be mailed to the judge’soffice.” Judge Ashlee Cole posted a screenshot of Dumarce’sthreatening messageonFacebook on July 9. Cole wroteinanearlier Facebook post that her son last saw Wells on July Fourtharound 3p.m. anddecided to “stay on the island and return inland later withanother group of friends.” Cole wrote that she deactivated herFacebook andthatshe fears forthe safety of herchildren
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON
Michelle Angstrom reacts to her burned homeand property after awildfire hit the northwest partofSpokane,Wash., on Tuesday.
SPORTS
Southern wantstoberun-firstoffense
Southern running back Princeton Cahee bursts through an opening during a drill on Saturdayat the school’s practice fields.
Blackmon hopeful to reward Saints’faith in him
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
Kellen Moore didn’thave to think too hard about his first memory of Julian Blackmon in aNew 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 15yards away from where Blackmon, about ayear earlier made amemorable interception near the end of his first practice withthe team.
“I don’teven know if he knew whatour coverages were,” Moore said. “Hejust hopped in and played ball.”
That particular memory is two-sided.
Theunfortunate part is that New Orleans did not have much else to go off of when considering Blackmon as aplayer.Heappeared in one game with the Saints last year as the starting safety before tearingthe posterior labrum in his right shoulder —his second consecutive season that required surgery on that shoulder
Then again, it is plays like thatone Blackmonmade in his first training camp practice —plusmany more throughoutcamp last year —that made the Saints comfortable betting on everything Blackmon can be in their defense despite therecent injuryhistory
“The coaches felt like Idid enough, they saw enough to know that if Icame backand was able to get afull season, thingswould be really good and it would benefitthe whole team,” Blackmon said. “Weliketosay,‘together,weeat.’ I’m excited for my opportunity this year, becauseIfeel likewecan do that with me on the field.”
Blackmon looked like the ideal complement to Justin Reid in their brieftime together last season. In Reid, the Saints have a safety whose primary missionistomakehis opponents remember his physicality.They pair him with Blackmon, who can takeaway awhole halfofthe field with his range and who is at his best when the ball is in theair
ä See SAINTS, page 3C
BY TOYLOY BROWNIII Staff writer
Nimble feet and alow center of gravity
Southerntailback Mike Franklin displayed those traits, chopping his feet over apair of blue step-overpads andducking under awhite bar, wellbelow theshoulders of his 6-foot-2 frame.
“A big back withquick feet,Ilove it,” running backs coach Joshua Covington said after arep on Monday
Tuesday’s preseason camp practice was no different for the position group —practice fundamentals and learn theintricacies of the Go-Go offense, atraditionally run-heavy system. While the Jaguars strive for completeness in every facet,they alsounderstand that abulk of their success will depend on the quality of the running back room.
“It’shuge,listen, we’ll throw the football,
but our identity is going to be in running the football,”first-year coach MarshallFaulk said. “That’sthe brandoffootballI want to play.”
MerchantsaidinFebruary that theteam planstoplayfast, “run theair outofthe ball” and take deep shots in the passing game. At Tuesday’spractice, he refrained from exposing anything unnecessarily ahead of the season opener against Alabama State on Aug. 29 in Birmingham, Alabama.
“As far as the depth goes and the scheme, I like to keep everybody on edge with that,” he said. “But yes, there’ssomepretty goodplayers in this program in the running backroom, and Ilove them all. Ireally do.”
It’s expectedthatTreyHolly,who started his career at LSU,will once again be Southern’slead rusher.The 5-7, 192-pound redshirt
BY JON BLAU Staff writer
Lane Kiffin strolled intoLSU’steam meeting room at 11:41 a.m. on Wednesday, afull four minutesbefore he was originally scheduled to speakwith the media following his first preseason camp practice as head coach.
There was no need to spend another four minutes in the92-degree heat of Baton Rouge, whipping the Tigers into shape,when the season will beat on themplenty Practice started at around 10 a.m., and it was done in about 90 minutes.
“We’re followingkindofa ramp-upprogram to prevent injuries,one that we kind of started lastyear (at Ole Miss), just looking at being freshatthe endofseason
andinjuries in the first five days,” Kiffin said. “There’s not much workout there, but that’sreally long-term thinking.”
Theopener against Clemson is just one month away, along with aseason of immense expectations, but Kiffin didn’twant the Tigers going too hard, too fast.
Therewere certainly intense periods in the10minutes of practice media members were allowed to observe.
Would-be tacklers chased ball carriers in unison in apursuitdrill as assistant coaches barked. Defensive tackles jarred asled with the palmsoftheir hands and tossed it aside as coaches barked somemore. But it was aquick in and out on Day 1, for the media and the Tigers alike.
LaneKiffin is no longer the wunderkind of football. It’s been 20 years since Al Davis made the then-31-year-old Kiffin head coach of the thenOakland Raiders. Now 51, Kiffin is probably as lean as he was thenthanks to allthe hot yoga, though he has afew more lines in the still boyish face. Certainly,above all, he’salot wiser For LSU, that’sa good thing At one point during Wednesday’s news conference after LSU’sfirst preseason practice, Kiffin dropped into theconversation that he had along talk Tuesday night with his mentor andonetime boss Pete Carroll. It was about as casually as one might mention cribbing
arecipe from afriend. Carroll isn’tcredited forbeing as big an influence on Kiffintaking theLSU job as Nick Saban is, though he deserves aslice of thecredit That said, Kiffinisata point in his career where he can keep his own counsel. Einsteinsaidthe only source of knowledge is experience. LSU is Kiffin’ssixthhead coaching job, college and pro. All that experience should make LSU fans glad Kiffin didn’tget the job when it hired Brian Kelly four years ago, or certainly beforethat
page 4C
Scott
Rabalais
MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU wide receiver Phillip Wright makesa catch during drills on the fi
practice on
at the team’spractice facility STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints safety Julian Blackmon runs adrill during training camp on Wendesdayatthe team’spractice facility in Metairie. Blackmon is looking to makeanimpactinhis return from shoulder injury.
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
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
aj
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.”
LIV Golf has new lead investor and is planning ahead
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced an agreement Wednesday with a lead investor that would allow the rival league to forge ahead without the backing of Saudi funding while making players major equity holders.
“So many of them came because this was a good opportunity for them to make some money, and this second bite at the apple is equity instead of cash,” O’Neil said at a news conference at Trump Bedminster, site of this week’s LIV Golf New York event.
O’Neil was short on details, starting with the identity of the investor and how much money was involved He said the lead investor
“has signed a term sheet approved by our board, which will carry and fund LIV going forward.”
“It’s very good news for all of us,” O’Neil said.
O’Neil said LIV is getting “strong interest” from more than a dozen other parties who would be minority investors as the league tries to survive
“We don’t need them, but we have the opportunity to do it,” he said of other investors.
LIV Golf New York is the penultimate individual event in a season that has been marked by upheaval, particularly the stunning announcement in March that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — the financial muscle of LIV since it began — is withdrawing funding after 2026.
One tournament in New Orleans already has been scrapped, and there are serious doubts the season-ending team event in Michigan on Aug. 27-30 will be played, particularly after reports the tournament has not even started preparing for it.
“We have not made any final formal decisions and hope to in the coming weeks,” O’Neil said.
LIV Golf, which launched in 2022, has spent more than $5 billion on the league. That includes some of the nine-figure bonuses to lure top players like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson.
But it all began to fall apart earlier this year Koepka was let out of his contract and returned to the PGA Tour and Patrick Reed chose
not to renew his deal. He is leading the European tour points list and will be eligible to return to the PGA Tour next year Lucas Herbert, who has won twice on LIV Golf this year, said Tuesday his management has been in touch with PGA Tour officials.
O’Neil met with team captains on Tuesday, and DeChambeau led a player-only meeting later in the afternoon, though none of the players shared details.
O’Neil said he expected to finalize terms with the lead investor in the next few weeks with the goal of getting it done in September The plan for what is being referred to as “LIV Golf 2.0” is for 10 team events each year, five of them in the United States and five others around the world.
Rivera leads LSU gym commitments into nationals
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
The U.S. Gymnastics Championships begin their four-day run Thursday in Phoenix with the women’s competition taking on a definite future LSU flavor
Hezly Rivera, the 2024 U.S. Olympic team gold medalist, returns to defend the women’s all-around title she won last year at the Smoothie King Center. Rivera is a long-time commitment to the Tigers but plans to defer the start of her college career until after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Two other LSU recruits — Tatum Drusch and Reese Esponda — will also compete. Both are also planning to defer their enrollment until the 2028-29 academic year Rivera, 18, who currently lives
and trains in Plano, Texas, dominated last year’s championships. In addition to the all-around crown, she also won on floor and balance beam while sharing first place on uneven bars.
Men’s competition will be Thursday and Saturday, with women’s competition Friday and Sunday
The women’s competition will be at 9 p.m. Friday on NBC Sports Network and Peacock, with Sunday’s finals at 5 p.m. on NBC.
Injury updates
LSU coach Jay Clark said three key Tiger gymnasts underwent offseason surgery but that he expects all three to be ready for the start of fall practice.
Senior Konnor McClain had operations on her shoulder, wrist and ankle, but Clark said she is recovering well. Junior Kaliya Lincoln had work done to her elbow, while se-
nior Kylie Coen also underwent ankle
surgery New skills
Clark said the Tigers are preparing for rule changes for 2027 requiring more difficulty on uneven bars.
“They took away some connections that had been commonly utilized,” he said “It requires us to add more skills or do different releases.
“It takes a while. You may see mistakes early in the season with the new skills that kids have never competed with or haven’t competed with in a long time. Overall, they’re positive changes.”
Schedule talk
Now that SEC basketball schedules have been released, Clark believes TV slots for conference gymnastics meets will soon be
Announcer Vitale optimistic despite 5th cancer diagnosis
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
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.
filled, allowing LSU to release its schedule in early September
The Tigers have a blockbusterfilled home slate with SEC meets against Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia and Missouri, along with a season opener in January against Arizona State.
LSU is also expected to take part in the annual Podium Challenge meet at the Raising Cane’s River Center The Tigers’ road SEC meets include trips to Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky, while the SEC Championships begin a two-year stint in Tampa, Florida.
LSU will not host an NCAA regional as it did in 2026. Clark plans to again hold LSU’s annual exhibition meet in early January
For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
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
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
Mahal, second from right, and other horses compete during the 151st Preakness Stakes on May 16 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.
Donald works out for Rams in latest step on comeback path
BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
LOS ANGELES Aaron Donald
formally worked out for the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday, presumably taking one of the final steps before the superstar defensive tackle decides whether to end his 21/2year retirement. The 35-yearold Donald participated in a hosted workout with the Rams, ac co rd in g to the league’s official transaction wire, which records such workouts with free agents before their possible signings to NFL rosters.
Donald has been working out at the Rams’ Woodland Hills training complex and at home for several weeks in his attempt to return to NFL shape. While the Rams have emphasized their willingness to wait indefinitely for Donald to decide, coach Sean McVay has expressed cautious optimism in the past week about the prospect of lining up Donald and Myles Garrett together this season on a remarkable defensive line.
“If there’s an arrow, it’s trend-
ing upwards,” McVay said last Friday McVay indicated that the Rams didn’t expect a decision until after they wrap up training camp at Loyola Marymount University this week. The Rams are planning to reconvene in Woodland Hills on Saturday for their first post-camp practice.
Donald retired somewhat abruptly in March 2024 following a decorated 10-year career spent entirely with the Rams. He won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award three times along with eight All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl championship ring.
Donald apparently began to entertain the idea of a comeback early last month after the Rams traded for Garrett, one of Donald’s few contemporary peers.
The 30-year-old Garrett won two of the last three Defensive Player of the Year awards in Cleveland, where he received five All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl selections, along with setting the NFL’s single-season sacks record last year
“If he’s here, I’m going to be excited to be his teammate, his partner in crime,” Garrett said last week. “I think we’re going to do great things.”
SAINTS
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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 contrac t added to the uncertainty
Position battles heating up
quarterback (played
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
“I feel like, mentally, I’m very locked in — which I’ve got to be. It’s another prove-it year, it’s another one-year contract, and it’s another chance for me to get out there and play a full season.”
JULIAN
BLACKMON, Saints safety
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
“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.”
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
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 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
Odds and ends
n After having their best practice 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.
Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com
Falcons outside LB Walker to miss 2026 season with torn ACL
BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Jalon Walker will miss the 2026 season with a torn ACL, the organization announced Wednesday Walker was carted off the field at training camp on Tuesday after going down following a passrush play The injury was quickly feared to be an ACL tear, as the second-year pass rusher was unable to put any weight on his left leg.
The Falcons selected Walker with the No. 15 pick in the 2025 draft after an outstanding career at neighboring University of Georgia. He immediately bolstered the Falcons’ pass rush, recording 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in a strong rookie campaign.
Walker’s efforts helped bring the Falcons from the bottom of the sack leaderboard in 2024 to the second-most sacks (57) in the NFL this past season, behind only the Denver Broncos (68).
The future of the Falcons’ pass rush this season is murky, as Walker’s counterpart, James Pearce Jr., could be awaiting a suspension following an offseason arrest. Police referred to the Feb. 7 incident as a domestic dispute with WNBA player and ex-girlfriend Rickea Jackson. Walker expressed his excitement about the upcoming season
the Falcons’
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Saints safety Julian Blackmon runs a drill during training camp on Wednesday in Metairie
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DANNy KARNIK Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker runs during a game against the Saints on Jan. 4 in Atlanta. Walker is out for the season with a torn ACL.
by assistant defensive line coach BrianYoung).
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.
Donald
WR Diggs signing with Washington Commanders
BY STEPHEN WHYNO
AP sportswriter
Stefon Diggs is signing with the Washington Commanders, a big addition at wide receiver to give quarterback Jayden Daniels and the offense a proven commodity who showed last season he can still be productive more than a decade into his NFL career
The Commanders agreed with Diggs on a contract for this season, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal had not been announced
Diggs, a native of nearby Gaithersburg, Maryland, joins Washington for a 12th year in the league and reportedly can make up to $12 million He spent last season with New England, making 99 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns in 21 games, including the Patriots’ playoff run to the Super Bowl.
New England released him in March, and the 32-year-old went unsigned in free agency while facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with a dispute with his former private chef. Diggs was found not guilty in May, and the NFL said in June that he wouldn’t face any discipline after a review de-
LSU
Continued from page 1C
“We have a lot of really good pieces. We got a chance 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
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 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
RABALAIS
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“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.
termined there was not enough evidence to punish him under its personal conduct policy
The Commanders had a hole at the position, and they are banking on Diggs filling it The inhouse options of Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey would have put Daniels in a tough spot and likely made No. 1 receiver McLaurin deal with plenty of double teams this coming season.
Signing Diggs could rule out going after Brandon Aiyuk, a friend of Daniels’ who is still under contract with San Francisco Aiyuk said on social media in June that he would join Washington immediately if the 49ers released him.
Aiyuk remains on the reserve/ left squad list out West, while Diggs is now in an NFC East that features receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens with Dallas, DeVonta Smith with Philadelphia and Malik Nabers with the New York Giants.
Diggs previously played for Minnesota, Buffalo and Houston during a career that included him being an All-Pro selection in 2020, when he led all players with 127 catches and 1,535 yards Since making his debut in 2015
after the Vikings took him in the fifth round of the draft that year, Diggs has 1,025 catches for 12,523 yards and 79 TDs in the regular season and playoffs combined.
That included the “Minneapolis Miracle” catch for Minnesota in the divisional round in January 2018. With 10 seconds left, Diggs leapt and evaded a tackle to score a 61-yard touchdown and beat New Orleans 29-24.
Off the field, it has been a more tumultuous ride, including getting fined more than $200,000 by the Vikings during his final season with them in 2019 for unexcused practice absences. Diggs was traded to Buffalo in March 2020.
Diggs led the Bills in receiving four seasons in a row, but sideline outbursts and cryptic social media messages were also part of his tenure before being traded to Houston in April 2024. A torn ACL ended his time with the Texans, and skipping a voluntary offseason workout got him off to a bumpy start with the Patriots before he turned out to be a reliable option for QB Drake Maye. Cut in part because he was owed $20.6 million, Diggs now is teaming up with Daniels, who was taken one spot ahead of Maye when they went No 2 and 3 in the 2024 draft.
LSU wide receiver Tyree Holloway runs with the ball during the first day of preseason practice on Wednesday at the team’s practice facility
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 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. “Ala-
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 Trojans, 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
Cardinals-Panthers will open NFL’s exhibition season
Beck makes his NFL debut while Pickett starts for his 5th team in four years
BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer
Welcome to the NFL preseason.
If you want to see starters play, wait until next month when the games count in the standings Or watch joint practices.
The exhibition schedule kicks off Thursday night with Carson Beck and the Arizona Cardinals facing Kenny Pickett and the Carolina Panthers in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
The preseason is an opportunity for rookies, backups and players fighting for roster spots to get snaps and showcase what they can do Most first-round picks won’t play much. Cardinals running back Jerimiyah Love (No 3 pick) and Panthers tackle Monroe Freeling (No. 19) are sitting out the opener Beck, a third-round pick from Miami, will be under center for new Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur. Veteran Jacoby Brissett is Arizona’s starter and Gardner Minshew is the backup.
“I had no clue I was going to start,” Beck said. “Obviously, I thought I was going to play but I really didn’t have any expectations going into any of this. Obviously, our schedule is absolutely crazy right now, practice, meetings. But I’m looking forward to it.”
Beck, who led the Hurricanes to a national championship matchup against Indiana said he won’t have any butterflies before the game.
season with an 8-9 record. But the Panthers led the 12-win Rams in the final minute of their wild-card playoff game before NFL MVP Matthew Stafford threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left for a 34-31 victory
The Panthers have been getting after each other in practice, so coach Dave Canales is looking forward to seeing his team hit an opponent.
“Tempers are flaring a little bit and I just have to remind them none of that helps us. It throws us out of the rhythm of practice,” Canales said.
Practice is everything for coaches in training camp.
Fewer teams play their starters in preseason games so they have to get them ready for the regular season in practice. Joint practices teams facing opponents ahead of their exhibition game — are a growing trend in the NFL.
A total of 28 teams have scheduled joint practices which begin next week.
The Rams have joint practices with the Cowboys and Saints coming up.
“That’ll be basically their preseason,” Los Angeles coach Sean McVay said. “We’ll get an opportunity to see a lot of the younger guys play in the preseason and those are great opportunities to play real football. When we put the pads on, it’s close, but you’re still not playing tackle football. And there are a couple spots. There are always important things that you want to be able to see unfold and be able to establish some depth if, God forbid, we have the inevitable injuries that do occur But we’ll take it a day at a time and there’s so many things.”
bama, Georgia their last is Thursday at 6 p.m.” Friday, however, isn’t a day Kiffin 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 win-loss 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.”
Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@ theadvocate.com
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
“I think the last time I was nervous was maybe when I was 8 years old for our city championship in Pop Warner,” Beck said.
“It’s a game at the end of the day It’s an opportunity to go out there, have fun with your teammates and play the game that I love. It’s what I love doing.”
Pickett, a first-round pick by the Steelers in 2022 who led Pittsburgh to a 14-10 record in two seasons, has bounced around the league. He spent the 2024 season with the Eagles before Philadelphia traded him to Cleveland last year
The Browns sent him to the Raiders during training camp and he started two games for Las Vegas.
The Panthers signed Pickett to back up Bryce Young.
“Just want to go out there and operate a high level,” Pickett said.
“All the hard work that we’re putting in practice you want to see come to life on game day and that’s everyone just doing their job and executing.”
Carolina won the NFC South last
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
The Detroit Lions are one of the four teams that won’t have any joint practices so some of their starters could see action in the preseason games.
“We have got to get these guys ready for a season,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “There’s a chance we play some of these guys in the preseason without the joint practices, and so I’m going to do what I think is best to prepare these guys for 17 weeks, but also understand that we have got to be smart about it and we can’t break them in training camp, and so the approach will stay the same, it will, and you have got to get ready, and you can’t let fear of injury scare you away from what you believe in.”
Several key players already have been hurt in practices over the past week. The Panthers lost second-year edge rusher Nic Scourton to a torn ACL on the first day of camp. They also saw wide receiver Chris Brazzell II go down with a torn LCL.
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.
STAFF PHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROSS D FRANKLIN Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck throws during practice at the team’s training camp on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.
Diggs
By HILARySCHEINUK
STAFF FILEPHOTO
Madison Prep quarterback Landon Johnson stiff-armsMandeville tight end Connor Konopka on Sept. 12 at Istrouma High School.Johnson,who playsmultiple positions, is astandout defensiveback committed to TCU.
BR area brimming with top-flight DBs
BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer
Louisiana has long been home to many greatdefensivebacks.
The state’snext crop of stars in the secondary could emerge this year at the high schoollevel with several promisingnames
The following list is 10 defensive backs from the BatonRougearea to watchfor this upcoming season.
KameronGrisby, University High,Jr.
Kameron Grisbyemergedthis offseason as one of the top prospects in the state for the Class of 2028. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior offers size and athleticism at theposition Afour-star recruitby247Sports, heholds offers from Florida State, LSU and Georgia Tech, among others.Grisby’sability in press coverage makes him one of the more dominant players in the area.
Bra’JonMelancon, NorthIberville, Sr North Iberville enters theseason with new coach in Steven Thomas. Players like Melancon should helphim hit the ground running.
The 6-foot, 170-pound defensiveback committed to Kansas Stateisathree-star recruit, accordingto247Sports. He made an impact at cornerback andwide receiver lastyear.
Melancon had 46 tackles, fourtacklesfor loss, five interceptions and three pass breakups last year.Onoffense, he caught40passes for 775 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. Jayd’n Washington,EastAscension,Sr. ADenham Springstransfer,Washington is one of East Ascension’stop new additions. The 6-foot, 170-pound senior totaled 45 tackles, 12 pass breakups, twointerceptions and one sack across 12 starts last season forthe Yellow Jackets. He is committed to McNeese State
JacobJulien,Ascension Catholic,Sr.
Julien was aballhawkfor the Bulldogs last year during their runto theDivisionIV selectstate title game. The 5-9, 170-pound defensive back finished theseason with six interceptions.
He also had 37 total tackles, four pass deflections and one fumble recovery Landon Johnson, MadisonPrep, Sr Madison Prep featuresone of the most electric athletes in Baton Rougeinsenior Landon Johnson.Athree-star recruitand All-Metro choice, Johnsoniscommittedto TCU. Johnson makes playswherever he lines
SOUTHERN
Continued from page1C
junior had 869 rushing yards and nine rushingtouchdowns, both fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, in 11 games.
Southern has10tailbacks, two more than last year,and three additions who are all freshmen: Champ Davis, Macario Dade and Deondre Manisfield. Texas A&M transfer
Ronnie Crosby,who participatedin spring practice, is no longer with the team, Merchant saidTuesday.
The Jaguarsreturners are graduate student Franklin, junior Barry Remo, redshirt sophomore Jason Gabriel, sophomore ArmariyanAsberry,redshirtjuniorPrinceton Cahee and redshirt sophomore Zaccheus Cooper
While Faulk, like Merchant, doesn’twant to give away much intel publicly,hedid express what he wants his rushers to work on “Right now,accountability, responsibility,” the Pro Football Hall of Fame tailback said. Most run-
up. He’splayed cornerback, safety,wide receiverand quarterback forMadison Prep Johnsontotaled 21 tackles,five tackles for loss and three interceptions.
The5-11, 180-pounder totaled 1,517 yards passing and 13 touchdownsatquarterback.
He alsocaught nine touchdowns, ran for six touchdowns and had three puntreturn touchdowns
Emmanuel Moses, University High,Sr.
Another key member of theU-High secondary,Moses is athree-star recruit committedtoUNLV.
Moses stuffed the statsheet last year with 71 totaltackles,seven pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. The 5-11, 175-pound seniorwill be akey leader on aprogram contending for astate title. MasonMoore,Central,Sr.
Central enters theseason with oneofthe best secondaries in the area and safetyMason Moore is abig reason why.The 5-10, 170-poundsenior is athree-star recruit, accordingto247Sports.
He committed to Ole Miss this offseason after totaling 22 tackles,six tackles for loss, 21/2 sacks and three interceptions in his junior season.
JyeBlain,St. James, Sr
St. James will look to get over the hump after falling in the Division III nonselect semifinals last year.Blain could play abig role in helping the Wildcats fulfill their title dreams.
Blain tallied 51 total tackles and 121/2 tacklesfor loss. He also had threesacks,three interceptions and two pass deflections. The 5-10, 170-pound defensive back is committed to LouisianaTech.
Cade Hebert,Prairieville, Sr
Hebert has been one of the core pieces of agrowing program.Hehad 54 tackles with two tackles for loss last year
The 6-foot, 160-pound defensive back also hadthreeinterceptions andtwo pass deflectionslast season. The Hurricanes madethe playoffs in theprogram’ssecond year of LHSAA play.Hebertcould be abig reason the Hurricanes can build on that entering Year 3.
Marvin Joseph,Central,Sr.
Another member of thetalented Wildcats secondaryisMarvin Joseph. The recent Houston commitment is athree-star recruit, accordingto247Sports.
The 6-foot, 180-pound safety was akey member of theCentral team that went 10-3 last year.Heearned second-team All-District 4-5A honors last season as well.
ning backs, we’re good running the football, catching the football, doingthose things.Werecruitthose kind of guys. But we want to get better for one another and blockingfor the quarterback. Making sure we understandthose assignments because those twoaspects, trustme, Iknowthis,that’swhat separatesguys atthe next level.”
Thecoach entrusted with developingthe right habits in thetailbacks is Covington, who worked in the tightends roomatColorado whenFaulkwas therunning backs coachlastyear Faulk likesthatCovington has playing experience at the position at Wingate University and has a brother in DeAngelo Williams who playedrunning back for11seasons in theNFL.
Faulk appreciated Covington’s willingness to step out of his comfort zone. At Colorado, instead of being athird helping hand for running backs, he studied aposition he’s not as well-versed in: tight ends. “Coaching the position you know, that’seasy,” Faulksaid. “Coachingthe positionyou didn’t
COLLEGE
Leavitt‘full participant’ in Day1ofLSU practice
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
QuarterbackSam Leavitt wasafullparticipant at LSU’sopening dayof preseason practices on Wednesday, the first dayof fall camp for coach Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge.
But Leavitt’sactivity and performance on Wednesdayare abit of amystery, even if Kiffinsaidafter practice that theArizona Statetransfer was “moving around really well” after missing mostofthe spring recovering from afoot injury
“Ifyou justwent out todayand sawhim,I don’t thinkthat you’dthink there was an injury,” Kiffin said. “He’sall the way back from that.”
Media members were only allowed to watch two periodsofWednesday’s practice,about 10 minutes total.
Leavitt worked on readoption handoffs with his running backs and threw to hisreceivers against no defendersduringthe mediaviewing period.
“I thought Sam had a great day today,” Kiffin said. “He really looked the best he’s looked.And Iwas excited to see that he was even more comfortable with the receivers.”
Leavittthrew forover 4,500 yards and scored 44 total touchdownsina season and ahalf withthe Sun Devils. He ledArizona StatetoaBig 12 championship and the College Football Playoff in 2024 before afoot injury —the sameinjury that caused Leavittto
Leavitt makes athrowtoareceiver during Wednesday’spractice at the LSUpractice facility
miss much of this spring derailed his 2025 campaign.
Leavittwas availableina limited capacity during the spring but sat out after doctors removed pins from his foot that were there from the initial surgery.Kiffin then said over the summer that Leavitt would be a full participant to start fall camp in August.
“Sam’sdoing great,” Kiffin told the Baton Rouge Rotary Club last week. “He’s coming back from afoot injury.He’s(at) full strength. Now,it’sjust aboutgetting the timing down with everybody.”
In his place, Elon transfer Landen Clark and Southern Cal transfer Husan Longstreet split reps at firstteam quarterback during the spring. Neither quarterback arrived at LSU with much high-level playing experience, resulting in an up-
and-down spring forboth players. But both Longstreet and Clark improved by the end of it and showcased their impressive arm strength and mobility more effectively Longstreet wasafive-star recruit in the2025class and threwfor 103 yards on just 15 pass attempts in his only season with the Trojans. Clark scored 29 total touchdowns and threw for 2,321 yards in 11 starts at Elon last season as afirst-year starter and redshirt freshman Longstreet and Clark werepresent at Wednesday’spractice, taking reps after Leavitt.
Email Koki Rileyat koki.riley@theadvocate. com. For more LSU sports updates,sign up forour newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter
Newcoach Morris aims to getOkla. St.backontrack
BY TIM WILLERT Associated Press
STILLWATER, Okla,— New
season’steam,which finished 1-11 and hasn’twon aBig 12 Conferencegame since Nov.25, 2023.
Mestemaker threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns lastseason as aredshirt freshman.
Morris
Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris was busy bri ngi ng people together long before fall camp started Wednesday Morris, hired in November to replace Cowboys legend Mike Gundy,has added 88 new players sincethen, including 21 playershecoached at North Texas State.
“Our guys have meshed,” Morris told The Associated Press outside the team’s training facility.“We spent alot of time together this offseason because Ithought building relationships was such an important thing.
OklahomaState returns just 25 players from last
“Wejust have so many new people that don’tknow each each other and Ithink that was something that we’ve done agood job of,” Morris said. “Now we’ve got to bring ’em all together,teach them how to play football and get them to execute on Saturdays.”
Execution is something that eluded OklahomaState in 2024 and2025, when Gundy was firedafterthe team’sthird game. The team’s star quarterback in thelate1980s,Gundyposted winning records every season from 2006 to 2023 and had acareer record of 170-90.
Morris, who hasa reputation forhelping quarterbacks —including North Texas transfer Drew Mestemaker —was hiredto revive the program Gundy brought to prominence.
RUNNING BACK CROSBY LEAVES PROGRAM
Texas A&M transfer Ronnie Crosbyisnolonger withthe team, offensivecoordinator
KenMerchant saidatpreseason camppractice on Tuesday.
“Ronnie Crosbyisnot with us anymore,”Merchant said.“When he was here, he looked good, and Iwish him all thebest.”
No furtherdetails on his departure were provided.Crosby, whoisfrom DeRidder signed with SouthernonJan. 13 after entering the portal on Jan. 11. Crosby, whowould’vebeen asenior,was withSouthernduring spring practice after spending three seasons at Texas A&M. He didn’tappear in agame his first two seasons with the Aggies and had acarry for one yard in agame in 2025.
The 5-8, 210-pound running back was ano-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class after playing at DeRidderHighSchool.During his senior season, he had 192 carries for1,341 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had eight catches for 61 yards ToyloyBrown
play that requires skill. That showed me that he has theability to coach.Sobringing himhere, putting him at his natural position he knows, he falls into that easily.”
Covington’scoaching talent was also recognized when he was selected for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy in May
He was one of 25 finalists picked from almost 1,000 applicants.
Southern’ssecrecy in discussing its offensive plans ahead of the season has been acommon theme so
farthrough camp.Whatisknown is Faulk has challenged Holly to take anotherstepupinhis on-field productionand, more importantly,bea true leader in the locker room. Thetailbacks whohad the next mostopportunities were Franklin andRemo. Franklin averaged 4.1 yards percarry in the four games he played beforesufferinga noncontact foot injury that required surgery on Oct. 7, 2025. He’safull participant now and is set to be the 225-pound power back Southern
“I just wanttosee these guys compete,” Morris said. “Luckily,I’ve been in the majority of the Big 12 stadiums. I’ve coached in them,soit’snot like athing where I’m anxious to see the crowd or whatever.But Idothink it will be aton of fun formeand agreat personal experience to walkout intoBoonePickens (Stadium)for the first time.” TheNCAAdoesnot keep records formostnewcomersona roster, but Colorado documented 87 on its 2023 roster,Deion Sanders’ first as coach.
“We’ve broken alot of records in our time,” Morris said. “Time will tellifthis is oneI’m proud of or not proud of.
“I think I’ll be able to answer that question after you look at our wins and losses this year.”
missed last year
Remohadastrongfinalfewgames in 2025, ending the season with 50 rushes for 289 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and twotouchdowns. The 5-9, 195-pound productfrom Catholic was applauded by the team last year forhis blue-collarapproach Asberry, similar to Remo, waited his turn and had asolid freshman season. Theformer Southern Lab star had114 rushing yardson29 attempts, 3.9 yards per carry Faulkhas confidence in them as wellasthe less proven players. However,like thequarterback competition, Southern won’treveal much publicly even though it has an idea of what the running back rotation will look like. The focus is improving each day and naturally developing camaraderie.
“I like thecloseness between that room and what those guys have, and what they’re building,” Faulk said. “It’sa healthy competition. Like every day,they go out there, and they want to outshine one another They’re nothoping that the other one does worse. They’re hoping that they do better.”
STAFFPHOTO By PEARL SPURLOCK LSUquarterbackSam
Glazed swordfish, saladpair forsummer perfection
BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER
Here’s asimpleyet
vor,it’sacomplete dinner that comes together in minutes.
Glazed Swordfish Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer
6tablespoons Dijonmustard
4tablespoons orangemarmalade
¾pound swordfish Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2tablespoons orangezest (optional garnish)
1. Preheat ovento350 F.
2. Add mustard and marmalade to asmall bowl and stir to completely combine the ingredients. Set aside.
3. Line abaking tray withfoil or parchmentpaper andadd the swordfish.Sprinkle bothsides of the fish with saltand pepper to taste. Spread the mustard sauce on top of the swordfish
4. When the oven reaches 350F,place the baking tray on themiddle shelf and bake10 minutes. Ameatthermometer should read123 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 gfat (2.0 gsaturated,3.6 g monounsaturated),66mgcholesterol, 35.5 gprotein, 30.2 g carbohydrates, 2.2 gfiber, 666 mg sodium.
Maybe as youwalkedout of the first Ice Water round, it hityou Maybe it wasadoor that opened —orone that didn’t.Maybe it wasn’t until the next year when youwereonthe othersideofthe process. It could have been amoment standing in ahallway,waiting, that youcan still describe in detail years later. We’reinviting readers who went through sorority recruitment recently or decades ago —totell us about it: What’s the specific moment from Rush week you still think about? And what did Rush teach youthat youdidn’t expect? Send your response to jan.risher@theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. Monday.
hen my oldestchild went to college, he asked me to create a book of our most loved family recipes. He said he wanted to have away to cook all the dishes that we made the most during his childhood years. Ihate to admit this, but my son graduated last spring and all of our well-worn recipe cards still sit on my desk waiting tobeput in alogical format. There is comfort that comes from the meals we share around our family tables.Itisvery nostalgic to thinkback on cooking and baking with my children as they grew up in our home. Acompilation of favorite family meals is awonderful gift because it provides thearomas,tastes and memories from homeeven when that homeisonly adistant memory. This month, Ipicked threemorerecipesfrom“Cooking Up AStorm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune
See FAMILY, page 2D
GRETCHEN McKAY
PHOTOSByLIZ FAUL
TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSENHEIMER
Glazed Swordfish with Crunchy Zucchini Salad
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 1806, Emperor Francis II abdicated, marking the end of the Holy Roman Empire after nearly a thousand years. In 1942, Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands became the first reigning queen to
address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite Nazi occupation, her people’s motto remained, “No surrender.”
In 1962, Jamaica gained independence from the United Kingdom after 300 years of British rule. 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
Crunchy Zucchini Salad
Yields 2 servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer. 1
and drained
2 cups washed, ready-to-eat arugula
troops. Quornelius Radford was later sentenced to life in military prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of attempted murder at a courtmartial.
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.
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.
Fritters and Tartar Sauce
Eggplant Fritters
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
1 pound eggplant, peeled and cubed
of cayenne pepper
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.
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
Tartar Sauce
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
of
2. For the fritters: In a heavy pan, over medium heat, add the cubed eggplant and just enough water (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
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
FAMILY
Continued from page 1D
Pomodori con il Riso
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.
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
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking dish with parchment that has been dampened and any excess water shaken off. (I put the tomatoes directly into the pan.)
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
4.
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 oregano and season liberally with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, then remove to a bowl.
6. Add rice to the tomato puree and mix well. Refrigerate for around 1 hour to
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
salad call for dicing the tomatoes and com-
for one homogenous bite. This old-school
and
builds a salad with sliced tomatoes on top of seasoned
to
the salad right away, while the crack-
corn adds a crisp and juicy finish.
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.
TOMATO
Continued from page 1D
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
4. Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise, chives, apple cider vinegar and remaining ½ teaspoon garlic salt in a small bowl.
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
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.
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.
3. Spoon the dough by the teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1½ inches apart. Press the dough flat with a cookie stamp or the bottom of a small drinking glass dipped in granulated sugar
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 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
4. Bake the cookies until light brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container
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. Like Mary Youngblood Cooper, who contributed the recipe, I have always enjoyed adding fresh herbs to almost every dish. The savory, peppery rosemary works perfectly with a squeeze of lemon in these classic butter cookies. I have only made these cookies twice, but they are already a favorite that I will add to our family cookbook.
ARS
FRID AY •7PM
Eggplant
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS
PHOTO By GRETCHEN McKAy
LEo (July 23-Aug.22) Balance is what's important, andlearning andliving life happilyrequiresequalityand the ability to live up to your expectations, not what others wantfromyou. 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'ttrust those who painta 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 adirection you truly believe in. Entertain the thought of immersing yourself in somethingthatfascinates you.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Reduce, simplify,declutter and free your body, mindand soul of allthat torments you. Your energy needs to be strategically aimed at apurpose or what matters to you. Dig deep.
sAGIttARIUs (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Throw your energy in adirection that lightens your heart, fills your home with happiness andallows you to letyour creative spirit take over.Lovelooms.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Speak on behalf of those whocan't. Wrap your mind around how and what to enforce to make adifference in howyou live, think andmove 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 timeand use your intelligence to sort through your options and consider the consequences. Time has away of healing what is meant as alesson.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Take adeep dive into your creative psyche and see what transpires. Reinventing yourself or trying something newwill inspireyou to be good to yourself and make adifference.
tAURUs (April 20-May 20) Make your space comfortable and convenient. An opportunity to bring in extra cash from ahome-basedbusiness doing something you enjoy will be uplifting and help with confidence and personal growth.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) If you don'tlike something, change it. Look over your personalpreferences andput ato-do list together. Take control of your life, and put what youneed to reach your goal in place.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Gravitate toward those who are transparent. Take aunique approach to producing authentic answers to solutions. Specialize in being yourself and offering others your very best.
Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
ZEQUALs y
nea CroSSwordS
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudokuis anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIPALDER
We have been looking at declarer’s plan in no-trump when he hasonly one stopperinthe suit led at trick one. But howdoes his strategy change whenhe has two stoppers in thatsuit? It depends uponthe number of opposinghigh 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 twolosers to drive out, usually it is right to duck (lose) trickone
In this example deal, West leadsthe spadefouragainstthreeno-trump and East puts up his jack.How should South plan the play?
South starts with only fivetop tricks: two spades and three diamonds.Hecan getthree winners from clubs,soalso needsa hearttrick. He has to concede trickstobothrounded-suitaces.Therule recommends ducking the first trick. Let’s assume East returns hissecond spade. South wins and plays on clubs. East takes hisace, but doesn’t have another spadetolead(and if he did, the suit would be 4-3).
Note that if South takes the first trick andleadsa club, Eastwinsand returns his secondspade,establishing West’s suit while West stillhas an entry in the heart ace. Or, if South plays ahigh heart at tricktwo, West wins with his ace and East drops the jack, the top of his sequence when he cannot winthe trick. Then Westshouldlead his secondheart, which would defeat the contract Finally, yes, if East, when given the first trick,shifts to hisheart jack at trick two,Southhastoguesstoplaylow,which is notclear-cut.
Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers: wuzzles
word game
InstRUctIons: 1. Words mustbeoffour or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four lettersbythe 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.
