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

M o n d ay, au g u s t 10, 2026

Ten years after the 2016 Louisiana flood, millions have been spent but fear still lingers

HISTORIC FLOOD REMEMBERED

$2.00X

Boutte embraces second chance

Former LSU wide receiver an example of recovery from gambling addiction BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

STAFF FILE PHOTO By PAUL KIEU

A woman carries a basket full of clothing through waist-deep flooding on Teljean Road near the intersection at Johnston Street in Lafayette on Aug. 14, 2016. BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Ten years ago this week, rain fell across south Louisiana for four days, with some areas receiving as much as 28 inches. Rivers and drainage systems were overwhelmed, sending floodwater into nearly 2,000 homes in Lafayette Parish. The Vermilion River at Surrey Street crested at 17.62 feet on Aug. 15, 2016, well above its 10-foot minor flood stage. “The rain fell like somebody turned on a faucet and walked away,” Lafayette Parish Mayor-President Monique Boulet said. The August 2016 flood became one of the costliest natural disasters in Louisiana history and displaced thousands of residents across Acadiana. Meteorologists have described it as a 500-year event, while some hydrologists have classified parts of it as a 1,000-year flood. Neither term means another flood of that magnitude can’t happen again anytime soon. For some, the water receded within hours. Others had to deal with it sitting in their homes for days, even weeks. Some homes had just a few inches of water. Others ended up with a foot or more, trapping residents in their subdivisions. Once the water receded, houses were emptied. Residents salvaged what they could. Wet furniture and belongings, drywall and cabinets, baseboards and flooring, toilets and bathtubs were removed, dumped on front lawns, mountains of damp debris. With hundreds, even thousands of people vying for contractors, drywall installers, cabinets and flooring, recovery was a slow process. For many, it took six months or more to return to a livable home.

ä See FLOOD, page 5A

WEATHER HIGH 91 LOW 76 PAGE 10C

The first hour was almost up, so Kayshon Boutte figured it was time for a quick huddle. He didn’t want the kids to just move from one drill to the next. They were supposed to be enjoying his camp — not toiling through the thick, wet Louisiana air. The campers were all wearing the same white T-shirt. Boutte had one of them on, too, along with black sweatpants cut below the knee, a pair of white cleats and a gray shirt that he chose to use as a towel. He needed something to mop up the sweat that had beaded onto his forehead in the 45 minutes before Boutte he called the huddle, then broke it with one quick word of encouragement: “Work!” “Where we at next, where we at next?” Boutte yelled to the kids. “Let’s run there.” And then he scampered down to the other end of the field. Boutte wore cleats because he didn’t want to just run the camp. He also wanted to participate in it, so he could demonstrate drills to the younger campers and run routes against some of the older ones. A few minutes earlier, a high-school-aged girl was tiptoeing through a set of cones when the ball she was cradling started to slip loose. So Boutte reached down and lightly poked it free.

ä See BOUTTE, page 4A

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Guests are evacuated from the Fairfield Inn on Pinhook Road during flooding in Lafayette on Aug. 13, 2016. With the help of volunteers with boats and firefighters, guests and employees were able to get out.

Mike Richard and Heath Clark run their duck boat near Mermentau Cove near Jennings to bring food and water to neighbors stranded by floodwaters on Aug. 17, 2016. STAFF FILE PHOTO By TED JACKSON

Netanyahu rejects Hamas disarmament proposal touted by Trump BY DAN WILLIAMS and FARES AKRAM Bloomberg News (TNS)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal by U.S.-backed mediators for disarming Hamas, hardening his position after voicing misgivings at the suggestion that Israel reciprocate with phased pullouts from Gaza. “Israel does not accept the 15-point document,” Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday, according to an ofﬁcial translation. In his original remarks, he used a Hebrew verb that could be understood as “Israel rejects” or “rules out.”

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

ä See PROPOSAL, page 5A

102ND yEAR, NO. 41

2A ● Monday, August 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Trump picks Will Scharf as White House counsel

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his new White House counsel will be Will Scharf, the staff secretary who as the Trumpappointed head of the National Capital Planning Commission helped secure approval for the $400 million ballroom project. Trump said that, beginning Sept. 1, Scharf will be replacing David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Trump noted that Scharf previously served as a federal prosecutor and represented him in a number of cases, including at the Supreme Court. “Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!” The shakeup in the White House counsel’s ofﬁce comes at a critical juncture — just months ahead of the midterm elections, where Trump’s Republican Party will be ﬁghting to hold on to control of Congress. Democrats have vowed to pursue investigations into Trump and his administration if they are successful in November. The White House counsel’s job is to advise on legal and policy questions related to the presidency.

Nagasaki marks 81st anniversary of bombing

TOKYO — Nagasaki marked on Sunday the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the southwestern city, as the mayor called nuclear weapons “absolute evil,” denounced growing support for nuclear deterrence and called on the Japanese government to adhere to its three postwar non-nuclear principles. The anniversary coincided with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government revising the country’s defense policy to further bolster the military’s offensive capability. Speculation has risen about whether Takaichi, who supports nuclear dissuasion, may allow nuclear weapons to be brought into the country, going against the third non-nuclear principle. Mayor Shiro Suzuki said that while some countries argue the possession of nuclear weapons helps deter potential attackers, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had demonstrated that humans can cross the line. “The theory of nuclear deterrence is extremely dangerous and fragile. Nuclear weapons are not a ‘necessary evil’ but an ‘absolute evil,’ and can never coexist with humanity,” Suzuki said. “To all leaders of the nuclear states and nations relying on nuclear deterrence, you must face the reality that the more you rely on nuclear deterrence, the more you increase the risk of a nuclear war.” The United States launched the Nagasaki attack on Aug. 9, 1945, killing 70,000 by the end of that year, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima that killed 140,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, ending World War II.

Syria to take control of 2 bases from Russia

DAMASCUS, Syria — Russian forces in Syria will give up control of two strategic bases on the Mediterranean coast, which will be used as joint Russia-Syrian training centers under a new agreement between the two countries, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday. Russia was the top political and military ally of ousted President Bashar Assad during the country’s civil war between 2011 and 2024. Assad was ousted in December 2024 by Islamist insurgents led by current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and has since ﬂed into exile in Russia. Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base and the Tartus naval base were key Russian military outposts in the eastern Mediterranean. Under the new agreement between Damascus and Moscow, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become “joint training” centers, the Foreign Ministry said.

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Iran rejects U.S. talks for now Wait for Hormuz deal drags on

BY SARA GHARAIBEH and PATRICK SYKES Bloomberg News (TNS)

Iran and Oman remained short of a ﬁnal deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, although President Donald Trump signaled patience, saying the U.S. could wait for Tehran’s economic suffering to soften its stance. For its part, Iran ruled out direct talks with the U.S. for now, citing what Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described as repeated violations of a short-lived interim peace agreement signed in June. “As long as the American violation of the Memorandum of Understanding continues and the U.S. does not make amends for its violations, there is no possibility of resuming negotiations,” Araghchi was cited as saying by state TV. Araghchi also said a pact with Oman to establish a shipping route through the strait was “very close.” That didn’t seem to bother Trump, who on Sunday told Axios in a short phone call that the U.S. was now “lowkeying it.” “We are only semi-negotiating with them,” he said. “We are just watching Iran with its huge inﬂation and

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By FATIMA SHBAIR

Cargo ships float at sea near the Strait of Hormuz on May 1, as seen from a rocky shoreline near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. the fact they have no money.” Sunday’s remarks follow weeks of Trump threatening massive airstrikes on Iran only to pull back, saying he wanted to give negotiations a chance. Iranian year-on-year inﬂation reached 77% recently, according to Iran’s central bank. Tehran on Saturday upped the ante by renewing a hefty list of demands for Washington as conditions for a full reopening of Hormuz, indicating any immediate respite for oil and gas supplies may be limited. The Strait of Hormuz,

through which one-ﬁfth of the globe’s oil and gas is shipped, has become a key factor in the war the U.S. and Israel started on Feb. 28. Trump has demanded the resumption of open navigation for months. With a deal elusive, the situation in the Middle East stayed volatile on Sunday. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed they’d struck Saudi Aramco’s Jizan oil refinery in the kingdom. Saudi authorities earlier reported a ﬁre at the facility but it was quickly extinguished and no injuries reported. U.S. Vice President JD

Vance on Saturday suggested there’d been recent progress in talks, but he remained skeptical. The question, he said, is whether Iran will be able “to give the things that are necessary for us to be happy, for us to feel like we’ve gotten what we need out of this particular engagement,” he told Fox News. Washington has repeatedly suggested it’s part of negotiations over the management of Hormuz, which Iran disputes. “Some intermediary countries are trying to reestablish the ground for negotiations,” Araghchi

was quoted as saying on Sunday. “At present, we are not negotiating with the U.S. — the exchange of messages is taking place through intermediaries.” Oman, which borders the strait across from Iran, said its talks with Tehran were progressing in “a positive and constructive atmosphere.” In a post on X, authorities called for a halt on actions in the strait to give space for diplomatic efforts. Iran’s demands include that the U.S. lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, withdraws military forces from around Iran, removes sanctions, releases frozen assets and pays compensation for war damage, according to Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a hard-liner who heads the Supreme National Security Council. Traffic through the chokepoint has been largely blocked since the start of the war, but some ships have continued to ferry cargoes as part of a shuttle program involving U.S. military help. Oil prices swung between gains and losses last week, with Brent eventually settling above $83 a barrel as traders weighed the prospects of a deal that’s expected to clear the way for the restoration of millions of barrels of supply from the Persian Gulf.

Wildfires burn across western U.S., Canada Residents evacuated amid blazes

BY JAMIE STENGLE and WUFEI YU Associated Press

Wildfires burning across the western U.S. and Canada on Sunday left some residents keeping a weary eye out for possible evacuation orders while others already forced to flee their homes waited to see what would be left on their return. In western Canada, over 20,000 people were forced to flee communities along Okanagan Lake in British Columbia over the weekend as a fast-moving wildfire destroyed homes and dozens had to be rescued by aircraft. Anette Boulet was among residents who fled Summerland, home to about 12,000 people. As she and her family left around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, their home was shrouded in smoke. “You couldn’t see barely. It was, it was just dark, and the ridge, the ridge of fire just coming towards you,”

CANADIAN PRESS PHOTO By DARRyL DyCK

The Bald Range wildfire, which has forced people out of their homes in the south Okanagan region, burns Saturday in Summerland, British Columbia. said Boulet, who evacuated to a center in Penticton. “There’s no words to express it,” she said. “The fear.” Besides the evacuations in Summerland, the Bald Range fire, first reported Friday evening, has also led to the evacuation of about 8,000 people in and around nearby Peachland. British Columbia declared a state of emergency Saturday because of the wildfires. Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s minister of emergency management and community resilience, said Sunday on social media that she’d approved a request

for federal assistance from British Columbia to provide shelter and accommodations for those forced to ﬂee. In the U.S., residents in some areas north of Spokane, Washington, were being advised Sunday to leave their homes. Residents in the rural towns of Malden and Rosalia, located about 35 miles south of Spokane, saw their evacuation level downgraded Sunday after being urged to leave the previous day after two fires started nearby. The area, though, is on alert. John Goyke, mayor of Rosalia and the water op-

Mother, baby die after boat capsizes in New York Harbor By The Associated Press NEW YORK — The operator of a boat that capsized in New York Harbor, killing a mother and her infant daughter, is facing criminal charges and authorities are investigating whether the vessel was an illegal charter, the U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday. The 22-foot Bayliner speedboat overturned around 10:25 p.m. Saturday near Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Twelve people were rescued from the water before police arrived, and police divers later located the 27-year-old woman and 5-month-old girl in the water. Both were taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead. According to the Coast Guard, the others were in stable condition. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life last night, and our thoughts are with the victims’ family and loved ones during this incredibly difﬁcult time,” said Capt. Doreen McCarthy, the Coast Guard Sector New York commander. “We are

extremely grateful for the heroic, swift actions of our partner agencies and Good Samaritan vessel who assisted in rescuing survivors from the water.” Manuel Hernandez, 46, of New York, has been charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment, police said. No phone number for him could be found Sunday, and the case has not yet been entered into online court records. The victims’ identities have not been released pending notiﬁcation of family, police said Sunday. Adam Schwartz said his sightseeing company’s hot tub boat, Sea the City II, was out on a cruise when the accident occurred and took the 12 survivors onboard. “Our captain and both crew members immediately assisted, called in to the Coast Guard and ... then coordinated with the Coast Guard and NYPD Harbor units to bring them to land in Brooklyn,” Schwartz told The Associated Press on Sunday. McCarthy said Coast Guard investigators are working with police to investigate.

erator for Malden, said that he saw the trees on the rolling hills burning Sunday morning. He put Malden on a water restriction Saturday night so water could be saved for fire trucks, and Malden’s fire department began trucking water from Rosalia. “The wind is fairly calm. The fire is not progressing,” Goyke said, “but we’re using social media and Facebook to keep in contact with everyone.” In 2020, Malden was mostly destroyed by a wildfire, losing its fire station, post office, city hall and library. In Utah, two helicopter pilots were killed when their aircraft crashed while they were fighting a wildfire Fri-

day morning in the Fishlake National Forest. Crews were ﬁnally able to get to the site Saturday to confirm the deaths. Ofﬁcials said Sunday that fire activity had prevented them from quickly reaching the area amid steep, rough terrain. “When we first got there we could see two different plumes of smoke, one from the crash site, one from an active fire coming towards us,” Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis said. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Associated Press reporter Holly Ramer contributed to this report.

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Russia, Ukraine exchange overnight strikes By The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes overnight that killed civilians and injured many others on both sides, local authorities reported. Large-scale Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities have become almost routine in recent weeks, with Moscow exploiting Ukraine’s critical shortage of interceptors for the U.S.-made Patriot systems — the sole air defense weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down ballistic missiles. In the latest attacks, Ukrainian drones killed ﬁve people and injured two dozen others, including a 4-year-old boy, in Russia’s border region of Belgorod, according to the regional administration. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Russian missiles struck a highrise apartment block in the Saltivskyi district, killing two people and injuring 13, according to regional head

Oleh Syniehubov. Eight more people were injured in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa after “dozens of missiles and drones” struck the city and surrounding region, according to local administration head Oleh Kiper. U k r a i n e ’s P r e s i d e n t Volodymyr Zelenskyy has for months lobbied other countries, especially the U.S., to send Ukraine more Patriot systems made scarcer by the Iran war, arguing they are crucial for defending civilians. Failing that, Zelenskyy wants to make Patriot ammunition in Ukraine or get approval from Elon Musk to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia that can hit its missile ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRII MARIENKO launchers. Firefighters put out a fire Sunday after a residential building was hit in Russia’s drone attack Meanwhile, Kyiv has kept in Kharkiv, Ukraine. up long-range drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, as well as the sparking a fuel crisis. warehouses in the Kharkiv armed forces at the port of country’s largest online reRussia’s defense minis- region, as well as fuel de- Odesa. tailer, Wildberries, and other try on Sunday claimed its pots and stores of other maIt said its forces had shot targets deep inside Russia, overnight strikes hit drone teriel belonging to Ukraine’s down 153 Ukrainian drones

during the night, including over Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. In Russia’s Belgorod region, authorities said Ukrainian drone strikes damaged 29 apartment blocks and ﬁve private houses, as well as administrative buildings and unspecified “commercial facilities.” Debris from Ukrainian drones also fell on two enterprises and a private home in the Russian city of Novorossiysk, Mayor Andrey Kravchenko said on Sunday. He did not specify what the commercial sites were. Regional authorities later said falling debris had injured one person, damaged two private houses, and blew out a window in an apartment block. A major fuel terminal is located at Novorossiysk that links Kazakhstan’s oil fields to markets around the world, and which has previously been a target for Ukrainian strikes.

DOJ pushes defense firms to Senate candidate speaks with Obama boost weapons production as Michigan Democrats look to unite WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to accelerate production of weapons to help replenish its diminished stockpile of munitions, including those depleted in the ongoing war with Iran. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement Saturday that the department was actively focused on boosting munitions acquisitions to provide “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands.” He confirmed department efforts in the last week to significantly speed the process but insisted it was part of a broader modernization effort that predated the five-month-old conflict. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to industry leaders on Wednesday, giving them no more than 21 days to submit plans to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post. “Yearslong development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.” The memo comes as recent fighting with Iran used up more of the U.S. military’s already diminished stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, potentially putting American troops at more risk

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

A Patriot missile mobile launcher is displayed in 2023 outside the Fort Sill Army Post near Lawton, Okla.

if hostilities resume, according to a new analysis. Shrunken inventories of Patriot and THAAD interceptors may force the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies to take more risks to conserve those air defenses, according to the analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. For example, it said, American forces may launch fewer missiles against incoming Iranian drones and missiles, raising the chance of one getting through. President Donald Trump in recent days has bristled over public reports of a munitions shortage, posting on Truth Social on Thursday that the U.S. has “massive amounts.” He added that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.”

Suspected Irish crime boss lands in Dublin after extradition

By The Associated Press

LONDON — The alleged leader of an Irish organized crime gang was extradited to Ireland from Dubai on Sunday to face allegations that he ran an international drug smuggling and money laundering empire with tentacles that stretched to Britain, Spain and the U.S. The Irish Air Corps plane carrying Daniel Kinahan, 49, landed at an airport on the outskirts of Dublin on Sunday evening after courts in Dubai refused to block his extradition. Kinahan was taken to the Special Criminal Court in Dublin where he was charged with directing the

activities of a criminal organization. He was ordered to remain in custody at the high-security Portlaoise Prison about 90 miles southwest of the capital. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 5 Ireland’s Special Criminal Court handles all organized crime and terrorism cases, as well as others where prosecutors believe the ordinary courts are inadequate to ensure the “effective administration of justice.” Cases are heard by a panel of three judges without a jury. Irish media reported that a huge security operation was underway to ensure Kinahan faces justice. It includes

armed police, members of the armed forces and the prison service — which recently acquired a bombproof escort van to transport organized crime suspects, terrorists and other highrisk prisoners, Irish broadcaster RTE reported. The security precautions come after Kinahan family members were linked to a bloody gang war with another Irish organized crime group. U.S. authorities said in 2022 that the feud had resulted in 18 murders as they announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the disruption of the Kinahan organization or the arrest and conviction of Kinahan.

Nigerian army rescues 33 abducted by gunmen in northwest region BY DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian troops have rescued 33 people who were abducted while traveling in Zamfara state, in the northwestern part of the country, an army statement on Sunday said. A military operation was launched after unidentiﬁed gunmen kidnapped the group as they traveled through the Tsafe area of Zamfara on Saturday, army spokesman Aliyu Danja said in a state-

vice. It was very warm, very inviting, and I know that he BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Abdul knows the critical role that El-Sayed, the Democratic Michigan is going to play,” nominee for U.S. Senate in El-Sayed told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Michigan, said SunAsked if he would day he has spoken like to see Obama with Barack Obama come to Michigan and hopes the forto drum up support mer president camfor Democrats bepaigns with him as the party tries to fore the midterm unite after a bitter elections in Novemprimary that ex- El-Sayed ber, El-Sayed said he “really” hoped so posed deep rifts between its progressive and and that Obama “knows a lot about winning Michigan” afmoderate wings. El-Sayed said his Friday ter carrying the state in the conversation with Obama 2008 and 2012 presidential was “really warm and in- races. An Obama spokesperson spiring.” The candidate did conﬁrmed the call. not provide details. The discussion came the “I was grateful for his adBy The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

ment. He did not say which group was behind the attack. “The troops engaged the terrorists with effective fire, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee into adjoining bushes,” Danja said. “The troops then secured and rescued all 33 abducted persons.” The army is working to track the “fleeing terrorists,” he added. Zamfara has seen a surge in killings and abductions in recent months. At least 32 people were killed in sepa-

rate attacks in the state in June alone. Apart from the conflict in the northwest and northcentral regions of the West African country, an insurgency in the northeast has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others, according to the United Nations. Despite repeated promises by President Bola Tinubu to address the crisis, security challenges in Africa’s most populous country have continued to deteriorate.

same day that a group of Michigan nominees and other notable national Democrats tried to present a united front at a rally in Detroit. The crowd cheered loudest for El-Sayed, a former public health official who last week narrowly beat establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a contentious and closely watched primary. A Democratic victory in the fall is crucial to the party’s chances of regaining a Senate majority. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is not seeking reelection in the perennial swing state, which Republican Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2024, while Democrat Joe Biden carried in 2020.

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U.S. Supreme Court approval hits record low in polls BY GREG STOHR

Bloomberg News (TNS) The U.S. Supreme Court has a reputation problem. And Donald Trump’s attacks are making it worse. In the weeks since an ideologically divisive term ended, polls show the court getting poor approval ratings, with one survey ﬁnding record low support. The president’s tirades after losing cases have fueled a slide among Republicans, notwithstanding the strong conservative bent of a court that has three Trump appointees. The polls come with the country hurtling toward a midterm election in which the court is already playing a central role as Democrats try to recapture Congress. The court will enter that season with a majority of Americans believing the justices tend to act for political reasons, not legal one — a dynamic that experts on both sides of the divide see as unhealthy if not dangerous. “We expect the justices to do their best to keep some distance from the day-to-day politics of the country,

BOUTTE

Continued from page 1A “Ohhhh!” he said, laughing. “Fumble!” To watch Boutte here, at the free, three-hour youth football camp he held in his hometown of New Iberia one Sunday morning in July, is to see just how far he’s come since he left LSU four years ago. His career was on a downward trajectory then. And that was a year before anyone had even known he was one of the roughly 180,000 Louisiana residents who may have a gambling disorder — and that he had committed the cardinal sin of placing bets on himself and the games he appeared in during his time with the Tigers. Things are different now in Boutte’s world. He’s not just an established starter on one of the NFL’s top teams. He’s also an advocate for those who struggle with gambling. Boutte began that work in January, when he detailed his own battle with addiction in a raw, vulnerable 2,800word essay for The Players’ Tribune. The New England Patriots wideout has since spoken on a panel at a problem gambling conference hosted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and started what he calls The Boutte Family Foundation — a charitable endeavor that he hopes he can use to “bring awareness to gambling addiction.” The camp Boutte hosted on July 19 served as the foundation’s unofficial launch. He said that afternoon that he’s wanted to host that kind of event at his alma mater, Westgate, since he’s been in the NFL, but the timing just wasn’t right until now. It’s easy to forget that only two years ago he was a former sixth-round pick with as many gambling-related charges as career receptions. His place in the league was far from secure. Now, no one can call Boutte a cautionary tale. It’s rare for an athlete to move forward with his career after getting caught gambling on himself and his team. It’s even harder to ﬁnd one who’s acknowledged those kinds of mistakes publicly — and become an unlikely source of inspiration in the process. But that’s the kind of role Boutte plays now, ahead of his fourth season in the NFL. The kids who attended his camp can look up to him. He came clean, after all, and took a few key steps to make sure his second chance at stardom didn’t slip away like the $80,000 he lost to betting in his last year at LSU. “Everybody’s story is different,” Boutte said after his camp, “and I know how it feels to be there, constantly wanting to just gamble every day. It’s tough on the mindset. You’re always thinking about what’s next instead of what’s now. “For me, it was just either football or gambling, you know? It was pretty much as simple as that.”

precisely so that people feel that they are getting a fair shake, no matter the outcome of the case,” said Jesse Wegman, a senior fellow at New York University’s progressive Brennan Center for Justice. “Increasingly, millions of Americans, as we’re seeing based on these polls, do not feel that way.” The court’s reputation has taken a pounding in recent years, driven by a hyperpartisan confirmation process, polarizing decisions and ethics controversies that include Justice Clarence Thomas’ acceptance of lavish trips funded by a Republican megadonor. Democrats have been particularly unhappy amid blockbuster rulings from the court’s conservative supermajority on abortion, elections and governmental power. Those factors have driven calls for Congress to try to impose term limits on justices or expand the court to offset the 6-3 advantage conservatives now enjoy. A Gallup survey conducted in July painted an especially stark picture, pegging approval at 33%, the lowest since the pollster start-

ed measuring the Supreme Court’s standing in 2000. The poll showed Republican support dropping 21 percentage points since September, falling from 79% to 58%. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The GOP drop came despite a term that saw the court move aggressively to address long-standing Republican priorities. The court bolstered presidential power, enhanced gun rights, eliminated campaign spending restrictions and blunted the Voting Rights Act as a force for Black and Hispanic representation in Congress. But the court also ruled against Trump in three major cases, striking down his global tariffs, voiding his birthright citizenship restrictions and at least for now thwarting his effort to ﬁre Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Trump responded by lashing out at members of the court who voted against him, including justices he appointed. Trump called Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett “an embarrassment to their families” after they helped invali-

date his tariffs. “I’m not surprised to hear that the drop is because of Republicans, and I attribute that to Donald Trump,” said John Malcolm, vice president of the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at the conservative Advancing American Freedom Foundation. When Trump and his acolytes attack the court, “there are going to be a lot of people who are going to say, ‘Oh, this is terrible,’ ” Malcolm said. Other surveys show less of a drop-off. A new poll from Marquette Law School found that 74% of Republicans approve of the job the court is doing, down from 81% in July 2025. The court’s overall approval rating stood at 47%, falling from 49% a year earlier. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. Curiously, the court’s work proved to be more popular than the institution itself. The Marquette poll asked about 13 recent Supreme Court decisions, and a majority of people said the justices had made the right decision in 11 of those case.

The seeming disconnect reﬂects the limited attention the court garners most of the year, says Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette poll. “The public is not extremely wellinformed about the court, and not intensively focused on the court,” Franklin said. “It’s the big decisions that get their attention.” The poll also found that 58% of people believe the court’s decisions are mainly based on politics, rather than the law. And 63% of Republicans held the inaccurate belief that the Supreme Court rarely or never sides with Trump. Justices have long insisted that they don’t worry about polls. “The judicial branch derives its legitimacy, not from following public opinion, but from deciding by its best lights whether legislative enactments of the popular branches of government comport with the Constitution,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the blockbuster 2022 ruling that overturned the national right to abortion, quoting a 1992 opinion by then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

“He don’t want nothing beVictor Ortiz, a Massa- ceeded. A judge granted him ing held over his head.” chusetts Department of an injunction that restored Boutte said he heard from Health official who directs his eligibility, but a separate around 500 people after the the state’s office of problem lawsuit filed by the Big 12 story was published. One gambling services, helped (and a groundswell of outof them was a man who ap- bring the three athletes to- rage) forced him to drop his proached Embrick in Den- gether for the event and he campaign to play the 2026 ver ahead of the AFC Cham- thinks the panel they hosted season. Through that case, the colpionship game because he was the first of its kind. The noticed he was wearing his first time multiple athletes lege football world made it had come together, publicly, clear: It did not want to comson’s jersey. “I want to thank him for to talk about their personal pete against an athlete like writing that article,” he said. experiences with gambling. Sorsby, who acknowledged “It helped me get through “It takes courage for one that he had bet on his team’s some dark spots.” to share their own lived ex- games. He did it when he E m b r i c k w a s t a k e n perience around this issue,” was a backup quarterback aback. If his son’s story had Ortiz said. “A person like at Indiana in 2022. reached a stranger 1,200 me, I can talk concepts and Boutte violated that rule, miles north of New Iberia theories all day. That’s what too, except he actually STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK and 2,000 miles west of Fox- I do. But when you come at it played in a game that he had LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, left, stands with LSU boro, Massachusetts, then from a personal perspective, wagered on. Sorsby said he coach Brian Kelly as the Tigers celebrate their 45-35 win just how many people could it takes a lot of courage, and did not. “I was once in his shoes,” I applaud (Boutte) for havit have actually touched? over Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., Boutte said after his camp. “That was kind of surreing the courage to share his on Oct. 15, 2022. “Like I said in the article, al,” Embrick said. “You talk story. “He was gracious. He was there’s always a person beabout it, you never know ‘Two different people’ game, anywhere, anytime — who read it, and you never kind. He was very inviting hind the headline. Check on with even less effort. It got to know who you’re reaching. to individuals. Very caring, him, make sure he good first “I look at him now, as a and he was extremely, ex- before people get online and The first thing you should a point, Boutte says, where bash him.” know about Boutte is that he was waiting for direct de- 24-year-old versus that 18- tremely well received.” It’s that kind of clarity that he’s naturally gifted. The posits to hit his account just to 21-year-old. … It’s two Gambling is a problem speed. The fluidity. It’s so he could bet. The money different people.” that U.S. states have been now informs Boutte’s advoshown up in his tape since started to feel fake. tackling ever since the Su- cacy work. The essay. The his high school days, when Police later discovered ‘It takes courage’ preme Court struck down a panel. The camp. All three he was one of the top wide that Boutte wagered more One morning in May, federal ban on sports betting are vehicles through which receiver recruits in the than $600,000 across the Boutte was walking outside in 2018, unlocking a multi- the former LSU wideout can country. roughly 9,000 bets he placed a Massachusetts convention billion-dollar industry that’s tell his story — and show the LSU was the only school from April 2022 to May 2023. center when he held up his changed the way fans follow world how he vanquished Boutte ever seriously con- Seventeen of them were on phone and started record- their favorite sports, teams the addiction that was supposed to derail his career. sidered. The plan, once he college football games, and ing. A fresh sports betting and athletes. Ortiz’s Louisiana counterBoutte thinks “a lot” of officially signed with the six involved either LSU foot- scandal was in the news. Tigers in December 2019, ball or Boutte himself. Be- Just two days prior, a Texas part, Holly Howat, said the people struggle with gamwas for him to one day before the Tigers lost to Flor- Tech quarterback named state saw a 31% increase bling. Most of them, he said, come the program’s next ida State to open the 2022 Brendan Sorsby began chal- in calls to its problem gam- don’t even realize they do great wide receiver — after season, the then-junior bet lenging an NCAA decision to bling hotline from 2021 until it’s too late. Some of Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr as part of an eight-leg parlay strip his eligibility for a vio- to 2025. In 2024, she said, those folks reached out to Chase and Terrace Marshall that he’d score a touchdown lation of its gambling policy. Louisiana added a gambling him after he published the each moved on to the NFL. and eclipse 82.5 receiving Boutte, wearing a brown scale to its biannual Caring essay to say that gambling Westgate coach Ryan An- yards in the game. Instead, leather jacket on top of a Communities Youth Survey had led them to steal money toine thought he could fill he wound up with only two white collared shirt, told his and found that 41% of sixth from family members or file screen that he’d been invited graders and 40% of eighth for divorce. those shoes, in part because catches for 20 yards. The prevailing sentiment LSU said it wasn’t alerted to speak on a problem gam- graders had engaged in he’s “never been around a kid that’s been more com- to Boutte’s gambling activ- ing panel and that he felt some form of betting in the they shared, Boutte said, is ity until July 2023 — three compelled to attend. Then past year. Her office now that they have “nobody to petitive” than Boutte. “I’ve always felt like that months after the Patriots he posted the video to his estimates that 5.4% of Loui- lean on.” Nobody, except Boutte, was his superpower,” An- chose him in the sixth round Instagram story and walked siana residents may have a who showed at his camp that gambling disorder. toine said. “He was the ulti- of the NFL draft and six inside. There, Boutte met his States are making those he’s ready to begin the next mate competitor. You’re not months before he was argonna beat him at anything.” rested. The two charges? fellow panelists. Antoine kinds of discoveries against phase of his life and career. “It’s something I plan on Which is how Boutte made One felony count of com- Walker, a former NBA All- the backdrop of betting an impact early in his LSU puter fraud and one mis- Star who gambled himself scandals that have collided doing every year,” Boutte career. He eclipsed the cen- demeanor count of gaming into bankruptcy in 2008, was with every corner of the said. “Just getting started.” tury mark in back-to-back prohibited by persons under there. So, too, was Jamaine sports world. Ortiz — a professional boxer Sorsby’s legal push hit col- Email Reed Darcey at games late in his freshman 21. Boutte turned himself in, who moonlights as a real es- lege football hard, in large reed.darcey@theadvocate. season before exploding for the record-setting 14-catch, then visited with Antoine tate investor. part because it nearly suc- com. 308-yard, three-touchdown and his parents: his father, performance he put togeth- Embrick, and his mother, er in a rain-soaked Decem- Toni. Protection your loved ones deserve ... “You try to be uplifting, ber win over Ole Miss. That showing set the stage for the encouraging,” Embrick said. start of his sophomore sea- “But there’s some things son, the year he cemented that we got to let our kids go his standing as one of the through.” Once Boutte completed a nation’s top wideouts. Boutte caught 65 passes gambling awareness profor 1,035 yards and 13 touch- gram and executed a selfdowns across the last three ban on FanDuel and Bet99 games of his freshman year in Massachusetts, Louisiana and the first six of his sopho- prosecutors agreed to drop the charges, freeing the formore season. Then his career took a mer LSU wide receiver to Modified Whole Life Insurance from Physicians Life Insurance Company turn. It all started with the focus on his football career. injury. 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Boutte wrote in The Play- he really want to go public ers’ Tribune that, without with something so private? football, he’d gamble early Boutte debated it, but EmLife55plus.info/Acadiana in the morning and late at brick knew he’d go through  Plus — you’ll also get a FREE night. The phone made it with the story — and that beFinal Wishes Planner just for calling! easy. He could put money cause he did, he found someinto his FanDuel account in thing that “helped him heal.” ts reduced fifirst rst two years. Insurance Policy L770 (ID: L770ID; OK: L770OK; TN: L770TN). *Ages may vary by state. Guaranteed for one of these life insurance policies. Benefi Benefits only a few seconds, and he “He kind of a chip off the 6236-0625 could bet on sports — any old block,” Embrick said.

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“The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and it will continue to thwart threats against our forces and citizens,” Netanyahu added, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. He was responding to a “road map” published on July 30 by the Board of Peace, an international consortium set up to implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s postwar vision for the ravaged Palestinian territory. The president has lauded the road map as a “historic agreement” and “a major milestone.” Hamas has given only a hedged consent to the road map, saying it would hand over heavy weapons to a proposed new Gaza administration and conditioning this on Israeli withdrawals and the creation of a Palestinian state. The road map speaks of the new administration empowering individual Palestinians to keep their small arms.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump listens as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 29. Netanyahu is rejecting a U.S.backed proposal for disarming Hamas, insisting on conditions before any withdrawal from Gaza. was clinched last October. There’s been little diplomatic progress since, and the Israeli army has advanced beyond armistice lines against a shrinking Hamas ﬁefdom where some 2 million Palestinians are crammed. Israel launched the war in response to an October 2023 invasion by Hamas that blindsided Netanyahu’s reli-

gious-rightist government. Three years on, Netanyahu is hoping for reelection in October. With Hamas still undefeated, he has pointed to Israel’s continued grip on Gaza as a lesser victory. Far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition have been upset by the road map. One of them, Orit Strock, called it a “bloodshed map” in a radio

interview before Sunday’s cabinet meeting. Following Netanyahu’s remarks, her party’s leader, Bezalel Smotrich, praised the prime minister for issuing the “clariﬁcation.” Hamas, which is blacklisted as a terrorist group in the West, said it’s committed to the road map and accused Netanyahu of “obstructing

FLOOD

Continued from page 1A

The fear remains

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Hotel guests are evacuated from the Fairfield Inn on Pinhook Road during flooding in Lafayette on Aug. 13, 2016. With the help of volunteers with boats and firefighters, guests and employees were able to get out.

lion emergency appropriation to accelerate drainage projects. The emergency declaration, Guillory said at the time, allowed officials to bypass public bid law in some instances. Guillory’s drainage efforts later became the subject of criminal charges alleging violations of public bid law and improper property acquisition. He has pleaded not guilty. Guillory was defeated by Boulet, who took office in January 2024. One of her priorities was resolving lawsuits filed under the Guillory administration and completing unfinished drainage projects. The Guillory administration spent more than $100 million on detention ponds at Homewood Drive and Ile des Cannes. Boulet said last week that the Ile des Cannes project is fully functioning and “shows promise.” The Homewood project, she said, has “a smaller projected impact. Almost minor.” It isn’t finished yet. Even with all the improvements and investments, Boulet said no amount of drainage work can eliminate the risk posed by a storm like the one that struck in August 2016. “We can be more efficient. We can be proactive,” she said. “We can really make strategic investments along the way where we have issues.” Maguire said she closely watches the Vermilion River every time it rains heavily because she believes development in the southern part of the parish has slowed drainage when the river rises. To Maguire, the area has become “a giant toilet bowl no one can flush. We don’t know when or where the toilet bowl will overflow.”

orities. In 2017, Robideaux transferred to drainage maintenance $9 million of a surplus in the fund for public health, mosquito control and animal control. He pushed and voters approved reallocating 1.1 mills of that property tax permanently to drainage, generating about $2.5 million a year more for drainage. In late 2019, at Robideaux’s pushing, voters agreed to use $8 million from the Lafayette Public Library System’s reserves for capital projects on drainage. Josh Guillory, sworn in as mayor-president in January 2020, took an aggressive approach to Lafayette’s ﬂoodSTAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP ing problems. In May 2021, another Resident Garrette Celestine and his daughter, Shanell, paddle back from their flooded deluge in just a few hours home in Lafayette on Aug. 18, 2016, after retrieving some personal items and charcoal for a caused severe flash floodbarbecue. ing, pushed the Vermilion River to 15.25 feet and once said, just to address the 63 again threatened homes. In miles of drainage canals response, the Lafayette City Email Claire Taylor at and ditches identiﬁed as pri- Council approved a $20 mil- ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

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In the decade since the flood, Lafayette Parish has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on drainage improvements, built detention ponds, cleaned coulees and overhauled emergency response. Yet many residents say the fear never left. “I sometimes get maybe a little PTSD due to my flooding of 2016,” Molly Maguire said. “If the rains are heavy for several days and water collects in the roadway, I get apprehensive.” Like so many others, Maguire’s home had never flooded before 2016. She lives in a rural area between Youngsville, Milton and Abbeville, an area where her family has lived for more than 80 years without flooding. Sugar cane fields still surround her home, Maguire said, but many other acres of farmland around Youngsville have been paved and turned into residential subdivisions. “We don’t have any idea how that development has affected drainage out here,” she said. The city of Youngsville was one of the worst hit areas in Lafayette Parish. Around 300 homes in the Highland Ridge subdivision flooded, Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter said. Youngsville moved quickly after the flood, accelerating a drainage master plan that already identified about $8 million in needed improvements, Ritter said. Because the plan was in place, the city aggressively sought and received federal funds, 30% of $25 million in hazard mitigation grant funding allocated to the Acadiana Planning Commission, Ritter said. The $7.5 million was used to build seven detention ponds on two of the three major drainage channels in the community. The detention ponds temporarily store stormwater until it can safely flow into the Vermilion River, improving drainage in subdivisions built before 2016, Ritter said. Developments since the 2016 flood, he said, are required to include detention for a 25-year storm and homes have to be built higher. The city also started cleaning channels, coulees and other drainage, despite warnings that it would do no good unless the Vermilion River and channels south of Youngsville were cleaned, Ritter said. “We’re still working aggressively on maintaining drainage channels,” Ritter said on Friday, a few hours before learning he was reelected once again without opposition. One project expected to be completed within the next few months is the reconstruction of South Larriviere Road, the main route to Southside High School.

the process for domestic, political and electoral reasons.” “We expect the mediators and the U.S. guarantor to exert pressure on Netanyahu and his government to compel him to abide by the road map,” Hamas negotiator Bassem Naim said in a statement. A surge of Israeli air strikes in July that targeted Hamas commanders — which also killed dozens of civilians — has ceased since Aug. 3, a tacit sign that Netanyahu heeded Mladenov’s calls not to endanger the diplomacy. In another signal of potential progress, the Board of Peace on Saturday said it brought together experts to plan temporary housing for displaced Palestinians, an interim measure before the permanent reconstruction that Mladenov has said would require Hamas to disarm ﬁrst. Separately, Netanyahu’s ofﬁce said work was underway on a new tent city, funded by the United Arab Emirates, in an area that the IDF had cleared of Hamas and weaponry.

Continued from page 1A

Trump’s original plan envisaged Israeli troops and tanks leaving the Gaza Strip entirely, and discussions of eventual statehood — while casting these as end results of a complete demilitarization and post-Hamas stabilization of the territory. The Board of Peace sounded circumspect about Netanyahu’s remarks, describing the road map as its deal with Hamas, rather than with Israel — and the timeline as protracted. “Nobody is required to do anything, last of all lsrael, before we actually have veriﬁed steps on the ground” by the Palestinian cadres, the board’s top envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, told Israel’s Channel 12 television. While predicting that decommissioning Hamas tunnels — another requirement of Trump’s plan — may take years, Mladenov said that with each eventual success in clearing a sector of territory “Israel is required to move back, progressively, step by step, in stages, ultimately to the fence of Gaza.” The initial, ceasefire phase of the Trump plan

PROPOSAL

m mer S

Goodbye Clogged Gutters STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Brady Duhon brings out his belongings from his house on Clay Ridge Drive in youngsville, which flooded in August 2016. It also runs near Highland Ridge. The road is being elevated and widened and the culvert underneath it will be bigger, Ritter said. South Larriviere Road is part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency ﬂoodway, so water overtakes the road even in small rain events.

prove drainage and reduce flooding in Lafayette Parish. Joel Robideaux, who was mayor-president at the time, said some coulees and drainage channels hadn’t been cleaned or maintained in years, so that was one of the first priorities. Lafayette Parish has more than 600 miles of coulees ‘We can be more efficient’ and drainage ditches. A Much of that work has parishwide property tax for come in response to lessons drainage generates $7.5 millearned from the 2016 flood. lion a year, Robideaux said a Millions in tax dollars have year after the flood. Around been spent on projects to im- $20 million was needed, he

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Hotline opens for jurors who indicted AG Advocates prepare to answer questions, provide free legal consultations BY MATT BRUCE

of public intimidation and malfeasance in ofﬁce without any improper inﬂuence. Though special prosecutor Laurie Attorney General Liz Murrill and her legal team are not relenting in White dropped the indictment, one their quest to find out if political of Murrill’s lawyers last week sued operatives infiltrated an Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams Parish grand jury to fuel her recent and White for records Murrill hopes will expose a political agent behind criminal indictment. Murrill said she remains uncon- the indictment. And Murrill, the state’s top Repubvinced that the grand jury on its own chose to charge her with 16 counts lican prosecutor, argued last week Staff writer

ORLEANS PARISH that the broad immunity given to the state’s citizen grand jurors won’t shield them from responsibility for any misconduct. The focus on the grand jury, including calls by Murrill, Gov. Jeff Landry and others for criminal investigations, has provoked an unprecedented offer of protection

from a network of Louisiana defense attorneys. The Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers announced July 31 that it has set up a hotline to answer questions and provide free legal consultations for members of the grand jury that passed the bombshell July 2 indictment. The group is a statewide network of private lawyers and public de-

fenders that advocates for effective counsel. Grand jurors’ identities are protected by the Louisiana Constitution. The defense lawyers group opened the hotline to help the anonymous jurors understand their rights if investigators come knocking. “What I think makes grand jurors unique is that they’re compelled to serve under state law, which means they are doing a civic duty,” said Baton Rouge attorney Jacob Longman,

ä See HOTLINE, page 4B

Proposed park aims to honor history BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

A vacant lot in Lafayette’s Freetown neighborhood could one day become a place where children play beneath oak trees, neighbors gather for music and visitors learn about the neighborhood’s rich history. True Friends Society of Lafayette announced its vision for Good Hope Park, a new community greenspace created to honor Freetown’s past while investing in its future generations. The park remains in its early planning stages, and the park’s final design will be shaped by the community. Rather than developing the space through a traditional process, True Friends Society wants to invite residents, artists and community partners to help determine what the park will look like. “The vision lies within the community,” said Erica Fox, president of the True Friends Society of Lafayette. “They’re going to determine what they see.” The proposed park will be located at 409 Lamar St. The concepts include an outdoor space that includes a history walk highlighting Freetown’s past, native landscaping, public art, an outdoor classroom, gathering areas and space for music performances and community events. Fox emphasized that those ideas are placeholders and that the final design will be shaped through neighborhood meetings planned in the coming months. The project also reflects the mission of the True Friends Society, which is a historic organization founded in 1883 focused on preserving Freetown’s history while supporting its residents. Members of the organization helped families cover burial expenses, assisted neighbors struggling to pay rent or mortgages and created institutions that continue serving the neighborhood today, including Good Hope Hall and Good Hope Catholic Church. “It was basically neighbors helping neighbors,” Fox said. “It was a social organization of people coming together.” That mission continues today through Maison Freetown, a Black history cultural center operated by the organization. Fox said Good Hope Park’s history walk and artwork will help highlight the stories of a community whose contributions may have gone unrecognized. “Our goal is to tell the general history of the area because there were so many contributions of people whose stories just never were brought to light,” she said. Unlike municipal parks maintained through local government, Good Hope Park will rely heavily on volunteers, community partnerships and donations. Organizers say residents can contribute by volunteering during cleanup days, donating tools and equipment,

ä See PARK, page 4B

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Acadiana’s Venis Thigh Trapp, left, looks to escape Florida’s Skunky PUNKY as Acadiana Roller Derby hosts West Florida in a match on Saturday at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette.

CATCH ME IF yOU CAN ABOVE: Acadiana’s Daddy-O Long Legs is introduced. RIGHT: Acadiana’s StunFlower, center, deals with Florida defenders.

App tracks bus locations, student movement Students must scan IDs when boarding, exiting

My Ride K-12 is used by school districts across the country to provide real-time bus tracking, view estimated pickup and dropoff times, and see when individual students get on and off the bus. In order to provide accurate BY JOANNA BROWN updates, students must have Staff writer their school IDs and scan them This school year, Lafayette par- when boarding and exiting. Both ents and guardians will be able to students and guardians can use use an app to track their student’s their mobile device to access the app and receive Lafayette Parlocation on the bus.

ish school system transportation updates. Students who carry cellphones must have them turned off and stowed away during the instructional day, per system policy. The My Ride K-12 app is available now online, and on Apple and Android mobile devices. After downloading the app, search for “Lafayette Parish School System” to register the student’s school ID, grade level and date of

birth. The district has asked that families who need to correct transportation information or notice a problem in the app (such as an incorrect bus stop) call its transportation hotline at (337) 521-RIDE (7433). For magnet academy students, public satellite bus stops for the 2026-27 school year can be found on the district’s bus stop locations page.

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

Dreaming of a West End park worthy of the area’s storied legacy

A N.O. parade rule that follows the streetcar? That tracks.

New Orleans’ West End is more than waterfront. For generations, families gathered here to ﬁsh, sail, row, eat, celebrate and create memories along Lake Pontchartrain. It can again become one of Louisiana’s great public places —honoring its past while creating opportunities for education, recreation and tourism. Imagine a lakefront boardwalk with historic photographs and displays telling stories of West End, the New Basin Canal, Bucktown, sailing and rowing clubs, the Coast Guard, Wildlife and Fisheries, local restaurants, hurricanes and our resilience. Imagine a Louisiana guest restaurant pavilion where local and Louisiana restaurants rotate weekly, giving residents and visitors new reasons to return while showcasing the extraordinary culinary heritage of New Orleans, Jefferson Parish and Louisiana. Mobile kitchen facilities could be removed whenever storms threaten. The long-vacant state-owned yacht yard becomes the West End Heritage Museum, preserving the stories, artifacts, businesses, trades, families, individuals and vessels that shaped this waterfront. Visiting historic boats would create an ever-changing attraction. Build a waterfront worthy of the past — and the future — of New Orleans, Jefferson and Louisiana.

Like many New Orleanians, I read with interest the recent article discussing tougher Mardi Gras enforcement, including proposed $1,000 fines for ladders, tents, grills and other violations along the parade route. I certainly understand why the city is looking for solutions. Every Mardi Gras season, as certain as it is to bring fun times, seems just as certain to bring another debate over public space, with families lamenting disappearing traditions and visitors feeling shut out of them. I believe we’re trying to solve a design problem with enforcement. The best laws don’t require stronger police enforcement, they require fewer confrontations. Instead of asking officers to decide whether one more chair, ladder or tarp crosses the line, why not simply create a line everyone can understand? On St. Charles Avenue, that line already exists. Designate the space from the streetcar rail closest to St. Charles to the curb (roughly five feet) as permanent standing-room-only during parades. No ladders, tents, wagons or coolers. Behind that line, let New Orleans be New Orleans. Families should absolutely continue gathering, cousins and neighbors should still meet in the same place they’ve met for decades. Those traditions are part of the soul of Mardi Gras and deserve to be preserved. But the front row should belong to everyone. A standing-only zone would allow a young couple arriving after work, a grandparent with a grandchild or a lifelong local to experience Mardi Gras without permanent claims to the curb. Large family gatherings wouldn’t disappear; they’d simply begin about five feet farther back. The front would become a shared space again! New Orleans has always been at its best when it finds uniquely New Orleans solutions to uniquely New Orleans problems. Perhaps peace on the neutral ground isn’t found in larger fines, perhaps it’s found in five feet.

MICHAEL J. MAYER Springfield

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng stand on a bulkhead along Lake Pontchartrain on July 16 overlooking West End Park.

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published identifying name and the writer’s city of residence. The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and TO SEND US A LETTER, phone number SCAN HERE for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor, The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Balloons are released in October 2023 at a park on America Street in New Orleans during the vigil for the three children who were killed in a fire.

Biodegradable balloons can damage environment as well I’d like to thank our Louisiana legislators for passing an environmental act that will have little to no effect on beneﬁting our environment. I am referring to Louisiana Act 196, which bans the intentional release of balloons outdoors by people 17 years of age and over. The release of balloons made of biodegradable or photo-biodegradable materials is exempt from the law. From what I have read, biodegradable balloons can take from six months to four years to break down, longer if they are in water. That’s a long time for any type of balloon to ﬂoat around in the Gulf, our bayous or our rivers where it

can harm marine life. Additionally, most released balloons have strings or ribbons attached, which can entangle and kill or maim birds and other wildlife. This law not only provides little beneﬁt to the environment, it could actually increase the number of balloons released. A person who, out of concern for the environment, might not celebrate or memorialize an event with balloons could choose to organize a balloon release, thinking it will do no harm.

KATHLEEN SCHRENK New Orleans

Could Republicans be getting nervous about the Louisiana Senate election? Is the GOP panicking? Conservative opinion writer Quin Hillyer wrote a piece for The TimesPicayune calling for Democrats to get their house in order. What a joke! We have a two-party system, and in November we will have a choice between sending a Republican candidate or a Democrat to the Senate. The leader of the Republican Party is Donald Trump, who has wrecked our economy by engaging in what looks to be a forever war in Iran, enriched himself and his family with foreign deals made behind the backs of the American people and wasted taxpayer money on elaborate and unnecessary construction, such as the “renovation” of the Reﬂecting Pool

in Washington. What has the GOP done to stop this? Nothing. On the other hand, Louisiana’s Democratic Senate candidate, Jamie Davis — a successful farmer whose campaign is funded by small donors, not corporate PACs — has committed to putting the people of Louisiana ﬁrst by prioritizing affordable housing, reducing insurance and healthcare costs and ensuring billionaires pay their fair share. Could Hillyer be worried that Davis won all 64 parishes in the primary and is gaining ground by the day? That seems to be the case.

TINA HENDERSON New Orleans

Officials should see consequences for La.’s low rankings The recent news re: the U.S. News and World Report state rankings, in which Louisiana came last, is a bit disconcerting. The rankings reﬂect on quality of life: women’s health outcomes; population health; social determinants of health like housing, healthcare and education; economic opportunity and so much more. If we are this bad four years in a row, I have an idea from a long time ago. In 1976 I was in eighth grade, and I failed algebra for whatever reason (not paying attention, adolescence rewiring the brain). As luck would have it, that August my eldest brother had won a four-year scholarship to Notre Dame. I got to pack the car and U-Haul to travel the 6.5 hours to South Bend, Indiana.

MADELYN MCKEARAN Harahan

I participated in orientation and freshman activities, was welcomed by Coach Ara Parseghian and got to bow before “touchdown Jesus” at the library. Unfortunately, I also had a 6.5-hour ride through the ﬁelds of Indiana being castigated, tormented, realigned and straightened out by my father. His parting remark was, “You are going to high school this year, you are going to take a full college prep load and there will be nothing less than a B.” Someone with gravitas, leadership and severity of consequences needs to take our state leaders on a little car ride.

ALLA, Cleopatra parades in Algiers are still sadly missed

MATTHEW MCCANN Marrero

A big change for us in Algiers was when ALLA and Cleopatra parades were moved to the Uptown route. I was very sad. Even though it has been years, every Cleo Friday as I get in my car to drive into town, I reminisce about the days when our friends and I could just walk to Gen. DeGaulle Drive with our kids in tow. ALLA on a Sunday afternoon was glorious. It was such a fun weekend. Ain’t there no more.

Monkey torture article was appalling, had no redeeming value I was appalled and disgusted by the recent front page article about the torture of monkeys. The very long dissertation, including the description of actual acts perpetrated on these innocent animals, was totally unnecessary. I believe that the readers were divided into two groups: those who were repulsed, and those who enjoyed it and were possibly inﬂuenced to

abuse more animals. This was a story which had no redeeming value to your readers and belonged as a short report of an arrest, buried on a back page, if anywhere A bit of journalistic discretion is in order in the future on the tabloid fodder.

NANCY NOBLES Kenner

SUSAN BENSINGER New Orleans

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COMMENTARY AI bots are busting loose. Have Wanted: A voice of reason we seen this movie before? of Modal Labs, an executive of that As an old-school newshound — company confirmed. meaning I can remember typewriters Two days later, apparently not want— I am familiar with the old newsroom saying, “If you don’t like the ing to be left out of the publicity party, news, just wait a few minutes.” rival AI frontier lab Anthropic conLately, I find myself waiting more fessed its own sandbox breakout incithan a few minutes for another shoe dents, three at the present accounting. to drop in a present-day saga What kind of problem are we widely referred to as the “Hugfacing here? Perhaps not surprisingly, the ging Face” breach. frames many of us reach for Or perhaps you’ve heard it to understand rogue AI bots referred to as the “rogue” Opecome from cinema. After readnAI agent, although I still have questions about just how rogue Clarence ing the news, my mind raced to it was, since it seems to have just about every science fiction Page been doing only what it was demovie I have ever seen. From “Metropolis” (1927) signed to do, like it or not. and “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) to The story began July 21, when tech “Terminator” (1984) and “Ex Machina” giant OpenAI revealed in a blog post that an autonomous AI agent powered (2014), filmmakers have explored our fear of The Machines Taking Over. by OpenAI models, as part of a test And if you’re in the AI business, this to quantify its cyber capabilities — might be exactly where you want the namely, its capabilities for “advanced public mind to go. OpenAI described exploitation using complex attack the rogue bot as “unprecedented” and, paths” — did its job perhaps a bit too far from donning the hairshirt of conaggressively. On its own, which is what “autonotrition or using a lot of CYA language to obscure its liability for hacking mous” means, the agent broke out of another company, it laid the details out its test environment, known to the techies as a “sandbox,” and jumped over in the open. Hugging Face’s CEO, in turn, was to the internet, where it discovered almost effusive in his praise for Opeleaked usernames and passwords to accounts it used to break into another nAI’s response to the event. company, Hugging Face, an online The problem is not corporate neghub for AI models and datasets, where ligence, the message seems to be, it’s it looked for hidden answers to the our models: they’re just that powerful. benchmarks it was trying to solve. It’s similar to the way techlords talk Hugging Face, for its part, published about the prospect of AI throwing a forensic timeline, describing how the white-collar workers out of their jobs, autonomous AI system spent four and and possibly a lot of blue- and pinka half days executing 17,600 distinct collar ones, too. Far from batting away hacking actions across multiple orsuch dystopian suggestions, many AI execs reply: Yup, that’s the future. Get ganizations — without direct involveready. (And buy our product.) ment by any humans. Do we get a choice in this future? While OpenAI assured the public the situation was under control, the pesky That’s the question at the heart of my all-time favorite sci-fi movie, MGM’s agent apparently infected a customer

1956 classic “Forbidden Planet.” The action happens on a planet named Altair IV, to which a spaceship from Earth ventures to find out what happened to a previous human expedition. AI appears in the form of a vast 8,000-cubic-mile blinking and flashing underground machine, left behind by the Krell, the planet’s highly advanced ancient race who destroyed themselves, apparently from overuse of the big machine’s ability to enhance intellect. Members of the expedition wish to bring this AI back to Earth, to harness its power for humanity. But they are thwarted by Dr. Morbius, a survivor of the original Earthling expedition who has been since marooned on Altair IV (and who has used the Krell’s device to double his own brain power). “Humanity is not yet ready to receive such limitless power,” Morbius observes, a warning that resonates decades later. We have a lot of sharp minds researching and writing about cybersecurity. We have AI labs and allied industries with trillions of dollars in capital expenditure riding on the technology’s potential to earn profits and transform the economy. We have the United States Congress, which now feels the spur to Do Something (which, at this point, seems to be the bipartisan AI Kill Switch Act). And we have a president who — well, who can say what his angle is in all this? Somehow, all these interests and capabilities need to be balanced if we ever hope to achieve a consensus about what AI will and will not be allowed to do. E-mail Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN

President Donald Trump, seated center, joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, from left, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, attends a cabinet meeting on July 31 at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Thurmont, Md.

The ‘deal’ between Hamas and Israel President Donald Trump and memmained silent about the proposed deal. I won’t. Some things bear rebers of his administration are (pick your metaphor) whistling past the peating many times so it will sink in. graveyard, engaging in wishful thinkHamas and the rest of the terrorist gangs go by different names but all ing and/or deluding themselves into believing a demon can be transformed have the same goal — the destruction of Israel (for starters). Hamas has a into an angel. charter that has never been reThe Trump administration has announced a “deal” voked, or even amended. between the terrorist group People who want to have Hamas that has occupied Gaza their eyes and minds opened for years and Israel, which will can Google “Hamas Charter” lead to Hamas’ disarmament and read it for themselves, and the withdrawal of Israeli but here are the highlights. Cal troops from the strip. its founding in 1988, Thomas Since What would supposedly folHamas’ No. 1 goal has been and remains Israel’s complete low is a rebuilding of Gaza, destruction. It has not modified or which has been reduced to rubble. Much of the world and its media blame changed that objective. Hamas wants Israel to be replaced by an Islamic Israel for the destruction and deaths Palestinian state, stretching from the of civilians, but Hamas is at fault Jordan River to the Mediterranean because its fighters and rockets hide Sea. That’s what those chants “from among civilians. the river to the sea” on college camLet’s not forget, though some apparently have forgotten, Oct. 7, 2023, puses and street demonstrations are when 1,200 people were killed in Israel about. by Hamas and 251 were abducted as The conflict is rooted in the relihostages. gious doctrine and political ideology Some were raped and many torof the Muslim Brotherhood, which means they believe their god has tured, according to those who mancommanded them to do these things, aged to escape or be exchanged for including the aforementioned Oct. 7 imprisoned terrorists in Israeli prisattacks. ons. Some see this day of terror as a Hamas promotes and encourages modern Holocaust. antisemitism, including extreme antiAs of last weekend, Israel has re-

semitic language and conspiracy theories regarding global inﬂuence. In what should be obvious to the Trump administration, Hamas has consistently rejected peace talks, or the recognition of Israel’s right to exist. This should be a nonstarter. Even if Hamas agrees to meet with administration and Israeli ofﬁcials, they won’t be serious given the stated goals in their charter. Why are we even considering playing this losing game? It’s the same with Iran, whose ayatollahs and other leaders share the same objectives as Hamas. Worldview is everything. Many people believe we are all alike and all grievances can be settled when people are sincere enough. Not true. Just as deluded Americans think socialism is good, people who think Hamas will ever lay down their weapons and reach a peace deal with Israel are playing into the hands of our — and Israel’s — enemies. To repeat, our enemies don’t think the way Westerners do. If they did, they would act and think like us. That is why transposing our morality on those who don’t share it is a recipe for disaster. Got it, or must I repeat myself? Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.

on socialism

If there ever were an issue on which Democrats and Republicans could agree, it should be that socialism is bad and capitalism, with a little tweaking, is good. Yet Republicans are the loudest voices saying so. As we approach the November election, democratic socialists are making headway among voters who have been emboldened by the 2025 election of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist. And candidates endorsed by the Kathleen Democratic Socialists of America Parker have advanced in a few dozen primary elections this year. In response, Republicans and conservatives have begun speaking out against socialism, Marxism and communism, if at times disingenuously. These three orthodoxies are not the same, though there are overlaps. Not many communists are running for public office, at least not as communists, despite President Donald Trump’s claim on Monday that “we’re running against communists.” Even popular Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, has chimed in, explaining that a market economy, as opposed to socialism, is consistent with human freedom and dignity. The DSA wants to take over the largest corporations — a core socialist ideal — and bring democratic principles into the workplace. This may appeal to some, but a thorough reading of the DSA’s “program” should make most Americans shudder. The DSA, whose membership has grown significantly in recent years, also wants to rewrite the Constitution, eliminate the Senate and replace the Supreme Court, defund the police and provide free health care. This largesse would be funded, of course, by taxpayers, whose IRS bills would skyrocket. History — and our own eyes (see Venezuela) — tells us that the pursuit of equal outcomes can lead to equal misery. Given the DSA’s stated aspirations, it’s fair to say that democratic socialism is the gateway ideology to socialism, if not necessarily communism. Recent polling shows that voters most interested in the socialist platform tend to be young and collegeeducated. They’re ripe for the seduction thanks to the high cost of everything from groceries to rent. Even people in their 30s and 40s often can’t afford to buy a house. Job insecurity is growing as artificial intelligence threatens to render many employees obsolete. Yes, life is not perfect right now, and the promise of free stuff and feel-good rhetoric periodically seduce the young, as well as members of the intellectual elite. I was even susceptible as a college student. I remember telling my father that I thought socialism was a good idea. He replied: “It is a good idea. It just doesn’t work.” The GOP is wise to take the lead in exposing what socialists would do if given power. I wonder why Democrats are letting Republicans seize the moment. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and other House leaders recently held a news conference to highlight the looming socialist threat. They did, however, seem a bit overwrought and prone to hyperbole in conflating socialism and communism. Having grown up in Florida during the mass influx of Cubans, I was well-versed in the stories of Fidel Castro’s Cuba at an early age and always wanted to see for myself. About 25 years ago, I traveled there with a British diplomat and a group of journalists. It was an eye-opener after decades of blocked access. People living in dilapidated apartment buildings without air-conditioning hung out of open windows in search of relief. Lights flickered during meetings with government ministers. The decaying power grid meant that people might have a few hours of electricity per day. This is what communism looks like. What socialism and communism fail to acknowledge — and the reason they fail — is what capitalism embraces: human nature. Simply put, human nature responds positively to incentives and rewards, and behavior adapts accordingly. Humans were designed to create, design, produce and find happiness in accomplishment. Without incentives, why-botherism settles in. Entrepreneurship fizzles. Hard work becomes pointless, and prosperity becomes a memory. This isn’t to say capitalism is perfect. It can be ruthless without the buttressing of personal and institutional virtue. For corporations to more fairly benefit workers and communities — and not just shareholders — legal, social and economic constraints might be necessary. But a socialist takeover would be overkill. To young people inclined toward instant gratification, socialism promises relief. To those folks, I say: Politics is like the weather. It comes and goes. You wouldn’t build an ark just because it’s raining. Count your blessings, grab an umbrella and vote wisely. As for Democrats, don’t let Republicans be the only voices of sanity. Explain to your constituents why socialism is a utopian cocktail that might get you tipsy for a while, but the hangover is hell. And Republicans? Stop with the Red Scare hysteria and stick to the facts. They are enough. Kathleen Parker is on X, @kathleenparker.

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Jury selection to begin in killing of FBI witness both would be named atop a that narrative. Parker has pleaded again as a thoroughbred owner in ‘Loves to win’ Prosecutors allege race, federal indictment as architects of guilty to wire fraud, admitting he 2019 in Texas, and his first race was eye-popping scheme to pack cars participated in some of the staged a winner. Sassy Kenzie Girl beat Racing records show Alfortish Kenner horseman the an with passengers, drive them onto crashes, but not murder. seven other fillies to take a maiden maintained a small stable of raceand ram them into mergU.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter claiming race at Sam Houston Rac- horses well after he and Motta were mastermind behind highways is presiding over a trial expected ing Park. identified, though not by name, in ing 18-wheelers. Prosecutors allege Alfortish di- to run for several weeks. Though Garrison’s meetings with the Garrison’s 2020 indictment. staged wrecks Alfortish often teamed with his rected the operation for years, Vitter has barred prosecutors from FBI began that October. Arrested

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Three years ago, Sean Alfortish was on a comeback run that had brought him home to New Orleans’ Fair Grounds. The longtime Kenner horseman had suffered a spectacular fall from grace a decade earlier. As president of the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, he admitted in federal court in 2013 to bilking the group and rigging an election to remain its leader. Alfortish went to prison. He lost his law license. When he got out, state racing regulators rebuffed his pleas to be allowed to own horses again. So Alfortish came back as a trainer — first in Texas, then New Mexico, where records show he trained a horse named Mr. Big Rig, and eventually back where he started in New Orleans. “I’m still too arrogant to listen,” Alfortish said in an interview at the Fair Grounds in 2022. “But I’ve grown to understand (the horses) a lot better.” His comeback was aided by his fiancé, a recent law school graduate and former Hollywood stuntwoman named Vanessa Motta. She owned racehorses with names like Dixie Street and Julia’s Warrior — the latter a nod to Motta’s daughter. Alfortish trained them. He could be found tending horses on the Fair Grounds backstretch or, on race days, pacing the grandstand. One spring afternoon in 2023, he punched the air and planted a kiss on Motta’s lips as Julia’s Warrior stormed the finish line a winner. It wasn’t the only game the couple was running, federal prosecutors allege. Within months of that 2023

HOTLINE

Continued from page 1B the organization’s president. The grand jury that indicted Murrill was convened months earlier to handle various criminal matters in Orleans Parish. It has since disbanded. At least one of its members invoked a rarely used statute to initiate the probe into Murrill. Williams recused his office, and Judge Leon Roche appointed White. “I think the special prosecutor has a role in protecting the grand jury,” said Loyola University law professor Will Snowden, founding director of The Juror Project, an education and advocacy group. “I would also say defense lawyers in this state, we have a role in protecting New Orleanians.” The indictment relates to letters Murrill sent to several New Orleans officials in May, warning they could lose their positions for opposing a new state law that unified

starting around when his federal probation ended in 2016. They accuse him of planning hundreds of wrecks with “slammers,” drivers skilled in pulling off risky collisions without killing themselves or passengers. He later brought the passengers — he was said to call them “horses” — to Motta, who filed lawsuits for big payouts in New Orleans’ civil courts, prosecutors allege. A federal jury convicted Motta in March on a slew of fraud counts for her role in the scheme, captivating legal circles and national media. This week, Alfortish is set to face a jury of his own, with even higher stakes than for his fiancé. At a trial scheduled to begin with jury selection Monday, he is charged with fraud, conspiracy, obstruction and witness tampering for an alleged fraud involving staged wrecks. He’s also accused of masterminding the murder of Cornelius Garrison, a prolific “slammer”-turned-informant who died six years ago in a hail of bullets after cooperating with the FBI in a probe of Alfortish and Motta. Alfortish’s attorney, Shaun Clarke, declined to comment for this story. Alfortish suspected Garrison’s cooperation, and prosecutors say he commissioned two alleged associates, Leon “Chunky” Parker and Ryan “Red” Harris, to silence the lanky driver. Harris pleaded guilty, admitting to staging crashes and helping to plan Garrison’s murder. He’s expected to testify that Parker, also set for trial this week alongside Alfortish, was the triggerman. Parker’s attorney, Stephen Haedicke, has argued that the feds massaged Harris’ testimony to fit

the city’s court clerks. The officials included Williams, Mayor Helena Moreno and ﬁve City Council members. Landry called it a “kangaroo grand jury” and swiftly ordered Louisiana State Police to investigate. U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, wrote FBI Director Kash Patel in a July 3 letter, requesting a federal investigation. White dismissed the charges July 22 under pressure from Williams, Moreno and Murrill’s other purported victims. While Williams has denied involvement, Murrill pledged to “continue to pursue any mechanism, any vehicle, any tool that I have at my disposal to ﬁnd out what happened.” “If it turns out that this did just magically happen without anybody being involved in it and nobody targeted me because they were mad at the governor or mad at me … then I accept that,” she said Wednesday outside the federal court building in New Orleans. “But I don’t believe that

telling jurors about Alfortish’s prior fraud conviction, his horse-racing history — particularly his return to the backstretch after prison — sheds new light on a period when prosecutors say the blockbuster fraud scheme exploded in scope.

Horseman’s roots Alfortish has said his grandfather introduced him to the sport as a boy in the 1970s in New Orleans. Three decades later, after working at turns as an agent for NFL players, restaurateur and attorney, he parlayed horsemanship into a career. As president of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Alfortish had a hand in the local industry’s adjustment after Hurricane Katrina. But irregularities in the group’s finances drew scrutiny from federal agents, and in 2010 prosecutors charged him in federal court. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison, serving 28 months. Alfortish remained on probation until the end of 2016. It was around then he met Garrison, who had been running staged wrecks for several years, FBI records show. Garrison had grown frustrated by low pay from other attorneys for crash plaintiffs, he would later tell his federal handlers. He began staging accidents with Alfortish and Motta, he said. Alfortish’s conviction and disbarment meant he could no longer practice law. He was working at the time in “medical factoring,” ﬁnancing personal injury litigation. Garrison portrayed Alfortish as the point person when it came time to get paid for crashes. Alfortish was quick to seek a return to horseracing, too, though as a felon he had to wait. He started up

that’s true, and I don’t think anybody believes that that’s true.” Snowden said a juror could’ve been convinced to seek Murrill’s indictment after seeing local officials respond on television to her letters. “They very well could’ve just initiated this based on the things that they saw in the general public,” he said. “This idea that a grand juror was unduly inﬂuenced, I just don’t see anybody that’s an elected official. I just don’t see that happening. Like, the risk is too high.”

What do grand juries do? Grand jurors are sworn to secrecy by Louisiana’s criminal code. They can be held in contempt of court for divulging its details unless a judge permits them to relay perjured testimony or other irregularities. Louisiana recognizes them as independent officers of the court, likening grand jurors to judicial administrators.

for brawling with a plainclothes New Orleans Police Department officer, he was approached by federal agents assigned to “Operation Sideswipe” while in jail, one agent testified. The federal probe had gained steam, stoked by industry defense lawyers on the receiving end of Motta’s flood of injury suits. The slammers targeted 18-wheelers for the million-dollar insurance coverage they require. “This drove up costs for everyone, and that’s a big deal,” said Stephen Waguespack, a former Louisiana Association of Business and Industry CEO who now leads legal reform work for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “But it’s also freakin’ dangerous. … There is a thirst to make sure this never happens again.” By February 2020, Garrison was telling his FBI handlers how Alfortish paid him with checks, called passengers “horses” and told him to meet under the Claiborne Avenue bridge before hitting the road. He relayed how Motta and Alfortish seemed nervous when they learned Garrison had retained a criminal defense lawyer. They began calling him daily and offered to move him to the Bahamas, FBI records say. Garrison started wondering who to trust. He met with federal agents a final time in September 2020. “He don’t play,” Garrison said of Alfortish in that meeting, his federal public defender, Claude Kelly, recalled from the witness stand at Motta’s trial. On Sept. 18, 2020, a grand jury indicted Garrison and eight others for allegedly participating in staged wrecks. Four days later, he was dead.

“The law is very, very clear. Grand jurors are special. They are sacrosanct,” Williams said when asked about grand juror protections Thursday. “No one is supposed to know who’s on it or when they’re serving. And these aren’t Jason Williams’ words. These are words that are codified in our law. So any attack on people who involuntarily come to serve on a grand jury is deeply problematic and deeply concerning.” But grand jurors aren’t above the law. Those who accept gifts, are impaired or allow others to unduly inﬂuence them can face a $500 fine or up to six months in jail for misdemeanor jury misconduct. Legal observers said they’ve never seen a case of a grand juror being prosecuted. More common are outside parties trying to pierce the “veil of secrecy” surrounding jurors. Anyone convicted of jury tampering could face the same prison time as the de-

brother, Todd, or with Motta as listed owners of horses he trained, according to racing records from Equibase. As an owner his horses have won just over $1 million — mostly before his prison stint. As a trainer his horses earned $469,000 through his last race, on Nov. 30, 2024, when Dixie Street ran fourth. Motta is listed as the horse’s owner. “I happened to get him for $15,000 from my ﬁancé, who loves to win,” Alfortish once said of Dixie Street. “He’s just been phenomenal since we got him.” Seven days after that fourth-place run, a federal grand jury charged Alfortish, Motta and others with a slew of counts tied to the alleged staged wrecks. The indictment — handed up nearly four years after Garrison’s death — marked a major breakthrough for prosecutors. New Mexico racing ofﬁcials voted to revoke his trainer’s license, citing the pending charges. The following month, Harris agreed to plead guilty and testify against Alfortish and Parker over the murder of Garrison, his longtime mentor. He also admitted to funneling staged accidents to Motta and Alfortish. Motta, who faces no charges for Garrison’s murder, continued owning Dixie Street through a May 9, 2025, race at Evangeline Downs. Motta-owned horses also included thoroughbreds Bet on Bourbon, Blindedbythegees and Julia’s Warrior. Her racehorses banked $256,000 over her six years as a registered owner. Staff writer John Simerman contributed to this report.

James Finn covers federal law enforcement and courts for The

fendant in the underlying case, up to 99 years in cases of murder and other capital felonies. Last year, Murrill’s ofﬁce helped prosecute Travis Layne Jr., a New Iberia man convicted of trying to contact a juror from jail ahead of his 2024 murder trial in Iberia Parish, court records show. He received a 30-year sentence. Yet grand jury secrecy rules could present hurdles for Murrill even in accessing transcripts from the confidential proceedings to prove any tampering. “I think the AG had a better argument for obtaining the grand jury testimony when there were actual charges pending,” said Keva Landrum, the former criminal court judge and prosecutor who left the bench in 2020 to run for district attorney. “You have to be very specific in what you’re asking for,” she added. “You can’t just blanketly say, ‘Well, we believe the grand juror acted improperly.’ I would not

turn over the transcripts for that.” Members of the grand jury can call a lawyer from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Grand Jury Committee from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The hotline number is (504) 233-7750. Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

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Continued from page 1B sharing professional expertise or participating in future planning meetings. “No donation, no contribution is too small,” Fox said. “People can make a difference within their own back-

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Lot 8 of Block 45 situated in the McComb Addition to the City of Lafayette

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A conceptual image of what Good Hope Park space could look like as development plans move forward. yards.” The first step will be a community cleanup scheduled for Aug. 21. Volunteers in the community are welcome to help remove debris and prepare the property for future planning efforts. Fox said the cleanup marks the beginning of a larger conversation about what the neighborhood

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PUBLIC NOTICE --SQF, LLC is proposing to construct a 235-foot tall (overall height) self-sup‐ porting lattice telecom‐ structure munications near 100 Utopia Road, Duson, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana (30° 10' 27.7" N, 92° 7' 44.1" W). SQF, LLC invites comments from any interested party on the impact the proposed undertaking may have on any districts, sites, build‐ ings, structures, or ob‐ jects signiﬁcant in Amer‐ ican history, archaeol‐ ogy, engineering, or cul‐ ture that are listed or de‐ termined eligible for list‐ ing in the National Regis‐ ter of Historic Places. Comments may be sent to Environmental Corpo‐ ration of America, ATTN: Annamarie Howell, 1375 Hill Industrial Union Suite A, Al‐ Court, pharetta, GA 30004 or via email to publicnotice@ eca-usa.com. Ms. Howell can be reached at (770) 667-2040 x 108 during normal business hours. Comments must be re‐ ceived within 30 days of the date of this notice. 26-000151b/JET. 196495-aug 10-1t $137.34

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M o n d ay, au g u s t 10, 2026

DE Jordan suffers hamstring injury

LSU freshman tackle phenom Geralds showing up — on and off the field

Radunz out for season as injuries stack up for N.O.

BORN INTO THE GAME I

1Cn

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Saints edge rusher Cam Jordan suffered a hamstring injury that will require further evaluation. Coach Kellen Moore said Jordan got hurt during Thursday’s practice and that the team is waiting for the pass rusher to receive a second opinion on the injury. Jordan was excused from practice Saturday to attend Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame induction, but was not on the ﬁeld a day later because of the injury. “We’re collecting info on that and we’ll see where that takes us,” Moore said. If Jordan has to miss multiple weeks, that would be a blow to the Saints and Jordan — who reunited in June after a prolonged contract negotiation. The two sides eventually reached an agreement on a one-year, $7.5 million deal that ensured Jordan would return to the Saints for a 16th season. Shortly after signing the contract, Jordan announced that he plans for 2026 to be his ﬁnal season. The 37-year-old is coming off a resurgent 101/ 2-sack season, his highest total since 2021.

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

BY JON BLAU Staff writer t is rare how quickly Deuce Geralds can rocket out of a three-point stance, which is why the 6-foot1, 280-pounder has jumped to the top of LSU’s defensive depth chart faster than most freshman D-tackles ever could. But he’s rare in other ways too. Days before preseason camp opened, and his ﬁrst-team reps were

all the buzz in town, the 18-year-old was stationed under a tent nestled in the back of a Baton Rouge

apartment complex. He used his forklift of a right arm to snatch a red book bag, ﬁlled with school

supplies, and hand it to a mother in need. Since he was 10, Geralds has participated in community service projects, including backpack giveaways and Thanksgiving food drives. When his mother and father relocated from Louisiana to Georgia for work in the health care and social service sectors, they’d periodically stop at a McDonald’s, buy 100 hamburgers and hand them out to people experiencing homelessness.

ä See LSU, page 3C

LSU defensive tackle Deuce Geralds walks back to a huddle during position drills at the third session of fall camp on Saturday at the team’s practice facility. STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Dumars: ‘I believe in n the players we have’ Pelicans VP attributes quiet offseason to discipline, belief in current roster

The two most talked-about moves the New Orleans Pelicans have made this offseason are hiring a new head coach and parting ways with their longtime equipment manager. Outside of that, things have been much quieter than you would expect for a team that ﬁnished just 26-56. The Pelicans were one of eight NBA teams that didn’t Rod reach 30 wins. Walker The other seven (Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento, Utah, Brooklyn, Indiana and Washington) all added pieces this offseason, with ﬁrst-round draft picks or via trades and free agency. The Pelicans, meanwhile, haven’t moved the needle. Other than re-signing barely used veteran center DeAndre Jordan and selecting former St. Augustine High standout Jaron

Pierre in the secon nd round of the draft, the Pels have stood stiill. The lack of moves comes as a surprisse, especially after executive vice presid dent of basketball operations Joe Dumars said at season’s end that he would like to ad dd some “toughness” to the roster. Almost four months later, not much has been added. Not that Dumars hasn’t tried. “We were engage ed in a lot of conversations with a lot of different d teams,” Dumars said Friday in n an interview. “But at the end of the day, you’ve got to make a determination if th his is the right deal or not. You don’t want to make a move for the sake of making g a move. It has to be right for us.” The phone calls to t and from Dumars’ phone were steady throughout the summer. “When you’re prresented with deals that you can do, yo ou’ve got to make a determination if th his is going to make you better and add d what you need,” Dumars said. “The e lack of moves being made right now w is not from a lack of effort or us decidiing we didn’t want to do

ä See WALKER, page 3C

Zion Williamson

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints edge rusher Tyree Wilson waits for a drill during training camp on Saturday at the team’s practice facility in Metairie.

Saints see edge rusher Wilson’s potential within arm’s reach arms BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Tyree Wilson’s arms nearly reach down to his knees. They’re not quite the e 40 inches that teammate Chase Young estimated, but in a sport ﬁlled with freakish me easureables, Wilson’s 35 -inch arms still man nage to draw awe. According to MockDrafftable, a website that tracks combine meassurements from 1999 onward, Wilson’s arm length put him in the 96th percentile — wiith his measurement clocking in a full two in nches longer than the average edge rusher. Oh, and he’s 6-foot-5. “If he extends his arm ms,” Young says, “you can’t touch him.” None of this is new to Wilson. The 26-year-old’s arm length was a big part of the appeal tha at led the Las Vegas Raiders to draft him seventh overall in 2023, when Wiilson was regarded as a top prospect du ue to his rare blend of physical and ath hletic gifts. But Wilson’s c career hasn’t panned out the way mostt envisioned. After he produced only 12 2 sacks in 50 games, the Raiders traded d Wilson to the New Orleans Saints in Ap pril in exchange for a

ä See WILSON, page 3C

2C ● Monday, August 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Gibbs holds on for win in Iowa BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Associated Press

NEWTON, Iowa — Ty Gibbs didn’t question his crew chief’s final pit call. “I can’t do anything about it, so you just run with it,” Gibbs said. Gibbs used late pit strategy and held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell over the final 20 laps to win the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday at Iowa Speedway. Gibbs — the 23-year-old grandson of former NFL coaching great and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs — won by 0.253 seconds over Bell for his second victory of the season and his career. Gibbs and Bell each pitted with 60 laps remaining in the 350-lap race, but while Bell took four tires, Gibbs just went with two right-side tires, and came out ahead. And when leader Ross Chastain pitted on Lap 330, Gibbs took over the top spot and fought off a late charge by Bell. Tyler Allen, Gibbs’ crew chief, thought taking two tires was the only chance to get ahead of Bell in that final pit cycle. “We knew after practice the left sides weren’t wearing much and they tended to refire OK,” Allen said. “So in terms of coming into the race, it was definitely a viable option.” Gibbs liked the aggressive call. “I think in the position with our points situation, for sure,” he said. Gibbs, who picked up his first career win April 12 at Bristol, came into the race ranked fourth in the season standings, and moved into second — 103 points behind JGR teammate Denny Hamlin. Gibbs, who had an issue in the pits on his first stop of the day when his jack fell too early during the tire change, fell back to 28th before charging back. “You’re kind of hosed after that deal,” Gibbs said. “So you’ve got to stay locked in and keep working.” It was the seventh second-place finish of the season for Bell, who led 108 laps. “Ty did a really good job,” Bell said. “He did a great job of managing the race.” Pole-sitter Ryan Blaney, who won the inaugural 2024 Cup Series race at the 0.875-mile oval, was third after leading a race-high 129 laps.

Nelson, second in NBA coaching wins, dies at 86

Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won ﬁve championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86. Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three franchises — Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State — also serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time coach of the year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never winning a title. Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams. Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332, until close friend and San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022.

Knee injury forces Sinner to exit Cincinnati Open

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS By CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

Ty Gibbs does a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup race on Sunday at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Josh Berry finished fourth. It was Berry’s best finish of the season, and only his third top-10 finish. Hamlin finished fifth. Chase Briscoe was sixth. Chastain recovered to finish seventh. AJ Allmendinger was eighth, followed by defending race winner William Byron. Austin Dillon was 10th.

Reddick’s struggles Tyler Reddick’s summer struggles continued when he crashed into Erik Jones four laps into the race. The rear end of Reddick’s car slid entering Turn 1, and Reddick ran into Jones before hitting the wall. Reddick finished last in the 36-car field. “A hundred percent, that was on me,” Reddick said. “It’s something I don’t normally do, make those kinds of mistakes. Just gut-wrenching on a lot of levels. I thought we kind of figured out what we needed to do for the race today, and made a killer mistake earlier.” Reddick won the first three races of the season, and four of the first six, and has five wins overall. But he has had four finishes of 30th place or worse in

CINCINNATI — Jannik Sinner, the world’s No. 1 men’s tennis player, withdrew from the Cincinnati Open on Sunday because of a knee injury. Sinner, who hasn’t competed since capturing his second straight Wimbledon title last month, also withdrew from the tournament in Toronto that began Wednesday. The 24-year-old Sinner has ﬁve Grand Slam titles and just needs to win the French Open to complete the career Grand Slam. Sinner’s announcement follows a similar decision by Carlos Alcaraz, who said Tuesday he also was withdrawing from the Cincinnati event because of a lingering wrist injury. Two years ago, Sinner won the title in Cincinnati, then went on to win the U.S. Open.

Tears of joy as Vollering wins 2nd Tour de France

Ty Gibbs, center, eats corn after his win on Sunday at Iowa Speedway. the past six races.

No brakes, all gas for Hamlin

corner,” Hamlin said. “That was a crazy race to have to do it the whole time without (brakes), but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, and the team did an amazing job. I would take that day a hundred out of a hundred times.” “I’ve never seen Denny that exhausted,” Joe Gibbs said. “I think he drove his heart out.”

Hamlin had brake issues during practice Saturday, which led to the team changing brake rotors and a cooling unit. Hamlin had to go to the rear of the field, but surged back to finish fifth despite having more brake issues during the race. “I just had white knuckles every Up next lap, not knowing where my car The Cup Series moves to Richwas going to land when I got in the mond Raceway on Saturday night.

After winning the Women’s Tour de France for the second time on Sunday, Demi Vollering tried hard to hold back tears while the Dutch national anthem played. It was her toughest moment of the day after an ultra-dominant performance on the bike from the 2023 champion. She secured an impressive stage win, and in doing so extended her overall lead over Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney to 1 minute, 18 seconds clear of the 2024 champion. Vollering raised her bike in the air moments after crossing the ﬁnish line in Nice. Niewiadoma-Phinney had started Sunday’s ninth and ﬁnal stage only eight seconds behind Vollering, who got a time bonus for winning it.

nabs 9th LIV win; Brennan claims Wyndham Championship Niemann Rahm claims season title

He secures a spot in PGA postseason

By The Associated Press GREENSBORO, N.C. — Michael Brennan had another Sunday opportunity and delivered in a big way. He made ﬁve straight birdies to pull away from Beau Hossler and close with a 6-under 64 to win the Wyndham Championship and reach the PGA Tour’s lucrative postseason. Brennan came into the final tournament of the regular season at No. 105 in the FedEx Cup, a disappointing year with only one top 10. Now his season gets extended by at least one week — maybe longer, based on how he’s playing — after his second PGA Tour title in two years. Brennan was one shot behind Hossler when he ran off five straight birdies starting on the fourth hole, all of them inside 8 feet. That turned a deﬁcit into a three-shot lead at the turn when Hossler took a bogey on the ninth hole. Then it was a matter of hanging on for the 24-year-old Brennan, a Virginia native who played his college golf about 30 miles away at Wake Forest. “I don’t want to be done playing golf,” Brennan said. “Unfortunately, I’ve had a couple of tough Sundays. Outside of that, I had been playing really solid. This is my sixth week in a row. I’m perfectly happy running on fumes next week.” The FedEx Cup playoffs start Thursday with the FedEx St. Jude Championship at the TPC South-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHUCK BURTON

Michael Brennan yells in celebration after winning the Wyndham Championship on Sunday in Greensboro, N.C. wind in Memphis, Tennessee. Only the top 70 players advance, and Brennan shot up to No. 47. Jackson Koivun, who left Auburn in June and won the 3M Open in only his third start, narrowly hung on to the 70th spot and goes from college to the postseason in only two months. But he had to sweat it out after closing with a 71. Matt Wallace and Davis Thompson were still on the course and in range of ﬁnishing high enough to bump Koivun out of the top 70. But they failed to hole all the key putts, and Koivun made it with eight points to spare. A bogey might have been enough to knock him out of the postseason. But on the 18th hole at Sedgeﬁeld Country Club, Koivun piped his drive straight down the middle, leaving a wedge from the fairway and an easy par. Known for his composure, he was emo-

tionally invested in every outcome down the stretch, a rare sight from the past two months. “It’s just a different type of nerves when you know you don’t have your stuff and you’ve got to go out there and execute some shots,” Koivun said. “I think that kind of sparked some emotion in me. Yeah, it’s easier to get comfortable when you’re playing well. It was just kind of a different feeling for me today.” Brennan started feeling the nerves, too. He was four shots behind in a tie for fourth going into the final round of the 3M Open and shot 74 to finish out of the top 20. Last week at the Rocket Classic, he was in the final group and one shot out of the lead when he went the wrong direction again, closing with a 73 to tie for 15th. He delivered in the final event of the regular season, and it was his

mother who came onto the 18th green to celebrate who reminded Brennan the victory also sends him to the Masters. He made his Masters debut this year going from the PGA Tour Americas straight to the big leagues when he won the Bank of Utah Championship last fall. Brennan made birdie on the final hole to finish at 22-under 258, matching the tournament record at Sedgefield shot three other times, most recently last year by Wake Forest grad Cameron Young. Ben James, the No. 1 player from the PGA Tour University ranking who has a card already secure for 2027, fell out of contention on Saturday but roared back with a 61 to finish third. Brennan was the only player to move into the top 70, replacing Steven Fisk, who was at No. 69 but missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship and fell to No. 71. Also failing to advance to the postseason was Brooks Koepka, the first player to rejoin the PGA Tour after being at LIV Golf. Koepka needed a fourth-place finish and was saddled again by poor putting that led to a tie for 67th. The five-time major champion had only one top 10 this year. “It’s just all on the greens. I don’t know what the deal is, got zero confidence,” Koepka said. “There’s going to be a lot of changes here soon. “I think it’s pretty pathetic that I can’t get through (to the postseason),” he said. “To be in the prime of your career and be as good as I think I am, I think that’s very pathetic, disappointing. Just need to go home and completely reevaluate everything.”

BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Joaquin Niemann closed with a 2-under 69 Sunday for a three-shot victory in LIV Golf New York, extending his record with his ninth career victory in the past three years. Jon Rahm shot 76 and tied for 41st, but that still was enough to clinch the season points title for the third straight time since the two-time major champion joined LIV Golf. Niemann, who won earlier this year in South Korea, went wire-towire at Trump International. He ﬁnished at 16-under 268. Harold Varner III caught Niemann until the Chilean pulled away late with a birdie on the 13th and an eagle on the par-5 15th. Varner shot 70 to ﬁnish second.

Lynx G McBride sets WNBA record with 10 3-pointers

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride wanted to give the hometown fans a show Sunday. She delivered one that the Target Center crowd will never forget. The ﬁve-time All-Star and fourtime EuroLeague champion broke the WNBA single-game record by making 10 3-pointers Sunday in a 103-90 victory over the Dallas Wings. McBride made 10 of 14 shots from behind the arc and ﬁnished with a career-high 43 points — and she did it in front of a home crowd that seemed to be urging her to chase the record. The record-breaker came with 2:23 to play and gave the Lynx a 9883 lead. She left the game with 1:21 remaining to a roaring ovation.

The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday, August 10, 2026 ● 3C

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SAINTS

LSU defensive tackle Deuce Geralds hands out a book bag ahead of preseason camp. The freshman is already getting ﬁrstteam reps, but he wants to make an impact off the ﬁeld too.

Continued from page 1C

Radunz done

STAFF PHOTO By JON BLAU

LSU

Continued from page 1C “Just bring a light into somebody’s day,” Geralds said. A freshman who could have an immediate impact on the field for LSU also has his eyes set on what he can bring off of it. Rare for his age, but Geralds has matured quickly. He was such a young phenom in the state of Georgia, bowling over defenders at running back, that little kids were asking for his autograph in eighth grade. Collins Hill defensive line coach Cory Beck had a son playing little league ball in Geralds’ age group. He was so awed by the sight of an 11-year-old Geralds he immediately went looking for the kid’s father, Daverin, a former Ole Miss offensive lineman. “He is the most physically developed kid I’ve ever seen at that age, and I’ve been coaching high school football forever,” said Beck, who proceeded to show up to Deuce’s games for the next three years. “He was a freak. Nobody could block him.” Nobody could. Nobody has. Beck shared his protege’s career statistics at Collins Hill and felt the need to promise they aren’t fake. Geralds finished high school with a state-record 56 sacks. He also hurried the opposing quarterback an additional 135 times. Of his 352 tackles, 114 were for a loss. He had a head start because most freshmen don’t play at Collins Hill, which produced Heisman winner Travis Hunter. Beck was crazy enough to give Geralds first-team reps in his first spring practice, just like LSU. “Just trust me,” Beck told his fellow coaches. On his third day, Geralds came to Beck with questions. He wasn’t

WALKER

like most eighth-graders, only concerned about shooting his assigned gap and just hoping to pounce on a ball carrier. Geralds wanted to know what the secondary behind him was doing. He wanted to make sure everyone was ﬁtting their gaps, himself as part of a whole. “He’s asking what the linebackers are doing, and I said, ‘Well, that’s page 13. You worry about page 1,’ ” Beck said. “A day or two later, he’s coming in telling me what the DBs were doing on certain calls.” Geralds was just born into the game. Literally, Daverin Sr. had Daverin Jr., nicknamed “Deuce,” when he was just a freshman at Ole Miss. The Rebels’ center brought his jumbo-sized kid into his college locker room and various other facilities during a short pro career. At home, Deuce took to watching highlights of NFL greats. “Sometimes I’d catch him; he’d be up watching some old guys like Reggie White,” Daverin said. “I’m like, ‘I’m glad you’re doing that. You need to go to bed, though.’ ” He could diagram X’s and O’s on a whiteboard, and the musclebound teen developed the strength to execute White’s “hump” move as an edge rusher. Collins Hill preferred Geralds inside. That way, there was no running away from him. He wreaked so much havoc, Geralds was in line to be Collins Hill’s defensive player of the week basically every week. They would try to give the award to him, but the kid who grew up handing out book bags and McDonald’s hamburgers declined. Geralds would text his head coach, Drew Swick, and point to a Collins Hill nose tackle who was also playing offensive guard. He wanted his teammate to have the praise. “That’s just who Deuce is,” Swick said. “He wants everybody

to have success.” Geralds could help LSU, unusually fast, if he stays on track. On the opening day of preseason camp, he was the first defensive tackle through individual drills, bending back the yellow pad of a one-man sled with explosive force, then tossing it aside. On the second day, Geralds paired with another freshman, Richard Anderson, on the Tigers’ first-team defense. If he mans the middle for LSU’s defense in the home opener against Clemson, it would be a dream come true for Geralds, who spent a sizable chunk of his childhood in Baton Rouge. His father, a Scotlandville Magnet High School valedictorian, played for Ed Orgeron at Ole Miss, and “Coach O” just rejoined LSU’s staff under Lane Kiffin. “He’ll call me like, ‘Dad, Coach O was saying some wild stuff,’ ” Daverin said. “I said, ‘Hey, just get used to it.’ After a while, man, it’s just him. He’s a fiery guy.” “Most of the ones,” Deuce said, searching his mind for an Orgeron story he could share, “the words are too graphic for me to say.” After his show of restraint, the LSU freshman ventured back to the Geralds Foundation tent. He handed over that red book bag to a mom, then went over to a nearby bouncy house to watch neighborhood kids play. Giving back has always been a “non-negotiable” for his family, Deuce said, whether it’s once a year or once a month. His onthe-field play could offer him the platform to make an impact very quickly, and he’s ready whenever the spotlight arrives. Remember, he’s been signing autographs since the eighth grade. “The pressure was a privilege,” Geralds said. “My family kept me motivated and we stayed focused and just kept working. The job is still not done.”

the key to it all. He played in 62 games last season, the second Continued from page 1C most of his career. Any chance the Pelicans have of staying out of the lottery will once again rest on his shoulders. anything. We’ve engaged with a Dumars’ message to Williamson lot of teams this offseason. But has been simple: “To be great, you there was just no big deal that I have to be obsessed with this,” he felt was going to make us better told Williamson. “You can’t casufor us to pull the trigger on.” ally become great in this league. Some of those trade possibilities What I’ve seen from him this came around the draft in June. summer is he’s obsessed with the The Pelicans didn’t have a firstround pick because of the trade in STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD work he’s putting in. And that is the 2025 draft when they moved Pelicans executive vice president of really encouraging for me that he’s putting this type of work in.” up to select forward Derik Queen. basketball operations Joe Dumars Dumars says he’s seen it from Dumars hinted in April that the talks to reporters on Sept. 22 at the rest of the roster, too. team could try to move into the “Every one of them,” Dumars first round this year. But unlike the team’s practice facility. said. “Queen is working like he’s 2025, they didn’t make any moves. never worked before. Fears is orities. But as of now, the roster “We certainly could have got working like that. Trey. Herb into the first round,” Dumars said. looks almost exactly like it did (Jones). Saddiq (Bey). All of them “But the price was too steep to do four months ago. Dumars’ message to the fans who cringe at the are working their butts off. That’s it. That’s where discipline comes encouraging for me that these thought of the Pelicans just runin. It’s appealing sometimes to ning it back with the same squad? guys have become that obsessed say you can get into the first with working this summer.” “I think if we are healthy, we round. But at what cost? Then But are those guys who have have a good roster,” Dumars said. you have to look at where you’re won just 47 total games the past “I believe in the players we have. getting your pick at. Last year two seasons enough? we moved into the lottery and got But two things can be true at the Season 2 of the Dumars era will same time. You can believe in your Queen. I thought it was worth it. roster and you can continue to look answer that. This year, where we would have Dumars spent his first year in landed in the first round wouldn’t to get better. So that’s what I’m doing. I believe in the roster, but I’m New Orleans assessing the franhave been worth giving up what chise from top to bottom. That asstill looking for us to get better.” we had to give up.” If Dumars doesn’t find what he’s sessment led to several changes The Pels’ offseason silence has in the building. He’s brought led to plenty of noise for a frustrat- looking for, it’ll be up to Mosley to do with this roster what former in new personnel like Amanda ed fanbase. Social media has been Green to handle analytics and coach Willie Green and interim flooded with trade rumors involvDavid Cosgrave to oversee health coach James Borrego were uning the Pelicans all summer long. Fans debated every trade they saw able to do these past two seasons: and performance. He’s hoping those types of moves will point make the Pelicans tougher, both on their timeline. Even the ones the franchise in a new direction. mentally and physically. that had no validity to them. But Inevitably though, success will be There is some promise in the that’s to be expected when a team comes off back-to-back non-playoff social media videos of players like determined by the players on the Zion Williamson, Queen, Jeremiah roster. At least for now, it’ll be the seasons. Most fans, starving to see Fears, Trey Murphy and Dejounte same players from a season ago. a winning product, wanted to see “We have really good talent Murray working out. But that has something. Anything. on our team and if we can stay to transfer over into games. But Dumars says he never got healthy, we have a competitive “I’m really happy with the apone of those offers you can’t refuse. team,” Dumars said. “Making a proach of all of our guys during “You have to be disciplined in move for the sake of making a the offseason,” Dumars said. these seats,” Dumars said. “You move doesn’t make you better. “The players committed to gocan’t be emotional. You can’t take You have to evaluate your team things personal. You have to be real ing into the offseason and taking and decide whether a move is their conditioning and work to disciplined in what you’re doing.” warranted or not, or if it’s a move another level. And I think that’s The Pelicans could still add that’s going to make you better or what you have been able to witpieces. They need to. Rim pronot. Making a bad move may satness with all these videos.” tection and rebounding help and isfy something short-term, but it Williamson, who will return more reliable shooters should still doesn’t make your team better.” for his eighth season, remains be high on Dumars’ list of pri-

The Saints’ depth along the offensive line has taken a hit. Guard Dillon Radunz suffered a torn ACL, coach Moore said Sunday. The injury will likely end Radunz’s season. Radunz, 28, was expected to be one of New Orleans’ key backups upfront. The former 2021 secondround pick started 10 of 15 games for New Orleans last season and the stint went well enough that the Saints opted to re-sign him to a two-year contract. Radunz had been primarily working this summer at right guard, moving from the left side following the Saints’ signing of David Edwards. But now, the Saints will have to ﬁnd a replacement for Radunz. The offensive lineman suffered the injury during a 1-on-1 drill Saturday when his knee buckled in a rep against defensive tackle Vernon Broughton. Radunz slowly crawled on the ground before limping up and slamming his helmet on the way to the sideline. This is the second time that Radunz has suffered a torn ACL in his career, last doing so on Dec. 22, 2022, when he was with the Tennessee Titans. Moore did not specify if the latest injury occurred on the same leg. Guard William Sherman has since taken Radunz’s reps in team drills.

Jones’ adjustment In the two days since he became a member of the Saints, Deion Jones is still getting used to the fact that he plays for his hometown team. The veteran linebacker hasn’t had time to stop by his mom’s house. Nor has he gotten a chance to visit some of his favorite restaurants. But Jones has heard from all sorts of family members who are ecstatic to see him in the black and gold. And he’s also heard from various friends and fans back in Atlanta who can’t believe Jones — who spent the ﬁrst six of his 10

seasons with the Falcons — actually agreed to wear those colors. “They said they got a lot of stuff to take back right now,” Jones said with a grin. Count Jones among those still adjusting after spending so long on the other side of the rivalry. But the 31-year-old said “it’s a blessing to be back,” even if he rarely envisioned it. “A little different,” Jones said. “It’s definitely growing on me.” Some of the best games of Jones’ career have, coincidentally, come against the Saints. There was the 90-yard pick-six off Drew Brees in 2016, the interception in the end zone to clinch an Atlanta victory over New Orleans in 2017. At his peak, Jones was a player that the Saints had to gameplan around. But Jones’ career has taken a different sharp turn since those days. In recent years, Jones has floated around the division — making stops with the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a reserve linebacker. He has learned to embrace special teams, where he played a career-high 60.8% of the snaps last season. In New Orleans, he’s expected to fill a similar role. Jones, though, is glad to be in the league. Before the Saints called last week to bring him in for a workout, the linebacker had been training on his own and spending time with his three daughters. He said he was not stressed over whether a call from a team would come. But the call finally came. And in his visit, Jones worked out well enough for the Saints to offer him a contract. They also had another question: Did he still want to wear No. 45? That’s the number that Jones had mostly worn since his days at LSU, the number he had so often tortured New Orleans in when with the Falcons. The choice was a no-brainer. “I know what the Saints do for the city; I know this is the heartbeat — if the Saints are doing well, the city is doing well,” Jones said. “I had fun coming in and trying to disrupt that every now and again, but like I said, it’s a blessing to be on this side.”

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Saints offensive lineman Dillon Radunz walks off the ﬁeld after a play during training camp on Saturday in Metairie.

WILSON

Continued from page 1C fifth-round pick. But the Saints were more than happy to take the flyer. They acquired Wilson with a specific vision in mind, a plan to get him back on track and accelerate his development. It all starts with Wilson’s length — and making sure he’s actually using those long arms to his advantage. “He’s got pterodactyl arms now,” said Saints edge coach Jay Rodgers. “So if he can get his hands on any tackle, it’s just hard to reach him. As you gain strength and age, then you start understanding what are the attributes that you have that can help your game.” Another part of the Saints’ crash course for Wilson is to teach him the ins and outs of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s scheme. That goes for any new defender, of course, but coach Kellen Moore said he hopes the exposure to new techniques and concepts will aid Wilson’s game. Staley runs a scheme in which edge rushers “can fly,” Young said. By having stand-up rushers rather than those with a hand in the dirt, and by mixing in a variety of fronts, the results backed up that assertion last season as Young and Cam Jordan were the first pair of Saints edge rushers to record double-digit sacks in a season since 2013. Wilson said he believes Staley’s track record is one of the reasons he’ll experience success with the Saints. In the months since joining the black and gold, Wilson said he has felt the Saints have helped “polish” his technique. Wilson considers himself a power rusher, which means he’s often relying on his strength to win matchups. But Wilson said there are counters to that approach that can help him win more consistently, such as grabbing an offensive lineman’s arm to win

outside or recognizing when he has the chance to “snatch” over a lineman when a quarterback tries to climb the pocket. Those are nuances Wilson has needed time to learn as he enters his fourth year in the league. “Being a young player, you always think you can demolish guys, be stronger than them,” he said. “But guys are polished in the NFL. So you gotta be able to play with length and be able to get off and make those plays, not just get washed and be in the gap.” Some days remind Wilson his growth is still a work in progress. After a recent practice, Wilson admitted he had “a little drop-off” from the day prior. He felt he wasn’t as dominant as he knows he can be. But that’s what coaching is all about. The Saints acquired Wilson in part because of the success they had in bringing in Young, the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year whose career hadn’t taken off in the way most imagined. The comparison isn’t perfect — Young’s career was affected by a major knee injury that slowed his growth — but there’s no doubt the Saints have helped further develop Young’s game. The former second overall pick recorded a career-high 10 sacks in 12 games last season. “I think he’s going to be a real great addition for us,” Young said of Wilson. “A real big monster coming off the edge.” For now, the Saints have mostly used Wilson with the second unit. He projects to be a rotational pass rusher, likely fourth behind Young, Carl Granderson and Jordan. But the Saints hope that as they hone in on Wilson’s development, the pass-rusher’s natural ability will “come alive,” Rodgers said. “He’s got a different body type than what we have,” Rodgers said. “So he’s long. He’s wiry. He has good build-to-speed-to-power to him, and there’s a reason why he was a top 10 pick.”

4C ● Monday, August 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

2026 SCHEDULE Date

PREP FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Rayne

Opponent

Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 22 Oct 30 Nov. 5

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Crowley SOUTH BEAUREGARD Church Point EUNICE MAMOU Leesville LaGrange NORTHWEST LAKE CHARLES PREP North Vermilion

Chase Cary RB, 5-8, 170, Sr. Cary is a talented ball carrier and the engine that makes the Wolves’ offense go. Known for his ability to run between the tackles, Cary is going to be featured early and often. Syncere Smith WR, 5-11, 165, Sr. One of the more explosive players on the roster, Smith is a traditional slotreceiver type. He has the speed and quickness to turn a short pass into a big play and will be key for the passing attack.

HOME GAMES IN CAPS

PAST FIVE YEARS 2025: 4-7 2024: 4-7 2023: 6-5 2022: 5-6 2021: 6-5

2025 RESULTS Beat Beau Chene 35-7 Beat Northwest 36-33 Lost to Church Point 46-16 Lost to Comeaux 38-41 Lost to Northside 49-43 Lost to Teurlings 64-0 Lost to Westgate 48-0 Lost to St. Thomas More 56-8 Beat North Vermilion 57-43 Beat Crowley 42-27 Playoffs Lost to Franklinton 51-14

PHOTO By ERIC NARCISSE

Rayne defensive standouts include, from back left, Lionel Francis, Ashton Breaux, Chance Arceneaux, Adrien Conley, Rondell Johnson; front row, Andrew Comeaux and Jaxson Sullivan.

4-4A, Lotief understands they’ll still be playing 4A football. There’s no doubt Daniel Lotief is excited for the The lack of depth and overall numbers on the roster is opportunity to lead the Rayne football program as its also a concern for Lotief and his coaching staff. new head coach. “We only have about 40 players on our team,” Lotief And why wouldn’t he be, considering said. “That is ninth through 12th grade. So, our big it is his first time to lead a program? concern right now is developing depth. We have some But that’s not the only reason Lotief young players that we are going to need to get them is excited about the upcoming season. some experience so we can develop that depth behind “I’m really excited about our skill our starters.” guys on offense,” Lotief said. “We have As a result of their lack of overall numbers, Lotief and some guys that can really do great Lotief his staff have been cross-training players at multiple things with the football in their hands.” positions. Among those skill guys are senior running backs “For example, Chase goes from one running back Chase Cary and Tyreke Gordon and receivers Syncere spot to the other running back spot and then goes Smith and Lesean Leday. to receiver,” Lotief said. “We’re moving guys around to Cary rushed for 258 yards and four touchdowns on different positions because we know that one injury can 58 carries last season, while Smith was the Wolves’ affect three or four different positions for us.” leading receiver with 21 receptions for 334 yards and Knowing the level of play and the quality of their seven touchdowns. opponents, Lotief said it’s not ideal for the Wolves to “We’re a very young football team, so it is really good consistently have players contributing on both sides of to have four seniors at the skill positions that we will be the ball. able to rely upon,” Lotief said. “All of those guys have “It’s not something that we really want to do,” Lotief been working extremely hard and have done a great job said. “We don’t want to have to rely on guys playing of leading the younger players.” both sides, but some guys are going to have to. We will Lotief, who came to the Wolves initially to coach the try to limit two-way players as best we can.” defense, admits the offensive unit is currently ahead of How we see it the defense. Lotief takes over a Wolves program that went 4-7 last And that’s to be expected, as the Wolves will be season, including a 51-14 loss to Franklinton in the first running the same offensive system that was installed by round of the Division II nonselect playoffs. former head coach Kane Guidry. And he believes the Wolves have enough talent to not “We’re going to continue to run the Wing-T out of only compete in their new district that includes North shotgun formation,” Lotief said. “So, basically, it is the Vermilion, LaGrange, Leesville and Lake Charles College Gun-T.” Prep, but also to qualify for the playoffs again. Lotief said Cary and Gordon have the opportunity to “I really do believe we can compete,” Lotief said. really shine in the offense. “Depth is going to be a concern all season, but if we “Cary is a guy that we are going to have to find ways can stay healthy, I really think we’re going to be fine.” to get him the football,” Lotief said. “He does a great job Defensively, Lotief expects the Wolves to pick up the of running in between the tackles, but he is also quick concepts quickly. enough to get the football outside. We’re going to be “We will be young in terms of experience, but a relying on him a lot on offense. We’re going to need him simplified scheme and approach should help shorten to carry the load for us.” the learning curve,” Lotief said. “The new starters will What we don’t know have to grow up quickly on the field.” Although the Wolves are no longer in rugged District Eric Narcisse

What we know

PROJECTED STARTERS Offense WR Lesean Leday (6-3, 159, Sr.)* WR Syncere Smith (5-11, 165, Sr.)* TE Owen Deshotels (5-8, 180, Sr.) OL Reid Romero (6-1, 237, Jr.)* OL Zachary Duke (5-9, 237, Jr.) OL Braylon Aubrey (6-1, 192, So.) OL Nolton Senegal (6-1, 230, Sr.) OL Brycen Comeaux (6-2, 180, Sr.) QB Austin Goins (5-10, 177, So.) RB Chase Cary (5-8, 170, Sr.)* RB Tyreke Gordon (5-5, 150, Sr.) Defense DL Rondell Johnson (6-3, 320, Jr.)* DL Adrien Conley (6-1, 240, Sr.) DL Chance Arceneaux (5-8, 277, Sr.) DL Carter Hicks (5-8, 192, Jr.) LB Blake Sanchez (5-10, 172, So.) LB Jaxson Sullivan (5-9, 167, Jr.) OLB Andrew Comeaux (5-7, 145, Jr.) CB Lionel Francis (6-2, 170, Jr.) CB Ashton Breaux (5-8, 150, Sr.)* SS Dallas Bercier (5-10, 170, Jr.)* FS Ryken Morgan (5-9, 157, So.) * RETURNING STARTER

COACHES Head coach: Daniel Lotief (0-0). Assistant coaches: Graylin Campbell, Hunter Meche, Oliver Thierry, JD Dupont, Alex Mosier, Ron Roberts, Tank Lotief and Wyatt Breaux.

Nolton Senegal OL/DL, 6-1, 230, Sr. Senegal is one of the best overall athletes on the team. He is expected to start at guard and has a great combination of speed and physicality. He’s quick off the ball and finishes off tackles. Reid Romero OL, 6-1, 237, Jr. Romero is the most versatile of the offensive line as he can line up at tackle, guard or center. His tough and physical approach to the game has helped him excel both as a run and pass blocker. Jaxson Sullivan LB, 5-9, 167, Jr. A leader on defense, he has good sidelineto-sideline speed, and he does a great job of recognizing plays before they develop. Sullivan has proven to be a solid tackler against the run.

SCOREBOARD Odds MLB Monday

American League FAVORITE LINE Boston -160 Baltimore -112 Texas -120 at ATHLETICS OFF National League FAVORITE LINE at ATLANTA -157 Philadelphia -112 at ARIZONA OFF at SAN DIEGO OFF Interleague FAVORITE LINE at SAN FRAN. OFF at LA DODGERS -304

UNDERDOG at TORONTO at MINNESOTA at LA ANGELS Tampa Bay

LINE +130 -107 +101 OFF

UNDERDOG N.Y Mets at ST. LOUIS Colorado Milwaukee

LINE +128 -110 OFF OFF

UNDERDOG Houston Kansas City

LINE OFF +242

.258

11½

x-Minnesota Golden State Las Vegas Dallas Portland Los Angeles Phoenix Seattle

W 27 22 22 19 13 12 12 6

L 7 9 11 14 19 18 22 28

Pct .794 .710 .667 .576 .406 .400 .353 .176

GB — 3½ 4½ 7½ 13 13 15 21

NFL Preseason glance Detroit at Cincinnati, 6 p.m. Green Bay at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m. Indianapolis at New England, 6:30 p.m. Arizona at Las Vegas, 7 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Houston, 7 p.m. Tennessee at San Francisco, 8 p.m.

Sunday’s games

Denver at Atlanta, 6 p.m. Miami at Washington, 6 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Jets, 6 p.m.

Saturday’s games

Carolina at Buffalo, noon Cleveland at Chicago, noon Minnesota at N.Y. Giants, noon Jacksonville at New Orleans, 3 p.m. L.A. Rams at Kansas City, 3 p.m. Philadelphia at Baltimore, 6 p.m. Dallas at Seattle, 7 p.m.

W 71 66 64 57 56

L 46 52 53 61 63

Pct .607 .559 .547 .483 .471

GB — 5½ 7 14½ 16

Chicago Detroit Cleveland Minnesota Kansas City

W 61 58 58 58 49

L 56 60 61 61 70

Pct .521 .492 .487 .487 .412

GB — 3½ 4 4 13

Houston Texas Seattle Athletics Los Angeles

W 60 59 56 47 45

L 58 59 63 71 73

Pct .508 .500 .471 .398 .381

GB — 1 4½ 13 15

West Division

Pro basketball WNBA Glance L 12 12 12 13 20 21

Tampa Bay New York Boston Baltimore Toronto

Central Division

Pct .625 .613 .613 .606 .375 .323

GB — ½ ½ ½ 8 9½

Saturday’s games

N.Y. Yankees 5, Atlanta 4 Miami 7, L.A. Angels 0 Athletics 7, Boston 3 Kansas City 6, Chicago Cubs 3 Milwaukee 4, Minnesota 3 San Diego 3, Houston 2 Detroit 8, San Francisco 0

Milwaukee 4, Minnesota 3 San Diego 3, Houston 2 Detroit 8, San Francisco 0 Toronto 7, Philadelphia 5, 11 innings Colorado 8, St. Louis 6 L.A. Dodgers 2, Arizona 1, 10 innings

Sunday’s games

Atlanta 2, N.Y. Yankees 1, 10 innings Athletics 4, Boston 3 Miami 12, L.A. Angels 3 Chicago Cubs 10, Kansas City 2 Chicago White Sox 5, Cleveland 3 Philadelphia 7, Toronto 6, 12 innings Milwaukee 4, Minnesota 3, 10 innings Baltimore 10, Texas 5 Detroit 3, San Francisco 1, 10 innings Tampa Bay 4, Seattle 1 Houston at San Diego, n

Sunday’s games

Boston (Gray 14-2) at Toronto (Taillon 2-6), 6:07 p.m. Baltimore (Rogers 7-7) at Minnesota (Kremer 1-4), 6:40 p.m. Texas (Gore 6-9) at L.A. Angels (Detmers 3-8), 8:38 p.m. Tampa Bay (Peralta 5-9) at Athletics (Lopez 5-4), 8:40 p.m. Houston (Wesneski 2-0) at San Francisco (TBD), 8:45 p.m. Kansas City (Cameron 6-8) at L.A. Dodgers (Skubal 7-6), 9:10 p.m.

Monday’s games

East Division

Texas 5, Baltimore 1 Toronto 7, Philadelphia 5, 11 innings Chicago White Sox 6, Cleveland 3 Tampa Bay 3, Seattle 2

Monday’s games

New York 111, Las Vegas 71 Washington 95, Phoenix 75 Minnesota 103, Dallas 90 Golden State at Los Angeles, n

American League glance

Friday’s games

W 20 19 19 20 12 10

Minnesota 98, Las Vegas 87 Indiana 90, Chicago 86 Portland 100, Seattle 93

Major League Baseball

Thursday’s games

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Saturday’s games

Toronto at Atlanta, 7 p.m. Chicago at Seattle, 9 p.m.

Pro football

Indiana Atlanta Washington New York Chicago Toronto

Connecticut

WESTERN CONFERENCE

National League glance East Division

Atlanta Philadelphia Miami Washington New York

W 71 63 60 59 52

L 47 56 59 61 67

Pct .602 .529 .504 .492 .437

GB — 8½ 11½ 13 19½

Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 74 69 59 58 56

L 44 50 59 62 61

Pct .627 .580 .500 .483 .479

GB — 5½ 15 17 17½

Los Angeles Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

W 70 63 61 49 46

L 48 56 57 69 72

Pct .593 .529 .517 .415 .390

GB — 7½ 9 21 24

Central Division

West Division

Saturday’s games

N.Y. Yankees 5, Atlanta 4 Miami 7, L.A. Angels 0 Pittsburgh 9, N.Y. Mets 0 Washington 8, Cincinnati 2 Kansas City 6, Chicago Cubs 3

Washington 7, Cincinnati 1 Atlanta 2, N.Y. Yankees 1, 10 innings N.Y. Mets 11, Pittsburgh 1 Miami 12, L.A. Angels 3 Chicago Cubs 10, Kansas City 2 Philadelphia 7, Toronto 6, 12 innings St. Louis 7, Colorado 4 Milwaukee 4, Minnesota 3, 10 innings Arizona 4, L.A. Dodgers 2 Detroit 3, San Francisco 1, 10 innings Houston at San Diego, n

Monday’s games

N.Y. Mets (Scott 3-3) at Atlanta (Elder 8-6), 6:15 p.m. Philadelphia (Painter 1-8) at St. Louis (Dobbins 2-2), 6:45 p.m. Colorado (Hughes 0-3) at Arizona (Soroka 8-3), 8:40 p.m. Milwaukee (Henderson 6-1) at San Diego (Mize 4-7), 8:40 p.m. Houston (Wesneski 2-0) at San Francisco (TBD), 8:45 p.m. Kansas City (Cameron 6-8) at L.A. Dodgers (Skubal 7-6), 9:10 p.m.

Auto racing NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol Results Sunday

At Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa. Lap length: 0.88 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (6) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 350 laps, 69 points. 2. (22) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 350, 49. 3. (1) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 350, 47. 4. (13) Josh Berry, Ford, 350, 33. 5. (29) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 350, 37. 6. (20) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 350, 40. 7. (9) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 350, 43. 8. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 350, 29. 9. (19) William Byron, Chevrolet, 350, 32. 10. (7) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 350, 33. 11. (8) Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 349, 29. 12. (26) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 349, 25. 13. (27) Chris Buescher, Ford, 349, 24. 14. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, 349, 41. 15. (32) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 349, 22. 16. (14) Zane Smith, Ford, 349, 24. 17. (15) Noah Gragson, Ford, 349, 20.

18. (16) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 349, 19. (21) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 349, 18. 20. (35) Ryan Preece, Ford, 349, 17. 21. (28) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 349, 16. 22. (17) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 349, 15. 23. (33) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 349, 14. 24. (31) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 349, 13. 25. (11) M. McDowell, Chevrolet, 349, 12. 26. (24) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 349, 0. 27. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 348, 10. 28. (36) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 348, 9. 29. (12) Austin Cindric, Ford, 348, 8. 30. (23) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 347, 7. 31. (18) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 347, 6. 32. (34) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 347, 5. 33. (2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 332, 12. 34. (30) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, accident, 194, 3. 35. (10) Erik Jones, Toyota, accident, 4, 2. 36. (5) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, accident, 3, 1.

Race statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 103.34 mph. Time of Race: 2 hours, 57 minutes, 49 seconds. Margin of Victory: .253 seconds. Caution Flags: 7 for 45 laps. Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers. Lap Leaders: R.Blaney 0-93; C.Elliott 94107; B.Wallace 108-142; R.Blaney 143; C.Bell 144-214; C.Elliott 215-218; R.Blaney 219-253; C.Bell 254-290; R.Chastain 291-330; T.Gibbs 331-350 Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): R.Blaney, 3 times for 129 laps; C.Bell, 2 times for 108 laps; R.Chastain, 1 time for 40 laps; B.Wallace, 1 time for 35 laps; T.Gibbs, 1 time for 20 laps; C.Elliott, 2 times for 18 laps. Wins: T.Reddick, 5; D.Hamlin, 4; R.Blaney, 2; C.Elliott, 2; S.Van Gisbergen, 2; T.Gibbs, 1; C.Hocevar, 1; C.Briscoe, 1; D.Suárez, 1; J.Logano, 1. Top 16 in Points: 1. D.Hamlin, 886; 2. T.Reddick, 802; 3. R.Blaney, 766; 4. T.Gibbs, 751; 5. C.Hocevar, 638; 6. C.Elliott, 635; 7. C.Briscoe, 623; 8. K.Larson, 617; 9. C.Buescher, 613; 10. C.Bell, 609; 11. D.Suárez, 583; 12. W.Byron, 568; 13. J.Logano, 545; 14. B.Wallace, 540; 15. S.Van Gisbergen, 537; 16. A.Cindric, 518.

NASCAR Driver Rating Formula

A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race. The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

LIVING

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

M o n d ay, au g u s t 10, 2026

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‘REMEMBERED, RECLAIMED, REIMAGINED’

Denver eyes restoration of its Chinatown history BY JOHN WENZEL

The Denver Post (TNS)

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM WWL

John Pela, left, on the set of WWL’s ‘The John Pela Show,’ a televised New Orleans dance program that started in 1959 as ‘Saturday Hop’ and which aired every Saturday through 1972.

DANCING

ON AIR

New Orleans had its own version of ‘American Bandstand’ in the ’60s: ‘The John Pela Show’

BY RACHEL MIPRO Contributing writer

uring the dance craze of the ’50s and ’60s, New Orleans youth were learning how to groove. But Louisiana had its own version of “American Bandstand.” One reader’s question: Does anyone remember “The John Pela Show?” It spanned more than a decade of dance trends, teaching local teens how to bop every Saturday afternoon, led by presenter John Pela. Pela, who recently celebrated two landmark occasions in May — his 95th birthday and his 75th wedding anniversary to his wife, Marilyn — has always been a fan of music. Pela recalled listening to radio broadcast programs in his younger days. “I got hooked on all that music in those days,” Pela said. “And no matter how much older I got, I was still into music, I wanted to join. And then all of a sudden, hey, ‘Here’s television.’” Originally from Ohio, the Pelas

STAFF FILE PHOTO By KATHy ANDERSON

John Pela, photographed at age 77 in July 2008, had his first show ‘Saturday Hop,’ then later ‘The John Pela Show,’ which was on the air from the late ’50s until 1972. He worked in different capacities at WWL during that same time frame. were high school sweethearts and started dating in their sophomore year of high school. When they married, Marilyn was 19 and John was 20, kicking off a lifelong partnership. “We’ve been very, very fortunate,” Marilyn Pela said. “I mar-

Associated Press

WAPAKONETA, Ohio — Inside Neil Armstrong’s boyhood home, at the top of a creaky stairway, sits his bedroom where he launched model airplanes out of the rear window to measure how far they’d ﬂy. Hanging in the room now are autographed photos of astronauts who’ve visited the privately kept house to see where Armstrong’s

ﬁrst steps to the moon began. Owned by a retired history teacher devoted to preserving its past and charming character, the home is for sale for the ﬁrst time in nearly 40 years. What will become of it remains uncertain. All over Armstrong’s hometown of Wapakoneta, there are reminders of his history-making moonwalk. But few places played a bigger role early in his journey than 601 W. Benton

ä See ARMSTRONG, page 6C

ä See HISTORY, page 6C

ried the best guy in the world and the kindest man in the world.” The pair moved to New Orleans after living in a series of states, from Ohio to Maryland to Iowa to Florida, adopting four children

ä See CURIOUS, page 6C

Reach the stars at Armstrong’s childhood home BY JOHN SEEWER and PATRICK AFTOORA-ORSAGOS

DENVER — When Heather Clifton was a child, she would stand at her grandmother’s bedside after dinners and parties and admire the matriarch’s wooden curio cabinet. One day, when she was 13 or 14, her grandmother told her to pick an item out for herself, so Clifton selected a shiny gold ring with a big blue stone — which she still wears frequently. “I’ve never had it appraised but I probably should, because it might be valuable,” said Clifton, a descendant of one of Denver’s original Chinatown families. These families lived in what’s now Lower Downtown from the 1860s through the 1940s, according to History Colorado, with their community blooming along Wazee between 15th and 17th streets, and later growing to include parts of Market between 15th and 20th streets. Now she’s reappraising Chinatown at large. Its rise and fall was dramatic, with a deadly riot in 1880 stoking anti-Chinese sentiment nationwide. But its erasure has been so complete that most people don’t even know it existed, Clifton said. All that remains are a couple of plaques and a mural that is a few blocks from Coors Field. “Although Denver is usually not the ﬁrst city to come to mind when one considers the history of Chinese immigration to the United States, the establishment of the city’s Chinatown and its subsequent destruction had a profound impact on the history of race and immigration policy in the country,” History Colorado researchers wrote in their 2019 paper “The Rise and Fall of Denver’s Chinatown,” noting the national publicity the riot received in 1880. Drawn here by railroad and mining jobs, Denver’s Chinese immigrants quickly set up businesses that catered to both their own community and the local population; they had a vigorous work ethic, something that often deﬁnes immigrant communities, according to History

The former house of Neil Armstrong stands July 31 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. AP PHOTO By PATRICK AFTOORAORSAGOS

Maybe as you walked out of the ﬁrst Ice Water round, it hit you. Maybe it was a door that opened — or one that didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t until the next year when you were on the other side of the process. It could have been a moment standing in a hallway, waiting, that you can still describe in detail years later. We’re inviting readers who went through sorority recruitment — recently or decades ago — to tell us about it: What’s the speciﬁc moment from Rush week you still think about? And what did Rush teach you that you didn’t expect? Send your response to jan.risher@theadvocate.com by 2 p.m. today.

6C ● Monday,August 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Early heartbeats normal with a healthy heart Dear Doctors: Is it true that if you have a normal heart, skipped heartbeats are generally harmless, especially if you also aren’t having any shortness of breath or chest discomfort? Are there any hard and fast rules regarding how many daily skipped beats is safe or normal? Dear Reader: It can be unsettling to feel like your heart has skipped a beat. Many people feel a sudden “thump” that alerts them to a change in the natural heart rhythm they are used to. This type of irregular heartbeat is common. Most people have it from time to time, often without even noticing. For people in good health with a normal heart, these errant heartbeats are usually harmless. Although it feels like your heart skipped a beat, it’s actually the opposite. A quick glitch in the heart’s electrical system causes an extra beat too soon. This beat is often weaker than normal. The brief pause after gives the heart’s main pumping chambers, the ventricles, more time to ﬁll with blood. This causes the next heartbeat to feel stronger than usual. This creates the “thump” that feels like your heart is skipping a beat. There are two types of

HISTORY

Continued from page 5C Colorado. But with only a few hundred permanent residents at its height — and because most of its buildings were demolished due to urban renewal projects in the late 20th century — even people with direct ties to the area have been in the dark about its history. “I didn’t really know about Chinatown when I was a child,” Clifton said, noting that her grandmother lived in one of the few brick buildings that have survived, at 2019 Market St. That changed when she and her cousin, Linda Lung, began researching its history. Lung, who also traces her family directly to Denver’s Chinatown, and Clifton are working to enshrine the neighborhood’s culture. Through oral histories, family archives, walking tours, historic preservation applications, partnerships with Asian American and Paciﬁc Islander organizations, and a major exhibit at History Colorado Center, they’ve increasingly brought to light the struggles, triumphs and daily rhythms of the former neighborhood. “I have lived here my entire life, and I had always wondered why we didn’t have a traditional Chinatown,” said chef Tommy Lee, whose parents moved to Denver in the 1960s from Hong Kong, in a 2022 Denver Post interview. “I started doing research and I found out there was actually a Chinatown in Denver.” Lee named his restaurant Hop Alley — after the nickname for Denver’s Chinatown, and the stereotype of opium-smoking Chinese — and it’s a knowing riff. “My family never called it Hop Alley,” Lung said of the area, whose denizens watched out for one another

CURIOUS

Continued from page 5C along the way. After Pela got a local job, the family quickly settled into the Crescent City scene. When Pela took over the show from 1961 to 1972, the WWL-TV show was huge in the New Orleans scene among local teenagers. Originally called “Saturday Hop,” Pela’s popularity led to a show name change, rebranding as “The John Pela Show.” In the early days of the show, teens interested in

Dr. Elizabeth Ko Dr. Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

these early heartbeats. The chamber of the heart that starts the early beat determines the type. The most common type is called a premature atrial contraction, also called a PAC. This occurs when one of the heart’s two upper chambers, called the atria, beats too soon. The lower chambers, called the ventricles, can also beat too early. This is called a premature ventricular contraction, also called a PVC. PVCs are less common than PACs. Both types of early heartbeats, though, are harmless for people in good health. Not all PACs and PVCs feel like skipped beats. They can also feel like a brief pause. They might feel like a flutter or a flipflop. If you have several early heartbeats in a row, it can feel like your heart is racing. Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, stress, poor sleep and certain medications can trigger PACs and PVCs.

Conditions such as electrolyte imbalance, high blood pressure or thyroid disease can also cause them. It’s natural to want clear guidelines for heart symptoms and when to see a doctor. There is not one single rule that ﬁts everyone on when early heartbeats become a concern. This is because they are so common. A few hundred early beats in a day can be normal, even for someone with a healthy heart. A much higher number of early beats may be enough to warrant some tests. If you feel like you have skipped heartbeats often, talk with your doctor about your symptoms. A wearable monitor, such as a Holter monitor or Zio patch, can track how many early heartbeats you have. It can compare this amount to your normal heartbeats. This is called the “burden” of early beats. This information can help your doctor guide decisions about whether treatment may be needed. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet. ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

amid threats from White residents. Those culminated in an 1880 anti-Chinese race riot that left resident Look Young dead by hanging, dozens of Chinese residents seriously injured, and most of their businesses burned and destroyed. Residents rebuilt, but with anti-Chinese sentiment in overdrive after decades of racist news coverage and discriminatory federal laws, the community dwindled through the early part of the 20th century, and the Chinese culture that had deﬁned the area was quickly forgotten after that. Urban renewal further erased structures as Denver’s boom-and-bust cycle rolled along. Out of the 200 or so buildings that comprised the neighborhood, only 19 remain, owing to a spate of demolition by the city of Denver that started in the 1960s to make space for more development, said Samantha Martin, History Colorado Center’s Temple Buell associate curator of architecture. Like the Latino population that was displaced in the 1970s from what’s now the Auraria campus, as well as immigrant and Indigenous communities across the state, Chinatown’s residents found that outside pressure forged lasting bonds that united them through periods of chaos. Understanding that history is newly important as the cycle threatens to repeat itself, they said, with residents of the La Alma/Lincoln Park neighborhood (many of them already displaced from Auraria 50 years ago) fearing displacement due to a new Denver Broncos stadium in nearby Burnham Yard. Gentrification, increased taxes, and trafﬁc are usually forced upon working-class, immigrant and non-White residents when these types of land grabs occur, said Nolbert Chavez, who’s writing his Ph.D. dissertation on how

communities of color can move forward with institutions after displacement and urban development. As a regent for the University of Colorado Denver, Chavez’s ofﬁce is located in what’s believed to be Denver’s oldest residence, at 1050 9th St. — also known as the Centennial House due to its construction in 1876 (the same year Colorado became a state). “You can’t really tell the full story (of Denver) without telling our story,” Chavez said. “Rather than glossing over or hiding or downplaying it, we should embrace it and make something beautiful about it.” For Chavez, that’s included award-winning historic preservation wins, making good on promised scholarships for displaced residents, and other initiatives that seek to celebrate the lives of the hundreds of people and businesses who were pushed out to make way for the Auraria Higher Education Campus. Remembering the original Auraria residents and Denver’s Chinatown is crucial because we’re still dealing with some of the same dynamics today, Chavez said. Lies and stereotypes about race, class and culture prompted the violence in Chinatown in 1880, with a reported 3,000 Whites attacking every Chinese person they saw. But there was no evidence that Chinese residents engaged in risky behavior any more than Eurocentric immigrants and residents. “Our families dealt with opium and prostitution, because that’s just what they did,” Lung said. “But Whites would come through because they saw Chinatown as exotic and mysterious, and they liked the opium and gambling and prostitution and spectacular fireworks and focus on food. They were giving it that reputation themselves.”

dancing on the live program would ﬁll out postcards or letters asking to be on the show, and send them into the station. Once selected, they would dance to the Top 10 new hits of the day. Pela’s daughter, Jennifer, recalled the success of the show among her peers, although she was still a little too young to dance on the show while it was on air. “People were just so excited, you know, ‘Oh my God that’s your dad,’ and all that,” Jennifer Pela said. “It was a lot of fun to go through and be a part of. … That was as exciting as it could get back then.”

Around 1963, the show ushered in a new age by desegregating the dance floor, mixing Black and White dancers. “It worked, and on the very first show, it was so beautiful,” Pela said, describing how the dancers began to loosen up and dance with each other. After over 11 years of fielding the latest dance trends and songs, he moved to a desk role as a broadcast manager, ending his time in the spotlight but leaving him with plenty of reminiscing. “The 11 years with those kids, you know, just made me feel so good,” Pela said.

TODAY IN HISTORY In 1977, postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, New York, accused of being “Son of Sam,” the gunman who killed six people and wounded seven others in the New York City area. (Berkowitz pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges and was sentenced to six consecutive life terms in prison.) In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a measure providing $20,000 payments to still-living Japanese-Americans who were interned by the U.S. government during World War II. In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, serving until her death in September 2020. In 2006, British authorities announced they had thwarted a plot to simultaneously blow up 10 aircraft heading to the U.S. using liquid explosives made to look like soft drinks. In 2018, Richard Russell, a 29-year-old airline ground agent, stole a commercial plane from SeaTac International Airport near Seattle; he ﬂew for 75 minutes, performing dangerous stunts while being chased by military jets before crashing into a remote island in Puget Sound, killing himself. In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein,

accused of orchestrating a sex-trafﬁcking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found unresponsive in his New York City jail cell and later pronounced dead at a hospital. (The city’s medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.) Today’s birthdays: Actor James Reynolds is 80. Rock singer-musician Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) is 79. Country musician Gene Johnson (Diamond Rio) is 77. Singer Patti Austin is 76. Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly is 74. Folk singersongwriter Sam Baker is 72. Actor Rosanna Arquette is 67. Actor Antonio Banderas is 66. Rock musician Jon Farriss (INXS) is 65. Singer Julia Fordham is 64. Actor Chris Caldovino is 63. Singer Neneh Cherry is 62. Singer Aaron Hall is 62. Former boxer Riddick Bowe is 59. Actor Sean Blakemore is 59. R&B singer Lorraine Pearson (Five Star) is 59. Singerproducer Michael Bivins is 58. Actor-writer Justin Theroux is 55. Actor Angie Harmon is 54. Country singer Jennifer Hanson is 53. Actor JoAnna Garcia Swisher is 47. Singer Cary Ann Hearst (Shovels & Rope) is 47. Actor Aaron Staton is 46. Actor Ryan Eggold is 42. Actor Lucas Till is 36. Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is 29. Actor Jeremy Maguire is 15.

St. — the house where the Armstrong family settled in western Ohio when he was a young teenager. It’s where Armstrong built planes out of balsa wood and glue in the dining room and constructed a basement wind tunnel to test his models. He’d often pedal his bike from home to take ﬂying lessons at an airstrip. At age 16, Armstrong made his first solo flight and got his pilot’s license. Just 20 years later, he rocketed into space for the ﬁrst time. After the 1969 moon landing, he taught at the University of Cincinnati.

years after Armstrong died in 2012, Mikesell recalled, “and the tears just streamed down his cheeks.” Over the years, she’s been given a moon rock and received a piece of gold foil that covered the Apollo 11 capsule — a gift from one of the Navy frogmen who helped recover the command module and its crew. Some astronauts autographed their photos with personal messages to Mikesell — “thanks for taking such great care of Neil’s home!” wrote Mike Foreman, who ﬂew on two space shuttle missions. “You can read books, but you can never have those kinds of experiences that I was able to have because I lived here,” she said. “I could go on and on.”

Armstrong’s old bedroom is now decorated with photos and paintings of the moon landing. Hanging from the ceiling is a model of the Wright brothers’ ﬁrst production airplane — the aviation pioneers were from nearby Dayton and an inspiration for Armstrong. She never met Armstrong, who was famously private. She did talk with his parents, siblings and children about the 1908 home and its place in Armstrong’s upbringing.

Otherworldly visitors

Many reminders

Today, Armstrong’s twostory boyhood home is an occasional stop for visitors to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, even though the house itself isn’t open for tours. When Karen Mikesell bought the place in 1988, she had no idea who once lived there until another teacher soon told her. As a history teacher who later became a school principal, Mikesell felt a responsibility to “keep it like the Armstrongs had it,” she said. She’s hosted nine astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin, who ﬂew to the moon with Armstrong and Michael Collins in 1969. Aldrin stepped inside the bedroom upstairs a few

A r m s t r o n g ’s f a m i l y bought the home in 1944 after his father had moved them about a dozen times with his job as a government auditor. The oldest of three children, Neil was born in a farmhouse just outside Wapakoneta, today a city of just under 10,000 people. The house on Benton Street with its big front porch has changed little on the outside. Inside, the layout is similar too, though it has been updated. In the backyard, a garage that Armstrong and his father built with scrap lumber still stands, though a chicken coop where he and his friends gathered for Boy Scout meetings is long gone.

By The Associated Press Today is Monday, Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2026. There are 143 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 10, 2020, a powerful derecho struck several Midwest U.S. states, causing four fatalities and an estimated $11 billion in damage, making it the costliest thunderstorm in modern U.S. history. Also on this date: In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed.) In 1821, Missouri became the 24th state admitted to the Union. In 1945, a day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Imperial Japan conveyed its willingness to surrender provided the status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged. (The Allies responded the next day, saying they would determine the Emperor’s future status.) In 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson’s cult, one day after actor Sharon Tate and four other people were killed.

ARMSTRONG Continued from page 5C

American history for sale Mikesell, who’s 82, said she hopes someone might be willing to buy the house and donate it to the Armstrong museum, which doesn’t have the funds to acquire the property, according to Logan Rex, its spokesperson. She is just one of a handful of people who’ve owned the home since the Armstrongs sold it in the mid1960s. By the time she bought the house, the rooms were covered with wallpaper in a rainbow of colors, so she sought to restore its original look. While the house, which is listed at $430,000, isn’t legally protected from alteration, Mikesell is also optimistic that the new owners will respect it — whether it remains a private residence or becomes a place for overnight stays. “It’s time to let someone else have the opportunity to be as blessed as I’ve been,” she said, “and to take care of it and keep it as a part of history.”

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday,August 10, 2026 ● 7C

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zodIAC LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Look for opportunities to learn, grow and communicate. Stretching your mind will enhance the outcome of whatever you pursue. Face limitations by addressing problems swiftly. VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Reach out and help. The people you meet and the opportunities that follow will have an emotional impact on how you move forward. Your experience and attributes will bring about opportunities. LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) Put your skills on display, and manufacture a scenario that satisfies your soul. Whether you are in learning mode or at the top of your game, you can flourish if you position yourself for success. scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Stand up for yourself, but do so with reserve. Refuse to let anyone compromise your integrity or take advantage of your skills. Too much of anything will weigh you down. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Pay attention to domestic issues, joint ventures and shared expenses. Set up rules, guidelines and open communication to ensure you are on the same page as those you live with or deal with. cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You'll be drawn to situations that may not be as they appear. Ask questions before you commit to anything that may jeopardize your reputation, time or money. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You're in a better position than you realize. Don't be shy or gullible. Get the facts, do

what's best for you and carry on. Set up interviews, socialize and get back in the game. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Look inward and pay attention to detail. Make changes that boost your ego and give you the confidence to move forward with a positive attitude and to show off what you can do. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Use your imagination to bring about positive change. Nurture relationships, and commit to the people and projects that interest you most. Don't waste time on no-win situations. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Choose to put your energy into home improvements, comfort and what makes your lifestyle more convenient. Anger and frustration will have costly emotional or financial price tags. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A change will give you a different perspective regarding what you can do. If you put your physical attributes to the test, you'll surprise those who don't give you enough credit. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Emotions will be difficult to control. Be a good listener, and ponder over situations until you can find a positive outlet for your thoughts and feelings. Put more time and effort in your home and your investments. The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

For better or For WorSe WonderWord

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8C ● Monday,August 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Sudoku InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday. Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Monday,August 10, 2026 ● 9C

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Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER Alan Kulwicki, a NASCAR driver who died in a plane crash in 1993, said, “In every aspect of life, have a game plan, and then do your best to achieve it.” That definitely applies at the bridge table. Each side should have a game plan. Declarer’s is to make his contract; the defenders’ is to thwart declarer’s plan. In this deal, South is in three no-trump and West leads the spade seven. What should each side do? South might have opened two notrump. Despite having only 19 highcard points, all of those aces and kings increase the hand’s value. In the actual auction, South’s two-no-trump rebid showed 18 or 19 (or a poor 20) points and was in principle game-forcing. North had a minimum initial response, but his fivecard suit was worth an extra point, and any time you smell a game, bid game. South has six top tricks: three spades (given the lead), one heart and two clubs. His plan should be to play on diamonds to generate the extra winners that he needs. So he takes the first trick with his spade jack and leads the diamond king. What should happen next? West knows that South is strong in spades, and the club holding in dummy means that that suit will not produce

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enough defensive tricks. Instead, West must win the first diamond trick and shift to the heart queen. Then the contract should fail. Yes, if South knew where all 52 cards lay, he could have made the contract after a spade lead. The curious may work it out. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

wuzzles Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

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today’s thought “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” Deuteronomy 32:29

Are you ready for eternity? We all have an appointment with God. — G.E. Dean

10C ● Monday,August 10, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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TODAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

A heavy t-storm this afternoon

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm

A t-storm around in the p.m.

Sunshine with a stray t-storm

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

91° 76°

LOW

HIGH

93° 77°

LOW

92° 78°

Beaumont 91/77 Port Arthur 88/77

Baton Rouge 91/75

Lake Charles 91/77

New Orleans 91/78 Houma 88/75

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

Hattiesburg 94/75

Alexandria 92/74

Lafayette 91/76

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

LOW

HIGH

LOW

95° 76°

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 39 MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

MAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Sunday

Jackson 95/76 Many 91/73

HIGH

94° 77°

TEMPERATURE

Longview 97/76

-0s

LOW

Monroe 98/77

Shreveport 96/77

-10s

HIGH

93° 77°

Well, expect your Monday to be a partly cloudy, hot, humid and breezy day with scattered showers and storms. In fact, there is a marginal risk of excessive rainfall that could lead to some measure of flash flooding in the forecast today. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the upper 80s to low 90s. The humidity remains high so your heat index or temperatures feeling like they’re 103 or higher. The UV index will be at the very high level this afternoon especially in areas where there is no rain.

60s

70s

80s

90s 100s 110s

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

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today NEW

AUG 12

City

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

92°/73° 93°/75° 92°/74° 101° in 2023 60° in 1989

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

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks Honolulu Las Vegas Louisville Miami Nashville

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

HIGH

6:37p 12:24p 5:09a 8:05a 8:24a 7:36a 9:32a

6:32 a.m. 7:54 p.m. 3:54 a.m. 6:37 p.m.

FIRST

AUG 19

TODAY

97 88 99 74 90 110 94 93 96

79 72 79 52 77 88 78 82 75

FULL

LAST

AUG 27

pc pc s c sh t pc pc pc

SEP 4

100 88 100 74 90 104 92 93 96

GOOD

PRECIPITATION

TUE. Lo

78 68 81 51 77 84 76 80 75

pc pc s pc sh pc t pc t

FT.

LOW

0.00” 1.00” 1.73” 41.79” 39.15”

FT.

HIGH

0.9 5:42a -0.2 1.9 --- --2.1 7:51a 2.0 2.1 11:33p -0.1 1.6 7:45p -0.2 2.0 6:01p -0.4 2.0 8:47p -0.3

FT.

--- ----- --11:17a 2.0 --- ----- ----- ----- ---

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOV

LOW

FT.

--- ----- --7:17p -0.7 --- ----- ----- ----- ---

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

Today 9:52a Tuesday 10:48a Wednesday 11:43a Thursday 12:11a Friday 1:04a Saturday 1:56a Sunday 2:47a

City

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

91 94 94 108 83 93 96 79 92

3:36a 4:33a 5:29a 6:23a 7:16a 8:08a 8:59a

TODAY Lo

78 76 75 86 69 75 80 72 79

10:23p 11:18p 12:10p 12:36p 1:28p 2:19p 3:10p

t t t t t t pc pc t

GOOD

92 94 90 106 80 97 98 80 92

4:08p 5:03p 5:56p 6:48p 7:39p 8:30p 9:21p

TUE. Lo

78 77 75 85 69 73 79 71 79

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

t t t t t t t pc t

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

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

SUN. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

-0.10 18.80 21.80 8.30 4.70 3.83 3.40

+0.31 -0.55 -0.30 -0.40 -0.30 -0.05 -0.04

16.25

+0.11

-1.62

-0.14

18 29 8

-1.14 10.16 2.15

-0.07 -0.10 +0.07

13 15

1.46 0.92

-0.03 -0.03

47 34 29 20 12 6

7.77 5.33 3.61 4.19 3.30 1.76

-1.05 -0.53 -0.63 -0.22 +0.10 +0.15

data as of 7 a.m. Sunday

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